External evaluation: Is there a basis for proceeding with the network's activities after 2010?
The second DPRN phase (2008-2010) is going to come to an end at the end of this year. As subsidisers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and WOTRO Science for Global Development, have therefore decided to have the network evaluated by an external reviewer. The focus of the review by the 'Learning for Development' consultancy was on:
- Assessing the ways in which DPRN has achieved its objectives, and the relevance of these to changes in the Dutch development sector.
- Establishing what could be a useful purpose (added value) for the DPRN network in the years to come, based on its development in recent years.
The report shows that DPRN is effective, efficient and relevant, even though it is too early to draw firm conclusions about the extent to which DPRN processes have strengthened the use of research findings in day-to-day policymaking and practice.
The main recommendation of this review is to maintain a form of DPRN - preferably under WOTRO - that can serve as a low-threshold window to support individuals from the research, NGO or corporate sector who are working on development issues. This platform would have an incubator function for innovative ideas regarding how to link development research, policy and practice. Unlike previous DPRN phases, this phase would, however, not coordinate broad policy debates, but merely focus on thematic processes.