Study on child poverty and disparities

1. Study on child poverty and disparities Senegal : progress and issues Social Policy workshop, Abidjan (12-14 February 2008)

2. Progress so far • Informal discussion with PRSP unit and Statistical Office (December 2007) • Briefing of main partners (early February 2008) : • PRSP unit (Economy and Finance), Statistical office, Ministry of Family affairs, Department of Planning (Economy and Finance), international NGOs (Plan and Save the Children), platform of national child-focused NGOs, UNDP, World Bank, GTZ • Presentation on study (focus on child poverty concepts), Guide shared, presentation social protection study, establishment of a coordinating committee • Recruitment of technical support underway : TOR prepared for consultant or research institution, tender published in newspapers, recruitment expected end February

3. Opportunities • PRSP annual review (mid-2008) : integrate child poverty focus / measures (update through MICS 2009 ?) • Support for implementation of the national social protection strategy (in combination with results social protection study, including ex ante poverty impact simulation of cash transfer introduction) • Elaboration of national monitoring report on African charter on the rights and well-being of the child

4. Challenges • The amount of information to be collected is vast and may risk to obscure the analytical parts • The study set up implies a heavy workload, especially in terms of collecting information on policies and budgets • The real challenge is to transform all this information into an analytical, concise and comprehensive report, which addresses the key questions of the study • The ambition of the study is to establish a relation between policies/ programs and outcomes for children • Challenge is to adequately address this issue with the information available (attribution issue, limitations of the policy template, child poverty and policy dynamics over time)

5. Challenges • The ambition of the study is to address causes of child poverty and disparities • Challenge is to adequately address country-specific underlying and structural causes of child poverty (agricultural crisis, political conflict, migration, parent’s attitudes towards childhood, childcare and education, religion, employment, power relations, gender issues …..) apart from supply and demand for social services • At first sight, different dimensions of child poverty/ outcomes for children are suggested at different stages of the Guide • 7 deprivations proposed by Bristol study : shelter, sanitation, water, information, food, education, health • Child outcomes (figure 2) : nutrition, survival and health, school achievement, risk-taking and life skills, inclusion and love, confidence and happiness • Pillars of child well-being (chapter 3): nutrition, health, child protection, education, social protection • Policy template : household income, nutrition, health, child protection, education

6. Statistical template • General issue : variety in figures used at national level (surveys v. routine systems) and at international level (MDG profile, SOWC, ….) • Suggest to leave out factor ethnicity for Senegal • Given the complexity of the statistical template, it seems preferable to produce existing tabulations before suggesting new ones • Tables will be adapted for regions, and for year of data availability (DHS and MICS years) • Two main datasets in Senegal : DHS 2005, and LSMS 2005

7. Statistical template • Detailed issues for tables • When not DHS/LSMS indicator, sub national data difficult to obtain (in particular related to public expenditure through local governments) • Supply side information difficult to obtain • Many tables require additional calculations • 1.1.2 : children less than 18 years ? • 1.1.2 (A) : total # in sample or total child population • 1.1.2 (B) : definitions of deprivations • 1.1.3 : column heading to be clarified • 1.3.3 : definition of private social expenditures • 2.1.4 : definitions (or / and) (education : all children who finished primary education cycle but are not currently attending school will be considered severely poor) • 3.5 : virtually no data available

8. Policy template • 15 programs ? (risk that quantity will hide quality) • Suggest focus for Senegal : PRSP, social protection strategy, and major sector-wide programs • Structure of policy template heavily focuses on inventory-type questions: • The linkage with the type of analysis requested for chapter 3 (the policy / outcomes for children correlation) is not immediately evident • Since policy implementation is typically a major issue in explaining policy outcomes, too little attention seems to be paid to it (institutional capacities, policy coordination, partnerships in particular) • Budget analysis : how does it relate to budget information in policy inventory ? How is the information going to be used ? • Feasibility depends on budget categories used • Similar information required for social protection study

9. Other issues • Participation of children: • Children’s perceptions on poverty and exclusion • Considered relevant by partners in Senegal: probably through participation in “listening project” (www.cdainc.com) • HIV/Aids : only 5 times mentioned in study guide (French)

10. Practical issues • Terminology used for French translation of Study Guide is sometimes confusing, for instance: • Policy template (modèle décisionnel) • Headings of budget tables • …… • Statistical tables not translated • Coordination with ODI study on social protection (policy inventory in particular) • Timeline : preliminary results by June (PRSP annual review) and final report by September • Two stage approach ?