Identifying the impact of violence arising from radicalisation processes and extremism upon poverty and development outcomes is difficult due to the lack of literature which deals with the subject matter specifically. The discussion concerning radicalisation and extremist violence tends to focus on the following areas: 1) Islamic extremism and religious fundamentalism; 2) ...» more
Social Development
Child Marriage
This short report summarises some of the main evidence presented in recent literature about the prevalence, trends and impact of child marriage (defined by UNICEF as customary or statutory union where one or both of the partners is under the age of 18). It is based on a 2-day survey of prominent (widely-cited) literature published by credible institutions. It does not ...» more
Assessing the evidence of the impact of governance on development outcomes and poverty reduction
This paper synthesises academic and donor research on the impact of governance work on poverty reduction and development outcomes. There is a large body of work on the critical importance of good governance in developing countries which argues that good governance has both intrinsic and instrumental developmental value. The introduction charts the historical emergence of ‘the ...» more
Conceptualising Inequality
Intra-country inequality, part of the wider concern with inequality between countries or global regions, can be understood in three broad and interlinking ways: Economic inequality, which is what much of the existing conceptualisation of inequality discusses and is indeed the origin of international development concerns with inequality of income, consumption and distribution ...» more
Donor Activities Supporting Women in Elected Political Spaces
Donors mainly engage in the following types of activities to promote women‘s participation in electoral politics:Training women already in or aspiring towards leadership rolesStrengthening the capacity of women‘s groups to monitor government commitments on gender equality and women’s empowermentUsing the media to disseminate information and change attitudesSupporting networks ...» more
Violence Against Women Interventions
There are few rigorous evaluations of interventions and approaches to prevent or respond to violence against women (VAW) – and even less that engage in a comparative analysis. There are, however, a number of evaluations that focus on individual projects in specific countries. Some general findings on effectiveness and best practice in addressing violence against women can be ...» more
Gender and Growth in China
The first half of this helpdesk research report provides case studies examining the links between economic growth and gender equality in China. Most resources focus on the economic reforms associated with WTO accession and examine their gendered impacts. They all find that China’s impressive economic growth has failed to benefit men and women proportionately. Several authors ...» more
Gender and Elections in Afghanistan
Press coverage around the recent presidential elections in Afghanistan emphasised the low turnout of women voters, highlighting the shortage of female staff at polling stations, proxy voting by male family members, and the threat of retributive violence against women voters and candidates as key factors. However, the academic literature is largely silent on these issues, both ...» more
Urbanisation and Urban Poverty in Bangladesh
Access to housing and security of tenure is a key issue for the urban poor of Bangladesh. Often they are forced to settle in informal settlements on marginal lands where they fall prey to mastaans, or middle men, who charge extortionate rents for land and services and often use coercive methods. These settlements often have little or no access to basic services such as water ...» more
The impact of the financial crisis on conflict and state fragility in sub-saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa was largely insulated from the initial stages of the financial crisis as the majority of the countries in the region are de-linked from the international financial markets. However, with the worsening of the global financial and economic crisis, the region as a whole has now been exposed to the downturn, and growth estimates have been continually lowered from ...» more
Governance in Malawi
Malawi is a young democracy, having transitioned to multi-party democracy only in 1994. It remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with 80-85% of the population living in rural areas and deriving their livelihoods from agriculture. Environmental degradation and HIV/AIDS are serious challenges to the country, and are having dire social and economic effects. In ...» more
Climate Change Adaptation Training
A great deal of research is beginning to emerge around climate change adaptation in developing countries. As yet, however there appears to be limited capacity to provide adaptation training, especially with a focus on social impacts and planning. Much of the training which does exist takes a technical approach or relates to specific sectors (agriculture, water etc.). This query ...» more
Gender Equality in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
There are many issues around gender equality in the Occupied Palestinian Territories: poverty and strongly gendered social roles have increased the burden of women’s household responsibilities; after the deaths or imprisonment of their male relatives, women have been obliged to take on additional roles as heads of households; women’s rates of participation in politics and in ...» more
Gender Issues in Afghanistan – Violence against Women and Voice
Gender-based violence and the inadequate representation of women in civic and political life continue to be key problems in Afghanistan. This helpdesk research report explores initiatives aimed at countering gender-based violence and empowering women’s voices. Information on the role of the legal system in Afghanistan - particularly sharia and customary law, is also ...» more
Conflict and Sexual and Domestic Violence against Women
The literature on sexual violence in armed conflict indicates that rape and violence against women and girls prior to, during and after conflict seem to be extensive in scope and magnitude throughout the world – with reported incidents in conflicts in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The forms of sexual violence most commonly documented are:sexual ...» more
Aid Interventions on Gender and Conflict
Many experts point out that the impact of aid interventions on gender, especially in post-conflict settings, is rarely measured. Most of the literature on aid programmes that is available often takes a more critical perspective, with a view to suggesting what could have been done better. As a result, there is relatively more information on the strategies which are considered ...» more
The Impact of Conflict on Women’s Voice and Participation
Although conflict can reduce the voice of less powerful groups (including women), there are also opportunities for these groups to contest well-established social structures and divisions, and for new, non-traditional leaders to emerge. Women assume varied roles during armed conflict, as victims, but also as perpetrators, as well as peace activists. There are sub-groups of ...» more
The Impact of Conflict on Women’s Education, Employment and Health Care
The extent to which conflict restricts women’s freedom of movement depends on a number of factors including the stage of conflict, whether the women are displaced, whether they are directly or indirectly affected by the conflict, and the cultural norms of the conflict-affected area. Forced displacement, for example, may in some cases lead to greater mobility, where women assume ...» more
The Humanitarian Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on the Asia Pacific Region
Preliminary estimates by the ILO indicate that in 2009 unemployment in Asia-Pacific could increase by between 7 and 23 million workers. The countries experiencing the greatest impact will be those with slowing economies and rapid labour force growth, such as Cambodia, Pakistan and the Philippines. Emerging economies whose growth depends heavily on exports to the United States ...» more
French Financial Crisis (2008-2009)
There is very little academic literature available about the current economic crisis and its social impacts in France. This report includes some relevant articles from the news media. More literature is available relating to the unrest seen in 2005, and as some of that material may be relevant to the current situation a small selection has been included.Unemployment and ...» more
