Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2009. / Open access. Includes bibliographical references (p. 170-182). Print copy also available.

Yes

This study aimed to examine the implementation of the Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) in the project “Improved WASH Services in WAU and WAR Districts”, focusing on sustainable water and sanitation in Sierra Leone. Through a content analysis of the project evaluation report, the integration of HRBA principles in planning, implementation and results was examined. The results showed that HRBA was applied to some extent in the project, in particular by involving local people in decision-making and emphasizing their rights to water and sanitation. This inclusive methodology increased participation and ownership among the communities. However, it also identified challenges, such as a lack of resources and training, which hindered a more complete integration of HRBA. The analysis highlighted the importance of continuing to work on strengthening HRBA in development projects and addressing the challenges that hinder its effective application. Despite progress in promoting human rights through HRBA, there is still a need to overcome obstacles that can undermine its effectiveness. The conclusion highlighted that HRBA has the potential to be a powerful method for advancing human rights in development, but that its success depends on careful mainstreaming and monitoring. / Denna studie syftade till att undersöka implementeringen av Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) i projektet "Improved WASH Services in WAU and WAR Districts", med fokus på hållbar vatten och sanitet i Sierra Leone. Genom en innehållsanalys av utvärderingsrapporten för projektet granskades integrationen av HRBA-principer i planering, genomförande och resultat. Resultaten visade att HRBA tillämpades i viss utsträckning i projektet, särskilt genom att involvera lokalbefolkningen i beslutsfattandet och betona deras rättigheter till vatten och sanitet. Denna inkluderande metodik ökade deltagandet och äganderätten bland gemenskaperna. Dock identifierades också utmaningar, såsom bristande resurser och utbildning, som hindrade en mer fullständig integration av HRBA. Analysen betonade vikten av att fortsätta arbeta med att stärka HRBA i utvecklingsprojekt och adressera de utmaningar som hindrar dess effektiva tillämpning. Trots framsteg i att främja mänskliga rättigheter genom HRBA, finns det fortfarande behov av att övervinna hinder som kan underminera dess effektivitet. Slutsatsen framhävde att HRBA har potential att vara en kraftfull metod för att främja mänskliga rättigheter i utvecklingsarbetet, men att dess framgång är beroende av en noggrann integrering och övervakning.

