Bridging Knowledge & Policy
How can we bridge the gap between knowledge and policy? The Institute for Governance Reform is a research and advocacy think tank based in Freetown, Sierra Leone. We believe that weak public oversight of resource allocation and budget management is one of the underlying causes of poverty, inequality, and tension in Sierra Leone. We support public and private institutions to respond to economic development challenges, poverty, and state effectiveness.
Episodes
Mar 3, 2023
Mar 3, 2023
9 min
IGR speaks with its Executive Director, Andrew Lavali, on Proportional Representation and its tendency to lead to violence. By looking at the evidence and trend lines on PR, will PR help mitigate the issues that often lead to violence in Sierra Leone? Or will PR accentuate these issues and lead to a new round of election-related violence in 2023?
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Twitter: @GovernanceFor
For comments, please email us at: info@igrsl.org
Feb 24, 2023
Feb 24, 2023
13 min
IGR speaks to its own Research & Policy Director on the recent adoption of the 30% law in light of the switch to proportional representation (PR). What does this 30% law mean for women in light of the recent PR switch for the upcoming elections? Can women achieve 30% in light of the new legislation, and what are the challenges and obstacles women still face in Sierra Leone?
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Facebook: Institute for Governance Reform
Twitter: @GovernanceFor
For comments, please email us at: info@igrsl.org
Feb 17, 2023
Feb 17, 2023
24 min
This week IGR speaks with Raymond George, Director of Media & Communications, of the National Electoral Commission (NEC). In this episode we discuss the electoral process and the government’s recent decision to utilize Proportional Representation (PR) in the upcoming election. In particular, we highlight IGR’s recent Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice (KAP) survey work that demonstrates that 80% of citizens across Sierra Leone have little knowledge or understanding of PR and electoral processes in general. We want to hear from NEC and have them respond to these findings and what they think the implications of these findings might have on the upcoming June 2023 elections, and its potential impact on women and independent candidates.
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http://igrsl.org
Facebook: Institute for Governance Reform
Twitter: @GovernanceFor
For comments, please email us at: info@igrsl.org
Feb 10, 2023
Feb 10, 2023
17 min
IGR speaks to the National Coordinator of National Elections Watch (NEW) on the recent switch from a First-Past-The-Post to Proportional Representation system in Sierra Leone. What does this mean for the upcoming elections?
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http://igrsl.org
Facebook: Institute for Governance Reform
Twitter: @GovernanceFor
For comments, please email us at: info@igrsl.org
Feb 3, 2023
Feb 3, 2023
1 min
As many of you probably already know, there are several African countries that are holding national elections this 2023 (such as SL, Liberia, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Gabon and also South Sudan). Bridging Knowledge and Policy will produce a brief weekly elections-series podcast that will cover substantive topics that will focus on issues related to the lead-up to the June 2023 national elections. The intent here is to briefly highlight these important topics, policy shifts, as well as political implications for Sierra Leone's cohesion, democratic process, and overall security. Topics such as the recent MidTerm Census and its implications as well as the country's recent switch to the PR system from First-Past-the-Post, to the recently passed Gender Bill (30% quota), as well party politics and personalities will also be covered.
Follow us on:
http://igrsl.org
Facebook: Institute for Governance Reform
Twitter: @GovernanceFor
For comments, please email us at: info@igrsl.org
Dec 2, 2022
Dec 2, 2022
32 min
In this episode we speak with Paul Jibateh to look at the ongoing challenges of hate speech in Sierra Leone and the role it plays in undermining social cohesion. Paul helps us to better understand the role that the media plays and its ongoing role in disseminating hate speech.
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http://igrsl.org
Facebook: Institute for Governance Reform
Twitter: @GovernanceFor
For comments, please email us at: info@igrsl.org
Oct 12, 2022
Oct 12, 2022
33 min
This episode talks about Sierra Leones' strong religious tolerance to temper political tensions.
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Facebook: Institute for Governance Reform
Twitter: @GovernanceFor
For comments, please email us at: info@igrsl.org
Aug 22, 2022
Aug 22, 2022
25 min
In this episode, we speak with Kelfala Kallon, the Bank Governor of Sierra Leone about the current state of inflation and its impact on Sierra Leone’s economy. But what can one say are the causes of the unstable rate of inflation in the country and what can be done about it?
Follow us on:
http://igrsl.org
Facebook: Institute for Governance Reform
Twitter: @GovernanceFor
For comments, please email us at: info@igrsl.org