August 5, 2011
ACDI/VOCA Consultants Discuss Behavior Change Effects on Gender and Value Chain Approaches
Identification of Barriers Is Key to New Behavior Adoption
There is a clear consensus that women are central to economic growth in developing countries. However, certain behaviors can inhibit their full participation in development efforts.
ACDI/VOCA consultants Jennefer Sebstad and Cristina Manfre discussed research findings on how behavior change can affect gender and value chain systems at a July 29 USAID microLINKS breakfast seminar in Washington, D.C.
They shared research findings on the constraints women face when engaging in economic “upgrading,” or improved performance and competitiveness.
“We wanted to understand what were some of the behavior changes that were required by women if they were going to be involved in value chains and actually benefit from it,” says Jeanne Downing of USAID, who introduced the presenters.
Manfre and Sebstad’s research was conducted through ACDI/VOCA's USAID-funded Accelerated Microenterprise Advancement Project—Business Development Services Knowledge and Practice II (AMAP BDS K&P II) program.
Research Reveals Determinants Predict Behavior Adoption
By studying the behaviors of men and women farmers in Ghana and Kenya, Sebstad and Manfre identified several key behaviors, or “leverage points,” for value chain development that would enhance the inclusion of women.
They grouped these behaviors into three categories: money management, business practices and value chain relationships.
In all three categories, the researchers found four determinants that affect whether farmers adopted new behaviors: 1) a desire to change, often as a result of seeing neighbors’ positive experience; 2) the extent of practical know-how and information about the new behavior; 3) the rewards or incentives expected from changing; and 4) the presence of a conducive climate for change. For example, the likelihood of a woman’s involvement in financial services is determined by proximity to a bank.
Targeted Interventions Needed to Combat Barriers
The team targeted these barriers in each of the three categories of behavior. For example, to build capacity in money management, Sebstad and Manfre suggested that women participate in credit and savings groups or set up joint bank accounts with their husbands to better understand the banking system and assert some control over family finances. Easy-to-use electronic saving systems, which are accessible from cell phones, reduce women’s need to live close to a bank.
“What we’re looking for are programming options or elements that help people move through sticky choice situations,” says Manfre. The goal is to “nudge people along through the change process, pushing them slightly and pulling them so that we move them from current practices to better practices—what we consider to be more desirable behaviors.”
Positive Behavior Change Can Have Ripple Effect
The researchers also found that the three categories are interlinked. That is, a positive behavior change in money management can trigger an improvement in business practices or in value chain relationships. They recommended implementers develop program designs that target a variety of these behaviors.
“Not all women—and not all men—will respond to the same nudges,” says Manfre. “People are motivated by different things. They have to make assessments and risk calculations based on their situation, the social norms that proscribe their behaviors. There’s a wide range of issues that could motivate somebody to change their practice or not.”
In future research, Manfre and Sebstad hope to better understand the linkages between the determinants of behavior—rewards, desire, know-how and climate—and how variations within them contribute to behavior change.
“The purpose of the effort,” says Sebstad, “is to improve understanding of how gender influences behavior in value chains.”
More information about the seminar is available on microLINKS's blog.
Pictured at top left: ACDI/VOCA consultants Jennefer Sebstad and Cristina Manfre share findings on how behavior change can affect gender and value chain systems at a July 29 USAID microLINKS breakfast seminar in Washington, D.C.
