The extent to which research influences policy

The extent to which research influences policy Discuss the extent to which effective development policy depends on good research Introduction In development, for one to know what aids development, why a particular system works and how effective an approach taken towards improving development is, a proper research has to have been done. Development policy is a decision made or designed to improve a condition from a problematic state to a better or an improved form. Research is said to be ‘a careful study that is done to find and report new knowledge about something’ (Merriam-Webster). Some types of research done are reviewing existing research, field experiments, secondary analysis (reviewing information from existing archives), qualitative methods, survey, case studies, and cost-benefit analysis (research done to determine the cost and benefit from an action), amongst others (Dukeshire and Thurlow 2002). Research is an important part of policy making because without research, pressing policy questions will not be answered as it’s hard to make a policy without identifying a problem, the context in which the problem is based and possible solutions that a policy could enforce. In a research at the IMF in 2011, Moises Schwartz, the director of IEO states that â€Å"Research is at the heart of innovation and improving policymaking†. He goes on to say that research, at the IMF, helps develop and improve conceptual models that serve as the foundation for policy recommendations. In this paper research will be used in relation to evidence-based This paper discusses how research influences policy, the gap between researchers and policy makers and how good research is needed for effective development policy making. Research and Development policy One cannot make a policy if one doesn’t know what that policy is to address. Without research, policy makers will not be informed about the problem that requires a solution through careful planning and decision making. The way research is done and presented could influence deeply the policy making process (Dukeshire and Thurlow 2002). For the creation of effective development policy, not just a policy under huge probability that it might work, proper research has to be done. Furthermore, for the improvement of quality of life and reduction in poverty, a proper use of research and evidence in the making and practice of development policy, is required (Court et al 2004). Research promotes credibility and also plays an important role on how policymaking is thought of by country authorities and also, research improves the gathering and spread of global knowledge (IMF 2011). Effective development policy requires researches that are relevant to the particular policy question. Researches done for a specific development policy question will look at the problem from all spheres, gather knowledge about the problem from the place the problem is situated and the people it affects, carry out a thorough case study and could also ask indigenous people to suggest solutions as they know better what will work for them and then make recommendations which will influence the development policy making. This entire process will ensure that the policy is effective as the decision will be based on research that addressed the problem directly and evidence produced. People in a community, through participatory approach, a research technique, could identify problems in their society and proffer solutions to these problems (green et al 1995; Frankish et al 1997). The 1999 white paper on modernizing government adopted evidence based policy as part of its philosophy as it expressed its expectations of policy makers to bring up new ideas, take a different approach to the way things have been done in the past he use of research in the policy making process and also to create policies that will proffer effective long term solutions. Research helps policy makers be well informed about a situation a policy is to address however â€Å"†¦there is nothing a government hates more than to be well-informed for it makes the process of arriving at decisions much more complicated and difficult† ( Skidelsky 1992). In my own opinion, research restrains the government from making a â€Å"one fit all† policy. It is easier for a government or donor institutions to make a ‘one fit all’ policy than going through the process of research, gaining adequate knowledge about a particular problem and having to make policies that fit specifi c contexts or societies and not been able to make a general policy that is not based on specific contexts or a countries specificity. In basil jones paper on linking research to policy, he says to achieve effectiveness and efficiency better sector work has to be done alongside research and analysis in development process which will in turn influence policy making. Without research or proper knowledge of a development problem, it is hard to make right decisions that will enable effective solutions. There is a great link between research and policy making although, it has been said that there is a gap between policy makers and researchers. It said that researchers make their findings inaccessible, sometimes lengthy, in a different language and uneasy to decipher just in time for policy decisions (Jones, 2011). Also, researchers do not research on problems facing policy makers but answer questions based on the tools and resources they have (World Bank 2010). Development policies are made based on finding solutions to