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Effective Social Protection in Conflict: Findings from Sudan
No full textThis paper explores the conflict sensitivity of social protection in Sudan in its various forms since the present war started in April 2023, from locally led mutual aid to the social assistance programming of international agencies. It considers how these various interventions are both responding to, and being changed by, the conflict and associated humanitarian crisis, as well as how they interrelate. Provision of social assistance leans heavily on humanitarian actors for now, and lessons from their practice may inform and enrich a future state-led social protection system when this is rebuilt. Conflict sensitivity principles can be introduced through a number of entry points, then woven through the project cycle and the social protection delivery chain; they include systems of analysis, monitoring, and accountability to affected people, as well as capacity for adaptive management. Donors can reinforce this through their partnership, financing, and risk management strategies. Above all, external actors should recognise the fundamental importance of community-led crisis response and deepen their understanding of how it functions, and of the concerns and priorities of those involved
Innovations and Challenges in Crisis Contexts: Bangladesh’s Social Protection Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic
No full textMany countries around the world introduced new social protection measures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. In Bangladesh, innovations included emergency schemes such as cash support for informal workers and digital methods of delivery. However, for many people, the government safety net packages were unavailable to them, or they were ashamed to make a claim, or it was not enough to meet their basic needs. This Covid-19 Learning, Evidence and Research Programme (CLEAR) Synthesis Paper explores three emerging themes: (1) targeting and access to social protection, (2) legitimacy and accountability, and (3) the role of stress, stigma, and social norms. It then discusses these themes in relation to global debates about social protection and identifies key areas for further research to improve future social protection targeting and delivery in Bangladesh
Disrupting Anxious Masculinity: Fraternity as Resistance
No full textWithin the experience of our work in India, context and positionality determine what we perceive as backlash against gender justice. An important underlying cause of backlash today is the widespread crisis of masculinities, where subaltern masculinities are evolving differently in response to the aggressive nationalist Hindutva masculinity. Gender and development strategies have failed to recognise or address this. This article analyses grounded examples from our action research towards generating new knowledge on how two collectives are negotiating backlash. These include the community-based transgender organisation Kolkata Rista and Humqadam, a platform comprising male activists in Uttar Pradesh working with men on gender equality. Applying the framework of ontological insecurity, this article explores ways for discovering common ground in situations where polarisation destroys the space for debate and discussion. Reflecting on the political practice of fraternity, the article examines how social movements can shift strategies when faced with exclusionary discourses
Empowered Worldviews: Assessing the Persistence of Psychosocial Intervention Effects in Zambia
No full textEvidence on the persistence of psychosocial outcomes of interventions over the medium and long term, and in the face of shocks and stressors, is limited. We examined the extent to which empowerment associated with a psychosocial, faith-based approach, Empowered Worldview (EWV) persisted 3–5 years post-delivery of the intervention in Zambia among smallholder farmers. The EWV intervention in Zambia was delivered as part of THRIVE, an integrated livelihoods programme. We followed a previous study to disaggregate individual-level empowerment associated with EWV into three domains: internal (which relates to ‘power within’), localised (typically participation and access), and structural (e.g. institutional, environmental, and social structures).
To explore the persistence of EWV effects on empowerment, we used mixed methods and longitudinal data collected in 2020 and 2023, which were the midline and endline points of the THRIVE programme. Empirically, we used descriptive and regression analysis to compare internal and localised empowerment levels between the survey rounds (2020 and 2023) across study groups – including groups that received EWV before and after 2020 – and to the control group. We also re- interviewed a subset of EWV participants interviewed in 2020 to understand how empowerment has changed at the individual level over time .
