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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND LIVELIHOODS
In December 2021, Feed the Future
Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk and Resilience (MRR), (erstwhile BASIS)
requested IDA to conduct MRR BASIS Survey. This was a study on the
resilience of the Nepali rural households – that were supported by Heifer
International’s Livestock Transfer Program (BASIS) – that had been undertaken
between 2014 and 2018. The project aimed to examine the resilience of the
Heifer-supported beneficiaries in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic. Undertaken
as a research consortium with University of Illinois and University of Georgia,
MRR BASIS survey was in the form of a telephone survey with 1,300 female
smallholder farmers across 37 villages in 5 different districts of Nepal.
In 2018/19, through the support of JICA, IDA
conducted a research study on community organizations by examining community
mobilization models of Community Mobilization Project (CMP) and Saamudayik
Bikaas Tatha Hariyali Aayojana (SABIHAA). The study adopted a mixed approach
and employed a qualitative-quantitative method, conducting individual surveys,
institutional surveys, FGDs and KIIs.
In 2017/18, under Livestock Systems
Innovation Lab (LSIL) which was supported by USAID and implemented by Heifer
International, IDA undertook two baseline surveys in consortium with University
of Florida, USA. Designed as a randomized control trial, the implementation and
the study focused on the cooperative leaders and Self-Help Groups (SHG). The
sample size of SHG members was 2,880 and it was spread across 24 districts and
across 120 cooperatives. The survey covered areas related to income, assets,
expenditure, health, nutrition and food security, women’s empowerment,
financial inclusion, aspirations and hope, trust and trust worthiness, and
livestock practices.
In 2018, IDA conducted an end-line survey with the
University of Georgia, USA for of the BASIS project was implemented by Heifer
International. The project aimed to improve the livelihood of rural households
by increasing their social capital and production of farm families, and to
provide evidence based recommendation for future project designing. For the
end-line survey, the sample comprised of 3,200 respondents spread across 5
implementation districts of Palpa, Tanahu, Rautahat, Sarlahi and Mahottari
DEPRIVATION STUDIES
The Individual Deprivation Measure
(IDM) survey was a gendered and multidimensional approach to measuring poverty
and deprivation at the individual level as opposed to measuring poverty at the
household level. Undertaken by IDA from August to December 2016 for the
International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA), Australia. The survey was
administered to a sample of 800 households and 2,225 individual surveys of whom
971 were males and 1,254 were females. The sample was spread across 16
districts.
ENERGY AND HYDROPOWER
The Swedish Academy-funded four-year
project is a joint undertaking of IDA and Lund University in Sweden. Commenced
in 2023, this research project aims to advance knowledge on the relationships
between energy transition and energy access in the context of Nepal. The study
aims at contributing to the need for data and knowledge on energy access,
energy poverty, and energy transition amidst the global realities of climate
change that have ramifications on several areas of sustainable development
goals, including energy access (SDG 7).
Designed as a concurrent mixed-method
approach, the study will employ a combination of quantitative and qualitative
methods for data collection and analysis. A nationwide household energy survey
together with several focused group discussions, key informant interviews, and
consultative meetings have been planned. IDA, in concert with the research team
at Lund University, will also be responsible for bringing out the findings of
the study in the form of reports and academic journals.
Pumped Storage Hydropower
in the Himalayas is an initiative of the Australian Water Partnership to
promote the transition to zero or low-carbon electricity grids in the Himalayas
namely, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim State of India. IDA is a consortium partner
of the research project led by the Australian National University. The
objective of the project is to examine the potential for pumped storage
hydropower (PSH) to contribute to Electrical Energy Storage and broader
renewable energy objectives and needs in the Himalayas.
The project has envisaged
a longer-term engagement in the Himalaya region. The first phase of
the study spanning between October 2022 to December 2023 has been
designed to support energy ministries and other government
agencies to advance GEDSI inclusive policy and institutional mechanisms that
facilitate the uptake of feasible and sustainable PSH solutions. IDA is
responsible for leading the study for Nepal.
