Author Description
Research For The Developing World Can Generate Evidence On The Effectiveness Of Foreign Aid, Invent New Technologies That Serve Poor People, And Strengthen Research Capabilities In Poor Countries. How Do Countries Determine Which Of These Policy Goals To Pursue? Examining The United Kingdom, Canada, And Australia Reveals How Each Country Established A Unique Approach To Research Funding. Programs And Grantmaking Evolved In Response To Various Expectations Across Government, Tempered By The Need To Remain Credible In The Scientific Community. This Book Explores The Histories Of The Uk Department For International Development (dfid), Canada's International Development Research Centre (idrc), And The Australian Centre For International Agricultural Research (aciar). Looking Back, Changes In Research Governance Encouraged A Shift Towards Whole-of-government Priorities, Shorter Timeframes For Realizing Results, And Performance Predicated On Academic Productivity And Research Impact. Whereas Funders Used To Encourage 'small Is Beautiful' With Local Experiments In Development, Today The Emphasis Is On 'getting To Scale' Delivering Innovation Through Self-financing Models. Looking Forward, Research For The Developing World Is Fading As Part Of Development Assistance, Yet Rising As Collaboration On Common Global Challenges. Funders Are Adopting New Definitions Of Performance And Actively Shaping Policy To Connect Science And International Development. Leaders Are Brokering Partnerships That Connect Research Governance At Home And Abroad, Bridging The Incentives Towards Academic Productivity And Research Impact. In Short, The Future Of Research For The Developing World Is Moving From Foreign Aid To Science Diplomacy.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
How do nations determine the strategic priorities for funding research intended to support the developing world? Bruce Currie-Alder examines the evolution of research governance within the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia to explain how these nations balance political expectations with scientific credibility. The author argues that research funding models have shifted from localized experimentation toward scalable innovation and science diplomacy, reflecting broader changes in international development policy.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Comparative analysis of the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).
- Historical evolution of research funding governance from the mid-20th century to the present.
- Frameworks for understanding the transition from 'small is beautiful' experiments to 'getting to scale' models.
Scope Limits
- The analysis is restricted to the specific institutional histories of the UK, Canada, and Australia.
- The text does not provide a comprehensive global survey of all international development research agencies.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts identify this work as a critical examination of the intersection between foreign aid policy and scientific research management. Readers frequently note the clarity with which the author tracks the shift from traditional development assistance toward modern science diplomacy.
Page Count:
224
Publication Date:
2015-01-01
ISBN-10:
0191060631
ISBN-13:
9780191060632
Research Governance
International Development
Public Policy
Foreign Aid