Khanna, Madhulika; Kochhar, Nishtha; Palaniswamy, Nethra, 2015, A Retrospective Impact Evaluation of the Tamil Nadu Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation

2.4 APPROACHES TO ENHANCE LIVELIHOODS, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

2.4.5. Strengthening IE with attention to gender issues

Recommendation: 4) Include in project design attention to women’s empowerment within the household and community. Household and community empowerment can also be the result of economic empowerment but is best specifically stimulated in conjunction with economic empowerment.

Reference: Khanna, Madhulika; Kochhar, Nishtha; Palaniswamy, Nethra, 2015, A Retrospective Impact Evaluation of the Tamil Nadu Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation (Pudhu Vaazhvu) Project, Impact evaluation, The Journal of Development Studies.

Evidence sample: combining women’s economic empowerment with strengthening their empowerment within the household and community can have positive results. The evaluation found strong and significant effects on women’s empowerment both within and outside the household. In particular, it found that women in project areas were more likely to report having a greater say in key intra-household decisions, and to take action on public problems. Women in project areas were more likely to approach the local state, as manifest in the office of the VP president and the Grama Sabha, in order to seek a solution for these problems. In addition, we find strong evidence of increased participation in the deliberative forums of local government. While this increased participation also extends to other households members, the increase is particularly high for women. This result on women’s participation in Grama Sabhas.