Poverty Reduction of the Disabled ─ Livelihood of persons with disabilities in the philippines

A third of poor people are disabled in the developing world. How much do we know about their livelihood? Are they entirely powerless and dependent on family members? How do they earn income? These questions have become more important than ever, now that persons with disabilities (PWDs) in developing countries are awakened to rights and entitlements and that the international community started considering incorporation of disability into the context of poverty reduction. This book highlights opportunities and challenges faced by PWDs in the developing countries.

The book provides the case study which was conducted in the Philippines and had made a good progress in legislation for PWDs. The Institute of Developing Economies, Japan, and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies jointly conducted a field survey in Metro Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, in 2008. The unique feature of this survey is that PWD enumerators were hired and assigned to interview persons with the same type of disability to facilitate communication and understanding of interviewee’s background. Around 400 PWDs were interviewed, and the data was investigated with econometrics. The book presents the results of the survey and highlights a remarkable disparity in earnings and education among PWDs was found.

The book concludes all measures, i.e. education, training, DPOs and institutional preferences, must be mobilized harmoniously to boost the livelihood of PWDs sinking in the bottom stratum in income. It will be of interest to those who are concerned about PWDs and improving their welfare.

Soya Mori was born in Japan. He attained B.A. and M. A. in Economics from Waseda University, Japan, and works for the Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization.

Celia Reyes was born in the Philippines. She attained Bachelor of Science in Statistics from the University of the Philippines and PhD in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, USA. She works for the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.

Tatsufumi Yamagata was born in Japan. He attained B. A. and M. A. in Economics from Keio University, Japan, and works for the Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization.