Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Evidence about the Impact of Adaptive Social Protection on Children

In this article the main question is about the impact of adaptive social protection on children in humanitarian contexts. The article is divided in four sections. First, the role of mixed methods in providing evidence both on the situation of children in humanitarian contexts as well as on the impact of adaptive social protection is discussed. Although the content, limitations, and potential of mixed methods are well known, in this section their import for the particular context of children in humanitarian contexts is emphasized.

The elements and characteristics of adaptive social protection are presented in the second section. In this section, also, a summary description of the types of humanitarian, emergency, and crisis contexts in which they are (or should be) implemented is provided.

In the third section, the focus is on children and their needs (in particular in humanitarian contexts). The discussion addresses the difference between quality of life, wellbeing, and avoiding poverty. All three are (or could be) legitimate objectives of policy interventions like adaptive social protection. However, the design and content of the policies and programmes would depend crucially on the actual objective – a point which is often avoided in eth literature and in policy debates.

In the fourth and final section, these three strands of thought converge to explore the way in which mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) provide information and enhance understanding on the impact of adaptive social protection on the situation of children in humanitarian context. This section includes methodological reflections and practical lessons from case studies.

In a brief concluding section, points for further analysis and research are described.