This overview paper assesses the quality and effectiveness of evaluation methods and approaches used to analyse the effects of programmes or projects on women and girls’ economic empowerment. It contains several projects from FCAS, and provides a comprehensive examination of the evidence base, to inform better design and evaluation in the future. Key findings:Evaluations that ...» more
Library
This e-library contains more than 4500 external publications on governance, social development, conflict and humanitarian issues. It includes academic and grey literature selected for its basis in good quality research and coverage of a range of perspectives. Policy-oriented summaries of each document are provided, plus links to the full text.
Malian Democracy Recovering, Military Rule Still Admired
After experiencing a twin crisis of separatist rebellion and a military coup in 2012, there were serious concerns about the future prospects of democracy in Mali. Would the short, but brutal, experience of authoritarian rule and a separatist struggle make the return to democracy possible in the short to medium term? Would the country rediscover its position as one of Africa’s ...» more
Re-thinking gender in peacebuilding
This report is based on a three-year research project on gender in peacebuilding, which involved field research in four countries (Burundi, Colombia, Nepal and Uganda), with a thematic focus on four areas of peacebuilding:access to justice (including formal, informal, traditional and transitional justice); economic recovery (especially of ex-combatants and of returnee ...» more
Analysing the politics of public services: a service characteristics approach
This analysis of service characteristics was carried out through an Overseas Development Institute (ODI) programme on the ‘politics of service delivery’, which explores how a range of political and governance factors affect the delivery of public goods and services, including incentives, behaviour and institutional features. The programme has looked at these dynamics through ...» more
Social desirability bias and reported vote preferences in African surveys
Much of what we know about voting behavior in Africa is based on data from public opinion surveys. However, there has been little investigation into whether reported voter preferences are reliable, or whether they are affected by bias, particularly that which may arise from the social undesirability of “tribalistic” voting. This study utilises a voting simulation experiment ...» more
Are Malawian Adults Turning Pink? Exploring Public Opinion on Women’s Political Leadership
This briefing paper explores the opinions of Malawian adults on women’s political leadership ability. Existing literature contends that people hold opinions in the form of “stereotypes” that have potentially negative implications for women candidates, especially when they are running for national office. Stereotypes reflect perceived rather than real traits of an individual. ...» more
The Implementation of Police Reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Analysing UN and EU Efforts
This article analyses the role of the main international actors involved in the implementation of police reform in post-conflict Bosnia and Herzegovina, notably that of the UN and the EU. Despite considerable efforts and resources deployed over 17 years, the implementation of police reform remains an ‘unfinished business’ that demonstrates the slow pace of implementing rule of ...» more
When Does Service Delivery Improve the Legitimacy of a Fragile or Conflict-Affected State?
Understanding the key sources of legitimacy available to a state, and whether and how external aid interventions might seek to influence them, is a rapidly growing area of concern for development agencies. Received wisdom holds that providing vital public services – like health, education, water and sanitation – is likely to enhance state legitimacy, especially in fragile or ...» more
What Does it Take to Mainstream Disaster Risk Management in Key Sectors?
Actions towards development must be compatible with a changing climate. This requires each country to have a plan to avoid the losses and damages associated with extreme weather and to make disaster resilience central to economic and social policies. This guide draws on the experience of CDKN’s programmes on climate-related disaster risk management (DRM) within the context of ...» more
Contribution to change – An approach to evaluating the role of intervention in disaster recovery
This guide presents an evaluation framework that assesses the contribution to recovery associated with post-disaster interventions. It is a method focused on assessing positive and negative changes to the lives of affected people and other local stakeholders, in the medium term following a disaster event. The output of the approach is a report that presents detailed findings, ...» more
Thematic Review on Gender and Peacebuilding
This review aims to identify emerging good practices in implementing gender-responsive peacebuilding. The report outlines the conceptual tensions and gap between commitments and action that are affecting progress in this field. Additionally, it reviews findings in terms of the funding, programmatic and reporting progress of the UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) in integrating gender. ...» more
Transnational Transitional Justice and Reconciliation: The Participation of Conflict-generated Diasporas in Addressing the Legacies of Mass Violence
Diaspora communities often develop as a consequence of forced migration. The term ‘conflict-generated diaspora’ has been used to refer to those who fled as refugees. There has been limited consideration of the involvement of conflict-generated diasporas in transitional justice and reconciliation processes that seek to address the legacies of conflict. This article aims to ...» more
When it pays to be a ‘fragile state’: Uganda’s use and abuse of a dubious concept
This article shows that aid-dependent states can access donor resources for regime maintenance purposes by using (and challenging) internationally devised narratives on issues such as state fragility. Examining the case of Uganda, it finds that the Museveni regime has used 'image management' strategies and the concept of state fragility to secure sustained international support ...» more
Achieving Reforms in Oligarchical Democracies: The Role of Leadership and Coalitions in the Philippines
This paper examines the role of developmental leadership in two major reforms introduced in the Philippines in 2012: the passage into law of excise tax reform which significantly raised taxes on cigarettes and alcohol, and the re-registration of voters in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). These reforms have a) strengthened government finances and healthcare; and ...» more
Mapping Conflict Trends in Pakistan
Over the past decade, Pakistan has experienced a significant rise in violence in terms of frequency, scope, and magnitude. The origins and intensity of violence vary regionally and involve both longstanding conflict actors and new groups. This report maps recent conflict trends in Pakistan and explores the trajectory of violence in the provinces—namely, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber ...» more
Preventing and responding to gender-based violence in humanitarian crises
In recent years, international concern over gender-based violence (GBV) in emergencies has grown exponentially. However, while international attention to GBV has increased substantially, there remains a lack of data on and understanding of good practice in relation to GBV programming in humanitarian contexts, and a lack of consensus on how to apply GBV concepts and terminology. ...» more
Public Accounts Committees in Eastern and Southern Africa: A Comparative Analysis
This article provides the first and most comprehensive analysis of Public Accounts Committees (PACs) from Eastern and Southern Africa. By analysing an original set of data, this article shows that PACs in these two regions are bigger, have more staff members, and are more likely to be chaired by opposition Members of Parliament than they have in other countries and regions. ...» more
Rural road (re)construction: Transport and rural livelihoods in the conflict-affected and fragile state environment of South Kivu
This paper reports on a study in South Kivu Province in the DRC, which is part of the Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium (SLRC) research programme. The programme in the DRC includes two surveys in years 2012 and 2015. The surveys explore people’s views about the legitimacy of the state and how these are influenced by livelihoods status, access to social services and ...» more
Sexuality and Poverty Synthesis Report
This report synthesises learning from audits which were undertaken in Philippines, China, Brazil, India and South Africa. It is part of a larger project that focuses on understanding the links between sexuality, gender plurality and poverty with the aim of improving socioeconomic policy and programming to support people marginalised because of their sexuality. The project was ...» more
Civilian Resistance to Rebel Governance
How can unarmed civilians defy armed insurgent or paramilitary groups that attempt to rule them? All rulers awaken opposition and rebel rulers are not the exception: civilians disagree with, disobey, and even openly confront armed combatants who rule their communities. Yet, academic research has largely ignored different forms of civilian resistance against armed groups, ...» more
