Article by Shanta Devarajan and Eeshani Kandpal: “At least since former World Bank President Jim Wolfensohn coined the phrase “knowledge bank,” there have been periodic efforts to strengthen evidence-based policymaking at the World Bank. They have focused overwhelmingly on the supply of knowledge–with a steady stream of “flagship reports.” The World Bank has invested in better data, more rigorous research, systematic reviews, impact evaluations, and increasingly sophisticated analytics to inform its operations. The most recent reorganization aims to create a “knowledge bank.”
Yet previous reorganizations and rhetoric have not consistently translated into improved research quality or greater development impact. High-quality evidence often fails to shape policy choices, lending priorities, or institutional reforms in low- and middle-income countries—or even within the bank itself.
What is missing from this conversation is the demand for knowledge.
Evidence-based policy does not emerge simply because good evidence exists. It emerges when institutions are structured so that decision-makers (1) want to know, and (2) are rewarded for using knowledge. The history of places like Bell Labs illustrates that insight production depends at least as much on institutional demand for understanding as on the technical ability to generate it…(More)”.
