Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (Kenya)
July 24, 2003
Etsablished in 1994 as an independent, indigenous and non-partisan private organisation, IPAR pursues high-quality, research-based analysis of public policy, intended to contribute to non-partisan discussion focused on Kenya and the region.
Through training and internship programmes for young promising researchers, IPAR also builds capacity in public policy analysis.
IPAR conducts four programmes:
* Governance and Development;
* Macroeconomic Policy Analysis;
* Real Sector -- Industry and Agriculture; and
* Social Sector -- Health and Education.
IPAR aims to become a national centre of excellence, offering constructive policy ideas to the Government of Kenya and its development partners in order to increase welfare. IPAR's works to strengthen the national capacity to develop, implement and evaluate public policy by undertaking independent policy analysis and research and sharing the results of such research and policy analysis with Kenya and its development partners.
IPAR also seeks to serve as a resource centre by offering technical, research and informational support for national development. To these ends, it provides objective data-based findings and articulates them at national and other forums for the benefit of interested parties including government, NGOs, the private sector and the donor community.
Through its competitive Internship Programme, the Institute has become a major contributor to capacity building for young professionals seeking career development in policy research and analysis within government, private organisations and other institutions. The selected interns spend one year of policy training and research in the above programmes. Various stakeholders in the policy process pay close attention to the Institute's publications.
Among IPAR's major objectives:
* to create a national centre of excellence in policy analysis;
* to undertake policy research and analysis to increase knowledge on major issues that affect Kenya;
* to increase the awareness of national decision makers on issues that affect Kenya`s development;
* to create an environment conducive to non-partisan development debate and discourse;
* to encourage networking and creation of social capital around policy issues;
* to strengthen capacity for policy research analysis through an internship programme; and
* to serve as an institutional home for social scientists.
IPAR also uses different avenues for disseminating results to promote policy debate and building of a consensus on important policy choices.
The Institute has a dynamic Resource Centre which has gradually built a wide selection of research materials both in print and electronic formats. In addition, IPAR also makes available information available from other sources such as the Internet, and other libraries/information centres, as required. Users may access the Institute's publications from the Centre and its website.
Link: http://www.ipar.or.ke
Keywords: policy, analysis, research, institute, Kenya