Publications

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 81

Ashram village: an analysis of resource flows
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1980)
This study is the second of BRAC’s village micro-studies undertaken in the process of training a group of BRAC staff in the essentials of observational research. This kind of research was initiated with a view to gaining a systematic understanding of the social system that operates in the rural areas of Bangladesh and that underpins the resource structure of the village. It was felt that a deep-rooted strategy for the development of the rural sector of Bangladesh could be effectively evolved only if we had a sound grasp of the nature of the traditional institutions. To this end BRAC decided to gain insights that could be developed, analysed and documented through detailed studies of the resource distribution within particular villages. The first of these studies has already been successfully published under the title Who gets What and Why: Resource Allocation in a Bangladesh Village.
The net: power structure in ten villages
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1986)
During the Emergency Relief Programme conducted in drought affected areas in 1979 BRAC workers had the opportunity to come into very close contact with the landless and disadvantaged members of the rural community. From discussions with them much valuable information was obtained about the manner in which people occupying positions of authority utilized their advantageous positions. It was then realized that this information could be used to throw some light on the way in which the local power relations are structured. Systematic enquiry and cross-cheking of verbal accounts, obtained from villagers in ten selected villages, revealed how members of the small elite stratum build-up a network of contacts and relationships. These networks are then shown, through various incidents to be utilized for gaining access and control over scarce public and private resources.
Who gets what and why
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1986)
Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) is a Bangladeshi voluntary organization dedicated to the social and economic development of rural Bangladesh. BRAC operates a number of integrated rural development programmes in different parts of Bangladesh. The activities include organisation of landless and marginal farmers, agriculture, fisheries development, youth organisation, training, health, family planning, nutrition, education, rural credit and employment generation. In the course of its activities over the last seven years BRAC has developed certain capacities within the organisation and gained some perceptions of the rural scene through experience at the grassroots. It was, however, felt that more systematic investigation and analysis of the structure and dynamics of society was essential for formulating appropriate development strategies. Moreover, insights gained through experience needed to be analysed and documented if they were to be of use to others. With these ends in view, BRAC decided to develop research capabilities within the organisation. This study is the first of the series of micro-studies which was undertaken in the process of training a group of BRAC staff on the basic principles of observational research.
Peasant perceptions: famine, credit needs, sanitation
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1992)
BRAC has, in the past been called upon to provide relief in areas where famine or extreme scarcities prevailed. The prolonged drought in the recent months has already damaged two consecutive rice crops and the spectre of famine is already evident in some parts of Bangladesh. BRAC is again planning to mount relief efforts in some of these areas of extreme need. At this juncture, BRAC felt that eliciting the perceptions and experience of poor peasants from some of the worst affected areas of Bangladesh will be a worthwhile exercise. BRAC has recently begun exploring a new method of “participatory research”. In this form of research the idea is to generate information on the subject under study through the opinions and observations of a group of participants sitting together as a forum. These group sessions are usually conducted under the guidance of one or several facilitators whose role is to keep the discussion within a prearranged framework of topics that the researchers are interested in. The essential aspect of this method is to allow the participants as much freedom as possible to express their own views and to bring up features that they feel are most important to them. The facilitators do not control the nature of the information that is produced, they only throw open realms of discourse and permit the participants as a group, to explore that realm in whatever way is important and meaningful to them.
