Jennifer Leavy | University of East Anglia (original) (raw)
Papers by Jennifer Leavy
The European Journal of Development Research, 2020
How to support those responding to environmental change in resource-constrained environments is c... more How to support those responding to environmental change in resource-constrained environments is central to literature on climate change adaption. Our research explores a gap in this literature relating to the negotiation of intra-household relations and resource access across different types of household in contexts of social and environmental transition. Using the example of the semi-arid Awash region in NorthEastern Ethiopia, which has experienced drought and alien plant invasion over the past decade, we explore how men and women use changes in household structures and relationships to adapt more effectively. We draw evidence from life histories with 35 pastoralists across three rural, peri-urban and urban communities. Using Dorward et al.'s taxonomy, we find Afar people are not only 'stepping up', but also 'stepping out': shifting from pastoralism into agriculture and salaried employment. As this often involves splitting households across multiple locations, we look at how these reconfigured households support pastoralists' wellbeing.
Paper for “Young People, Farming and Food”: International Conference on the Future of the Agrifoo... more Paper for “Young People, Farming and Food”: International Conference on the Future of the Agrifood Sector University of Ghana, Legon 19 – 21 March 2012
Most often agricultural workers and labourers have not been favourably considered in and benefite... more Most often agricultural workers and labourers have not been favourably considered in and benefited by land reform processes, while this adds to their marginalisation and it is also one of the reasons why land reform is not always successful in terms of poverty reduction. This paper examines the extent to which agricultural workers/labour are stakeholders in land reform, drawing conclusions from case study illustrations and theoretical literature about the ways different land reform processes impact on agricultural workers/labour. By paying adequate attention to this significant group of poor and vulnerable people, and ensuring provision of appropriate complementary inputs and services, land reform processes can effect poverty reduction by protecting property rights, improving productivity and conditions of labour and contributing to sustainable rural development.
The European Journal of Development Research, 2019
How to support those responding to environmental change in resource-constrained environments is c... more How to support those responding to environmental change in resource-constrained environments is central to literature on climate change adaption. Our research explores a gap in this literature relating to the negotiation of intra-household relations and resource access across different types of household in contexts of social and environmental transition. Using the example of the semi-arid Awash region in North-Eastern Ethiopia, which has experienced drought and alien plant invasion over the past decade, we explore how men and women use changes in household structures and relationships to adapt more effectively. We draw evidence from life histories with 35 pastoralists across three rural, peri-urban and urban communities. Using Dorward et al.’s taxonomy, we find Afar people are not only ‘stepping up’, but also ‘stepping out’: shifting from pastoralism into agriculture and salaried employment. As this often involves splitting households across multiple locations, we look at how these...
Journal of Development Effectiveness, 2015
The crucial role played by social context and social networks in exchange behaviour, and the soci... more The crucial role played by social context and social networks in exchange behaviour, and the social-embeddedness of resources in rural sub-Saharan Africa are well documented. Social-embeddedness means more than belonging to and participating in groups. This presents a challenge in formalising socially embedded market transactions within standard economics frameworks. Different social networks measures are constructed using data from three Zambian villages and analysed to demonstrate that network properties differ significantly for different people. The way we measure networks matters. Such fine-grained measures will help future work in analysing the role social networks and social-embeddedness play in people’s lives and decision-making.
Making All Voices Count is a programme working towards a world in which open, effective and parti... more Making All Voices Count is a programme working towards a world in which open, effective and participatory governance is the norm and not the exception. We encourage locally driven and context specific change, as we believe a global vision can only be achieved if it is pursued from the bottom up, rather than the top down. The field of technology for Open Government is relatively young and the consortium partners, Hivos, Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and Ushahidi, are a part of this rapidly developing domain. These institutions have extensive and complementary skills and experience in the field of citizen engagement, government accountability, private sector entrepreneurs, (technical) innovation and research.
IDS Working Papers, 2013
The Centre for Social Protection (CSP) supports a global network of partners working to mainstrea... more The Centre for Social Protection (CSP) supports a global network of partners working to mainstream social protection in development policy and encourage social protection systems and instruments that are comprehensive, long-term, sustainable and pro-poor. We produce research on conceptual approaches; design issues, including delivery, targeting and affordability; and impacts of different social protection initiatives.
