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Theme 2: Inclusive Governance and Institutions

Indian Parliament in New Delhi, India. Source: iStockphoto.

For new policy ideas to be translated into changes on the ground, two conditions need to be met: policy ideas must be formulated into policies; and policies must be adequately implemented.

  • Subtheme 2.1 - Policy Processes
    Subtheme 2.1 studies research-policy linkages and policy implementation processes in order to increase the likelihood that science- and evidence-based policy options will be adopted into progressive reforms.
  • Subtheme 2.2 - Governance of Rural Services
    One major obstacle to policy implementation arises from the failure of governments and markets to provide rural services and infrastructure. Subtheme 2.2 addresses this issue by identifying governance arrangements suitable for providing critical rural services and for supporting effective and equitable farmer organizations, resource user groups, and producer groups.
  • Subtheme 2.3 - Collective Action and Property Rights
    Tenure security and capacity for collective action are prerequisites for reducing poverty and enabling more effective management of common pool resources and environmental services. Moreover, agricultural policy processes often suffer from the lack of voice of smallholder farmers and women, who make up so much of the agricultural labor force in developing countries. How can sound arrangements for property rights and collective action be achieved, and how can small-scale producers be empowered to increase their voice in policy decisions and to gain access to investment and market opportunities? These are the questions that Subtheme 2.3 (which builds on the well-established CGIAR
    Systemwide Program on Collective Action and Property Rights
    - CAPRi    , hosted by IFPRI) strives to address.
  • Subtheme 2.4 - Institutions to Strengthen the Assets of the Poor
    Translating increased productivity and incomes into sustainable rural development requires ensuring that poor people are able to accumulate the tangible and intangible assets that will allow them to generate sustainable livelihoods. Such changes often go beyond single policies and require appropriate institutional structures. To address this challenge, Subtheme 2.4 focuses on creating enabling institutions for the poor.