Social science research and the crafting of policy on population resettlement

Abstract

This article explores the obliviousness syndrome—how research relevant for practice is ignored—and the premises for overcoming this syndrome. It analyzes how and why a certain body of social science concepts and research findings, generated through decades of field study, had been long abandoned “on the shelf,” ignored and unused in relevant policies and programs. This body of knowledge became influentiial only after being incorporated into the policy of an international organization. In turn, the organization and its policy became more effective in that field once this long discounted knowledge was absorbed. The article discusses the cognitive dissonance displayed by governments and development agenciesvis-a-vis relevant research findings, and how such dissonance inhibits the natural flow of knowledge supply and demand. It also describes how an organization’s culture and habits of knowledge-rejection or knowledge-absorption can be changed. The author explores some key methodological and epistemological issues of translating theory and research findings into policy prescriptions and germane implementation procedures.