Call for short essays

The developmental challenges facing the world are daunting. Extreme poverty and social exclusion persist at scale while socio-economic inequality and fundamentalism are even on the increase. Because of these and other dilemmas we are confronted with ever more questions. New knowledge on the changing terrain of development and social change are needed to get more insight into these dilemmas. But can knowledge also trigger change? If so, how? Is it about bridging the gap between research and pr...

Final Programme Online Now

We have the pleasure of informing you about the Knowledge & Change programme. Please find a full overview and details about specific sessions attached. Please find details about specific sessions here.

Reflections on how knowledge triggers social change

Appointed as a “tracker” to assist in synthesizing our very rich discussions during the three days of the Dialogue, I found myself absorbed in the question: “How does knowledge trigger social change?” Through observation and conversations with various participants, the recurrent responses took the form of the following statements: “Crisis leads to change”, “Subversion is the starting point of change”, “Inspiration leads to change”, “Knowledge coupled with resources and cooperation leads to c...

Report: The role of Intermediaries in Bridging Policy, Research and Practice

04/10/2011 Jon Gregson, Head of IDS Knowledge Services, opened the session by asking participants whether they worked for a knowledge intermediary organisation. Three quarters of the room raised their hands, which suggests in theory that the room was pretty knowledgeable about what an intermediary is.  It’s a term that’s very much open to different interpretations so I was interested to see where the session discussion would go. Ananya Raihan from the Development Research Network (D.Net) began...

Rethinking Development in an age of Scarcity and Uncertainty

04/10/2011 The session, facilitated by Wendy Hartcourt of SID,  was conducted as an open discussion on the new publishing arrangements with the coming of the digital age among development journals looking at both the opportunities and the current squeeze for resources.The discussion looked at the new possibilities offered by on-line and digital publishing. The discussed focused on how to ensure scholarship and rigour while using the new open forms of communication through social networking and new...

Linking to Learn & Learn from Linking

Which lessons can we draw from more than six years of experiences with the Development Policy Review Networks’ activities?To answer this question, DPRN is organising a final event on 18 February 2011. The event is entitled ‘Linking to Learn & Learn from Linking’ and is aimed at exchanging experiences related to efforts to realise the DPRN objectives (i.e. to stimulate informed debate and enhance cooperation and synergy between scientists, policymakers, NGO staff and business people). The...

Interview with Diego Muñoz Elsner

Bio: Diego Muñoz Elsner is the coordinator of the Global Learning Network on Small Producer Agency in the Globalised Market, part of the Knowledge Programme run by Mainumby in Bolivia, IIED in the UK and Hivos in the Netherlands. He is also an international fellow of the International Institute of Economic Development (IIED) and a researcher-partner and Executive Director of the Centro Mainumby-Ñakurutú. He holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering from Texas A&M University (USA) and a p...

Interview with Salam Kawakibi

Bio: Salam Kawakibi is a researcher in political and social science. He is a senior researcher at Arab Reform Initiative and the University of Amsterdam. His main interests are media, civil societies, international relations and human rights in Arab countries. He also has written many articles on European and Arabic media and books. He is an appointed trainer in human rights and international human law. Furthermore, he is Associate Researcher for IREMAM Aix-en-Provence and GREMMO Lyon, collab...

Hivos Knowledge Programme Dialogue

Over the last four years, Hivos together with its academic and civil society partners has explored the potential of academic-practitioner collaboration in five thematic knowledge programmes. This dialogue is organized to contribute to the debate on knowledge and change by sharing and discussing some of the emerging insights from our experiences.

Knowledge exploration agricultural biodiversity, resilience and transformation

This meeting is organized to discuss the needs for, and the content of a knowledge programme on agricultural biodiversity, resilience and transformation. The meeting brings together professionals in this field from different regions and disciplines. A mapping report drafted by the Stockholm Resilience Centre in cooperation with Oxfam Novib and Hivos and with input from scientists and development practitioners is the starting point for discussions. This knowledge exploration builds on the refl...

Report: The role of Intermediaries in Bridging Policy, Research and Practice

04/10/2011 Jon Gregson, Head of IDS Knowledge Services, opened the session by asking participants whether they worked for a knowledge intermediary organisation. Three quarters of the room raised their hands, which suggests in theory that the room was pretty knowledgeable about what an intermediary is.  It’s a term that’s very much open to different interpretations so I was interested to see where the session discussion would go. Ananya Raihan from the Development Research Network (D.Net) began...

From love declarations to relationships

The sector needs to become more knowledge intensive and more collaborative if it is to make a difference. In particular, cooperation across the different domains of academia, policy and practice is increasingly acknowledged as crucial to comprehending the complexity of development and intervening effectively. So in recent years many mutual declarations of love have been voiced, but is the knowledge landscape of development really changing?

The Best Mistake Ever in Development

In a sector where sharing of experiences and learning is increasingly propagated, you hardly hear about failures. Eventhough they may have proven to be some of the biggest opportunities for learning. The way development is discussed in public debates doesn't help either. But mistakes can be oke if they lead to learning, aren’t repeated, don’t violate or conflict with your values. Does that make it easier to talk about it? Not really, but it's worth to try! Especially, in a community with lot...

Like a Bridge over Troubled Water

Dialogues of policy, practitioner and academic knowledges The development sector needs to become more knowledge intensive and more collaborative to make a difference. More than ever, a well developed ability to reflect on the activities, policies and vision within the sector to improve, innovate and develop solutions, and to discover what works and what does not is needed.

Hivos Knowledge Programme Dialogue

Over the last four years, Hivos together with its academic and civil society partners has explored the potential of academic-practitioner collaboration in five thematic knowledge programmes. This dialogue is organized to contribute to the debate on knowledge and change by sharing and discussing some of the emerging insights from our experiences.

Announcement Hivos Knowledge Programme Dialogue

Over the last four years, Hivos together with its academic and civil society partners have explored the potential of academic-practitioner collaboration in five thematic knowledge programmes. This conference is organized to contribute to the debate on knowledge and change by sharing and discussing some of the emerging insights from our experiences.