Protests in Jordan have been largely peaceful but unsuccessful in achieving real change. They have centred on improving governance, democracy and socio-economic conditions, not on overthrowing the regime. All strata of society have been involved. Findings include the following: Most of the recent protests in Jordan revolve around the socio-economic situation. Some ...» more
Helpdesk Reports
These rapid-response reports provide digests of key research findings, lessons and expert thinking on specific questions from development practitioners and policymakers. If your question is not already covered below, ask us for a report (free for staff of agencies that we have existing arrangements with).
Somali networks – structures of clan and society
This annotated bibliography focuses on issues of power, participation and governance in relation to Somali networks. The Somali majority belong to four patrilineal clan families: the Darod, Hawiye, Dir, and Rahanweyn. These are divided into sub-clans, which can be divided further, illustrating the complexity of the clan system. Minorities are comprised of three distinct social ...» more
Civic education approaches and efficacy
Key findings This report first presents findings on efficacy of Civic Education (CE), drawing on the work of Steven E. Finkel, who posits that CE must be repeated often; interactive; and given by a respected teacher. It then presents overviews of the approaches and efficacy of several programmes. A key finding is that the method used to deliver CE is important to its ...» more
Measuring the impact of PFM reforms on service delivery
Key findings At present there are no reliable, accurate tools that isolate and assess the impact of Public Financial Management (PFM) reforms on service delivery performance. This is due to the complex and indirect relationship between PFM systems and service delivery. A number of factors intervene in the relationship including local incentives and funding channelled outside of ...» more
Border insecurity in North Africa
The literature on border security in North Africa has several key themes: security and terrorism; migration; and goods trafficking. These issues are all intertwined. Migration and trafficking tend to follow the same geographical routes, which or may not also include weapons smuggling for extremist groups. In addition, radicalists’ movements across borders frequently interact ...» more
Interventions to increase levels of trust in society
Key findings It is possible to discern that interventions concerned with transforming state-society relations necessarily involve or require raising trust levels within society and/or between state-society. However, only a few of these interventions present trust-building as a central or explicit objective. In contrast, descriptions of trust deficits in fragile states abound ...» more
Livelihoods in fragile contexts
There is strong literature on both livelihoods in general and livelihoods in fragile contexts, presenting conclusions and lessons from programmes and synthesising evidence from other contexts. This review draws mainly on lessons learned in the field, rather than rigorous evidence of impact. There are few impact studies conducted on programmes in fragile environments, as ...» more
Multi-donor support mechanisms for civil society
The experience of multi-donor support mechanisms for CSOs is mixed. There are a number of potential advantages for donors engaging in pooled funding strategies, including working with donors who have a stronger presence and a track record in a particular context, and reducing transaction costs in the medium- to long- term. However, experts indicate that the difficulties of ...» more
The impact of integrated missions on humanitarian operations
Key findings Evidence remains scarce, problematic and contested. There is at least limited agreement on the following: Integration has had both negative and positive effects. Effects vary by individual actor, type of actor (UN agencies are more affected) and contexts (mission, country, point in time). Protection of civilians: Possible positive impacts: shared objectives ...» more
Participatory methods for community consultation
This annotated bibliography identifies literature about specific participatory methods and tools for community consultation. Key findings Some donors have used particular participatory methodologies to inform country level strategy – such as Participatory Poverty Assessments by the World Bank and a donor staff immersion approach by the Swiss Agency for Development and ...» more
Conflict and development in Sudan Key research institutions
There are a limited number of UK-based research institutes that include a focus on conflict and development in Sudan. Experts indicate that the Rift Valley Institute (RVI) is the main organisation involved in Sudanese research. Other research institutes that incorporate Sudan or South Sudan in their programming include: the Royal African Society; the Royal Institute of ...» more
Safe spaces for girls: six-country mapping
This review presents a broad overview of the most prominent and well-evidenced programmes providing safe spaces for girls in six selected countries. Key findings The criteria for defining a ‘safe space’ followed the Population Council’s guidance, and the following programmes all contain these elements: A physical space where adolescent girls (10-19 years old) meet regularly An ...» more
New thinking on technical assistance to resolve knowledge and capacity gaps
There is a wide and diverse literature on technical assistance, much of which refers to addressing knowledge and capacity gaps in lower- and middle-income countries. This report identifies some novel or emerging approaches which appear to move away from the traditional approaches that commonly centre on short-term filling of capacity gaps and being primarily ...» more
Child-friendly spaces for adolescent girls in emergency settings
The evidence base on this issue is small. Few programmes provide safe spaces exclusively for girls, although many child-friendly spaces run sessions by age and gender. Married girls and adolescent mothers are particularly under-served. Within emergency contexts, the provision of safe spaces tends to focus on psychosocial care and on developing social skills and social networks. ...» more
Policy responses to criminal violence in Latin America and the Caribbean
Combatting the threat posed by transnational and domestic criminal organisations has become a critical concern of governments throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Ideas of how to reduce crime and organised violence in this region vary between those who advocate for state-security led approaches and those who argue for approaches that tackle the causes of crime and the ...» more
Electoral compliance units
The term ‘electoral compliance units’ is not widely understood by electoral scholars or practitioners in the field of electoral assistance. In the absence of a more concrete definition, this report understands ‘electoral compliance units’ to mean agencies or mechanisms that investigate and prosecute election-related fraud and breaches of law. Experts indicate that, rather than ...» more
Organised violence and its impacts in Central America’s northern triangle
A range of criminal organisations operate in Central America’s northern triangle. Violence conducted by criminal organisations is one manifestation of a broader culture of violence that is endemic to many Central American societies (UNODC, 2007). At the personal and societal level: The extensive loss of life through homicide is the most obvious humanitarian outcome of violence ...» more
Humanitarian Capability Definitions and Components
There is a dearth of literature on the concept of humanitarian capability. References often use capability and capacity interchangeably. Discussions of humanitarian performance show parallels with those on capability. There are almost no holistic, systematic or comparative reviews of the notion of humanitarian capability. References tend to focus on one level of analysis or one ...» more
Aid to national human rights institutions
National human rights institutions (NHRIs) are institutions with a constitutional and/or legislative mandate to protect and promote human rights – they often take the form of human rights commissions, ombudsmen or specialised institutions that protect the rights of a particular group (UNDP-OHCHR 2010). Key findings Most NHRIs have been established over the past 20 years - and ...» more
Theories of change for cash transfers
This report gathers together examples from the literature which attempt to explain how and why change happens as a result of cash transfers (CTs). While there is a large body of literature examining social protection and cash transfers’ impacts on poverty reduction and development, there is much less on understanding the mechanisms and pathways by which this happens. The report ...» more