As a consortium partner,
IDA’s responsibilities include drafting the State of Knowledge (SOK) report
and GEDSI inclusion plan for Nepal, identifying key stakeholders for Nepal
undertaking focussed discussions with the stakeholders, facilitating and
coordinating in-country site visits in Nepal, and facilitating national-level
workshops and knowledge sharing programs with stakeholders.
In 2019/20, IDA conducted a Political
Economy Study of Energy and Hydropower in Nepal for the World Bank. The study
aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the socio-political context of the
energy sector of Nepal and of the institutional and stakeholder dynamics that
could affect the policy reforms of the sector.
Qualitative methods were employed for the
study which comprised a review of pertinent literature and interviews with Key
Informants. IDA undertook more than 30 interviews with key informants
associated with 9 stakeholder groups. The identified stakeholder groups
included policymakers/politicians, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), trade
union of NEA, other governmental agencies/parastatals, market players, civil
society and civic organizations, independent academics, media, and provincial
and local governments.
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT
IDA is in a
research consortium with Emory University for the baseline, endline, and
operational research of Gender-based Violence Prevention and Response (GBVPR)
Phase II program in Koshi and Sudurpaschim Provinces of Nepal. The project
launched by UNFPA aims at reducing all forms of gender-based violence and
harmful practices against women and girls in the two provinces.
In March and
April, 2022, IDA was involved in the baseline data collection of the GBVPR
Phase II program. The baseline survey employed a combination of quantitative
and qualitative methods of data collection. The quantitative data collection
included surveys with (i) school-going adolescents (300 girls and 300 boys),
(ii) spouses/partners (600 wives and 600 husbands), (iii) community members
(600 adult women and 600 adult men), (iv) GBV related service providers (208
providers) and (iv) female GBV survivors (240 survivors). Similarly, the
qualitative data collection included (i) FGDs with school-going adolescent
girls and boys, (ii) IDIs with spouses (wives and husbands), and (iii) IDIs
with health, psychosocial support, shelter, and justice service providers.
Household
enumeration was conducted prior to conducting the baseline survey.
Women’s
Empowerment Metric for National Statistical System (WEMNS) aims at capturing
standardized gender data on empowerment. The
tools for WEMNS are being developed by International Food Policy Research Institute
together with the World Bank’s Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS) and
Emory University. This framework
envisions supporting the measurement of countries’ Sustainable Development Goal
(SDG) 5, and, therefore, aims to improve the availability and quality of data
on women’s empowerment and gender equality. WEMNS
is a novel study targeted for use in nationally representative surveys as a
part of the national statistical system.
As
a global undertaking, three rounds of the WEMNS survey were held concurrently
in Bangladesh, Malawi, and Nepal. Rollins School of Public Health at Emory
University and Inter Disciplinary Analysts (IDA) at Kathmandu jointly undertook
the WEMNS survey in Nepal.
While
the first round of the WEMNS survey in Nepal was held between September and
December, 2021, the second round was underway in April and May, 2022. The
earlier two rounds were conducted remotely via telephone interviewing. The
third and final round of the survey was a face-to-face (FTF) survey and was
undertaken in November 2022.
A
sampling frame of 5,754 individuals from 57 clusters (Wards) of Rupandehi and
Kapilvastu districts of Nepal was derived from a household census
(enumeration). Phone interviews with 5,754 individuals were attempted during
the first phase of the survey. A total of 2,443 interviews were successful. The
second phase of the phone survey tried to reach out to 2,443 individuals that
were successfully interviewed in the first phase. A total of 1,989 phone
interviews were successfully completed for the second phase.
For
the FTF survey, a frame of 9,283 eligible households (households with at least
an adult male and an adult female members aged 18 to 64 years) of Rupandehi and
Kapilvastu districts was obtained from quick count. A total of 814 households were selected
randomly from the frame. Face-to-face interviews were
conducted with three sets of respondents within a household – a primary
respondent and two individual respondents – using SurveySolutions (SuSo)
android software.
