ABSTRACT
Integrating environmental, social, and economic concerns in planning for sustainable development has received considerable attention in recent years. Chapter 8 of Agenda 21 (UNCED 1992), signed at the Earth Summit, declares that environmental protection is at the centre of the sustainable-development process and cannot be considered in isolation from social and economic development. The increased interest in integrated policy-making stems from a recognition that the separation of economic, social, and environmental factors in decision-making has not been conducive to sustainable development. However, much remains to be learned on how best to adjust and reshape decision-making processes to fully integrate environment and development activities. Research is needed to examine the conditions that facilitate and promote integrated-policy development. In addition, because research often represents a first step in bringing about a change in the way decisions are made, research processes need to be developed that in themselves provide a basis for building integrated-policy processes. The purpose of integrated-policy research is to inform policy-making and promote the design and implementation of policies that reflect the interdependence of social, economic, and environmental systems. This chapter presents some observations on integrated-policy research from an African perspective and illustrates these with a case study of a research project to evaluate the Third Nairobi Water Supply Project in Nairobi, Kenya. This is followed by an analysis of the case, highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses of the research project, with particular emphasis on links between research and policy.
