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Generating Evidence for Policy Recommendations for
Women’s Entrepreneurship Development:- ILO-WED’s experience -
Virginia Rose-Losadafor the International Women’s Entrepreneurship Laboratory
Rome, Italy. November 26 2014
Strengthens the capacity of
business development
service providers and associations to
better meet the needs of women
entrepreneurs
Commissions applied research
about the obstacles and
specific needs of women
entrepreneurs to support
national policy dialogue.
ILO’s WED Programme - what it does
Generate evidence for policy recommendations : How?
ILO-WED: Generating Evidence for Policy
Two main avenues:
1. ILO-WED country situational analysis (assessments)
2. Rigourous Impact Assessments of WED interventions
• Undertake/support Impact Assessments: e.g. Kenya (2013-2016) Viet Nam (2011-2013)
• Stock-taking and analysis of main WED impact assessments 2010-2014 (not ILO specific)
Indication on
what to work on
(areas/conditions)
Insights and facts on what
works, what doesn’t
(what to do more or less of)
WED country situational analysis: Conditions
WED country situational analysis: Process
Request for Assessment & training of national assessors
Desk study , interviews,
FGD and report writing
Validation workshop
& finalisation
LaunchDissemi-nation
Develop action plan
Rigourous Impact Assessments
Less resources
More resources
Support Impact Assessments: prelim findings
KENYA (2013-2016)(Business training and emphasis on networking)
• Invitation: no impact• Business knowledge: no
impact• Business practices: some
impact (record keeping)• Sales: small increase but too
early to confirm• Networking: some evidence on
working together• Survival: no impact/too early
VIET NAM (2011-2013)(Business training to female microfinance clients
with and without husband’s participation )
• Business knowledge/literacy: positive impact
• Business practices: improves (and increasingly so over time)
• Sales and profitability: no impact on sales but on profitability
• Business training helps start a business but not necessarily maintain/expand
Some reflections:- Packaging/ bundling of services- Impacts may take time- What to do for enterprise consolidation
and growth?
- (Economic) empowerment of women more research needed
Analysis of IA 2010-2014: main findings
Analysis of IA 2010-2014: main findings
• Women’s business start-up: finance and business training combined more effective.
• Business growth of existing female entrepreneurs: business training combined with follow-up technical assistance, and business grants together with business training, may be effective. Finance alone or business training alone does not lead to sustained growth.
WED programs have been more effective in stimulating creation than supporting growth of women’s existing businesses (methodological limitations of evaluation designs?)
WED should address more barriers beyond limited access to finance and business skills.
Rigourous IAs: process towards policy change
• Explain process and methodology to stakeholders from onset and along the entire process
• Articulate clear hypothesis/research questions relevant to international and national stakeholders
• Target the right policy-makers, breakers and shakers.
• Show the facts! Findings to be presented in simple terms.
• Spread the word! (workshops, conferences, articles)
• Reflect on the results!
Concluding remarks
• The «what», the «when» and the «how» we say! Never underestimate the process
• Intervention and cost/benefit analysis: assess what you want to learn/obtain and evaluate whether a rigourous impact assessment is the right choice
• Be prepared to challenge your assumptions (but also to reconfirm some of what you already know)
Many thanks!For more information on ILO-WED:
Visit our website: www.ilo.org/wed
Follow us on facebook: www.facebook.com/ILOandWED
Email us: [email protected] or [email protected]
