Resources search

World Social Science Report 2016 | Challenging Inequalities: Pathways to a Just World

LEACH Melissa
GAVENTA, John
JUSTINO, Patricia
DENIS, Mathieu
November 2016

Expand view

Inequalities are multi-dimensional, multi-layered and cumulative. The Report makes clear that understanding and acting effectively upon inequalities requires looking beyond income and wealth disparities to capture their political, environmental, social, cultural, spatial, and knowledge features. Untangling such complexity is a challenge we must fully take on – if we are to develop policies and solutions that are feasible and sustainable.

 

The Report also emphasizes that the costs of inequalities are very high and borne by all – not just by the deprived and the excluded, but collectively, by current and future generations, in the form of heightened conflict and instability, economic and fiscal losses, environmental degradation, and political tensions. Reducing inequalities is thus everyone’s concern.

 

Countering inequalities requires robust knowledge – but knowledge alone is not enough. The challenge is to improve the connection between what we know and how we act: to mobilize the knowledge of the social and human sciences to inform policies, underpin decisions and enable wise and transparent management of the shift towards more equitable and inclusive societies. In this sense, investment in knowledge is a down-payment for informed change.

 

And in some respects, even the knowledge we have is not fully adequate. Social science research agendas equally require revisiting. The Report calls for a step change towards a research agenda that is interdisciplinary, multiscale and globally inclusive, creating pathways for transformative knowledge.

AuthorAid

AUTHORAID
December 2015

Expand view

AuthorAid is a tool to help researchers in developing countries to network and further disseminate their work to a wider audience. The website contains links to find mentors/collaborators, a range of E-learning opportunities, funding opportunities for people working in developing countries, and a plethora of resources on topics ranging from how to write a grant proposal though to the publication process itself

Towards a Core Set of Clinical Skills for Health-Related Community Based Rehabilitation in Low and Middle Income Countries

O’Dowd, Jessica
MacLachlan, Malcolm
Khasnabis, Chapal
Geiser, Priscille
2015

Expand view

Purpose: This research aims to identify a core set of clinical skills for working in a Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) setting, and to discuss whether they are appropriate for task shifting to a new or an alternative cadre of rehabilitation workers.

 

Methods: The study focussed on work activities relating to the health component of the CBR Matrix. 40 health professionals working in CBR in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) were surveyed to discover the clinical skills that were used most frequently during the past 3 months and to determine which of these skills were deemed most important in a CBR setting.

 

Results: A core set of clinical skills for health-related CBR work in LMIC were identified: advocacy and sensitisation; assessment, monitoring and reporting; behavioural and cognitive interventions; collaboration and referral; communication; continuing professional development; education; gait training; group work; home-based rehabilitation; manual therapy; neurofacilitation techniques; positioning; prescription of strengthening exercises; prescription of stretching programmes; provision of aids, assistive devices and technologies; psychosocial support; recreational therapy; self-care; sensory interventions; supervision; upper body rehabilitation; vocational rehabilitation and working with families.

 

Conclusions: It is possible to identify a core set of health-related CBR skills. These may be considered in the development of training programmes for new or alternative cadres of CBR workers, using a task-shifting model including appropriate support, supervision and referral mechanisms.

Implications: Further research is required to establish the generalisability of the skills sets identified here, both across contexts and different client groups and their needs. The identification of core sets of skills for other areas of the CBR Matrix - livelihood, social, empowerment and education – could similarly facilitate access to these domains for people with disabilities.

A world that counts : mobilising the data revolution for sustainable development

UNITED NATIONS (UN) INDEPENDENT EXPERT ADVISORY GROUP ON A DATA REVOLUTION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (IEAG)
November 2014

Expand view

This report highlights two big global challenges for the current state of data: whole groups of people are not being counted and important aspects of people’s lives and environmental conditions are still not measured; and there are huge and growing inequalities in access to data and information, and in the ability to use it. The report makes specific recommendations on how to address these challenges, calling for a UN-led effort to mobilise the data revolution for sustainable development: fostering and promoting innovation to fill data gaps; mobilising resources to overcome inequalities between developed and developing countries and between data-poor and data-rich people; leadership and coordination to enable the data revolution to play its full role in the realisation of sustainable development

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Training Guide : Professional Training Series No. 19

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMISSIONER
2014

Expand view

These eight training modules are meant to “inform and empower those who are involved in ratifying, implementing and monitoring the two instruments. While the Training Guide is mainly targeted at facilitators of training courses on the Convention and its Optional Protocol, it acknowledges that each and every one of us has a role to play. I recommend wide dissemination of the training package, and its use by all those who want to embark upon the essential journey towards greater awareness and effective implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities and, ultimately, the building of an inclusive society for all.”

