The MacArthur Foundation commissioned Itad to conduct an evaluation of the Foundation's Human... more The MacArthur Foundation commissioned Itad to conduct an evaluation of the Foundation's Human Rights and International Justice (HRIJ) grant?making program in Nigeria between 2000 and 2012. During this period, the Foundation supported 102 HRIJ projects with an end?date in 2000 or later, for a total grant amount of US$23,945,010. The projects broadly fell within the following thematic categories:- Accountability of democratic institutions, including the police- Justice: legal and judicial reform, including international justice standards - Protection and promotion of human rightsThe evaluation was commissioned to seek answers to the following questions: - Approach and strategy: o What has changed in the wider Nigerian HRIJ landscape in Nigeria since 2000? o What was the Foundation's HRIJ grantmaking strategy in Nigeria over this time? o How has the Foundation responded to change in the wider environment? o How has the implementation of grants contributed to strategic aims? - I...
If a DFID 'region' composed of a number of small country programmes is to be more than an adminis... more If a DFID 'region' composed of a number of small country programmes is to be more than an administrative unit then the synergies, diversity and socioeconomic links need to be more effectively taken into account not only in developing regional plans and strategies but also in the management of the programme.
DFID has a rolling programme of Country Programme Evaluations (CPEs) with 5 or 6 evaluations of c... more DFID has a rolling programme of Country Programme Evaluations (CPEs) with 5 or 6 evaluations of countries or regions per year. A synthesis report pulling together findings from 5 recent CPEs is also produced annually. CPEs are challenging evaluations attempting to provide an overview of the entire DFID programme over a 5 year time frame and evaluate whether DFID made appropriate strategic choices in the given context and delivered effectively. CPEs are ideally undertaken in the year prior to development of a new Country Assistance Plan, as they are designed to meet DFID's needs for lessons that can inform future strategy and programming, as well as accountability for funds spent at country level. CPEs are intended for a wide audience including DFID's country office staff and partners, senior DFID managers in the relevant regional divisions and members of the public/other stakeholders. Each CPE is managed by DFID's Evaluation Department and carried out by 46 independent ...
This evaluation of DFID's programme in China was undertaken by an independent team from the ITAD ... more This evaluation of DFID's programme in China was undertaken by an independent team from the ITAD Ltd consortium, commissioned by DFID's Evaluation Department. The team was led by Julian Barr and consisted of three international consultants: Jing Gu, James Keeley and Johanna Pennarz as well as two Chinese consultants: Yan Guo and Liu Yonggong. The team was supported by two further Chinese consultants-Deng Weijie and Wu Jing-who undertook interviews in Chengdu and Kunming respectively. The evaluation team would like to thank Adrian Davis and the whole DFID China team for their support, cooperation and hospitality throughout. Particular appreciation goes to Donald Couper, Gao Ping, Zhang Ruo, and Zhang Jianqing for assistance with logistics and documentation in Beijing. Research assistance at ITAD was provided by Daisy MacDonald, quality assurance by Hilary Thornton and proof reading by Louise Daniel. The evaluation was managed by Iain Murray in DFID's Evaluation Department, and Mark Herbert and Carol Travers gave excellent support in providing file and archive documents for the evaluation. The evaluation team would like to thank all those respondents interviewed in London and Beijing during the evaluation for giving freely of their time and sharing their experiences and opinions openly and candidly. However, other than the response to the report by DFID's Evaluation Department, full responsibility for the text of this report rests with the authors. In common with all evaluation reports commissioned by the department, the views contained in this report do not necessarily represent those of DFID nor any of the individuals or agencies consulted.