WORKING PAPER-OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT …, 2001
Semi-arid regions across the world face high potential impacts of climate change, but the risks p... more Semi-arid regions across the world face high potential impacts of climate change, but the risks posed by a changing climate interconnect with a web of related risks and dynamics. The drylands of East Africa, in particular, are crucibles of change in terms of patterns of land and water access and use, natural resource degradation, human development, economic opportunity, social and gender stratification, migration and urbanization. Both risks and the responses to them should therefore be understood as located within a sphere of activity in which adaptation and development merge. The purpose of this paper is to review responses to climate-related social-ecological risks in semi-arid areas of East Africa, in order to lay out an agenda for future critical research. By drawing on a wide range of academic and non-academic sources, the paper maps out the main forms of response to the inter-linked risks in the region, and considers how they might be viewed in terms of a spectrum of developm...
IDS Working Papers, 2014
Who wants to farm? In an era of land grabs and environmental uncertainty, improving smallholder p... more Who wants to farm? In an era of land grabs and environmental uncertainty, improving smallholder productivity has become a higher priority on the poverty and food security agenda in development, focusing attention on the next generation of farmers. Yet emerging evidence about the material realities and social norms and desires of young people in developing countries indicates a reasonably widespread withdrawal from work on the land as an emerging norm. While de-agrarianisation is not new, policymakers are correct to be concerned about a withdrawal from the sector: smallholder productivity growth, and agricultural transformation more broadly, depend in part on the extent to which capable, skilled young people can be retained or attracted to farming, and on policies that support that retention. So who wants to farm, and under what conditions? Where are economic, environmental and social conditions favourable to active recruitment by educated young people into farming? What policy and programmatic conditions are creating attractive opportunities in farming or agro-food industry livelihoods?
Acknowledgments Many thanks to the Thom Jayne of Michigan State University for detailed comments ... more Acknowledgments Many thanks to the Thom Jayne of Michigan State University for detailed comments on previous drafts of this review. Nevertheless, the opinions and judgments in this paper, as well as any errors and omissions, are solely the responsibility of the authors.
Realist evaluation asks ‘how and why do interventions work or not work, for whom, and in what cir... more Realist evaluation asks ‘how and why do interventions work or not work, for whom, and in what circumstances?’ It holds promise as an approach that can help evaluate complex programmes, and provide nuanced insights to guide decisions about rolling out, scaling up, or trying out interventions elsewhere. This CDI Practice Paper, by Melanie Punton, Isabel Vogel, Jennifer Leavy, Charles Michaelis and Edward Boydell, presents lessons from four large, multi-country realist evaluations of complex interventions conducted by Itad since 2013. It argues that realist evaluation can add value by enhancing the clarity, depth, and portability of findings, helping evaluators deal with context and complexity in pragmatic ways, and providing helpful tools and lenses for implementers to critically appraise their programmes and generate learning. However, novice realist evaluators face a number of potential pitfalls, especially in large-scale evaluations. This paper shares lessons on how Itad has naviga...
Typescript prepared by Lisa Winkler at UNU-WIDER. UNU-WIDER gratefully acknowledges the financial... more Typescript prepared by Lisa Winkler at UNU-WIDER. UNU-WIDER gratefully acknowledges the financial contributions to the research programme from the governments of Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The World Institute for Development Economics Research (WIDER) was established by the United Nations University (UNU) as its first research and training centre and started work in Helsinki, Finland in 1985. The Institute undertakes applied research and policy analysis on structural changes affecting the developing and transitional economies, provides a forum for the advocacy of policies leading to robust, equitable and environmentally sustainable growth, and promotes capacity strengthening and training in the field of economic and social policy-making. Work is carried out by staff researchers and visiting scholars in Helsinki and through networks of collaborating scholars and institutions around the world.
