Saira Tabassum

Research Topic : Evaluation of Poverty Indicators Under Local Support Organizations.

Supervised By : Dr. Hamid Hassan & Mr. Fayyaz Baqir.

REVISED PROPOSAL ATTACHED AFTER YOUR COMMENT i.e. IMPROPER PROPOSAL DUE TO METHODOLOGY.

SLIDE 3: Hadeeth does not relate to issue -- it urges generosity, even to those who have little to give. It does not deal with poverty or even more sharply, poverty indicators. Ahadeeth dealing with poverty (or indicators, which we can use to assess poverty) would be more apt. For example, a Quranic ayat which says something like this that these people will not beg, and you can only recognize that they are poor by their faces (which would show signs of hunger) THEN one could entitle it INDICATORS OF POVERTY

SLIDE 4: Title is not informative, First two bullet points are too vague and general knowledge, BORING. You could start with something dramatic like.

According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty

Second two bullet points are again using words without explaining them, or why they matter. Say something like. Effective approaches to poverty relief require understanding what poverty is. Previously one dimensional approach was popular -- that is, poverty is just lack of money. Now multidimensional approach shows that it is not just money, but education, housing, access to jobs, and many other factors which define poverty.

SLIDE 5: Title it: Dimensions of Poverty. List dimensions. explain their importance.

SLIDE 6: Title: Local Support Organizations (LSO) -- An effective approach to poverty. First two points on slide are irrelevant, they should have been made already. More important is that if your topic deals with LSO than your background slides should have more information about why this is an effective approach to poverty. Consider COMMUNITY BUILDING and other unique features of this approach. OR ELSE highllight case studies.which show effectiveness of local support.

SLIDE 7: This technical DEFINITION, copied from NRSP manual, is POINTLESS. We want to learn not the LEGAL/Technical definition, but WHAT aspect of LSO makes it useful for poverty relief, it is THIS definition which matters. LSO create community, they mobilize groups, etc. etc.

SLIDES 8 and 9 are the same, seems as if you have run out of things to say. These, being goals of research should have been covered much earlier, and do not require repetition.

SLIDE 10: Points out a research GAP. HOWEVER, relevant literature has not been reviewed, so gap cannot be established, Similarly points out importance, AGAIN relevant literature not reviewed so importance cannot be established.

SLIDE 11: Objectives should come at the beginning not end. What is a poverty profile? not explained. OBVIOUSLY poverty indicator will relate positively to poverty, this is why it is an indicator. First two issues not related to LSO's YOUR question is : HOW TO EVALUATE LSO's and their contribution to povery releif. You should focus on this topic.

SLIDE 12: This is general description of poverty and does not relate to LSO performance. It is irrelevant.

SLIDE 13: FINALLY we get to relevant literature. THIS should be described and discussed in much greater detail and MUCH earlier

SLIDE 14: This is VERY LATE for GAP -- that should be established very early as a means of justifying research topic. These two points have in fact been made in earlier slides and you are just repeating the same information. However, this GAP is NOT CORRECTLY identified. What you want to do is evaluate efficacy of LSO is poverty alleviation. So you should look at literature related to this issue. Unfortunately, you did not find any relevant literate. Rural/Urban etc. has nothing to do with your research and hence is not the research gap that you are going to fill.

SLIDE 15: Data comes after methodology.

SLIDE 16: Methodology of Diff in Diff is fine and relevant BUT, where did you get it from? cite source. WHO ELSE has used it? in what context? Why is it helpful to solve the problem you are looking at.

SLIDE 17: 18 is copied from some textbook without having ANY understanding of what it is, and why it is applies to your problem. Again, you have to go to the literature and cite relevant sources which have USED this methodology. Try to understand WHY they used it, in preference to many other alternatives which are available. READ about difference in difference from many sources like Wikepedia and other internet to try to understand what it is. THEN you will be able to write this properly

OVERALL EVALUATION: Very weak presentation, but substance is there. FORM needs a lot of work. still passing