Implementing a Community-Based Poverty Monitoring System in Argentina Sebastian Auguste, PhD Institute of Economics - UNICEN December 2011
About Argentina Upper Middle Income Country (USD 8500 per capita in 2010) Population: 40.5 millions Federal Government: Nation, Provinces (24) and Municipalities (3400) Urban population: 92% (Buenos Aires province. almost 20 millions. Buenos Aires city: 15 millions) Self-reported Amerindians:16%(mostly 1.6% living in the north of the country) Stock of Immigrants: 5% Life expectancy: 77 Literacy rate: 98% Poverty headcount ratio at $2 a day (PPP): 2.35% Poverty Incidence at national line: 10% (21%) High income inequality: Gini coefficient 46 higher than Cambodia (44), Nigeria(43), Uruguay(42), Thailand (42), USA(41), Cameroon (39), Indonesia(37), Pakistan (33)
Monitoring System in Argentina There is not a national level l system to monitor living conditions. SIEMPRO 1997, 2001, financed by World Bank Some provinces and municipalities have some rudimentary systems. Payoff of having a system at local level is not clear (for local governments) Large quantity of social programs (federal, provincial and municipal programs) Registro Unico de Beneficiarios is not even in place
Pilot CBMS in Argentina
Where? Tandil (north) Northern Tandil Middle Income city (Area surveyed: Sorroundings, approximately 10.000 inhabitants) Urundel Urundel Rural town in a poor province (Area surveyed: All, approximately 3.000 inhabitants)
Why? - Capture heterogeneity 1753 km -Operational reasons: Location of the University Collaboration of local goverments
Heterogeneity Urban poverty (head count ratio. income definition of poverty. 2007)
Who? - Tandil Institue of Economics - UNICEN - Urundel Association with a local entity ( Delta )
How? Design of the Census CBMS methodology Adapted questionnaires: Tandil Crime Urundel Agriculture production Ethnicity
Design of the census Early contact and close interaction with local authorities (municipal governments) Provision of geographic/demographic information (lots and population) and election of the zone (Tandil) Strategy to select and train enumerators Advantages: Experience and dknowledge about tlocal laspects Access to community centers and contact with local churches, libraries and others Disadvantage: Delays in decision making
Implementation
Implementation Enumerators, supervisors and data-enters Selection entirely from the local communities Recruitment: Municipality: contact with local churches and community and health centers Organizations of neighborhood Public calls
Implementation Enumerators and supervisors Meetings Promote census Select enumerators
Implementation Enumerators and supervisors Example of the First Presentation. selected slides translated
Implementation Enumerators and supervisors Training and evaluation Material: Enumerator Manuals, Supervisor Manuals and Questionnaires Meeting to answer questions and to practice the interview Final selection Pre-census to practice Those with experience in managing people or groups. surveys and accountable for working. were selected as supervisors.
Implementation Data-entry TANDIL Independent call URUNDEL The same call as for enumerators and supervisors Mostly students of the university it thatt live in the neighborhood At the University computer lab Same people who applied to do the census Equipment of the Secretary of Sports and Culture of Provincial Government of Salta Specific software (programmed in fox)
Implementation Advertisement Adressed dto: TANDIL URUNDEL Enumerators Flyers /Posters Local radio and supervisors Data-entrys Internet Local radio Community Posters / Local Radio Local radio
Implementation Advertisement Poster (enumerators and supervisors) Poster (neighbors) Flyer (enumerators and supervisors)
Implementation Summary of the census TANDIL URUNDEL Enumerators 40 12 Supervisors 8 2 Data enters 5 3 Work regime Part time Full time Time window Sep 12th - Oct 31th (50 days) Aug 30th Sep 5th and Oct 11th - Oct 17th (2 weeks) Households visited (approximately) 3000 760
Urundel GIS
