World Bank Counterpart Consortium Kyrgyzstan Consultations with the Poor Participatory Poverty Assessment in the Kyrgyz Republic For the World Development Report 2000/01 NATIONAL SYNTHESIS REPORT THE KYRGYZ REPUBLIC Bishkek, August 1999 The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. Preface This study is part of a global research effort entitled Consultations with the Poor, designed to inform the World Development Report 2000/1 on Poverty and Development. The research involved poor people in twenty-three countries around the world. The effort also included two comprehensive reviews of Participatory Poverty Assessments completed in recent years by the World Bank and other agencies. Deepa Narayan, Principal Social Development Specialist in the World Bank's Poverty Group, initiated and led the research effort. The global Consultations with the Poor is unique in two respects. It is the first large scale comparative research effort using participatory methods to focus on the voices of the poor. It is also the first time that the World Development Report is drawing on participatory research in a systematic fashion. Much has been learned in this process about how to conduct Participatory Poverty Assessments on a major scale across countries so that they have policy relevance. Findings from the country studies are already being used at the national level, and the methodology developed by the study team is already being adopted by many others. We want to congratulate the network of 23 country research teams who mobilized at such short notice and completed the studies within six months. We also want to thank Deepa Narayan and her team: Patti Petesch, Consultant, provided overall coordination; Meera Kaul Shah, Consultant, provided methodological guidance; Ulrike Erhardt provided administrative assistance; and the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex provided advisory support. More than a hundred colleagues within the World Bank also contributed greatly by identifying and supporting the local research teams. Anis Dani and Nora Dudwick helped to adapt the study methodology and provide guidance to the research teams from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The study would not have been possible without the generous financial support of the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID), numerous departments within the World Bank, the Swedish International Development Agency, John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and several NGOs. The completion of these studies in a way is just the beginning. We must now ensure that the findings lead to follow-up action to make a difference in the lives of the poor. Michael Walton Ravi Kanbur Director, Poverty Group & Director, Chief Economist, Human Development World Development Report TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 1 1. Summary of Main Trends and Conclusions 1.1. Poverty: Well-Being Definition and Trends………………………………………. 14 1.2. Priorities of the Poor……………………………………..………………………... 15 1.3. Institutional Analysis………………………….………….…………………….…. 15 1.4. Summary of Gender Issues.………………………………..……………………… 16 1.5. Summary and Conclusions……………………………….………….………….…. 17 2. Background 2.1. Purpose of the Study ….……………….……………….………………………… 19 2.2.Methods and Procedure……………………………………………………………. 19 2.3. Overall Process of the Study……………………………………..………………... 20 2.4. Selection of Informants for Focus Group Discussions and Individual Interviews... 20 2.5. Schedule of Fieldwork……………………………………..……………………… 21 2.6. Selection of Sites……………………………………..…………………………… 22 2.7. Main Geographic and Social Characteristics of Sites……………………………. 23 2.8. Number of Groups and Individuals Studied by Site………………………………. 31 Table 2.9 (a): Number of Focus Groups by Site……………………………………….. 31 Table 2.9 (b): Number of Focus Group Participants by Site…………………………… 32 Table 2.9 (c): Number of Individual Informants………………………………………… 32 3. Perception of Poverty: Well Being Definition and Trends 3.1. Local Terminology and Definition of Well-Being………………………………… 33 3.2. Cause and Effect Analysis………………………………………………………… 44 3.3. Safety Guarantees…………………………………………………………………. 53 3.4. Opportunities, Social and Economic Mobility…………………………………….. 57 3.5. Social Exclusion…………………………………………………………………… 61 3.6. Social Cohesion, Conflict, and Crime……………………………………………... 62 3.7. Coping Strategies………………………………………………………………….. 67 4. Priorities of the Poor 4.1. Problems Common for Rural and Urban Areas…….………...……..…………….. 71 4.2. Problems and Priorities of the Urban Poor………………………………………... 77 4.3. Priorities of the Rural Poor………………………………………………………... 78 4.4. Recent Changes in Problems and Priorities……………………………………….. 