Solomon Islands - Asia & the Pacific

Solomon Islands: Analysis of Poverty from 2005/2006 HIESwhich poverty alleviation strategiescan be founded. Far more importantfrom a policy perspective is to analysethe specific characteristics, and wherepossible, the causes of low-income/expenditure and poverty in thedisadvantaged sections of society. Weneed to know who-are-the-poor, whyare-they-poor,and specifically, what arethe characteristics of the poor and poorhouseholds so that targeted povertyalleviation measures can be initiated.145. The analysis in this paper has therefore aimed to provide a basis for this to be carried forward to the policy level.The information available from the household survey can be used to effectively guide the formulation of specifichardship and poverty alleviation policies. Additionally it provides new data for monitoring progress towards theachievement of the MDGs and other national development priorities.146. The BNPL measures the incidence of “income or expenditure” poverty but this is just one aspect of povertyor hardship. Families might have low incomes, but through good household budgeting and prioritising ofexpenditure, might still be reasonably well-fed and healthy. Nevertheless they are still likely to live in conditionswhere they experience varying degrees of hardship. The analysis suggests that relative poverty exists in all parts ofthe country, with the highest level being experienced in Honiara where one-in-four households and one-in-threepeople lives below the urban basic needs poverty line.147. In the rural areas where the poverty line, and arguably the minimum standard of living is itself lower, approximatelyone-in-seven households and one-in-five people also live below the rural poverty line. The actual level of the basicneeds poverty line is however more than three times as high for those in Honiara, SBD139.04 p.c.a.e comparedwith the rural BNPL of only SBD39.59 p.c.a.e. The rural BNPL is lower both because the cost of local food is lower,and is largely from own production for the poor at least, but also because “basic needs” are lower since there is lessaccess to services.148. As this paper indicates, the poorest households might lack access to basic services, especially water and sanitationif they are in squatter areas in the urban centre of Honiara or in the remote parts of the rural provinces. Similarlythey might lack access to health, education and transport facilities. They lack access to economic opportunitiesresulting in urban drift and growing numbers of un-and under employed youth. The weaknesses in access toservices and opportunities are especially chronic in the rural parts of the country; but they also affect thosewho have drifted or migrated into Honiara. A combination of low educational attainment, socio-cultural factorsrelating to age, gender and other personal characteristics further limit freedom of choice, or socio-economicopportunity.149. This poverty of opportunity, e.g. lack of access to basic health and education services, employment opportunities,standards of good governance and equal opportunities across gender and age, is now regarded as just asimportant in defining the extent of poverty and hardship in a society as is the lack of income/expenditure. OftenEstimation of National Poverty Lines and Poverty Incidence39