Research Skills for Policy and Development: How to Find Out FastAlan Thomas, Giles Mohan This book is a critical guide to conducting investigations under time- and resource-pressured conditions, equipping readers with the key skills and approaches for research designed to influence or inform development policies. Unlike a simple 'how to' guide, Research Skills for Policy and Development also provides a critique of various methods and situates these approaches within 'real life' organisational settings, enabling those working in or studying development to locate, evaluate and use relevant information quickly but rigorously. The successor to Finding Out Fast (SAGE, 1998) it reflects the changes in development management theories and practice over the last seven years, and includes new material and advice on critical use of the web as a resource and research tool. It is essential reading for development managers in NGOs and public sector agencies as well as students of development management and development studies more generally. |
Contents
Conceptualising PolicyRelated Investigation | 25 |
Boundaries for Thinking and Action | 49 |
Grabbing Attention | 74 |
Communicating Results | 95 |
Thinking with Documents | 111 |
Interpreting Institutional Discourses | 135 |
Thinking with People | 157 |
The Importance of | 208 |
Other editions - View all
Research Skills for Policy and Development: How to Find Out Fast Alan Thomas,Giles Mohan Limited preview - 2007 |
Research Skills for Policy and Development: How to Find Out Fast Alan Thomas,Giles Mohan No preview available - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
agencies agendas answer approach areas argument assessment Botswana boundaries Brent Spar challenge Chapter co-operatives commissioned communication Confirmatory data analysis context debate define Department for Transport development managers diagrams discussion effective empowerment enquiry evaluation evidence example expectancy factors focus formulation gender gender archaeology goals Greenpeace grey material groups household ideas identify impact implementation important influence institutional interests interpretation involved issues khannawallis knowledge Lesotho levels literature study look methodology Mozambique Mumbai NGOs Open University organisations organization outcomes Oxfam participants participatory investigation participatory methods participatory rural appraisal particular perspectives policy change policy investigation political poverty power relations problem programme public action qualitative quantitative questions relevant research process role rural sample Section sector semi-structured interview situation skim reading social sources stakeholders strategy structural adjustment structured survey Tanzania tion types understanding women World Bank Zimbabwe