Study title

This collection consists of interview transcripts from London, Afghanistan, Nepal and Sierra Leone as well as bibliometric analysis, content analysis, citation analysis, research publications, policy making. This project addressed the following research question: How has state building-oriented research sponsored by DFID influenced and interacted with UK governmental policies targeting fragile, post-conflict environments? Previous studies of the research-policy nexus focused primarily upon interview-based narratives assembled long after policy formulation. As such an additional objective is the strengthening of methodologies for assessing research influence on policy. The project will employ two key methods. The first, oriented around measurement of 'rate of return', will identify research clusters of related issues pertaining to state building and employ standardized criteria to measure corresponding changes in policy. It will then engage researchers and policymakers to establish explanatory narratives for the 'returns' identified. Secondly, the investigators will 'forward-track' the dissemination, use, and uptake of recently completed DFID-sponsored studies, physically map research transmission applying a 'payback model', and determine what factors increase or impede its influence. Field research will be conducted in three country case studies. The study will also assess the impact of research quality within all elements of the methodology, addressing concerns that the rapid growth of state building research has resulted in weak approaches.