Survey of the Poor in India

Policy-Relevant Findings

7 September 2017 Webinar

Agenda

Introductions

Findings and discussion

Q&A

Eric Whan Executive Director

GlobeScan Foundation

Introductions

Doug Miller President

GlobeScan Foundation

Yashwant Deshmukh Managing Director

CVoter

Anindya Chatterjee Regional Director, Asia

The International

Development Research

Centre (IDRC)

The GlobeScan Foundation is dedicated to helping achieve a sustainable and just world for all.

We focus on developing and applying a range of social

science tools to help give voice, unlock collaboration and accelerate progress.

GlobeScanFoundation.org

Our Ambition: Annual survey in 10 countries (n= 2,000 each)

sampling majority of the world’s ultra poor

Survey of the Poor in India

Photo: Nikhil / SACAC

April – June 2016

Indian Pilot Survey: In-person and via mobile phones

n = 1,021

Reaching the Poor in India: Mobile telephone, not the Internet

India Pilot Survey: Six Policy-Relevant Findings

Policy-Relevant Findings: From Indian Survey

1. The Indian Government’s recent (anti-corruption) policy

of requiring those receiving government assistance to

have a bank account in which funds can be deposited

could leave large numbers of India’s poor (especially

rural) without the assistance they so desperately need.

One in three respondents (33%) do not

have bank account (45% of rural poor)

Policy-Relevant Findings: From Indian Survey

2. Majorities of the poorest-of-the-poor (54% and 51%

respectively) say the police and community/village

leaders make their lives worse. This suggests these two

groups are important intervention points for initiatives

to improve the lives of the poor.

Fruitful Intervention Points: Police and Community/Village Leaders

Policy-Relevant Findings: From Indian Survey

3. Survey findings underscore the particularly challenging

plight of women living in poverty. Fully a third (32%) of

female respondents report having no privacy when they

use the latrine. Clearly, more aid programs aimed at

improving women’s lives are urgently needed.

Importance of Gender: The face of poverty is female

Policy-Relevant Findings: From Indian Survey

4. Findings underscore the importance of improving the

availability of potable water in poor Indian communities,

especially for the ultra-poor.

Water is Life: Ultra-poor households often go without enough

Policy-Relevant Findings: From Indian Survey

5. Our survey findings fully support the UN Development

Programme’s recent policy framework that poverty is

multi-dimensional, not simply a function of low

household income and expenditures. GlobeScan’s

advanced statistical analysis of our Survey of the Poor

data reveals the key determinants of “poverty.”

The Structure of Poverty: In decreasing order of importance

Sub-Indices Measures

1. Healthcare access Access to traditional medicine, Western medicine, birth control

2. Connectedness Household ownership of radio, TV, mobile phone, Internet-connected mobile phone

3. Trust Rating positive/negative impact on life conditions of a) peers, b) authorities, c) civil society

4. Personal Safety Frequency in past year of a) fearing for safety, b) theft, c) personal attack, d) sexual abuse

5. Subjective wellbeing Rating a) body and soul, b) inclusion, c) access to information, d) dignity, e) financial security

6. Household needs In past month, incidence of lack of food, water, cooking fuel, electricity

Policy-Relevant Findings: From Indian Survey

6. The survey also provides evidence that climate change is

already negatively affecting livelihoods of India’s most

vulnerable citizens. Clearly, policies aimed at mitigating

the effects of climate change will be central to reducing

poverty.

Ground Truth: Climate changes are already negatively impacting the

most vulnerable

A Year in the Life: Generosity in the face of adversity

Q&A

Eric Whan Executive Director

GlobeScan Foundation

Doug Miller President

GlobeScan Foundation

Yashwant Deshmukh Managing Director

CVoter

Anindya Chatterjee Regional Director, Asia

The International

Development Research

Centre (IDRC)

The GlobeScan Foundation is dedicated to helping achieve a sustainable and just world for all.

We focus on developing and applying a range of social

science tools to help give voice, unlock collaboration and accelerate progress.

GlobeScanFoundation.org