Bridging the divide: Making research matter to local government

Main Article Content

Mark Redwood

Abstract

The ‘Freeport Declaration on Improving Local Government: The Commonwealth Vision’, affirmed at the May 2009 Commonwealth Local Government Conference by 550 councillors, mayors, and senior officials from 48 countries, outlined the clear importance of research in public policy development. In the words of the Declaration: “practice oriented research should become more prominent in the work of CLGF,” and this is to be achieved through the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) Research Advisory Group, comprised of participants drawn from universities, training organizations and other research-related bodies in about a dozen member countries. These statements should be the basis of a radical change in how researchers engage local governments.

Article Details

How to Cite
Redwood, M. (2010). Bridging the divide: Making research matter to local government. Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, (5), 22-26. https://doi.org/10.5130/cjlg.v0i5.1478
Section
Background Papers
Author Biography

Mark Redwood, International Development Research Centre

Program Leader, Urban Poverty and Environment. Mark is a an urban and environmental planner who is a specialist in water and sanitation and urban agriculture. He has developed and managed numerous projects associated with wastewater reuse for agriculture and is currently driving IDRC work on greywater use in the Middle East and North Africa. Mark has published numerous articles on water management, urban planning and urban agriculture, with expertise and competencies in: Urban land-use planning, economics and governance of urban infrastructure, water management, and urban agriculture. Further profile information can be viewed at: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-24764-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html