New Zealand Bank Lending Practice Research Proposal

New Zealand Bank Lending Practice - Research Proposal Example Personal Lending is one such area where the lending rates are higher as compared to other conventional users of banking thus finance companies tend to bet more on them and in the process sometimes violate their own lending criterion. Finance Companies in New Zealand are continuously heating up the personal lending market by allowing generous limits to the consumers. In this process they tend to violate their own lending policies also. This research will undertake to analyze the reasons behind the violations of the lending policies by Finance companies in New Zealand. The current subprime crisis in US clearly suggest that finance companies including Banks have tended to avoid exercising general prudence while making lending decisions. Getting consumer credit through various financial institutions especially banks requires consumers to maintain a certain degree of credit rating in order to qualify for those loans. Unlike large corporate companies, consumers or rather individuals pose a different challenge and dynamics to financial institutions to cater their needs for credit and formal funding requirements of these individuals. It is because of this reason that various banks and financial institutions have developed their internal rating methodologies which they assign to various consumers asking for credit. Banks than through their internal as well external credit scores or ratings decide to whom they should provide the credit. These criteria of credit rating often are designed to be tough since Banks in order to avoid defaults, tighten their cri teria to extend the credit to these customers. However, due to increasing needs of those customers, whose credit history or their credit ratings do not fall under the criteria laid down by the banks, banks try to accommodate them also. Most of the banking groups within Australia and New Zealand have therefore entered into practices which defy the most basic precautions when lending in personal loan market. This is now resulting into increasing provisions from the banks. (Verrender, 2008) Statement of the Purpose and Significance of the study The study is significant in the sense that it would be one of its kinds to study the qualitative reasons behind this phenomenon and may lead us to the indications of the financial procyclicality impacts on the financial sector of New Zealand. The so called KiwiSaver rules have allowed banks to charge interest rates much beyond the normal rates despite the fact that Card debits especially in case of Credit Cards, Mortgages as well as personal loans are tied up with the mortgages of the customer. In this way, they get extra and in order to earn extra, they loose or violate their lending practices to accommodate the borrowers. (Stock, 2008) Further, to this, Finance Companies in the country are considered to be more aggressive while making lending decisions which in turn put pressures on the overall liquidity position in the financial sector thus effectively straining the resources of the nation. It is believed that the Finance companies in New Zealand have not yet fully developed the credit scoring models also to effectively

Fashion marketing 3750 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Fashion marketing 3750 - Essay Example Introduction There are many theories and concepts that have been developed and applied to the field of marketing over time. This paper mainly focuses on the marketing mix although, at some point, it gives a reflection on other aspects of marketing. The main focus is with put on fashion marketing. People like fashion. Every human being wants to feel part of the present dispensation in terms of fashion. It is when the appropriate marketing strategies with the good mix is put in place that people get to understand what is new and fashionable thereby pushing them to go for the products. In the UK, clothing is the second largest retail sector. This is the sector that can be said to be the stronghold of fashion. It is where fashion begins. One can even say that this is where fashion ends. Therefore, when discussing fashion, clothing comes into mind. As such, these products have to be marketed adequately in order to inform the customers about them, how they can get them, where they can obta in them and at what price they are able to obtain them. The Marketing Concept Marketing is the analysis, planning, implementing and control of carefully devised programs designed to create voluntary exchanges of value with objective markets for the intent of achieving organizational goals. It is a managerial process which aims at achieving the objectives of any organization which wants to relate to its client in the most effective manner (Allen, McQuarrie, & Barr, 1998). This may be achieved by creating a high level of satisfaction in customers through improved budgets, buying better equipment, improving or renovating the building and by charging lower prices on products and services. Therefore, marketing in the field of fashion should be seen to be a deliberate attempt to bring about the said exchanges of value with clients in the field of fashion. Marketing is above advertising what services are offered. However, it is also a progression by which research is assembled to inform in stitutional objectives and the tactical actions required to attain those objectives. At one point, marketing was a concept that was completely unknown to the public sector, possibly because the term was directly related with thoughts of selling. New changes in the communal sector have sited a great deal of prominence on arms-length associations and trading or quasi-trading associations. The modifications have also permitted managers more freedom to choose where they should get the services they need, or if they should be service providers themselves. Hence marketing has developed into a more important issue (MacDaniel, 1998). It has become vital for bosses in the public sector to expand marketing skills so as to vend services and thoughts to their stakeholders, consumers, executives and staff. Managers have had to reason critically about how best to inform potential clients about the services that they can offer and how to make sure these services meet customer requirements. In the fashion sector, this has destined increased importance on service to the public, on ascertaining the needs and ensuring that those desires are met. These are all issues close to the hearts of marketing professionals. A lot of managers are finding themselves occupied with facets of marketing. Whereas, some will find it as a new experience that will be pleasant, depending on one’s personality and earlier experience. Marketing relies a lot on planning the

