Measuring living standards with proxy variables

Very few demographic surveys in developing countries have gathered information on household incomes or consumption expenditures. Researchers interested in living standards therefore have had little alternative but to rely on simple proxy indicators. The properties of these proxies have not been analyzed systematically. We ask what hypotheses can be tested using proxies, and compare these indicators with consumption expenditures per adult, our preferred measure of living standards. We find that the proxies employed in much demographic research are very weak predictors of consumption per adult. Nevertheless, hypothesis tests based on proxies are likely to be powerful enough to warrant consideration.     

Forecasting electricity consumption with extra-model information provided by consumers

SUMMARY Univariate time series models make efficient use of available historical records of electricity consumption for short-term forecasting. However, the information (expectations) provided by electricity consumers in an energy-saving survey, even though qualitative, was considered to be particularly important, because the consumers' perception of the future may take into account the changing economic conditions. Our approach to forecasting electricity consumption combines historical data with expectations of the consumers in an optimal manner, using the technique of restricted forecasts. The same technique can be applied in some other forecasting situations in which additional information-besides the historical record of a variable-is available in the form of expectations.     

The evaluation of healthy city projects in developing countries

In international public health and other disciplines there is a debate about the use of process versus impact (sometimes referred to as outcome) indicators in project evaluations. With growing international and national support for Healthy City Projects in developing countries it is timely to address the issue of how to evaluate such projects. This paper briefly describes process and impact indicators, considers the importance of process indicators given the role of institutional strengthening and capacity building in Healthy City Projects and discusses the balance between locally and internationally generated indicators. A case study of the first Healthy City Project in a developing country in Asia (Chittagong, Bangladesh) illustrates how the project is linked with urban management and can enhance co-operation, co-ordination, motivation, internal organisation, decentralisation and community participation. Finally, some institutional indicators for evaluation are suggested.     

Voices of Courage and Hope: Gay and Lesbian Catholic Elementary School Teachers

This essay presents the stories of gay and lesbian Catholic elementary school teachers. Through interviews and dialogues, these teachers shared their fears, hopes, and the strategies they used in order to survive in the context of the Catholic elementary school. Results indicated that the teachers had come to accept the oppression, and they were working with the system, as opposed to against the system, to create a more inclusive school environment that truly echoed the gospel message of loving one another. Participants acknowledged that they continually experienced a conflict between their religion and their sexual identity. They did not feel safe to come out to their students, though they acknowledged there would be some benefits in doing so. They believed that they had to work harder than their heterosexual colleagues so it would be more difficult for the administration to dismiss them.     

Health Care during Transition and Health Systems Reform: Evidence from the Poorest CIS Countries

The poorest seven countries of the former Soviet Union (CIS‐7) moved from a centralized system of health‐care funding and delivery to a range of institutional and financial arrangements. The different paths chosen have implied different results in terms of available resources, internal efficiency, health‐care inequality, and the corresponding incidence of public expenditures. This paper examines the level, composition and allocation of public spending on health, in light of the evolution of the health systems during the transition. The financial constraints experienced by CIS‐7 countries were reflected in the decrease of health‐care quality, the collapse of the already inefficient public health activities, and the increased incidence of out‐of‐pocket expenditures. These factors, alongside the increase in poverty, resulted in a decrease in health‐care utilization, suggesting that these countries may experience difficulties in achieving the health‐related Millennium Development Goals.