Ministerial Summit for Health Research, Mexico, 2004

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Ministerial Summit for Health Research, Mexico,
2004
A Debate Is Research Relevant for Policy and
Programming to Achieve the MDS's ? "Research is
Irrelevant because Policy is Politics" IDRC /
SDC

• Engage govt. decision makers and development
  funders
• 2. Why Research? Perspectives on actual and
  potential contributions
• 3. The Goal increase effectiveness of
  donor-government action and interaction

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Research as a Tool
Research
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• Pilot survey findings
• Diversity of views though some common themes
• Politicaleconomicinstitutional imperatives
  more important than research in the absence of
  clear mandate and mechanisms
• Context, timing, and communication are critical
  
• IT DEPENDS

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• How important is research relative to other
  factors that influence policy, such as political,
  historic and economic contexts? Three views
• Important. Even in politics - politicians are
  guided by political agendas, but even they cannot
  ignore research. For my agency and government
  research plays a relatively small role, but if
  the research is a highly visible public issue it
  will be on their radar screen.
• Not very important at all. This is due to
  a) irrational politicians b) the time that it
  takes for the research to be completed and
  communicated to the policy makers. Oftentimes
  decisions have to be made by a certain deadline
  and therefore accurate and thorough research
  cannot be delivered. EG the decision to forge
  war on Iraq.
• Political and economic patterns are the real
  determinants of decision making. However,
  research is important because it determines which
  interventions are funded (it is the background
  for decisions on funding)