Research Uptake

This USAID document aims to inform and empower those who may have limited technical experience as they navigate an emerging ML/AI landscape in developing countries. Donors, implementers, and other development partners should expect to come away with a basic grasp of common ML techniques and the problems ML is uniquely well-suited to solve. We will also explore some of the ways in which ML/AI may fail or be ill-suited for deployment in developing-country contexts. Awareness of these risks, and acknowledgement of our role in perpetuating or minimizing them, will help us work together to protect against harmful outcomes and ensure that AI and ML are contributing to a fair, equitable, and empowering future. Click here to read more ...
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Are you wishing you knew all you need to know about how to better communicate science, without having to read several hundred academic papers and blogs and books? Luckily Dr Craig Cormick has done this for you! This highly readable and entertaining book captures the breadth of research into best practice science communications and has distilled it into accessible chapters that take you through both the how and the why of science communication, supported with case studies and examples. Dr Craig Cormick has been a science communicator for over 25 years, working with organisations such as CSIRO, Questacon and the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science. He has been widely published on science communication issues in key journals and the popular media, including ABC Radio National's The Science Show, the Conversation, and has twice appeared in Best Australian Science Writing. He is a popular speaker on science communication issues at conferences in Australia and overseas. In 2013 he was awarded the Unsung Hero of Science Communication by the Australian Science Communicators (ASC) and is currently the President of the ASC. Click here to learn more ...
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Not only do stories connect us to the past and express universal beliefs, they can also help us develop a better understanding of the world and those we share it with. This is part of the reason why your brain loves stories. With around a hundred billion neurons and almost a quadrillion connections between the neurons your brain is an extraordinarily complex organism – so complex, in fact, it borders on the wondrous. Yet it is still a pattern-seeking instrument that looks to put the chaos of the world into some kind of recognisable order. Stories represent our most powerful and meaningful way of doing just that. Click here to read the full article by Micheál Heffernan ...
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Author: Dr Valentina Baú By unearthing the connections between the literatures on participatory communication and civic engagement with the reality of postconflict peace, this article demonstrates how a communication for development (C4D) approach to engaging citizens in peacebuilding contributes to strengthening the reconstruction process at the end of the violence, while engendering a bottom up process based on dialogue and inclusivity. After offering a brief overview of the peacebuilding contexts, this article presents a theoretical discussion that brings to the surface not only the role of C4D in facilitating citizens participation in government decision making, but also its significance in creating an inclusive peacebuilding process that starts from the community. At the same time, this discussion begins to shed light on the relationship between communication for development and participatory governance. You can access the article here:  Baú, V. (2016) Citizen Engagement in Peacebuilding. A communication for development approach to rebuilding peace from the bottom up, Progress in Development Studies, Vol.16, No.4, pp.348-360 ...
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Published: 2019-08-02 This is a non-thematic issue, with articles covering different themes. The first paper presents an action research initiative in capacity development for evaluation and communication, while another one presents the results of a study to consider the suitability of trauma-focused creative arts therapy as an intervention to treat abused children in South Africa. Two papers are concerned with learning in large development organizations, one of which take an historical perspective. The final contribution is designed to provide guidance for development organizations who are setting up portals, hubs and websites. You can read the current journal issue here  and access archived issues here ...
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INASP’s Annual Review 2018/19 takes a closer look at their recent work to challenge inequities in the research and knowledge system. The review reflects on highlights from across INSAP's work to help improve equity in research and knowledge ecosystems. To read the full review click here ...
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This Farm Radio International (FRI) project aimed to promote large-scale adoption of agricultural innovations and research results from two Cultivate Africa’s Future projects – integrating insects into poultry and fish feed (INSFEED), and quick-cooking bean products – through the use of interactive radio programs. Key results • 40 radio community listener groups (CLGs) were formed with over 670 individual members (50% women). • Before the radio programs were broadcast, all CLGs were trained to record their voices and send the messages to radio stations, using their mobile phones. They were also trained to use radio sets and participate in weekly polls. • Field monitoring visits were carried out every two months and reports showed that 98% of women and youth respondents valued the programs. • Looking at data from Uliza, 50,732 listeners participated in radio interactions from December 2015 to June 2017. • It is estimated that the six project radio stations – Radio Simba, Mega FM, Radio Buddu, Sky FM, Akaboozi FM and Ramogi FM – reached a total of 9 million listeners throughout the project period. Click here for full brief ...
