Completed research

INTRAC has a long and rich history of research into development topics. Below are just a few examples of research projects that we have undertaken. Papers and reports from our research are available to download from the resources database.

Working with faith-based organisations

Many years experience with faith-based organisations (FBOs) has given INTRAC some insight into the particular advantages and challenges facing FBOs in development. We are interested in how a faith identity permeates an organisation’s external programmes, its relationships with other stakeholders and also internal organisational behaviour. We have undertaken training and consultancy work with a wide diversity of FBOs such as: Islamic Relief, World Vision, Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, Norwegian Church Aid, DanChurchAid, Tearfund, and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

Security and development

Counter-terrorism laws and measures (CTMs) are having serious implications for civil society and are affecting the scope for activities associated with active citizenship. NGOs are a particular target of concern for security services and insecure governments, due to their role in the transfer of resources and their outreach to the poor and disaffected. The discourse on terror has influenced thinking among Western donors, causing many non-state actors to be viewed as potential threats to global security.

Migration and development

Katie Wright, a senior researcher at INTRAC, won an ESRC grant to examine how wellbeing is socially and culturally constructed across spatial boundaries. This was investigated through the lens of migration. This research was linked to the Wellbeing in Developing Countries Research Group at the University of Bath.

INTRAC researchers have also undertaken research on the confluence of remittances and official aid.

NGOs and social movements

INTRAC was awarded a grant by the Economic and Social Research Council for an 18-month research project (2005-07) on 'INGO Engagement with Indigenous Social Movements in the Peruvian Amazon'. The research project involved fieldwork in Peru with the Machiguenga organisation, COMARU.

CSO involvement in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers in Central Asia

This research concerned the perceived sidelining of civil society in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). In 2004, INTRAC assessed the participation of CSOs in the Kyrgyz PRSP process through a series of workshops funded by the Central Asia Programme. The skills from these workshops enable these organisations to critically assess their involvement in the PRSP in Kyrgyzstan. The workshops laid the foundations for future projects that seek to develop the involvement of NGOs and CSOs in the PRSP process.  

Experiences using the Logframe

INTRAC completed a review of the experiences of international NGOs of using the Logical Framework Approach (LFA), commissioned by Sida. The research found that while many NGOs use the LFA, many are unhappy with it and see it as an imposition from donors. The paper suggests that a major problem with the LFA is its insistence on stakeholders reaching consensus on the overall plan for the whole project. Instead, it may be more useful to focus on stakeholders agreeing only on the goal and initial activities. The emphasis should then be on monitoring the impacts of the work, and changing direction accordingly.

Rights-based approaches

The rights-based approach (RBA) to development has identified the failure of the international community to recognise and uphold people’s human rights as the core problem of development. INTRAC’s research looked at how different Northern NGOs interpret RBA and focused on the particular challenges individual international NGOs face when translating rights policies into operational reality.  

NGO partnerships

This research analysed and compared the views and operational practices of European NGOs towards partnerships. Phase two of the research assessed the concept of partnership from a Southern perspective, with case studies in three contrasting countries: Brazil, Cambodia and Tanzania. It explored to what extent North-South partnerships strengthen civil society and enhance horizontal linkages. It also sought to identify innovative forms of partnership as alternatives to traditional ‘donor-recipient’ funding-based models between Northern and Southern NGOs.

Building capacity to strengthen participation in Ethiopia

INTRAC completed research with the World Bank in Ethiopia on building capacity to strengthen the participation of citizens' associations in development. The report and an overview paper are available to download.