Supporting trust in Southern journals: the story behind Journal Publishing Practices and Standards (JPPS)
avatar

Posted on 20 September, 2017 by

INASP and African Journals Online have launched the Journal Publishing Practices and Standards (JPPS), a unique new framework for providing accreditation and support for journals in the Global South. The JPPS provides detailed and internationally accepted assessment criteria for the quality of publishing practices and policies of Southern journals.

In this interview, Susan Murray, Executive Director of African Journals Online (AJOL), and Sioux Cumming, Programme Manager, Journals Online, share the origins and potential of JPPS. Continue reading →

Posted in General, Interviews, JOLs | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What is the biggest challenge in bringing Southern research to bear on global issues? INASP Trustees reflect
avatar

Posted on 14 September, 2017 by
Jo Beall, Executive Director, Education and Society, British Council and Chair INASP Board of Trustees, speaks at an INASP reception

The world is facing many global issues that need to be tackled collectively – from climate change and health to sustainable economies and migration. Knowledge and evidence can help us tackle these issues with informed solutions. But we need to unlock the knowledge from across the world in order to find the best ways forward. To celebrate INASP’s 25th Anniversary, we asked our Trustees to reflect on the biggest challenges in unlocking the potential of research and evidence generated in the global south to tackle worldwide issues. Continue reading →

Posted in General, Series | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How large-scale research writing courses are making a difference in the Global South
avatar

Posted on 14 September, 2017 by

The AuthorAID MOOCs in research writing are finalists for a prestigious award from the Association of Professional and Learned Society Publishers (ALPSP). The winner of this award will be announced this evening. As we wait to hear how we did, I share in this blog what I told the ALPSP annual conference yesterday. Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Evidence reading: Innovation in organizational change
avatar

Posted on 13 September, 2017 by
Participants in INASP's Evidence-Informed Policy Making Team's VakaYiko project symposium 2016

Innovation in development has been the ‘buzz’ word of the last couple of years. We all talk about it but do we really know what conditions trigger innovative solutions to complex problems? As we begin our organizational diagnostic of knowledge use in Peruvian public administration, I have been revisiting material on organizational change, innovation and public reform. I came across a wonderful article – Creating Breakout Innovation by Joanna Levitt Cea & Jess Rimington from the Stanford Social Innovation Review. This article summarises five practices that make a difference for creating innovative outcomes: Sharing power, prioritise relationships, leverage heterogeneity, legitimise all ways of knowing, prototype early and often. While this list may sound familiar, how ready are we (individuals and organizations) to implement these practices? Sharing power When I think of sharing power I tend to imagine handing over decision-making or soliciting people’s opinions and views before making decisions. Consulting … Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment

How INASP’s ‘Gender Mainstreaming in Higher Education’ Toolkit is helping to shift mindsets
avatar

Posted on 6 September, 2017 by

With gender inequalities in higher education present, but not always acknowledged, INASP aims to promote equity by actively addressing the needs of both men and women across our work and addressing issues of power within the research and knowledge system. Ruth Bottomley spoke with Science Impact about INASP’s Gender Mainstreaming in Higher Education Toolkit and why it is vital that men, as well as women are active participants in the fight against gender inequality. (With thanks to STEM for sharing the post with us). Continue reading →

Posted in Gender, General | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Taking complexity seriously: helping officials to use evidence more skilfully in the Zimbabwean government
avatar

Posted on 1 September, 2017 by

Author: Ajoy Datta, Research Associate, Overseas Development Institute, worked on the VakaYiko programme, coordinated by INASP. Ajoy is an expert in improving policy influencing and decision making practices. The VakaYiko Consortium aimed to strengthen the use of research evidence in policy making in Ghana, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The project ran between 2013–2017 and was funded by the UK Department for International Development under the Building Capacity for Use of Research Evidence (BCURE) programme. This post is the second in a series of posts on new approaches for organizational change. Evidence can be used as a resource by government officials (both ministers and civil servants) in an environment which is usually characterized by debate, competition and persuasion, says Paul Cairney, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, University of Stirling, in the Politics of Evidence Based Policymaking Lots of work has been done to improve policymakers’ use of evidence both in … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, EIPM, VakaYiko | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment