This paper contributes to the literature on qualitative approaches to impact evaluation, particularly in complex contexts. It reports on substantive and methodological findings from four pilot studies of a protocol for qualitative impact evaluation of NGO sponsored rural development projects in...

This paper contributes to an on-going conversation between development studies (DS) and social policy (SP) as academic fields, particularly in the UK. Drawing on Andrew Abbott’s analysis of the social sciences as an evolving system of knowledge lineages (KLs) it reflects first on the status of...

The family-planning programme of Tamil Nadu, largely a female sterilisation campaign, has been applauded as one of the successful public health interventions in India, which had arguably led to the drastic fertility decline in the state. To the state's dismay, however, the fertility decline in...

Eighty percent of the Latin American population is now urban, but the urbanization process has been accompanied by greater inequality and social segregation. To address urban exclusion, the idea of ‘the right to the city’ is increasingly being endorsed by international organizations and...

This paper begins with reflection upon the specific protection needs of children in settings of political violence as identified by child protection actors. It then considers the nature of institutional response offered by child-focussed humanitarian organisations. Particular attention will be...

Contemporary studies of marriage around the world note increased emphasis on 'choice' and 'conjugality'. In South Asia, such discussions have largely displaced an earlier focus on 'dowry' and its implications for the gendered vulnerability of women. This paper argues that considering together...

The recent re-emergence of autonomy as a central demand in many social movements across the world (which involve claims for self-determination, organisational self-management and independence vis-à-vis the state and capital) has opened a theoretical space to re-think its meanings in novel ways....

The paper considers several determinants of the size of the informal sector and explores the implications of corruption. It focuses attention on an issue that has not received much attention before, namely, the link between informality and corruption. We show that corruption affects both the...

This paper examines how national NGOs operating in conflict-affected or transitional regions generate and maintain legitimacy. It considers the experience of NGOs in three such contexts - Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). The paper argues that existing accounts of...

This paper examines the tensions that exist in financial inclusion policy between donor approaches founded on market modernism and governments with more activist leanings. It draws on political economy analysis - now frequently used by donors themselves - to demonstrate the underlying dynamics...