Qualitative Research to Support the Analysis of Social Inclusion in the Western Balkans

Abstract

The shift to inclusion, as opposed to narrowly defined poverty, as the anchor to the social policy discourse in the Western Balkans is bringing a new awareness of the dynamics of deprivation and a new attention to how different groups experience and are affected by ongoing policy changes. Qualitative research, and particularly structured focus group discussions, can play an important role in informing policy relevant analysis of poverty and inclusion, as demonstrated by a set of recent and ongoing studies commissioned by the World Bank, which cover a variety of topics spanning from the impact of the crisis to the analysis of gender disparities and to the discussion of the impacts of reforms such as pension freezes or reforms in utility prices. This chapter presents the objectives and the logic which has guided the design of these studies in the context of Western Balkan countries and documents some of the insights learned from these exercises on the exclusionary processes linked to social assistance.

The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in this chapter are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank and its affiliated organisations, or those of the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work.

Appendix 1. Strategies for Coping with Economic Shocks

Coping strategy	Frequency (number of participants)	Efficiency (grades from 1 to 5)	Which groups use it?	Which groups cannot use it?
Consumption of groceries from own production	32	+++	All small rural households
Day labour of all kinds (cutting bounds, collecting fruit, cutting cabbage, picking corn, etc.)	32	+++	All small rural households
Rather female day jobs: cleaning houses, bringing and packing wood, ironing	15	+++	Female	Male
Rather male day jobs: working on a building site, cutting and chopping wood, slaughtering cattle, loading manure, digging, mowing, hay stacking, collecting wood from creeks, etc.	15	+++	Male	Female
Sale of agricultural products and animals (eggs, milk, cheese, pigs, lambs, brandy, apples, corn, wheat, potatoes)	20	+++		Households without machinery and animals
Change of production area (one female respondent started growing flowers)	1	++		Households without monetary means
Picking sloe berries, cornel berries and dog-rose berries in the woods	1	+++
Extra care for animals and resale on the market	1	++
Borrowing from neighbours, relatives	25	+++
Buying “on tick” in shops	5	++
Financial support and children’s allowance	2	+	Poor families with children	Without owned land
Prolonging payment or not paying bills for public utilities	12	+
Reduction of consumption	25	++
Agricultural pension	6	+