SEX DISAGGREGATED DATA

(SDD) & POLICY

Presentation by

Nandini Gunewardena

Gender and Rural Development

Statistics Officer, ESW/FAO

Regional Workshop on Sex-

Disaggregated Data

Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO)RAP

Bangkok, November 12 – 16,

2012

ROLE OF STATISTICIANS IN

NATIONAL POLICY ARENA

KEY role in:

►DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

► GUIDING POLICY DESIGN

► POLICY REFORM

DATA PROVIDE CRITICAL Tools

For policy-makers ►

WHAT DOES DATA

HAVE TO DO WITH POLICY?

Data serves as a TOOL:

EVIDENCE for policy decisions

RATIONALE for policy instruments

JUSTIFICATION for policy choices

GUIDANCE on policy options

HOW?

By generating reliable & relevant facts &

figures

Producing accurate and current data for

national population

Capturing local realities,

gaps, trends systematically

Regular availability of

data for Decision-making

END GOAL?

To Influence policy change

production practices Productivity

► Food Security

► Nutrition Security

► Quality of Life

► Poverty Reduction

GENDER

EQUITY

DATA POLICY

The CRITICAL Link

DATA POLICY LINKAGES

Effective Policy design rests on:

robust data --- sex-disaggregated

evidence of gender differences in

access to productive resources and

services

analyses of inequities

(age- gender, other disparities)

REVIEW OF POLICIES...

Definition:

An intervention by a public authority to

change a social or economic concern (i.e. the

way people access resources, services and

rights, and opportunities

A coherent set of decisions taken by public

representatives

HOW DATA GUIDES POLICY

Accurate diagnoses of agricultural under-

productivity

Informs decision-making on policy options

Identifies priorities for allocation of scarce

financial resources

Points to instruments for optimal

targeting of assets, resources, services

Guides the type of policies needed

Enhances public responsiveness

EXAMPLES OF STRATEGIC POLICIES

Equitable Property rights Access to

credit

Access to technologies, goods, services

Market infrastructure informed decisions

increased productive investments

Enhanced, Equitable Agricultural

Productivity outcomes

ROLES OF PUBLIC POLICIES

Public policies generally aim to:

Promote/encourage/support ACTION - (to stimulate use of

new technologies for irrigation, market products, off-farm

employment

Supply GOODS/SERVICES - (transport, information,credit)

Impose/enforce RULES/LAWS - (vaccinations, land tenure)

Save/preserve PRACTICES (agricultural techniques)

Prevent/prohibit HARMFUL - (some types of pesticides)

Discourage - (waste of water, contaminants)

Sustain/safeguard - (income support for poor households)

TYPES OF PUBLIC POLICIES IN THE

AGRICULTURE SECTOR

Agricultural Development Policies

Agricultural Price Policies (Macroeconomic Policies)

Public Investment Policies

Taxes and subsidies

International trade policies –taxes and quotas

limiting/promoting imports and exports

Direct control (regulation of marketing)

• Monetary and Fiscal Policies

• Foreign Exchange Rate Policies

• Factor Price Policies (wage, interest and land rental rates) natural

resources and land use policies

Infrastructure – transport, irrigation

Human capital – education, training, health

Research & technology – production & processing

tech

Credit and Capital Access

EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY MAKING

Shift to “evidence-based policy making” in recent

years

Evidence-based policy helps well-informed

decisions about policy, programmes and projects

by:

Drawing upon reliable evidence (data +

information)

Research as the basis for policy implementation

A shift to evidence-based policy making will

increase the possibility of meeting the MDG goals

STEPS IN THE POLICY CYCLE

Analysis of the situation/issue or concern:

Know clearly where we are

Setting objectives/goals:

Know where we want to go

Identifying strategies:

Understand the steps needed to get there

Costing: estimate the funding required

Implementing: Capacity to follow the steps

M & E: track progress, lessons learned

THE POLICY CYCLE:

ANALYSING THE SITUATION

Setting

objectives

Fully costed

programmes

Implementation

Analysis PRSP process:

the theory

Policy and

strategy

“Where are we now?”

• Including quantitative and qualitative analysis

• Characteristics of the population

• Macro, social, political constraints

• Current national strategies

Monitoring and

evaluation

THE POLICY CYCLE:

SETTING OBJECTIVES

Setting

objectives

Fully costed

programmes

Policy

implementation Monitoring

Analysis PRSP process:

the theory

Policy and

strategy

“Where do we want to go?”

• Set priorities and objectives

• Define medium- and long-term goals (for growth, poverty reduction etc)

• Integrate MDGs

THE POLICY CYCLE:

DEVELOPING POLICIES AND

STRATEGIES

Setting

objectives

Fully costed

programmes

Policy

implementation

Monitoring and

evaluation

Analysis PRSP process:

the theory

Policy and

strategy

“What do we need to do to reach objectives?”

• Examine existing programmes

• Identify priority policies and programmes

• Research: evidence-based

policy making

THE POLICY CYCLE:

COSTING PROGRAMMES

Setting

objectives

Costing

programmes

Implementation Monitoring

Analysis PRSP process:

the theory

Policy and

strategy

“How much is it going to

cost and where is the financing

coming from?”

• Cost the range of policies and programmes

that have been identified

• Align with budget process

THE POLICY CYCLE:

IMPLEMENTATION

Policy

formulation

Fully costed

programmes

Implementation Monitoring

Analysis

PRSP process:

the theory

Policy and

strategy

• Following the steps to deliver the policies and programmes

• Pilot testing and implementing

new programmes

THE POLICY CYCLE:

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

Setting

objectives

Communication

Policy

implementation Monitoring

Analysis

Financing

“Are we following the steps set out and moving

in the right direction?”

“Have we reached objectives?”

“Do we need to review objectives?”

“How can we improve progress against objectives?”

Monitoring and

evaluation

WHAT ARE THE QUALITY

REQUIREMENTS FOR INFORMED,

RATIONALIZED POLICY-MAKING?

Relevance

Accuracy

Timeliness

Punctuality

Accessibility

Clarity and

Comparability

END GOAL:

DATA-DRIVEN POLICY-MAKING

“cool” policy analysis (rational, bias-free, well-

informed)

consensus-driven and “smart” policymaking

nimble, flexible, and responsive policy design

make the invisible visible, the intangible

tangible, and the complex manageable

THANK YOU!