ABSTRACT
What is COVID-19's impact on development? What lessons can be drawn from development studies regarding the effects of and recovery from COVID-19? The unprecedented scale and scope of government interventions carry implications at all levels: global, national, and local. In this introduction, our team of Editors underline the importance of systematic substantive study to further knowledge acquisition, and rigorous global-, national-, or context-specific evaluation to inform evidence-based policymaking. The 12 articles summarised here capture these values and sense of "high quality". In particular, despite early considerations in the first year of the pandemic, they illuminate the need for diverse responses beyond business-as-usual, attention to the multiplicity of impact of policies formulated, and progressive strategies to counteract the impacts of this disaster around the world. The path of future research is clear: studies need to consider and give voice to marginalised groups to counteract the short- and long-term impacts of the pandemic.
Quel est l'impact de la COVID-19 sur le développement international ? Quelles leçons pouvons-nous tirer des études de développement concernant les effets de la COVID-19, et du redressement après son passage ? L'ampleur et la portée sans precedent des interventions gouvernementales comportent des conséquences à tous niveaux: mondial, national, et local. Dans cette introduction, notre équipe éditoriale souligne l'importance des études à la fois systématiques et substantielles, afin d'élargir l'acquisition de connaissances; ainsi que des évaluations rigoureuses au niveau mondial, national, ou spécifiques au contexte, ayant pour but d'informer une politique des décisions basée sur l'évidence. Les 12 articles résumés ici présentent ces valeurs et ce sentiment de « haute qualité¼. En particulier, malgré des considérations précoces pendant la première année de cette pandémie, les articles soulèvent la nécessité de réponses diversifiées, bien au-delà des démarches jusqu' ici habituelles (en anglais, « business as usual¼), l'importance de prêter attention à la multiplicité d'impacts des politiques formulées, et le besoin de stratégies progressistes, pour faire face aux impacts de cette catastrophe partout dans le monde. Le chemin à prendre pour les recherches futures est clair: les études doivent considérer et donner une voix aux groupes marginalisés, pour faire face aux impacts à court et longue terme de la pandémie.
ABSTRACT
Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy, introduced in 2017, is an ambitious and forward-thinking policy focussed on gender equality and women's empowerment. The emphasis on a feminist vision, however, raises questions about how feminism is defined and interpreted by Canada's partners in the Global South. In this article, we examine the interpretations of feminism(s) and a feminist foreign policy from the perspective of NGO staff members in East and Southern Africa. The research involved interviews with 45 Global South partner country NGO staff members in three countries (Kenya, Uganda, and Malawi). We consider the partner organization reflections on Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy using a transnational feminist lens. Our findings provide insights into future considerations for Canada's feminist foreign policy priorities, consultations, and programme design.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The demand for international volunteer experiences to promote global health and nutrition is increasing and numerous studies have documented the experiences of the international volunteers who travel abroad; however, little is known about effective practices from the perspective of partner organizations. This study aims to understand how variables such as the skill-level of volunteers, the duration of service, cultural and language training, and other key variables affect partner organizations' perceptions of volunteer effectiveness at promoting healthcare and nutrition. METHOD: This study used a cross-sectional design to survey a convenience sample of 288 volunteer partner organizations located in 68 countries. Principle components analyses and manual coding of cases resulted in a categorization of five generalized types of international volunteering. Differences among these types were compared by the duration of service, skill-level of volunteers, and the volunteers' perceived fit with organizational needs. In addition, a multivariate ordinary least square regression tested associations between nine different characteristics/activities and the volunteers' perceived effectiveness at promoting healthcare and nutrition. RESULTS: Partner organizations viewed highly-skilled volunteers serving for a short-term abroad as the most effective at promoting healthcare and nutrition in their organizations, followed by slightly less-skilled long-term volunteers. The greatest amount of variance in perceived effectiveness was volunteers' ability to speak the local language, followed by their skill level and the duration of service abroad. In addition, volunteer training in community development principles and practices was significantly related to perceived effectiveness. CONCLUSION: The perceptions of effective healthcare promotion identified by partner organizations suggest that program and volunteer characteristics need to be carefully considered when deciding on methods of volunteer preparation and engagement. By better integrating evidence-based practices into their program models, international volunteer cooperation organizations can greatly strengthen their efforts to promote more effective and valuable healthcare and nutrition interventions in partner communities.