An Inclusive Education Debate Education Essay

An Inclusive Education Debate Education Essay The debate on inclusive education is bound to yield conflicting findings. Based on findings already reported in the research, and diversity in the process of inclusion, the field offers much scope for further study. First, the extent to which inclusion benefits students with various special needs whether they be academic, social, and functional in terms of life skills outcomes are yet to be ascertained. It is vital to assess this outcome of special education with reference to attitudes of the teaching community, infrastructure development, political back up and social supports to come to a conclusion about the benefits of special education in the inclusive setting. Special education research must hence intensify its emphasis upon student outcomes in relation to the general education classroom. The extent of teachers reception of the concept must be surveyed among students with special needs and the general student community to further generate data on the validity of the surveys taken on teachers. Only a two sided approach will help control against the urge to give socially acceptable views on survey questions as opposed to actual views to inclusion to ensure its success. This millennium is special in itself as its an era of accountability. It would be interesting to study the teaching communitys expectations of student outcomes for students of different disability types and degrees. This study may hold particular significance as it helps assess the attitude of teachers towards students with different types of special needs. In this study we have assessed teachers views on inclusivity, on collaborative efforts and improvement strategies and seen the overall gender based bias in views on these issues. Although supported by recent statistics, more research is needed to confirm these findings. Further, there is a need to further conduct correlative investigations on teachers attitudes and opinions of inclusion in relation to student outcomes in order to better understand how the concept of inclusion has been understood, evolved and practiced in todays educational forefront. It is apparent that teachers do have preferences and significant attitudes relati ng to the populations of students to whom they provide inclusive education. Both quantitative and qualitative attitude research may further delineate practical approaches to serve various student populations effectively. Education is not the only sector struggling with the tension between social justice-in rhetoric and social justice-in-practice. The education system has long moved past the conventional beliefs and stigmas that girls cant do that and the boys cant do this debates. Even in this age of globalization where gender inequality is taboo however, many teachers are protective of their turf in the curriculum and want to deny access to the curriculum by some learners. Hence the gender bias in education is still a topic whose limits are yet to be exhausted. Teacher stress in general and inclusive education is another field to be considered. In an age where stress and its ill effects are listed in every known field, the burden of inclusive education if any has to be assessed on the teaching community, the children with special needs and the general student population. In support of this theory, research shows that teachers feel ill equipped at times when they deal with the varied range of needs even though they play a key role in changing a students life (Forlin, Hattie Douglas, 1996). McGowan (1984, cited in Trent, 2002) estimated that approximately one quarter of teachers were experiencing acute stress and burnout. There is little evidence to suggest that teacher stress has diminished over subsequent decades. Though teachers play a major key role in shaping up the student generation, inadequacy and the feeling of frustration are the potential barriers to inclusive education. Such challenges are compounded where curriculum and assessment demands may appear inflexible. Pedagogical decision making is another key area of research that has to be widely explored. The real key to inclusivity is through wise pedagogical decisions that will save teachers from the stress of an unbending curriculum and the students from its burden. In fact, advocates of inclusion do not tend to focus upon inclusive education as a product but as a process (Robertson, 1999; Booth Ainscow, 2002; Winzer et al, 2000) founded very much on the democratic principles of mutual respect and collaboration (Jacobson, 2000; Marshall et al, 2002). Inclusive processes are becoming central to school effectiveness research and development. School communities must be invited to reduce the barriers to learning and participation through a collaborative investigation of the schools cultures, policies and practices and to set new priorities for development (Booth Ainscow, 2002). Hence the identification of these barriers and devising methods to overcome them gain prime importance if we expect inclusivity to gain success and acceptance. Initiatives for school effectiveness are attracting global attention for their potential to build collaborative learning communities that support individual learner success. A research-based framework must be laid down to guide teacher learning and development toward school improvement. Social justice, equity and inclusivity must be considered as the foreground and measures to investigate relationships between enhanced student outcomes and school-based management practices, both social and academic (Hayes, Lingard Mills, 2001) must be devised. The need to focus on alignment of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment are central to effective schooling. Educators need to shift their pedagogical focus from testing and reporting on outcomes to supporting and improving outcomes from schooling. The development of positive and self-fulfilling values within all participants in education depends on building learner confidence within a supportive learning environment. This is true for all learners whether they are experienced teachers participating in school improvement processes or whether they are learners who have been disadvantaged within the educational system. For inclusivity to gain its full strength, the educational system should be equipped with teaching fraternity with the following attributes that include: awareness of the history of injustice as a result of discrimination against diversity, recognition and acceptance, (Henderson, 2001); and the ability to collaboratively implement innovations. A system with these attributes will be able to accept difference as the norm and enrich schooling through sensitivity and responsiveness to the diverse contexts of students lives.

