Workshop Trade-off Analysis - CGIAR_21 Feb 2013_Next steps: CRP 7
Workshop Trade-off Analysis - CGIAR_21 Feb 2013_Group discussion_3.Researcher’s role_Laurence Jassogne
1. Researcher’srole and tools in innovation process
Katrien, Pablo, Santiago, Lieven, Bernard, Pablo, Bruno, Catherine, Laurence, Yigezu
2. Roles:
Researcherbeing part of the research system
Wheredoes the researcher position himself
(facilitating vs observing)
Research in development vs research for development
Institutional arrangements are the framework of how youseeresearch and development –
researchertoo central in innovation process
Are researchers flexible enough to addressproblemsthat come up? You are locked in your
log(lock)frame / canresearchersstill come withtheirownideas or demand-driven?
Actorscan use researchers to get to their goal – passtheir message
Impact pathways -> a lot of trade-offs /
equityneutral interventions/ genderneutral
interventions ->canbe a tool for theory of change
3. Tools:
Translatingtools in practicalthingsthat people can use otherwisesame people gettingbetter
Toolis a means to achievesth, but need to betrained, what do wewant to achieve?
Theory of change in industry, but what about agriculture? There is commercial agriculture at
one end but an enormous group at the other end.
Trade-offanalysisis a process, youlearn a lot during the process. Careful not to reflecttoomuch.
Trial and error, engage withactors
Knowledgewithoutaccess to the toolsyouneedcanbeveryfrustrating
People are adopting but theirlivelihoods are not improving
4. Communication:
How do youcommunicate to people that are not receptive, are not interested in the
intellectualprocess
You need to know whatisdrivingtheirbehavior
Trade-offs ->conflicting objectives atdifferent
scales
Weneed to makeknowledge transparent,
formalizeknowledge
Innovation processes: you have to start all over
again in a new location
Engage actors in the process if youwant to communicate
Long time process -> 10 years (GATES) otherdonorsdependent on politics / reformsog CGIAR
5. Communication tools
Materialthatisuseful for farmers – shambashake-ups
Our roleis not training the farmers but training the trainers
Communicatingwith people that are responsible for implementing the policy not only the
policymakers
Workwith people that are interested in making the change (ex. Rwanda, decisionsmakers are
oftenscientists)
Complexis cool vs. Gettinglost in complexity: for communication, simplify but not simplistic
6. Blue sky
Changing the scale of research and experimentation – experimentaleconomy – randomized
control trials
Mapping innovation processes
Study the researchprocess – learningfromwhatwe are doing – impact pathways
Analyse if trade-offanalysisisdoingsomething for people