Impacts of the economic crisis: early experience and lessons from some rapid assessments

Carrie Turk, SDV May 2009 Impacts of the economic crisis: early experience and lessons from some rapid assessments

Motivation Rapid generation of information on impacts on specific groups Complement to quantitative exercises that were underway Initially conceived as one-off exercises (now changing) Originally intended to provide info ahead of G-20 (now responding to demand from regions)

Implementation so far… • Eight assessments in various stages of initiation/implementation/completion • EAP, Africa, ECA • Diversity in size ($5,000-$40,000)‏ • Diversity in internal and external partners • Diversity in audience • Diversity in focus and sample

Similarities in approach • Focus group discussions & in-depth interviews • Participatory techniques • Local research partners • Emphasis on rapid results, not polished product • Findings illustrative & indicative, not representative • As such, most useful when supplemented with other data

Capacity and institutional requirements Local research institutes with skills in participatory research and policy analysis Hands-on management generally needed for quality control Supportive external partnerships important for funds and buy-in Collaboration with PREM and HD

Lessons learned Tailoring to country contexts vs standardised methodology Focus on crisis may miss the point in some countries – purposive sampling may overstate impacts Benefits of working alongside quantitative data collection Findings date quickly – plans for repeated research

Impacts of the economic crisis: early experience and lessons from some rapid assessments