Getting knowledge to tackle policy debate might seem difficult, complicated and not worth to plan ahead when deploying research projects. If you agree with this, we recommend you to watch our recent video.

 Nevertheless, over the last years, CIPPEC has developed approaches, tools and knowledge inputs to foster planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and research communication skills towards a more evidence based decision making process for think tanks, civil society and public officers. CIPPEC have delivered four regional conferences, different technical assistance programmes and developed online courses on critical issues for policy influence, reaching more than 190 trainees belonging to more than 40 countries around the world and to 13 research centers from around the globe (nine for Latin America and four for Asia and Africa). With the continued support from GDNet, our south developed resources had also reached Latin America and the Middle East.

Keeping up with this capacity building strategy and based on the lessons learned, in 2013, we launched the “Think Tanks Series” an original publication in the context of VIPPAL (linking research with public policies in Latin America) initiative that aims at sharing knowledge and lessons on policy influence and organizational management with think tanks executive directors, heads of communications and staff members, experts working on think tanks throughout the world and civil society organizations interested in strengthening their impact.

The series seeks to become a tool in helping both think tanks and civil society organizations to frame organizational processes for improved influence efforts, as well as a source of reference for other researchers and specialists.

The first document “Promoting a national policy forum: CIPPEC’s “Agenda for the President 2011-2015”  analyze and reflect on the role of think tanks within presidential campaigns in developing countries. Following other think tanks’ experiences in the region (Fedesarrollo, CIES, Grupo FARO), in 2011 the Center for the Implementation of Public Policies Promoting Equity and Growth (CIPPEC), in partnership with other civil society organizations, embarked on an initiative destined to improve the quality of the public debate. We foresee in this systematization effort a key opportunity to empower civil society and to promote a more effective role of think tanks in the political arena. Moreover, this exercise contributes to an institutional reflexive process that could generate valuable learning for future activities.

The second document “Mi Galpón”: from the local level to the national agenda” evaluates the impact of grass rooted entrepreneurial organizations in public policies at the national level through the experience of a local industrial and commercial chamber in Argentina. The project Mi Galpón, which is the basis for this case study, aimed to improve this scenario by facilitating long-term financial borrowing for the construction of warehouses for small local businesses. The project, which initially began in Rafaela, was able to successfully reach the national level and become a state policy.

We expect to continue learning and sharing knowledge from around the world and contribute in building a community of practice that target public policy as it main audience for research uptake. If you would like to contribute to this series in identifying knowledgeable lessons and stories that all can benefit from please get in touch with us at vippal@cippec.org.

www.cippec.org, twitter.com/CIPPEC, facebook.com/cippec.org

www.vippal.org, twitter.com/VIPPALCIPPEC, facebook.com/VIPPAL