Research for Social Policy

1. Research for Social Policy SW23A/SOWK2004

2. Objectives • Understanding the research process • Examining the reasons for using research in social policy • Discussing the results of conducting research in social policy

3. Challenges for Jamaica’s elderly • Income security issue.* • Health issues.** • Access to buildings • Engagement of seniors in daily life. • Higher technological/diagnostic tests placing pressure on the aged-threatening their life savings. • Spousal support • Living arrangements (alone) • Poverty • Prevalence of chronic diseases, frailty and disabilities. * Seniors spending pension on food instead of medication **17% of older population receives PATH payments.

4. Cost of Education in Jamaica • Budgetary Sources • Cost Per Child: • Secondary: $101,200 • Primary: $85,000 • Tertiary: $240,000 • Special Education: $215,817 • Jamaica’s Capital Budget-$162.1B-MoE-$2.8b • Recurrent Budget-$70.5B • Other Sources: Multi-Lateral-1.5B/yr, Private • Source: Education Statistics 2010/2011

5. Distribution of Jamaican women in the Reproductive ages (15-49), estimates Source: STATIN

6. Poverty in the Caribbean • Surveys of living conditions conducted in many Caribbean countries between 1996 and 2002 provide a basis for assessing the incidence of poverty in the subregion. • The surveys measure both income or monetary poverty and non-income poverty (e.g. self-esteem, self-determination, voice etc.).

7. Poverty in the Caribbean • Poverty measured by the ability to finance a basic consumption basket of food and non-food items such as education, housing and transportation. • Haiti and Suriname are at the high end of the spectrum of poverty incidence with an estimated 65% and 63% respectively of the populations below the poverty line.

8. Poverty in the Caribbean • Clustered in the 30% - 40% group are Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. • Between 20% and 29% are Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and the Turks and Caicos Islands. • Barbados had a poverty rate of 14% in 1997.

9. Poverty in the Caribbean • The surveys do not include the US Virgin Islands but on a US relative standard measure there might be a socially unacceptable incidence of poverty.

10. Poverty in the Caribbean • Jamaica moved from 24% poverty in 1993 to 20% in 2002 to 16.9% in 2009; Guyana from 43% in 1993 to 35% in 1999. • In some other countries, the situation has deteriorated as a consequence of severe external economic shocks and natural hazard occurrences. • Source: Bourne, C. (2005) . Poverty and its Alleviation in the Caribbean in the Alfred O. Heath Distinguished Speakers Forum, University of the Virgin Islands.

11. Research for Social Policy Concerned with understanding social reality, social problems and needs (Becker and Bryman, 2005) To provide answers and evidence that help to improve policy design, implementation and enhance welfare.

12. Research for Social Policy • Essential to policy making efforts • Answers question “who”, “what”, “where”, “How” and “why” • To identify social problems • Prevalence - % • Incidence – how many new cases occurring • Distribution – gender, SES, race • Intensity – severity Spicker (2008) Chap 3

13. Research for Social Policy Measuring social needs – e.g. needs assessments. Value judgments and expert opinion important in determining need and preference between several different states . Spicker (2008) Chap 4 Helps to identify social interventions required and monitors and evaluates them.

14. The Research Process Statement of the Research Question or Problem Define Methodology Select Sample Design Collect Data Analyse and Interpret results/data Conclusions and Policy Recommendations

15. Approaches to Research Inductive Approach Begins by collecting information/data and then looks for relationships or patterns to inform a theoretical perspective Deductive Approach Begins with theory, collects data to test hypotheses, confirm/modify theory

16. Approaches to Research • http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=rwAJBNryKBI • http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=AcgLAFCMHwU • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbeD20mTTRk&feature=relmfu

17. Deductive Reasoning • Moves from the general to the specific. • Starts with a set of premises and draws conclusions from them. • All of the premises must be valid or true for the conclusions to be valid and true. • If all of the premises are not true then the argument is said to be unsound.

