General Situational Analysis Tools

General Methods in Situational Analysis

A firm understanding of the particular social, economic and political context is essential for gaining clarity on how to design empowering programs that promote gender equality, and what changes matter for gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Tools selection must be rooted firmly in the research framework and key questions for the study.

The following tools offer helpful ways to explore the broader situation. Not all tools were conceptualized from a gender lens and need to be adapted to integrate gender more effectively within them.

We hope that the discussions below inspire and help users adapt approaches for diverse contexts:

Macro-Level Analysis

Situational analyses often begin with a desk review and interviews on the broader country context.

Tools

In a broader Macro level analysis tools may include:

 

Meso-Level Analysis

Looking across macro level analysis, teams can examine – where is poverty concentrated within a country? What areas of a country context face multiple dimension of exclusion or marginalization? This level of analysis can help COs to narrow where to focus programming.

Guidance

See the guidance discussion in:

 

Micro-Level Analysis

The meso analysis can determine where to conduct more in-depth community- and household- level studies.

Case Examples and Guidance

For guidance and case studies on micro-level analysis, please see:

 

Tools

Relevant tools for micro-level situational analysis include:

Structures, Norms

Stakeholders, Relationships

Tools Easily Adapted to Different Questions