"issue effort" it is polemical. I don't see the DFID stuff in that way but rather as a comparative inquiry with policy implications for US practitioners. Of course, the authors advocate a point of view, but so does most policy oriented research. I also don't see this as terribly sophisticated analysis but still well within the legitimate rubric for an academic institution with policy pretensions - in the most positive sense, of course.

Cheers

JohnT