18. Deductive Reasoning • Syllogism – A common form of deductive reasoning. • All poor people are criminals • Olivene is poor. • Therefore Olivene is a criminal.

19. Inductive Reasoning • Reasoning from detailed facts to general principles. • Inductive reasoning is a type of reasoning wherein the chances of the conclusion being false are significant even when all the premises, on which the conclusion is based, are true.

20. Inductive Reasoning • Inductive reasoning can be categorized into different types: - Casual inference - False analogy - Generalization - Simple induction - Statistical syllogism

21. Types of Research Quantitative (relies largely on deductive approach) Examines quantities (how much, what extent, what differences) Measures effects Helps with predictions

22. Types of Research Qualitative (relies largely on inductive approach) Helps to explain issues, provide underlying explanation of behaviours Provides richness of meaning

23. Quantitative versus Qualitative Increasing appreciation of qualitative research Provides explanations Gives “the picture” behind the figures Participatory research allows beneficiary involvement in policy design/redesign, e.g. the Jamaica Social Policy Evaluation Project (JASPEV) Increasing use of mixed methods research Both methods complement each other

24. Qualitative Methodologies

25. Benefits of Qualitative Research It allows public bodies to understand a variety of complex matters: How is existing policy understood, perceived and experienced? How successful is it seen to be? What is thought to need improving or changing? Provides insight into the values and goals of the target public, and their needs, concerns and problems.

26. Benefits of Qualitative Research Can help public bodies to understand which options for future policy people favour, and why, and also what are the likely barriers to successful policy implementation and the conditions necessary to its success. Qualitative research can also help policy-makers to understand emergent policy issues – e.g., statistical evidence may show a growth in claims for disability benefits, but it will rarely throw much light on why this is happening. It can also get the public to look at alternative policy options, at different ways forward.

27. Benefits of Qualitative Research Different indicators have different and complementary uses in the identification of poverty and planning e.g. objective income or consumption measures can be used to give a picture of the extent of poverty at national level and can be aggregated internationally. For analysis and detailed planning, more qualitative measures and participatory approaches will be most appropriate. These require decentralisation and local empowerment.

28. Quantitative Methodologies

29. Benefits of Quantitative Research Sifts/Organises data into easily usable portions Generalisable findings at the end of the data analysis process Reliable and valid if done properly

30. Resources • A good link to critique and learn about Focus Group Theory and Practice.  • video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6617577456912837335 • In order to create questionnaires, a good template/ softwaremay be found at: http://survey_resource.sta.cuhk.edu.hk/ • This site also has information on research.

31. Research for Policy Conceptual Utilization of Research occurs when research influences how policy makers or practitioners interpret and think about a social issue or problem Instrumental utilization of research- takes place when policy makers act on findings of research studies in the design of programs (Becker and Bryman, 2005; 19)

32. The Evidence-based Policy Culture Philosophy driving public policy-making – is this the best policy/programme and is it being implemented in the most efficient way?. Why this current thrust? Diminished public trust Lack of resources force greater efficiencies More educated and better informed public Public need to understand policies Policies need to accord with culture.

33. Why Evidence-based Policy? Demand for accountability, efficiency and productivity by the public sector/higher expectations by the public PAC, OUR, Contractor General, Auditor General IDP requirement Budgetary constraints Improved research capabilities Greater availability of data, driven particularly by IT developments

34. Who uses Evidence/Research? Policy makers Practitioners Academics and students Governments Citizens Interest groups/NGOs/CBOs Private Sector

35. Some Social Policy Research Areas Poverty (impact on families, children) Social Exclusion, Inequality access Housing and Homelessness (Squatting) Welfare, Unemployment Livelihood systems; Coping Strategies Ageing Inner-city vulnerability; Urban studies Migration and its effects