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SHARE, WASHTED and other WASH and health research partners collaborated to explore issues of trust around community-based research through a community dialogue event in Chikwawa, Southern Malawi. This policy brief outlines key recommendations provided by participants to improve community engagement. The brief is aimed at researchers, research institutions and policymakers. While the research recommendations provided are based on findings from a community engagement event in rural Malawi, they are applicable to researchers working on community-based research in many low-income and rural contexts. Click here for full brief ...
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Most theories of change in the field of transparency and accountability assume that scientifically rigorous evidence increases the possibility of influencing officials and decision-makers. Generating this evidence has been the work of academic experts. Over the last decade, the Centro de Estudios para la Equidad y la Gobernanza de los Sistemas de Salud (the Center for the Study of Equity and Governance in Health Systems, or CEGSS) has considered the question of how to use evidence to influence authorities and promote participation by users of public services in rural indigenous municipalities of Guatemala. The author's initial approach relied on producing rigorous evidence through the surveying of health care facilities using random samples. However, when presented to authorities, this type of evidence did not have any influence on them. In the follow-up phases, the author gradually evolved the approach to employ other methods to collect evidence (such as ethnography and audiovisuals) that are easier to grasp by the non-expert public and the users of public services. The involvement of users of services in evidence collection was accompanied by civic action strategies to engage with authorities in the resolution of problems. Throughout a decade of work, it was learned that methods for gathering evidence that draw in participation ...
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The Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney (ISF-UTS) and the International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) were successfully awarded a grant from the then Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) to investigate success, enablers and measures of gender outcomes in water and sanitation initiatives in the Pacific, to inform policy and practice. The research was carried out from 2009-2011. ISF-UTS and IWDA worked in partnership with Live and Learn Environmental Education (LLEE) in Fiji and World Vision in Vanuatu. The research focused on two Pacific case studies that incorporate participatory strategies and support community decision making processes as part of water and sanitation initiatives, but were not focused on gender equality as a primary outcome: World Vision’s Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST) initiatives in rural Vanuatu and Live and Learns water governance and sustainable communities projects in Fiji. The field research used a strengths-based approach that was informed by principles of empowerment, appreciation and participation. The intention was for the research to build on existing strengths and be a learning process for all involved. For participant organisations, documenting successes and enablers was hoped to lead to a stronger focus on gender, and increased capability to integrate ...
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The report finds that male identity and masculine norms are undeniably linked with violence, with men and boys disproportionately likely both to perpetrate most forms of violence and to die by homicide and suicide. Boys and men are often raised, socialized, and encouraged to be violent, depending on their social surroundings and life conditions. Why is it that men and boys are disproportionately likely to perpetrate so many forms of violence, as well as to suffer certain forms of violence? To add a new dimension to the complex answer, this report explores “masculine norms” – the messages, stereotypes, and social instructions related to manhood – as crucial factors driving men’s violence. The report outlines five processes through which masculine norms shape the likelihood of men and boys experiencing or perpetrating violence: (1) achieving socially recognized manhood, (2) policing masculine performance, (3) “gendering” the heart, (4) dividing spaces and cultures by gender, and (5) reinforcing patriarchal power. Click here for full report ...
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This paper, published in the Environment and Urbanization journal, reflects on the tension in 'exclusionary' cities created through strategies that privilege economic growth and result in many people being left behind.  It explores three levels of inclusive urbanization: eliminating discriminatory exclusion, giving the disadvantaged a bigger voice in existing institutions, and guaranteeing human rights. It then examines how more inclusive urbanization can be achieved and how this relates to the Sustainable Development Goals (part of the 2030 Agenda). The world’s governments have committed themselves to balanced development that integrates economic, social and environmental goals, and have pledged that “no one will be left behind”. Inclusive urbanization is needed to achieve this balance, and to move the world towards the progressive realization of human rights for all. Click here for full paper ...
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