Which forms of knowledge are most appropriate for informing and influencing policy-making? Are some types of knowledge more acceptable or suitable than others? This Background Note classifies different types of knowledge that aim to influence policy, which is then used to analyse case studies from three South-East Asian countries: Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

The case studies presented in this Background Note show that different types of knowledge by different stakeholders can result in positive outcomes by establishing a more accountable, participatory and transparent local governance environment.

The study concludes with suggestions on the usefulness of the development of classifications – a taxonomy – of knowledge types. The taxonomy developed in this Background Note is an experiment that can be further developed by creating additional categories of types of knowledge. This could include specifying different sources of knowledge, such as organisational knowledge, practitioner knowledge, user knowledge, research knowledge, policy community knowledge, and applying these to the analysis of knowledge types.