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Knowledge translation : a Research Matters toolkit|Bridging the 'know-do' gap : a resource for researchers

CAMPBELL, Sandy
et al
November 2008

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Knowledge Translation (KT) works to knit together research and action. "An intensely social process, KT depends upon relationships....[It has] three core principles: - Knowledge. KT efforts at any level depend upon a robust, accessible and contextualized knowledge base. - Dialogue. The relationships at the heart of KT can only be sustained through regular, two-way dialogue and exchange. - Capacity. Researchers, decision-makers and other research-users require a strengthened skill-base to create and respond to KT opportunities." The introduction is also available in French

Involving the community : a guide to participatory development communication

BESSETTE, Guy
2004

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This manual argues that communication facilitates the development process. It conceptualises communication as interaction between and among the people whose development is being considered. In this way, communication becomes the development process itself, and the stakeholders - community members or their supporters who share an interest in the outcome - are development communicators as well. Using examples from environmental and natural resource management to illustrate participatory development communication, the manual is adaptable to other development areas, including health. It describes the root concepts of participatory development communication, a ten-step methodology for its application, and suggests communication tools appropriate to the approach. In an annex appended to the book, the author presents a summary of the changing perception of the relationship between the twin processes of communication and development. This adds a theoretical background to the material that gives it more depth for development researchers and practitioners for whom the book is intended, and will also be useful for development communication students

Health : an ecosystem approach

LEBEL, Jean
2003

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Can people remain healthy in a world that is sick? Many ecological disasters can be directly traced to careless exploitation of the environment, with human beings as first perpetrator and then victim. Our health closely mirrors the health of our surroundings: this is the basis of the Ecohealth approach. It recognizes the links between humans and their biophysical, social, and economic environments, and that these links are reflected in the population's state of health. This is a new area of research, requiring input from scientists, community and interest groups, and decision-makers. This book describes this new approach, providing lessons and recommendations from various IDRC-supported research activities. It demonstrates how decision-makers, in particular, can use the ecohealth approach to formulate policies and solutions that are both immediately visible and sustainable over the long term

Outcome mapping : building learning and reflection into development programmes

EARL, Sarah
CARDEN, Fred
SMUTYLO, Terry
2002

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Assessing the impact of the efforts of a single external development agency is problematic because changes in the well-being of beneficiaries occur as a result of a ‘confluence of events’. Outcome mapping is a dynamic methodology that looks at the contribution an agency has made at project, programme or organisational level to influence the processes leading to changes in the behaviour, relationships, actions and activities of people and organisations. According to the authors, development is about people relating to each other and their environment. Outcome mapping is therefore a monitoring and evaluation system for current and completed activities and provides a framework and vocabulary for understanding changes and assessing efforts. It is based on principles of participation, iterative learning and evaluative thinking throughout.
This book includes a thorough explanation of the outcome mapping approach, and provides detailed information on workshop design and facilitation, as well as numerous worksheets and examples

ICTs and poverty : a literature review

ADEYA, Catherine Nyaki
2002

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This literature review explores the concepts of ICTs and poverty, and their implications on development. It is divided into the following sections: Section 2 examines the concepts of poverty and ICTs, as well as some related issues, while the next section evaluates the relationship between ICTs and poverty in some detail; Section 4 then presents some case study literature on ICTs and poverty. This section is followed by an assessment of literature on ICTs and poverty reduction from the perspective of development in Section 5. The focus of Section 6 is ICTs and a selection of thematic areas that include agriculture, culture, education, health and gender. Section 7 has some concluding remarks and the last section gives recommendations for further research

Crouching impact, hidden attribution : overcoming threats to learning in development programs

SMUTYLO, Terry
2001

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This paper outlines a methodology developed by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) for use in assessing its support of applied research in developing countries. Entitled 'Outcome Mapping', this methodology can be used to create planning, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms enabling organizations to document, learn from, and report on, their achievements. It is designed to assist in understanding an organization's results while recognizing that contributions by other actors are essential to achieving sustainable, large scale improvements