Leavy, J. and Howard, J,. et al (2013) What Matters Most? Evidence from 84 participatory studies with those living with extreme poverty and marginalisation, Participate, Brighton: IDS, 2013
Chapter 1 Development frequently doesn't reach the very poor and most marginalised Chapter 2 Deve... more Chapter 1 Development frequently doesn't reach the very poor and most marginalised Chapter 2 Development that is sustainable requires meaningful participation that leads to strong local ownership Chapter 3 Poverty is increasingly characterised by uncertainty, crisis, conflict, insecurity and volatility Chapter 4 Poor governance reinforces poverty for the poorest and most marginalised Chapter 5 Key findings and recommendations for the post-2015 global development framework Appendix 1 Key messages from People's Experiences of Living in Poverty: Early findings for the High Level Panel Deliberations report Bibliographic references Bibliography-by project Participate is co-convened by the Institute of Development Studies and Beyond 2015, but the initiative is only possible because of the energy, expertise and vision of the numerous organisations who are funding and facilitating the participatory research. Participate is funded by UK aid from the UK Government, however the views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the UK Government's official policies. Readers are encouraged to quote and reproduce material from What Matters Most? Evidence from 84 participatory studies with those living with extreme poverty and marginalisation in their own publications. In return, IDS requests due acknowledgement.
The European Journal of Development Research, 2020
How to support those responding to environmental change in resource-constrained environments is c... more How to support those responding to environmental change in resource-constrained environments is central to literature on climate change adaption. Our research explores a gap in this literature relating to the negotiation of intra-household relations and resource access across different types of household in contexts of social and environmental transition. Using the example of the semi-arid Awash region in NorthEastern Ethiopia, which has experienced drought and alien plant invasion over the past decade, we explore how men and women use changes in household structures and relationships to adapt more effectively. We draw evidence from life histories with 35 pastoralists across three rural, peri-urban and urban communities. Using Dorward et al.'s taxonomy, we find Afar people are not only 'stepping up', but also 'stepping out': shifting from pastoralism into agriculture and salaried employment. As this often involves splitting households across multiple locations, we look at how these reconfigured households support pastoralists' wellbeing.
Paper for “Young People, Farming and Food”: International Conference on the Future of the Agrifoo... more Paper for “Young People, Farming and Food”: International Conference on the Future of the Agrifood Sector University of Ghana, Legon 19 – 21 March 2012
Most often agricultural workers and labourers have not been favourably considered in and benefite... more Most often agricultural workers and labourers have not been favourably considered in and benefited by land reform processes, while this adds to their marginalisation and it is also one of the reasons why land reform is not always successful in terms of poverty reduction. This paper examines the extent to which agricultural workers/labour are stakeholders in land reform, drawing conclusions from case study illustrations and theoretical literature about the ways different land reform processes impact on agricultural workers/labour. By paying adequate attention to this significant group of poor and vulnerable people, and ensuring provision of appropriate complementary inputs and services, land reform processes can effect poverty reduction by protecting property rights, improving productivity and conditions of labour and contributing to sustainable rural development.
The European Journal of Development Research, 2019
How to support those responding to environmental change in resource-constrained environments is c... more How to support those responding to environmental change in resource-constrained environments is central to literature on climate change adaption. Our research explores a gap in this literature relating to the negotiation of intra-household relations and resource access across different types of household in contexts of social and environmental transition. Using the example of the semi-arid Awash region in North-Eastern Ethiopia, which has experienced drought and alien plant invasion over the past decade, we explore how men and women use changes in household structures and relationships to adapt more effectively. We draw evidence from life histories with 35 pastoralists across three rural, peri-urban and urban communities. Using Dorward et al.’s taxonomy, we find Afar people are not only ‘stepping up’, but also ‘stepping out’: shifting from pastoralism into agriculture and salaried employment. As this often involves splitting households across multiple locations, we look at how these...
Journal of Development Effectiveness, 2015
The crucial role played by social context and social networks in exchange behaviour, and the soci... more The crucial role played by social context and social networks in exchange behaviour, and the social-embeddedness of resources in rural sub-Saharan Africa are well documented. Social-embeddedness means more than belonging to and participating in groups. This presents a challenge in formalising socially embedded market transactions within standard economics frameworks. Different social networks measures are constructed using data from three Zambian villages and analysed to demonstrate that network properties differ significantly for different people. The way we measure networks matters. Such fine-grained measures will help future work in analysing the role social networks and social-embeddedness play in people’s lives and decision-making.