Resilient livelihoods : disaster risk reduction for food and nutrition security framework programme

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
April 2013

Expand view

Through its disaster risk reduction (DRR) activities, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) seeks to protect livelihoods from shocks, to make food production systems more resilient and more capable of absorbing the impact of, and recovering from, disruptive events. The FAO Disaster Risk Reduction for Food and Nutrition Security Framework Programme (DRR for FNS) serves to support and provide strategic direction, to FAO member countries and partners, for the implementation of Disaster Risk Reduction for Food and Nutrition Security programmes. The goal is to enhance the resilience of livelihoods against threats and emergencies to ensure the FNS of vulnerable farmers, fishers, herders, foresters and other at risk groups

Guidance document : effective use of international human rights monitoring mechanisms to protect the rights of persons with disabilities

THEYTAZ-BERGMAN, Laura
TROMEL, Stefan
May 2010

Expand view

This guidance document provides practical strategies and advice to disabled people's organisations (DPOs) and DPO coalitions on the international human rights mechanisms. It provides details on the reporting process of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), raises awareness on the need to establish national DPO coalitions, and offers assistance for DPOs on producing effective reports for submission to the UNCRPD Committee. It also provides guidance on the monitoring process and includes information on the use of other human rights mechanisms. This document would be useful to global, regional and national DPOs engaging in the UNCRPD reporting process

The gender-based violence information management system user guide

GENDER BASED VIOLENCE IMFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (GBVIMS)
2010

Expand view

This comprehensive user guide explains what the Gender-Based Violence Information Management System (GBVIMS) is, why it is important and how it works. It is also a training tool on how to use the GBVIMS and related tools through hands-on, self-learning activities. It is intended to be both a reference document and a training manual for both service providers with specific services in place for GBV survivors, such as case management or health services, and agencies or actors coordinating multisectoral GBV interventions within a humanitarian context. This could include local national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), state actors, community-based organizations (CBOs) and/or UN agencies operating within a humanitarian context
Note: free registration is required to access the guide
Note: the guide is available as one document, or as individual chapters and annexes. A workbook is also available

WHO ethical and safety recommendations for researching, documenting and monitoring sexual violence in emergencies

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
June 2007

Expand view

This document builds on previous WHO publications and explores the different reasons for collecting information about sexual violence in emergency situations. It applies to all forms of enquiry about sexual violence and makes a number of recommendations that are intended to ensure that the necessary safety and ethical safeguards are in place at the beginning of any information gathering exercise. The document sets out the key safety and ethical issues that need to be addressed and the questions that need to be asked. There are examples of good practice and details of further information and resources that are available. This document is not intended to be a standalone guidance document but is designed to complement existing internationally-agreed ethical guidelines for research and to inform ethics review processes

Infant and young child feeding in emergencies : operational guidance for emergency relief staff and programme managers

IFE Core Group
February 2007

Expand view

This document aims to provide concise, practical (but non-technical) guidance on how to ensure appropriate infant and young child feeding in emergencies. A number of elements are also applicable in non-emergency settings. It is intended for emergency relief staff, programme managers, national governments, United Nations agencies, NGOs and donors, and it applies to all countries. It includes six sections of practical steps, references, key contacts and definitions. Members of the IFE Core Group are: UNICEF, WHO, UNHCR, WFP, IFBAN-GIFA, CARE USA, Fondation Terre des hommes and Emergency Nutrition Network. It is also available in Arabic, Bahasa Indonesian, French, Portuguese and Spanish

Tools for knowledge and learning : a guide for development and humanitarian organisations

RAMALINGAM, Ben
July 2006

Expand view

This toolkit brings together approaches and techniques aimed at supporting the learning and knowledge management of humanitarian organisations, to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their work. It provides a comprehensive overview of 30 tools and techniques, divided into five categories: i) strategy development; ii) management techniques; iii) collaboration mechanisms; iv) knowledge sharing and learning processes; and v) knowledge capture and storage. This guide is primarily aimed at staff working in development organisations

Evaluating Stepping Stones : a review of existing evaluations and ideas for future M&E work