From August 2020
to February 2021, IDA conducted the End-line survey of Joint Program for
Accelerating Progress Towards Economic Empowerment of Rural Women (JPRWEE) for
IFAD. JPRWEE is a joint undertaking of
IFAD, FAO, UN Women, and WFP. JPRWEE Phase I was implemented in Sarlahi and
Rautahat districts of Nepal from 2015 to 2020 and aimed at empowering the rural
women through improved food security and nutrition, increased income and
sustainable livelihoods, enhanced leadership, and gender-responsive policies.
For the study, IDA undertook an enumeration of around 3,000 households from the
beneficiary and non-beneficiary groups. A systematic sample was designed from
the household enumeration and the end-line survey was administered to a sample
of 1300 households in Sarlahi and Rautahat districts. IDA considered the
program intervention modality and effect size to come up with the required
sample size. The study was primarily based on Pro-WEAI domains (Project level –
Women Empowerment in Agriculture Index) and GALS (Gender Action Learning
System).
The CARE Nepal-implemented
Tipping Point Program (TPP) (2019-2021) aimed to prevent child early and forced
marriage in Kapilvastu and Rupandehi districts of Nepal by addressing social
norms, attitudes, and behaviors and promoting collection action among
adolescent girls themselves and demand their rights.
IDA conducted the baseline
and end-line studies for the Impact Evaluation of Tipping Point Program (TPP)
in collaboration with the Rollin School of Public Health at Emory University
from 2019 to 2021. The study was
undertaken to understand the effects of TPP interventions in a
cluster-randomized controlled trial setting using a mixed methods approach.
While the baseline was underway in 2019, the endline was completed in December
2021. The baseline and end-line sample consisted of around 2,400 panel
respondents divided equally between adolescent girls and boys. The survey also
included panel interviews with 540 parents.
The SAHAJ project aimed to address
the root causes of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and enhance the security and
justice system’s capacity to offer protection and assistance to the most-risk
women and girls in Nepal through family-centered, school-centered, and
grassroots-based accountability approaches. As a part of the larger Integrated
Program for Strengthening Security and Justice in Nepal (IPSSJ), the program
was supported by FCDO and implemented by VSO and International Alert in the
Terai regions of Madhesh and Lumbini Provinces.
SAHAJ study aimed to understand
the effects and outcomes of interventions and justice works in preventing and
alleviating GBV in a randomized controlled trial setting by adopting a mixed
methods approach. IDA worked in a research consortium with Emory University for
the implementation of baseline, midline, and endline surveys of the SAHAJ
study.
Prior to the implementation of the
baseline and subsequently the endline, IDA undertook the enumeration of 4,050
households spread across 18 different clusters of 7 different districts of
Madhesh and Lumbini Provinces. The Network Survey was the major highlight of
the midline study. While the
baseline was undertaken in 2019, the end-line study was completed in 2021.
In 2016/17, IDA undertook three surveys for
‘Change Starts at Home’ which was implemented by Equal Access and supported by
DFID. The project worked with couples, families, and community leaders to
drive a change in community attitudes towards violence against women and girls.
The survey had a sample size of 1,440 married couple and was conducted in three
districts- Chitwan, Nawalparasi, and Kapilvastu, in control as well as
intervention VDCs.
MARKET SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMY AND BUSINESS CLIMATE STUDIES
In partnership with The Asia
Foundation (TAF), from 2009 to 2011, IDA undertook two business climate surveys
in Nepal, Business Climate Survey in Nepal 2009 and Business Climate
Survey in Nepal 2010. The main objective of both surveys was to gauge the
business climate of Nepal. While generating basic data on businesses and
industries, the Business Climate Surveys also tried to assess the level of
confidence of the business communities, including their orientations to the
future.
For the sampling purpose, industries/enterprises
were stratified based on their contribution to GDP. Categories of industries
were classified as per the International Standard Industrial Code (ISIC). Over
1,000 micro, small, and medium enterprises distributed equally across four districts
– Morang, Kaski, Rupandehi and Banke were selected for both surveys. The second
round of the survey, however, comprised a 20 percent panel sample. A
descriptive-analytical report titled Nepal Business Climate Survey: 2010
Report was published in April 2011. This report is in the public domain.
