Impact Assessment of Western Orissa Rural Livelihoods Project (WORLP)

Western Orissa Rural Livelihoods Project is the project aimed to develop “More effective approaches to Sustainable Rural Livelihoods adopted by government agencies and other stakeholders in KBK districts and elsewhere”. The project has been guided by the following purpose “Sustainable Livelihoods, particularly for the poorest, promoted in 4 districts in
replicable ways by 2010”. A comprehensive assessment of the project was conducted for ascertaining different impacts (economic, social, technical, environmental, gender, migration etc) from the perspective of relevance, efficiency, cost-effectiveness and sustainability. The assessment also entailed social investment analysis in terms of Net Present Value, CostBenefit Ratio and Economic Rate of Return. In order to achieve the objectives of the study
following activities were undertaken by Sambodhi:
1. Significant enhancement of livelihood assets of the target group was assessed.
2. Estimation of the change in BPL population in the target area to assess poverty impacts was performed.
3. Vulnerability to parameters like disaster management, food security, migration and gender outcomes was ascertained.
4. Access to different financial, agricultural, non-agricultural and natural services was highlighted.
5. Institutional and policy outcomes was assessed
6. Economic analysis was performed to ascertain cost-benefit analysis.
7. Performance of the project was analysed with respect to relevance, results,
efficiency, effectiveness, impacts and sustainability.
Sambodhi adopted a mix design approach (qualitative and quantitative tools) on a quasiexperimental design platform. Along with this FGDs and well-being tracking exercise were conducted in all the villages. Difference-in-Difference method was used to estimate the effects of interventions and other treatments of interest on outcome variable. The quantitative component of the study covered a statistically robust sample size of 2800 project households
(1400 Phase I and 1400 Phase II) and 1400 control households, in total of 4200 households were surveyed.