IFCAE Service:

Research & Evaluation
 
IFCAE can be hired to design and implement short or long-term research studies as well as to do  evaluations of existing projects to help assess their effectiveness and identify areas needing improvement.
 
To create lasting solutions for environmental and natural resource problems it’s essential to have a solid understanding of the underlying social and cultural conditions.   At IFCAE, a core strength is bringing rigorous social science into natural resource and environmental issues, often through an interdisciplinary approach.  In addition to our internal organizational capacity we maintain a large network of expert consultants from anthropology, biology, ecology, economics, mathematics and other fields.
 
Although we draw from a range of qualitative and quantitative methods we frequently use ethnographic approaches including participant observation and interviewing.  These tools are the most appropriate for developing in-depth understandings of cultural groups and networks.  We specialize in research that can be applied directly toward the amelioration or mitigation of pressing environmental and natural resource issues.
 
Types of research done:
 
Applied and basic scientific research
Project Evaluations
Literature Reviews
Content Analysis
Oral Histories
Policy and Management Analysis
Institutional Analyses
Stakeholder Analyses
Socioeconomic Assessments
Social Impact Analyses
Land Tenure and Common Property Systems
Political Ecology

Types of methods used:

Ethnographic Interviewing
Participant Observation
Focus Groups
Rapid and Participatory Appraisal
Surveys
Participatory Mapping
Statistical Analyses
Social Network Analysis