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Impact Initiative


Children playing a board game, South Africa


Impact Initiative

Project summary

The Impact Initiative for International Development Research seeks to increase the uptake and impact of research from two research programmes jointly funded by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO): the Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation Research and the Raising Learning Outcomes in Education Systems Research Programme.

The approach aims to connect policymakers and practitioners with world-class social science research, maximising the uptake and impact of research from these two programmes.

By helping grant holders to exploit influencing and engagement opportunities; organising research-to-policy engagement events; and by delivering a range of communication outputs, the Initiative makes sure research is effectively communicated and shared with a wide range of global audiences.

The ESRC-FCDO Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation
The Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation was set up in 2005 to enhance the quality and impact of social science research, addressing the key international development goal of reducing poverty amongst the poorest countries and peoples of the world. Since 2005, the scheme has funded 172 projects in 77 countries.

The ESRC-FCDO Raising Learning Outcomes in Education Systems Research programme (RLO)
The RLO programme generates world-class, cutting-edge social science research that addresses key questions on learning outcomes within education systems in developing countries. The aim is to provide policymakers and practitioners with concrete ideas on how to improve learning, and understanding of how these will translate to their specific contexts and institutions. The programme has funded over 30 projects from 30 countries.

Reasearch Team

The project is led by a partnership between the REAL Centre and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), supported by a group of highly-respected academics and a pool of communications and knowledge specialists.

The Cambridge team includes: Professor Pauline Rose; Professor Nidhi Singal; Professor Anna Vignoles; Elizabeth Tofaris

Duration

April 2016 – March 2021

Funder

The Initiative is jointly funded by the UK's Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

Publications

Celebrating the impact of the Raising Learning Outcomes in Education Systems Programme
Clark, L., Higdon, G., Thompson, S., Tofaris, E. and Rose, P., March 2021 Working Paper: Expert Analysis from the Impact Initiative

Maximising the impact of global development research
Georgalakis, J. and Rose, P. (Eds.), February 2021
Learning Report

Working in partnership with multiple stakeholders on global policy processes: Disability and inclusive education
Singal, N., November 2020
Working Paper: Expert Analysis from the Impact Initiative

Covid-19: Thinking differently about education research impact
Rose, P., Tofaris, E. and Baxter, S., October 2020
Working Paper: Expert Analysis from the Impact Initiative

Exploring research – Policy partnerships in international development
Georgalakis, J. and Rose, P. (Eds.), June 2019
IDS Bulletin Vol. 50, No. 1

Impact stories:

  • Improving early childhood education in rural Bangladesh OpenDocs, August 2020
  • Reforming higher education teaching practices in Africa OpenDocs, March 2020
  • Research on children with disabilities influences education policy in Pakistan OpenDocs, May 2019
  • The role of teachers in peace-building in Rwanda and South Africa OpenDocs, September 2018
  • Mother tongue education improves literacy in Uganda OpenDocs, September 2018
  • Keeping African girls in school with better sanitary care OpenDocs, March 2018
  • Reducing school dropout rates in Malawi and Lesotho OpenDocs, December 2017

Research for Policy and Practice papers:

  • Research for policy and practice: Education accountability relationships between schools, communities, and government in India OpenDocs, September 2020
  • Research for policy and practice: Gender and education OpenDocs, November 2019
  • Research for policy and practice: Quality teaching OpenDocs, July 2018
  • Research for policy and practice: Disability and education OpenDocs, December 2017

Brochures:

  • Celebrating the Raising Learning Outcomes Programme OpenDocs, December 2020
  • RLO Brochure: ESRC-DFID Raising Learning Outcomes in Education Systems OpenDocs, December 2018

Blogs

Putting the collective impact of global development research into perspective – What we learned from six years of the Impact Initiative Pauline Rose and Elizabeth Tofaris, LSE Impact Blog, 20 May 2021

Adding value to the policy-making process The Impact Initiative, (PDF version), September 2019

The opportunities and challenges of translating evidence into policy and practice UKFIET, October 2019

Make some noise so no one is left behind: Halla Bol! The Impact Initiative, (PDF version), October 2019

Turning Global Disability Summit promises into reality The Impact Initiative, (PDF version), July 2019

ESRC-DFID’s innovative research on education systems and raising learning outcomes The Impact Initiative, (PDF version), January 2019

New research addresses global teaching crisis UKFIET, November 2018

The involvement of non-academic stakeholders in education research: perspectives from sub-Saharan Africa The Impact Initiative, (PDF version), October 2018

We must commit to inclusive education for children with disabilities Devex, July 2018

Statement for action for Global Disability Summit: Transforming education for children and youth with disabilities UKFIET, July 2018

Can better sanitary care help African girls stay in school? Global Partnership for Education, April 2018

Can unconventional schooling techniques reduce drop-out rates in sub-Saharan Africa? UKFIET, February 2018

Evidence on disability and education: accessing, using and communicating research The Impact Initiative, (PDF version), January 2018

The paradox of disability and education in India The Impact Initiative, (PDF version), August 2016

Teaching, learning and disadvantage – from policy to practice The Impact Initiative, (PDF version), August 2016

What impact can education research in international development settings achieve? The Impact Initiative, (PDF version), March 2016

Further information

For more resources, please visit the Impact Initiative website: www.theimpactinitiative.net