Comments on: Book Review: Knowledge, Policy and Power in International Development: A Practical Guide http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10523 duncan green poverty to power oxfam development Tue, 21 May 2013 15:45:19 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Bill Gunyon http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10523&cpage=1#comment-334054 Bill Gunyon Mon, 07 Jan 2013 08:56:24 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10523#comment-334054 picking up on your interest in policy change arising from "critical junctures", I wonder whether the progress on loss and damage issues in the recent Doha climate negotiations might be a relevant case study. Would it have happened without Hurricane Sandy and Typhoon Bopha? I've taken an initial look at this http://treadsoftly.net/lessons-of-loss-and-damage-for-climate-policy-change/. picking up on your interest in policy change arising from “critical junctures”, I wonder whether the progress on loss and damage issues in the recent Doha climate negotiations might be a relevant case study. Would it have happened without Hurricane Sandy and Typhoon Bopha? I’ve taken an initial look at this http://treadsoftly.net/lessons-of-loss-and-damage-for-climate-policy-change/.

]]> By: Louise Shaxson http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10523&cpage=1#comment-332612 Louise Shaxson Fri, 04 Jan 2013 16:15:44 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10523#comment-332612 Thanks for this review Duncan – we’ve had some good feedback from a variety of people and are pleased with how it’s being received. It wasn’t easy writing for three different types of audience – students, practitioners and policymakers, each of whom have different views of what ‘practical’ means. One ex senior World Bank staffer thought it was intensely practical, but clearly we didn’t get it quite right in your case! We are about to publish a couple of ODI background notes which we have tried to make much more accessible (partly in response to your review) – one giving a step-by-step guide to undertaking this sort of analysis, and the other highlighting the relevance of the analysis to specific ways of working and decisions that in-country staff might face – and we hope everyone will get on better with those when they come out. We do take issue with a couple of things in your review: there *is* a discussion of the dynamics and dilemmas around relationships between research and advocacy in the ‘types of knowledge’ chapter, and we’re hard pressed to find the bit where we come out in favour of the Heritage Foundation model. And while perhaps we could have made a bit more of the role of shocks, the importance of ‘critical junctures’ is a major part of our ‘capacity to absorb change’ dimension of political context. We also disagree that scandal, disaster etc ‘very often’ drive policy change. What about the never-ending policy issues such as healthcare or education provision; or the operational delivery-type policies such as fertiliser subsidies or ensuring compliance with international agreements? Scandal and disaster may result in policy changes that are very often the most visible, but we really don’t agree that this means they very often drive policy change. Anyway, we’ll let you know when the background notes are out (around the end of January) and will send them to you. [With my journal editor hat on, I need to point out that the $30 charge was actually a mistake on our part which your protest made us aware of: it wasn't a policy change by the publisher as the Sources & Resources section is in fact free. And while it's not possible to publish a journal with substantial print readership without charging, the editorial board and publisher are looking closely at how to make the journal more accessible to all readers including those from developing countries]. Thanks for this review Duncan – we’ve had some good feedback from a variety of people and are pleased with how it’s being received. It wasn’t easy writing for three different types of audience – students, practitioners and policymakers, each of whom have different views of what ‘practical’ means. One ex senior World Bank staffer thought it was intensely practical, but clearly we didn’t get it quite right in your case! We are about to publish a couple of ODI background notes which we have tried to make much more accessible (partly in response to your review) – one giving a step-by-step guide to undertaking this sort of analysis, and the other highlighting the relevance of the analysis to specific ways of working and decisions that in-country staff might face – and we hope everyone will get on better with those when they come out.

We do take issue with a couple of things in your review: there *is* a discussion of the dynamics and dilemmas around relationships between research and advocacy in the ‘types of knowledge’ chapter, and we’re hard pressed to find the bit where we come out in favour of the Heritage Foundation model. And while perhaps we could have made a bit more of the role of shocks, the importance of ‘critical junctures’ is a major part of our ‘capacity to absorb change’ dimension of political context. We also disagree that scandal, disaster etc ‘very often’ drive policy change. What about the never-ending policy issues such as healthcare or education provision; or the operational delivery-type policies such as fertiliser subsidies or ensuring compliance with international agreements? Scandal and disaster may result in policy changes that are very often the most visible, but we really don’t agree that this means they very often drive policy change.

Anyway, we’ll let you know when the background notes are out (around the end of January) and will send them to you.

[With my journal editor hat on, I need to point out that the $30 charge was actually a mistake on our part which your protest made us aware of: it wasn't a policy change by the publisher as the Sources & Resources section is in fact free. And while it's not possible to publish a journal with substantial print readership without charging, the editorial board and publisher are looking closely at how to make the journal more accessible to all readers including those from developing countries].

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