Hawaiis political economy :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hawaii’s political economy went through some major changes. The development of plantations and tourism paved the path for how Hawaii’s economy is today. I will discuss how tourism, ethnicity, gender and education both constrain and enable opportunities in contemporary Hawaii.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Captain James Cook and his crew came to Hawaii in 1778. Bringing along many diseases such as, syphilis, gonorrhea, tuberculosis, and viral hepatitis.(Blaisdell, p.44) Native Hawaiians were not immune to these diseases, they were unable to be cured therefore died and a massive depopulation occurred. An estimated 500,000 Hawaiians were living in Hawaii before Western Contact, and in 1878 less than 45,000 Hawaiians remained.(Trask, p.10). With the rapid decrease of Hawaiians, also came the fact that their culture was in danger.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Foreign exploitation began, when Cook replaced the traditional island subsistence-sharing economy by the for-profit barter and afterward the money economy. Firearms, and sandalwood lumbering where just a few items that brought foreign economic and political control of the ruling ali’i, who were tricked by many greedy Western merchants. The Great Mahele of 1848 and the Kuleana Act of 1850 contained a major land redistribution act, which was forced onto the monarchy by Westerners(Blaisdell, p.44). Bringing fee simple ownership to Hawaiians, these land divisions actually alienated the land from them. The Mahele divided the lands between the chiefs, king and government. The Kuleana act supposedly guaranteed to the makaainana fee simple title to small plots of land, which would eventually separate the individual from the group. (Trask, p.10) Hawaiians depended on the land, they were not use to â€Å"private property†, which led to many problems, and the c hiefs and the government were heavily indebt to the Western merchants.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A small company of thirty-four New England missionaries came to Hawaii between 1820 and 1930, were the first modern immigrants. (Lind p.59) Missionaries were powerful agents of cultural destruction, coming to Hawaii to settle and teach their ways and beliefs. Bloodthirsty priests and despotic chiefs had ruled one reason for missionaries arriving and settling in Hawaii, due to the fact that they believed ancient Hawaiians. (Trask p.14) Bringing along cultural havoc by establishing a western style educational system, which included the first textbook as the Bible. The most critical change was in the use of language as a tool of colonization. Language had once been inseparable from the Hawaiians and their history by communicating their heritage between and among many generations, now came to be used as the very vehicle of alienation from their habits of life.

Proposal for assessing the UK’s

Overall Objective The goal of this research proposal is to provide Tangent Company LLC an accurate, detailed plan of the team's research goals, methodology, and progress to ensure the project is in alignment with Tangent's overall expectations.The goal of the research itself is to provide Tangent the knowledge to fully understand water usage, management, issues, and perceptions in the United Kingdom for future business sessions. Our research provides all of the understandings to what Tangent's expectations are regarding the objectives. Specific Aims The team provided a concise quantitative analysis involving water quality, precipitation, water consumptions and usage in homes of the I-J market as well as an accurate qualitative examination of consumer perceptions and attitudes of water in the I-J.This research focused primarily on households with a decentralized water supply, but will examine the Auk's overall infrastructure for water usage, treatment, and disposal. The Auk's existing problems with water supply, quality, disposal, and ending is clearly defined and the consumer perceptions of these problems are surveyed. PROJECT SCOPE We accomplished most of the research goals we have planned. The team used secondary research methods to define water use and the disposal infrastructure in the ELK.The research was focused on individual residences, particularly looking at the market of the point of entry, point of use, and point of discharge in homes with decentralized water. Secondary research defined how water is supplied to residences. Information on existing problems with the Auk's water supply, quality, espousal and sustainability funding is readily available and current. The team will contained information that is unavailable anywhere else. The primary research is the most important, as the team was able to talk to individuals and get better understanding of the overall perception from consumers.The one condition we were not unable to accomplish is primary res earch outside the greater London area. We were able to get good sample in the city of London and other small cities around the area. The primary research was done using both surveys and interviews. We were able to get a large amount of people to complete he online surveys even before arrival in London by using an assigned student- partner from New Packinghouse University as a distribution channel.In addition to distributing the surveys, he has been tasked with putting together a focus group with environmental majors at â€Å"Bucks† University and is gathering recent newspaper articles that involve water issues happening now. Since water is such a hot topic in the I-J, the team feels that we will get a lot of good information from interviewing the local residents and they will have a lot to say about it? SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED BY RESEARCH The following list of questions combines specific questions developed by Tangent Company LLC and questions that had developed dur ing the team meeting with Tangent in February.This list does not include specific questions developed specifically for the interview and surveys. O What is the water supply in the I-J? O What does the water supply infrastructure look like? 0 How old is the piping in the I-J? O How is water delivered to residences? O What percentage of the population uses a decentralized water supply? 0 How much of the water is centrally treated? O How is the water supply and waste water collection funded? What is the size of the market for water softeners? Septic tanks? 0 How many homes use well water? What is the typical water use pattern in the I-J? O How does water use in the I-J differ from that of the United States? O What are the actual water supply problems? What are the perceived problems? DHOW long could the I-J survive a drought? O What are the actual water quality problems? What are the perceived problems? Is the water high in iron? Does it require softeners? O What are the actual wastewa ter disposal problems? What are the perceived problems? 0 What percent of the water is wastewater? Is it influenced by surface water? O Are there water infrastructure funding problems? What are the prevailing consumer attitudes towards water supply, quality, disposal, and funding problems? 0 Are UK residences concerned about their water supply? O Where are the discrepancies between attitudes and reality? O What is the level of understanding and acceptance for water recycling? 