RESEARCH PROJECTS MANAGED
(IDRC - IDRIS DATA BASE)

[Project value: Quoted in Canadian dollars not deflated]

1993 

 

Policies for Sustainable Rural Development (Regional)

After more than 40 years of experiences, rural development processes have not rendered expected results in the Andean region.  This project will produce new knowledge on the problems of integrating social, economic, and agricultural production policies and programs; generate methodological tools; and strengthen existing institutional networks.  The project has been conceived as the first phase of a long term endeavour. Project objectives are to develop a methodology to systematize, compare, and analyse sustainable rural development (SRD) experiences in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru; identify, in selected geographical areas, opportunities for integrated policy-making and implementation, giving especial attention to decentralized initiatives; elaborate methodologies and tools for the design, implementation, and evaluation of integrated policies and programs for SRD; strengthen local research networks in Peru and Bolivia to provide effective policy advice to central and local governments; and promote inter-institutional dialogue and networking activities among institutions in Ecuador.


Communication and Sustainability of Social Policies

This project will examine the role of communication in the social policy delivery process.  It will address a strategic issue for policy integration, accountability, and social participation: how can communication strategies ensure that the needs of people are reflected in and appropriately addressed within a given set of social policies.  The specific objectives are to carry out a survey of the communication of social policies, of institutions working on this subject, of technical resources, and of experiences in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Uruguay, and Peru; a feasibility study for the organization of a regional network addressed to research and policy advice on communication of social policies; and a comparative study of Argentina and Chile to analyse similarities and differences between communication strategies of social policies.  Project participants will also  produce curricula and training materials for the implementation of the communication  component of social policies; a report on the communication of social policies in selected countries of the region; an in‑depth comparative diagnosis on the communication of social policies in Argentina and Chile; a video about experiences of social policy communication; an advisory service capacity in the recipient institutions; and a bank of data and images of media strategies associated to social policies.

 

Social Policies and Non-formal Education in Uruguay

The economic crisis suffered by most countries of Latin America has affected the capacity of the educational system and social programs to provide support to children and adolescents suffering from family disorganization, community life degradation, school failure, and delinquency problems.  As education is a requisite to entry into the labour market, these children and adolescents have no access to minimal conditions for survival and human development, which is reflected in different forms of social violence and decay. Various types of NGOs have attempted to fill the gap and have approached this population from different perspectives.  However, these efforts are usually conducted by highly motivated persons with limited professional expertise who have worked in an isolated way.  This project will aim to up-grade the capacity of non-formal educators and NGOs to provide assistance and social services to children and adolescents at high social risk; and to organize an information service to be available to educators, program operators, and institutions working with them.

 

Municipal Administration and Youth Policies in Peru

In Peru, in spite of initiatives submitted to the Parliament, little has been done in terms of legislation that may encourage promotion of the youth. This project will generate knowledge, methodologies, and an information and policy advice network to upgrade municipal policymaking capacity in the area of youth policies.  Specific objectives are to promote a network of experts, policymakers, and institutions for the discussion, design, and evaluation of youth policies and programs; analyse youth programs implemented by municipal governments; identify the opinions, proposals, and demands of youth leaders in the areas of education, culture, sports, health, employment, and social participation; identify bottlenecks in municipal administration preventing appropriate youth policy implementation; prepare youth policy recommendations for municipal governments; design a methodology for the organization of information and documentation services about youth's problems; and design and test a "Pilot Training Workshop on Youth Policy" for municipal authorities and personnel, and for NGOs working on youth problems.

 

Improving Elementary Education in Bolivia's Andean Region

Bolivia is a multicultural nation.  However, current educational policies do not take into consideration the multicultural reality.  The aim of this project is to improve reading and writing skills in bilingual children attending elementary school through a proposal for an alternative curriculum and a training program for teachers. Specifically, researchers will examine the processes of teaching and learning in the area of reading and writing skills, taking as a study case bilingual aymara children who attend fifth grade; analyse the teaching practices aimed at the development of reading and writing skills currently being used by teachers in different elementary schools; elaborate and test innovative practices with the concurrence of the teachers; develop, implement, and evaluate a training program for teachers based on the new curricular proposal; and set up an information and training network in the area of reading and writing skills for students of pedagogy and teachers throughout the Bolivian Andean Region.