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Electronic Appendix

Socio-economic Atlases for Vietnam and Laos

Andreas Heinimann, Michael Epprecht, Peter Messerli, NCCR North-South, CDE, University of Bern

The distinct development dynamics of countries in Southeast Asia call for differentiation of many crucial decisions related to development pathways and poverty reduction. Research and linked development projects in Vietnam and Laos elaborated crucial information about the countries’ spatial patterns of poverty and socioeconomic development, and published the information in national socio-economic atlases for both Vietnam and Laos. This information can be used by development actors to enhance their priority setting and targeting, thus ultimately contributing to enhanced informed decision making at different levels.

Over the past few years, Vietnam and Laos opened up rapidly to the world, though at different speeds. Both countries experienced – and are still experiencing – GDP growth rates of between 6 to 10 percent per year. Such figures could lead to a doubling of the national income over the next 10 to 15 years. Despite this positive prospect, the question of the distribution of this wealth remains open. Will the rich become richer and will the gap between the rural and urban populations become larger? in parallel with the opening process, development interventions and private investment increased. In countries with limited infrastructure and limited available key data, it is not easy to make concrete decisions regarding where development interventions should take place, nor is it simple to ensure that the appropriate population segments benefit from interventions – despite national poverty reduction plans that are set to guide development in each country. Measuring and analysing poverty are still in their initial phase and knowledge and understanding of the socio-economic situation needs to be improved.

From statistical data to spatial information and knowledge
In Vietnam as well as in Laos population censuses and household survey data are basically available as baseline datasets on the socio-economic status. However, either they are only available at a very aggregated level (e.g. district) or the information is difficult to access, as it is presented in very long and detailed tables, thus hampering the analysis and detection of linkages between different factors of socio-economic development.

Against this background, with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) of the University of Bern collaborated closely with various partners in Vietnam and Laos to launch a first socio-economic atlas project in Vietnam (2004), and based on the success of the Vietnam atlas, a second atlas in Laos in 2007. In these projects, census and household survey data were spatially processed and analyzed at village level in Laos (over 10’000 villages)) and commune level in Vietnam (over 10,000 communes) and published in both hard and softcopy socio-economic atlases for each of the two countries (with over 70 thematical maps). The two atlases are available online at: www.laoatlas.net (for Laos), and www.north-south.unibe.ch/content.php/publication/id/1712 (for Vietnam).

By adding the spatial dimension to the tabular data and ensuring adequate representation in maps, the very valuable tabular census data were transformed into information easily accessible to a broader public. The resulting maps also allow users to detect various development patterns and correlations, thus contributing to a better understanding of phenomena and processes.

Better targeting of development interventions
The easily accessible socio-economic information in the Vietnamese and Lao atlases enables various development and policy actors to improve their priority setting and the spatial targeting of their development interventions and policy formulation. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), for example, used the information processed by the Lao atlas project (e.g. hospital accessibility combined with village level statistics on maternal mortality) to plan their interventions aiming to alleviate maternity mortality much more precisely and efficiently. In Vietnam on the other hand, the insight that areas with high poverty rates and those with high numbers of poor people do not spatially overlap, and that different policy measures and development interventions are therefore necessary for the different regions, was taken up in the formulation of various national policies.

Furthermore, the two projects showed that the spatial analysis of socio-economic phenomena can yield insights into locally-specific patterns and processes that cannot be generated by non-spatial applications. For example it was an eye opener to the actors involved that travel time to schools does not seem to be a major defining factor of literacy in Laos, and further analysis will be launched (see figure 1).

Box 1: Key insights

It was shown that almost 50 percent of the poor population in Laos are not directly addressed in current national poverty reduction strategies, as they live in districts that were previously not classified as poor. This new insight will be used in the formulation of new strategies, such as the National Socio-economic Development Plan.
The analysis of the atlas in Vietnam made it visible that physical distance to markets and services is not, as frequently assumed, what strongly determines poverty, but that it is mainly ethnicity that increases the likelihood to be poor (see figure 2). This insight significantly altered the design of various policies and development interventions at national as well as regional level.
The publication of the census information in the form of an atlas triggered a process of more open data sharing in Laos. While access to census data was previously very restricted, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) agreed to share the information more openly, and SDC will support a follow-up project of the Lao atlas concerned with these issues (e.g. online platforms) as of mid-2009.
The close link between research (delivering the tools and methods) and development actors and the related different funding sources proved to be a very effective and fruitful form of collaboration.

Box 2: Partners involved
The Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) of the University of Bern is the leading Swiss research institute concerned with sustainable development in the development context. It is also the leading institution of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North-South. (www.north-south.unibe.ch and www.cde.unibe.ch).

Contact:               Dr. Andreas Heinimann (andreas.heinimann@cde.unibe.ch)
                           Dr. Michael Epprecht (michael.epprecht@cde.unibe.ch)
                           Dr. Peter Messerli (peter.messerli@cd.unibe.ch)

In Vietnam, the following two main agencies were involved in the project, among others: the General Statistical Office (GSO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). In Laos the two main partners were: the Department of Statistics (DOS) of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the Lao National Mekong Commission Secretariat (LNMCS) of the Water Resource and Environment Administration (WREA).

The International Food and Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington was involved in the poverty mapping activities of the projects in both Vietnam and Laos.

The projects in Vietnam and in Laos were supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Contact: Rémy Duiven (remy.duiven@sdc.net)
Nicolas Randin (nicolas.randin@deza.admin.ch)

Proposed Figures

Figure 1: It was shown that literacy rates may be affected more by actual access to education (e.g. influenced by ethnicity), than by accessibility (i.e. travel time to school), contrary to what is often assumed.

Figure 2: In Vietnam ethnicity is a much stronger determining factor for poverty than physical accessibility.


