Power in the Pandemic

We speak to the Tax Justice Network's Alex Cobham about his upcoming book "The Uncounted", which gives an insight into the politics of counting. Franziska Mager from Oxfam GB, also joins us to give her perspective as a researcher on inequality.We discuss who's missing from the stats at the very bottom and the very top of society, and how those with power control who gets counted.Find out more about the book: http://politybooks.com/bookdetail/?isbn=9781509536016

In this episode we share Oxfam's journey in measuring women's empowerment in our impact evaluations. Our Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Lead, Marina Torre, speaks to Simone Lombardini, Oxfam's Impact Evaluation Lead, who has been working in this area of work. Simone delves into the details on what methodologies have been used, the challenges the team has faced and what we have learnt.

See below to access to the many references made in the episode:

• Oxfam’s effectiveness reviews and how they are carried out)
• OPHI and IFPRI’s Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (IFPRI’s resources)Still learning: a critical reflection on three years of measuring women’s empowerment in Oxfam (Journal of Gender and Development, 2013)
• ODI’s Review of evaluation approaches and methods used by interventions on women and girl’s economic empowerment (report, launching event)
• ‘How To’ Guide to Measuring Women’s Empowerment: Sharing experience from Oxfam’s impact evaluations Measuring women’s empowerment so that it reflects perceptions and opinions of all women involved into the study. Pilot PIWE in Tunisia (report, blog)
• Oxfam’s We-CARE and Household Care Survey
  Real-Geek blog: Comparing questionnaire designs
•  Rachel Glennerster and Claire Walsh’s blog – Is it time to rethink how we measure  women’s household decision-making power in impact evaluations? J-PAL’s Practical Guide to Measuring Women’s and Girl’s Empowerment in Impact Evaluations
• Amber Peterman and Tia Palermo’s blog – Measuring taboo topics: List randomization for research and gender-based violence
• Using internal evaluations to measure organisational impact: a meta-analysis of Oxfam’s women’s empowerment projects (journal article, report, blog)

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Providing accessible, safe, sustainable water and sanitation services to everyone on the planet is one of the most critical development challenges we face. This podcast focuses on how smart technology is being used in Kenya and the work that Oxfam and Diaspora AI are doing in the informal settlements of Nairobi. It showcases how it can ensure a more consistent and continuous water supply, and provides evidence to help hold services providers to account. Irene Gai, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Strategist from Oxfam Kenya will describe how the project came about using smart sensors in tanks and how this can work in a range of settings to advance greater interaction between systems, technology and accountability even in the most challenging of contexts. Photo: Fetching water at a water ATM in Kayole, Nairobi, Kenya, 2017. Credit: Allan Gichigi/Oxfam/Oxfam

This podcast focuses on the alternative models we used to boost the profitability and sustainability of rural water supply schemes in Nepal. We speak to Anjil Adhikari who is an Innovation Advisor working for Oxfam on water sanitation and hygiene, and Jessica Graf who is Managing Director of LeFil Consulting. They talk about how they worked together to demonstrate that better water service delivery is possible.

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Angela Picciariello from Oxfam GB's Research Team and Susanna Griffiths from Oxfam's Policy and Practice Team, discuss the book 'The Rise of Meritocracy' by Michael Dunlop Young.
Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/russelldavies/671323188

Featuring:Catherine Nyambura, FEMNETEsther Moraes and Vinita Sahasranaman, The YP FoundationGopika Bashi, Lucia Martelotte, Boikanyo Modungwa, Euge Olmos, FRIDA/Young Feminist FundNicci Morgan, Programme Adviser – Youth, Gender & Active Citizenship, Oxfamand introduced by Caroline Sweetman, Editor of Gender & Development

Picture attribution: ADB/Flickr

This is a recording of the recent webinar launch of the Gender & Development Journal's latest issue on gender and ICTs. It features:Sara Baker of Take Back the Tech! Dhanaraj Thakur from the Alliance for Affordable Internet, an initiative of the Web Foundation Divya Titus #IWillGoOut Campaign, social activist and gender consultant Introduced by Caroline Sweetman, Editor of G&D Moderated by Amy O’Donnell, Digital Specialist at Oxfam, Board member of anti-harrassment charity Hollaback! and co-editor of our ICTs issue.
 Find out more about the Gender & Development Journal: http://www.genderanddevelopment.org

Picture attribution: Asian Development Bank/Creative Commons

As part of the response to the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh, Oxfam has been supporting the implementation of water and sanitation infrastructure in the refugee camps. The huge influx of people, challenging environmental factors and the small space have led to innovate approaches being taken to address the quantities of faecal sludge needing treatment. In this podcast Oxfam’s John Allen and Salahuddin Ahmmed discuss what approaches are being used and how current innovations have overcome the challenges faced there.Photo: An Oxfam latrine used by four families in Unchiprang camp for Rohingya refugees, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

 Credit: Kelsey-Rae Taylor/Oxfam

This podcast focuses on the role of philanthropy in development, and shares the learning from a recent loan agreement made to Oxfam, which is considered ground-breaking for the sector. We speak to Talal Shakerchi, the head of Meditor Trust who gave the loan, and Bridie Layden from Oxfam GB’s Philanthropy & Partnerships team, who coordinated the process. They talk to us about how it worked, the challenges they faced and what the expectations are from the agreement.

Oxfam's head of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) discusses how the sector is innovating to address the needs of those Oxfam supports in humanitarian situations. The podcast discusses adapting to changing priorities, new approaches we can use in emergencies and where the sector is headed due to better coordination and communication of approaches.

Photo credit: Tommy Trenchard / Oxfam