A better measure of research from the global south

Abstract

BIOLOGY Wet labs squeezed by scarce funds and bureaucracy in Italy p.32 EVOLUTION Synthesizing many lines of evidence to trace the spine's start p.31 HERITAGE How UNESCO has tried to broker peace through science and culture p.29 EQUALITY Too few people who are LGBTQ go into science, and too many leave p.27 ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID PARKINS

Building an evidence base for stakeholder engagement

“…Funders could substantially advance the mutual value of CSE for researchers and stakeholders by experimenting with more flexible and responsive management strategies, including innovations in protocol and budget processes, and studying the implications for various aspects of program performance. A timely example of this type of innovation comes from the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC), which has recently published results of the implementation of a new tool it has developed to assess the quality of the research it funds, called Research Quality Plus (RQ+) (15). The development of the tool reflects IDRC's acknowledgment of "the crucial role of stakeholders and users in determining whether research is salient and legitimate.…”

“…The development of the tool reflects IDRC's acknowledgment of "the crucial role of stakeholders and users in determining whether research is salient and legitimate. It focuses attention on how well scientists position their research for use, given the mounting understanding that uptake and influence begins during the research process, not only afterwards" (15).…”

Resilience from the ground up: how are local resilience perceptions and global frameworks aligned?

“…KPI4 establishes a framework of measurable variables that touch on different dimensions of resilience at the individual or household level; it is meant to be an aggregable measure across DFID's International Climate Fund projects. Our aim has been to test indicators that could be used within local planning systems and so we have sought to assess the validity of resource-light measures of resilience that are 'grounded in, and applicable to, the local experience' (Lebel and McLean, 2018). As part of an action research programme, our methodology has been partially guided by our engagement with stakeholders and how they may use project data and results in practice.…”

“…As part of an action research programme, our methodology has been partially guided by our engagement with stakeholders and how they may use project data and results in practice. Our aim has been to test indicators that could be used within local planning systems and so we have sought to assess the validity of resource-light measures of resilience that are 'grounded in, and applicable to, the local experience' (Lebel and McLean, 2018). Relevant tools and methods included participatory resilience assessments, household surveys and community investmentlevel theories of change.…”

“…); (3) if measured over time, has the potential to detect shocks and stresses that affect food systems (Lebel and McLean, 2018); (4) is a light-touch question that local actors could easily adopt; (5) is a measure that, in the DCF team experience, is culturally appropriate-for instance, rural people in Mali and Senegal both understand and know it with respect to their own household economies; and (6) though simple, is well-correlated with actual household nutritional outcomes (Makamto Sobgui et al, 2018). ); (3) if measured over time, has the potential to detect shocks and stresses that affect food systems (Lebel and McLean, 2018); (4) is a light-touch question that local actors could easily adopt; (5) is a measure that, in the DCF team experience, is culturally appropriate-for instance, rural people in Mali and Senegal both understand and know it with respect to their own household economies; and (6) though simple, is well-correlated with actual household nutritional outcomes (Makamto Sobgui et al, 2018).…”