This thesis is an exploratory study of the ‘expression of values’ within development organisations. I consider the value-bases of the economic and humanist paradigms of development, the nature of values and their relation to both organisational and personal positions, and how these impact on non-governmental development organisations (NGDOs). The expression of development values is embedded in theory, in practice modalities, in organisational structure and function, and in personal beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. Development values are also inherent in statements of an organisation’s vision and mission. More often than not these values are implicit, and do not always match with the organisation’s operations. In the course of this exploration I draw on the broad history of development paradigms, the influences of moral philosophy, and the evolution of NGDOs. I acknowledge the complexity of ‘development’, evident in the multiplicity of players and the multi-disciplinary nature of development in practice. A case-study of Oxfam New Zealand illustrates the significance of values and their relevance to operational functioning. My research methodology involved open-ended questionnaire techniques and analysis of secondary resources drawn from Oxfam publications. Analysis of findings reveals an interdependence between words and their meanings and the interpretation of both organisational and personal values. When the results of the case-study are aligned with the literature, my conclusions make a case for stronger articulation of values as an important future role and function of NGDOs, including Oxfam New Zealand. Values represent the why of development that shapes the how of development practice, and thus explicit values can enhance organisational strength and power.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T18:27:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo7783_1.pdf: 1416175 bytes, checksum: 94e2e131d5095dbd660d8dadaea94a55 (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Analisa-se o Programa de Mobilização de Recursos (PMR) desenvolvido pela Oxfam Grã-Bretanha, de forma pioneira e inédita no Brasil, desde 1999. Para tanto, investigou-se como o PMR contribui para que haja fortalecimento institucional e geração de capital social entre as Organizações da Sociedade Civil (OSC s) do País. O estudo mostra que a Oxfam elaborou um programa de cooperação internacional, cuja linha temática e programática de parceria focaliza a mobilização de recursos, o desenvolvimento institucional e a sustentabilidade dessas organizações. O público alvo da Oxfam é constituído tanto por indivíduos como por organizações do setor privado, para quem é direcionada sua ação, visando a promover: (a) conhecimento das causas e conseqüências dos problemas sociais; (b) engajamento de todos no apoio das causas e missões das OSC s; e (c) mobilização de recursos no nível local. Como levantar recursos públicos e gerar recursos próprios veio em um segundo momento a fazer parte deste programa. No trabalho, foram estudadas as organizações parceiras integrantes do núcleo central do PMR, a saber: ASSEMA; AQCC; IBASE; Escola Pernambucana de Circo; e Ação Educativa. Outras três organizações foram também estudadas, duas por serem disseminadoras de experiências e conhecimento sobre o tema mobilização de recursos: ASHOKA e Aliança Interage. Já a terceira, a ABONG, foi escolhida por trazer ao programa o contexto do seu campo político de atuação. O trabalho delimitou o perfil institucional das OSC s parceiras do PMR, estabelecendo relação com as fontes e manifestações de capital social que emergiram nesse processo. Como estratégia de pesquisa, adotou-se o estudo de caso, utilizando-se abordagem qualitativa com referência cruzada dos dados coletados, ou seja, roteiro de pesquisa aplicado durante uma oficina com o grupo de pessoas responsáveis pelo PMR nas organizações parceiras, análise das falas obtidas por meio de entrevistas abertas e análise documental. Como resultado se constatou que: (a) a diversidade é o ponto forte do perfil das organizações parceiras do PMR, sendo a mesma responsável pelo elevado grau de troca de experiências; (b) as organizações parceiras do PMR comungam valores e práticas que demonstram seu comprometimento para com o processo de democratização da sociedade brasileira; (c) existem muitos pontos e desejos em comum no discurso e na prática das organizações parceiras, quando o assunto é mobilização de recursos para sustentabilidade dessas organizações; (d) são muitas as contribuições do PMR para o processo de fortalecimento e desenvolvimento institucional das organizações parceiras, mesmo sem haver relação direta com a geração de capital social no PMR; (e) apesar de terem sido identificadas várias fontes e manifestações de capital social, o PMR não se propõe a ser um fomentador de capital social e sim a contribuir para o fortalecimento da sociedade civil organizada, a partir da formação de bases sociais de apoio local. Assim, espera-se ter colaborado para com o trabalho da Oxfam na construção de uma sociedade que apóie política e financeiramente as OSC s brasileiras

This paper attempts to explore issues related to right to information (RTI) and RTI laws, in the context of local governance. The paper focuses on four case studies¿namely, India, Indonesia, Uganda, and Nicaragua¿to highlight some of the complexities in campaigning for RTI laws and in implementing them. Based on these, a framework is developed as a tool to map alternative approaches to making local governance more effective and accountable. At present, there are two schools of thought: one focusing on supply-led or state-led mechanisms such as public expenditure tracking surveys, and the other focusing on a human rights-based approach with RTI law at its centre. The framework developed here suggests that these alternative approaches need not be considered mutually exclusive approaches but can be seen in terms of Dreze and Sen¿s argument of democratic institutions and democratic practice. Thus, activists can choose approaches that best suit a context at a given point in time as intermediate steps in the journey towards developing just and inclusive institutions.

