Rigorous methodologies for evaluating influence in “hard to measure” activities such as advocacy, lobbying, negotiation and knowledge uptake are still not well developed. There is a body of literature focusing on measuring influence, but evaluation efforts have been characterized as merely attempts, or even missteps (Reisman et al, 2007). While there are examples of practical ...» more
Youth unemployment and livelihoods
In 2010, over 75 million young people were unemployed across the world. The global youth unemployment rate was 12.6 per cent, against a global adult unemployment rate of 4.8 per cent (UNDESA, 2012). Why are young people less likely to find a job or source of livelihood than their prime-age counterparts? There are currently a number of barriers to youth employment: Excess ...» more
Civil Society and Excluded Groups
There is a dearth of comprehensive studies that look precisely at the ‘value added’ of working through civil society to reach excluded, marginalised and vulnerable groups. This helpdesk research report thus relies on a range of more general literature on civil society and thematic and country case studies, drawing out information and findings on positive impacts from civil ...» more
Civil Society Funding Mechanisms
Two general points emerge in the literature on civil society funding mechanisms. The first is that support to civil society actors is desirable and should be continued or scaled-up. Civil society is considered to play a key role in development and the theme of ‘partnership’ is widespread in the literature. Secondly, capacity building is an essential component of all support to ...» more