WALLACE, Tina
June 2006

Expand view

This publication aims to review monitoring and evaluation activities, methodologies and findings around the Stepping Stones (SS) approach. Over the last ten years, Stepping Stones has been used by many NGOs as an effective tool for HIV prevention, gender empowerment, community mobilisation and promotion of PLWHA rights. However, monitoring and evaluation documentation on SS is sparse and does not reflect the wealth of learning about the methodology. Key findings show that SS helps improve communication about health issues and supports behaviour changes, although evidence that it has led to a decline in HIV or AIDS incidence is less clear. The report calls for well-designed and systematic monitoring and evaluation activities, and for a strategic dissemination of findings and monitoring and evaluation data

When we will ever learn : improving lives through impact evaluation

EVALUATION GAP WORKING GROUP
May 2006

Expand view

This is a report of the Evaluation Gap Working Group, created to investigate why rigorous impact evaluations of social development programmes are relatively rare. An evaluation gap exists because there are few incentives, and considerable resource and time constraints. This results in a costly and persistent lack of sufficient knowledge and learning about the effects of policies and programmes. At an individual level, the report recommends a reinforcement of existing efforts, with improvement on monitoring and evaluation systems and capacity development. It also calls for collective action, that should be led by a 'council', representing all stakeholders, including governments and NGOs. Core functions of the council should include: establishing quality standards for rigorous evaluations; administering a review process for evaluation designs and studies; identifying priority topics; providing grants for impact evaluation design

When will we ever learn? Improving lives through impact evaluation

SAVEDOFF, William D.
LEVINE, Ruth
BIRDSALL, Nancy
May 2006

Expand view

This is the report of the Evaluation Gap Working Group which examined initiatives to improve the evidence base in social development policy through impact evaluations. It recommends a need for increasing the number of these evaluations and that they are carried out more consistently with better coordination across countries and institutions, so that general findings around common thematic areas can be determined. Among its recommendations, the working group suggests a collective commitment to increasing the number of impact evaluations and the setting up of a 'council' to establish quality standards, identify priority topics and provide grants for impact evaluation design

Perceptions and practice : an anthology of impact assessment experiences

SAYCE, Kay
NORRISH, Patricia
2006

Expand view

This book presents eleven case studies of impact assessment in information and communication projects such as CATIA, Reflect's ICT projects in India, Tearfund's Footsteps project, Bernard van Leer Foundation's Effectiveness Initiative and others. Each case study begins with a summary of the study, followed by first-hand accounts of the key people involved in each assessment. The central issues raised by the studies include learning and accountability, attribution, context, communication, donor issues, resources, and planning. The case studies are bracketted by sensitive and analytical introductory and concluding chapters, which synthesize the practitioners' voices from the case studies, contextualise them in wider debates in development impact assessment, evaluation and learning

Maximising the impact of development research : how can funders encourage more effective research communication?

BARNARD, Geoff
CARLILE, Liz
RAY, Deepayan Basu
2006

Expand view

This Report is the main output of a workshop that was held in October 2006 to ask the question How can funders encourage more effective research communication? The workshop brought together invited participants drawn from three groups: research funders (international agencies, foundations, and research councils involved in funding development research); research organisations and networks from around the world involved in carrying out research, and with an interest in effective research communication; and knowledge intermediaries involved in communicating research

ICTs for poverty alleviation : basic tool and enabling sector

GREENBERG, Alan
November 2005

Expand view

This report acknowledges the crucial role that information and communication technologies play in the fight to reduce poverty. It focuses in particular on the impact that "older" technologies such as radio and telephone can have in addressing poor communities' problems. The study investigates the linkages between ICTs and four key areas: education, livelihoods, healthcare and government. It reports on pilot studies which have shown that use of technologies can help reduce child mortality and maternal mortality by nearly 50 per cent. It suggests that ICTs can enable people's empowerment and ultimately strengthen human rights

What do we do with culture? Engaging culture in development

VINCENT, Robin
March 2005

Expand view

This short briefing paper gives a critical overview of recent attempts to engage culture in development work, and in HIV and AIDS work in particular. It also outlines a range of insights from anthropological work that relate to understanding and addressing culture in development. Areas covered include moving beyond a focus on the individual in analysis of change, looking beyond the local setting only, considering the role of the organisational culture of development institutions, valuing indigenous knowledge, and looking at the way mobilising culture and cultural resources is intimately linked to power relations

Pages

E-bulletin