Assessing change in women’s lives: a conceptual framework
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1995) Chen, Marty; Mahmud, Simeen
Empirical evidence point to a causal relationship between the socioeconomic status of individuals and communities and their health. Indeed improvement in health is expected to follow socioeconomic development. Yet this hypothesis has rarely been tested; at least it has not undergone the scrutiny of scientific inquiry. Even less understood are the processes and mechanisms by which the changes are brought about. The Rural Development Programme (RDP) of BRAC is a multisectoral integrated programme for poverty alleviation directed at women and the landless poor. It consists of mobilization of the poor, provision of non-formal education, skill training and income generation opportunities and credit facilities. The programme is the result of 20 years of experience through trial and error. However, evaluation of its impact on human well-being including health has not been convincingly undertaken. The Matlab field station of ICDDR,B is an area with a population of 200,000, half of whom are recipients of an intensive maternal and child health and family planning services. The entire population is part of the Center’s demographic surveillance system where health and occasionally socioeconomic indicators have been collected prospectively since 1966. A unique opportunity arose when BRAC decided to extent its field operations (RDP) to Matlab. ICDDR,B and BRAC joined hands to seize this golden occasion. A joint research project was designed to study the impact of BRAC’s socioeconomic interventions on the well-being of the rural poor, especially of women and children, and to study the mechanism through which this impact is mediated. In order to share the progress of the project and its early results, a working paper series has been initiated. This paper is an important addition in this endeavour. The project staff will appreciate critical comments from the readers.
The development organization and constraints to development: BRAC experience with religious organization in relation to human rights and legal education posters
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1999-06) Rafi, Mohammad
To educate people on human rights and some essential laws BRAC fixed 700,000 posters throughout Bangladesh. Displaying of the posters faced backlashes from the religious organizations. This paper investigated the nature and causes of the backlash and accordingly chalked out strategies for smooth functioning of the development orga-nizations in achieving their objectives. Interpretation of the posters based on the Holy Koran and Islamic practices, intrusion in the professional territory of religious organizations, and affecting the socioeconomic interest of the group representing the organizations were responsible for the backlash. In the light of these findings it was concluded that the development organizations should convince people of its cause by clearly spelling out its objectives, and formulating as such so that the opposing organizations may not get a scope to resist the development activities
Factors affecting the discontinuation of learners in grade III in formal primary schools and Ebtedayee Madrasahs
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2001-03) Khan, Md. Kaisar A
This study aimed to follow-up the learners who discontinued from grade III in primary school and Ebtedayee Madrassah. The specific objectives were to determine their socioeconomic background, identify the reasons for their discontinuation, look at their employment status and examine possibilities for their further enrollment in any type of school. The learners of the selected grade were chosen purposively from three rural-based primary schools and one Ebtedayee Madrassah located in two districts with low literacy rates. Twenty-five learners and their parents, 19 cohorts of the selected learners, 22 teachers of the selected schools and Madrassahs and 62 community people were interviewed through informal discussions using unstructured checklists. Major findings show that the tendency of discontinuation tends to be higher among the children of the extreme poor and illiterate families. Some socioeconomic and school-related factors such as lack of necessary guidance and support from families and the teaching-learning system in government primary schools were associated with such discontinuation. The rate of discontinuation of the learners in the formal primary schools may be reduced by modifying the teaching-learning system, which would be appropriate especially for the children of poor and illiterate families. To do this, the existing physical infrastructure may need to be extended or the discontinued learners may be served by promoting the non-formal primary education model operated by different NGOs
Perception of BRAC graduates studying in Madrassah on some selected social and cultural issues: a comparative study
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2001-12) Khan, Kaisar A
This study aimed at exploring perception of BRAC graduates studying in grade IX in Madrassah on some social and cultural issues. The issues were chosen based on empirical knowledge of the author that are generally perceived and practiced especially by women from religious point of view. Forty-four BRAC graduates (girls) studying in Madrassah were selected as study group. Equal number of girl students from each of three other categories of student, i.e., BRAC graduates studying in high school, non-BRAC students studying in high school and in Madrassah were chosen as control groups. The respondents were interviewed in groups. The study reveals that majority of the BRAC graduates studying in both Madrassah and high schools had progressive perception on most of the issues. Some of both the groups of BRAC graduates had some degrees of religious fanaticism and superstitious beliefs on some of the issues. BRAC graduates studying in Madrassah had more progressive perception on most of the issues compared to the non-BRAC students studying in Madrassah. Non-BRAC students studying in high schools had more progressive perception on the issues compared to the other three groups. Perception of mothers and their daughters on the issues was not seemed to be associated. It was realised that Madrassah education alone was not responsible for the backward perceptions of the respondents, rather influence of religious fanaticism and fundamentalism from time immemorial were also responsible. As the girl students studying in higher classes in schools and in Madrassahs still have backward perceptions on social, religious and cultural issues, the government and/or NGOs should take it into consideration to strengthen development efforts.