0 What is the perceived value of water recycling to the end-user? O Is there competitive technology in the I-J? O What are some of the water industry associations in the I-J? O Who are the ejaculating bodies and what are the regulatory requirements for water in the I-J? 0 What are the water quality standards in the I-J?RESEARCH METHODS Information gathered was comprised of a combination primary and secondary research techniques that will conclude if Tangent's water recycling units will be successful in the U. K market or not. By using both types of research methods, the final report has a good balance of qualitative and quantitative data. The secondary research covers the entire United Kingdom, whilst the primary research will ultimately be limited to the greater London area. Primary Research Methodology There are two different types of primary research: specific and exploratory.Exploratory is dealing more with open-ended research, like having unstructured interviews with small group of people. Specific research is precise and is used to solve the problem exploratory has identified, but specific is more expensive to conduct. In this case exploratory would be the better option considering the budget. Our primary research consisted of randomly selected man-on-the-street interviews, online surveys, and in-depth interviews/focus groups. With the help of our Bucks tuned-partner, surveys were be distributed via email to his contacts prior to the team's departure.In-person interviews were the be st method to gather qualitative data. Here is where we need to talk about our interviews and the names of the two men and their titles. Also here is were we need to add how many surveys were completed. The process for interviewing happened in person and residents will be randomly selected. Once we have all our questions and the format configured, the primary research was conducted. This happened at the beginning of the trip to give us an dead of how people feel about this problem to help determine the ideal target to gather more in-depth information about recycling waste water.Once we gathered all the data from the primary research, then the analysis plan was put together to help organize the data to find a conclusion about the proposal with recycling waste water. This helps with all the different sources that were used to gather the information that we need to present to the client and gives them a clear view of the raw data to help determine whether their product will be successfu l and if it would make an impact on the water supply. Sources of Data Data was obtained by distributing surveys and holding interviews with industry experts.The survey was created in Qualities, a secure online survey software system. This system allowed us to effectively create, distribute, and analyze data collected. The survey was distributed via email to I-J residents. Collection and Assessment of Data Survey and interview questions was protested by five people including Bucks partner The survey will be sent prior to departure to our partner at New Packinghouse University for distribution. The survey will also be distributed to the team's current arsenal contacts in the UK with a request to forward to other residents in order to get a large sample: no less than 100 completed surveys.In addition to email distribution, surveys will be physically conducted by the team while in London. Surveying a variety of people including, environmental experts to the average home owner to gather information about an array of perceptions from all ages, incomes, and education levels. The persons selected for the survey will receive a link via email to fill the questionnaire out over the internet. Once the survey is submitted, the results will be collected and processed by the Qualities software.In-depth interviews will be conducted face-to-face in London. The interviews are still in the process of being scheduled, but contact has been made with various organizations from research facilities to water companies. Professor Tony Allen- Department of Geography at King's College in London has already agreed to an interview and has emailed links to credible online sources for our secondary research. He is a member of The London Water Research Group and is looking to gather a few more industry experts for the team to interview.The plan is to speak to no less than 3 industry experts while in London. The interviews will last approximately 15-20 minutes and will consist of a combination of closed and open- ended questions. The interviews will be conducted by a single team member acting as the interviewer and asking the questions, another team member will take diligent notes, while another will moderate the interview by watching the clock and keeping interview on schedule, ensuring that we respect the interviewee's time.Format for Final Results The final layout for our final primary research results is still to be determined. It will include a concise summary of survey results including graphic data. The data collected from the interviews will also be summarized, and the full interviews will be available in the appendix. It will be organized by participants who have decentralized water infrastructure and participants who have centralized water infrastructure. A bar graph will help present the differences between the different groups.Specific Questions The team has developed questions to ensure that Tangent will not be contacted for a sale as a result of our survey or interview. Key elements of the primary research include: Demographic information, including age, gender, education, location proximity of residence from downtown London), household size, household type (flat, single-family home, etc. ), if they reside in an urban or rural location, and type of household water supply/disposal (centralized or decentralized).Behavior-based questions focusing on typical water usage and buying habits (bottled water, water conserving appliances, water softeners). Questions to determine the level of the publics understanding of water recycling and its reception: â€Å"How do you feel about â€Å"What is your biggest concern regarding your household water? † Scaled questions to determine the publics concern of the actual water problems derived from secondary research â€Å"On a scale of 1-5, how concerned are you about the growing population in the UK with regards to the water supply? . The online survey consists of mainly closed-ended questions that are answered by multiple-choice or on a scale: â€Å"On a scale of 1-5 (1 being not concerned-5 being extremely concerned) how concerned are you about the droughts happening all over the U. K? † Other questions will determine if the consumer is a part of the target market: â€Å"Do you have a septic tank? Yes/No†, If they choose yes, it will lead to a implementers question. If no is chosen, another question will follow.More open- ended questions to gauge customer knowledge and attitudes about current issues and water recycling technologies will be used during face-to-face interviews. â€Å"Would you drink recyclable water, why or why not? † See appendices for complete list of questions. Primary Research Results! Talk about all our surveys, the questions, and answers. Analyze, perceptions Secondary Research Methodology The majority of the research