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Squaring the Circle: Reconciling the Need for Rigor with the Reality on the Ground in Resilience Impact Assessment

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  • Béné, Christophe
  • Chowdhury, Fahim S.
  • Rashid, Mamun
  • Dhali, Sabbir A.
  • Jahan, Ferdous

Abstract

Currently shaping a large part of the development and humanitarian agenda the concept of resilience has been embraced by a large number of donors, development agencies, and international NGOs. As a consequence, an increasing number of development interventions that aim at strengthening the resilience of vulnerable households and communities are now being implemented across the globe. Along with these interventions, a growing and urgent call for rigorous monitoring and evaluation has emerged. Unfortunately, the very few resilience measurement frameworks that are available are often too “academics”, data-demanding, and therefore poorly adapted to the reality faced by practitioners on the ground. In this paper we develop a resilience impact assessment framework which addresses this challenge. Using an ex-post treatment vs. control approach, the framework satisfies the requirement for rigor that should be found in any proper impact assessment framework, but remains operational in the data- and resource-constrained situations which characterize most of the current interventions in the field. We illustrate the approach through the case of the Enhancing Resilience program that was implemented by the World Food Programme and its partners in Bangladesh during 2011–13.

Suggested Citation

  • Béné, Christophe & Chowdhury, Fahim S. & Rashid, Mamun & Dhali, Sabbir A. & Jahan, Ferdous, 2017. "Squaring the Circle: Reconciling the Need for Rigor with the Reality on the Ground in Resilience Impact Assessment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 212-231.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:97:y:2017:i:c:p:212-231
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.04.011
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    5. Hare Krisna Kundo & Martin Brueckner & Rochelle Spencer & John Davis, 2021. "Mainstreaming climate adaptation into social protection: The issues yet to be addressed," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(6), pages 953-974, August.
    6. Bacon, Christopher M. & Sundstrom, William A. & Stewart, Iris T. & Maurer, Ed & Kelley, Lisa C., 2021. "Towards smallholder food and water security: Climate variability in the context of multiple livelihood hazards in Nicaragua," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
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    9. Christophe Béné & Timothy Frankenberger & Tiffany Griffin & Mark Langworthy & Monica Mueller & Stephanie Martin, 2019. "‘Perception matters’: New insights into the subjective dimension of resilience in the context of humanitarian and food security crises," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 19(3), pages 186-210, July.
    10. Amina Ika Micah, 2022. "Three essays on access to credit and financial shock in Nigeria," Economics PhD Theses 0422, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
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    14. Monserrath Ximena Lascano Galarza, 2020. "Resilience to Food Insecurity: Theory and Empirical Evidence from International Food Assistance in Malawi," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(3), pages 936-961, September.
    15. Dazhuan Ge & Hualou Long & Li Ma & Yingnan Zhang & Shuangshuang Tu, 2017. "Analysis Framework of China’s Grain Production System: A Spatial Resilience Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-21, December.
    16. Chichaibelu, Bezawit Beyene & Garbero, Alessandra, 2018. "Estimating resilience outcomes in an impact assessment framework with high-frequency data," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274460, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    17. Christophe Béné, 2020. "Resilience of local food systems and links to food security – A review of some important concepts in the context of COVID-19 and other shocks," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(4), pages 805-822, August.
    18. Marco d’Errico & Jeanne Pinay & Ellestina Jumbe & Anh Hong Luu, 2023. "Drivers and stressors of resilience to food insecurity: evidence from 35 countries," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(5), pages 1161-1183, October.
    19. Murendo, Conrad & Kairezi, Grace & Mazvimavi, Kizito, 2020. "Resilience capacities and household nutrition in the presence of shocks. Evidence from Malawi," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).
    20. Luc Doyen & Christophe Béné, 2018. "A generic metric of resilience from resistance to transformation," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2018-03, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    21. Christophe Béné & Mahfuzul A. B. M. Haque, 2022. "Strengthening the Resilience of Vulnerable Communities: Results from a Quasi-experimental Impact Evaluation in Coastal Bangladesh," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(2), pages 843-868, April.
    22. Narayan Prasad Gautam & Nirmal Kumar Raut & Bir Bahadur Khanal Chhetri & Nirjala Raut & Muhammad Haroon U. Rashid & Xiangqing Ma & Pengfei Wu, 2021. "Determinants of Poverty, Self-Reported Shocks, and Coping Strategies: Evidence from Rural Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-20, February.
    23. Upton, Joanna & Constenla-Villoslada, Susana & Barrett, Christopher B., 2022. "Caveat utilitor: A comparative assessment of resilience measurement approaches," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    24. Forsyth, Tim, 2018. "Is resilience to climate change socially inclusive? Investigating theories of change processes in Myanmar," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 13-26.

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