Making All Voices Count is a programme working towards a world in which open, effective and parti... more Making All Voices Count is a programme working towards a world in which open, effective and participatory governance is the norm and not the exception. We encourage locally driven and context specific change, as we believe a global vision can only be achieved if it is pursued from the bottom up, rather than the top down. The field of technology for Open Government is relatively young and the consortium partners, Hivos, Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and Ushahidi, are a part of this rapidly developing domain. These institutions have extensive and complementary skills and experience in the field of citizen engagement, government accountability, private sector entrepreneurs, (technical) innovation and research.
IDS Working Papers, 2013
The Centre for Social Protection (CSP) supports a global network of partners working to mainstrea... more The Centre for Social Protection (CSP) supports a global network of partners working to mainstream social protection in development policy and encourage social protection systems and instruments that are comprehensive, long-term, sustainable and pro-poor. We produce research on conceptual approaches; design issues, including delivery, targeting and affordability; and impacts of different social protection initiatives.
WORKING PAPER-OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT …, 2001
Semi-arid regions across the world face high potential impacts of climate change, but the risks p... more Semi-arid regions across the world face high potential impacts of climate change, but the risks posed by a changing climate interconnect with a web of related risks and dynamics. The drylands of East Africa, in particular, are crucibles of change in terms of patterns of land and water access and use, natural resource degradation, human development, economic opportunity, social and gender stratification, migration and urbanization. Both risks and the responses to them should therefore be understood as located within a sphere of activity in which adaptation and development merge. The purpose of this paper is to review responses to climate-related social-ecological risks in semi-arid areas of East Africa, in order to lay out an agenda for future critical research. By drawing on a wide range of academic and non-academic sources, the paper maps out the main forms of response to the inter-linked risks in the region, and considers how they might be viewed in terms of a spectrum of developm...
IDS Working Papers, 2014
Who wants to farm? In an era of land grabs and environmental uncertainty, improving smallholder p... more Who wants to farm? In an era of land grabs and environmental uncertainty, improving smallholder productivity has become a higher priority on the poverty and food security agenda in development, focusing attention on the next generation of farmers. Yet emerging evidence about the material realities and social norms and desires of young people in developing countries indicates a reasonably widespread withdrawal from work on the land as an emerging norm. While de-agrarianisation is not new, policymakers are correct to be concerned about a withdrawal from the sector: smallholder productivity growth, and agricultural transformation more broadly, depend in part on the extent to which capable, skilled young people can be retained or attracted to farming, and on policies that support that retention. So who wants to farm, and under what conditions? Where are economic, environmental and social conditions favourable to active recruitment by educated young people into farming? What policy and programmatic conditions are creating attractive opportunities in farming or agro-food industry livelihoods?
Acknowledgments Many thanks to the Thom Jayne of Michigan State University for detailed comments ... more Acknowledgments Many thanks to the Thom Jayne of Michigan State University for detailed comments on previous drafts of this review. Nevertheless, the opinions and judgments in this paper, as well as any errors and omissions, are solely the responsibility of the authors.
Realist evaluation asks ‘how and why do interventions work or not work, for whom, and in what cir... more Realist evaluation asks ‘how and why do interventions work or not work, for whom, and in what circumstances?’ It holds promise as an approach that can help evaluate complex programmes, and provide nuanced insights to guide decisions about rolling out, scaling up, or trying out interventions elsewhere. This CDI Practice Paper, by Melanie Punton, Isabel Vogel, Jennifer Leavy, Charles Michaelis and Edward Boydell, presents lessons from four large, multi-country realist evaluations of complex interventions conducted by Itad since 2013. It argues that realist evaluation can add value by enhancing the clarity, depth, and portability of findings, helping evaluators deal with context and complexity in pragmatic ways, and providing helpful tools and lenses for implementers to critically appraise their programmes and generate learning. However, novice realist evaluators face a number of potential pitfalls, especially in large-scale evaluations. This paper shares lessons on how Itad has naviga...