development problems and research seeks to study and find possible and optimum solutions to those problems. Thus, without proper communication between the researchers and policy makers, it will be impossible to make an effective development policy as it is impossible to make a developmental progress if these two actors are working individually or separately. Conclusion it has been noted that governments and donor institutions tend to make ‘one fit all’ policies that will cut across different countries without taking into consideration the different countries peculiarity or its institutional context and sometimes are accused of making policies based on existing data from doctored research plans and conclusions that fit an existing policy or research done before without making room for new researches (Brettenwoods project, 2011). For example, the prevalent view amongst staffs of the IMF is that research findings need to be in relation with current IMF policies and evaluations done at the IMF showed that some researches were done with the conclusion and an already present policy in mind and some researches had different conclusions and recommendations separate from the analysis done in the research (IMF 2011). Furthermore, some NGOs have distorted the policy making process which renders the policy incapable and in turn creating negative e ffect on the poor by not engaging in research based evidence (Harper 2001). Above, it was noted that there was a significant gap between policy makers and researchers which needed to be bridged. Bridging the gap between these two actors In the development process could be done by making good use of researches that have been done and researchers communicating their findings to policy makers(court and young 2006). Also these donors should not make it all about the funding but also gaining or gathering and sharing new knowledge which can only be gotten from good research (Jones 2011). Policy questions should be the basis for a research and not just research based on the resources available to the researcher or what attracts the interest of the researcher at that time. Furthermore, in considering the future of development, results that influence policy and practice and relevant to poor people’s needs could be gotten by the improving the researchers effectiveness to produce such results. This was stated in a 2008 research strategy of DFID. Finally in answering the question to which extent effective development policy depends on good research, before a policy is made, there has to be an evidence of a problem and the evidence of the problem and knowledge gathered about the problem is held in mind before a decision is made to improve the condition of a problem, so basically there cannot be a policy without a research of some kind. Therefore, a development policy depends on research but an effective development policy that will properly address a problem that is being faced will depend on a good and thorough research. This paper has discussed the link and gap between research and policy, the dependency of policy on research and also the benefits of an evidence based policy. References â€Å"Research† Merriam-webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. web 26 February 2014 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/research Brettenwoods (2011). Evaluations suggest IMF, World Bank research ideologically driven [online] Available: http:// http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2011/09/art-568905/ [Accessed: 24 February 2014] Cabinet office (1999) modernizing government stationary office: London, Ch. 2, Para. 6. Cm 4320. Available at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/mordengov/whtpaper/index.htm> Court, J. and Young, J. (2006) Bridging research and policy in international development: an analytical and practical framework. Development in Practice, Volume 16, Number 1, February 2006. Court, J., Hovland, I. and Young, J. (2004) Bridging Research and Policy in International Development: Evidence and the Change Process, ITDG. Dukeshire, S. Thurlow, J. (2002). Understanding the Link Between Research and Policy. Rural Communities Impacting Policy Project Frankish, C.J., George, A., Daniel, M., Doyle-Waters, M. Walker, M. (1997). Participatory health promotion research in Canada: A community guidebook. Ottawa, ON: Health Canada, Health Promotion Development Division. Green, L., George, M., Daniel, M., Frankish, J., Herbert, C., Bowie, W. O’Neill, M. (1995). The study of participatory research in health promotion: Review and recommendations for the development of participatory research in health promotion in Canada. Ottawa: The Royal Society of Canada. Harper, C. (2001). Do the Facts Matter? NGOs, Research and Policy Advocacy, in Edwards, M. Gaventa, J., Global Citizen Action. Lynne Reinner Publishers Jones, B. (2011), Linking Research to Policy: The African Development Bank as Knowledge Broker, Series N ° 131, African Development Bank, Tunis, Tunisia. Research at the IMF: relevance and utilization / [prepared by an IEO team led by Ruben Lamdany and Hali Edison]. – Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund, 2011. Skidelsky, R. (1992) John Maynard Keynes; a biography. Vol 2: the economist as saviour, 1920-1937 macilian: London p 630. World Bank (September 2010) â€Å"Research for Development – A World Bank Perspective on Future Direction for Research† Policy Research Working Paper 5437 Yaron, G. And Louise, S. (2008) Good practice in evidence informed policy: An initial review for DFID. 1

