This paper provides the foundation for a multi-year study on inclusion and exclusion in humanitarian action being carried out by the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) at ODI. It seeks to make sense of the concept of inclusion in humanitarian action, explore how it relates to humanitarian principles and other core concepts and outlines some of the key issues and challenges preventing more inclusive humanitarian action. Drawing on existing practice and evidence from a review of academic and grey literature, the study argues that vulnerability is a critical, but challenging, lens to inform the prioritisation of humanitarian assistance and protection, and that it has failed to lead to more inclusive humanitarian action.
This paper explores the links between poverty and disability drawing from 60 qualitative life-history interviews conducted in rural Bangladesh, in 48 households, in three districts, in March 2016. The paper provides insights into the relationship between poverty and disability with the aim of informing policy and practice concerned with both reducing poverty and improving the life chances of people with disabilities. All of the households had a person with a disability as a member, and in three households, two household members had a disability. Mechanisms by which poverty caused or exacerbated disabilities, and also how people with disabilities fell into poverty, were prevented from escaping poverty, and, in some cases, succeeded in escaping poverty are explored.
This paper presents the progress of the millennium development goals and the post-2015 agenda. It explores seven indicators, one representing each of the first seven MDGs and highlights the causes behind the different rates of country progress. The paper argues that there is a need to find a middle ground: to maintain the power of a unified set of goals while bringing in greater sensitivity to national realities. This focus would help bridge the gap between expectations and achievements in the sustainable development goals Research report 01
This briefing paper further develops the vulnerability and inclusion dimensions that were included in “The future framework for disaster risk reduction: a guide for decision-makers (Module 4).” It particularly addresses the following topics: marginalised groups are more likely to suffer from disasters; disasters exacerbate vulnerabilities and social inequalities; vulnerable groups should be included in DRR as active agents of change for resilience to be effective and equitable; vulnerable groups tend to be excluded from DRR decision-making, thus making them even more vulnerable to the impacts of disaster. Through promoting the socio-economic and cultural inclusion, as well as the political recognition of marginalised people, this paper provides examples of where their participation as active agents of change has proven beneficial for achieving effective and equitable resilience. This evidence supports recommendations for the inclusion and empowerment of vulnerable groups within the post-2015 framework for DRR
"This Background Note focuses on inequalities associated with old age, disability and mental health. It argues that these should be considered salient sources of group-based difference, given the numbers of people affected, their marginalisation and vulnerability, and their relative neglect in international agreements to date. This note identifies a lack of data as a particular concern, but one that can be addressed through revisions to standard household surveys. To this end, the paper discusses the available data and their limitations, constraints to better data collection and efforts needed to adjust key international survey instruments -the World Bank’s Core Welfare Indicator Questionnaire (CWIQ) and Living Standards and Measurement Survey (LSMS), Macro International’s Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS)- to collect reliable data on these issues. It sets out technical adjustments that would enable these surveys to broaden their coverage, collect richer information and improve their identification of these three groups. It concludes by commenting on how measures to address the inequalities that affect these groups could be incorporated within a new post-2015 framework agreement"
ODI Background note
This project briefing presents key findings and policy recommendations from a study conducted in the East and Southern African region that aimed to improve understanding on how these households cope during emergencies. A literature review was followed by country case studies in Northern Uganda and Zimbabwe in which members of self-help group households, both older people and children, and organisations involved in the emergency response were interviewed. Recommendations are provided on how emergency preparedness and response can better meet the needs of such households in the region
Project briefing, No 33
There has been little systematic research in the development field about the communication needs of developing country policy-makers and how such research can be used to inform policy brief content and design. This background note looks at the research communication environment involving researchers, policy-makers and development practitioners from the North and South in science, technology and innovation
This study synthesises existing research on knowledge and learning in the development sector, by looking at organisational initiatives to build knowledge and learning capacities. It draws out eight key questions, which together make up a comprehensive knowledge strategies framework. This framework has been used to analyse and synthesise findings from data collected from cases studies of 13 international development organisations in order to develop recommendations