Background:

Mannion Daniels Limited (MannionDaniels) oversees the “Learning for Strengthening Civil Society (L-SCS) – Power of Learning” program, funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). To achieve the program’s objectives, MannionDaniels has partnered with the American University in Cairo (AUC), the Social Research Center (SRC) in Cairo, and the Centre for Health and Social Economic Improvement (CHASE-i), affiliated with Makerere University in Kampala. The overarching goal of the program is to facilitate collective learning and research involving diplomatic missions, strategic partners, and local knowledge actors implementing the Strengthening Civil Society Policy Framework (2021-2025) in countries such as Bangladesh, Burundi, Uganda, Egypt, Lebanon, and Niger (with Sudan’s implementation on hold since April 2023).

The program consists of four workstreams: Linking and learning, Research (including action research), Electronic learning environment, and Communication. Commencing on September 16, 2022, the program is scheduled to run until February 15, 2026, with an initial inception phase until March 31, 2023.

Triangle’s Assessment:

• Purpose of Research Workstream: The research workstream of the program is structured into three phases: research co-creation (January – June 2023), research implementation (July 2023 – June 2025), and research finalization (July 2025 – February 2026). During Phase 1, knowledge partners in each country, except Sudan and Egypt, were engaged to execute research co-creation activities. Their main tasks included collaboratively identifying research questions based on identified challenges, designing research projects, determining CSO involvement, and establishing budgets, workplans, and milestones for Phase 2 ‘Research Implementation.’
• Research Objectives and Approach: The research process entails a participatory approach involving internal and external stakeholders. It will be supplemented by secondary research and various forms of analysis to establish causality. Depending on the nature of the research questions, different methodologies will be employed to ensure credible and usable findings. The research may evolve, necessitating different approaches and methodologies, which will be addressed through the collective efforts of CSOs, knowledge partners, and other academic and civil society institutions.
• Implementation Phase (July 2023 – June 2025): The primary purpose of this phase is to support the development of research objectives with CSOs, ensure research aligns with learning goals, and oversee research execution across countries. To facilitate in-country research, a new approach involving a ‘Knowledge Manager’ and a ‘Research Implementor’ has been adopted. These roles may be carried out by individuals within the same organization or different entities depending on the country.