This paper aims to formally identify two trends in development programmes, their incompatibilities, and to set an agenda for addressing this conflict.
Evidence-based policy and the results agenda have assumed orthodoxy in recent years throughout the public sector and in the last decade this transition has been particularly rapid in the field of international development.
A concurrent trend in development has been the recognition of the value in a more systemic approach to development issues; simultaneously addressing a complex range of interlinked problems to bring about sustainable change for greater numbers of poor people.
The conflict that arises from the coexistence of these trends has yet to be identified nor addressed - this paper seeks to do both.