Conflict is a natural consequence of progress, development, and change. It can be a negative or positive force in any development project. To achieve durable agreements and moblize stakeholders, a deeper understanding of conflict management and the negotiation process is critical.

Reforms often get stuck because stakeholder interests and the rules of the game prevent collective action needed for reforms to move forward. This presentation examines how reformers can recognize the patterns that constrain collective action.

Governance challenges surface in development programs worldwide, regardless of sector or country. Critical to the success of any reform is the combined energies and single-minded commitment of the state, institutions that provide the services, and the citizens—to pursue the public good.

Explore the concept of effective multi-stakeholder engagement. While engagement is the key to any successful change intervention, the challenge is to aim for context and sector-specific approaches amidst the many examples that exist.

Learn the concept of systematic review. The presentation covers the stages of a systematic review and discusses the advantages of conducting one. The importance of developing a search protocol is also explained.

Find out how to develop theories of change by engaging in an ongoing systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions in low- and middle-income countries. Explore how research evidence can be made relevant and useful for policy and practice.

Explore in detail the Kitakyushu Regional Energy Base Promotion Project. Learn how the project utilizes the potentials of Kitakyushu City for renewable energy or high-efficient thermal power generation, and energy management know-how earned through smart community demonstration.

While there is considerable quantitative research on the issue of secondary school dropout in rural People’s Republic of China, no systematic effort has been made to assess the deeper reasons behind student decision-making through a mixed-methods approach. This presentation explores the prevalence, correlates, and potential reasons for the dropout process.

There has been very little research on the impact of education on social values in the developing world. Learn the results of a study conducted in the People’s Republic of China that aimed to analyze the relationship between opportunities to attend upper-secondary schooling and social values.

Poor junior high students in the People’s Republic of China drop out of junior high or fail to matriculate into high school due to financial constraints. Introducing the early commitment for financial aid strategy may reduce dropout and increase high school matriculation among poor junior high students.