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Household Economy Analysis

by Stephen Browne — last modified 05/31/2010 14:26

Household Economy Analysis

The practitioners in the Food Economy Group have - for over fifteen years - led HEA's refinement and increased its applicability in different contexts: from national early warning systems to village-level development projects; from the first look into post-war Angola's rural livelihoods to the assessment of refugee camps in northern Kenya; from Kosovo to the swamps of southern Sudan.

HEA Map 2

HEA is distinct from other livelihoods analyses in three important ways:

  1. It results in a quantified account of people's essential livelihood strategies (rather than simply a descriptive one)
  2. This account is disaggregated and linked to both a specific geographic area and a particular wealth group (e.g. poor, middle, upper middle, better off)
  3. It offers predictive capacity, allowing for significant lead times for response
Rigor and Flexibility

frameanimate

HEA is a unique livelihoods-based framework designed to provide a clear and accurate representation of the inside workings of household economies at different levels of a wealth continuum and in different parts of the world. This picture can be used for a wide range of purposes, including development planning, emergency response, early warning,monitoring & evaluation, poverty analysis and reduction, and policy analysis. For more on how HEA has been used, please click here.  In over 15 years of consistent use, throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, the Balkans and Asia, the Household Economy Approach has been tested, refined, and applied in a wide range of settings. In every case, the approach has been adapted to local realities without losing its essential rigor; and in every case, decision makers have remarked on its ability to open their eyes to a reality they had not fully comprehended.

 

Right portlet photo
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