Centre for Research on Ageing, University of Southampton

Understanding ageing in developing and transitional societies

Lessons on research methodology

Gloria C. Langat

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ESRC-DFID Poverty alleviation projects

• 2007-2009: Left behind in transition? Poverty, social networks and social support amongst older people in Central Asia and the Caucasus

• 2013-2015: Measuring well-being in later life in a low resource setting: Understanding health and socio-economic resilience among older people in Nairobi slums, Kenya

• 2016-2018: Impact of social pensions on multiple dimensions of poverty, subjective wellbeing and solidarity across generations

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Left behind in transition?

MOLDOVA

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Left behind in transition?

Source: UNDP (2013) Economic and social vulnerability in Georgia

Impact on pensions • Declining coverage and

a shrinking contribution base

• Falling public pension expenditure

• Increasing retirement ages

• Move towards contribution funded systems

(Falkingham et al., 2009)

Post-Soviet Era• Reduction or cessation

of subsidies (heating, food, education and healthcare)

• Rising poverty and widening inequality

• Massive migration (internal and international movements)

Left behind in transition? Research aims and objectives1. Examine living conditions of older people and their sources of

financial and social support

2. Empirical evidence of the issues confronting older people Are older people more or less likely to be at risk of being poor? What is the role of the extended family in providing economic and

social support to older people? What is the role of remittances? What other coping strategies have older people adopted? What is the role of older people in providing support within the

extended family, particularly to children in their role as grandparents?

How have social networks and psycho-social wellbeing been affected by the extensive migration that has taken place in the region?

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Left behind in transition? Methodology

• Secondary data analysis (Quantitative surveys) Armenia: 2008 Integrated Living Conditions Survey of Households Azerbaijan: 2008 Household Budget Survey Georgia: 2007 Household Budget Survey Kyrgyzstan: 2008 Household Budget Survey Moldova: 2008 Household Budget Survey Tajikistan: 2007 Living Standards Survey

Primary data (Qualitative) Moldova, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan

Focus groups and individual interviews Geographical diversity (rural site, capital city and small town) Gender composition and other social characteristics Pensioners

Older people’s perspectives on their life experiences following massive societal changes and coping strategies 6

Left behind in transition? Key research findings • Poverty rates among older people are sensitive to household composition and assumptions

of economies of scale

• Receipt of private transfers make a significant reduction in income poverty more than public transfer – relatively fewer households received private transfers 7

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Pensioner & 1adult & 1-2

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Pensioner & 1adult & 3-4

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Pensioner & 1adult & 5+

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Relative risk of poverty by houshold composition (medium economies of scale) in Kajikistan

Source: Falkingham et al, 2009

Left behind in transition? Key research findings • Migration of family members and remittances as coping

strategies• Irregular remittances and unpredictable• ‘Failed’ migrants unable to remit or requiring support

from sending households• De-population of villages and older people and

children left behind• Under-utilised farmlands resulting in more reliance

on purchased food• Increasing dependence on others (family, NGOs,

churches) for support• Cutting back on expenses including basic necessities

such as heating, food, medication(Grant et al. 2009)8

Understanding resilience in later life

• More than half of Nairobi’s population live in slums and informal settlements (UN-HABITAT, 2010)

• The population of older people is growing rapidly

• Most older people migrated to the city of employment and have therefore aged in-situ (Chepngeno and Ezeh, 2007)

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Understanding resilience in later life

Research aims and objectives• To understand how social capital, economic

and individual factors interact to enhance wellbeing • Examine the health & socio-economic

trajectories • Investigate the coping mechanisms

adopted by older people faced with shocks and stresses and how these strategies minimise negative outcomes

• Understand how older people navigate their environment, maximise scarce opportunities and social capital to cope with ageing

• How older people in resource-poor settings maximise available opportunities and resources to cope with adverse life events

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Societal factors

Community and

neighbourhood resources

Household-level and

family resourcefulnes

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Individual characteristi

cs

Multiple domains influencing resilience (Wild et al. 2013)

Understanding resilience in later life Methodology• Secondary data analysis

• Quantitative data from a Demographic Surveillance System in two slums• On-going surveillance data on births, deaths and migration

(2002 – present)• Three waves of panel survey data on older people (2006,

2008, & 2009)oAged 50 years+ in 2006

• ~2,500 men and women with complete records• Primary data (Qualitative)

• Interviews with 30 men and women living in the surveillance area• Participated in the panel survey

