Supporting methods
The research behind Nexus Agency: the questions it asks, the methods it uses and how evidence is reviewed before it is published.
- 01FieldsGovernance and institutions, Development finance
- 02STEM methods2 canonical methods applied
- 03Topics8 subject pages
- 04Counterparts9 platforms in shared fields
- 05PublisherThe Global Centre for Risk and Innovation
GCRI · Established · service level R0
The short answer.
Nexus Agency research is the evidence work behind the platform: questions such as technical assistance scope and expert competence, answered with systems engineering and decision analysis under uncertainty and reviewed before publication. Every result carries an evidence label, from observed to modelled or expert judgement, and missing data is shown as missing, never filled silently.
Draft to published version.
Fig.How a finding is reviewed before it is published. Design, not a record.
Jurisdictions in Africa.
The jurisdictions that hold authority over this question: countries, their first-level divisions and capitals, shown for Africa as an example geography for this subject.
What the research asks.
- 01
Technical assistance scope
What support can and cannot authorize.
- 02
Expert competence
Skills, evidence and relevant experience.
- 03
Team formation
Interdisciplinary assignments and accountability.
- 04
Institutional support
Scoped support to eligible organizations.
- 05
Research and field assignments
Technical work, safety and supervision.
- 06
Conflict and independence
Conflicts, procurement neutrality and sanctions.
What technical assistance research cannot yet answer well enough for decisions.
Technical assistance often fails for reasons that are institutional, not technical. The research questions concern how expert teams are scoped, formed and closed so that capacity stays with the institution served.
- How should the scope of an assignment be written so that success can be judged? See technical assistance scope.
- What evidence of expert competence should be required for which roles? See expert competence.
- How are conflicts of interest best identified in small expert pools? See conflict and independence.
- What closeout practice leaves models, data and skills with the institution? See project closeout.
Every result keeps its label.
Results are labelled as observed, officially reported, estimated, modelled, forecast, scenario or expert judgement. Missing data is shown as missing, never filled silently.
Terms used on this page.
Each term as this page uses it. Where a standard-setting body defines the term, the wording follows that body.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Research integrity | Conduct of research in line with principles of reliability, honesty, respect and accountability, as the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity sets them out. |
| Evidence label | A tag on an assertion naming the kind of evidence behind it, such as observed, officially reported or modelled. |
| Reproducibility | Obtaining consistent results using the same data and analysis code as the original study. |
| Key expert | An expert named in a winning proposal whose qualifications were scored in the award. |
Where this page's references lead.
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
Questions and answers.
Can I propose a research question?
Around Nexus Agency.
Bring your expertise to this field.
The current service level is R0: information and enquiries. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.