Project Description (continued)

What would we like PEN to achieve?

The key elements of PEN are graphically illustrated in the figure below:

1. Global data set: About thirty case studies, each covering an average of 200-250 households. A core set of data will be collected at each site using a common format (the PEN prototype questionnaire, see section on: Research Tools) to build up the global data set. The study sites will, as far as possible, be chosen to get a representative data set that cover different geographical regions, forest types, forest tenure regimes, levels of poverty, infrastructure, market access and population density.

2. Global-comparative analysis: Based on the global data set and other forms of synthesis of the individual studies, the global analysis will explain how forests contribute to subsistence and cash income, asset building, security and welfare, and about the key determinants of this contribution.

3. Thematic in-depth studies: Each individual study will have its own distinct focus, and will yield critical insights that go well beyond what one can get in the global analysis. One way of synthesizing these findings will be by linking each study to a thematic group (see separate section).

4. Policy analysis: The individual studies and the global syntheses will be designed to produce concrete recommendations that can be fed into policy processes at national and international levels. The country-level results, including identified options for forest-related pro-poor interventions, will be disseminated.

5. Improved methodologies and capacity building: The network seeks to improve the overall quality of policy analysis related to forest-poverty links. A manual with research guidelines has been developed, and other tools and guidelines will be made to benefit students and researchers working on forest-poverty linkages. Workshops will be held both to refine methodologies and to present and synthesize research results.