Social protectionVocational and business training to improve women's labour market outcomes in low-and middle-income countries A systematic review June 2018 About 3ieThe International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) is an international grant-making NGO promoting evidence-informed development policies and programmes. We are the global leader in funding, producing and synthesising high-quality evidence of what works, for whom, how, why and at what cost. We believe that using better and policy-relevant evidence helps to make development more effective and improve people's lives.3ie systematic reviews 3ie systematic reviews appraise and synthesise the available high-quality evidence on the effectiveness of social and economic development interventions in low-and middle-income countries. These reviews follow scientifically recognised review methods, and are peerreviewed and quality assured according to internationally accepted standards. 3ie is providing leadership in demonstrating rigorous and innovative review methodologies, such as using theory-based approaches suited to inform policy and programming in the dynamic contexts and challenges of low-and middle-income countries. About this reviewVocational and business training to improve women's labour market outcomes in low-and middle-income countries: a systematic review, was submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of grant SR7.1094 awarded under Systematic Review Window 7. This review is available on the 3ie website. 3ie is publishing this technical report as received from the authors; it has been formatted to 3ie style, however the tables and figures have not been reformatted. 3ie will also publish a summary report of this review, designed for use by decision makers, which is forthcoming. This review has also been published in the Campbell Collaboration Library and is available here.

Chennai’s governance network plays a critical role in shaping the city’s waterscape. Through an urban political ecology (UPE) lens, this article investigates the intersection between water as part of nature and water as shaped by social context, with a focus on existing governance networks. Using a combination of social network analysis and thematic analysis, the article studies data gathered from in-depth semi-structured interviews, workshop discussions with stakeholders, and extensive literature and policy reviews. The analysis reveals a need to reconfigure the urban governance network and the relationships therein to work towards a sustainable future for Chennai’s water system. The article concludes by offering policy recommendations to leverage the strengths and weaknesses of the complex inter-agency relations that shape Chennai’s current waterscape.

Summary Motivation Initially, governments started with the overarching objective of providing universal access to WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) services. During the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) period 2000–2015, there was increased motivation to understand requirements of different sectors of the population in order to ensure universal, equitable access. Purpose This article reports findings of a systematic review looking at three questions: what segments of the population have been addressed in WASH policies, and programme and projects? How do the population segments vary between sectors and regions? What barriers, strategies, and benefits for providing WASH services have been identified for different population segments? Methods and approach Populations can be segmented using two broad paradigms: Physiological Characterization Framework (PCF), which classifies the population on the basis of the life cycle; and Sociological Characterization Framework (SCF), classifying the population on the basis of caste, ethnicity, income, location, and occupation. Policy documents and programme and project (P&P) documents pertaining to the WASH sector were synthesized. Findings At a policy level, SCF is used more widely than PCF. In the context of PCF, women were the focus of a relatively large number of policies. Adequacy, environmental, and attitudinal barriers were those most commonly identified across both PCF and SCF segments in WASH policies and P&Ps. In PCF, beneficiary participation and information, education, and communication (IEC) strategies were the more commonly adopted strategies, whereas project management, financing, and provision of services were more frequently adopted for SCF. Availability was the most common benefit identified across PCF and SCF in terms of policy and also P&P. Policy implications WASH policies can create an enabling framework by specifically mentioning the different PCF segments in order to facilitate adoption and percolation of the life‐course approach in P&Ps. Incorporating this approach within the current SCF paradigm can help achieve inclusiveness. Greater effort is required to understand barriers faced by PCF segments and to devise strategies to overcome them. Policy‐makers should expand the spectrum of benefits to all categories within PCF in WASH policies.

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