Practice 04 / Economic & development research

Social Protection, Livelihoods and Inclusion

Policies and programmes work differently across households, workers and social groups. IDER studies poverty, social protection, labour markets, livelihoods and inclusion to help clients understand needs and the barriers people face. We examine access, vulnerability and economic participation, paying attention to gender, age, disability and local context, so that policy and programme decisions reflect the experiences and circumstances of the populations they intend to serve.

The decision challenge

Broad population averages can hide exclusion, insecure livelihoods and differences in access to services or opportunities. Decision-makers need evidence on who is being reached, which needs remain unmet and how programme design or delivery may create unintended barriers for particular groups.

Questions we help you answer

  • Which households or groups face the greatest economic vulnerability and access barriers?
  • How do employment, livelihoods and programme access differ across relevant groups?
  • What changes could improve targeting, inclusion and practical programme delivery?

What the research covers

Social protection and poverty researchPoverty and vulnerability assessmentLabour markets and livelihoods researchEmployment and economic participation studiesGender, youth and social inclusion researchHousehold socioeconomic surveysProgramme targeting and access studiesSocial-assistance implementation researchLivelihoods and resilience assessmentDistributional and subgroup analysis

How we build the evidence

  • Household and individual surveys with a sampling approach suited to the population
  • Qualitative interviews and group discussions designed for inclusive participation
  • Analysis of poverty, employment, vulnerability and access indicators
  • Programme-document and administrative-data review with relevant stakeholder consultation

Decision-ready deliverables

01

Socioeconomic research report on needs, access and population differences

02

Disaggregated indicator tables with clear definitions and sampling limitations

03

Recommendations for targeting, inclusion and programme delivery

04

Policy brief and accessible stakeholder dissemination materials

What this enables you to decide

Design more relevant social protection and livelihoods responses, improve programme access and identify groups requiring closer attention. Evidence supports choices about targeting, service delivery and inclusion, while making distributional differences and the limits of available information explicit.

Quality and interpretation

Research design considers informed consent, privacy and the circumstances of potentially vulnerable participants. Instruments are reviewed and piloted, subgroup analysis is proportionate to sample support, and interpretation avoids treating associations or participant perceptions as established causal effects.

Delivery, dissemination and use

Ghana is the operational base. Other country delivery is assessed against the required scope, expert capacity and local arrangements. Findings can be shared through technical reports, executive briefs, stakeholder workshops and programme learning sessions, with participant confidentiality and agreed publication permissions.

Related research services

Evidence into action

Discuss a social protection, livelihoods and inclusion assignment.

Discuss the questions, methods, expertise, timeframe and deliverables your decision needs.