In
March 2021, following the COVID-19 pandemic, IDA conducted a phone survey for
The Asia Foundation. The survey aimed to identify the public’s experience and
concerns during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as document how the public
evaluated the country’s economic condition and their situation at the time of the
pandemic, as well as assess the impact of the pandemic on women, people with
disability, and marginalized group. This
perception survey was undertaken with a nationally representative sample of 1,540
respondents spread across 7 provinces of Nepal.
During the COVID
pandemic, IDA conducted a World Bank-funded second round of the South Asian
Region (SAR) COVID-19 Phone Survey and Living Standard Measurement Plus (LSMS
Plus) Survey. Undertaken in September and October, 2021, the nationwide survey
attempted to document socio-economic impact of the pandemic and track the
recovery trajectory of the individuals.
SAR COVID-19
Phone Survey was a panel survey undertaken through Computer Assisted Telephone
Interviewing (CATI). The survey approached 6,389 respondents who were selected
in the baseline through Random Digit Dialing. Four thousand five hundred and
sixty-eight (4,568) respondents were successfully interviewed.
Similarly, LSMS
Plus Survey approached 2,177 respondents that were interviewed in the earlier
round of SAR COVID-19 Phone Survey to achieve a targeted sample size of 1800
individuals. LSMS Plus survey had questions on empowerment (WEMNS) primarily
related to time use agency, income and assets, social capital, and information
and technology. This survey occurred in April and May 2022.
Nepal
Agricultural Market Development Program (NAMDP) Phase II (also known as Sahaj)
is a project designed to support the inclusive agriculture markets in Nepal and
is funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). With a
strategic focus on Koshi Province, the SDC-funded program has been implemented
by Swisscontact in consortium with Center for Environmental and Agricultural
Policy Research, Extension, and Development (CEAPRED). The project seeks to (i)
support enabling market environment for agri-SMEs, (ii) strengthen their
commercial capacity and networks, and (iii)engage with agriculture and
non-agriculture service providers such that the agri-SMEs realize increased
value addition and innovation. The project aims to increase employment opportunities
and income of women and men (including that of disadvantaged groups) as a
result of increased performance and growth of agri-businesses. NAMDP Phase II
has focused on four different value chains (sectors), viz. maize, dairy, large
cardamom, and vegetables.
IDA undertook
the Business Climate cum Baseline Survey of the NAMDP II Project with the
agri-business associated with the four aforementioned sectors. The baseline
survey was conducted remotely (through telephone interviews) from August 12, 2020
to September 3, 2020. ODK platform was used for the data collection and some
250 business entrepreneurs of the aforementioned sectors were interviewed.
Before conducting the interviews, IDA made a concerted effort on preparing the
sampling frame of the enterprises related to 4 agricultural sectors established
in 12 different districts of Koshi Province.
IDA also
undertook the midline study of the program to inform the project’s midline
evaluation.
In 2015, IDA conducted two financial inclusion
surveys. The first financial inclusion survey in early 2015 was conducted
before the 2015 earthquake and undertaken with the support of DANIDA, DFID,
UNCDF, and Fin Mark Trust. It measured profile levels of financial access and
use of its services by all bankable adults across income ranges and other
demographics. The sample size for this survey was over 4000 respondents and it
was conducted across 71 districts.
The second survey after the earthquake was
conducted with the support of UNCDF. The sample size for this survey
was study was a subset of the first nationwide survey and comprised of 768
respondents from 14 most earthquake affected districts.
In
2015/16, IDA conducted a baseline study for UNNATI’s sub-component on Rural
Transport which was supported by Nepal-Denmark Development Cooperation. The
project focused on promoting sustainable inclusive growth by reducing poverty
and raising living standards by supporting farmers and working with market
forces such as banks, businesses and entrepreneurs. For the study, IDA employed
a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach. As a part of the quantitative
approach, a survey comprising of 1,400 respondents was undertaken. One of the
main components of UNNATI was upgrading/constructing rural roads and IDA
conducted a baseline for the road component.
