Knowledge mobilisation in public service reform: integrating empirical, technical and practical wisdom

Bynner, Claire; Terje, Anna

doi:10.1332/174426419x15757178659704

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(23 reference statements)

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“…All criteria for capturing poverty continue to be determined by western-led definitions [80]. Second: despite the rhetoric of co-production and end-user engagement [81], there remains a gap in our knowledge on how to precisely engage with communities at large and especially with poor communities [82]. Third: the structures and timelines of funding calls do not lend themselves to any meaningful engagement with poor end-users.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

South Asia’s unprotected poor: a systematic review of why social protection programs fail to reach their potential

Javed,

Mumtaz

2023

Preprint

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The incongruity between South Asia’s economic growth and extreme poverty has led to a growing interest in social protection and the subsequent implementation of anti-poverty programs. These work to promote inclusive growth and ensure that the poor do not get left behind. However, many programs have systematically failed to achieve their full potential in reaching the poorest of the poor. We reviewed the literature to understand the determinants behind this inequity in South Asia.A search of four databases, EconLit, Global Health Database, MEDLINE, SocINDEX, supplemented by citation tracking and an external search, yielded 42 papers evaluating 23 social protection programs. All articles were assessed for quality using the GRADE and GRADE CERQual criteria. Data were analyzed using Thomas & Harding’s thematic synthesis approach to generate new higher-order interpretations.Our analysis identified five themes underscoring program processes that stop resources from reaching the poor. These include: (1) structurally flawed program theories that overlook the complexities of poverty and are instead rooted in simplistic cause-and-effect approaches overestimating the poor’s gain from participation; (2) elite capture of program resources through the direct appropriation of benefits, their powerful positioning in program implementation, and their ability to dictate the poor’s accessibility through relationships of patronage and withholding of information; (3) insufficient targeting strategies to reach the poorest and a subsequent redirection of resources toward the rich; (4) program designs that overlook gender-based restrictions, hidden costs, the poor’s lack of legal documentation, and their physical and social exclusion; (5) some of the poorest households actively choosing self-exclusion from social protection due to a desire to maintain dignity, a lack of capital, and a perception of programs as substandard.The review highlights the disconnect between social protection program designs and the ground realities of their ‘ideal’ beneficiaries: the poorest of the poor. We propose the persistence of this well-documented disconnect may stem from three sources. First, there is an unclear understanding of who the poor are in South Asia, with definitions overlooking the historical influence of the caste system. Western perceptions of poverty continue to dominate the discourse. The second challenge is effective engagement and co-production of knowledge with the poor. Lastly, despite encouragement of international collaboration, fast-paced funding calls do not allocate sufficient time to build relationships with the poor primary stakeholders. We suggest the possibility that maintenance of this disconnect is intentional, reflecting a broader power dynamic in which the global and local elite dictate the lives of the poor based on geopolitical interests and national priorities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

South Asia’s unprotected poor: a systematic review of why social protection programs fail to reach their potential

Javed,

Mumtaz

2023

Preprint

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“…Tasked with 'developing and supporting the architecture of the research ecosystem with the establishment of dedicated structures and systems to deepen relationships between research and public policy' (Doyle, 2021a, p. 11), the report of these proceedings concluded that: ensuring access and dialogue between policymakers and the best possible scientific and scholarly knowledge and insight, from different disciplines and approaches, independent of institu -tional or political interests -is an important agenda for action in Ireland. (Doyle et al, 2021, p. 2) At the same time, producing knowledge for central policymakers raises concerns about independence and clientelism, a loss of academic freedom and the ability to speak truth to power (Bynner & Terje, 2021;Mintrom, 2019;Norton et al, 2021). A willing rapprochement between policymakers and the scientific community cannot be taken for granted.…”

Section: Interest From the Academymentioning

confidence: 99%

Strengthening the science–policy interface in Ireland

O’Connor¹

2022

Administration

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“…As such, we can conceptualise how practitioners relate new knowledge to their existing knowledge, but know little of this relationship in most cases (Bynner and Terje, 2021). Nor do we have the statistical tools to provide an accurate measure of evidence use capacity (Asgharzadeh et al, 2021).…”

Section: What Issues Remain?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…• to understand how practitioners use different types of -'empirical, technical and practical'-knowledge in their daily work (Bynner and Terje, 2021); • how to identify 'individual and organisational capacity for evidence use' (Asgharzadeh et al, 2021).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%