Resource Library

Making a Difference to Policies and Programs: A Guide for Researchers

This booklet is a guide for researchers who aim to have an impact on policy and program decisions. It is intended for researchers attached to government services and researchers located in academic institutions, as well as researchers working as consultants in the private sector. The approach presented here is designed to help seasoned researchers to achieve greater impact from their own work. The Guide also can be used as a teaching tool with students and younger colleagues. In addition, the Guide should help relatively new researchers to select research questions and conduct studies with program and policy relevance. Although the examples used for illustration purposes are drawn mainly from the health sector in Africa, we hope that researchers working in other sectors and in other regions of the world will find useful ideas in the Guide.