Want to ensure your research influences policy? Advice from a government insider

Among the ways social sciences research can have impact is by influencing public policy. Duncan Green recently attended an event at which this subject was much discussed, with a leading government research analyst offering clear advice on what officials are looking for. Comparative work highlighting a range of possible solutions is valued, as are multidisciplinary approaches. Most useful is demonstrating where something has or hasn’t worked and why. Make written work short but not dumb, avoid jargon, and quickly get to the point. Beyond that, a researcher’s attitude, accessibility, and understanding of the rhythms of policy decision-making are all important

An experiment in participatory blogging on Ebola in Sierra Leone

Duncan Green unveils unveils how CPAID researchers collaborated with their interviewees to produce showcasing their experiences during the Ebola epidemic

Conference rage: how did something as truly awful as paneldiscussions become the default format?

The relatively low impact of many academic conferences suggests it may be time for a rethink, argues Duncan Green. ‘Manels’ (male only panels) are an outrage, but why not go for complete abolition, rather than mere gender balance? With people reading out papers, terrible powerpoints crammed with too many words, or illegible graphics, it is time for innovation in format. We need to get better at shaping the format to fit the the precise purpose of the conference

Duncan Green: Book Review – Alex de Waal, “The Real Politics of the Horn of Africa”

There’s a balance to be struck in writing any non-fiction book. Narrative v information. How often do you return to de Waal coverthe overarching storyline, the message of the book, the thing you want the reader to take away? How much information – facts, names, dates, events – do you include? Too much storyline, and the book feels flimsy. Too much information and the reader gets lost in the detail

Book review: how China escaped the poverty trap by Yuen Yuen Ang

In How China Escaped the Poverty Trap, Yuen Yuen Ang drills down into the details of China's economic rise, challenging conventional explanations by showing how its development was a ‘coevolutionary process’ between markets and institutions. Duncan Green urges readers to immerse themselves in this diligently researched book packed with fascinating insights and findings

If academics are serious about research impact they need to learn from monitoring, evaluation and learning teams

The impact of academic research, particularly on policy and the private sector, is an increasingly important component of research assessment exercises and funding distribution. However, Duncan Green argues that the way many researchers think about their impact continues to be pretty rudimentary. A lack of understanding of who key decision-makers are, a less-than-agile response to real-world events, and difficulties in attributing credit are all hampering progress in this area. Looking at how impact is measured by aid agencies, there is much academics could learn from their monitoring, evaluation and learning teams

Africa is rising – but for whom? Winnie Byanyima captivates a full house at LSE

Times are changing, and so too must charities. After 75 years in Oxford, Oxfam International will soon be relocating its headquarters to Nairobi, the charity’s executive director Winnie Byanyima announced last night

Academics and NGOs can work together in partnership but must do so earlier and with genuine knowledge exchange

Partnerships between academia and NGOs remain rare. Following his latest post highlighting the findings of a recent InterAction report on this subject, Duncan Green considers what more can be done to overcome the barriers to collaboration that persist. Effective, mutually beneficial partnerships can indeed be forged but these should be initiated earlier than currently happens, and with greater encouragement of exchange of ideas and personnel