The results show levels of internal empowerment associated with the EWV intervention persisted between the midline and endline surveys, especially when combined with THRIVE livelihood interventions. At the midline, 80.0 per cent of THRIVE with EWV participants were empowered, compared to 82.3 per cent at the endline. In contrast, 72.6 per cent and 73.07 per cent of the control sample participants were empowered at the midline and the endline, respectively. Quantitative results further show that localised empowerment significantly improved between survey rounds among participants who received EWV training and is positively associated with internal empowerment, consistent with literature that suggests localised enablers (supporting social environments) are crucial to sustaining internal empowerment. The qualitative data shows that persistent internal and localised empowerment was observed mostly among households in the non- poor wellbeing category, suggesting that additional interventions are needed to reach the poorest participants. Results also show internal and localised empowerment are positively associated with indicators of household resilience. We conclude the paper with recommendations for programming
Finding the Missing Stone: Mobile Money and the Quality of Tax Policy and Administration
No full textMaking tax administration more efficient and maximising voluntary compliance is a very difficult task for developing countries. In this paper, we analyse the effect of mobile money payments on the quality of tax policy and administration for a large sample of countries in developing economies. We use the World Bank indicator on efficiency of revenue mobilisation as a measure of the quality of tax policy and administration and employ an entropy balancing method to show that mobile money payments improve the quality of tax systems. This result is robust to several robustness tests, including sample alteration, alternative measures of mobile money, controlling for other aspects of tax policy, and alternative estimation methods such as GMM-system, event study approach and ordinary least square. In addition, our results show that the positive effect of mobile money on tax systems depends on the level of development, financial development, the state’s legitimacy, a country’s fiscal space, the number of available products/companies, the type of mobile money services, and the geographic position of countries. Finally, we highlight some potential mechanisms underlying these findings through lower tax compliance burden, smaller informal sector, and lower corruption
Children Re-enter the Worst Forms of Child Labour Despite Participating in Training and Skills-Oriented Programmes
No full textReport of the CLARISSA Nepal Action Research Group 4. As the first step of systemic action research, the CLARISSA programme in Nepal collected 400 life stories of children and young people engaged in the worst forms of child labour (WFCL) within Kathmandu Valley. Life stories collected were from children and young people either engaged in the Adult Entertainment Sector or living in selected neighbourhoods. Among the 400 stories collected, 50 were collected by children and 350 were collected by CLARISSA (adult) researchers. These stories were then collectively analysed by children and young people in a series of four workshops, to identify core themes (issues) for subsequent engagement through Participatory Action Research. Action Research Groups (ARGs) were then established to work on these issues. These were subsequently validated by children working in the AES. The location that is the subject of this report was selected for an ARG as it is a major entry point for buses from different parts of Nepal. The issue for this ARG was ‘Children re-entered in WFCL despite participating in training and skills-oriented programmes provided by non-governmental non-profit organisations’
The Impacts of Climate Change on Illicit Drug Cultivation
No full textThis rapid evidence review explores how climate change can create incentives for participating in illicit drug production by disrupting agricultural and natural-resource-based livelihoods and exacerbating social, economic, and political stresses and conflict. However, it is difficult to identify a precise causal relationship between the impacts of climate change and illicit drug production, and the effects of climate change appear to be limited compared with other driving forces. In Afghanistan, climate change is expected to contribute to rising temperatures, worsening water stress, and increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events. Adverse effects of climate change and conflict on agricultural livelihoods and irrigation infrastructure have contributed to increased opium poppy cultivation, but farmers’ decisions about growing poppies are strongly influenced by security, social, political, economic, technological, and market factors. Across Latin America, climate change is expected to cause increasing temperatures, significant changes in precipitation patterns, and water scarcity, which will strengthen incentives for illicit crop production. However, other factors including changing patterns of demand for drugs globally, rural poverty and limited economic opportunities, low and volatile prices for coffee and other agricultural commodities in international markets, and the legacy of conflict (in Colombia) appear to have greater influence than climate change on illicit crop production patterns
The Impacts of Environmental Conditions on Health and Education
No full textThis rapid evidence review considers how environmental conditions affect health and education service delivery, how conditions within facilities (internal environmental quality) influence health and education outcomes, and available evidence for cost-effective infrastructure mitigations to improve environmental conditions within facilities. In the time available for this review limited evidence was found looking at local environmental conditions and how health and education facilities have applied adaptive strategies to improve indoor environmental quality and promote climate resilience of services. Evidence evaluating the retrofit of existing public service infrastructure was found to be severely limited, particularly in low- and lower-middle income countries.</p
Conflict Dynamics, Political-economy, and Natural Resources in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region
No full textThe rapid evidence review on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) highlights significant socio-economic factors driving conflict, including poverty, land disputes, and resource competition. Despite economic progress since the peace agreement, BARMM remains one of the poorest regions in the Philippines. Land issues, such as clan rivalries and unresolved ownership, exacerbate conflicts. Mineral resources like gold and nickel are underexploited due to historic conflicts, corruption, and environmental concerns. Governance challenges and delayed peace process implementation further complicate stability and development.</p