“ I Don’t Know Whether It’s Priority, or Capacity, or Both ”: Implementation Gaps in Employment Policies Targeting People with Disabilities in Kenya and Bangladesh

Shaffa Hameed (), Lopita Huq, David J. N. Musendo, Lena Morgon Banks, Joyce Olenja and Tom Shakespeare
Additional contact information
Shaffa Hameed: International Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Lopita Huq: BRAC Institute of Governance and Development, BRAC University, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
David J. N. Musendo: International Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Lena Morgon Banks: International Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Joyce Olenja: Department of Public and Global Health, University of Nairobi, Nairobi P.O. Box 30197, Kenya
Tom Shakespeare: International Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK

Disabilities, 2024, vol. 4, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Disabled people are often excluded from employment, particularly in accessing waged employment. This exclusion persists despite enabling policies and legislature, indicating a need to address gaps in implementation. To improve policy implementation, it is crucial to better understand the gap between policy intention (what was planned) and effect (what happens), including reasons that widen this gap (what explains what happened). This study explores this in the context of Kenya and Bangladesh, drawing on key informant interviews and analysis of policies and programmes related to employment, social protection, and disability. Using the policy triangle framework, we analysed the policy context, process, actors, and content of relevant policies and programmes. The study identified key policy provisions on employment quota, social assistance, job placement services, tax incentives, and training opportunities, all of which were designed to promote employment for disabled people. However, implementation is limited in both countries, for reasons including ambiguity in policies, unavailability of data for monitoring, and lack of transparency among implementers. The data suggest that addressing these aspects would promote accountability among duty-bearers, advocacy power among rights-holders, and ultimately improve implementation and inclusion of disabled people in employment.

Keywords: disability; employment; policy implementation; Kenya; Bangladesh (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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