Classroom situation at primary level
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2003-06) Hossain, Altaf; Imam, Syeda Rumnaz; Amin, Md. Nurul; Rahman, Tanzina; Ghosh, Sanat K.
In the recent past Bangladesh has achieved considerable improvement in enrolment, attendance and school completion rate but little success has been wrought in improving the quality of education. There are many primary school systems in Bangladesh that provide primary education to the children of 5 to 10 years of age using different curriculum and administrative structures. The variety of offered primary education, aimed at eradicating illiteracy, is appreciable if the quality of education remains above an acceptable level. But some recent studies indicate that the quality of primary education is not up to the mark for some school systems and variations among the systems are glaringly obvious. This low level of performance may be due to a number of internal and external factors including classroom culture and the administration process of the relevant school system. As learning takes place in a classroom and as the teachers are the hubs of all the classroom activities, these case studies intended to delve into the matter to improve understanding of the factors responsible for differences in performance in different school systems. It is obviously easier to conjure up and blame the different curriculums of the various school systems as the main culprit for the differences in performance. However, the real causes of substandard performance and possible explanations of the differences can only be identified through classroom observation.
Eighteen months of operation: exploring geographical poverty outreach and employment creation of BRAC Bank SME Unit
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2004) Iglebaek, Monique; Matin, Imran
This section summarizes the results of the exploratory study on BRAC Bank SME Unit. The survey was conducted from February 22 to March 3, 2004, covering 85 BRAC Bank repeat borrowers. In addition, Focus Group Discussions with 43 selected repeat borrowers and CROs were also carried out. The objective of the study was firstly, to assess geographical poverty outreach of Bank’s SME Unit; secondly, to identify the effect of SME lending on employment creation; thirdly to explore which enterprises create the greatest employment for poor people, and to what extent BRAC Bank’s SME Unit support these enterprises.
Assessment of workshop and activities of the BRAC local representatives
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2005) Sharmin, Lammia; Kabir, M Mahbubul; Yasmin, Rosie Nilufar; Imam, Nuzhat; Khan, Ashrafuzzaman
The study aimed to evaluate the BRAC Local Representative (BLR) workshops and to assess the activities of BLRs. The assessment of the activities included inter-programme coordination meetings and government coordination meetings. We assessed 12 workshops attended by 441 BLRs. Although the workshops were facilitated efficiently but suffered from time constraints. In many cases the BLRs activity schedules could not be maintained for variety of reasons. In most cases the local government authorities were positive about the performance of BLRs. The study recognizes the importance of BLRs and suggested some recommendations for qualitative improvement of BLRs and conducting more effective workshops.
Building social capital for the ultra poor: challenges and achievements
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2005-03) Huda, Karishma; Rahman, Sabeel; Guirguis, Catherine
BRAC introduced a programme designed to meet the special needs of the extreme poor called, ‘Challenging the Frontier of Poverty Reduction: Targeting Ultra Poor (TUP)’ programme in 2002. The programme consists of economic and health inputs designed to create sustainable livelihoods. However, it was felt that the assets they received might be vulnerable to theft and damage. To offset this potential problem, BRAC created local institutions of village elites called Gram Shahayak Committees (GSCs) or Village Assistance Committees. The GSCs were designed to offer support, guidance and protection for the programme participants. Based on original research, this qualitative study explores the hypothesis that such mediation may provide a form of social capital that did not previously exist, promoting the further development of TUP members. But do GSCs constitute an effective source of social capital for TUP participants? To address this question, we define effective social capital as a combination of horizontal and vertical relationships, which provide the poor with access to the agency capacity necessary to respond to crises and maintain a sustainable livelihood and grant them an independent voice. The study explores the extent to which the GSC fills a gap between the ultra poor and the village elites, creating new vertical linkages between them and thereby new forms of social capital. However, the study also finds that the relationships appear to reinforce traditional dependency interactions. This condition can be attributed to the lack of horizontal networks among the TUP members themselves, keeping this social capital from being truly effective. BRAC should therefore ensure that a sense of public goodness is created among GSC members, GSC members focus on community-based aid for TUP members, the TUP representative on the GSC communicates TUP members’ collective problems, and BRAC POs mobilise TUP members to voice demands that benefit them as a group.
