This document discusses concepts of norms and agency and how their interactions can provide insights into social inclusion and poverty reduction processes. It presents a typology of communities based on how social change is unfolding: 1. Tipping point cases - where both men and women report major improvements in well-being and poverty reduction. Norms are changing to encourage women's and men's engagement. 2. Climbing cases - some social groups perceive opportunities as improving over time. 3. Churning cases - some social groups see opportunities as static or declining. Key development processes may exclude important social groups, and norms discourage women's agency especially when men struggle as household heads. Measurement challenges are discussed, emphasizing

1. Why engage with concepts of norms
and agency?
Their interactions open a valuable window
on processes that enable and constrain
social inclusion and poverty reduction on
the ground.

2. My talk today
AGRICULTURAL
AND NRM
INNOVATION
PROCESSES
THREE
COMMUNITY
TYPOLOGIES
MEASUREMENT
ISSUES

3. Strong
heterogeneity
in how social
change is
unfolding in
the
countryside –
which raises
both
opportunities
and risks for
interventions
with gender
objectives.

4. Variability of norms across and within study villages
Number out of every ten women who can move freely on their own in the
public spaces of their village
Average ratings by individual young women (participating in 16 focus groups) and young
men (participating in 16 focus groups)
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
10.00
Women Men

5. New agricultural or NRM practices in
village
Most important
for the men of the
community (top 2)
Most important for
the women of the
community (top 2)
- Terracing
- Row planting
- Application of improved variety of
Maize seed
- Application of fertilizer
- Adopting variety of improved cattle
-cattle breeding
- Fattening cattle using Zero grazing
method
--Vegetable growing through irrigation
-Poultry
- Intercropping of maize and haricot
bean
1. New package
of intercropping
(including row
planting of maize
and application of
fertilizer)
2. Vegetable
growing
1. Cattle rearing
for milk
production
2. Growing new
variety of Maize
Local agricultural innovations introduced in past five years, Poor
woman’s focus group, Rift Valley Case (“Hanawa”), Ethiopia

6. “… [Maize] is our main
staple food and we are
responsible for
preparing food for our
family. As you know
women are more
concerned about
availability of food in
the household.”
--Member of Poor women’s focus
group explaining top-two maize
rating, Village of Oromia region of
Ethiopia’s Rift Valley

7. Cannot assume greater engagement with livelihood
activities to be empowering for women or for men
“All in all, women’s role in agriculture increased very recently as
compared with before. Prior to that, we prepared food for “debo”
[reciprocal labor] and stayed home. [Working in the fields] was a taboo.
The man took the entire responsibility for the farming and the woman for
the household chores. Now women are taking over farming as men are
more and more engaged in other activities, such as at the church and
kebele.”
“Men are leaving the work for women and they are saying that they
have work to do in town…. So women are taking over the work. Men are
becoming lazy.”
-- Poor women’s focus group, Rift Valley Case

8. “The improved maize seed ‘shone’ and
‘limmu’ are special. They give good yield and
income. As a result of the income, we
changed our life and that is why we rank it on
top.”
--Poor men’s focus group, Rift Valley case, Ethiopia

9. Strong gender differences in trends
perceived
Women observe limited gains in wellbeing:
 Poor women’s focus group estimates village poverty falling only slightly (from 75
percent to 70 percent of households)
 Middle class women’s focus groups report marginal empowerment among the
local women (From step 2.7 on average to 2.7 on five-step ladder.
Men observe important gains in wellbeing
 Poor men’s focus group observe a 20 percent fall in local poverty, from 50
percent to 40 percent of local households
 Middle class men’s focus group report significant empowerment, climbing up
from step 3 to nearly to step 4 on five-step power and freedom ladder.
-- Rift Valley Case

10. Ladder of Power &
Freedom
Measures agency (current
status) and empowerment (or
disempowerment – compared to 10
years ago)
- Unit of measure: majority of village
men (if male FGD) or village women
(if female FGD); self (if interviewee)
- Fixed scale: Five-step ladder
depicting extent of power and
freedom to make strategic life
decisions, such as whether and
where will work for pay. Most
empowered at step 5.
- Source: individual members of
nonpoor & youth FGDs, with caveat
that youth only assess current status;
semi-structured interviewees.
Ladder of Life
Measures poverty level
(now) and trend (compared
to 10 years ago)
- Unit of measure: 20 seeds
representing all village
households;
- Flexible scale: Number of steps
and household traits at each
step determined by FGD. Best-
off households on top step. Poor
households at step(s) below
“community poverty line,”
which is set by FGD
- Source: poor FGD members
working together.
2 ladder activities
Local people engaging with & measuring
concepts themselves.

