Introduction
Large amounts of money spent on development are allocated to research. In its research strategy released in April 2008,1 the UK Department for International Development doubled its commitment to research to £1 billion over five years. In 2007, the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research spent US $506 million.2 This investment in research is necessary because rational policy processes rely on good evidence. Organisations generating evidence can have great impact on the citizens of a country. It is important that research organisations are accountable. As we shall see, accountability implies more than simply rendering an account to the clients or donors commissioning or funding research. It means engaging with the wider policy community, with the policy-makers whom you are trying to influence, and with those whom you are trying to benefit through your research.
While there have been great leaps forward in a number of areas linked to accountability – such as advances in participatory research methods, evaluation of research and community empowerment – the field lacks a unifying overview. This study provides one such overview.
This study is designed for managers and researchers of policy research organisations working in developing countries. It provides a set of principles and practical guidelines to help them reflect on their organisation’s accountability. The study is the main product of the “Accountability Principles for Research Institutes” project, funded by the International Development Research Centre. The project took as its starting point the One World Trust’s Global Accountability Framework, which was developed over a period of five years consultative work and provides a set of accountability principles which will apply to organisations with global impact.
See full Report, in pdf format.
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