Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GlobalKnoT (Knowledge Transfer in Global Gender Programmes: The Case of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting and Gender-Biased Sex Selection)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-10-01 bis 2023-07-31
However, there is limited understanding of how knowledge is shared through these global programs, especially across diverse socio-cultural contexts. This project seeks to shed light on knowledge transfer and policy development in global programs focused on ending female genital mutilation, gender-based sex selection, and child marriage. The key objectives include expanding our understanding of global governance and the actor-networks involved in knowledge transfer, examining the effectiveness of these global gender programs, and providing guidance to decision makers and international organizations to protect women's and girls' rights and accelerate the eradication of harmful practices worldwide.
Harmful norms and practices are major obstacles towards gender equality and sustainable development at large. Understanding global governance for more effective interventions is therefore an urgent priority for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls at the critical midpoint towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
This project focuses on the EU-funded, and UN-led Global Programs to End Female Genital Mutilation, Gender-biased Sex Selection, and Child Marriage as case studies. By thematically analysing policy and program files and drawing from expert interviews and participant observation during global convening between 2021-2023, the project explores how knowledge is generated, processed, and transferred within and between these programs, as well as which knowledge becomes influential over time. It also looks at the actors and networks involved in transferring knowledge and identifies factors that facilitate or hinder this process.
The project reveals that knowledge transfer is a vital component of these global initiatives, where significant investments are made in knowledge production, curation, dissemination, and uptake. Different approaches have been tried to optimize knowledge transfer, including localizing it through partner institutions, centralizing it within the program, and co-creating it with influential partners (terms borrowed from ‘three modes of governance’ by Cairney et al. 2020). Results show that localizing knowledge transfer faced challenges related to quality and sustainability, centralization had mixed outcomes, and co-creation with strategic partners appeared the most promising.
Overall, the effectiveness of knowledge transfer is hindered by the programs' inability to adequately measure the impact of their interventions. The project provides valuable insights into actor networks and governance structures related to knowledge transfer for shaping policies and norms in a globalized world, with important implications for the Sustainable Development Agenda, particularly Goals 5 and 17.
During the final year of the project, research will be completed on the knowledge-policy transfer in global gender programs and its implications for shifting harmful gender norms. A book proposal has been signed with Bristol University Press and a book manuscript on the global governance of harmful practices shall be drafted by the end of the fellowship. The results will also be disseminated via seminars or workshops and conference presentations.