This evaluation of DFID's programme in China was undertaken by an independent team from the ITAD ... more This evaluation of DFID's programme in China was undertaken by an independent team from the ITAD Ltd consortium, commissioned by DFID's Evaluation Department. The team was led by Julian Barr and consisted of three international consultants: Jing Gu, James Keeley and Johanna Pennarz as well as two Chinese consultants: Yan Guo and Liu Yonggong. The team was supported by two further Chinese consultants-Deng Weijie and Wu Jing-who undertook interviews in Chengdu and Kunming respectively. The evaluation team would like to thank Adrian Davis and the whole DFID China team for their support, cooperation and hospitality throughout. Particular appreciation goes to Donald Couper, Gao Ping, Zhang Ruo, and Zhang Jianqing for assistance with logistics and documentation in Beijing. Research assistance at ITAD was provided by Daisy MacDonald, quality assurance by Hilary Thornton and proof reading by Louise Daniel. The evaluation was managed by Iain Murray in DFID's Evaluation Department, and Mark Herbert and Carol Travers gave excellent support in providing file and archive documents for the evaluation. The evaluation team would like to thank all those respondents interviewed in London and Beijing during the evaluation for giving freely of their time and sharing their experiences and opinions openly and candidly. However, other than the response to the report by DFID's Evaluation Department, full responsibility for the text of this report rests with the authors. In common with all evaluation reports commissioned by the department, the views contained in this report do not necessarily represent those of DFID nor any of the individuals or agencies consulted.
The paper draws on recent developments in participatory research to design and test an approach t... more The paper draws on recent developments in participatory research to design and test an approach to planning farmer participatory research, which explicitly involves a range of institutional actors in the process. Their different perspectives contribute to a shared understanding of the needs, wishes and abilities of different institutions and members of rural communities to contribute to the research process. The methodology has emerged from experience in a range of countries. It was explored during a project planning workshop in India and further insights are provided from work in Bangladesh and Bolivia. This experience suggests that the method may be particularly useful in participatory research planning, where a range of different institutions are involved and where partnerships are being built between non-government, government and/or academic organisations. The method provides tools and a process for effectively demonstrating differences in the expectations and contributions of ...
The recent interest in consensus building for improved natural resource management has its origin... more The recent interest in consensus building for improved natural resource management has its origins in several related fields of theory and experience. Concerns that centralised states (whether ‘democracies’ or command economies) seemed ineffective in dealing with local and global environmental issues lead to a new emphasis on decentralisation and subsidiarity. Since the mid-1980’s this has resulted in the growing interest in citizen or “non-expert” groups and their potential role in new modes of environmental governance (e.g. Local Agenda 21 after Rio 1992). In the development context, consensus building resonates with the demand for resilient co-management partnerships, collaboratively designed through wide participation and emphasising inclusion and equity. The belief is that new institutions are likely to be sustainable if the interests of all stakeholders are accommodated. The sustainable livelihoods approach can provide a benchmark for the design of processes and management pla...
The paper draws on recent developments in participatory research to design and test an approach t... more The paper draws on recent developments in participatory research to design and test an approach to planning farmer participatory research, which explicitly involves a range of institutional actors in the process. Their different perspectives contribute to a shared understanding of the needs, wishes and abilities of different institutions and members of rural communities to contribute to the research process. The methodology has emerged from experience in a range of countries. It was explored during a project planning workshop in India and further insights are provided from work in Bangladesh and Bolivia. This experience suggests that the method may be particularly useful in participatory research planning, where a range of different institutions are involved and where partnerships are being built between non-government, government and/or academic organisations. The method provides tools and a process for effectively demonstrating differences in the expectations and contributions of ...
Floodplain agriculture in Bangladesh is characterised by smallholders operating marginal parcels.... more Floodplain agriculture in Bangladesh is characterised by smallholders operating marginal parcels. Early flood arrival may damage the standing winter rice crop. Using data from a micro area, we investigate: (a) patterns of damage caused by one and two week early floods, (b) whether poorer households stand more exposed to such risks, and (c) opportunities for risk reduction. The methodology employs GIS methods combined with simple water-yield damage parameters. Results indicate that lower elevation plots are inundated by floods arriving even a week or two early, and significant crop loss may result. The factors causing late harvesting, leading to early flood risk exposure, are (i) preceding winter rice with mustard, and (ii) using older, long duration, varieties. Planting mustard (to finance inputs for the following rice crop) delays planting of winter rice sufficiently to expose it to flood damage risk. Poorer classes are found to operate disproportionately large amounts of lower ele...
