Abstract
This study attempted to develop a happiness index tool for evaluating rehabilitation initiatives used to reinstate returnees at district Swat, Pakistan. The Happiness Index (HI) tool compares two periods, i.e., HI before rehabilitation (BR) and HI after rehabilitation (AR). The returnees’ happiness index (RHI) is also compared with Pakistan’s Happiness Index to identify the difference. Data for this study were elicited from 382 respondents through a structured survey questionnaire. The results show that after rehabilitation (AR), the returnees’ happiness index improved from 3.89 to 5.36, which is still less than the world happiness index of Pakistan, i.e., 5.65 in 2019. This study concluded that rehabilitation projects had a significantly positive impact on the HI of the returnees. However, more effective and sustainable initiatives are required to align the RHI to the HI of Pakistan. Further, the RHI tool adopted by this study is significant for measuring the happiness of the marginalized and affected people in Pakistan and beyond.
Highlights
In the Swat district of Pakistan, the military operation against the militants, Tehrike-Taliban Pakistan TTP, in 2009, followed by a devastating flood in 2010, forced the displacement of approximately 2.5 million (Haider 2009; IDMC 2018)
This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the rehabilitation projects and initiatives on returnee IDPs’ reinstatement in district Swat
The Kabal region of Swat was the most damaged area, as it had 100% displacement and the government provided the highest rehabilitation to the returnees of this region (Bangash 2012; Mackey and Gass 2015), so the selection of Kabal tehsil was more appropriate than other regions
Summary
In the Swat district of Pakistan, the military operation against the militants, Tehrike-Taliban Pakistan TTP, in 2009, followed by a devastating flood in 2010, forced the displacement of approximately 2.5 million (Haider 2009; IDMC 2018). With the help of national and international donor organizations, the government launched rehabilitation projects in various sectors such as transportation, health, education, and agriculture to reinstate the normality of the returnees’ IDPs (PDMA 2019). This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the rehabilitation projects and initiatives on returnee IDPs’ reinstatement in district Swat. In this regard, the construct and use of the Happiness Index (HI) tool seemed plausible for evaluating rehabilitation initiatives for IDPs’ reinstatement in district Swat. As a tool, we observed that in nature and nature set of indicators, it could notitbe usednot to evaluate theevaluate impact the of rehabilitation its current and set of indicators, could be used to impact of reinitiatives
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