conducted will consist of secondary research methods by gathering information from various credible sources to answer the specific questions outlined by the client.Most of this research will be conducted prior to the team's departure, this will ensure the team is educated on the topics upfront and will assist with developing and modifying specific questions conducted during the primary research in London. Some secondary research will be conducted while abroad, taking advantage of the opportunity to gather information from Loon's libraries that cannot be obtained elsewhere. It is expected that some level of secondary research will need to be done upon return back to the United States to tie up loose ends for the final report.Sources of Data The research databases provided by Cleveland State University library allows students free access to full text scholarly Journals, articles, trade magazines, newspapers, and other sources of credible information. The online research databases used include Water Resources Abstracts and an array of databases provided by Obscenest including Academic Search Co mplete, Environment Complete, Newspaper Source, and Science Direct. The web is also a good source to use to gather secondary research. There are many reliable sources of current information on all aspects of water in the I-J.Many are hosted by the water companies and water-governing bodies. Professor Adams recommends using www. Afoot. Gob. UK/ The Water Services Regulation Authority website, www. Water. Org. UK/ for a wealth of data on all aspects of water use, and www. Environment-agency. Gob. UK/ for its page on water demand management. And sewerage sectors in England and Wales, Water I-J represents all major UK water and wastewater service suppliers at national and European level, and Water Demand Management (WAD) considers national and international water resources, demand management and water conservation.We work closely with the Government, water companies, regulators, universities, academics and trade bodies on all national and international water demand management issues. Lo oking up different water companies in the U. K and finding statistics regarding water recycling helps determine the target audience. The website, â€Å"Wastewater Treatment and Recycling,† is a credible source from the U. K explaining the different treatments that are currently being used. It discusses the recycling of residual sludge and how it has an impact with their water supply. This information will help give the team insight with what the U.K is doing with this situation. So far, the U. K does not have any product on the market that can recycle water and is mainly focused on households while having the cleanest and safest water possible: eliminating all chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Information from this website also helps with our primary research and how we should organize our interviews, surveys, and potential focus groups. While in London, the team will also have access to the British Library and the City Business Library of London. These libraries contain informa tion that cannot be obtained anywhere else in the world.The secondary research performed here could provide vital information to give the client a competitive advantage. The team intends to spend at least one full day conducting research at these libraries. The team will also have access to the library at New Packinghouse University, which may also prove to be a useful source of information. Specific Questions Secondary research provided general information on the Auk's overall water usage and disposal infrastructure by answering questions such as: Where does the water supply come from? How is it delivered to the home? How old is the centralized infrastructure?How is wastewater collected, treated, and disposed of? How many households use decentralized water in the I-J, in the London area? What problems exist regarding water supply, quality, sustainable funding, and wastewater disposal? Who are the governing bodies and regulatory agencies that oversee the Auk's water? What is the typ ical household water use pattern in the I-J, and how does it compare with the US? What is the market for POE, POP, and POD technology? Secondary research Results! Here can insert quotes from the secondary research findings Conclusions and Recommendations , Summary of our resultsStrengths Secondary research objectives are easily obtainable through online databases and the web. The information is current. Ability to gather a large sample population for the online survey due to our Bucks student-partner and the team's established personal contacts in the I-J. The team has the opportunity to use the British Library and the City Business Library of London. Water problems are a big issue now both globally and in the I-J, so the timing for this project is excellent. The team has a strong understanding of the client's expectations for the final project.Willingness of members of the London Water Research Group to participate in our in- depth interviews and assist in providing contacts for th e online survey distribution. Limitations Amount of time for primary research in London is limited. The team will be located in an area with centralized water supply and will have to travel to find a significant sample of target audience. Primary research will only be conducted in the London area. Emailed surveys are easily ignored, forgotten, or deleted. The accuracy of responses of the online survey can be questionable due to the fact the artificial is not being monitored.

Poverty in the Philippines Essay

This article needs more links to other articles to help integrate it into the encyclopedia. Please help improve this article by adding links that are relevant to the context within the existing text. (April 2013) This article’s factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2012) The estimates of poverty incidence in the Philippines per province as of 2012. The national average is 22.3%, virtually unchanged from 2006’s 23.4%. Poverty remains a critical social problem that needs to be addressed. Philippines’ poverty line marks a per capita income of 16,841 pesos a year.[1] According to the data from the National Statistical Coordination Board, more than one-quarter (27.9%) of the population fell below the poverty line the first semester of 2012, an approximate 1 per cent increase since 2009.[2] This figure is a much lower figure as compared to the 33.1% in 1991.[3] The decline in poverty has been slow and uneven, much slower than neighboring countries who experienced broadly similar numbers in the 1980s,[4] such as People’s Republic of China (PRC), Thailand, Indonesia (where the poverty level lies at 8.5%) or Vietnam (13.5%). This shows that the incidence of poverty has remained significantly high as compared to other countries for almost a decade. The unevenness of the decline has been attributed to a large range of income brackets across regions and sectors, and unmanaged population growth. The Philippines poverty rate is roughly the same level as Haiti.