83 5. Institutional Analysis 5.1. Institutional Profile of the Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan……………………………….. 85 5.2. Institutions that Play an Important Role in Lives of People………………………. 88 5.3. Assessment of Local Institutions………………………………………………….. 93 5.4. Control and Influence over Institutions………………………………………….. 99 5.5. Coping with Crisis………………………………………………………………… 101 6. Gender Relations 6.1. Changes in Position of Women as Compared with the Soviet Past……………….. 107 6.2. Responsibilities of Men and Women Within the Household…..…………………. 109 6.3. Responsibilities of Women on a Community Level………………………………. 114 6.4. Participation of Men and Women in Decision Making on a Household Level…… 115 6.5. Participation of Men and Women in Decision Making on a Community Level… 116 6.6. Abuse of Women’s Rights on a Household Level………………………………… 117 6.7. Abuse of Women’s Rights on a Community Level……………………………….. 118 6.8. Women’s Perception of their Increased/Decreased Power………………………... 120 7. Conclusions and Observations…………………………………………………….. 124 Annexes Annex I. Summary Results on Well-Being…………………………………………….. 130 Annex II. Summary Results on Priorities of the Poor………………………………….. 140 Annex III. Summary Results on Institutional Analysis………………………………. 144 Annex IV. Figure 1. Location of Kyrgyzstan among Asian countries…………………. 146 Figure 2. Map of Kyrgyzstan with Sites Studied…..……………………….. 147 Executive Summary Background The participatory poverty assessment in the Kyrgyz Republic, Consultations with the Poor, is a part of a larger 23-country study initiated by the World Bank.1 Its purpose is to enable poor people to contribute their experiences with the World Development Report 2000/01 (WDR). Using participatory and qualitative methods, the study goes beyond economic measures of well-being to highlight poverty’s multidimensional aspects. Data was gathered in the field by local research teams without being filtered through the lens of outside experts. The qualitative study on the perceptions of the poor was conducted in the Kyrgyz Republic between March 15 and May 15, 1999. The study was conducted in nine sites in the three poorest oblasts of the country, Naryn, Jalal-Abad and Talas, as well as in the capital city of Bishkek.2 Building upon the country’s local capacity, fifteen researchers from the national NGO, Counterpart-Kyrgyzstan, were trained in participatory poverty assessment methodology. PPA methodology is not just a tool for assisting outsiders to learn more about the realities of the poor, but also a process which enables poor people to reflect upon and analyze with other members of their community relevant issues affecting their daily lives. As a participatory method, PPA also has the potential to encourage problem-solving at the local level. Through the assistance of grassroots NGO affiliates, the team of researchers conducted field interviews and focus groups with a total of 1,100 people. Approximately 100 people in each community took part in the study. They were either self-selected or were asked to participate, depending on the circumstances. Although they do not constitute a representative sample, the study found that their views demonstrated considerable consensus and consistency. Upon completion of interviews and focus groups at each site, the research team presented its findings to the community for further discussion and feedback. The Country Synthesis Report, which summarizes findings from all the sites, will be presented to the government, donor community, academic community, and others in July 1999. The study gathered information on four sets of issues: (1) Well-being and trends over time (including security, risk, vulnerability, exclusion, opportunity, and crime and conflict), (2) Priority problems and concerns (including unemployment, wage arrears, asset depletion, status of social services and other entitlements, access to productive resources and economic opportunities), (3) Institutional analysis (including institutional responsibility for maintenance of social assets and delivery of social services; information about functions, entitlements from, and rules set by public institutions; trust, confidence, and evaluations of the effectiveness of different institutions, including government, NGO, informal, and market institutions), and (4) Changes in gender relations at the household and community levels. 1 The global study is being managed by the Poverty Group in PREM at the World Bank and is led by Deepa Narayan, Principal Social Development Specialist. The Kyrgyz Study was implemented by ECSSD’s Social Scientist, Nora Dudwick, and Kathleen Kuehnast, consulting social scientist. 2 The three regional sites were selected based upon the “Update on Poverty in the Kyrgyz Republic,” February, 1999.