Building positive attitudes towards gender equality: a baseline survey of gender quality action learning programme
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2005-06) Alim, Md Abdul; Rashid, Ahmed Tareq
The study aims to find out the pre-intervention status on knowledge, perception and attitude of rural people towards gender relations. A survey was conducted on 803 respondents in eight upazilas of Netrokona and Kishoregonj districts. Respondents include rich, middle, lower and ultra poor. All the samples for the last two groups, 20% from middle, and 10% from the first group were randomly selected. The study dealt with different themes of general perception, discrimination, empowerment, violence against women, and marriage. The findings indicate that the knowledge of the respondents about nutrition, education, age of voting, and marriage were satisfactory. The gender perception of both male and female were influenced by prevailing patriarchal norms in rural areas. Although the respondents show more favorable attitude towards reducing gender discrimination and marriage related issues, the attitude towards gender roles in society was comparatively less positive. The study further shows that the level of education, and to a lesser extent, economic background were the primary determinants in shaping gender attitude and perception, while age and NGO membership did not appear to have much impact on views of gender equality.
Assessing the teacher training programme of SAB in Afghanistan
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2005-11) Hadi, Abdullahel; Majumdar, Mannan
The government of Afghanistan decided in 2003 that a total of 70,000 Afghan school teachers would receive in-service training. Since then, several international organizations have become seriously active in providing training to teachers to improve the standard of basic education of Afghan children. Solidarité Afghanistan Belgium (SAB) has been providing both in-service and pre-service training to Afghan teachers to achieve this goal by up-grading their competencies and developing teaching materials. Over the years, SAB has trained nearly 12,815 primary school teachers. While SAB has been contributing in training school teachers of Afghanistan for many years, no assessment of this programme has been undertaken.
The motivations behind giving and taking dowry
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2006) Geirbo, Hanne Cecilie; Imam, Nuzhat
Much of what is written about dowry focuses on the harmful aspects. This monograph argues that in order to target dowry as a social problem, we need to know more about why people continue the practice. It gives an overview of the transactions connected to wedding and divorce before it explores the motivations people have for giving and taking dowry. In the end, it is discussed how this rationality meets the rationality of the government and NGOs in the local interpretation and use of legislation and in the use of microcredit. Security is found to be the main motivation for giving dowry. A paid dowry gives a hope that the daughter will be treated well in her in-law’s house. Because dowry is connected to mohr, it also gives a security in case of divorce. However, a paid dowry does not give women entitlements towards her in-laws, only a hope that they will treat her well. Also, women’s entitlement to mohr depends on payment of dowry as well as her performance as a wife. Men, on the other hand, are perceived as having unquestioned entitlement to dowry. This imbalance is seen as being connected to a perception of women as being vulnerable to physical and social risk as well as representing a threat to their family and community. In conclusion it is recommended that instead of targeting dowry directly, advocacy efforts would gain from targeting the causes behind the motivations for giving and taking dowry. Reducing the risk factors that make married status and dowry crucial for women is a way to combat the practice. One way to do this is by implementing livelihood programmes for adolescent girls. Apart from this, the prevailing gender ideology has to be challenged systematically among both girls and boys from an early age. The monograph is based on qualitative research in Domar under Nilphamari district in Bangladesh.