The TEHIP 'spark' leads to better health

DALE, Stephen
2001

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This brief based on a case study attempts to explore the linkage between research and policy formation. Looking at some of the achievements of the Tanzania Essential Health Interventions Project (TEHIP), it makes the case that research can contribute to make the health system more cost-effective and help allocate resources according to local needs. The project supported collection of data and developed key tools for planning and organisational changes. Focusing on health systems, health-seeking behaviour and health outcomes, research findings were able to indicate new directions and support the decision making process

Patronage or partnership : local capacity building in humanitarian crises

SMILIE, Ian
Ed
2001

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This book reviews recent experiences in strengthening local institutions, governmental and non-governmental alike, in six countries on five continents. It examines various aspects of the tensions between international initiatives to save lives or to reconstruct the fabric of societies, and the parallel and sometimes competing international commitment to "capacitation" - to building longer term skills locally. The last chapter reviews the case studies and attempts to draw out the learning in terms of conceptual, operational, political and motivational issues

Assessing community telecentres : guidelines for researchers

WHYTE, Anne
2000

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This guidebook will assist researchers as they assess and evaluate the role and impact of community telecentres. It provides an introduction to some of the key research issues, a framework for telecentre evaluation, and an impetus for research teams to share ideas, instruments, and methods. Assessing Community Telecentres will interest researchers, practitioners, and academics in information science, communications, international development, and evaluation, including telecentre operators, telecentre managers, and community leaders. [Publisher's abstract]

Enhancing organizational performance : a toolbox for self-assessment

LUSTHAUS, Charles
et al
1999

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This guidebook presents a model for organisational self-assessment. The tools and tips both measure the impact of programmes, products, and services, and integrate techniques of formative assessment, in which the assessment team becomes involved in helping its organisation become more effective in meeting its goals. The tools and techniques are flexible, and the model can be adapted to any type or size of organisation. Worksheets and hands-on exercises are included. This guide will be of use to organisations that are initiating a process of self-assessment, internal change, or strategic planning. It will particularly appeal to heads and staff of research organisations, university administrators, staff of research-granting agencies, and academics and professionals in organisational development and evaluation

Knowledge shared : participatory evaluation in development cooperation

JACKSON, Edward T
KASSAM, Yusang
Eds
1998

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This book presents leading-edge analysis on the theory and practice of participatory evaluation around the world. With its instructive case studies from Bangladesh, El Salvador, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, and St Vincent, the book is a guide to a community-based approach to evaluation that is at once a learning process, a means of taking action, and a catalyst for empowerment. It is intended primarily as a tool for practitioners and policymakers in all segments of development cooperation, but will equally appeal to students, professors, scholars, and researchers in development studies, development administration, evaluation, environmental studies, social work, community development, rural development, international public health, and other disciplines related to sustainable and equitable development

Working with indigenous knowledge : a guide for researchers

GRENIER, Louise
1998

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This book provides an examination of indigenous knowledge and what it can offer a sustainable development strategy, and offers a guide to collecting, using, and assessing indigenous knowledge. Includes a review of case studies in Indonesia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, and Venezuela

Participatory development communication : a West African agenda

BESSETTE, Guy
RAJASUNDERAM, C V
Eds
1996

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Outlines the activities and priorities of the participatory communication CIME (Communicaiton, information, media, Education) research programme of IDRC in West Africa. Includes a useful historical overview of development communication and related areas of development, and a review of current participatory communication methods, such as 'community media', that put the 'grass-roots expression of its needs' at the heart of development. Also considers the relationship between grass-roots communication and non-formal education and in particular the need for supporting and developing the skills of young women and girls as effecetive communicators at the grass-roots level

Measuring the impact of information on development

MENOU, Michel J
1993

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This report documents an initiative that, through its methods and focus, aimed to provide a realistic starting point to understanding the impact of information on development. It consisted of a electronic conference, followed by a workshop through which ideas about information and evaluation were shared and built upon. The report weaves together the input of dozens of information users and providers, policymakers, information scientists, and others from the South and the North, and presents a preliminary assessment framework as a starting point to future work in this area

IDRC reports

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Relates information on research work in developing countres, and aims to keep the international community informed about the work IDRC supports
Monthly
Free

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