Rapid Assessment for Resilient Recovery and ... - GFDRR

often poor, disaster-prone areas. 194 Finally, using existing community structures
to channel funds for reconstruction activities ensures that money can reach those
in need rapidly thus speeding up the pace of recovery. In these cases, communities
are able to quickly identify rehabilitation needs in partnership with local government
and participate labor intensive reconstruction activities, where needed, generating
income for affected households. 195
• Develop a single register for benefits, which can be quickly triggered in
future disasters, as well as be used for non-disaster time cash transfers to
poor households. A national targeting system, identifying poor households
potentially eligible to receive cash transfers would greatly ease the distribution
of cash assistance during relief. The development of such a system would not only
help to verify eligibility criteria, but also improve the transparency of targeted
assistance. The government has declared this as a medium-term objective and
allocated funds in the current fiscal year to start developing this approach. It is
suggested that preparation of the list be done initially through community or
village identification as well as self-identification. One possibility could be that all
of those identified through this process would be subject to a short questionnaire
based on a Proxy Means Test (PMT). This can be developed using the last round
of the household income and expenditure survey 196 and would be updated
periodically. 197 Initially the PMT variables are identified using a statistical analysis
that would use income/expenditure as an easily observable, verifiable independent
variable. These are then converted into a questionnaire that can then be pre-tested.
The next step would be to apply the questionnaire to all households identified
by community/village groups as well as to those who request help. Adequate
publicity is needed to ensure that those inadvertently left out by their community
groups have the information to self-identify. The PMT questionnaire would then
be administered to all potential beneficiaries and their eligibility verified. Those left
out would have the right to appeal. Another more exhaustive approach would
be to start with a national census in which all potential target categories would be
administered the PMT questionnaire with the list generated in this manner to be
verified by the community. Generally, the PMT can be used for multiple programs
with the highest poverty threshold being required for pure cash transfers, with
lower scores for programs such as educational assistance for example. To be
useful, the list must be updated regularly. The PMT approach has been illustrated
here as a possible approach before the government develops the capacity to do
case management. Other approaches could be used such as categorical targeting,
which may work better in urban areas. This involves specifying eligibility by family
situation, health, occupation etc. Over time, the government will need to move to a
case management approach and the case managers would be working with
families in the basic list plus others requesting support.
194 China has implemented such a program in the Loess plateau where a labor intensive terracing program was conducted
with community participation.
195 For example, community-based disaster response activities are successfully implemented through the Indonesia
National CDD Program (PNPM).
196 As noted earlier, a proxy means test can be developed using observable variables such as housing, land, and livestock
to fit a regression equation with income or consumption as the dependent variable. Given the variation in economic activity
in Thailand the equation should include dummy variables for regions plus dummy variables for urban, peri-urban, rural and
Bangkok.
197 Following a household income and expenditure surveys or other milestones.
236 THAI FLOOD 2011 RAPID ASSESSMENT FOR RESILIENT RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION PLANNING