Group Work 8: Budget Proposal Game

The investment for each ministry

Ministry of Health

This group work is amazed to happen in Myanmar.


The Ministry of Finance and Planningis provided USD 40,000 and it plans to distribute for 4 ministries including the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Rural Development, Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure and Ministry of Health and Labour.

Based on the current status of Myanmar, the Ministry of Finance and Planning decides to distribute their budget as the table below.

Each ministry has to develop their project which is under available policy/ program in Myanmar. The expected result is the project can point out main activities, expenditure of each activities, outputs, outcome with clear indicators. Especially, the project should mention how it can support to set up gender equality for local people.

At the end of the exercise each ministry present about their budget proposal for their own project and the Ministry of Finance and Planning give comments on each sector’s performance.

Ministry of Education

Ministry of Agriculture

Ministry of Infrastructure

Individual Assignment 2: Critical Reflection 2

Power of Gender Equality on Sustainable Poverty Alleviation

The most important thing raises my awareness from the lecturer’s lesson and group work on poverty in Gender and Development Economics Course is the strong linkage between gender equality and poverty reduction. It does not mean that high economic growth will create gender equality as a certain consequence in every country. However, there is reliable evidence to convey that it is gender inequality which delays societal achievements to end of poverty. It makes social injustice is long lasting. This problem is popular in developing countries in Pacific – Asia and Africa in which Gender Inequality Index is direct proportional to low GNI per capital.

A possible implication of the reciprocal relationship between gender equality and poverty is that both of these factors have a same vulnerable group is women. Firstly and foremost, that gender inequality in public sphere limits chances of women - a main group of low income can overcome their poverty status. For instance, because of unequal access in asset ownership, higher education and recruitment process, women cannot get much paid salary to fulfill their personal demand and their children expenditure themselves (Roy and Tisdell, 1993). Secondly, there is a paradox in private sphere that husband is always a decision maker and wife has no rights to decide the way they would like to do for household income increasing, though the poverty management normally put on women’s shoulders. The inequality in decision making process minimizes effectiveness of poverty solutions by women. Women are not only economic providers but they also are economic actors. The more dependence on men women have, the poorer situation they are in. Therefore, it can be said that “gender equality is also desirable from an efficiency perspective” of poverty reduction and economic growth (Andrew M., and et al. 2007, p1).

This new understanding leads me into in-depth thoughts on effectiveness of national strategies on poverty alleviation in developing countries. It is strongly believed that strong institutions are able to make a remarkable innovation in each nation (Olivia B., 2013). After three decades of war destruction, Vietnam of today has grabbed its chance tightly to build a bright future and becomes a typical example of economic development. It was a low income country, with 2.6% of GDP growth (1985), however, after policy reforming in 1986, Vietnam continuously maintains this indicator around 6% (WB, 2015). In 2010, Vietnam reached the standard of a middle income country. The importantly, Vietnam is significantly improving their position in Gender Inequality Index of UNDP, in 2013, this indicator of this country is 0.322, it also was ranked at 121/ 187 countries in Gender – Related Development Index (GDI) table. Another case study in Kenya also pointed the theory on poverty and gender inequality. According to Tabitha K, and Clem T., 2003, in 1970, female occupied 74% of the adult illiterate, compared with 44% of male adult in Kenya. By 1999, this number was 24% for women and 11% for men. The World Bank (1999) also recorded that, Kenya was negative real GDP growth rates in 1999. The author group expressed that during 90s, over 50% of Kenyan population just had USD 1/ day, implying that they were living in absolute poverty. This research paper also illustrated the serious problem that the number of women in parliamentary was very low and there was no policy improvement to shift women empowerment in decision making of governmental level. Until now Kenya still is in Low human development group of UNDP ranking (UNDP, 2015).

This insight is really useful for my work in the field of gender and advocacy in a local Vietnamese NGO. It can be seen clearly that there is a strong, reciprocal linkage between gender inequality and poverty, and the institution as a facilitating factor to increase or to decrease gender development and economic growth. By setting up good institutions, governments can create sustainable economic development for their own country. Based on this argument and our organization functions to work with the Vietnamese government as the role of interest groups participation in public policy, we will continue to give our feedbacks on gender aspects of economic-related programs in Vietnam. In short term plans, my colleagues and still keep our passion on gender equality and poverty reduction in Central Vietnam.

References

1. Andrew M., and et al. 2007. Gender Equality, Poverty and Economic Growth, Policy Research Working Paper, No. 4349.
2. Olivia B., 2013. Poverty and Gender Inequality in Post-War El Salvador, Global Majority E-Journal, Vol. 4, No. 1 (June 2013), pp. 27-39.
3. Roy, K. C. and Tisdell, C. A. 1993. Technological Change, Environment and Poor Women, Especially Tribal Women in India, Savings and Development, Quarterly Review, Vol. 17 (4): 423-439.
4. Tabitha K, Clem T., 2003. Gender Inequality, Poverty and Human Development in Kenya: Main Indicators, Trends and Limitations, Working Paper on Social Economics, Policy and Development, No. 35.
5. UNDP, 2015. Data, Retrieved on 20^th June, 2015, from the United Nations Development Program Website  http://hdr.undp.org/en/data.
6. WB, 2015. Data,  Retrieved on 20^th June, 2015, from the World Bank Website: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator

A video is to see the linkage between gender inequality and poverty

Public Policies and Gender Impacts

A group is doing their presentation

Our group work flip-chart on National Defense

This group work session is to help students understand about impacts of governmental policy on women and men.