Mariah, by Che Husna Ashari

Mariah by Che Husna Azhari Introduction Mariah is a short story written by Che Husna Azhari who is a prominent Malaysian writer of literature. She received a degree from Tunku Khurshiah College, Seramban in 1973, and her A Levels from Oxford College of Further Education in 1975. In 1979, she received a degree from Brunel University of West London in Polymer Technology. In 1985, Che Husna was awarded a PhD in Response Engineering from Brunel University of West London. Che Husna is a Professor at the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, specializing in non-metallic materials processing.She also serves as the Director of the Center for Corporate Planning and Communications at that university. Ms. Che Husna’s writings are generally set in Kelantan, Malaysia, and her best known short stories are used as standard teaching texts in Malaysia. Synopsis Mariah is widower who sells her ‘Nasi Berlauk' at her stall in order to survive herse lf and being admired. This Che Husna Azhari artwork is about polygamy issue within Pak Imam, which can be considerd as a big character besides Mariah. Pak Imam already has a wife, Cik Yam, who is a loyal wife and being the icon of other woman with full package in her own.After Pak Imam had discussed with her about his intention to have another marriage with Mariah, Cik Yam felt upset and do not agree on the time. But because she loves his husband so much, he agreed to let Pak Imam to get married. As for Pak Imam, even though he is known as Imam and respected by the whole villagers, but he is still just an ordinary person that cannot being separate by other human being by behaving like he is (want to get married with Mariah although he already have Cik Yam as his wife).Themes The theme is about women’s discrimination, sacrificial love and polygamy. Cik Yam agreed to the second marriage of her husband because she loved him so much and did not want him to be sad. She did not pre vent Pak Imam to get married with Mariah, the Nasi Belauk seller. At first, when Pak Imam tell Cik Yam that he want to get married another one, she just get sad for a while and and she gave permission to Pak Imam after that to be married with Mariah. In this story, issue of polygamy is not a big issue. However, he issue of polygamy is important in this story when it is about Cik Yam decision, whether she want to give permission or not to let the polygamy between herself and Mariah. Character Mariah A beautiful widow Usually wears Baju Kebaya Sells Nasi Berlauk in Molo Admired by men in her village Pak Imam A pious man Respected by all people in the village Husband of Cik Yam Friend of Che Gu Leh Fell in love with Mariah Cik Yam Wife of Pak Imam Characterized as perfect wife based on the sentence â€Å"The Imam looked at his wife with obvious pride.There was not a living man in Molo who did not envy him for having such a devoted wife. † Barren according to Pak Imam â€Å"Why couldn’t his wife bear children like other women? Some women, it seemed, have the fecundity of rabbits, but not his wife. † – Very devoted and loyal to Pak Imam A former politician. Plot The story begins with the exposition of the main character who is Mariah as the beautiful Nasi berlauk seller. It describes how Mariah’s beautiful figure appears as she walks as in â€Å"all eyes were transfixed on a figure coming through the entrance. It was the figure of a woman.She was delicately balancing two huge basins on her head, her hips swaying gaily to and fro with the rhythm of the balancing. That particular gyrating seemed to mesmerise the men and glue them to their places†. It also describes how Mariah was admired by men in the village. The rising action starts when Mariah was accused of putting something into her nasi berlauk to enchant all men in the village including Pak Imam by the head of womenfolk Che Gu Nab. It follows with the flashback of Pak Imam’s past about his unforgettable secret love with the daughter of his master, the Sheikh.The climax of this story is when Pak Imam asks permission from his wife to marry Mariah as in â€Å"He then told Cik Yam of Mariah, how he had fought his emotions and how he had lost. He begged Cik Yam’s forgiveness, kissed the hem of Cik Yam’s sarong and asked for her permission to take Mariah as his second wife! †. The falling action of this story is when Cik Yam finally agree to let Pak Imam to marry Mariah under the condition of equality. The story resolves with Pak Imam finally marry Mariah.

