Publications

Welcome to Impact

Gender and governance

Impact is an ongoing series of knowledge briefs published by HAI.

These briefs draw on the many and diverse experiences and learnings of our people and programs across the Asia-Pacific region.

Through Impact we strive to seek out, learn from, and share knowledge on a range of issues with our fellow development practitioners, policy makers and partners.

By sharing knowledge and engaging in broader dialogue, we aim to improve the understanding and practice of development, in order to achieve better development impact.

Issue 5, October 2007 - Gendered Evaluation

In this issue of Impact, we present a paper on gender and evaluation by HAI Governance Consultant, Antonia Kaucz. Antonia submitted the paper and delivered an accompanying presentation at the Australasian Evaluation Conference in Melbourne, September 2007.

Issue 4, October 2007 - Valuing unexpected outcomes: a case study of an Indonesia training project

Unexpected, accidental, and serendipitous discoveries have a long history of assisting human society to progress and develop. However in international development, the natural pressures of accountability in development often tend to drive us to rigidly search for outcomes that we expect, rather than taking more open approaches to inquiry, learning and improving. Drawing on a case study of a training project in Indonesia, this brief explores and argues for the value of unexpected outcomes in improving development practice and impact.

Issue 3, March 2007 - Theories of change: a "Tipping Point" for development impact?

In his 2000 book The Tipping Point, author Malcolm Gladwell identified a few small causes that were responsible for rapid, widespread changes. What if we could uncover and harness similar 'drivers of change' to tackle the major challenges of development and poverty before us? How might this be done? This article looks at the growing role of Theories of Change in development practice, their relationship to M&E, and how together they might contribute to greater development impact.

Issue 2, January 2007 - Gender and governance in China - turning the rhetoric into practice

Despite being a critical factor for development impact, translating gender concepts into operational reality remains a difficult task, particularly for a sector such as governance which is perceived to be more "gender neutral" than others. This brief examines how the China Australia Governance Program has worked to meet the challenge of turning the rhetoric on gender equity into effective practice.

Issue 1, January 2007 - Global forum explores why corruption is still blocking the way

In November 2006, HAI Governance Consultant, Jane Ellis participated in the 12th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in Guatemala. The IACC is held biennially and is the leading global forum for knowledge sharing and exchange on anti-corruption policy and practice. This issue of Impact summarises the key messages, discussions and lessons from the 2006 IACC.