Evidence into Policy and Practice

IDS has pioneered approaches to linking up the supply of inclusive research with the demand for evidence from governments, donors, international development agencies, and civil society. It has also helped shape the concept of the politics of knowledge and current understandings of the relationship between evidence, policy and practice being social, political and interactive.

We have significant experience of mobilising knowledge in response to urgent humanitarian crises, and also provide tailored development knowledge services to governments and donor agencies as well as centres of excellence for knowledge sharing and engagement.  Our research staff and knowledge specialists bring particular experience and expertise in the following areas:

Evidence into use –research design that integrates knowledge exchange and policy engagement mechanisms from the start.

Research communications – high quality accessible products designed for maximum engagement

Digitally-enabled knowledge exchange – making evidence more available and accessible with the thoughtful use of technology.

Monitoring, evaluation and learning – facilitated learning around research impact and the development of theories of change.

Capacity building and mutual learning – through research programmes and tailored training and strategy support for institutions and individuals working at the interface between research evidence and policy and practice.

Programmes and centres

Projects

Recent work

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Showing 37–48 of 15281 results

Opinion

What gets measured gets done: the change of metrics needed for our food system

Some of us live to eat, and most of us eat to live, but there are still two billion people who suffer from some form of hunger or malnutrition. Why do hunger and malnutrition persist even when the world produces enough calories for everyone? Why is the food system a victim to and a villain of...

Karan Shinghal, MSc Climate Change, Development and Policy, Class of 2024-25

16 April 2025

Opinion

Making spaces inclusive: what restroom signs reveal

I identify as a woman. So, when I read the sign below, I thought: this is wrong. And I was right. Obviously. The irony of this moment made me angry, and suddenly, restroom signs were things I couldn’t un-see. Everywhere I went, they followed me. Despite trying to ignore them, the rage grew and...

Riya Behl, MA Power, Participation & Social Change, Class of 2024-25

16 April 2025

Opinion

Bringing India’s skilling and education closer

Frequently, while proposing solutions for India’s vast skilling gap, we tend to miss the forest for the trees. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)- India’s largest skilling initiative is often chastised inter-alia for its deficient placements, compromised training lengths, and...

Ayush Punia, MA Poverty & Development, Class of 2024-25

16 April 2025

Brief

Rapid Scoping Review 2025: Argentina

Countering Rollback Country Brief

The rollback of women’s rights and of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and more (LGBT+) rights in Argentina has escalated since the election of President Javier Milei in 2023. The response to these rollbacks, however, has been limited, particularly considering Argentina’s history of mass...

16 April 2025

Opinion

Exploring our positionalities to navigate design choices

This is the second blog in our reflective series. In our first blog we introduced the Full Spectrum Coalition (FSC) evidence and learning group, the challenge it responds to and the need to move beyond the performative dance that gets in the way of meaningful evaluation design. Here, we reflect...

Marina Apgar
Marina Apgar & 2 others

16 April 2025

News

MEPCCC closing reflections: strategies for preserving heritage

On 25 February 2025, the University of Duhok hosted a conference titled ‘Preserving Cultural Heritage in Kurdistan - Iraq’. This event, organised in collaboration with the Institute of Development Studies, marked the end of the Middle East People’s Culture Conservation Collective (MEPCCC)...

15 April 2025

Opinion

The evil eye and the needle: preserving cultural heritage

Deq (Arabic: دەق) or xal (Kurdish: خاڵ) are the Arabic and Kurdish words for tattoo respectively. Traditional Deq (tattoo) or Xal has long been a part of cultural heritage in Kurdistan and Iraq, it is shared by multiple ethnic and religious groups in Kurdistan, such as Yazidis, Shabaks,...

Harzhin Mohammed Saadi (Student, University of University of Duhok)
Hussein Jameel Ahmed (Student, University of University of Duhok)

15 April 2025

Opinion

Ghana’s e-levy: 3 lessons from the abolished mobile money tax

The first budget speech of Ghana’s new government on 11 March painted a picture of an economy in crisis, facing high debt and fiscal mismanagement. The finance minister, Cassiel Ato Forson, acknowledged that key International Monetary Fund performance targets would be missed and announced...

Max Gallien
Max Gallien & 2 others

15 April 2025

Opinion

Anti-caste commitments in UK higher education: A call to action

Research on and in the Indian subcontinent has historically been embroiled in the same caste power dynamics of the environments that scholars attempt to study. Development, both as a practice and as a field of knowledge, including within UK Higher Education (HE), remains dominated by...

Aarti Rajput
Aarti Rajput & 3 others

14 April 2025

Opinion

The mirage of a sole appropriate evaluation design

How might evaluation research respond to the complex and emergent nature of holistic community-led development? What does an equitable living partnership between evaluators and researchers, funders and programme implementers look and feel like? What are the highs and lows of navigating...

Marina Apgar
Marina Apgar & 2 others

14 April 2025

Why learn with us.

In an extraordinary time of challenge and change, we use more than 50 years of expertise to transform development approaches that create more equitable and sustainable futures. The work you do with us will help make progressive change towards universal development; to build and connect solidarities for collective action, locally and globally. The University of Sussex has been ranked 1st in the world for Development Studies for the past five years (QS World University Rankings by Subject).

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