The thesis presents an evaluation of the Facebook page of the Italian non-profit organization Oxfam Italia from November 2013 to March 2014. The research’s aim is to analyze the community which follows the organization, how this community interacts with it and how the moderators of the page communicate with its followers. The research aims also to find ways to increase Oxfam Italia’s performance on Facebook. The theoretical framework focuses on non-profit marketing and its peculiarities, Social Media Marketing and notions such as engagement and brand community. The methods used in the research consist in data mining and content analysis. Data have been gathered from Facebook Insights and through the issuing of FQL queries from the Facebook Graph API. The research found out that Oxfam has more female followers than male (62% vs 36,5%), the age range of them is 25-44 years. Oxfam’s presence, in particular, is very rooted in the region of Tuscany (where its headquarter is). Facebook followers showed a very good attitude toward the organization, even though criticisms are common, and Oxfam used its social media presence mainly to update the followers concerning ongoing activities and to urge to on-line activism. The users’ favourite engagement method was “liking” photographic contents.

The topic of sexual misconduct in the aid sector is not new. However, since it was revealed that Oxfam GB had staff who committed sexual misconduct in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and women spoke about the issue of SEAH under the #AidToo, the topic has been brought to life again. The purpose of this thesis is to make an attempt on how organizations in the aid sector can strengthen approaches to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct. The study sheds light on the problem of how few aid workers are held accountable when they have been discovered of committing sexual misconduct. This is a qualitative case study with focus on Oxfam GB.  The findings presents various areas in which Oxfam GB can strengthen their approaches to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct. To increase knowledge about SEAH, to develop guidelines and methods for how the management could respond when cases of SEAH occur. Reporting mechanisms have an important function to be able to detect cases of sexual misconduct. Furthermore, there needs to be greater focus on the individuals who have been exposed to some form of SEAH. The study further indicates a gap on these approaches to prevent and respond with regards to the legal aspect.

While both localisation and gender were major topics at the World Humanitarian Summit of 2016, they have largely been considered in isolation. Yet, the underlying issue in both cases are power inequalities, which this research seeks to highlight through an intersectional feminist perspective. Based on a qualitative case study on Oxfam Canada, this research thus aims to understand how social locations based on gender and their intersections with other social locations are integrated into Oxfam Canada’s discussions around a feminist approach to localisation. Based on a thematic analysis, this paper evaluates the main proposition that Oxfam Canada’s feminist approach to localisation is largely based on a conceptualisation of gender as a binary and as an isolated category. This was largely confirmed by the empirical findings that revealed that Oxfam Canada’s focus clearly lies on “local” (presumably cis-gender heterosexual) women. Nevertheless, the empirical analysis also showed burgeoning aspects of intersectional feminist perspectives such as the focus on power analyses that at times span across different levels (i.e. household, community, societal, and global), their emphasis on the importance of acknowledging their own positionality, as well as their commitments to coherence between their objectives and ways of working.

Influencée par la critique postmoderne et les études postcoloniales, cette recherche exploratoire invite à une réflexion sur le rôle et la place des ONG comme acteurs du développement des « pays du Sud », dans un monde de plus en plus globalisé. Les données empiriques, d’une part, récoltées suite à une enquête ethnographique au sein du siège social de l’une des ONG les plus influente de Montréal, Oxfam-Québec, et les données théoriques interdisciplinaires, d’autre part, ont permis une analyse en deux temps. Premièrement, il s’agit de comprendre le fonctionnement interne de ces puissantes ONG ainsi que leurs liens avec l’État et les marchés. La seconde partie sera consacrée à l’analyse de la mission de développement ainsi que la constitution du pouvoir et de la légitimité grandissante sur la scène politique mondiale de ces ONG transnationales. / Influenced by postmodern critique and postcolonial studies, this exploratory research invites to think the role and place of NGOs as actors in the development of “countries of the South”, in a more global world. Empirical data were collected through an ethnographic research conducted in one of the most influential NGOs in Montreal, Oxfam-Quebec, and from interdisciplinary theoretical data, both sources leading a two phase approach. First, the thesis highlights the need to understand the internal mechanisms of those powerful NGOs and their link with State and markets. The second part will be dedicated to the analysis of the development mission together with their growing importance on the international political level.