Social Research and Advisory

The Social Research and Advisory vertical of ISRF offers a wide range of services. These include:

Planning & Design

  1. Needs Assessment
  2. Exploratory and Descriptive Studies (for problem definition)
  3. Baseline Survey

After project completion

  1. Endline Evaluation
  2. Impact Assessment

Types of Survey

  1. Causal Research
  2. Socio-economic Survey
  3. Vulnerability Assessment
  4. IEC Strategy Development Studies
  5. Behavioural Change Studies
  6. Sectoral Studies
  7. Cross-sectional Surveys
  8. Longitudinal Surveys
  9. Trend Surveys
  10. Social Audit

Sample Project 1

Monitoring and Evaluationof the project ‘Giving poorest consumer a greater voice’ in India and Indonesia

Client : Consumers International, UK

Location : India (Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Gujarat) and Indonesia (Jakarta and Yogyakarta)

Duration : 3 years (2017 – 2020)Thematic Sector(s) focussed : Consumer Rights, Renewable Energy, M&E, Project Design and Development

Activity brief : In January 2017, Consumers International launched a three-year pilot project in six locations across three states in India, and two locations in Indonesia, with funding assistance from the IKEA Foundation. The main objective of the project was to develop a scalable model to enable low-income consumers to access safe and sustainable household products, ensuring children are brought up in safe and healthy homes. ISRF was hired as M & E partner to design the project with M&E framework and conduct Baseline, Midline, Process Monitoring and Endline evaluation for the project period of 3 years in both the countries. ISRF provided hand-holding support through research findings and ensure that the project implementation partners are on right track towards reading the targeted outcomes. The study generated key leanings and inputs for developing a scalable project model that helps low income consumers access and adopt to the safe and sustainable products in their households.

Sample Project 2

Sustainable Livelihood Development Programme

Client : Hand In Hand India

Location : 6 districts in Tamil Nadu

Duration : 2 years, i.e., from January 2016 to December 2017

Thematic Sector(s) focussed : Human Rights, M&E, Process Monitoring,

Activity brief : The Sustainable Livelihood Programme was designed and implemented by Hand in Hand India (HiH India) and supported by Forum Syd, Sweden. Being a sustainable livelihood programme, the focus was primarily on achieving better livelihoods among the poor and marginalized people. The programme adopted a rights-based approach and the means to achieve project objectives was through awareness, expansion and assertion of democratic rights, which would lead to accessing support provided by governmental development initiatives and using them to improve livelihoods without compromising on environmental sustainability.
ISRF conducted baseline study prior to the design and implementation of the project, and then the endline study to determine the extent to which project achieved its objectives and the change it has brought about. The overall aim of the endline evaluation is to systematically assess and document the extent to which the project interventions have been successful in addressing the mandated results. For that, the OECD/DAC (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development / Development Assistance Committee) evaluation criteria was used, namely project relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability.

Sample Project 3

Study on Electricity Consumers Cell (ECC) project implemented by CAG-India in 7 districts in Tamil Nadu state, India

Client : Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group(CAG), India

Location : 7 districts in Tamil Nadu

Duration : 5 months (July – October, 2021)

Thematic Sector(s) focussed : Electricity governance, Endline evaluation, Renewable energy

Activity brief : CAG implemented Electricity Consumer Cells (ECC) project across 7 districts in Tamil Nadu state since 2016. The project aims to educate and empower electricity consumers and civil society organizations to ensure electricity sector is functioning in an accountable and transparent manner. ISRF adopted OECD-DAC evaluation frameworkand covered about 1050 electricity consumers randomly chosen across all the 7 project districts using random sampling methodology from the beneficiary groups. The study elicited key findings under the five evaluation componentsof project relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability.