Transdisciplinary partnerships for sustainability: an evaluation guide

Transdisciplinary research, in which academics and actors from outside the academy co-produce knowledge, is an important approach to address urgent sustainability challenges. Indeed, to meet these real-world challenges, governments, universities, development agencies, and civil society organizations have made substantial investments in transdisciplinary partnerships. Yet to date, our understanding of the performance, as well as impacts, of these partnerships for sustainability is limited. Here, we provide a guide to assess the performance and impacts of transdisciplinary partnerships for sustainability. We offer key steps to navigate and examine the partnership process for continuous improvement, and to understand how transdisciplinary partnership is contributing to sustainable futures.

Factors influencing participation of tribes in the activities of forest development agencies in Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, there were 32 Forest Development Agencies were functioning in 12 Forest Circles. Coimbatore forest circle is the one in which three FDAs were established and this formed the study area. The study was carried out in Coimbatore Forest Circle following a Multi Stage Random Sampling technique by selecting three hundred tribal households. FDAs were implementing several activities with the participation of tribes to avert man-animal conflicts and to improve the socio economic status of tribes. This study was focusing on documenting the activities and the participation of tribes in those activities. Among the activities, erection of Elephant trenches, plantation development and the Project Elephant schemes implemented by both Forest and Line Department officials have imparted some impacts in reducing the Man-Animal Conflicts by promoting higher employment generation. Because of higher employment opportunities, the participation of tribes were much influenced in FDA activities which are statistically significant at one per cent level. Besides, impact of FDA implementation, Plantation development activities and wild life protection measures are also discussed.

Understanding Governance from the Margins: What Does It Mean In Practice?

What does governance look like ‘from below’ – from the perspectives of poor and marginalised households? How do patterns of conflict affect that? These were the questions at the heart of the Governance at the Margins research project. Over three years from 2017-2020 we worked to explore this through in-depth study in conflict-affected areas of Mozambique, Myanmar, and Pakistan. Our research teams interviewed the same people regularly over that time, finding out how they resolved problems and interacted with authorities. In this paper we connect what we found to the realities and complexities of development practice, drawing on the input of 20 experienced practitioners working in bilateral and multilateral development agencies and international NGOs, who generously gave their time to help us think through the practical implications of our wealth of findings.

Youth Mainstreaming in Pacific Development: Challenges and Opportunities

<p>Development outcomes are poor for young people in the Pacific and show little hope of improving without a concerted, collaborative effort. This research seeks to explore the concept and practice of youth mainstreaming (YM) and the challenges and opportunities for it in New Zealand-based development agencies as a means to achieve these better outcomes. Currently there is little scholarly literature about YM, particularly in the Pacific. This research employs a mixed methods methodology comprising four methods: a literature review, interviews with regional stakeholders based in the Pacific, an exploratory multi-case study of three New Zealand (NZ) development agencies and a questionnaire. The findings suggest that while youth are accounted for in the work of many NZ development agencies working in the Pacific, mainstreaming of youth perspectives is limited, often to youth-specific projects. Challenges to YM include a lack of staff knowledge and skills in YM, a lack of knowledge about youth development and limited resources. However, despite these challenges, there is willingness among New Zealand development agencies to learn about youth development and cooperate with each other. This is likely driven by the fact that youth development fits with a number of mandates, be they rights-based, community-based or focused on economic growth. This thesis provides some recommendations to NZ development agencies about how to mainstream youth in their operations. Ultimately, the aim of this thesis is to develop industry knowledge and dialogue about youth development in the Pacific and encourage greater inclusion of youth in development initiatives in the region.</p>

Youth Mainstreaming in Pacific Development: Challenges and Opportunities

<p>Development outcomes are poor for young people in the Pacific and show little hope of improving without a concerted, collaborative effort. This research seeks to explore the concept and practice of youth mainstreaming (YM) and the challenges and opportunities for it in New Zealand-based development agencies as a means to achieve these better outcomes. Currently there is little scholarly literature about YM, particularly in the Pacific. This research employs a mixed methods methodology comprising four methods: a literature review, interviews with regional stakeholders based in the Pacific, an exploratory multi-case study of three New Zealand (NZ) development agencies and a questionnaire. The findings suggest that while youth are accounted for in the work of many NZ development agencies working in the Pacific, mainstreaming of youth perspectives is limited, often to youth-specific projects. Challenges to YM include a lack of staff knowledge and skills in YM, a lack of knowledge about youth development and limited resources. However, despite these challenges, there is willingness among New Zealand development agencies to learn about youth development and cooperate with each other. This is likely driven by the fact that youth development fits with a number of mandates, be they rights-based, community-based or focused on economic growth. This thesis provides some recommendations to NZ development agencies about how to mainstream youth in their operations. Ultimately, the aim of this thesis is to develop industry knowledge and dialogue about youth development in the Pacific and encourage greater inclusion of youth in development initiatives in the region.</p>

At What Price? Managing the Costs of Tolerating Corrupt or Criminal Partners in Stability Interventions

States or coalitions may conduct intervention operations to stabilise weak or failing states. Intervening powers often use military or police forces to impose security while development agencies rebuild the affected state’s institutions, including the Rule of Law. However, recent experience suggests that interventions may perpetuate criminal conduct. This paper examines the NATO missions in Afghanistan and other interventions to suggest links between partnering with corrupt or criminal actors and subsequent setbacks in stabilisation. It then proposes strategies by which future intervention forces may mitigate the risks of perpetuating criminal conduct. The paper asserts that intervention forces may empower criminal actors inadvertently or deliberately. It suggests that criminal allies may offer apparent security gains, and command popular support; and may be the only allies available. However, it concludes that perpetuating crime and corruption undermines the legitimacy of the affected state’s government and the intervention force, and potentially enables state capture. These outcomes may perpetuate violence. The paper suggests that intervention forces may mitigate these risks by setting clear priorities, planning against all potential threats including organised criminals, linking aid to the achievement of governance objectives, delaying transition until the affected state’s institutions are ready, and conducting deep selection of future leaders.

Establishing the Centre for Gender, Culture and Development at the Kigali Institute of Education

This chapter describes the establishment of the Centre for Gender, Culture and Development at the Kigali Institute of Education in the Rwandan context of strong support from the President, Government and international development agencies for gender equality. The Centre and its graduates have played an important role in national development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Video Caravan in Engaging Development: Reflexivity, Agency and Bridging Communication

The relation between indigenous people and development agencies is much discussed in anthropology ( Bicker et al., 2004 ; Pottier et al., 2003 ; Sillitoe et al., 2002 ). This relation is more often than not, one of conflict. A conflict that builds from distrust by the people on the development agent and disrespect from the latter on the former. The research on which this article is based addresses this conflict by recording the voice of the Konda Reddis, an indigenous group, through video for development communication. The video recorded peoples’ responses periodically to the key question, ‘is life in the hills or in the resettlement colony better, and why?’ Playing back these videos to the different respondents, including officials responsible for the development programme, in between responses was attempted to help them reflect on what they had said earlier in relation to what others had said, allowing room for them to reflect and respond again. The camera and video recording became the medium of real space and time, bringing the Konda Reddis, development agents and the anthropologist in conversation with each other.