Regional Research–Policy Partnerships for Health Equity and Inclusive Development: Reflections on Opportunities and Challenges from a Southern African Perspective
posted on 2024-09-05, 20:40authored byNicola Yeates, Themba Moeti, Mubita Luwabelwa
This article critically reflects on the experience and lessons from a health-focused social policy research project (PRARI) involving a partnership spanning multiple countries across southern Africa and
Europe. It asks what factors condition the efficacy of the partnership–policy nexus. The PRARI-SADC partnership case study used participatory action research (PAR) to create a regional indicators-based monitoring ‘toolkit’ of pro‑poor health policy and change for the Southern African Development
Community (SADC). The article addresses the partnership drivers, features, methodological context, and process of the project, and the wider implications for constructing partnerships for social change impact. Lessons drawn from this case study underscore the importance of PAR-inspired partnership structures and working methods while querying assumptions that the relationship between PAR and policy change is ‘seamless’. We argue that greater focus is needed on the wider institutional context conditioning the work of
Funding
Department for International Development (DFID)
History
Publisher
Institute of Development Studies
Citation
Yeates, N., Moeti, T.and Luwabelwa, M. (2019) 'Regional Research–Policy Partnerships for Health Equity and Inclusive Development:Reflections on Opportunities and Challenges from a Southern African Perspective' in Exploring Research–Policy Partnerships in International Development, IDS Bulletin 50.1, Brighton: IDS