Shifting the Balance: Strengthening knowledge to policy systems in Indonesia

Brought to you by the Governance, Corruption, & Rule of Law and Knowledge Management Workgroups

Knowledge and learning are increasingly seen as situated at the core of development. Innovation is essential to finding solutions to the complex global and national problems facing countries around the world. Old models of technology and knowledge transfer from industrialized to poor nations have given way to complex multi-nodal, multi-directional frameworks that bring actors together to produce and share knowledge and learning collaboratively. From a governance perspective, an important element in enabling knowledge to inform development is how governments make better use of knowledge in policymaking to improve the lives and prospects of their citizens. 

This session explores issues of knowledge management and knowledge-to-policy dynamics by looking at a recently launched joint program between the governments of Australia and Indonesia, funded by Australian Aid: the Knowledge Sector Initiative (KSI). KSI supports local research institutions to build their capacity to generate high-quality research, works with Indonesian government officials to demand and use research for policy, and improves the enabling environment for linking research supply and demand.   

One aspect of making conceptual ideas of learning real is to ensure that the mechanisms we use to support such efforts actually promote, rather than constrain, learning. Part of what makes KSI particularly unique is the type of mechanism Australian AID used-an 18-year contract, with three, 6-year tranches. We will also discuss how the design of this mechanism helps to promote learning in support of better policy.

How to Attend

Register to attend in-person or participate via webinar.

About the Speaker

Fred Carden is a senior research governance specialist at RTI International. He is based in Jakarta as Lead Technical Advisor for the Knowledge Sector Initiative, a 15-year Australian-funded project to support the knowledge-to-policy cycle in Indonesia. Prior to joining RTI, he was Director of Evaluation at the International Development Research Centre in Canada, where he worked from 1993 to 2013. He holds a PhD from the University of Montreal, and is the author and co-author of a number of publications, including Knowledge to Policy: Making the Most of Development Research (Sage, 2009).

Also including:

Moderator: Derick Brinkerhoff, RTI International

Commentators: Stacey Young and Tony Pryor, USAID