The purpose of the IMPACT (Innovative Materials for Population Action) project was
to facilitate the communication of relevant research findings on population and family
planning to policymakers in less developed countries (LDCs). The rationale for the project
was rooted in the recognition that most research relevant to population policy in LDCs was
communicated to the developed world's professional community through presentations at
meetings and articles in scholarly journals. Consequently, little information that could be
used in policymaking was getting through to LDC policymakers. What information did get
through was often unevenly distributed, technical in tone, and of a length and design that
discouraged reading by the very audiences who could use the information.