where was the study conducted

• The study was conducted in Bangladesh.

• Bangladesh has made significant progress in reducing poverty and improving the lives of its
people, nearly half of its population of 144 million still lives below the poverty line (as measured
by income, consumption and ability to meet basic human needs).

• It is analysis of BRAC's challenges, strategies and actions in enabling the poor to assume a more
active role in the economy and society in Bangladesh
a brief about the organization
• BRAC, an NGO in Bangladesh works to alleviate poverty and empower the poorest of the poor.
• It was initiated in 1972 as a small scale relief and rehabilitation organization for people who got
affected in war in Sulla, North Bangladesh.
• The multitude of social problems on a national scale and the government's failure to provide
sufficient relief, soon led BRAC3 to adopt a new strategy of integrated development based on the
twin objectives of poverty alleviation and empowerment of the poor
• In 1975, set up Research and Evaluation Division
• In 1976, it extends to other areas of Bangladesh and tested early health, education and income
generation programs.
• In 1992, Centre for Development Management (CDM) established; BRAC sets up first schools in
urban slums
• In 2002, Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty-Targeting the Ultra Poor (CFPR-TUP) program
launched; BRAC Afghanistan established; BRAC Advocacy and Human Rights Unit set up; Legal
Aid program with Ain O Shalish Kendra (ASK) and Bangladesh National Women's Lawyers
Association (BNWLA) launched
which specific project of BRAC was
studied
• The Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction (CFPR) program launched in 2002.

• The objective was to build a solid economic, social and human asset base for ultra-poor women so
that they could benefit from more mainstream development programs and have an opportunity to
participate in markets

• Recognizing the strong correlation between ill-health and extreme poverty (Hulme and Shepherd,
2003), the program offers specialized health care services for the ultra-poor.

• Although most of these services are already offered by BRAC, the CFPR represents an additional
effort to make health services available for the ultra-poor.
how long was the data collection
• The data gathering for this study involved several sources and multiple rounds. Data stem from
field interviews and observations as well as from archival sources and an extensive review of
secondary data and literature on Bangladesh
• Data collection lasted for over two years and included multiple field trips.
• primary source of data was field interviews. These interviews were conducted in two steps.
• Forty semi-structured interviews were conducted with BRAC representatives at the headquarters
and at the regional and field levels
• Interviews durations were between 30 mins to 2 hours and were recorded and transcribed.
• The data analysis was carried out in three main stages.
• In the first stage created a narrative account (Langley, 1999) to establish a chronology of
the key events and facts in order to understand BRAC and its role in the social and
economic development of Bangladesh
how long was the data collection
• In the second stage of data analysis, assessed the nature of the institutional constraints faced by the
poor in rural Bangladesh. This was important for assessing whether, and in what form, institutional
voids existed and how they constitute opportunity spaces for motivated entrepreneurs

• The third stage of data analysis focused on how BRAC acted upon the institutional opportunity
space and addressed institutional voids. In other words the analysis at this stage centered on the
activities and mechanisms underlying institutional entrepreneurship in the context of a developing
country.