Plenary roundtable: What role for research in the new policy context?

Plenary roundtable at the Development Research Conference, 22-24 August 2016, Stockholm University.

The roundtable is open for comments in this blog!

Abstract:

The panel addresses the prospects for and obstacles to developing fruitful arenas for interaction between research and policy.  There is an acute need for reflection about the role of knowledge production in a new policy context – a context dominated by discussions about the Agenda 2030 and the Swedish global development policy framework now in progress. Critical questions include: What should the role of research be? Through what means can the relation between research and policy be strengthened (and what stands in the way)? How can a greater diversity of perspectives and competences in the academic community participate in policy debates? How can the role of universities and university-based research as important sources of knowledge for development policy and practice be strengthened? These questions relate to rising pressures for “useful” or “relevant” research and “research impacts” as well as to growing expectations for “evidence-based policy”- and related assumptions. Invited speakers from both research and policy circles made short interventions on these questions.

Convener: Ilda Lindell, Stockholm University.
Chair: Thomas Rosswall, Chair of Sida’s Research Council.
Speakers: Kerstin Sahlin, The Swedish Research Council; Ebrima Sall, CODESRIA; Johan Lindquist, Stockholm University; Anna-Maria Oltorp, Sida; Måns Nilsson, SEI; Stefan Isaksson, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs; Gun-Britt Andersson, Expert Group for Aid Studies.