Providing Policy Makers with Timely Advice: The Timeliness-Rigor Trade-Off

36 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2016

See all articles by Clive Bell

Clive Bell

University of Heidelberg - South Asia Institute (SAI)

Lyn Squire

Global Development Network

Date Written: March 18, 2016

Abstract

Policy makers bemoan the lack of research findings to guide urgent decisions, whereas researchers' professional code puts rigor first. This article argues that provisional assessments, produced early in the research cycle, can bridge the gap. Numerous case studies point to the importance of early interaction with policy makers and the delivery of brief, policy-focused papers; but preliminary analyses may be flawed and so increase the chances of a wrong decision. This article demonstrates analytically that a preliminary assessment, supported by the offer of more refined research, provides an option that is superior, on average, to the current practice of submitting a final report at the end of the research cycle. Where practical implementation is concerned, it calls for donor-funded subsidies to promote the use of provisional assessments and for a rapid, independent, professional review process to ensure their quality. While the research-policy exchange in developing countries is a complex, context-specific phenomenon, the proposal offered here holds out some promise of improving decisions in the public sphere under a wide range of circumstances.

Keywords: Economic Policy, Institutions and Governance

Suggested Citation

Bell, Clive and Squire, Lyn, Providing Policy Makers with Timely Advice: The Timeliness-Rigor Trade-Off (March 18, 2016). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 7610, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2750206

Clive Bell (Contact Author)

University of Heidelberg - South Asia Institute (SAI) ( email )

Grabengasse 14
Heidelberg, D-69117
Germany

Lyn Squire

Global Development Network ( email )

2600 Virginia Avenue, NW
Suite 1112
Washington, DC 20037
United States

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