Floodplain agriculture in Bangladesh is characterized by smallholders operating marginal parcels ... more Floodplain agriculture in Bangladesh is characterized by smallholders operating marginal parcels of land, with heavy reliance on the winter rice crop. When the annual floods, which normally begin in early or mid-June, arrive even a week or two early, they may submerge the standing rice crop prior to harvest, often causing considerable damage. Where overbank flooding from main river channels is the principal source of early flood risk, as in the case with flash floods in the northeast, structural means of flood control such as submersible embankments may be effectively employed. In northcentral Bangladesh, however, much of the early flooding is from local rainfall impoundment, and therefore structural methods are less helpful. Using biophysical and socioeconomic data collected in north-central Bangladesh, we investigated (1) the extent and patterns of damage caused by 1- and 2-wk early floods and (2) what readily available (nonstructural) opportunities existed to reduce such risk.
PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE PROJECTS Introduction Definition Background Justific... more PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE PROJECTS Introduction Definition Background Justification Methodology PART 2: DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT OF INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE PROJECTS Design and management of projects Project design considerations The indigenous knowledge cube V a decision framework The cube axes Eight indigenous knowledge project scenarios Project and team management PART 3: TOOL BOX OF METHODS FOR INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE PROJECTS Participant observation Interviewing/discussion Wealth ranking/well-being or vulnerability ranking/social mapping Mapping Venn diagramming/institution analysis Farm walk Transect Seasonal calendar/pattern chart Taxonomies Webbing Flow chart/process diagram Historical comparison/time lines Group discussion/focus groups Participating technology analysis Strengths and weaknesses Sorting and ranking Matrix Five questions Problem/option census Brainstorming Assessment workshops/envisioning Data analysis tools Other tools PART 4: FURTHER SOURCES AND REF...
The MacArthur Foundation commissioned Itad to conduct an evaluation of the Foundation's Human... more The MacArthur Foundation commissioned Itad to conduct an evaluation of the Foundation's Human Rights and International Justice (HRIJ) grant?making program in Nigeria between 2000 and 2012. During this period, the Foundation supported 102 HRIJ projects with an end?date in 2000 or later, for a total grant amount of US$23,945,010. The projects broadly fell within the following thematic categories:- Accountability of democratic institutions, including the police- Justice: legal and judicial reform, including international justice standards - Protection and promotion of human rightsThe evaluation was commissioned to seek answers to the following questions: - Approach and strategy: o What has changed in the wider Nigerian HRIJ landscape in Nigeria since 2000? o What was the Foundation's HRIJ grantmaking strategy in Nigeria over this time? o How has the Foundation responded to change in the wider environment? o How has the implementation of grants contributed to strategic aims? - I...
If a DFID 'region' composed of a number of small country programmes is to be more than an adminis... more If a DFID 'region' composed of a number of small country programmes is to be more than an administrative unit then the synergies, diversity and socioeconomic links need to be more effectively taken into account not only in developing regional plans and strategies but also in the management of the programme.
DFID has a rolling programme of Country Programme Evaluations (CPEs) with 5 or 6 evaluations of c... more DFID has a rolling programme of Country Programme Evaluations (CPEs) with 5 or 6 evaluations of countries or regions per year. A synthesis report pulling together findings from 5 recent CPEs is also produced annually. CPEs are challenging evaluations attempting to provide an overview of the entire DFID programme over a 5 year time frame and evaluate whether DFID made appropriate strategic choices in the given context and delivered effectively. CPEs are ideally undertaken in the year prior to development of a new Country Assistance Plan, as they are designed to meet DFID's needs for lessons that can inform future strategy and programming, as well as accountability for funds spent at country level. CPEs are intended for a wide audience including DFID's country office staff and partners, senior DFID managers in the relevant regional divisions and members of the public/other stakeholders. Each CPE is managed by DFID's Evaluation Department and carried out by 46 independent ...
