News

Being a Born-free. Violence, Youth and Agency in Zimbabwe

By Marjoke Oosterom and Lloyd Pswarayi  image of Research Report cover

In this new research report from IDS, Marjoke Oosterom and Lloyd Pswarayi present the findings of case study research with youth in six locations in Zimbabwe, carried out within the Power, Violence, Citizenship and Agency (PVCA) programme. It shows how young people experience growing up as citizens in a country known for its repressive regime, and highlights the differences for young men and young women.

Feedback loops – new buzzword, old practice?

A new blog from Better Evaluation

In this new blog from Better Evaluation, practitioner Irene Guijt explores what lies behind the term “feedback”  which is increasingly being used by organisations and businesses in a variety of ways.   She asks what is actually meant by this term and its permutations - such as feedback mechanisms, client feedback and feedback loops -  and why there is a sudden surge of interest in it.  She also questions whether and how this is different to more familiar and longer standing modes of monitoring and evaluation.

Including People with Disabilities in Emergency Relief Efforts

Pauline Oosterhoff and Maria Kettcover image

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 15 per cent of the world’s population, or one billion people, have some form of disability. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 80 per cent live in poor countries, where communities are already more vulnerable to disasters and crises such as Ebola epidemics, with people with disabilities often disproportionately affected.

Reframing Undernutrition: Faecally-Transmitted Infections and the 5 As

Robert Chambers and Gregor von Medeazza

Despite many initiatives to assure food access, and growing economies, high levels of undernutrition persist in much of Asia. This Working Paper explores the increasing evidence that this is due to the continuing high incidence of open defecation (OD), combined with population density, which has mulitiple debilitating outcomes.  With the focus on diarrhoea-related ill health, there has

Participatory Approaches

image of book coverThis new Methodological Brief from UNICEF looks at participatory approaches in impact evaluation.  Written by Irene Guijt, this practical briefing explores what participatory approaches are, when it is appropriate to use them and how to make the most of them – all in the context of impact evaluation.  It goes on to look at ethical concerns, analysis and feedback and good practice.

Wellbeing Ranking: Developments in applied community-level poverty research

Edited by John Rowleyimage of front cover

This new book from Practical Action Publishing explores well-being ranking.  This method has developed from wealth-ranking and incorporates the broader aspects of well-being - such as social standing and health – that people value as much as material wealth.  It tells of the rise of these methods since the 1980s and at how well-being ranking exercises can help identify important differences within communities

Top book recommendations from our team...

Members of the Participation Team at IDS were recently asked for their "top book of all time on participation".  Each week we'll feature one person’s top book.  This week it’simage of stack of books the turn of Robert Chambers who’s chosen...

Andrea Cornwall’s edited book The Participation Reader (Zed Books, London and New York, 2011).  Robert says:

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