Qualitative Research on the Impacts of Social Protection Programmes on Decent Rural Employment: A Research Guide

Terry Roopnaraine, Pamela Pozarny, and Elisenda Estruch

ABSTRACT

The Social Protection and Decent Rural Employment research programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has grown out of the Social Protection Division’s research platform, “From Protection to Production”. The research seeks to gain a better understanding of how social protection policies and programmes can affect – and be improved to enhance impacts upon – decent rural employment. Two case studies will analyse the impact of social protection programmes on decent rural employment, considering in particular the impacts of cash transfer programmes on employment dimensions, including labour allocation, employment creation, decent working conditions, migration patterns and child labour reduction. Based on previous experience through the From Protection to Production (PtoP) programme, the case studies use a mixed-method approach that combines qualitative and quantitative methods. To achieve comparability and enable cross-country analysis, the research methods are implemented systematically across countries. This Qualitative Research Guide describes in detail the sequencing, timing and methodology of the research process to be implemented in each country of study: training; fieldwork preparation; a simple and clear fieldwork roadmap; the theory of change hypotheses for the studies; guiding questions and research tools. The Guide will be used for conducting qualitative research as part of this programme and will also serve as a basis for future FAO research in social protection and decent rural employment.