Knowledge to Policy: making the most of development research.

No single factor more powerfully affects the course of a country’s development than the
quality of its governance. Where governance is open, accountable and effective, and
where public policy promotes innovation and equity in a lively economy, development is more
likely to serve the interests of the people. Informing good governance describes this urgent
purpose of development research—to discover, assemble, and communicate the knowledge
needed for development that is sustainable and democratic.
To improve lives, especially the lives of poor people, development research will almost
always have to infl uence policy in order to influence development. But how? That question
and some illuminating answers are the subject of this volume. The exploration recorded
here—extraordinary in scope and methodology—has uncovered critical variables in the
interaction of development research and policymaking.