Latest Resources
Handbook for European Union Election Observation
Civil Society, Democracy, Guide / Manual / Indicators, Inter-Governmental OrganizationThis second edition has been thoroughly revised to take into account advances in the European Union’s methodology for observing and assessing an election process. It highlights that the European Union approach is based on international human rights standards, in particular the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The handbook also...
AmericasBarometer 2012 Round Draws on lessons from 2010 Surveys
Civil Society, Latin America and the Carribean, Report, Civil SocietyWith fieldwork halfway complete and data rolling in from 26 countries across the hemisphere, the 2012 round of the AmericasBarometer promises to be the best yet. This Insights report describes the AmericasBarometer’s fifth wave of surveys, which will be completed by the beginning of May. We focus especially on lessons learned from our 2010 round, in which we examined the impact of the economic...
Users' Guide to Civil Society Assessments
Civil Society, GAP, Users' GuideThis Users’ Guide provides extensive guidance for users of civil society assessments, illustrated with specific examples. It includes a source guide of currently available civil society assessment methods, including, for each of them, a snapshot of its methodology, some details of its content, the implications for its use and an outline of its strengths and weaknesses. The Guide also...
Draft baseline study report
Africa, Civil Society, Report, Civil SocietyForum Syd’s Tanzania office is launching a three year social accountability program in one district of the Kagera region and two districts of the Mwanza. The Program is expected to start 2010 and be completed 2013. In order to make an informed decision on which social accountability interventions to apply, how they should be prioritised and to measure and evaluate the impact of...
The Global State of Workers’ Rights: Free Labor in a Hostile World
Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Civil Society, Europe and CIS, Latin America and the Carribean, Report, Civil SocietyThe report, which examines the global state of worker and trade union rights for the year 2009, outlines serious and systematic violations of internationally recognized labor norms in every part of the world except Western Europe. Countries are ranked on a five-category scale: Free, Mostly Free, Partly Free, Repressive, and Very Repressive on a color-coded map which gives a vivid,...
Evidence-based policy research: critical review of some international programmes on relationships between social science research and policy-making
Civil Society, Policy Document, Other UN AgencyThe report has two main objectives. Firstly, to critically present current programmes implemented by international organizations, which seek to enhance the interconnections between social scientific research and policy. Secondly, to highlight a series of critical issues with regard to the nature of the linkages between the two domains. This double venture and the debate it provokes ultimately aim...
How can complexity theory contribute to more effective development and aid evaluation?
Civil Society, Report, Civil SocietyThe sixth in a rolling series about how complexity theory is useful in the aid and development sector, this meeting focused on complexity theory and evaluation, and was hosted by Panos London and facilitated by Robin Vincent, Panos's Senior Advisor on HIV and AIDS and Ben Ramalingam from the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action (ALNAP)....
Developing Societal Progress Indicators: A Practical Guide
Article / Working Paper, Civil Society, Inter-Governmental OrganizationThere is a broad recognition that the development of cross-cutting, high-quality, shared, and accessible information about a society's progress is crucial to ensure that decision-making is simultaneously responsive and responsible at all levels. There is no single correct way to manage a project to measure societal progress - different projects will have different goals,...
Governance Indicators Can Make Sense: Under-five Mortality Rates are an Example
Article / Working Paper, Civil Society, Academic/Think TankGovernance indicators have come under fire in recent years, especially the World Governance Indicators (WGIs). Critics present these indicators as a-theoretical and biased. Critics of the critics counter that no better alternatives exist. We suggest otherwise, arguing that more appropriate 'governance' indicators will have theoretical grounding,...
So What Difference Does it Make? Mapping the Outcomes of Citizen Engagement
Article / Working Paper, Civil Society, Democracy, Academic/Think TankOver the last two decades, the idea that citizen engagement and participation can contribute to improved governance and development outcomes has been mainstreamed in development policy and discourse. Yet despite the normative beliefs that underpin this approach, the impact of participation on improved democratic and developmental outcomes has proved difficult to assess. ...