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Understanding resilience in later life Key findings on life trajectory: mortality Survival in old age is the ultimate measure of ‘making it’ in the slums. How does gender relate to old age survival? Can this help us explain differences in the resilience of older men and women?• Proactive factors for mortality for men are having a co-resident spouse, frequent

attendance at religious ceremonies, self-reported good health, ethnicity, having no disability, being in formal employment and top wealth quintile

• Proactive factors for mortality for women are longer duration of stay in slums, self-reported good health, and having no disability

• On average older men in the slums are in an advantageous position in comparison to older women

• Female cumulative disadvantage: Older women have significantly poorer health and socio-economic status and contrasting social networks to older men.

• Large within-gender differences amongst men: The population of men is more diverse based on health, social network and socio-economic status compared with women who are more homogenous

12(Bennett et al. 2016)

Understanding resilience in later life Key findings on adverse events: Post-election violenceSocial networks are an important resource for coping with adversity in later life. Did social networks enhanced the resilience of older people affected by the post-election violence? Which types of social networks are important?

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• Household environment, informal local networks and informal non-local networks were not significant

• But formal local networks significantly mediated the relationship between the post-election violence (the shock) and wellbeing

• Older people who decreased their formal local networks (self-help groups, churches, neighbourhood groups, social groups etc.) experienced the greatest decline in wellbeing

• Four types of social networks: household environment, informal local networks, informal non-local networks, formal networks

• In the worst affected slum, 76% reported being affected in at least one way

(Bennett et al. 2015)

Impact of older persons’ cash transfer programmeResearch aim and objective• How the cash transfer is utilised by primary beneficiaries• Impact on multiple dimensions of poverty and wellbeing• Impact on relations between beneficiaries and their kin networks

(desired and undesired) including intergenerational relations• Targeting and operation of the programme including governanceMethodology• Secondary data analysis

• Quantitative data from a Demographic Surveillance System in two slums - 4 waves of panel survey data on older people (2006, 2008, 2009, & 2016)

• Primary data (Qualitative)• Interviews with beneficiaries, families, implementers

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Lessons on methodologySecondary data sources• Balance between large national datasets (Living standards &

household budget surveys) and small scale data• Nationally representative data and ability to generalise to wider

populations• Riches of data which enables in-depth and detailed analysis• Panel data hence measurement of change and impact• Publicly available vs privately owned data – partnerships and co-

production of knowledgeMixed methodology• 2-in-1 research studies?

• Different research questions addressed by different methodology

• Same research question from two different approaches• Integrated research studies? 15

References

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Bennett, R., Chepngeno-Langat, G., Evandrou, M., and Falkingham, J.(2016) Gender differentials and old age survival in the Nairobi slums (forthcoming)

Bennett, R., Chepngeno-Langat, G., Evandrou, M., and Falkingham, J. (2015) ‘Resilience in the face of post-election violence in Kenya: The mediating role of social networks on wellbeing among older people in the Korogocho informal settlement, Nairobi.’ Social Science and Medicine, 128, 159-167

Chepngeno, G. and Ezeh, A.C., 2007. 'Between a rock and a hard place': Perception of older people living in Nairobi city on return-migration to rural areas. Global Ageing, 4(3), 67-78

Grant, G., Falkingham, J., and Evandrou, M. (2009) The impact of adult children’s migration on wellbeing in later life: voices from Moldova Southampton, GB, University of Southampton Centre for Research on Ageing Discussion Papers 0902

Falkingham, J., Baschieri, A., Evandrou, M. and Grant, G. (2009) Left behind in transition? The well-being of older people in Tajikistan Southampton, GB, University of Southampton Centre for Research on Ageing Discussion Papers 0901

Falkingham, J. and Vlachantoni, A. (2010) Pensions and social protection in central Asia and south Caucasus: developments in the post-Soviet era. Southampton, GB, University of Southampton Centre for Research on Ageing Discussion Papers 1002.

Resnick, B., Gwyther, L.P., & Roberto, K.A. (2011). Resilience in Aging: Concepts, Research, and Outcomes Springer New York

UN-HABITAT, 2010. State of the World's Cities 2010/2011: Bridging the Urban Divide. Earthscan.

Wild, K., Wiles, J.L., & Allen, R.E.S. (2013) Resilience: thoughts on the value of the concept for critical gerontology. Ageing & Society, 33, (Special Issue 01) 137-158

Acknowledgements