Page 46 - AERC Strategic Plan 2 July2020

THE AERC 2020–2025 STRATEGIC PLAN

The Purpose

Scaling up policy communications, outreach, and engagement will enable the
organization to bridge the knowledge gap among practicing economists at the national
level with the latest regional ideas, thus building local capacity and potentially improving
the economic landscape in individual countries over the long term. By partnering with
regional institutions and creating policy networks, AERC would create a sustainable
knowledge-sharing platform to lessen the risks, obstacles, and time necessary to
implement policy recommendations.

Approach

AERC will be required to shift its focus from brand communications to policy
communications in order to successfully implement this outcome.

The external agency of record will support policy communications through wider
engagement with the media; through convenings outside the network; the training and
positioning of network economists; and through integration of policy communications
outreach with funders and regional institutions.

The risks include lack of financial support and sustainability beyond the first year of
the strategic plan to sustain and grow Outcome 2 initiatives, impacting the ability to
achieve long term outcomes in the region. Participation by central banks, ministries, and
policymakers may not be controllable, as external factors and political conditions may
impact involvement. It is also possible that oversight of regional policy networks might
be lost, or that those networks might promote policy recommendations or approaches
that are not in line with AERC’s research findings. The brand might also receive negative
exposure if network members encounter pitfalls.

The Activities

Activities under this initiative will include:

» Scoping, testing, and feasibility analysis per country to understand the policy
landscape and the specialized needs of policymakers throughout the SSA region;

» Undertaking country needs assessments and comparing institutional needs with
individual researcher needs to understand the current gaps and develop future
opportunities for integration;

» Conducting multi-year analysis and trend studies to identify specific problems
facing policymakers and potential opportunities;

» Creating an in-house training programme at ministries and central banks,
coordinated and managed by the training programme, on key economic factors
facing the nation and region and latest policy recommendations for addressing
those factors;

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