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		Electronic Appendix Socio-economic Atlases for Vietnam and Laos Andreas Heinimann, Michael Epprecht, Peter Messerli, NCCR North-South, CDE, University of Bern The distinct development dynamics of countries in Southeast Asia call for differentiation of many crucial decisions related to development pathways and poverty reduction. Research and linked development projects in Vietnam and Laos elaborated crucial information about the countries’ spatial patterns of poverty and socioeconomic development, and published the information in national socio-economic atlases for both Vietnam and Laos. This information can be used by development actors to enhance their priority setting and targeting, thus ultimately contributing to enhanced informed decision making at different levels. Over the past few years, Vietnam and Laos opened up rapidly to the world, though at different speeds. Both countries experienced – and are still experiencing – GDP growth rates of between 6 to 10 percent per year. Such figures could lead to a doubling of the national income over the next 10 to 15 years. Despite this positive prospect, the question of the distribution of this wealth remains open. Will the rich become richer and will the gap between the rural and urban populations become larger? in parallel with the opening process, development interventions and private investment increased. In countries with limited infrastructure and limited available key data, it is not easy to make concrete decisions regarding where development interventions should take place, nor is it simple to ensure that the appropriate population segments benefit from interventions – despite national poverty reduction plans that are set to guide development in each country. Measuring and analysing poverty are still in their initial phase and knowledge and understanding of the socio-economic situation needs to be improved. From statistical data to spatial information and knowledge In Vietnam as well as in Laos population censuses and household survey data are basically available as baseline datasets on the socio-economic status. However, either they are only available at a very aggregated level (e.g. district) or the information is difficult to access, as it is presented in very long and detailed tables, thus hampering the analysis and detection of linkages between different factors of socio-economic development. Against this background, with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) of the University of Bern collaborated closely with various partners in Vietnam and Laos to launch a first socio-economic atlas project in Vietnam (2004), and based on the success of the Vietnam atlas, a second atlas in Laos in 2007. In these projects, census and household survey data were spatially processed and analyzed at village level in Laos (over 10’000 villages)) and commune level in Vietnam (over 10,000 communes) and published in both hard and softcopy socio-economic atlases for each of the two countries (with over 70 thematical maps). The two atlases are available online at: www.laoatlas.net (for Laos), and www.north-south.unibe.ch/content.php/publication/id/1712 (for Vietnam). By adding the spatial dimension to the tabular data and ensuring adequate representation in maps, the very valuable tabular census data were transformed into information easily accessible to a broader public. The resulting maps also allow users to detect various development patterns and correlations, thus contributing to a better understanding of phenomena and processes. Better targeting of development interventions The easily accessible socio-economic information in the Vietnamese and Lao atlases enables various development and policy actors to improve their priority setting and the spatial targeting of their development interventions and policy formulation. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), for example, used the information processed by the Lao atlas project (e.g. hospital accessibility combined with village level statistics on maternal mortality) to plan their interventions aiming to alleviate maternity mortality much more precisely and efficiently. In Vietnam on the other hand, the insight that areas with high poverty rates and those with high numbers of poor people do not spatially overlap, and that different policy measures and development interventions are therefore necessary for the different regions, was taken up in the formulation of various national policies. Furthermore, the two projects showed that the spatial analysis of socio-economic phenomena can yield insights into locally-specific patterns and processes that cannot be generated by non-spatial applications. For example it was an eye opener to the actors involved that travel time to schools does not seem to be a major defining factor of literacy in Laos, and further analysis will be launched (see figure 1). Box 1: Key insights It was shown that almost 50 percent of the poor population in Laos are not directly addressed in current national poverty reduction strategies, as they live in districts that were previously not classified as poor. This new insight will be used in the formulation of new strategies, such as the National Socio-economic Development Plan. The analysis of the atlas in Vietnam made it visible that physical distance to markets and services is not, as frequently assumed, what strongly determines poverty, but that it is mainly ethnicity that increases the likelihood to be poor (see figure 2). This insight significantly altered the design of various policies and development interventions at national as well as regional level. The publication of the census information in the form of an atlas triggered a process of more open data sharing in Laos. While access to census data was previously very restricted, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) agreed to share the information more openly, and SDC will support a follow-up project of the Lao atlas concerned with these issues (e.g. online platforms) as of mid-2009. The close link between research (delivering the tools and methods) and development actors and the related different funding sources proved to be a very effective and fruitful form of collaboration. Box 2: Partners involved The Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) of the University of Bern is the leading Swiss research institute concerned with sustainable development in the development context. It is also the leading institution of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North-South. (www.north-south.unibe.ch and www.cde.unibe.ch). Contact: Dr. Andreas Heinimann (andreas.heinimann@cde.unibe.ch) Dr. Michael Epprecht (michael.epprecht@cde.unibe.ch) Dr. Peter Messerli (peter.messerli@cd.unibe.ch) In Vietnam, the following two main agencies were involved in the project, among others: the General Statistical Office (GSO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). In Laos the two main partners were: the Department of Statistics (DOS) of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the Lao National Mekong Commission Secretariat (LNMCS) of the Water Resource and Environment Administration (WREA). The International Food and Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington was involved in the poverty mapping activities of the projects in both Vietnam and Laos. The projects in Vietnam and in Laos were supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Contact: Rémy Duiven (remy.duiven@sdc.net) Nicolas Randin (nicolas.randin@deza.admin.ch) Proposed Figures Figure 1: It was shown that literacy rates may be affected more by actual access to education (e.g. influenced by ethnicity), than by accessibility (i.e. travel time to school), contrary to what is often assumed. Figure 2: In Vietnam ethnicity is a much stronger determining factor for poverty than physical accessibility.