"Sending messages is likely to only be effective in conjunction with a comprehensive approach involving a wider range of activities, such as dialogue or training. The media, such as newspapers, radio and television, are the main way that messages to change attitudes and behaviour are communicated in ... campaigns. In conflict situations, the media does not necessarily always either promote or prevent conflict, but still acts as an important, influential force in most societies. The media can help inform decisions and counteract hateful and violent messages, but can also undermine peacebuilding processes. There is no single way that the media affects audiences, and the media cannot ‘inject’ behaviours or attitudes into people’s minds but rather affects the formation of attitudes and beliefs which in turn impact on behaviour. In addition to media interventions, two approaches to sending messages are identified that seem of particular relevance: social marketing and the inclusion of educational messages in entertainment programmes. A number of case studies are identified in the report that cover multi-faceted interventions and include a messaging component. Projects are explored from Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Bosnia." (www.gsdrc.org) more

"This research report considers the application of ToC to governance programmes in post-conflict and fragile states. It should be noted that, because of what information is available, the examples reviewed in this report are from post-conflict and least developed (though not necessarily fragile) sta ... tes. They are mainly (but not all explicitly) governance-focused, and while some have elements of accountability, public sector management and public service delivery, none are about public financial management. The case studies discussed show that articulating and reviewing Theories of Change in peacebuilding programmes adds rigour and transparency, clarifies project logic, highlights assumptions that need to be tested and helps identify appropriate participants and partners. Yet, for ToC application to be effective, particularly in governance settings, a number of factors need to be taken into consideration, including: conflict analysis is critical for determining the relevance of activities in post-conflict contexts but is rarely done; gathering evidence to validate a Theory of Change is challenging, particularly in conditions of conflict and fragility; theories of Change can encourage an overly linear approach, when the reality of change in conflict contexts is complex and more organic; people involved, both staff and programme participants, may require a lot of support to understand the dynamics and effective use of ToC." (Overview, page 1-2) more