[4] The government planned to eradicate poverty as stated in the Philippines Development Plan 2011-2016 (PDP). The PDP for those six years are an annual economic growth of 7-8% and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Under the MDGs, Philippines  committed itself to having extreme poverty from a 33.1% in 1991 to 16.6% by 2015. This article’s factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2012) Rapid population growth[edit] Given that the population of the Philippines is increasing at a rapid rate of 2.36% per year, this can be translated as an increase of more than 5,000 people daily in a country that already has an increase of more than four million poor people since 1985.[5] In 1985, the absolute number of people living in poverty was 26.5 million. This increased to 30.4 million in 2000 and from 2006 to 2009, increased by almost 970,000 Filipinos from 22.2 million to 23.1 million.[4] As the Philippines has financially limited resources and a high poverty rate, the rapid increase in population has become a problem because there is insufficient resources to support the population, which leaves much fewer resources to improve the economy. From 2003 to 2006, even though the Philippines experienced above-average economic growth, the poverty incidence increased as a result of its population growth rate.[6] Unemployment[edit] Poverty reduction has not kept up with GDP growth rates, largely due to the high unemployment rate, high inflation rate and wide income inequality. The official rate of unemployment for 2012 in the Philippines was 6.8 per cent.[7] This was an increase of joblessness even though in 2012, the GDP grew at 6.6 percent. From 2000 to 2009, the economy of Philippines grew by 3.2% on average annually, which was on par with the economic performance of  its neighbors.[8] However, this recent growth did not translate into more jobs. Unemployment in the Philippines has been high in comparison to its neighbors, at around 7.5% to 8.0% since 2006.[9] The Philippines has faced difficulty in job creation due to its inability to attract more foreign, direct investments. Diwa Guinigundo, who is the Central Bank Deputy Governor, mentioned that while capital flows are turning to the emerging markets,[10] foreign, direct investments to the Philippines remain relatively low due to the weak investment climate. The Philippines has hefty business procedures, poor tax and customs administration, weak protection against expropriation and high-energy cost. Therefore, the poverty rate remains constant over the years. ≠¥ REFERENCE: WIKIPEDIA Philippines: A Strategy to Fight Poverty Poverty Profile The Philippines has achieved only modest reductions in poverty at a national level since the economic and political collapse of the mid-1980s. In addition, severe regional disparities remain. The proportion of households living below the official poverty line has declined slowly and unevenly from 59 percent in 1961 to below 39 percent in 1991 and around 36 percent in 1994. Urban poverty stood at around 23 percent in 1991 and rural poverty at 53 percent (by World Bank staff calculations). Food poverty (or those living below subsistence) was around 20 percent of households in 1991, but 32 percent of rural households while only 12 percent of urban households. Two-thirds of the poor are engaged in the agriculture, fishery, and forestry sectors and have an elementary school education or less. However, the depth of poverty is relatively small (with the poverty gap index only 17 percent in 1991, having fallen by 40 percent since 1961), and income disparities among the poor have declined noticeably. Since 1971, the urban poor have become a rising share of the total poor population, but still two-thirds of the poor live in rural areas. The depth of poverty is nearly 2 1/2 times larger in rural areas than in urban areas. The urban poor are concentrated in Luzon, while the rural poor live predominantly in Mindanao and the Visayas. Poor households in the  Philippines tend to combine into extended families to conserve household assets. Thus, larger households are observed as having greater poverty than smaller households: households of 8 or more members represent nearly a third of all the poor. The incidence and severity of poverty is significantly lower among elderly and female headed households in the Philippines, in striking contrast to the evidence from other developing countries, again because these households tend to be absorbed into others. It also reflects women’s strong position in the labor market in terms of relative pay and attachment compared with many other Asian countries and even relative to many OECD countries. Incentive and Regulatory Framework Philippine performance on poverty reduction has been disappointing compared with the rest of East Asia, but the Philippines has not been able to sustain growth long enough to reduce its incidence of poverty to the levels attained by its neighbors. GDP growth averaged only 1.1 percent per annum in the 1980s. Further, the pattern of growth in the past tended to accentuate rather than reduce income disparities. Slow growth of higher productivity sectors resulted in absorption of labor in low productivity employment in the 1970s and 1980s. The industrial sector shrank over this period, and agricultural growth slowed dramatically. More importantly, poverty declines were modest even when the economy was growing rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s because of the distorted structure of the economy. Policies discriminated against labor, subsidized capital-intensive methods of production, and gave low priority to agriculture and exports. This resulted in growth that was narrowly based and inequitable, trapping many people in marginal, low paying occupations such as upland agriculture, rural wage labor, and informal employment in cities. Infrastructure was highly concentrated in Metro Manila. Government interventions, especially in the 1970s and early 1980s, tended to diminish the role of market mechanisms in favor of regulation by parastatals and promoted oligopolisitic control in important sectors of the economy. This inward-looking strategy was inherently unstable, and so the economy lurched from balance of payments crisis to crisis. In the wake of across-the board structural reforms of the financial sector, agricultural pricing and marketing, the tax system, the foreign trade and investment regimes, and government corporations, the experience of the Philippines in  the late 1980s showed that accelerated growth in a more liberalized economy has a positive impact on incomes of the poor and that poverty declines during periods of rapid growth. Between 1985 and 1988, when GDP growth averaged 4.8 percent, the poverty headcount fell by 1.3 percentage points each year, an achievement equivalent to Thailand’s long-term rate of poverty reduction. Analysis of the economic growth of 1985 to 1988 concludes that deregulation in agriculture and greater control over inflation were likely the key factors that improved the lot of the poor. Labor market performance has also shown signs of improvement. Public Expenditures Public expenditures on education in 1994 were less than 3 percent of GDP compared with 4 percent in Indonesia or 7 percent in Malaysia, despite inching upwards since the late 1980s, after over almost two decades of limited investment through the 1970s and early 1980s. Public primary education remains relatively under-financed, and funding is based on pupil headcount without any compensatory mechanisms to assist the most â€Å"at-risk† areas, schools, or ethnic groups. Thus, in the