NGOs and development - research resources
The right in-depth research and information is crucial for NGOs' programme, policy and advocacy work, and knowledge of the development sector is vital for NGOs themselves as well as for all their stakeholders. Some of the key on-line resources available include:
About development
Research for development
A portal for research funded by DFID, contains a database of research and research contacts which is searchable by country or theme
INTRAC - International NGO Training and Research Centre
Includes short briefing notes on research and practice, on topics such as evaluation, dilemmas of humanitarian development, and INGOs and indigenous social movements
ODI - Overseas Development Institute
An independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues. On-line resources range from blogs to briefing papers
IDS - Institute of Development Studies
A range of reports on development issues from IDS who provide research, teaching and communications on international development.
IDS hosts Eldis, which contains a large database of documents from over 7,500 development organisations.
DSA - Development Studies Association
A membership organisation for people studying, teaching and researching development issues. Membership is for individuals and institutions.
DESTIN - Development Studies Institute at London School of Economics
Promotes teaching and research on processes of social, political and economic development and change. Working papers on many relevant issues are available to download, and the centre also runs seminars and events.
About the UK voluntary or third sector
Office of the Third Sector
Government led and sponsored research, including surveys on citizenship, the state of the sector and volunteering and charitable giving; estimates of central and local government spending on the sector; research on measuring the sector and the sector's access to finance; and third sector review discussion papers.
Third
Sector Research Centre
The new Third Sector Research Centre aims to develop a research programme that will lead to improved understanding of the key patterns, processes and impacts of developments in the sector. The Centre seeks to strengthen the evidence base for policy towards the sector, and will act as a resource for the sector itself.
Research on the voluntary sector - conference papers
This conference, held in September 2009 at the University of Warwick, was aimed at academics, practitioners and policymakers with a shared interest in the voluntary sector and voluntary action. Session topics included commissioning, grant making, volunteers, mapping organisations and resources, the state's relationship with the voluntary sector, community cohesion and well-being, governance, the recession and monitoring and evaluation.
