Research into policy: a literature review

Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) is embarking on a new research programme dedicated to improving urban sanitation in Ghana, Kenya and Bangladesh. The driving aim of the programme is not only to produce rigorous research, but research that can drive sector change in each of the three focus countries. For this to be achieved, research must be timely, relevant and communicated in a manner that is useful to those who are in a position to drive change in urban sanitation policy on all levels. This paper presents a broad overview of the literature produced on research uptake and the actions recommended for researchers seeking to ensure that their work makes a sustained impact where it is most needed. This will inform WSUP’s sector influencing strategies and guide its development of a research uptake strategy.