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Working with the grain and swimming against the tide: Barriers to uptake of research findings on governance and public services in low-income Africa

Working papers

Written by David Booth

This paper, later published with revisions in Public Management Review, discusses the ‘uptake’ challenge facing researchers whose findings are out of line with the ideology and incentive structures of practical development agencies. The Africa Power and Politics Programme (APPP) faced this challenge in connection with the finding that, on their own, bottom-up pressures from voters and users are only a weak factor in improving public service delivery.

David Booth