Knowledge for Change - learning about knowledge brokering

Knowledge for Change - learning about knowledge brokering

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Project detail:
Timeframe:
-
Status: Active
Countries: Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean
Themes: Learning from CDKN's experience

Context

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has called for systems-wide transitions, resilience building and an urgent all-of-society response to address the climate change crisis. While research information and its tailoring into accessible knowledge products plays an important role in informing climate decision-making and action, strong knowledge and innovation brokering are also essential to navigate a complex environment that encompasses a range of sectors and stakeholders with different values and priorities, at multiple scales.

Knowledge brokering is the process of moving knowledge into action, where knowledge brokers link producers and users of knowledge to facilitate the generation, dissemination and eventual use of that knowledge. The range of activities they are involved in can be understood along a spectrum that goes from working with information flows to seeking to bring about systemic change (see Figure below).

Spectrum of Knowledge Broker Roles
Spectrum of knowledge broker roles, adapted from Harvey et al. (2012) and Shaxson et al. (2012)

Project objectives

The Knowledge for Change series reflects on the common challenges, lessons and successes CDKN and its partners have encountered in facilitating evidence-based decision-making to accelerate climate action. The aim of this work is to better understand how knowledge and evidence on climate change can inform and translate into policy and implementation. This reflection process has investigated different tools and approaches for enhancing the use of knowledge in decision-making, the barriers encountered in facilitating change, and lessons useful for others who navigate similar challenges.

Project outputs

The project’s key outputs are:

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Practising what we preach: CDKN’s own co-creation adventure CDKN Learning lead, Lucia Scodanibbio, reflects on a recent three day co-creation process the CDKN team undertook to develop a capacity strengthening programme to assist knowledge brokers to be more effective facilitators of climate action. While acknowledging the challenges associated with co-creation spaces, Lucia emphasises the sustainable, inclusive and effective solutions that can emerge from them.
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