NEXUS STUDIES
Nexus Gains is a
multi-topic study on water, energy, agriculture, food security and nutrition,
empowerment, climate action, and environmental sustainability. IDA conducted
the baseline survey of Nexus Gains for the International Food Policy and
Research Institute (IFPRI). Intra-household and community surveys were
implemented in 84 rural villages of Madhesh and Karnali Provinces in February
and March 2023. The Nexus study had a sample size of 1,008 households, 2,016 respondents,
and 84 community members.
PUBLIC OPINION SURVEYS
Through The Asia Foundation Partnership
with Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on
Subnational Governance in Nepal, IDA
successfully completed undertaking four nation-wide surveys, Survey of Nepali
People (SNP) - in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2022. The Survey of Nepali People in
2022 was also co-funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
The longitudinal
survey series had a sample size of over 7,000 respondents spread across 7
provinces of Nepal. The purpose of the survey is to (1) provide policy-makers
and the broader public with rigorous data, reflecting the views of the Nepali
people on the direction of the country, and on security, governance, politics,
social relations, and the economy, and (2) provide in-depth information over
time on how Nepal’s new local government organizations are functioning. Survey
of the Nepali People has been jointly published by KUSoA, IDA and TAF. The
reports, along with the raw data, is available in the public domain and in
IDA’s website.
From 2004 to
2015, IDA undertook eleven nationwide public opinion surveys called "Nepal
Contemporary Political Situation (NCPS)". The NCPS survey
series, a nationwide longitudinal survey with a sample size of 3,000
respondents aged 18 and above was undertaken by rigorous sampling design.
Seven of
the surveys were exclusively supported by The Asia Foundation (TAF) (NCPS I,
II, III, IV, IX, X, and XI) and one was co-supported jointly by TAF and the
UK’s DFID (NCPS V). Three of the NCPS Surveys (NCPS VI, VII, and VIII) were
supported by USAID.
The NCPS series reports (NCPS I to VIII) have been
published and are in the public domain, the rest are in the public domain in
the form of reports or power point presentations. It had been greatly
used by many journalists and opinion writers in their columns. It was widely
acclaimed by researchers, academics, politicians, journalists, senior civil
servants, and parliamentarians for having been a valuable longitudinal
dataset, the only one of its kind that tracked Nepali public opinion over
several years.
Supported by
Inter news Network and NDI, IDA conducted three nationwide public opinion
surveys from 2013-2014 called ‘Public Opinion on Political Parties and
Electoral Legislative Process’. The surveys were undertaken to document public
opinion on various political issues such as overall direction of the country,
main problems at the national and local levels, expectations from the
Constituent Assembly, federalism, decentralization, governance, media,
etc. The survey had a sample size ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 and was
spread across over 40 districts of the country.
In 2010/2011,
under the project Nepal Transition Initiative (NTI) funded by USAID and
implemented by Chemonics International, IDA conducted three nationwide public
opinion surveys called ‘Rolling Public Opinion Poll’. The survey covered issues
of contemporary politics and aspects that the public wanted prioritized in the
constitution being formulated. The survey employed a random sample of 3,000
respondents that were spread across 35 districts in Nepal.
POST-EARTHQUAKE MONITORING
The Independent Impacts and
Recovery Monitoring (IRM) for Accountability in Post-Earthquake Nepal was a
joint undertaking of IDA and The Asia Foundation (TAF). Supported by FCDO (then
DFID) and SDC, five surveys were undertaken
after the 2015 earthquake and spanning up to 2019. The survey focussed to track
longer-term disaster response related to effectiveness and accountability on
aid, economy and livelihoods, protection, vulnerability, and resilience, and
politics and leadership. Constituting a panel, the survey series sought to
follow up the same 4,850 households across 11 districts over the years. The report was jointly prepared by
IDA and TAF.
