This paper is a practical knowledge product that stems from a conceptual framework developed by P&I and INASP to understand how the context at the level of government institutions affects the use of knowledge in policy. The main dimensions presented in the framework are permeated by various degrees of interconnectedness and interdependence, which are typical of complex systems. The dimensions and sub-dimensions included in the framework are repeatedly present when analyzing how research is or not incorporated into the policymaking processes and used by agents.