As an integral part of its work, the Department for International Development commissions research for a range of purposes: a. Research into the development of new technologies or products (e.g. new medicines for healthcare, new crop varieties for agriculture); b. Research to help understand what kinds of development intervention are likely to work, and in what context (e.g. the effects of increased government transparency on state accountability, or the effects of reducing trade barriers on investment and growth rates); c. Research to strengthen understanding of the diverse political, social, economic and cultural contexts in which DFID and its development partners operate (e.g. analysis of the economic opportunities available to women in specific countries, assessment of political or conflict dynamics in fragile states).