{"id":1026,"date":"2014-01-29T20:14:16","date_gmt":"2014-01-29T20:14:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/?p=1026"},"modified":"2016-01-06T17:37:09","modified_gmt":"2016-01-06T17:37:09","slug":"grupo-faros-tough-question-are-we-producing-research-that-informs-and-changes-policies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/articles\/grupo-faros-tough-question-are-we-producing-research-that-informs-and-changes-policies\/","title":{"rendered":"Grupo FARO\u2019s tough question: \u201care we producing research that informs and changes policies?\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Editor\u2019s note: This post has been written by Orazio Bellettini and Adriana Arellano, from Grupo FARO, who are participating of\u00a0a \u00a0mentoring project with ASIES in Guatemala<\/a>.\u00a0Grupo FARO is undergoing an important organisational and\u00a0research approach reform triggered by a change in its environment.The post has been written partly in response to Lawrence MacDonald\u2019s and Todd Moss\u2019 essay on CGD\u2019s approach to policy influence. What do you think? Do they have the right approach?]<\/em><\/p>\n

In its lessons learned document:\u00a0Building a Think-and-Do Tank: A Dozen Lessons from the First Dozen Years of the Center for Global Development<\/a>, CGD\u00a0presents key lessons useful to think tanks around the world.<\/p>\n

Given the significant changes that have happened in the Ecuadorean political and economic context over the last few years,\u00a0Grupo FARO<\/a>\u00a0is in the process of\u00a0asking tough questions \u2013<\/i>one of CGD lessons- regarding how to influence policies in a contentious political environment.<\/p>\n

One tough question that Grupo FARO asked itself last year relates to the type of research we produce and its potential to inform policies and change practices. Asking this question has been vital to rethink our organization and embark on efforts to change the focus of our research.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Our research focus to date<\/h2>\n

In its own history of public policy research, Grupo FARO has positioned itself as a strong producer of research focused on monitoring and vigilance. Most of FARO\u2019s efforts have concentrated in analysing the compliance of public policies and we have developed a series of methodologies to compare what public policies plan to achieve and what they are really achieving.<\/p>\n

But, as the Ecuadorian State has become stronger and has more capacity to design and implement public policies, especially at the national level, there is a need for research that moves from monitoring public policies to generating policy proposals and policy-applied knowledge that enriches the public debate.<\/p>\n

A new research focus<\/h2>\n

In April 2013, Grupo FARO\u2019s Board of Directors approved a transition to a new research focus that balances public policy monitoring with research dedicated to producing new public policies. This change has the following objectives:<\/p>\n