A two-year research initiative to investigate the role of local social gender norms in shaping the decision-making and resilience strategies adopted by families and communities to respond to adverse income shocks.
This project focuses on two countries: Malawi and Benin. In both countries the norms and traditions of vulnerable communities have a significant impact on their ability to cope with economic shocks. By examining the effects of social norms and enhancing resilience strategies, this initiative will help to empower communities, particularly women, so that they can navigate and recover from economic challenges.
To conduct this initiative, two project teams of in-country researchers are working in consultation with national stakeholders to address country-specific dimensions and issues.
A team of local PEP researchers collaborated with four Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres in Kenya to evaluate how including gender-sensitive soft-skills training in the curricula can improve women’s labour market outcomes. The research team used a randomised controlled trail to evaluate the impact of the training on norms, perceptions, attitudes and labour market outcomes among female and male TVET students.
The team held a meeting with policymakers and stakeholders in November 2023 where they shared the findings from their midline survey. They explained how investing in gender sensitive soft-skills training can improve labour market outcomes for women graduates, encourage women to consider entrepreneurship, and improve young men’s perception of and attitudes about women’s work.
This two-year initiative aims to establish capacity and processes for gender-sensitive policy practice and advocacy in Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Tanzania
Three in-country teams of local researchers and stakeholders are using a cutting-edge modelling framework to analyse macro-level policy solutions that can advance gender equality. Each team is investigating different policy issues and solutions:
The objective of the Learning and Knowledge Management Project (LKMP) is to design and use a global strategy to both evaluate and increase the effectiveness of projects and organizations supported by Global Affairs Canada under their Small and Medium Organizations (SMO) for Impact and Innovation initiative. The SMO initiative seeks to improve the living conditions, gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in countries receiving official development assistance. As part of this initiative, PEP will use feminist and human rights-based approaches to assess the impact of up to seven SMO initiative projects.
Alongside the impact evaluations, LKMP aims to develop and strengthen the capacity of Canadian SMOs and their local partner organisations. The capacity development aspect includes providing online training and mentorship in operational knowledge, specifically focusing on the technical aspects of rigorous monitoring and evaluation methodologies.
In July and August 2023, PEP conducted the baseline survey for this initiative. PEP published a brief on the survey results to shed light on aspects including the use of research-based evidence, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) practices, and the dynamics of stakeholder engagement.
This initiative comprises two sub-programs:
The SIECD initiative aims to strengthen experimental Impact Evaluation (IE) capacities among experienced researchers and within governments in East and West Africa.
Since 2021, five teams of in-country PEP alumni and senior local researchers have been working alongside government officials to conduct rigorous impact evaluations of new and existing policy initiatives in Benin, Guinea Bissau, Malawi, Tanzania and The Gambia. This initiative aims to increase the demand for rigorous evaluations from local governments.
Beyond the “co-production approach,” two country projects(in Benin and Guinea Bissau) also comprise a complementary strategy (the FALIEP initiative) to strengthen in-country capacity for commissioning experimental impact evaluations, using Randomized Control Trials, and incorporating the results to inform policy decisions.
These projects are ongoing and will be completed by the end of 2024.
By 2030, the number of young working-age people in Africa will reach 375 million. While this represents a significant opportunity for economic growth and development on the continent, many young Africans struggle to find dignified and fulfilling work. With youth job-seekers already outpacing available career opportunities, tackling the shortage of quality work for young people is critical.
Yet, in many countries, youth work strategies have been characterized by fragmentation and inconsistency, with the repetition of certain policies while leaving other high-potential areas under-resourced. In 2021, PEP and the Mastercard Foundation launched a three-year initiative to provide evidence that can drive policy reform to increase youth employment in 10 African countries.
Under this initiative, teams of local researchers and policy stakeholders are conducting gender-aware policy and impact reviews while engaging and consulting with hundreds of in-country stakeholders. In 2023, the projects in Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda published their research papers (linked below). A common theme that emerges from these findings is that youth employment policies and programs (YEPs) as they stand are often uncoordinated in their implementation, leading to duplication in some areas and gaps in others. Most countries also need to improve the inclusivity of their YEPs to ensure that young women and other vulnerable populations are not disadvantaged.
In 2023, teams in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Rwanda and South Africa conducted similar reviews. All teams’ findings and policy recommendations will be published in a PEP-hosted open-access repository by the end of 2024.
