​The subject of this background paper – and of the 28th ALNAP Annual Meeting – is how evidence and knowledge inform policy and practice in the humanitarian sector. This is not a new topic by any means, but it raises questions that have become increasingly pressing for the sector in the past few years. More generally, it raises questions about current humanitarian policy and practice and the quality of evidence on which they are based.

Darcy, J. and Knox Clarke, P.