Measuring Child Poverty and Vulnerabilities: Experience and Lessons learnt from Sentinel Site Early Warning Monitoring System in Six Pacific Island Countries

Reiko Yoshihara[1] and Vijay Naidu[2], Mili Kaitani [3], Viliami Fifita[4], Peter Whiteford[5]

Paper proposed for the 3rd Conference of the International Society for Child Indicators, University of York, 27-29th July 2011

Proposed theme: Combining qualitative and quantitative measures

Abstract

Pacific island countries and territories (PICTS) are vulnerable to the impact of increased food and fuel prices and the deepening impacts of the global economic crisis and climate change. The impacts, however, are variable from country to country, at the community and household and individual level. The vulnerability of PICTs is due to a range of factors: geographically remote and isolated states composed of small islands, limited economic opportunity, lack of economy of scale due to small population, linguistic diversity within a country, colonial heritage, the high cost of commodity transportation, heavy reliance on imports for basic goods; reliance on natural resources for export earning, reliance on remittances for cash income, pre-existing levels of poverty and deepening disparity especially among urban squatter settlements, rural areas and outer islands; stretched informal protection mechanisms and the lack of robust formal social protection mechanisms and safety nets; Pacific islands lying in the heart of earth climate system and its vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters; poor infrastructure and transportation facilities which hinder access to market and essential social services; unfavourable fiscal policy environments including high dependence on foreign aid; and weak budgetary positions.

This paper draws observations mainly from the analysis of real-time monitoring data collected targeting the most vulnerable communities in time of global economic crisis to measure social impact and changing vulnerabilities. This monitoring initiative used both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods such as Household Pulse Survey, Facility based survey, Focus Group Discussion and Key Informant Interviews. This is one of the two major research initiatives supported by UNICEF during 2008-2010 to better understand how children experience poverty and vulnerability in the Pacific small island countries. This monitoring was also complemented by the child poverty and disparity study conducted first time in the Pacific, which used UNICEF Global Child Deprivation method based on the national representative surveys to portrait prevalence and characteristics of child deprivation in Vanuatu.

This paper describe methodology, results, and challenges faced during the initial pilot stage (2009-2010) of project implementation for the purpose of sharing lessons learnt and generating discussion to enhance the methodology and inform the institutionalization process in country and region.

[1], Policy, Advocacy, Planning and Evaluation Programme, UNICEF Pacific, Fiji.

[2] , Development Studies Programme, USP, Fiji

[3] , Development Studies Programme, USP, Fiji

[4] , National Statistics Office, Government of Tonga, Tonga

[5] , Social Policy Research Center, University of New South Wales, Australia