Students were divided into 5 groups. Each group has to choose one topic given by the lecturer.
The requirements for this group work are:
1. Choose one specific policy in a country;
2. Point out the positive impacts and negative impacts of men and women caused by the policy; and
3. Give solutions for negative impacts

Hello Vietnam

Group Work 7: Trade Fair

A female successful business in Vietnam

Ms. Mai Kieu Lien and Prime Minister of Vietnam, Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung

Ms. Mai Kieu Lien, CEO and Chairwoman of Vietnam Dairy Products Joint - Stock Company (Vinamilk) - Vietnam’s largest dairy producer - was the only Vietnamese woman to be named among Asia’s 50 Most Powerful Businesswomen three times by Renowned US business magazine Forbes.

http://vietnam.vnanet.vn/english/vinamilk-ceo-among-forbes-top-50-asian-businesswomen/100098.html

Group Work 6: Family Budget Planning

A typical farmer family in Central Vietnam

Central Region in Vietnam is a coastal area with long beach and narrow width of mainland. Therefore, it has typical weather with many natural disasters such as flooding and drought, typhoon.

Farmers in this area are facing various difficulties because of lacking farming land, inequality soil and poor mitigation.

After finish cultivation, people in farming areas have no work to do, they move to big cities such as Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to seek money. A lot of young people are migrating in Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Taipan, etc as labor migrants with hope about new opportunities for themselves and their family. 

This family has 6 members, 2 grandparents are under 70 years old, 2 parents are under 45 years old, 1 primary child and 1 secondary child. They have 1,5 ha of agricultural land, around 15,000m2.

Calendar timeline on family income of a farmer family in Centra Vietnam

Normally, income of a farming family in Central Vietnam is based on rice. They just can grow 2 times per year, differ from Northern and Southern of Vietnam, where rice can be cultivated 3 or even 4 times per year.

On October and May, this family harvest their rice, that why they have big amount. Other months in year, their income depends on poultry which are taking care by grandparents. They are old and decide to work something at home while a younger couple is responsible on farm with rice and vegetable. 

Cultivation on farm often start on December and June, so the farmer family spend big amount at this time:

1, For machinery of tractor: 2 days/time x 50 USD /time x 2 times = 100 USD

2, For water from irrigation: 10 USD/ month x 12 months = 120 USD

3, For fertilizer: 200 USD/ time x 2 times= 400 USD

4, For pesticide: 50 USD/time x 2 times = 100 USD

Excel table of the family income in details

This family has to spend much money for their children's education because they are in primary and secondary schools. 

1, For primary child: 20 USD/month x 12 months = 240 USD

2, For secondary child: 25 USD/ month x 12 months = 300 USD

Health services often are used by the primary child and 2 grandparents. This amount is not regular, it just is used when any member in family has problem.

Traditionally, Vietnamese families often save their money for Tet holiday, Lunar New Year Festival in Vietnam. At this time, they do nothing, just stay at home, visit relatives, neighbours and friends. They give small amount for children as lucky money. This amount is calculated in Entertainment Expenditure. For Entertainment Expenditure, we account mobile phone fee also. Estimately, in rural areas, just only young adult use this service for communication and relax. They spend around 11 USD/ month for both mobile phones.

Group Presentation

The concerning insight I got from this activity is I recognizes that farmer families in Central Region in Vietnam is very poor, compared with farmers in Northern and Southern of Vietnam.

This insight is important because the poor status of farmer families in Central Vietnam is in linkages with many issues such as the rice policy, education for children, or health care services. Personally,  I am really interested in this because I have never understood clearly how many difficulties a typical farmer family has to face with their income problem. I have never explained exactly why poverty is maintained generations to generations in rural areas?

Importantly, based on this income calculation of typical farmer family in Central Vietnam, the government and other civil society (NGO, Farmer Union, Women Union, etc) can recognize where is the problem of farmer families, hence they can develop suitable strategies to deal with that. In all honest, as a project officer often take care development projects in rural and highland areas, I should know what kind of difficulties of my target groups for effective and meaning project proposals.

This insight expands my mind on rural areas' issues. It not only helps me apply the family budget planning to manage my household expenditure but also raises some ideas on support for this farmer group. I think that we should facilitate more livelihood programs in this areas. I hope that by effective alternatives livelihood modes, farmer families in Central Vietnam can built up their household income stability step by step.

Group Work 5: Kiva

This is a food seller group in Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam including 4 members.

