Qualitative perspectives on the impact evaluation of girls’ empowerment in Bangladesh

This paper presents qualitative analysis of an RCT evaluating a programme aiming to delay marriage and empower adolescent girls in Bangladesh. It begins by suggesting a model of three dimensions of empowerment for use in evaluation. It then describes the social context of early marriage in Bangladesh. The model of empowerment is then used to discuss the design and preliminary findings of the RCT. The paper stresses the importance of approaching research as a social process, to improve data quality and rigour of analysis. It closes by arguing for teams which balance equally researchers with quantitative and qualitative expertise.