Create a Magic Genie in a Bottle Effect

Drop a chemical into a flask to produce a cloud of water vapor and oxygen, resembling a magic genie emerging from its bottle. This chemistry demonstration can be used to introduce the concepts of decomposition reactions, exothermic reactions, and catalysts. Magic Genie Safety Wear rubber gloves and safety goggles. The 30% hydrogen peroxide used in this demonstration is a strong oxidizing agent which should be handled with care. It is extremely corrosive and reactive. Sodium iodide should not be ingested. The chemical reaction evolves heat so it is important to use borosilicate glass and to take care that the mouth of the flask is directed away from people. Magic Genie Demonstration Materials 50 ml of 30% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)4 g of sodium iodide, NaI [may substitute manganese(IV) oxide]1-liter borosilicate (Pyrex or Kimax) volumetric flaskFilter paper or tissue paper The peroxide solution is considerably more concentrated than ordinary household peroxide (3%), so youll either need to obtain it from a beauty supply store, chemical supply ​store or online. Sodium iodide or manganese oxide are best obtained from chemical suppliers. Magic Genie Procedure Wrap the sodium iodide or manganese oxide in a piece of filter paper or tissue paper. Staple the paper so none of the solid can spill out.Carefully pour 50 ml of 30% hydrogen peroxide solution into the volumetric flask.Set the flask a counter and cover it with a towel to protect your hands from the heat of the reaction. When you are ready, drop the packet of solid reactant into the flask. Be sure the flask is pointed away from yourself and students. The magic water vapor genie will appear!After the demonstration is complete, the liquid may be washed down the drain with excess water. Rinse the flask and dilute any spills with water before cleanup. Magic Genie Reaction Hydrogen peroxide decomposes into water vapor and oxygen gas. The sodium iodide or manganese oxide catalyzes the exothermic reaction. The reaction is: 2H2O2 (aq) → 2H2O (g) O2 (g) heat Helpful Tips for the Magic Genie Experiment Use of Pyrex, Kimax, or another type of borosilicate glass minimizes the risk of breakage.Rather than dropping the packet of sodium iodide or manganese oxide, you can hang it inside the flask by a string taped to the outside of the flask or secured (loosely) with a stopper. Do not tightly seal the flask! A stopper with a hole or two is safest.  Use a large volume flask, even though youre only using a small volume of liquid. This is because brown liquid can splash up near the conclusion of the reaction. This liquid is free iodine released from the oxidizing effect of the strong peroxide solution.Make sure you dont seal or tightly stopper the flask, as pressure buildup from a premature reaction can shatter the flask violently.Excess sodium iodide may be thrown away in the trash receptacle.Are you artistic? You can wrap the flask in foil to make it look like a magic genie bottle or lamp. While you have the 30% peroxide out, why not try the elephant toothpaste demonstration? Another interesting demonstration to try involves making violet smoke. Reference: Stone, Charles, H. J. Chem. Ed., 1944, 21, 300.

The History Of Lsd And Its Effects On The American...

After World War II ended, the age of baby-booming and urban sprawling began. During this time, many American soldiers came home from the war; married, and had five or six children. This created the largest generation ever. Could this new generation change the social world of America? In 1964, most of the baby-boomers children were in their late teens. This was the beginning of a major social change in the United States. With the birth of rock-n-roll not far in the past, and a growing liberalism of the normally conservative American Society, it is no wonder that a powerful hallucinogenic drug called LSD gained so much popularity. LSD-25 was first created in 1938 by Albert Hoffmann in the Sandoz chemical-pharmaceutical†¦show more content†¦This condition gradually passed off after two hours.(1) At first, Hoffman doubted whether he had accidentally poisoned himself with the LSD. Days later, he decided to voluntarily intoxicate himself with 250 micrograms of LSD to see if that was the cause of his psychedelic experience earlier in the week. When he was debating about how much of the LSD to intoxicate himself with, he decided that it would be best to be very conservative and try just a small dose. Unknowing of exactly how powerful this new hallucinogenic chemical was, he thought 250 micrograms would have little or no psychological effects. Later it was determined that 250 micrograms was an extremely large dose for a human to consume. After ingesting the LSD, Hoffman describes in his own words the events that followed: I asked my laboratory assistant to accompany me home, as I believed that I should have a repetition of the disturbance of the previous Friday. While we were cycling home, however, it became clear that the symptoms were much stronger than the first time. I had great difficulty in speaking coherently, my field of vision swayed before me, and objects appeared distorted like images in curved mirrors. I had the impression of being unable to move from the spot, although my assistant told me afterwards that we had cycled at a good pace.(1) Once home, Hoffmann started to feel the full effects of the LSD. HisShow MoreRelatedSummer of Love3032 Words   |  13 PagesThe Summer of Love The 1960s was a decade of political and social upheaval. The counterculture, which was what the decade was called, became disappointed with all the restrictions and conventions of the straight society. The Summer of Love did not occur until 1967, but the decade was inspired by the Bohemian spirit which was already present in the 1950s; known as the Beat generation. The counterculture gained significant influence in liberal cities such as Berkley and San Francisco. 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