Philippines, poor youth are much more likely to drop out of school or get a poor quality education. The Philippines spends comparatively less of its resources on health than several other East Asian nations, both publicly and privately (spending 0.6 percent on GDP on health publicly and 2.4 percent of GDP on health overall). In addition, public health gains are not as great as they should be because of the poor distribution of health facilities and personnel over the country. The poor would benefit from more emphasis on primary care and the reduction of environmental risk factors (which induce disease disproportionately among the poor). In many cases, the improvement of other infrastructure such as rural roads will allow existing health facilities to be used more intensively. As a result of the fiscal decentralization enacted in 1991, most traditional poverty alleviation programs except education have become the responsibility of local governments, limiting the ability of the central authorities to implement programs of national priority. At the same time, the current revenue sharing arrangements with local governments (set by a legal formula) do not redistribute resources towards poorer provinces. Also, by devolving functions and whole institutions to local government, expertise and efficiency in many areas has been (at least temporarily) lost  and likely is weakest in poorer provinces. The variation in capacity and resources calls for continued attention by central authorities–for technical assistance, capacity building, and incentives to raise revenues locally. Safety Net The Philippine Government has implemented a number of safety net programs, ranging from cash and in-kind income transfers (such as food subsidies and nutrition interventions) to wage employment programs and livelihood creation programs. In response to natural disasters, the National Food Authority distributes assistance to affected areas in the form of subsidized rice. In addition, the private sector, NGOs, and foreign donors have been actively assisting in the planning, financing and execution of many of these programs. However, the government’s set of programs do not constitute an efficient and equitable social safety net: (i) they are fragmented and not a consistent or adequate response to the problem; (ii) they have generally failed to mobilize communities to help themselves; and (iii) recent changes of institutions and strategies are creating problems of transition that tend to obscure priorities in the government’s delivery of social services or make additional de mands on an ill-equipped bureaucracy and cadre of field workers. Poverty Strategy Policymakers must not waver in keeping the economy outward-oriented and geared towards competition, because an East Asian-style economy is far more likely to be able to sustain the rapid and smooth rate of growth that is fundamental to improving the welfare of the poor. To reach the government’s target of reducing the number of families living below the poverty line from 39 percent in 1991 (by official measures) to 30 percent by 1998, it is estimated that GNP will need to grow by about 6.5 percent annually for 1996 to 1998. Many of the urban poor will be helped directly by growth, as employment opportunities respond to increased demand. Even a good number of the rural poor will find their incomes rising, as demand for agriculture-based products, especially exports, expands. However, significant reduction of rural poverty will require improvements in health and education and infrastructure (especially roads, markets, and agricultural extension). Access to the means of production by the rural poor  is crucial. It is time to revisit how to accomplish the goals of rural land reform so that the intended beneficiaries–the poorest of farmers and landless agricultural workers–can benefit. The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, which has accomplished a number of its original goals, is getting too expensive and complicated. Tenancy should be allowed once again, as a useful interim state between landless labor and owner-cultivator status. A market-assisted land reform program should be studied to explore options for reducing costs. Investments with the greatest impact on the poor, e.g., rural infrastructure, should be a priority for use of scarce public funds In urban areas, the scarcity of affordable housing (a problem aggravated by skyrocketing land prices) and threats to environmental health must be addressed. It is now urban, rather than rural, land reform that should be a priority for government action. Tax and regulations on land ownership and development need to be revised. A commission should consider options to balance the rights of dwellers in irregular settlements with the legal owners of urban properties. Water and sanitation services must be extended to poor urban areas. The government should hesitate to spend more money on housing since little of it helps the truly poor. Investment in human capital must be increased by improving the quantity and the quality of primary education and access to primary education in rural areas. Primary health services must be strengthened, especially immunization and prevention of water-borne and respiratory diseases. The social safety net must be consolidated and targeted. General food price subsidies should be stopped, in favor of targeted income subsidies or food stamps and supplementary feeding programs. The National Government should redirect resources formerly used for government livelihood programs towards creating an enabling environment for private institutions to provide credit to the poor successfully. To foster the growth of a healthy microfinance sector, government financial institutions should focus on wholesale lending, ensuring adequate capital is available to reach the poor. Statistical System The key survey for poverty data in the Philippines is the Family Income and Expenditure Survey, conducted every three years. The survey questionnaire is of standard form, more or less comparable to an LSMS format. An important limitation on the relevance of these data for policy purposes has been the  long delays for processing, e.g., the 1991 results became available only in early 1995. Also, the household survey sample is not large enough to allow provincial indicators to be calculated for the smaller provinces. This basic dataset is not integrated with the social sector and other data (surveys on health, demographics., labor force and occasional censuses of population and housing) or with government expenditure information. Monitoring of poverty and the relative performance of the provinces and cities is an important continuing role for the National Government, even after fiscal decentralization. The report recommends that the government expand the household survey and integrate and improve existing statistics and program information so as to provide crucial assistance to the provinces in setting priorities and in raising awareness down to the community level of how well the government is meeting the minimum basic needs of the people. The World Bank has provided technical assistance and grant funding for training and equipment for the government agencies involved (as well as generating interest by other donors) and will continue to do