Post-MDG Policy Making
Peter Taylor*
Great strides have been made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) over the last ten years. Much of this progress has been made possible in South Asia through national commitments to developing and implementing policies that lead to a measurable improvement in peoples’ lives.  A key element of policy development is access by policy makers to quality, objective information generated through independent research. However, in many countries, much research-based evidence is still produced by researchers situated outside the national policy context. To support effective regional and national policy processes, there is a need for locally-generated information and analysis. This can then be used consistently by policymakers in their efforts to develop and implement policies that lead to more equitable and prosperous societies. Although researchers in South Asia are increasingly engaged in research on the development challenges experienced within their own national contexts, they often struggle to navigate the “demand-side” for policy-relevant information. This paper presents the findings of a Policy Community Survey conducted in five South Asian Countries. The aim of the survey was to explore the national policy environment, and the perceptions of high-level policy-makers regarding their needs for information, their ability to access it, and its perceived utility. The paper discusses the implications of the policy-makers’ information needs for the role of national policy research organizations in addressing national development challenges. Drawing on the findings of the study, the paper poses a number of questions regarding the intersection between demand and supply for social and economic research –based evidence, post-MDGs, in the South Asian context. Finally, drawing on some practical examples, it identifies particular challenges associated with flows of knowledge and information in the wider policy environment in South Asia, and makes some suggestions for how these challenges can be addressed by independent policy research organisations.
* Dr. Peter Taylor is a Senior Program Specialist with the Think Tank Initiative of the International Development Research Centre(IDRC), Canada. He holds a PhD in agricultural education from the University of Reading, UK. He has also been associated with the global Institute of Development Studies, Helvetas, a Swiss NGO for development cooperation, and the University of Reading. He has worked in East and Southern Africa and Central, South, and Southeast Asia.