Paper Topics and Mechanics

Topics/Areas

The Conference is designed to serve as a forum for the sharing and exchange of experiences, practices, current trends and challenges in official poverty measurement among different countries, and for a discussion of possible areas where a common approach could be explored. It likewise aims to come up with a work program for the regular compilation of official poverty statistics in the participating countries towards international comparability and acceptability. As such, the sessions will be divided into two, with the first three sessions to be devoted to the country experiences in official poverty estimation and the remaining sessions to focus on alternative methodologies and other emerging concerns on poverty measurement, which may include some of the following topics/areas:

1. Poverty mapping (incorporating the MDG indicators)
2. Vulnerability indicators (transient and chronic poverty)
3. Tools for evaluating poverty methodology
4. Economies of size and equivalence scales
5. Approaches used to attain comparability of estimates across time and space
6. Reliability, frequency and level of disaggregation of poverty estimates (i.e., sectoral, geographic, and gender dimension)
7. International comparisons of poverty (e.g., $-a day approach)
8. Absolute, relative and subjective poverty
9. Non-income measures of poverty
10. Institutional framework for poverty statistics (generation, dissemination and utilization)
11. Access to public use files on poverty statistics
12. Panel data for poverty measurement

Requirements for Proposed Papers

Key dates for paper writers/presenters
2 August 2004	Submission of paper abstracts
10 August 2004	Notification on approved papers for presentation
16 September 2004	Submission of paper manuscripts

Official compilers (government officials) and researchers from the academics, research organizations, and international organizations who are interested in writing and/or presenting scientific papers on any of the various topics to be covered by the 2004 International Conference on Official Poverty Statistics are enjoined to submit their abstracts, together with the accomplished forms for the submission of papers on or before 2 August 2004.

The form and the abstract shall be submitted to the Scientific Program Committee at the address below:

The Secretariat
2004 International Conference on Official Poverty Statistics
National Statistical Coordination Board
2/F Midland Buendia Bldg
403 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave Ext
Makati City 1200, Philippines

or by fax through telefax number (632) 896-5390
or by e-mail to rm.ignacio@nscb.gov.ph or bb.balamban@nscb.gov.ph.

The abstract containing not more than 200 words should be written in MS Word, Arial font of size 12 pts., double-space on standard A4 paper with 2.54cm margins and text width of 17cm.

Selection of Papers for Presentation in the Conference

The Scientific Program Committee shall review the submitted paper abstracts, after which they will select those papers that will be presented during the Conference. In the review of the papers to be presented based on the abstracts, the Committee shall consider the following criteria:

1. Relevance of the paper to the overall theme and objectives of the Conference;

2. Timeliness of the topic of the paper vis-à-vis current and emerging concerns on poverty measurement; and

3. Impact on the demands and requirements of data users and stakeholders.

Authors of selected papers will be notified on or before 10 August 2004. All other papers will be included in the documentation of the Conference. Final manuscripts should not exceed 12 pages with line spacing of one and a half and using Arial font of size 12 pts. All materials must be written and presented in English, the official language of the Conference. The final manuscripts of all papers must be submitted not later than 15 September 2004.

All papers received by 15 September 2004 will be included in the conference kits and CD, which will be distributed at the start of the Conference. However, papers submitted after the deadline will not be included in the conference kit, but shall be distributed to the participants during the conference.

Mechanics

On the first day of the Conference, the participants will take part in the joint opening ceremonies of the 15th National Statistics Month; 9th National Convention on Statistics; International Conference on Official Poverty Statistics; and the 2nd Meeting of the ASEAN Task Force on Statistical Classifications; as well as the plenary session of the Convention, which will be all be held in the morning of 4 October 2004 in the same venue as the Conference. The Convention is a triennial event conducted by the Philippine Statistical System (PSS) to:

1. provide a forum for exchanging ideas and experiences in the field of statistics and for discussing recent statistical developments and prevailing issues and problems of the PSS; and

2. to elicit the cooperation and support of statisticians and professionals in related fields from the government, the academe, and the private sector towards a more responsive statistical system.

The theme for this year’s Convention is Rising beyond Global Challenges through Quality Philippine Statistics.

The Conference proper starts in the afternoon of the first day. There will be a total of six scientific sessions during the Conference that will last until the second day. Each session will have a minimum duration of two hours and will be presided by a Session Chair/Moderator. Papers will be presented during the scientific sessions with each session having two to three paper presentations depending on the number of papers submitted and selected by the Scientific Program Committee. Each presentation shall be allotted with the following time period:

• Introductory remarks by the Session Chair 3 minutes
• Presentation of paper 15 minutes
• Open forum 15 minutes
• Closing 2 minutes

The third day of the Conference will concentrate on the discussion and drawing up of an integrated work plan for the improvement of methodologies and regular compilation of official poverty statistics by the participating national statistical agencies (NSAs) based on the need to provide information for the periodic monitoring of the MDG on poverty reduction. The International Organizing Committee will be responsible for the preparation of the mechanics and the actual conduct of the sessions on the third day.