This series of three guides focuses on applying social analysis (SA) in the design, support and evaluation of agricultural and rural investment programmes, including climate change adaptation. SA is understood to generate more relevant, inclusive, pro-poor and sustainable programmes because it facilitates greater understanding of the socio-economic environment, livelihoods and people’s development challenges and priorities. The series includes a guide with a more conceptual approach for managers and team leaders, a practitioner guide which explores entry points for analysis and aspects of programme design and, finally, a practical field guide – with an extensive set of participatory tools.
SA prioritises social attitudes and perceptions, norms, behaviours and experiences, with the aim to reflect and incorporate beneficiary priorities in programme design. This approach also builds local ownership and creating common understanding among key stakeholders. The application of a social analysis perspective from the start of programme design and throughout the programme cycle ensures agricultural investments create socially inclusive, gender-equitable and sustainable development outcomes. It accounts for socio-economic and cultural dimensions in the technical, institutional and economic aspects of programme design. SA is cross-cutting and should be used across design activities, not only applied by a social scientist;
The manager’s guide covers:
- types of programme contexts where social analysis can provide particular value added, such as agricultural service provision, rural finance, or emergencies;
- benefits and improvements in design gained from using social analysis (e.g. greater programme relevance, inclusion, empowerment, effective targeting);
- a compendium of how major international development agencies use social analysis, with examples such as social safeguards, and an overview of how social analysis can be applied to main development initiatives (e.g. SWaPs, budget reviews); and
- how to use and manage social analysis through the programme cycle from identification to evaluation.
The practitioner’s guide covers:
- key concepts and approaches including poverty, the sustainable livelihoods approach, social diversity and use of gender perspectives in rural livelihood analysis;
- the integration of social analysis into components of design (e.g. targeting, gender mainstreaming, operational structure) and entry point considerations for conducting social analysis, such as timing, processes, and types of methodological approaches and tools; and
- packaging social analysis assessments and conclusions into the programme document (e.g. logframes, budget) and tracking implementation.
The field guide reviews practical measures for integrating social analysis during fieldwork, including:
- main steps and practical insights for organising social analysis at national and decentralised levels (e.g. secondary data review, community-based fieldwork, and triangulating approaches), as well as checklists for each level of analysis and a range of different types of stakeholders; and
- a collection of participatory field tools – with detailed steps and examples.
The guides stress that inter-disciplinary and holistic approaches used in social analysis is instrumental to effective design and implementation of pro-poor policy, institutional reforms and poverty-targeted investment programmes. Integrating the social analysis perspective places human dimensions – target groups, intended beneficiaries and other affected people – at the centre of development.
