When are networks the right response to a development challenge (as opposed to a monumental talking shop and more hot air than action)? Andrew Wells-Dang, Stéphanie de Chassy, Benoit Trudel, Jan Bouwman and Jacky Repila set out some ideas. orking with and as a part of networks is an inescapable part of today’s interconnected world – and increasingly of Oxfam’s …
Walking the talk with Participatory Impact Assessment Learning Approach (PIALA) in Myanmar
Adinda Van Hemelrijck reflects on how we adapted PIALA for an impact evaluation in Myanmar. n 2015, Oxfam commissioned an impact evaluation of its resilient livelihoods project in the Dry Zone in Myanmar (part of the Effectiveness Review series). This project worked to develop a village-level mechanism – called Membership Organisation (MO) – that could facilitate broad citizen participation in local …
Extreme inequality and the push for an alternative future
Deborah Hardoon introduces our new report, ‘An Economy for the 99%‘ and argues that extreme inequality and a crisis in economics have created the appetite for an alternative vision for the future. erd Alert. As a student of economics, I always found the technical aspects of the subject deeply satisfying. Getting to the ‘right’ answer using algebra and statistics, solving …
Measuring time: Comparing questionnaire designs
Simone Lombardini compares duration, estimates and enumerator’s bias from two different time-use survey modules from the same impact evaluation survey in Indonesia. npaid care work and ‘ Time Poverty‘ are increasingly recognised as relevant to development efforts, and interest in measuring time-use data is growing. However, gathering information on time use is not easy; time-use modules are known for being …
Research-into-Use for climate change adaptation
Sue Moore explains the use of Research-into-Use and explores what this means for researchers, practitioners and ultimately, those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. ‘We want water, not research!’ exclaimed a woman attending a stakeholder engagement workshop in Southern Afar, Ethiopia in February 2016. Why indeed focus on research, when the immediate needs of much of the population …
An Economy for the 99%
Deborah Hardoon, Deputy Head of Research, introduces our new report ‘An Economy for the 99%’, revealing that just 8 billionaires own the same amount of wealth as the poorest 3.6 billion people. In this extended version of her Vlog, she outlines how Oxfam compiled this shocking statistic, how the data was researched and explains why Oxfam studies wealth.
Priorities for women’s economic empowerment in 2017
Claudia Canepa and Caroline Green reflect back on our Her Series blog, which highlighted opinions, research and learning on women’s economic empowerment. Here they outline the key lessons from the series. his year has marked an important time for the political agenda on women’s economic empowerment, with the launch of a special UN High Level Panel back in January 2016. The …
This is not bad luck it is sexist violence
Damaris Ruiz, Coordinator of Women’s Rights for Latin America and the Caribbean, looks at the social acceptance of violence against women and what we can do to end it. “What bad luck I had with that man”. That’s what a teenage friend told me 25 years ago and I still think about this phrase with the same frustration. My friend …
Capitalising on research and translating it into action
Nina Gora, Gender lead at Oxfam in Greece, shares approaches for meaningful research dissemination that helps to reduce duplication and leads to collective action. he majority of humanitarian and development proposals and subsequent programmes contain a research or assessment component. Whether intended to better understand the context, the communities with which we work or the approaches we have tried, or …
Editors’ choice: A look back at 2016
2016 has been a challenging year for both long-term development and humanitarian work, and yet another busy year for Oxfam. The Policy & Practice blog has covered some of the most diverse and varied content yet. Here are some of the teams’ favourite posts, covering topics from inequality to women’s rights. January: Our stats struck a nerve, now let’s hit back …