Papua New Guinea : Poverty and Access to Public Services

This report analyzes the distribution of income, constructs a poverty profile, and looks at the extent to which the poor have access to basic services in Papua New Guinea. The analysis is based on data collected during a national household survey in 1996, and, data on a range of socioeconomic indicators, were collected nationally among urban, and rural households, within the country's five major regions. This shows that the distribution of consumption is highly uneven, since real per capita consumption level is over eight times higher than the poorest quartile, with marked disparities in consumption levels. A detailed review on the distribution of access to basic services, such as education, health care, rural infrastructure, and utilities is presented, suggesting the unequal access to these services further accentuates the effects of unequal income distribution. The county's safety net system is examined, revealing this system allows for income transfers from members of a particular "wantok" - informal network based on ethnicity, language, etc. - to needy members of the same wantok. Although this system adapted relatively well to changing socioeconomic environments, it does not appear to improve income distribution in rural areas. Finally, the report concludes that to effectively alleviate poverty, additional analysis needs to be undertaken, to include the factors which hinder productivity, and income.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: World Bank
Language:English
en_US
Published: Washington, DC 2000-02-18
Subjects:POVERTY REDUCTION, PUBLIC SERVICES, PUBLIC SERVICES IN RURAL AREAS, PUBLIC SOCIAL PROTECTION EXPENDITURES, POVERTY ALLEVIATION MECHANISMS, SOCIAL SAFETY NETS, BASIC NEEDS, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, ACCESSIBLE SERVICES, HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS, SOCIOECONOMIC INDICATORS, CONSUMPTION PER CAPITA, RURAL CONDITIONS, PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH, INCOME FLUCTUATIONS ABSOLUTE TERMS, AGRICULTURAL SECTOR, ANNUAL INCOME, ASSESSING POVERTY, AVERAGE CONSUMPTION, AVERAGE POVERTY, AVERAGE POVERTY LINE, BASIC EDUCATION, CALORIC REQUIREMENT, CASH INCOME, CLEAN WATER, COMPARING POVERTY, CONSUMPTION, CONSUMPTION AGGREGATE, CONSUMPTION DATA, CONSUMPTION LEVEL, CONSUMPTION PATTERN, CONSUMPTION PATTERNS, CURRENCY UNIT, DATA COLLECTION, DEMOGRAPHICS, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS, DEVELOPMENT POLICIES, DISTRIBUTION, DIVERSIFICATION, DRINKING WATER, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ECONOMIC POLICIES, ECONOMIC SECTORS, ECONOMIC WELFARE, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, EMPLOYMENT, EQUIVALENT CONSUMPTION, EXCHANGE RATE, EXPENDITURE DATA, EXPENDITURE GROUPS, FISHING, FOOD BASKET, FOOD CONSUMPTION, FOOD EXPENDITURES, FOOD INTAKE, FOOD POVERTY, FOOD POVERTY LINE, FOOD POVERTY LINES, FOOD SHARE, FORMAL LABOR MARKET, GENDER GAPS, GINI COEFFICIENT, GINI INDEX, GNP, GROWTH RATE, HEADCOUNT INDEX, HEALTH CARE, HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS, HEALTH CENTERS, HEALTH INDICATORS, HEALTH PROGRAMS, HEALTH SECTOR, HEALTH SERVICES, HEALTH STATUS, HEALTH WORKERS, HIGH POVERTY, HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS, HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION, HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE, HOUSEHOLD HEAD, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HOUSEHOLD SIZE, HOUSEHOLD SURVEY, IMPROVED ACCESS, INCOME, INCOME COUNTRIES, INCOME GROUPS, INCOME LEVEL, INCOME LEVELS, INFANT MORTALITY, INFORMAL SAFETY, INSURANCE, INTERNATIONAL POVERTY LINE, LABOR FORCE, LABOR MARKET, LIFE EXPECTANCY, LIVING CONDITIONS, LIVING STANDARD, LIVING STANDARDS, LOGGING, LOW INCOME, LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES, MALE-HEADED HOUSEHOLDS, MEAN CONSUMPTION, MEASURING POVERTY, MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS, NATIONAL AVERAGE, NATIONAL POVERTY, NATIONAL POVERTY LINE, NATIONAL RESEARCH, NATIONAL STATISTICS OFFICE, NATURAL RESOURCES, NON-FOOD EXPENDITURE, NON-FOOD ITEMS, NUTRITION, NUTRITIONAL INTAKE, NUTRITIONAL STATUS, OFFICIAL POVERTY, OFFICIAL POVERTY LINE, OVERALL EXPENDITURE, PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION, PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION LEVEL, PER CAPITA INCOME, PER CAPITA INCOMES, POOR AREAS, POOR HOUSEHOLDS, POOR PEOPLE, POPULATION DENSITIES, POVERTY, POVERTY ALLEVIATION, POVERTY ALLEVIATION POLICIES, POVERTY COMPARISONS, POVERTY GAP, POVERTY LEVELS, POVERTY LINE, POVERTY LINES, POVERTY MEASURE, POVERTY MEASURES, POVERTY MONITORING, POVERTY PROFILE, POVERTY PROFILES, POVERTY RATES, PRICE VARIATIONS, PRIMARY SCHOOL, PRIVATE TRANSFERS, PRODUCERS, PRODUCTIVITY, PUBLIC EXPENDITURES, PUBLIC HEALTH, PURCHASING POWER, PURCHASING POWER PARITY, REFORM PROGRAM, REGIONAL DIFFERENCES, REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION, REGIONAL POVERTY LINES, RELATIVE IMPORTANCE, REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE, RESEARCH INSTITUTE, RESOURCE ALLOCATION, RURAL AREAS, RURAL HOUSEHOLDS, RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE, RURAL POOR, RURAL POPULATION, SAFETY NET, SAFETY NETS, SAMPLE SIZE, SEPARATE POVERTY LINES, SINGLE POVERTY, SINGLE POVERTY LINE, SOCIAL INDICATORS, SOCIAL INSURANCE, SOCIAL SERVICES, STATISTICAL OFFICE, TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, UNEMPLOYMENT, URBAN AREAS, URBAN HOUSEHOLDS, URBAN POPULATION, WAGES, WATER SUPPLY,
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2000/02/728720/papua-new-guinea-poverty-access-public-services
https://hdl.handle.net/10986/14973
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Summary:This report analyzes the distribution of income, constructs a poverty profile, and looks at the extent to which the poor have access to basic services in Papua New Guinea. The analysis is based on data collected during a national household survey in 1996, and, data on a range of socioeconomic indicators, were collected nationally among urban, and rural households, within the country's five major regions. This shows that the distribution of consumption is highly uneven, since real per capita consumption level is over eight times higher than the poorest quartile, with marked disparities in consumption levels. A detailed review on the distribution of access to basic services, such as education, health care, rural infrastructure, and utilities is presented, suggesting the unequal access to these services further accentuates the effects of unequal income distribution. The county's safety net system is examined, revealing this system allows for income transfers from members of a particular "wantok" - informal network based on ethnicity, language, etc. - to needy members of the same wantok. Although this system adapted relatively well to changing socioeconomic environments, it does not appear to improve income distribution in rural areas. Finally, the report concludes that to effectively alleviate poverty, additional analysis needs to be undertaken, to include the factors which hinder productivity, and income.