so. http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTPOVERTY/EXTPA/0,,contentMDK:20204974~menuPK:435735~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:430367~isCURL:Y~isCURL:Y,00.html Poverty in the Philippines: Causes, Constraints and Opportunities Description New ADB Report: â€Å"Taking the Right Road to Inclusive Growth† Poverty and inequality in the Philippines remains a challenge. In the past four decades, the proportion of households living below the official poverty line has declined slowly and unevenly and poverty reduction has been much slower than in neighboring countries such as the People’s Republic of China, Indonesia, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Economic growth has gone through boom and bust cycles, and recent episodes of moderate economic expansion have had limited impact on the poor. Great inequality across income brackets, regions, and sectors, as well as unmanaged population growth, are considered some of the key factors constraining poverty reduction efforts. Causes of Poverty The main causes of poverty in the country include the following: low to moderate economic growth for the past 40 years; low growth elasticity of poverty reduction; weakness in employment generation and the quality of jobs generated; failure to fully develop the agriculture sector; high inflation during crisis periods; high levels of population growth; high and persistent levels of inequality (incomes and assets), which dampen the positive impacts of economic expansion; and recurrent shocks and exposure to risks such as economic crisis, conflicts, natural disasters,and â€Å"environmental poverty.† Key Findings The report’s key findings include the following: Economic growth did not translate into poverty reduction in recent years; Poverty levels vary greatly by regions; Poverty remains a mainly rural phenomenon though urban poverty is on the rise; Poverty levels are strongly linked to educational attainment; The poor have large families, with six or more members; Many Filipino households remain vulnerable to shocks and risks; Governance and institutional constraints remain in the poverty response; There is weak local government capacity for implementing poverty reduction programs; Deficient targeting in various poverty programs; There are serious resource gaps for poverty reduction and the attainment of the MDGs by 2015; Multidimensional responses to poverty reduction are needed; and Further research on chronic poverty is needed. The report comprehensively analyzes the causes of poverty and recommends ways to accelerate poverty reduction and achieve more inclusive growth. In the immediate and short term there is a need to enhance government’s poverty reduction strategy and involve key sectors for a collective and coordinated response to the problem. In the medium and long term the government should continue to pursue key economic reforms for sustained and inclusive growth. Oct2013 Poorest Country in the World: Democratic Republic of Congo You might be surprised to find that the United States isn’t the richest country in the world. Actually, that crown goes to Qatar who has recently jumped ranks to take first place. But what about the other side of the spectrum, the parts of the world struggling with devastating poverty? Well, on that end the Democratic Republic of Congo comes in first – or last, to be more accurate – with the lowest GDP per capita than any other country. Determining a country’s rank in wealth isn’t the easiest of tasks when you sit down and think about the data and economics involved. However, a good indicator of a nation’s standard of living is the assessment of its GDP (gross domestic product) per capita, which is defined as the total value of all domestic goods and services that country produces annually, times its PPP or purchasing power parity. GDP per capita (PPP) isn’t a perfect shot because its purpose isn’t to calculate that kind of econ omic rank but it’s measured frequently, widely and consistently, allowing trends to become visible. In 2010, GNI (gross national income) per capita replaced GDP in the calculation, but the list is the same between the two. Qatar was still first with about $100,000 GDP per capita (PPP) in 2012 just as it was on the GNI list and the Democratic Republic of Congo came in last at around $370 GDP per capita (PPP). The gap is massive. Of the 40 poorest countries in the world, a solid 33 are in Sub-Saharan Africa. They include Zimbabwe, Burundi, Liberia, and Niger. Other parts of the world notoriously infamous for high poverty rates include Afghanistan, Haiti, and Nepal. But none of these places takes it quite as harshly as the Democratic Republic of Congo (not to be confused with the Republic of Congo) whose turbulent past and bloody wars have eclipsed the nation’s potential to thrive. Since its independence in 1960 and once the most industrialized country in Africa, Congo has bled onto the ground because of its lack of infrastructure and the brutal impact of civil war. Disputes between Congo’s prominent rival groups, the Hutu and Tutsi, erupted after the Rwandan Genocide in which 500,000 people, mostly Tutsi, were victims of mass slaughter by the Hulus in the East African state of Rwanda. The result was an exodus of over 2 million Rwandans fleeing to neighboring countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, known in that  time as Zaire. Most of the refugees were Hulus attempting to escape the Tutsi who had climbed to dominance at the end of the genocide. The Hulu refugee camps in Zaire, however, became politicized and militarized and when Tutsi rebels invaded Zaire to repatriate the refugees, the conflict escalated into the First Congo War in 1996. The situation only grew worse and by 1998, the Second Congo War, which was sometimes called the â€Å"African world war† because it involved a total of nine African countries and twenty armed groups, devastated Zaire and laid waste to her population and economy. The political turmoil continues today despite intervention and peace attempts and is one of the world’s deadliest conflicts with a death toll of 5.4 million people. More than almost 90 percent of the conflict’s victims, however, died due a lack of access to shelter, water, food and medicine – all severely aggravated by displaced and overcrowded populations living in unsanitary conditions. Not to mention, 47 percent of deaths were children under 5 and some 45,000 children continue to die each month. The nation also faces the problem of human rights and the countless crimes against humanity because while many have returned home, an estimated 1.5 million are still displaced. DR Congo is also infamous and heavily criticized for its treatment of women. The east of the country has been described as the â€Å"rape capital of the world† and rates of sexual violence has been described as the worst in the world. It doesn’t help that DR Congo is consistently poisoned by corruption and greed. While mining growth has somewhat boosted the country’s economy, the elite are said to syphon off revenue for their own personal gain due to the nation’s lack of strong central government. Conflicts over basic resources, access and control over rich minerals and oil, and political agendas are some of the many complex causes behind the Democratic Republic of Congo’s inability to rise among the ranks and take the title of the poorest country in the world.