Communicating Research; Influencing Change

CEPA’s 8th Annual Symposium on Poverty Research held in 2007, explored how knowledge generated through research can be effectively communicated to influence change. Based on the discussions and presentations from this symposium this book addresses the current context and key issues around evidence-based policy making in Sri Lanka. Researchers and campaigners in Sri Lanka need to be particularly adept at communicating their messages, working in the context of an often confrontational and suspicious relationship between civil society and decision makers, and strong pressure from donor interests and knowledge from the North which can sometimes supersede local evidence and knowledge. A challenging and sometimes restricted environment for debate may make it harder to influence policy, but it should not dissuade or exonerate researchers from continuing to produce high quality and relevant research. The responsibility for good evidence-based policy-making lies with both sides; researchers need to work together more effectively to ensure better access to good quality information, and government and other important decision makers need to value and use research more rigorously in decision-making.