This evaluation of DFID's programme in China was undertaken by an independent team from the ITAD ... more This evaluation of DFID's programme in China was undertaken by an independent team from the ITAD Ltd consortium, commissioned by DFID's Evaluation Department. The team was led by Julian Barr and consisted of three international consultants: Jing Gu, James Keeley and Johanna Pennarz as well as two Chinese consultants: Yan Guo and Liu Yonggong. The team was supported by two further Chinese consultants-Deng Weijie and Wu Jing-who undertook interviews in Chengdu and Kunming respectively. The evaluation team would like to thank Adrian Davis and the whole DFID China team for their support, cooperation and hospitality throughout. Particular appreciation goes to Donald Couper, Gao Ping, Zhang Ruo, and Zhang Jianqing for assistance with logistics and documentation in Beijing. Research assistance at ITAD was provided by Daisy MacDonald, quality assurance by Hilary Thornton and proof reading by Louise Daniel. The evaluation was managed by Iain Murray in DFID's Evaluation Department, and Mark Herbert and Carol Travers gave excellent support in providing file and archive documents for the evaluation. The evaluation team would like to thank all those respondents interviewed in London and Beijing during the evaluation for giving freely of their time and sharing their experiences and opinions openly and candidly. However, other than the response to the report by DFID's Evaluation Department, full responsibility for the text of this report rests with the authors. In common with all evaluation reports commissioned by the department, the views contained in this report do not necessarily represent those of DFID nor any of the individuals or agencies consulted.
This evaluation of DFID's programme in China was undertaken by an independent team from the ITAD ... more This evaluation of DFID's programme in China was undertaken by an independent team from the ITAD Ltd consortium, commissioned by DFID's Evaluation Department. The team was led by Julian Barr and consisted of three international consultants: Jing Gu, James Keeley and Johanna Pennarz as well as two Chinese consultants: Yan Guo and Liu Yonggong. The team was supported by two further Chinese consultants-Deng Weijie and Wu Jing-who undertook interviews in Chengdu and Kunming respectively. The evaluation team would like to thank Adrian Davis and the whole DFID China team for their support, cooperation and hospitality throughout. Particular appreciation goes to Donald Couper, Gao Ping, Zhang Ruo, and Zhang Jianqing for assistance with logistics and documentation in Beijing. Research assistance at ITAD was provided by Daisy MacDonald, quality assurance by Hilary Thornton and proof reading by Louise Daniel. The evaluation was managed by Iain Murray in DFID's Evaluation Department, and Mark Herbert and Carol Travers gave excellent support in providing file and archive documents for the evaluation. The evaluation team would like to thank all those respondents interviewed in London and Beijing during the evaluation for giving freely of their time and sharing their experiences and opinions openly and candidly. However, other than the response to the report by DFID's Evaluation Department, full responsibility for the text of this report rests with the authors. In common with all evaluation reports commissioned by the department, the views contained in this report do not necessarily represent those of DFID nor any of the individuals or agencies consulted.
The paper draws on recent developments in participatory research to design and test an approach t... more The paper draws on recent developments in participatory research to design and test an approach to planning farmer participatory research, which explicitly involves a range of institutional actors in the process. Their different perspectives contribute to a shared understanding of the needs, wishes and abilities of different institutions and members of rural communities to contribute to the research process. The methodology has emerged from experience in a range of countries. It was explored during a project planning workshop in India and further insights are provided from work in Bangladesh and Bolivia. This experience suggests that the method may be particularly useful in participatory research planning, where a range of different institutions are involved and where partnerships are being built between non-government, government and/or academic organisations. The method provides tools and a process for effectively demonstrating differences in the expectations and contributions of ...
