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  Introduction and methodology

Indicadores de la calidad de vida de las poblaciones en torno a los Esteros del Iberá en la Provincia de Corrientes. (2001)

 

1-Introduction and methodology

 

The object of this study is to analyze some indicators of life quality of the Corrientes Province’ inhabitants with special emphasis in the Departments surrounding Esteros del Ibera. Our aim is to present a socio-economic frame to the specific studies already developed in the area.

Life quality could be defined as a reformulation of the growth problem, considering it from the human development in its entirety. This development is not simply the value of a certain variable but the way in which all the variables of the region interact that we consider as system. It is therefore that the quality of a population's life can be observed through a series of factors that include both the social and the economic, although an integral concept also embraces cultural, ethnic, historical, religious factors and also the subjective evaluations of people's satisfaction with its conditions of life and well-being. In this work we have only approached the objective components of life quality due to the lack of data over the subjective factors.

Based on this objective dimension of life quality we have related variables linked with the satisfaction of necessities and life conditions, that is why we worked in this study from the dynamics and population's structure, conformation of families and homes, quality of the housings and environmental sanitation, health care and education, use of spare time, and the characteristics of the economy, work and social attendance, as well as the vial accessibility and communications.

The study of life quality in this Province will allow us to observe the possibility of its residents to satisfy their needs as well as their potentialities. Through an integral vision of the social - economic reality we will then be able to elaborate future scenarios in order to observe the strengths and weaknesses of the area.

We have worked with three different tools: geographical information system (GIS), official statistics and a custom regional model of the indicators of life quality, which will be fed with information that arises from the public domain or from the field works. This new information will allow to carry out qualitative and quantitative projections. The analysis of information obtained up to now was carried out through the GIS allowing a better visualization of the problems and potentialities. The final results are presented in thematic cartography, worked on the base of digital cartography. The study was carried out on the data of National and Provincial Censuses and we also used bibliography to compare the provincial situation with the national one.

For the specific study of the area of Esteros del Ibera we carried out a compared analysis of the departments of Concepción, Ituzaingó, Mercedes, San Martín, San Miguel, San Roque and Santo Tomé. The analysis is presented by specific topics which are accompanied by the corresponding thematic cartography. Finally, as a conclusion, some interrelations and dynamics of the indicators are presented, as well as possible issues to be deepened.

The lack of up-to-date or specific data of the area and that of the province represented one of the biggest opposing inconveniences, the unstable provincial political and economic situation also hindered the development of this study.

However the summary of information obtained allowed us to elaborate a database that could be enlarged and updated, and that will surely be useful in the investigations already carried out and as a general framework for future researchers.

 

Methodology

For a good adaptation of the surveyed data with our custom regional model (based on systems dynamics) of quality of life we have selected and adapted the objective indicators defined in their majority in Bauer, 1966 and Liu, 1975. These indicators, if the data that conform them were totally available, allow the construction of a local-global life quality indicator for the surrounding departments of Esteros del Iberá as well as they would allow the monitoring and evaluation of the policies taken in relation with this issues. Below is the complete hierarchy of indicators including only its higher level littles, indicating with N/A those unavailable and detailing the lower level indicators when the data exist.

 

I. Individual status

A. Existing Opportunities for the self-support

a. Activity Rate

b. Employment Rate

c. Unemployment Rate

B. Promote maximum development of the individual capabilities N/A

C. Opportunities for individual choice N/A

II. Conditions of individual equality

A. Race and sex differences N/A

B. Socio-economic discrimination N/A

III. Living conditions

A. General Conditions

a. Percentage of homes with Unsatisfied Basic Needs

b. Percentage of population in homes with services of basic sanitation

B. Facilities

a. Number of hospitals beds

b. Number of libraries

C. Social and environmental Conditions N/A

IV. Agriculture

A. Median income of smaller producers

B. Average value of land N/A

C. Vehicles and machineries N/A

D. Temporal work N/A

V. Technology

A. Promotion and encouragement N/A

B. Number of scientifics N/A

VI. Economic Status

A. Income per capita N/A

B. Unemployment Rate

C. Manufacturing Industries N/A

D. Cost -adjusted value of construction per employee N/A

E. Banks and employee

F. Educational global Indicator N/A

G. Technological global Indicator N/A

H. Agriculture global Indicator N/A

VII. Education

A. Percentage of males 16 to 21 years old not Secondary School graduate N/A

B. Percentage of person of 25 year-old and over completed Secondary level of education N/A

C. Ratio of registered in primary / secondary education and the population between 5 and 17 years

D. School attendance N/A

E. University enrollment

F. Net rate of primary / secondary / university literacy

G. Psychological Evaluation N/A

H. Ratio among secondary graduates and university enrollment

I. Public expenditures in basic education N/A

J. Pupil – Teacher Ratio in primary level

VIII. Health and welfare

A. Medical care

a. Number of doctors per inhabitant

b. Number of beds per health establishment

c. Percentage of homes with access to drinkable water

B. Welfare

a. Benefits for retired workers

IX. Provincial and local governments

A. Informed Citizenry

a. Population of voting age registered

b. Percentage of total registered population who voted

B. Professionalism of administration

a. Percentage of Publics employees

C. Performance of administration N/A