Institutional Strengthening for Poverty Monitoring and Evaluation

Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report Project Number: 35473 2008 Lao PDR: Institutional Strengthening for Poverty Monitoring and Evaluation {(Financed by the <source of funding>)} Prepared by {author(s)} {Firm name} {City, country} For {Executing agency} {Implementing agency} This consultant’s report does not necessarily reflect the views of ADB or the Government concerned, and ADB and the Government cannot be held liable for its contents. (For project preparatory technical assistance: All the views expressed herein may not be incorporated into the proposed project’s design. Participatory Poverty Assessment (2006) Lao People’s Democratic Republic National Statistics Center Asian Development Bank James R. Chamberlain ADB TA 4521 Institutional Strengthening for Poverty Monitoring and Evaluation 2006-2007 Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report National Statistics Center All Rights Reserved This report was prepared by consultants based on results of the technical assistance project Institutional Strengthening for Poverty Monitoring and Evaluation funded by the Asian Development Bank. 3 Figure 1 - Map of the Lao PDR 4 Table of Contents FOREWORD..............................................................................................................................................8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................................................................................................9 ABBREVIATIONS..................................................................................................................................10 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .....................................................................................................................11 CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................16 POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN THE LAO PDR..........................................................................................16 OBJECTIVES OF PPA 2006 ..................................................................................................................17 CHAPTER 2 – DIMENSIONS OF POVERTY ...................................................................................19 ASPECTS OF POVERTY ........................................................................................................................19 ETHNICITY AND POVERTY – THE REALITY AND IMPORTANCE OF GROUP DIFFERENCES.......................21 The Ethnic Groups of Laos ..............................................................................................................21 Ethnicity and the Priority Poor Districts – Statistical Aspects.......................................................24 GENDER..............................................................................................................................................25 REGIONALIZATION .............................................................................................................................26 CHAPTER 3 – METHODOLOGY AND SITE SELECTION ..........................................................28 METHODOLOGY..................................................................................................................................28 Qualitative Research and the PPA ..................................................................................................28 Procedural Steps in PPA Research .................................................................................................30 SITE SELECTION .................................................................................................................................31 Ethnic Groups in PPA 2006 ........................................................................................................................34 Mon-Khmer: the Poorest Group..................................................................................................................34 Incidence of Ethnicity Among Poor Villages .............................................................................................34 Villages of Mixed Ethnicity ........................................................................................................................35 Diversity.......................................................................................................................................................35 CHAPTER 4 – CAUSES OF POVERTY AND SOLUTIONS...........................................................37 CAUSES ..............................................................................................................................................37 Land Access......................................................................................................................................37 Livestock...........................................................................................................................................38 The Central Region ..........................................................................................................................47 SOLUTIONS TO POVERTY ....................................................................................................................48 The North..........................................................................................................................................51 The East............................................................................................................................................52 The South..........................................................................................................................................53 The Central Region ..........................................................................................................................54 SUMMARY ..........................................................................................................................................54 CHAPTER 5 – CULTURE AND GENDER AND POVERTY ..........................................................56 CULTURE............................................................................................................................................56 GENDER AND ETHNICITY....................................................................................................................59 Gender Roles in Poor Villages ........................................................................................................59 Division of labor between the sexes ................................................................................................62 CHAPTER 6 – GOVERNMENT SERVICES......................................................................................63 EDUCATION ........................................................................................................................................63 HEALTH..............................................................................................................................................65 AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION...............................................................................................................65 INFRASTRUCTURE...............................................................................................................................67 SUMMARY ..........................................................................................................................................68 CHAPTER 7 – COMPARISON OF PPA 2000 AND 2006.................................................................69 5 ACCESS TO LAND ...............................................................................................................................70 LIVESTOCK .........................................................................................................................................71 EDUCATION ........................................................................................................................................73 HEALTH AND SANITATION..................................................................................................................74 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................................75 CHAPTER 8 – CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS..................................................................76 POVERTY AND ITS DETERMINANTS.....................................................................................................76 RECOMMENDATIONS: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? .......................................................................80 EPILOG: CORRECTING A TOO PURPOSIVE VIEW OF THE WORLD..................................82 REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................................83 APPENDIX 1 – DISTRICTS AND VILLAGES: PPA 2006...............................................................86 APPENDIX 2 - SUMMARY OF COMPARISONS BETWEEN 2000 – 2006..................................89 APPENDIX 3 – VILLAGE DISCUSSION TOPIC INSTRUMENT.................................................98 APPENDIX 4 - SAMENESS AND DIFFERENCE: QUALITATIVE THEORY AND PRACTICE ..................................................................................................................................................................100 APPENDIX 5 – SWIDDEN AGRICULTURE IS NOT THE ENEMY ..........................................102

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