the extent to which they have access to different sources of information. Opportunity structure indicators capture the distance to the nearest market, the extent to which cultural restrictions determine the nature of professions women are allowed to pursue, the amount of time women have to dedicate to household chores, and the extent to which the government provides women with job-related training.

WDIP’s impact evaluation also establishes a series of empowerment indicators for the society domain/family sub-domain, such as the percentage of women who have decisionmaking power equal to that of their husbands over the number and spacing of children, the use of contraceptives, and conjugal relations (family sub-domain). The qualitative enquiry led the study team to hypothesize that the extent to which women have a say in these matters associates with such assets as women’s education, income, and selfconfidence levels, their awareness of reproductive health issues, and their participation in women’s groups. Analysis will also test for associations among opportunity structure indicators, such as customs that influence whether or not women are allowed to disagree with their husbands, and whether or not women are expected to play a subservient role regarding sexual conduct.

- 2.2.2 Applying the Framework in Nepal: The Measuring Empowerment and Social Inclusion (MESI) Study

The Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project I (RWSS project) was designed to build rural drinking water schemes and empower local citizens to undertake their construction and management.<sup>20</sup> In addition, it had a clear objective of empowering women, and therefore provided fertile ground for measuring empowerment. Further, this country study seeks to explore gender, caste, and ethnic dimensions of social inclusion. The MESI study is the broadest and only longitudinal study among the five cases. It is also financed independently of the other four country cases.

# _The Project_

The World Bank–funded RWSS project started in 1996. RWSS sought to promote decentralization and increase the involvement of beneficiaries and the private sector in rural water supply and sanitation service delivery; inculcate a demand-driven approach in the drinking water and sanitation sector; enable communities to take lead roles in the identification, design, implementation, operation, and maintenance of their water supply and sanitation schemes; and develop adequate capacities in the government and nongovernment sectors to support community initiatives. RWSS I was completed and RWSS II was launched in 2004 (World Bank 2004a, 2004b).

By far the largest component of the project is the construction of rural water supply and sanitation schemes in 900 rural communities. Service agencies and support organizations, including NGOs, community-based organizations, and private-sector firms help local communities define their needs and design suitable water and sanitation projects to be submitted for approval. Normally, a sub-project takes 36 months and has three main phases: (1) predevelopment, involving feasibility studies and selection of support

> 20 This section is largely drawn directly from the draft report by Bennet and Gajurel (2004).

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