世界发展银行-Challenging-Cultural-Conventions-_-Qualitative-Evidence-from-Jeevika_4页_4mb

JEEViKA: Challenging Cultural Conventions in Rural Bihar

Core Content

JEEViKA, the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project, is a community-based anti-poverty initiative launched in 2006 by the Government of Bihar with support from the World Bank. It aims at the socio-economic empowerment of the poorest families through the establishment of self-managed institutions, particularly Self-Help Groups (SHGs), which are organized into a tiered structure of Village Organisations (VOs) and Cluster-Level Federations (CLFs). The project is designed to provide women with access to resources, knowledge, and social networks, enabling them to challenge traditional gender norms and roles.

Main Viewpoints

• Cultural Change and Gender Norms: JEEViKA has been shown to induce cultural change by enabling women to access economic and social resources, thus challenging the conventional boundaries of gender roles.
• Empowerment Through Participation: The project promotes women's participation in public spaces, such as village assemblies, and enhances their status within the community and their households.
• Institutional Support for Change: The tiered institutional structure of SHGs, VOs, and CLFs provides a platform for women to develop new cultural competencies and engage in collective action.
• Symbolic and Physical Resources: Women gain both symbolic identity (e.g., 'gareeb-didi', 'saksham-didi') and physical resources (e.g., credit, savings) through the program, which are instrumental in their empowerment.
• Social Mobility and Acceptance: The project led to increased physical and spatial mobility for women, which was initially met with resistance but gradually gained legitimacy and acceptance.

Key Information

Context

• Bihar is one of India's most populous states but ranks lowest in the Human Development Index (HDI).
• Rural Bihar is marked by high poverty rates (44.6%), social inequalities, and limited economic opportunities.
• The project was launched to address these issues through community-based interventions.

Intervention

• JEEViKA was initiated in 2006 and piloted in six high-poverty districts.
• It aimed to empower the poorest families by forming SHGs, which were then federated into VOs and CLFs.
• The project targeted one woman per household, emphasizing women's participation in economic and social activities.

Evaluation Design

• The study analyzed qualitative data from four villages (two treatment, two control) over a three-year period (2011–2015).
• Propensity score matching was used to ensure that treatment and control villages were comparable.
• The analysis focused on four dimensions of change: physical mobility, group solidarity, access to money, and access to public spaces.

Key Findings

• Physical Mobility: Women, especially from lower castes, experienced increased mobility due to the project's requirements and the absence of male labor.
• Group Solidarity: Participation in SHGs fostered a sense of solidarity and collective identity among women, moving away from traditional caste and kinship-based identities.
• Access to Money: Women gained access to low-cost credit and savings opportunities, which supported their economic activities.
• Public Spaces: JEEViKA women actively participated in village assemblies, contributing to public debate and service delivery, thereby challenging the male-dominated political landscape.

Public Debate and Actions

• In control villages, women rarely participated in village assemblies, which were seen as male-dominated and not legitimate spaces for problem-solving.
• JEEViKA women, particularly those in leadership roles, became active participants in these assemblies, voicing opinions and acting as brokers for public services.

Policy Lessons

• Sustaining Change: To sustain sociocultural changes, deeper community engagement is necessary.
• Accountability and Feedback: The tiered structure improved accountability in public service delivery, suggesting the need for a continuous feedback loop in policy-making.
• Qualitative Insights: The effectiveness of such programs should not be solely measured by quantitative outcomes but also by qualitative, intangible changes that affect social norms and identities.

Conclusion

JEEViKA has contributed to a mini-social revolution in rural Bihar, enabling women to challenge traditional gender roles through the provision of both physical and symbolic resources. The project has enhanced women's self-esteem, social capacity, and participation in decision-making and community action, promoting a shift in cultural norms and practices.