The recent interest in consensus building for improved natural resource management has its origin... more The recent interest in consensus building for improved natural resource management has its origins in several related fields of theory and experience. Concerns that centralised states (whether ‘democracies’ or command economies) seemed ineffective in dealing with local and global environmental issues lead to a new emphasis on decentralisation and subsidiarity. Since the mid-1980’s this has resulted in the growing interest in citizen or “non-expert” groups and their potential role in new modes of environmental governance (e.g. Local Agenda 21 after Rio 1992). In the development context, consensus building resonates with the demand for resilient co-management partnerships, collaboratively designed through wide participation and emphasising inclusion and equity. The belief is that new institutions are likely to be sustainable if the interests of all stakeholders are accommodated. The sustainable livelihoods approach can provide a benchmark for the design of processes and management pla...
The paper draws on recent developments in participatory research to design and test an approach t... more The paper draws on recent developments in participatory research to design and test an approach to planning farmer participatory research, which explicitly involves a range of institutional actors in the process. Their different perspectives contribute to a shared understanding of the needs, wishes and abilities of different institutions and members of rural communities to contribute to the research process. The methodology has emerged from experience in a range of countries. It was explored during a project planning workshop in India and further insights are provided from work in Bangladesh and Bolivia. This experience suggests that the method may be particularly useful in participatory research planning, where a range of different institutions are involved and where partnerships are being built between non-government, government and/or academic organisations. The method provides tools and a process for effectively demonstrating differences in the expectations and contributions of ...
Floodplain agriculture in Bangladesh is characterised by smallholders operating marginal parcels.... more Floodplain agriculture in Bangladesh is characterised by smallholders operating marginal parcels. Early flood arrival may damage the standing winter rice crop. Using data from a micro area, we investigate: (a) patterns of damage caused by one and two week early floods, (b) whether poorer households stand more exposed to such risks, and (c) opportunities for risk reduction. The methodology employs GIS methods combined with simple water-yield damage parameters. Results indicate that lower elevation plots are inundated by floods arriving even a week or two early, and significant crop loss may result. The factors causing late harvesting, leading to early flood risk exposure, are (i) preceding winter rice with mustard, and (ii) using older, long duration, varieties. Planting mustard (to finance inputs for the following rice crop) delays planting of winter rice sufficiently to expose it to flood damage risk. Poorer classes are found to operate disproportionately large amounts of lower ele...
Floodplain agriculture in Bangladesh is characterized by smallholders operating marginal parcels ... more Floodplain agriculture in Bangladesh is characterized by smallholders operating marginal parcels of land, with heavy reliance on the winter rice crop. When the annual floods, which normally begin in early or mid-June, arrive even a week or two early, they may submerge the standing rice crop prior to harvest, often causing considerable damage. Where overbank flooding from main river channels is the principal source of early flood risk, as in the case with flash floods in the northeast, structural means of flood control such as submersible embankments may be effectively employed. In northcentral Bangladesh, however, much of the early flooding is from local rainfall impoundment, and therefore structural methods are less helpful. Using biophysical and socioeconomic data collected in north-central Bangladesh, we investigated (1) the extent and patterns of damage caused by 1- and 2-wk early floods and (2) what readily available (nonstructural) opportunities existed to reduce such risk.
PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE PROJECTS Introduction Definition Background Justific... more PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE PROJECTS Introduction Definition Background Justification Methodology PART 2: DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT OF INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE PROJECTS Design and management of projects Project design considerations The indigenous knowledge cube V a decision framework The cube axes Eight indigenous knowledge project scenarios Project and team management PART 3: TOOL BOX OF METHODS FOR INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE PROJECTS Participant observation Interviewing/discussion Wealth ranking/well-being or vulnerability ranking/social mapping Mapping Venn diagramming/institution analysis Farm walk Transect Seasonal calendar/pattern chart Taxonomies Webbing Flow chart/process diagram Historical comparison/time lines Group discussion/focus groups Participating technology analysis Strengths and weaknesses Sorting and ranking Matrix Five questions Problem/option census Brainstorming Assessment workshops/envisioning Data analysis tools Other tools PART 4: FURTHER SOURCES AND REF...
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