Working and discussion papersOctober 2020Stephanie Buell, Megan Campbell and Jamie PettCommunity engagement training in Khulna, Bangladesh. Photo: Mohammad Mahabubur Rahman/WorldFishConstituent engagement is the two-way process of involving constituents in the design, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of programmes. Constituent engagement and adaptive management together can be a powerful combination; high-quality constituent engagement can reinforce effective adaptive management, and vice versa. By highlighting stories from leading practitioners and their organisations, this paper explores how programmes ensure that constituent engagement informs meaningful adaptation.Key messagesConstituent engagement and adaptive management are both important tools for implementing responsive and effective development programmes. Together, they can be a powerful combination: input from constituent engagement can be a key source of information and evidence that meaningfully informs programme design and adaptation, and closing the feedback loop in this way increases the quality of future engagement.Both adaptive management and community engagement principles recognise that, for a programme to be effective, it must be responsive to the people meant to ultimately benefit from it. Beyond providing a key source of information for potential programme adaptations, constituent engagement efforts also help build trust with stakeholders, align expectations and promote accountability.This paper explores five key elements for ensuring that constituent engagement and adaptive management are effectively linked within a programme: strong internal systems and external channels; skilled staff that value engagement and adaptation; decision-maker champions; clear points for reflection and action; and a meaningful role for constituents.Read the research Linking constituent engagement and adaptive management: lessons from practitionersDocumentpdfRelated Navigating adaptive approaches for development programmes: a guide for the uncertainA comparison of the most prominent adaptive approaches and their application to development programmes.Working and discussion papers22 September 2020 Lessons from Institutions for Inclusive Development in TanzaniaGender mainstreaming, local partnerships and value for money in the Institutions for Inclusive Development governance programme in Tanzania.Briefing papers2 March 2020How DFID can better manage complexity in development programmingThis briefing note explores how DFID can design and manage flexible systems to deal with complex development challenges.Briefing papers17 April 2019 LearnAdapt: innovation and adaptation in DFIDA collaboration between DFID, the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and Brink, to explore how to manage adaptive development programmes better.Projects24 April 2017See more:adaptive developmentmonitoring, evaluation and learningGlobal