Forum Activity for @ian-cunningham

Next ABCD & First Nations Conversation

ABCD and Indigenous Communities/First Nations

Thanks for organising this/us = ) I'd love to join. I've sent you an email.

What does Community Led Disaster Planning look like?

ABCD and Disaster/Emergency Management

Thanks for starting this thread Michelle. I'm not personally involved but also interested to hear what's happening in this space. I really enjoyed this journal article re: some work by FEMA in the USA. The file is attached and abstract is below.

Whole Community Resilience - An Asset-Based Approach to Enhancing Adaptive Capacity Before a Disruption

Robert C. Freitag, Daniel B. Abramson, Manish Chalana, and Maximilian Dixon 2015

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Conventional hazard mitigation and pre-disaster recovery planning processes typically begin with hazard scenarios that illustrate probable events and analyze their impacts on the built environment. The processes conclude with responses to the hypothetical disruption that focus on “hardening” buildings or structures or removing them from threatened areas. These approaches understate the importance of natural and social sources of adaptive capacity. Three “proof-ofprinciple” exercises designed to strengthen the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Risk MAP (Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning) process in Washington State suggest how better to conduct hazard mitigation and recovery planning. Each begins with workshops where stakeholders identify built, natural, and social assets that contribute to human wellbeing (HWB) before introducing earthquake scenarios that affect HWB. Participants then identify assets that could facilitate adaptation to changed circumstances (a “new normal”). Participants discuss how these assets would achieve the goals of comprehensive community planning as well as hazard mitigation and recovery from disaster. Neighborhood- scale social organization emerges as an actually occurs can enlarge the menu of mitigation strategies. Planning for adaptation can also help communities achieve many non-risk-related objectives.

Frameworks for capturing impacts of ABCD

Tips, Tools, Strategies, and Technology

Thanks for the responses so far

@dee-brooks I've dropped you an email.

@graeme-stuart thanks for the links. I have read Ennis and West, it's great (and useful). I'll take a look at the other one too and scan your reading list.

updated by @ian-cunningham: 11/05/17 05:22:06PM

Frameworks for capturing impacts of ABCD

Tips, Tools, Strategies, and Technology

Hello,

[possibly belongs under the evaluation thread but I've left it as a 'tool' for now]

Possibly one for those who have led evaluations of ABCD programs in the past - I'm interested in frameworks you may have used to capture changes from ABCD programs.

I have been working on an ABCD project in rural Malawi, they did an amazing job of citizen-led M&E throughout the project, and the mid-term and final review took a deeply participatory approach too. However, the findings in written reports tended to focus mainly on tangible outcomes (things easier to touch, feel, measure). Other aspects like changes in attitudes (psychological assets as described by some) were included in reporting, but less so.

Hence, I'm keen to know of any well-being or similar frameworks you have found useful to assess or reflect on change?

There are TONNNES of well-being frameworks out there, we used a slightly modified version of the "Well-being in development" framework from Well-being in Developing Countries Research. Their framework classifies well-being as deeply rooted in relationships, with relational, material and subjective perceptions of well-being co-existing and linking with each other. A summary of the dimensions of well-being they use are outlined below

---

1. Relational

a) social ie. social relations, collective action and access to public goods (relationship to the state)

b) human ie. capabilities, attitudes, personal relationships

2. Material. ie. $ earned, employment, livelihood activities etc

3. Subjective

ie. mediated by:

a) values, ideologies and beliefs

b) perceptions of material and relational well-being

---

We tweeked this to make it more aligned with the ABCD approach and reflective of change - we asked questions of citizens of their experience of  attitudinal, relational and tangible changes. Using this as a framework helped illicit a different (complementary) story than previous evaluations. I'd be happy to share findings once it's finalised/published.

Meanwhile, I'm interested in your experience in using anything similar (or different) either as a reflective tool for participants during the process of ABCD or in evaluations. I note Coady have a useful paper on this topic you can access via here.

updated by @ian-cunningham: 11/05/17 05:17:11PM

Do attitude changes using ABCD last?

Data, Evaluation, and Research

The Lao story is excellent! Very powerful example....

Do attitude changes using ABCD last?

Data, Evaluation, and Research

Hi Dee,

I've tried to connect with Alison a few times, no luck yet! I'll email you about Gord, that would be great.

Ian

Do attitude changes using ABCD last?

Data, Evaluation, and Research

I am really enjoying the discussion and thanks for your lengthy and very interesting reply David, I'll check out those references.

Just to clarify to both John and David I wasn't suggesting that ABCD is about experts getting community to do what they want. As you suggested David that is the 'wrongness' associated with many International Development projects and will form a big part of my PhD.

I wanted to revisit the point on attitude changes through ABCD. Perhaps it is a language issue (what I call an attitude), but when I have used ABCD approaches for myself and seen them in action they bring hope and possibility (attitudes) and action too of course. I would call this "hope" an attitude change that is part of ABCD and is part of a community moving towards their aspirations (the action component).

I've read some interesting evaluations/thesis which focus on attitudes of defeatedness and neediness, one of the negative legacies propagated by "Development" work as you highlighted David. And ABCD has been used to turn those attitudes around at least initially and resulted in an organised community that gets things done". I would see attitude change as part of the theory of change of ABCD.

Thoughts?

Do attitude changes using ABCD last?

Data, Evaluation, and Research

Hi John

Many thanks for your reply, useful and thought provoking.

I am still pondering your first point, I'll reply to that later.

On the second point. I have my own (not very positive) thoughts on the restricted access of academic literature. I understand the contradiction between an expert model vs the philosophy of ABCD. There is some (but very useful) literature out there including Alison Mathie's write up of anhttp://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09614524.2014.899560#.Vw7Pr0aUYiM" target="_blank">evaluation that was completed by the community in question. It's a great article but one of the few that is around in journals.

There seems to be minimal critical review or ABCD or analysis. I have advocated for the approach and use ABCD a lot, train others in it.... but find there is a level of reflection in how or why the process is working (or when it has not) that is not documented. At least I haven't found much on it!

Regards,

Ian

Do attitude changes using ABCD last?

Data, Evaluation, and Research

My first posting and a possibly provocative discussion question.

I am in the process of PhD research focusing on ABCD particularly in the context of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects in emerging nations in particular. The WASH sector is quite self-reflective and constantly grappling with how to make change stick. Albeit often looking to technology, process etc rather than a human focus.

My 'lens' at the moment for looking at ABCD mainly revolves around power, how ABCD process is both a standpoint from which power is 'awakened/revealed' in us from which point action/change happens.

There is plenty of excellent practice based tools and manuals on ABCD although there is frustratingly little peer reviewed literature. Amongst the practice material and some of the academic material there are many inspiring case studies of change, innovation, enterprise etc that has come from ABCD. I am interested in research that examines how changes facilitated by ABCD lasts (or not). Do attitudinal changes sustain and continue to support existing and new outcomes in other areas 5 years later, 10 years later etc? Do the "I can" attitudes nurtured by facilitators continue?

How does the shift in power translate to other changes in well-being longer term?

Case studies are useful but for the purpose of the PhD at least some peer reviewed literature is also needed.

updated by @ian-cunningham: 10/24/16 05:49:29PM

Evaluating Relationships with Community Partners

ABCD and Institutions (Universities, Hospitals, Government, Libraries, NGOs, etc.)

Hi Teryn,

I'd be interested in your findings on evaluating relationship health if you're able to share here or offline.

Regards,

Ian