Problem Empty lots, houses in construction or nonresidential buildings Convince people to participate in the survey (Crime, social programs) Tandil Presidential elections (fatigue from political surveys) Solution Implementation P bl Problems Continous readaptation of the teams to the different areas Advertisement. Credentials, University telephone, training persuation techniques Problem Ethnic conflicts Urundel Enumerators not committed to fulfill the full time job High absence of people due to a local holiday Solution Reallocation of enumerators Replacement Revisiting two weeks later Local elections (Focus of the municipality on the political debate) Low population Density Open time window
Preliminary results Selected Core Indicators
Preliminary results Education National Average Proportion of youth aged 15-24 years who are not literate TANDIL URUNDEL Iliteracy 2% 2% 13% 0.3% 1.2% Proportion of children 6-12 years old not in elementary school Proportion of children 13-16 years old not in elementary school Proportion of children who are repeaters 1.1% 1.8% 1.5% 7.9% 9.8% 22.7% 12% 37.9%
Preliminary results Labor market TANDIL URUNDEL Urundel Working hours per week 43 41 Professionals 4% 4% Informal jobs 50% 40% 40% Public sector workers 17% 35% % of Households that receive Social Assistance 40% 53% Unemployement 13% 8.6% 86% 26%
Preliminary results Health lh TANDIL Urundel URUNDEL Food Shortage (Hunger at least once in the last 30 days) 3.19% 1.34% Severe Food Shortage 0.88% 1.04% (Hunger at least 5 days in the last 30 days) Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1.000) M t lit t d 5( 30 13.8 85 Maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100.000000 live births) 10 40 200
Preliminary results Households with handicapped member Handicapped due to birth deffects TANDIL URUNDEL 14% 12% 34% 50% Handicapped due to dissease 21% 22% 20% 16% Handicapped ddue to accident Handicapped due to Handicapped due to advanced age 25% 7%
Preliminary results Housing Urundel TANDIL URUNDEL Households without access 0% 03% 0.3% to safe water supply Households without access to sanitary toilet facilities Households without access 18% 16% Makeshift housing 5.7% 3.6% 2% 10% Proportion of squatters 1.3% 0.5%
Preliminary results Other information TANDIL URUNDEL Paticipation in the elections 82% 90% Self reported Aborigine n.a. 16.5% Immigrants 1.46% 0.17% Female headed households 26.9% 26.7% Households with young mothers ( 21 years old) mothers (< 21yearsold) 5.26% 11.94%
Preliminary results Main problems - Tandil First Second Third Obs. Freq. Obs. Freq. Obs. Freq. 1. Insecurity 177 32.42 72 13.19 38 6.98 2. Education 19 348 3.48 40 733 7.33 37 678 6.78 3. Health 9 1.65 37 6.78 35 6.41 4. Poor infrastructure 182 33.33 94 17.22 36 6.59 5. Lack of public space 12 22 2.2 22 403 4.03 28 513 5.13 7. Other* 147 26.93 226 41.39 255 46.7 8. No problem - - 55 10.07 117 21.43 * Street dogs. dirt and rats. traffic. means of transport. drugs and alcohol
Preliminary results Main problems - Urundel First Second Third Obs. Freq. Obs. Freq. Obs. Freq. 1. Insecurity 250 38.17 42 6.5 181 28.87 2. Education 90 13.74 315 48.76 80 12.76 3. Health 159 24.27 187 28.95 209 33.33 4. Poor Infrastructure 55 8.4 50 7.74 83 13.24 5. Lack of public space 4 0.61 8 1.24 24 3.83 7Other 7. 89 13.59 37 573 5.73 35 558 5.58 8. No problem 8 1.22 7 1.08 15 2.39
Conclusions and Learnings The strategy to implement the pilot in two very different places significantly enriched the experience. We learned: training is one of the most important aspects to succeed there are many local institutions willing to help, and they have a positive effect on the quality of the job. We identify as enhancing factors: i) persons with attachment to some local institution (who might have some reputation to lose, such as those who come from the local church), ii) supervisors with previous experience (supervising activity is much more difficult than the enumerator activity, and enumerators with bad supervisors performed homogeneously worse).
Conclusions and Learnings (cont.) The option of implementing the census at fast pace, as it was the case of Urundel, it seems to have worked better as the effect of advertisement seems to dilute fast the type of problems that arise in a marginal urban area seems more difficult to solve; fear of violence or to lose a social plan might affect negatively the willingness of the individuals to participate in the Census. The involvement of the University which is a very respected institution in Tandil was a positive factor that t help us to overcome the before mentioned fears. A toll free number where individuals can call to evacuate their doubts is another good idea to implement in the future.
Thank you!