Typescript prepared by Lisa Winkler at UNU-WIDER. UNU-WIDER gratefully acknowledges the financial... more Typescript prepared by Lisa Winkler at UNU-WIDER. UNU-WIDER gratefully acknowledges the financial contributions to the research programme from the governments of Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The World Institute for Development Economics Research (WIDER) was established by the United Nations University (UNU) as its first research and training centre and started work in Helsinki, Finland in 1985. The Institute undertakes applied research and policy analysis on structural changes affecting the developing and transitional economies, provides a forum for the advocacy of policies leading to robust, equitable and environmentally sustainable growth, and promotes capacity strengthening and training in the field of economic and social policy-making. Work is carried out by staff researchers and visiting scholars in Helsinki and through networks of collaborating scholars and institutions around the world.
Leavy, J. and Howard, J,. et al (2013) What Matters Most? Evidence from 84 participatory studies with those living with extreme poverty and marginalisation, Participate, Brighton: IDS, 2013
Chapter 1 Development frequently doesn't reach the very poor and most marginalised Chapter 2 Deve... more Chapter 1 Development frequently doesn't reach the very poor and most marginalised Chapter 2 Development that is sustainable requires meaningful participation that leads to strong local ownership Chapter 3 Poverty is increasingly characterised by uncertainty, crisis, conflict, insecurity and volatility Chapter 4 Poor governance reinforces poverty for the poorest and most marginalised Chapter 5 Key findings and recommendations for the post-2015 global development framework Appendix 1 Key messages from People's Experiences of Living in Poverty: Early findings for the High Level Panel Deliberations report Bibliographic references Bibliography-by project Participate is co-convened by the Institute of Development Studies and Beyond 2015, but the initiative is only possible because of the energy, expertise and vision of the numerous organisations who are funding and facilitating the participatory research. Participate is funded by UK aid from the UK Government, however the views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the UK Government's official policies. Readers are encouraged to quote and reproduce material from What Matters Most? Evidence from 84 participatory studies with those living with extreme poverty and marginalisation in their own publications. In return, IDS requests due acknowledgement.
IDS Bulletin, Jan 1, 2008
Reliance on subsistence agriculture means the impact of stresses and shocks (such as droughts or ... more Reliance on subsistence agriculture means the impact of stresses and shocks (such as droughts or floods) are felt keenly by rural poor people, who depend directly on food system outcomes for their survival, with profound implications for
the security of their livelihoods and welfare. However, such stresses and shocks will not necessarily lead to negative impacts, as risks and uncertainties, often associated with seasonality, are embedded in the practice of agriculture and there is considerable experience of coping and risk management strategies among people working in this sector.
With climate change, the magnitude and frequency of stresses and shocks is changing and approaches such as social protection, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) will be needed to bolster local resilience and supplement people’s experience.
This study examines the opportunities for linking social protection, CCA and DRR in the context of agriculture and rural growth, exploring whether linking these three approaches together will help enhance resilience to shocks and stresses in
agriculture-dependent rural communities.
The study does this by
(i) reviewing conceptual and policy-related similarities and differences between the three disciplines, by
(ii) collecting evidence from case studies where climate changeresilient social protection approaches have been trialled and by
(iii) developing an adaptive social protection framework that highlight opportunities better coordination.
This paper suggests social protection and DRR measures designed to limit damages from shocks and stresses may not be sufficient in the longer term. For social protection to be resilient to climate change impacts, it will need to consider
how reducing dependence on climate sensitive livelihood activities can be part of adaptive strategies. Similarly, CCA and DRR cannot effectively address the root causes of poverty and vulnerability without taking a differentiated view of poverty,
something that further integration with social protection can help with.
IDS Working …, Jan 1, 2009
Mid-term review of IFAD’s Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme, 2020
This mid-term review assesses the extent to which the design and results to date of the Adaptatio... more This mid-term review assesses the extent to which the design and results to date of the Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP) are relevant for farmers facing climate change. It considers ASAP’s potential to transform the adaptation support available to farmers via the scaling up of successful approaches, changes to supportive systems, and by encouraging sustainability in support options.