বস্তিবাসীদের অভিজ্ঞতায় বস্তি ‍উচ্ছেদ: একটি নিবিড় পর্যবেক্ষণ
(গবেষণা ও মূল্যায়ন বিভাগ, ব্র্যাক, 2006) মামুন-উর-রশীদ
This study aimed to explore the social and economic dynamics that led to and followed the eviction of Kallyanpur basti, home of some 1,675 families, demolished in December 2003. Information was collected through participant observation, stakeholder perceptions and group discussions. The process of eviction, actual demolition, reactions to the eviction, and eventual settling down of the dwellers are narrated. The initiators of the eviction were the local commissioner and the House Building Research Institute of the government. The demolition was successful in the face of collective protest of the slum dwellers due to the commissioner’s collaboration with the leader of the slum dwellers. The dwellers found that there was none to support them in the actual protest. Although they had expected the NGO activists, their local leaders and media to help them out, all of them betrayed. After eviction, some of the dwellers left while others tried to stay. The living conditions were adverse. Cold winter nights without proper housing and sanitation, police raids and internal outbursts of violence led to severe suffering, including death of some children. The Basti still exists. The ones who held on to their land through all the troubles have rebuilt their houses. However, the commissioner has retained a large portion of the land. The paper emphasizes the need for collective will and planning on the part of all stakeholders to make sure that future evictions are conducted more effectively, making sure that the sufferings of the dwellers are minimized and they are properly rehabilitated.
Adolescents and youths in Bangladesh: some selected issues
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2006) Nath, Samir Ranjan
Research plan for BRAC education programme 2006-2009
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2006)
This report provides RED’s education research plan for the remaining duration of the fourth phase (2006-09) of BRAC Education Programme. The basis of the plan was a review report on existing research studies on BEP focussing on research on quality issues of various components of BEP using an input-process-output framework. Based on this review, a draft research plan was developed and this was discussed for prioritization and revision in joint meeting of RED and BEP. This document is the outcome of these exercises which includes a list of 22 research studies, tentative issues to be addressed under each, and timeline. The studies will be conducted basically by the researchers in RED; however help would be sought from external experts as and when needed
A tale of two wards: political participation and the urban poor in Dhaka city
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2006) Banks, Nicola
This paper presents findings from a case study of slumdwellers in two Wards of Dhaka City. The research was designed to determine the extent of political participation of the urban poor. The main objective was to gain an understanding of the following question: although constituting the majority of the electorate, what constraints prevent the interests of the urban poor from being reflected in the policy agenda? In the face of this relative neglect, with whom do slumdwellers interact to solve their social problems or advance their interests? In addition, the research aimed to analyse efforts made in the mobilisation of slumdwellers, through the Basti Basheer Odhikar Surikha Committee (BOSC) Programme run by Coalition for the Urban Poor. This aimed to illustrate the possibilities for the incorporation of slumdwellers into urban governance. The analysis of research findings is tentative and cautious. This paper portrays the results from a limited and small-scale research, and the author does not aim to draw city-wide conclusions from these findings.
Study on job satisfaction and retention of BRAC University faculty members
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2006) Rashid, Ahmed Tareq; Jahan, Ferdous
This study aims to find out what attracts faculty to join BRAC University (BU), analyze issues related to job satisfaction, and reasons for their leaving the university. The target population consists of the existing full-time as well as dropout faculty members. For exploring the attitudes and opinions of current faculty, Visualization in Participatory Programmes (VIPP) method was used. A questionnaire was sent to each dropout faculty member via email, snail mail, and through personal contact. In addition, six case studies of the dropouts were conducted with in-depth interviews. Secondary information on the dropout cases was also gathered from the university database. The time period considered was from inception of the university (April 2001) to when the study was undertaken (March 2006). We have found that BU enjoys a comparative advantage over other private universities in attracting good faculty members due to its affiliation with BRAC as well as its own vision and leadership. However, despite its reputation it is yet to create its own pool of talented and diverse faculties. A significant portion of its faculty members does not stay at BU. Forty-nine dropouts in five years is an evidence of this problem. Most importantly, many dropout faculties are going to the same organizations which they ignored at the time of joining BU. And, the possibility of further dropout is real. Thus, we recommend that the university should recognize that the environment and nature of academia is different than that of NGO or corporate sectors. Moreover, issues regarding salary structure, service rule, job responsibilities of the faculties may be rationalized as well as more emphasis should be given to professional development of faculties.