Evidence Can Be Lost in Translation

There are also important systemic challenges regarding interactions in the collaboration among donors,
policy makers, civil society, nongovernmental organizations, and researchers in LMICs. Multifinanced
initiatives often face the risk of imposing the priorities of donors, lobbyists, and researchers; this often
leads to neglect of national priorities as determined by decision makers (Van Royen et al. 2013; Sridhar
2012), which subsequently undermines resources spent on investments in research (Lachat et al. 2014,
Sridhar 2012). In resource-poor countries, the nutrition policy and programming agendas are often set
based on the availability of funding for particular intervention programs prioritized by development
partners, rather than on what beneficiary governments may consider the priority. In addition, studies
published from donor-driven research typically focus on quick-fix technical solutions and not on longer-
term preventive or sustainable solutions (Lachat et al. 2014). Finally, critical decisions that need to be
made along the policy, program development, and implementation continuum require the capacity to
use, demand, and act upon relevant evidence. These decisions are prone to economic constraints,
influence (lobbyists), values, traditions, and conflict due to competing interests that policy makers face
in establishing and implementing a sustainable agenda.