Rapid Assessment Process - An Introduction

Rapid Assessment Process (RAP) is the first introduction to the RAP group of field methods and techniques that provide on-the-ground research findings for policymakers and program planners, as well as BoP entrepreneurs and business planners. RAP assists outsiders in quickly acquiring an insider's perspective on local situations, learning both the intricacies of the issues at hand as well as the best language to discuss them. As author James Beebe describes, RAP is an important tool for "complex situations where the categories and words used by the local people involved in a situation are not known."

Although the book does not focus specifically on the BoP, Beebe participated in the design of the Base of the Pyramid Protocol and RAP is one of the core field methodologies used by BoP Protocol practitioners for engaging with both companies and BoP communities.

About the Author
James Beebe is Professor in the Doctoral Program in Leadership at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. He has a Ph.D. in International Development Education, an M.A. in Anthropology, and an M.A. in Food Research (Int'ernational Agricultural Development). As a practitioner/scholar in qualitative research methodology, Beebe has worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development in long-term assignments in the Sudan, Philippines, Liberia and South Africa, and short-term assignments in nine other countries. He does teaching, research and consulting on the relationship between leadership and technology.