36. Elements of Evidence-based Policy Culture - Better Management of the Public Sector (Public Sector Reform) Building capacity of government agencies to collect and analyze data Increased collaboration between Ministries, less duplication e.g. Joined-up government, JASPEV model Increased scrutiny Inclusive / Participatory / Open Increased Reliance on performance indicators Outcome focused policy making Innovative approaches to address social issues Evaluation regimes

37. Examples of Social Policy Research Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions Country Poverty Assessments Coping Strategies of the Poor – 1999 SLC special module Parenting Assessment and Analysis Changing Role of Jamaican Fathers “An Assessment of the Standard of Living & Coping Strategies of Workers in Selected Occupations who earn a Minimum Wage” – PIOJ See SES Vol.51, No.4, December 2002 Articles by Henry-Lee, Clarke, Douglas-Ricketts

38. Challenges Faced in the Research Process Operationalisation of measures: monetary poverty is less persistent than malnutrition among adults and stunting among children (although there is some evidence of “catch-up among stunted children). Monetary poverty is also found to be less persistent than primary and lower secondary school enrolments.

39. Challenges Faced in the Research Process Values/Political ideology of leaders/ Govt/ researcher bias (Becker & Bryman, 2004) Usefulness – issues of validity, reliability, good sample, design Cost Inclusiveness – NB: how participants are selected Available Capacity / Resources

40. Challenges to Research Process • Timeliness of dissemination of findings • Appreciation / Acceptance of Research Findings • Skepticism • Implementation of Recommendations • Ethical considerations • Research as delay tactic (Spicker, 2008).

41. Challenges to Research Process To achieve a trade-off between measurability – which requires standardisation – and local complexity.

42. JSLC • Annual survey to measure standard of living • Subset of Quarterly Labour Force Survey, 1/3 sample of April LFS • Demographic characteristics • Anthropometrics • Consumption and Poverty headcount • Housing • Education, Health • Social Protection/Welfare • Special Topics – Coping Strategies 2009

43. JSLC – Sampling Design Two – Stage Stratified Random Sample Random Selection of Dwellings Face to Face Interviews, 1787 households in 2009

44. Thinking Point JSLC measures consumption levels as this is seen as better indicator of well-being than income. Why? Note: http://salises.mona.uwi.edu/databank/JSLC.htm

45. JSLC • Income fluctuates • Households smooth out consumption • Gifts, own production, credit, postponing debt, remittances • Informal economy • Honesty?

46. Consumption • Two households • HH1 earns a total of $50,000/annum • HH2 earns a total of $100,000/annum • Which household is doing better?

47. JSLC Data on consumption collected and summed to get Annual Total Divided by number of persons in Households – Per capita income Per-capita income sorted, smallest to largest. Individuals are divided into five equal groups – quintiles Quintile 1 – poorest, Quintile 5- richest

48. JSLC Poverty Line • Absolute Poverty – a situation where persons are unable achieve physical sustenance • 46% of World Pop in 2000 living on less than $2/day, 20% less than $1 day, (Dean, 2008;47) • Relative Poverty – determined by comparison with national averages, e.g. SLC quintiles or % of mean income. Also measures deprivation in terms absence of resources required to participate in society, e.g. access to adequate housing, sanitation, health, education, freedoms

49. JSLC Poverty Line • Jamaica’s poverty line combines an absolute and relative approach to poverty measurement • A low-cost food basket that will provide required nutrients/calories to sustain health is developed, costed and annualised, (prices are adjusted each year for inflation). • That food basket is used to develop the food poverty or the indigence line which is an absolute measure of poverty.

50. JSLC Poverty Line • The spending patterns of the quintiles 1 and 2 are measured and the distribution of expenditure between food and non food items is determined. The ratio of the food share of expenditure is calculated E.g 60% of total expend for quintiles 1 & 2 is on food • Food Share 60% = Total food expend Total Consumption Expenditure • Total expenditure = Food expend/Indigent line 0.60 For example if the food poverty line was $39,000 Poverty line = 39,000 = $65,000 0.60 (Williams, C. 2009)