I decided to choose this group because of following reasons:

1, They need money to expand their shop in market, so their goals are not only to raise their household income but also make various food in local market. This task will ensure food source for many local people.

2, The leader of this group is a potential person who has experience to manage microfinance since 2010 under provincial project.

3, Until the time I chose this group, they just reached 41% of their expected amount.

Therefore I decided to lend this group USD 400.

This is a men's group in Indonesia, they have wish to apply biomass on their farm.

I decided to lend this group USD 300 because of following reasons:

- This is a friendly environment project.

- Require low expenditure.

- Can be applied widely in communities.

- Group members are really passionate on their work.

Group Work 4: Poverty

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About me

I am a Master student in Gender and Development Studies at the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. Still keep working for the Center for Social Research and Development (CSRD), a local, non-profit Vietnamese NGO, based in Hue City, I work with vulnerable women to build capacity in decision making relevant to their livelihoods; and to adapt with climate change, and industrial development. To assist CSRD and 2 other organizations coordinate the Vietnam Rivers Network (VRN), I do monitor social impact assessments of hydropower projects in Central Vietnam. My wish is to raise women’s voice to stakeholders in approval process of hydropower projects. Social impacts should be considered carefully as well as environment impacts to minimize influences on women who are responsible of poverty management in families.

Group work 3: Analysing Institution

Group Work 1: Learning by Game Play - Brainstorm with Clay

Economic Growth and Economic Development in Comparison

Economic Growth

Economic Growth is defined by the increase of value of goods and services produced from formal economic sector. This just prefers profit to benefit, hence, people consider it as a narrower concept than Economic Development.


Economic Growth can be measured by Gross Domestic Products (GDP) or Gross National Products or Per Capita Income (PCI).



Economic Development

Economic Development considers on humanity aspects of Economic Growth such as poverty, gender equality, social justice, environment, etc.


Economic Development is evaluated by Human Development Index (HDI), gender- related index (GDI), Human poverty index (HPI), and the like.






Challenges to combine economic growth and development together


There is a fact that in many circumstances, economic growth does not mean that it brings real development. In contrast, somehow, economic growth destroys natural environment and damages development achievements by increasing economic distance among social classes or gender inequality.

Therefore, real economic development just occurs when economic growth creates sustainable development.

Individual Assignment 1: Reflective writing

Institutions on Informal Economic Sector and Women Development

The most concerning thing I got from analyzing institution lesson is I understand the meaning of legal framework for economic development. In informal sector, legal framework is not only really crucial for economic growth but also for women development, the main labor force of this sphere. Informal sector occupies around 25% to 40% of annual output in developing countries in Asia and Africa (WB, 2013). In a research in 2001, Chen cited out that the proportion of women working in informal sector outside agriculture is over 95% in Benin, Chad and Mali. I always wonder why do women chose to work in this field? What do these governments think about that?

A possible implication to explain for this issue can be listed as following ways. Firstly, informal sector is the only option of women when formal sector is always closed in front of women life. A lot of women in developing countries are impossible to be successful in recruitment process due to low educated, unskilled, and less experience profiles. Even educated women have to drop their job because of childbearing, taking care of other dependents and discrimination by men. Secondly, the government may be recognize the contribution of informal sector, yet they cannot cover it as formal sector. It will require much human resource from governments. Moreover, informal sector is viewed as illegal sphere owing to lacking contribution for state tax to improve social welfare, public infrastructure, potentially negative consequences for competitiveness and growth, and so on (Dendukuri, 2014).

Every home-based worker has to cope with occupational health problems by herself 

Trying to make a linkage between legal framework of informal sector and women development, I realized many inside problems. There is a fact that the government has their own critical argument to say informal sector should not be encouraged to develop widely. However, in practice, informal sector plays an important role in economic feature of most developing economies, creates millions of jobs for people who have no chance in formal sector, produce necessary reasonable goods and generate for poor women. Importantly, because of lacking protection from economic institution, women in this working field are facing police harassment, occupational health problems, and irregularly income.

A female street vendor in Vietnam is crying because of police's punishment 

This insight is really important for my further career in development projects. So far, I know how to elaborate a gender analysis in a public policy. To carry out the mission of my organization is to give well-being life for women, we will try to do gender mainstreaming in economic programs. In short term, we try to build up alternative livelihood models for women based on local resources. Some solutions related to health insurance, welfare also are planned for long term strategies. Hopefully, we can get attention from governmental system on women’s problems in informal sector.

References:

1. Chen, 2001. Women and informality: A global picture, the global movement. SAIS Review, 21(1), 71-82.
2. Dendukuri, 2014. A Study of Street Vending Across the Globe. International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering, Vol. 4, Issue 9: 514 – 519.
3. World Bank, 2013.  Retrieved on 20^th June, 2015, from World Bank Website:   http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTSOCIALPROTECTION/EXTLM/0,,contentMDK:20224904~menuPK:584866~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:390615,00.html.

Group work 2: Economic Growth and Economic Development