ZEF Bonn

fields of development policy and their institutions.
Overall, it can therefore be stated that with the creation of ZEF an internationally
competitive scientific institute was successfully built, the German research landscape
has been enriched, and this will contribute to lending more weight to the German
voice in the international development policy debate.
Recommendations
As a result of the delayed filling of the chair for political science (1999/2000), the
interdisciplinary linkage of the work in the department for “Political and Cultural
Change" with the projects of the other departments is still at an early stage. Emphasis
should be placed on the development of this linkage.
IV. Knowledge Transfer and Public Awareness
As mentioned above, through its research projects ZEF provides important services
for public and private clients with regard to practical and implementation-oriented
policy advice, and knowledge transfer in major fields of development policy and its
institutions.
ZEF's knowledge transfer is oriented around its own research horizon; its impressive
activities are documented by the numerous publications, symposiums, public lectures,
workshops and conferences. ZEF regularly organises public lectures held by guest
speakers from all over the world. Between July 2000 and June 2001 alone, these
public lectures numbered around 40. They served as an important contribution to
the profile of Bonn as a “North-South Center". The well-attended international conferences
demonstrate the targeted international image and the channelling of research
results, which are published reviewed in books. Application-oriented consolidation
of the research results takes place three times a year in ZEF News, which is
issued in German and English. The mission to channel and prepare the research results
for a wide public is demonstrated by such activities as the international congress
“Weltachsen 2000" (World Axes 2000), jointly organised by ZEF and ZEI with a
number of internationally renowned personalities from politics, business, and culture.
Also to be mentioned are the Global Dialogue on the future of rural areas at
the EXPO 2000 in Hanover; the conference on the prevention of ethnic conflicts,
which attracted considerable attention from all over the world; and series of events
such as the “Bonn Dialogue on Development Policy", which has already taken place
seven times.
The ZEF directors and several Senior Fellows have focused their activities on knowledge
transfer at international level (e.g., in advisory functions and forums such as
UN, UNESCO, FAO, World Bank, Global Development Network, G8-Task Force, Davos
Forum), and to a number of important developing countries (especially China, India,
Columbia, Brazil, South Africa). In the face of the relatively minor presence of German
development research at international level, this is an achievement that cannot
be appreciated enough in its importance for the reputation of German science and
the linkage of German development policy research with international debates. With
regard to dissemination of its findings, ZEF places more emphasis on global information
services than on traditional presswork. www.zef.de is one of the most frequently
visited web-sites of development research facilities in Europe (as many as
about 30,000 visitors a month), and ZEF is a member of “euforic" and “oneworld",
the leading NGO and NPO development networks world-wide.
ZEF Evaluation
"ZEF's knowledge transfer is
oriented around its own research
horizon; its impressive
activities are documented by
the numerous publications,
symposiums, public lectures,
workshops and conferences.
ZEF regularly organises public
lectures held by guest speakers
from all over the world."
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