SAFETY, SECURITY, PEACE AND CONFLICT STUDIES
The Integrated Program for Strengthening
Security and Justice (IPSSJ) in Nepal was a 7-year program funded by FCDO and
implemented by Palladium, UNOPS, VSO, and their local partners. Aimed at
strengthening security and justice in Nepal, particularly for women, children,
and other traditionally marginalized people, IPSSJ covered 55 districts across
the country (almost all Terai districts and a few Hill districts).
IDA conducted the baseline, midline, and
endline studies for the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning component of IPSSJ
implemented by Palladium International Nepal. While the baseline was conducted
in 2015, the midline study was held in 2017 and the endline was undertaken in
2021. The baseline, midline, and endline studies had a sample size of over
3,000 respondents spread across Saptari, Kapilvastu, Gorkha, and Achham
districts.
In 2014-15, for GIZ, IDA conducted a
perception survey amongst key stakeholders (high level civil servants,
political leaders, former ministers of the Ministry of Peace and
Reconstruction, civil society leaders, and the media) regarding the
accomplishments of the Nepal-donor basket fund, Nepal Peace Trust Fund (NPTF)
and the areas it needs to concentrate on in the near future.
From 2008-2011, IDA conducted four research
studies under Saferworld with the support of various donor organizations. IDA
undertook four nationwide surveys with a sample size of over 3000 respondents
spread across 30 districts in Nepal to track public’s perception of security
over time.
VOTER REGISTRATION STUDIES
Between
October and December 2008, IDA conducted two simultaneous surveys -
list-to-voters and voters-to-list survey - to assess the accuracy of the
voters’ registry. This study was commissioned to IDA by Nepal Election
Commission and was funded by DANIDA HUGOU. A total of 36,033 wards of all 3,914 erstwhile Village Development
Committees (VDCs) and 58 erstwhile municipalities were used as the basis for
this survey’s sample frame. Being exhaustive and rigorous these surveys had
large sample sizes. The list-to-voters survey comprised 4,565 sampled voters
spread across 64 districts whereas the voters-to-list survey has a sample size
of 7,572 individuals spread
across 64 districts of Nepal. The analytical report along with the
recommendations for ensuring the accuracy of the voters’ registry was submitted
to Nepal Election Commission and DANIDA.
WATER RELATED STUDIES
“Water For All” was the water
policy introduced by the Asian Development Bank in 2001. The policy aimed to
recognize the Asia and Pacific region’s need to formulate and implement
integrated, cross-sectoral approaches to water management and development.
In 2005, IDA was commissioned
for a review of the ADB’s water policy in the context of Nepal. The role and
involvement of ADB in the water supply and sanitation sector of Nepal were
assessed.
The study examined the
relevance, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability of the sampled ADB-funded
projects in relation to its “Water for All” policy.
In 2004, IDA
undertook this study for Water Aid Nepal. The study identified the issues and
formulated a framework for scaling-up of rural water supply and sanitation
schemes in Nepal. The study was built on a qualitative research design that
included Stakeholders’ consultation (workshops), and engagement with community
members (FGDs and KIIs).
GOVERNANCE
From
2013-2018, IDA conducted five perception surveys including a baseline survey
and an end line assessment for the Sajhedari Bikaas Project (2012-2017) which
was implemented by PACT and supported by USAID. The sample size for the
baseline survey was 7,539, the rest of the surveys had a sample size of about
2,880 respondents.
In 2010/11, IDA in collaboration with Social Science Baha and with the support
of DANIDA and DFID conducted a baseline study to generate baseline data for all
the indicators of three projects: Governance Baseline Study of Human Rights Good
Governance Programme, Enabling State Programme (ESP), and Rights, Democracy and
Inclusion Fund (RDIF). For the study, IDA adopted a qualitative-quantitative
research approach and undertook nationwide surveys, focused surveys, content
analysis, key informant interviews, focus group discussion to identify key
governance indicators in Nepal, their rationale, baseline and means of
verification, and also reviewed global governance indices.