MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY ANALYSIS APPLIED TO THE ROMA

Andrey Ivanov, Senior Policy Advisor, UNDP BRCEschborn, 14 July 2013

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This presentation summarizes some preliminary results of an ongoing research based on the data come primarily from The regional Roma survey 2011 supported by the

European Union (DG Regional Policy), implemented by UNDP and the World Bank and administered by IPSOS, Serbia and

The regional Roma survey 2004, supported by UNDP and administered by BBSS-Gallup, Bulgaria, TARKI, Hungary and Focus, Czech Republic.

The data sets and the research papers based on the data available from the UNDP website: http://europeandcis.undp.org/ourwork/roma

Andrey Ivanov, UNDP: Applying multidimensional poverty analysis to Roma, 14 June 2013

WHY FOCUS ON ROMA?

“The largest European minority” – between 8 and 12 Mil people (or more?)

Represent an ultimate development challenge A fundamental reformulation from “human rights” issue

into “rights based development” issue “Schizophrenic combination” of “developing world” level

of deprivation and “developed world” context Heavily overrepresented among the poor

Huge resources allocated already (and more to come under “Europe 2020”)

A way of going “beyond NTL averages” What work for Roma might work for other similarly

deprivedgroups

WHY MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY?

Roma deprivation is not just a monetary poverty issue

Individual dimensions contribute differently to the overall deprivation outcome (status)

Makes possible building an integrated posture of the status (and thus link to the outrcomes of interventions)

DEFINING THE TARGET: POSSIBLE OPTIONS

Self-identification (asking people, “Are you Roma?”) Convenient and politically safe (nothing is

imposed on the respondent)… …but doesn’t yield relevant data because of the

vagueness of the question triggering additional ones in respondents’ minds, like

If yes, does it mean I am not Romanian, Bulgarian, Slovak?

Why do they ask – maybe to frame me? External (‘imposed’) identification

By non-Roma – verges on segregationist attitudes By Roma – “you may not know who we are – but we do”

Combined (multi-stage approach) – used in the surveys of UNDP (2004 and 2011) and of FRA (2011)

Andrey Ivanov, UNDP: Applying multidimensional poverty analysis to Roma, 14 June 2013

THE UNDP/WB AND FRA REGIONAL SURVEYS

Provide quantifiable and comparable picture of the current situation of living conditions of Roma in the EU and non-EU countries (what is the status) Based on this, they send a message to policy-makers,

Illustrate the dynamics over time of some basic indicators (what has changed since 2004) …to provide the ground for progress evaluation,

Suggest possible correlations and causalities (what drives the status) …to help answer the “why this status?” question

Inform policymakers on possible priorities …to suggest “what can be done” to achieve change

Andrey Ivanov, UNDP: Applying multidimensional poverty analysis to Roma, 14 June 2013

…AND IN OTHER COUNTRIES AS WELL

Andrey Ivanov, UNDP: Applying multidimensional poverty analysis to Roma, 14 June 2013

THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY ANALYSIS

Data allows calculating multidimensional poverty rates and index – an aggregate measure of deprivation in 4 dimensions reflecting the priority areas of the Decade of Roma Inclusion Health Education Housing and Standard of Living

Follows Alkire/Foster methodology Based on 12 indicators, 3 for each dimension A person is considered poor if s/he is deprived in at

least 6 of the 12 indicators and severely poor if deprived in 9 out of 12 indicators

Andrey Ivanov, UNDP: Applying multidimensional poverty analysis to Roma, 14 June 2013

HEALTH DIMENSION

Shares of the population not having access to essential drugs (1/12) Any HH member living in a HH responding "yes" to the

question "were there any periods in the past 12 months when your HH could not afford to buy medicines prescribed by a doctor”

Perceived vaccination rate (1/12) Any child aged 0-6 years old who has not received any

or some of the obligatory vaccinations Malnutrition (1/12)

Any HH member living in a HH that experienced that in the past month somebody ever went to bed hungry because they could not afford enough food for them

EDUCATIONAL DIMENSION

Highest completed education (1/12) Any HH member of higher than primary

education age with uncompleted primary education

Number of years in education (1/12) Any HH member with less than 5 years in

education Gross enrolment rate in compulsory

education (1/12) Any HH member aged 7-15 who is not

attending school or training

“BASIC INFRASTRUCTURES” DIMENSION Shares of the population not having access

to improved water source (1/12) Any HH member living in HHs not having piped

water inside the dwelling or in the garden/yard Shares of the population not having access

to improved sanitation (1/12) Any HH member living in a HH without toilet or

bathroom inside the house Access to electricity (1/12)

Any HH member living in a HH with no access to electricity in their dwelling

“STANDARD OF LIVING” DIMENSION

Shares of the population not having access to secure housing (1/12) Any HH member living in "ruined houses" or "slums"

(as assessed by the enumerator) Access to various HH amenities (1/12)

Any HH member living in a HH, which doesn't posses four of six categories falling in "UNDP material deprivation" index

Absolute poverty rate (1/12) Any HH member living in a HH living in the

households where the equivalent per capita income/expenditures are below $2.15 or $4.3 poverty lines

MONETARY AND MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY

Andrey Ivanov, UNDP: Applying multidimensional poverty analysis to Roma, 14 June 2013

POVERTY DYNAMICS

“POOR” AND “SEVERELY POOR” 2004-2011

NUMBER OF DEPRIVATIONS OF M-POOR, 2011

INDIVIDUAL DIMENSIONS’ CONTRIBUTION, 2011

MORE SUBTLE DETAILS OF DEPRIVATION…

THE OVERALL MESSAGES OF THE DATA Certain progress in regards Roma

inclusion has been made since the launch of the Decade of Roma inclusion But unequal in all areas Unequal between countries

Quantitative data is of paramount importance for establishing reliable and robust progress monitoring systems But quantitative data needs to be properly

contextualized through qualitative researchAndrey Ivanov, UNDP: Applying multidimensional poverty analysis to Roma, 14 June 2013

POLICY RELEVANCE

Still potential (hard to go beyond research and communication campaigns)

But promising (unlike 2004) Hopefully will be used for monitoring the

progress in Roma inclusion (both within the Decade of Roma Inclusion and the European Roma Policy Framework)

Involving national institutions is key But difficult to various reasons (incl.

vested interests)