RIPIL-LPI Research-Policy-Practice Partnership
Effective international peacebuilding requires the integration of evidence from the local to global levels. Nonetheless, few policymakers and practitioners are able to systematically integrate rigorous evidence into their decision-making processes. Engaged research usually focuses on policymakers or communities but rarely seeks to bridge the divide between the two. Research-policy partnerships frequently focus on engagement between academics and policymakers and are often disconnected from communities affected by the policies under study.
This project aims to address these challenges via an innovative research-policy-practice partnership. In partnership, the Life & Peace Institute (LPI) and American University's Research on International Policy Implementation Lab (RIPIL) are developing an innovative approach to policy-relevant and impactful community-driven research.
What we’re doing
Our research-practice partnership collaboratively engages communities and multiple levels of policy actors in participatory and meaningful conversations on peacebuilding policy and practice, supported by academic researchers. LPI and RIPIL are establishing the basis for this engagement via a jointly appointed post-doctoral program supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Building on each institution's large networks of policy actors and think tank partners, the partnership is creating spaces for meaningful engagement with community-driven research that deepens relationships, shares knowledge, and fosters a genuine conversation around the evidence for international peacebuilding and development policy. Through documentation of this unique partnership, LPI and RIPIL will share this model to help enable other organizations to equitably partner with academic institutions to support community and policy-engaged research.
Our Team
Susanna Campbell, American University
Luke Errington-Barnes, Life & Peace Institute (Co-PI)
Alex Maxwell, Postdoctoral Fellow
Scovia Aweko, Postdoctoral Fellow
Partner(s)
Read the work
Publications forthcoming
Cover image of project: photo credit