11. Community typologies for engaging
with norms and agency Interactions

12. 1. Tipping
point
cases
2. Climbing
cases
3. Churning
cases

13. Community typologies
1. Tipping point cases
2. Climbing cases
3. Churning cases – e.g. Rift Valley case
Selected social groups perceive their rural livelihood
opportunities as relatively static, difficult, or declining
Agri innovation or other key development processes for
the locality may be excluding or disadvantaging
important social group(s)
Normative climate discouraging women’s agency –
especially where and when numerous men struggling as
household authorities and providers

14. Community typologies
1. Tipping point cases -- Strikingly consistent
observations of major improvements in wellbeing.
Both middle class men’s and women’s focus groups
report significantly more empowerment than cases
elsewhere; and youth reporting relatively more
agency, too.
Both poor men’s and women’s focus groups report
significantly more poverty reduction than cases
elsewhere.
Some norms changing and encouraging women as
well as men to engage with their local agri innovation
processes.
2. Climbing cases
3. Churning cases

15. Median ratings on poverty reduction and empowerment (or agency, for youth), 159 focus
groups, 27 case studies, GENNOVATE MAIZE CRP Report(cases mostly in Sub Saharan Africa).
Tipping point case: All six FGD ladder activities conducted in the research community
reveal strong upward climbs (or a relatively strong strong standing if youth)
Household
movement out of
poverty on
Ladder of Life
Movement up Ladder
of Power and
Freedom by own
gender
Current status on 5-
step Ladder of
Power and Freedom
for own gender
Focus group
Poor
Men
Poor
Women
Middle
class Men
Middle
class
Women
Young
men
Young
women
5 tipping point
cases
38% 50% 1.00 step 1.90 steps 3.75 4.00
22 other cases 25% 14% .78 step 1.00 step 3.00 2.70
Tipping points lesson: gender inclusion fuels much wider
benefits

16. Normative environment of tipping point
cases:
 A few signs of changing normative environment:
 Greater physical mobility of women
 More common for young women, whether single or married, to work
for pay
 Larger share of women working as agricultural laborers
 Greater presence of active producer groups
More encouraging for both women and men
to exercise agency and innovate in their rural
livelihoods.

17. Learning to work with the concepts of gender norms and
agency, and important patterns in their interactions,
deepens understanding of:
The social processes shaping opportunities and risks
associated with local development processes
 For different types of communities, and
 For different types of men and women within them.

18. MEASUREMENT CHALLENGES IN
ASSESSMENTS OF NORMS AND GENDER-
TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE
Thanks
for pic
Duncan!
1. Context matters.
2. So do both women’s
agency and men’s
agency -- in specific
contexts.
• Norms and agency do not
necessarily move together.

19. Analysis Strategy
Case-
oriented
Variable-
oriented
Case-
oriented
Variable-
oriented

20. Agency and norms deeply intertwined
0
50
100
150
200
250
Low agency -
Steps 1 and 2
Moderate
agency -
Steps 3
Strong
agency -
steps 4 or 5
Low agency -
Steps 1 and 2
Moderate
agency -
Steps 3
Strong
agency -
steps 4 or 5
Women Men
Frequencyofmentions
Livelihood roles Housework, parenting and care roles Marital roles
Coded data on testimonies about position and change on Ladder of Power and Freedom, 54
Focus groups, 27 case studies, GENNOVATE MAIZE CRP Report

21. Systems thinking guiding community typologies on
agency and norms interactions
• Examine and learn from the interdependent
elements and evolution of local institutions and
the central role of local actors --both women
and men -- in processes of social change and
development.
(Cunningham & Jenal 2016)
• Catalyze approaches that “enhance the survival
chances of existing initiatives for change”
(Leewis & Aarts, 2001, p. 21)

22. How might the typologies inform targeting
strategies for gender-transformative change?
1. Tipping point cases
2. Climbing cases
3. Churning cases