Research & Studies

Overview

The Research & Studies Domain at ASK T&L conducts a wide array of studies and rapid appraisals that are customized with respect to issue, geography, purpose of study, communities and culture. Social research projects are also initiated with a specific motive or hypothesis comprising of multi stakeholder consultations, large scale data procurement and management.

The domain has taken up studies with the purpose of undertaking a comprehensive coverage of issues that are specific to a program, project area, and organization, the findings of which serve as building blocks for key decisions regarding need for interventions across socio-economic and cultural contexts, need for capacity building, program development and resource allocation, as well as for developing, modifying, and strengthening programme & organization strategies, approaches and methodologies.

The domain has a dedicated team of professionals who have been engaged with conducting various studies, evaluations, assessments for over 20 years. This experience and our expertise in designing frameworks for analysis and tools for assessments, analytical skills based on varying geographical locations and communities and an understanding of the local context. The Research Team at ASK T&L is recognized for a professional approach and objective, participatory & facilitative manner of conducting studies, including baseline studies and need assessment exercises.

What We Do

The Research & Studies Domain provides the following range of services to national and international donor agencies, NGOs and CSR Foundations:

Social Research

ASK T & L provides its services on social research projects initiated with a specific motive or hypothesis and comprising of multi-stakeholder consultations, large scale data procurement and management, use of scientific and customized qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and tools of analysis. Leveraging upon the years of expertise of the domain in undertaking programme, issue, organization, and community specific studies, assessments, and evaluations, ASK encapsulates the core skills required in social research and gains its edge from its international exposure to varied thematic issues.

Baseline Studies

Baseline studies have been commissioned to ASK T&L by organisations for obtaining need based information (baseline values) on specific result indicators of any development project or program, against which monitoring and assessment of an activity’s progress and effectiveness during implementation and after the activity can be carried out and the same can be compared with the baseline values / status. Through Baseline Studies, the organisation is able to understand the existing situation in the project area or a target group on each of the result (output, outcome, impact) indicator, along with a detailed analysis of the reasons / context on the same. The findings of these studies are structured in a manner which would allow a monitoring plan to be outlined for the implementing organisation and so that the data collected can be compared if necessary during ongoing activity monitoring or a mid-term review/midline study or for a subsequent evaluation/endline study, as the case maybe.

Situational Analysis and Need Assessment

Situational Analysis and Needs Assessments have been carried out by ASK T&L to collect information and data needed to plan programs and initiatives with a community or a population. The analysis from the findings of any situational assessment is able to assess the extent of the challenges faced by the community, the factors that make them vulnerable and also assesses the context in which the program would be operating (political, environmental, social, cultural, economic and institutional). The situational analysis also assists organisations in assessing the available resources with which any program or project would be put into operation for a beneficiary group.

Process Documentation

ASK T&L undertakes the comprehensive documentation of organization and programme specific processes, history and milestones, case studies, approaches and best practices. Process documentations are usually requested for after an organization and/or programme have been running for a significant amount of time, and wish to highlight and record in detail their approaches over the years, methods of dealing with challenges, decisions, achievements, and best practices. The process is carried out in consultation with the various stakeholders involved, from management to grassroots communities and beneficiaries.

Our Approach

The Research & Studies Domain aligns itself with the organisation’s ‘participatory and objective’ approach to conducting the studies. The studies are conducted by engaging multi stakeholders who influence phenomenon, community members and taking up a process where reflection and analysis is encouraged through the discussions held. This assists communities to state their concerns and aid clients towards identification of problems while ASK T&L can maintain independence and critical in its observations and findings.

Core principles that the Research & Studies Domain follows are:

Employment of innovative research methods tailored to the needs of the project, the client and the beneficiary community.

Expertise in framing a research design in line with identification the apt socio-economic indicators.

Robust knowledge base – experience of a working on a wide variety of thematic issues in various parts of the country that serves as critical knowledge for clients to take projects forward.

Ability to engage with leadership and matching their expectations for implementing the project in a specific area amongst a particular community.

Engagement with a strong network of local NGOs and CBOs across various states.

Being facilitative and enabling towards all stakeholders involved.

Ensuring that the needs of the community are prioritized while conducting the studies.

Our Clients

Recent Assignments

title	state	country	year
“Sample Monitoring Data Collection” for Room to Read India school library program	Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh	India	2018
Need Assessment Study	Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh	India	2018
Baseline study of Building Basic Skills Model	Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh	India	2018
Baseline study to understand the socio-economic status and needs of the farmers involved in Indigo cultivation	Tamil Nadu	India	2018
Baseline Study on Heena Growers in Sojat, Rajasthan	Rajasthan	India	2018
End line Survey to Understand the Impact of Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP)	Maharashtra	India	2017
Study to Assess the Impact of Save the Children Project on Resilience Building of Communities on Time and Money Spent in Accessing Social Protection Schemes	Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu	India	2017
Study on Children on the Move in the Construction and Domestic Work Sector	West Bengal & Andhra Pradesh	India	2016
Baseline Study for Project “Creating Spaces to Take Action on Violence against Women and Girls”	Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh	India	2016
Research Study on Needs and Funding Mapping Concerning Unsafe Migration and Trafficking in India	Pan India	India	2016
Process Documentation of the “Good Practices adopted in Project: “Building Resilience and Increased Economic Leadership of Small Holders – Women Farmers in India”	Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand	India	2016
Living Wage Study amongst the Weavers in Phulia	Phulia (West Bengal)	India	2016
Exploratory Study for Establishing Workers’ Resource Centre in India	Tirupur (TN), Bangalore and Gurgaon	India	2016
Initiative for Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction & Conflict Transformation in Odisha	Kandhamal (Odisha)	India	2015
Baseline Study for Project “Empowering Adolescent Girls” in Taarun Block, Faizabad District, Uttar Pradesh	Taarun Block (Uttar Pradesh)	India	2015
Baseline for the Integrated Community Development Project	Rajbari & Faridpur (Bangladesh)	India	2015
Baseline Study on Right to Universal, Inclusive and Quality Education	Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand	India	2015
Process Documentation for the “Team Balika Federation”	Rajasthan	India	2015
Research on ‘State of Housing for the Urban Poor’	Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh	India	2014
Study on Social Protection for Informal Workers in India – India Country Study Report		Different	2014
Feasibility Study on Addressing Modern day Slavery in Tamil Nadu Textile Industry	Tamil Nadu	India	2014
India State Research on Modern Day Slavery	Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh	India	2014