AEGIS ECAS 2007 - View abstract

Panel	39. Livelihood, Vulnerability and Health. Moving beyond existing frameworks
Paper ID	142
Author(s)	Geiselhart, Klaus
Paper	No paper submitted
Abstract	Between 2004 and 2006 our research group carried out the fieldwork for a research project about HIV and AIDS in Botswana, which is currently in the process of analysis and finalisation. The project based on the DFID livelihood framework as the title reflects: “Current rural and urban livelihood transformation at selected sites in Botswana(1)” Soon it became apparent that the livelihood framework can not be combined with the question about the impact of HIV and AIDS as simply as some surveys claim. This is due to the fact that there is no HIV-related data on the household level that allow to identify affected and afflicted households. In addition, HIV and AIDS is not the only current influence that presents a challenge to households. There are also processes of environmental threats and modernisation that interfere with the influence of HIV and AIDS and need to be considered. With regard to the special conditions in Botswana (welfare state, good public health system) some assumptions about the influence of HIV and AIDS on households that have persisted since 1992, when Barnett and Blaikie(2) published their first book about HIV and Africa, had to be reconsidered . As a result the study design was to an equal extent an appraisal and an exploration of new aspects. In the latter sense the project aimed at “moving beyond existing frameworks” as the second part of the workshop title demands. As a secondary effect, which is probably of more importance than the descriptive findings themselves(3), the utilisation of the livelihood framework provides a profound evaluation of the framework with regard to criteria of social research. The paper will cover the following questions: - What are the preconditions that need to exist for the livelihood framework to be applied? - What basic assessments need to be made to ensure that the livelihood framework does not miss any important points? - What is to be considered with regard to health issues and especially taboo subjects like, for example, HIV and AIDS? - What else beyond the framework needs to be considered? What are the ethical implications of the livelihood perspective and how do they confine surveys subscribing to that view? Annotations: (1) A detailed description can be found at http://www.geographie.uni-erlangen.de/forsch/hivbots.html (2) Barnett, T. and Blaikie, P. (1992): "AIDS in Africa: Its Present and Future Impact." London. (3) A preliminary outline about the descriptive findings, which was presented at our workshop in Gaborone, is available for download at project homepage under the link to the workshop documentation.

A Model in Use. Experiences From the Utilisation of the Livelihood Framework in Social Research.