In this podcast Oxfam researchers Franziska Mager and Deborah Hardoon review Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O’Neil, a book which describes the way that big data is being used to affect every aspect of our lives, leading to bias which increases inequality and threatens democracy.
Questioning the use of biometric technology in humanitarian response
Anna Kondakhchyan shares the findings of new research, Biometrics in the Humanitarian Sector, which looks into the benefits and risks of using biometric technology to register people to receive humanitarian aid. How would you feel if refusal to submit your biometric data meant you were excluded from the provision of humanitarian assistance? Biometrics, the measurement of human characteristics through technology such …
Follow the money: calculating net aid flows
What percentage of aid reaches the intended recipient country? Our methodology tool can be used to calculate this, but more aid data transparency is needed. Aid data transparency just got a major boost from the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Its new policy document, ‘Open aid, open societies: A vision for a transparent world’ reaffirms the agency’s requirement that …
Would you care more about inequality, if you understood the scale of it?
This podcast looks at people’s perceptions of inequality, what they care about and what they want done about it. Taken from research commissioned for Oxfam by Christopher Hoy at the Australia National University, we give an insight into how this data can be used for campaigning work. As part of Oxfam’s release of Reward Work, Not Wealth for the World Economic …
Findings from a meta-analysis of women’s empowerment projects
What overall impact are Oxfam’s women’s empowerment projects having? Simone Lombardini and Kristen McCollum attempted to answer this question by conducting a meta-analysis of our effectiveness review evaluations. Here Simone shares the key findings. After over six years conducting impact evaluations of women’s empowerment projects, I am very pleased to share our lessons from a recent meta analysis. ‘Using internal …
Using geographic information systems in humanitarian response
Laura Eldon reflects on the potential of geographic information systems to help humanitarians, and introduces case studies from South Sudan and Tanzania. When a conflict or disaster strikes Oxfam responds rapidly to protect and save lives. To do this effectively we need to understand where the greatest needs are, plan and monitor our response activities, and coordinate with other actors …
Agile research in the risky realities of the Central African Republic
Conducting research in volatile locations like the Central African Republic (CAR) requires the agility to constantly adapt. Irene Guijt and Franziska Mager report back from a recent trip with unexpected twists and turns. Conducting research in a country like the Central African Republic with chronic conflict – and around half a million internally displaced people (1/8th of the national population!) …
Matching by Coarsened Exact Matching?
Marcella Vigneri introduces a new technique for matching data as part of the programme impact evaluation process. REAL GEEK This blog series is aimed at anyone with an interest in research, evaluation and adaptive learning. Global Impact Evaluation Advisers routinely face the challenge of how to re-create samples of units (be it individuals, families, farmers, or group members) with the …
