Group items tagged

'This paper summarises the events of a workshop on institutional collaboration in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The workshop was held in Pakistan in March 2009, and discussed the participatory research in livelihoods that two Norwegian organisations conducted in Afghanistan. The paper states that this work has great potential for contributing further toward capacity and institution building in Afghanistan in several rural development sectors, including water and sanitation (WATSAN).

'Decisions, Desires and Diversity is one of a series of reports by the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit examining family dynamics and family violence in Afghanistan. It explores the many different ways in which marriages are decided on and practised in Afghan families.'

'This case study is the third and final in a series of three that examines how the entry of microcredit (MC) into village and household economies in Afghanistan affects informal credit relations and livelihood outcomes, either directly or indirectly, through effects on the overall village economy. It builds on past AREU research on informal credit systems, answering questions raised within that study about: the assumptions driving the introduction of microcredit in rural Afghanistan, particularly around lack of access to credit and the existence of a large, unmet demand; the successes claimed in terms of clients served and repayment rates; and how informal and formal credit systems interlink and feed off each other as well as the corresponding effects on livelihood security and debt burdens.'

'The concept of mutual accountability refers to the establishment of working relations based on respect, fulfilling commitments, being transparent about development objectives, and accounting for decisions, actions and results. This paper focusses on how mutual accountability in development aid is understood and how it works in practice in Afghanistan, while also examining the challenges involved in achieving mutual accountability in aid relationships. The paper concludes that mutual accountability can make development aid more effective by, for instance, increasing public support for development policies, increasing a government's legitimacy, increasing donor accountability, and contributing to anticorruption measures. Accountability mechanisms ensure greater transparency and help to control expectations. With these mechanisms there is more clarity on what will be delivered and on what systems are in place for people to access information and enable them to voice complaints or concerns.'