Knowledge generation for poverty reduction within donor organizations

The Millennium Development Goals have placed poverty reduction at the top of donor organisations` list of priorities. Failure to achieve the MDGs will no doubt place the spotlight on their financial commitments to poverty reduction, but effective poverty reduction relies as much on knowledge of poverty and poverty reduction and the kinds of knowledge that emerge from, and inform, the activities of donor organisations. The paper considers this issue in the context of Indonesia. It examines the main parameters of knowledge generation for poverty reduction in the country office of a donor organisation. It finds that organisational, environmental, intellectual and experiential factors have significance in this context.