MOTIVATION
Efforts to improve governance focus on voice and accountability, effective delivery of public services, measures against corruption, regulatory quality, and security and political stability. In spite of the overwhelming general interest in good governance and development, researchers and policymakers have so far paid limited attention to the governance issues that are relevant for agriculture and rural areas. In line with the mandate of IFPRI and the CGIAR system, this research program focuses on governance structures and policy processes that help reduce hunger and poverty by improving agricultural productivity and promoting rural development. In spite of a considerable increase in research on general governance issues such as corruption, security, and the rule of law, and on governance in specific sectors such as health and education, governance issues that are essential for using agriculture as an engine of growth are hardly covered by major research organizations.
OUTCOMES
In 2009, IFPRI conducted country case studies on India and China for the global evaluation of World Bank support to agriculture over the previous decade, which was commissioned by the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group. The two case studies constituted a significant contribution to this global review, and it is expected that they will have a far reaching influence on the future design of governance as a component of agricultural development projects by the World Bank and other donor organizations. The findings were also presented at the Annual Conference of the American Evaluation Association, thus reaching a wide audience.
