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Measurement and Meaning: Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Methods for the Analysis of Poverty and Social Exclusion in Latin America

Author: E Gacitua-Mario and Q Woden
Date: 2001
Size: 100 pages (7.03 MB)

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Summary

What policy implications do integrated poverty analyses, incorporating quantitative and qualitative methods, present to decision-makers in Latin America? This paper from the World Bank examines three case studies, from Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, to survey the recommendations produced by research combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. It argues that governments need to improve service provision to marginal communities by expanding public information campaigns and developing their collection of data on poverty in these areas.

Quantitative research methods have long been used in designing and evaluating development projects. Increasingly, qualitative methods have provided complementary insights by incorporating the knowledge of social actors about policy interventions and the risk factors of social exclusion.

The three case studies into poverty in Latin America use a mix of statistical and focus group methods. The first aims to explore the impact of reproductive healthcare on women’s lives in rural Argentina. The second evaluates the Chilean ficha CAS, the form which assesses households’ eligibility for social benefits. The third analyses the escalating levels of social exclusion in urban Uruguay.

Several findings are made on the processes underlying poverty in these areas:

• In rural Argentina, awareness of reproductive health services and family planning is low. The adolescent pregnancy and abortion rates are high. Women’s low socioeconomic status and their exclusion from social institutions prevent them from exercising control over their reproductive roles and sexuality.
• The ficha CAS is broadly effective in identifying the poor and improving the redistributive impact of social benefits. However, there is a lack of public knowledge about social entitlements in some areas. The qualitative approach has proved productive in evaluating the targeting of social benefits.
• In urban Uruguay, geographical clustering of the poor in marginal areas has exacerbated their exclusion and increased social disparities. Inadequate skills and the ‘neighbourhood effect’, which stigmatises individuals from certain areas, limits job opportunities. These marginal communities also have poorer healthcare, limited education coverage and higher levels of insecurity.

Improved information exchange between poor communities and local authorities could enhance service provision to these marginalised groups:

• In rural Argentina, data-collection on health indicators needs to be improved, incorporating the epidemiology of high risk fertility behaviour and the availability of social networks for women. Primary education and public awareness campaigns about family planning should be expanded. Primary healthcare should be broadened beyond its current pregnancy-related focus and women’s access to the labour market and social organisations should be developed.
• In Chile, the government should promote public awareness of social entitlements by implementing a more effective communications strategy and encouraging more contact between social workers and poor communities. The ficha’s emphasis on means-testing should be modified to accommodate other indicators like job loss or illness. Eligibility rules could be adapted to account for intra-household wealth distribution, and input from poor households should be sought in future evaluations of the ficha CAS.
• In Uruguay, policymakers should prioritise improvements to basic services and public information initiatives which provide a link to jobs. Disaggregated analyses of income distribution trends within and between geographical areas could benefit future poverty research. The government should encourage integrated neighbourhoods and minimise the concentration of poor communities in marginal areas.

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Source: Gacitua-Mario, E., and Woden, Q., 2001, ‘Measurement and Meaning: Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Methods for the Analysis of Poverty and Social Exclusion in Latin America’ World Bank, Washington