Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Democracy Narratives: What works—and what doesn’t. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Join us for the release of new global research on how narratives can strengthen democracy - and why this matters now more than ever. The new set of research materials synthesizes nearly 400 academic a...

If your work touches communications, research, policy, or community engagement, register now and get ahead of the narrative curve.

Register here:
us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Join Busara, @peoplepowered.org, and the Democracy Narratives Alliance for a webinar to launch "The Research Brief How to Talk about Democracy: What We Know (and Don’t Know)," which unpacks how narratives can strengthen democracy and why this moment demands sharper, more intentional storytelling.

The third publication, the Research Brief How to Talk about Democracy: What We Know (and Don’t Know), will be launched at a global webinar:

Date: March 24, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm UTC / 9:00 am EST/ 4:00 pm EAT

Register for the webinar on the link below:
us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

From narrative to action: fostering democratic engagement and engaged citizens through behavior change Visit the post for more.

2. From Narrative to Action: Fostering Democratic Engagement and Engaged Citizens Through Behaviour Change

This draws on behavioral science and the COM-B model to explain how capability, opportunity, and motivation determine whether democratic participation occurs.
busara.global/our-works/be...

Democracy narratives: what are they and how do they matter for democratic engagement and behavior? Visit the post for more.

Together, we've released two publications:-

1. Democracy Narratives: What Are They and How Do They Matter for Democratic Engagement and Behavior?

This looks at evidence on how shared stories about democracy influence trust, participation, dissent, and disengagement.
busara.global/our-works/de...

Busara, @peoplepowered.org and the Democracy Narratives Alliance (DNA) have co-produced a three-part research series examining how democracy narratives shape democratic engagement.

Led by the Secretariat team — Antony Mutunga, Gladys Muange, and Robert G. Nyaga, PhD — the committee members underwent rigorous sessions designed to strengthen their understanding of ethical review processes, research governance, and best practices in protecting research participants.

Busara’s journey toward becoming an Institutional Scientific and Ethics Review Committee (ISERC) continues to gain momentum.

Last week, members of the Busara committee participated in an intensive five-day training facilitated by National Commission for Science and Technology (NACOSTI).

If this looks like what you are interested in and you are an analytical thinker, clear communicator, and collaborative team player who is excited about advancing behavioral science in the Global South, we encourage you to apply on the link below.
jobs.lever.co/BusaraCenter...

You should be confident designing fit-for-purpose evaluation approaches, conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis, and developing practical MEL tools that support adaptive management.

We’re looking for a MEL Specialist with strong evaluation design, analytical, and learning skills to support evidence generation and decision-making across Busara’s behavioral science projects.

Financial Inclusion Week - Center for Financial Inclusion Financial Inclusion Week (FIW) is the leading industry event on inclusive finance, convened by Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI).

Busara joins this global convening as an FIW+ regional partner, bringing African perspectives and insights into the dialogue.

Join the conversation and register today

bit.ly/FIW-2025

#FIW25 #FinclusionWeek

Have you registered for #FIW25 yet?

Taking place October 6-9, 2025, Financial Inclusion Week is one of the largest virtual events in inclusive finance, bringing together thousands of practitioners, policymakers, and innovators.

Mario Schmidt, PhD: We cannot take one side only in participatory research. Bringing people together is crucial to create a common ground of understanding in communities and end competing interests.

#NISA2025 #NISAat10 #ImplementationScience

Arize Okafor: We should use feedback to make actionable changes and not assume that we know what the community needs better than them.
#NISA2025 #NISAat10 #ImplementationScience

Juhi Jain: Food often goes to waste because it looks “ugly.” Yet, this produce can still be cooked in different ways. Funny-looking food can be bundled at affordable prices or sold at a discount. 🍅🥕
#NISA2025 #NISAat10 #ImplementationScience

Juhi Jain: Communities are essential in co-designing interventions—especially in nutrition and food systems. They reveal how food is consumed across gender, age, and pricing, with clear examples in patterns of protein consumption.

If research doesn’t serve the people, who does it serve?

This session dives into participatory action research—with case studies from across Africa—showing how co-created evidence shapes policies & products people actually own, trust, and use. #BeSci #NISAConference

We explored how participatory methods in behavioral science ground evidence in people’s realities—shaping policies & products they trust and own.

📍 Robert Nyaga, PhD (Moderator)
🎙️ Mario Schmidt, PhD | Juhi Jain | Arize Okafor | Dr. Uchenna Okafor
#BeSci #NISA2025 #NISAat10

The Busara team joined the panel “Using Participatory Action Research to Unlock Impact.” at the NISA Conference.

#BeSci #NISA2025 #NISAat10

What are the barriers and enablers to the uptake of chisel ploughing? Visit the post for more.

Full Aha! Moment here:
busara.global/our-works/wh...

Special acknowledgment goes to the contributors: Laura Schun Geilager, Marilyn Moin, Wanjiku Kiarie, Mellan Lilumbi and Wairimu Muthike

With FIPS Africa & local blacksmiths, we built solutions to lower costs and improve access. Communities shape the future of farming when innovation meets collective action.

But challenges remain: clearing takes effort, tractors are limited, costs are high, terrain tough. Awareness alone is not enough.

In Kilifi & Makueni, farmers are shifting how they till. Research with 74 farmers shows social proof drives change. When they see neighbors’ yields rise with the chisel plough, they adopt too. A THREAD 🧵

New working paper led by Jaspreet Singh: osf.io/preprints/ps...

Some of you may know about repliCATS, in which (mostly Global North) experts used structured peer review to judge judge the credibility of behavioral research.

We used the same method with behavioral scientists from around Nairobi

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Behavioral Lens Subscribe to access untold Busara stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes.

In our upcoming Behavioral Lens newsletter, we share reflections on the conversations that stayed with us.

Sign up to our newsletter here:
mailchi.mp/busaracenter...

For one week, Nairobi became a hub for evidence, reflection, and collaboration.

At the just concluded ESA Africa Conference 2025 and Nairobi Evidence Week, we joined researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to ask hard questions—and search for better answers.

His call to action: invest in data collection, interpretation, and ownership, and ensure meaningful inclusion of the Global South in decision-making.
Stay tuned for more updates!
#AES2025 #EvidenceForDevelopment

Ambassador Macharia Kamau delivered a powerful keynote: "Research by Africa, for Africa, with partnership from the world is not an option but a necessity."