WeD

Abstract

Wellbeing in Developing Countries is a series of studies which aim to develop a conceptual and methodological approach to understanding the social and cultural construction of wellbeing in developing countries. The Wellbeing in Developing Countries Research Group (WeD), based at the University of Bath, drew on knowledge and expertise from three different departments (Economics and International Development, Social and Policy Sciences and Psychology) as well as a network of overseas contacts. The international, interdisciplinary team formed a major programme of comparative research, focused on six communities in each of four countries: Ethiopia, Thailand, Peru and Bangladesh. All sites within the countries have been given anonymous site names, with the exception of Ethiopia where the team chose to follow an alternative locally agreed procedure on anonymisation. Data can be matched across studies using the HOUSEKEY (Site code and household number).

The research raises fundamental questions both for the academic study of development, and for the policy community. The WeD arrived at the following definition of wellbeing through their research: "Wellbeing is a state of being with others, where human needs are met, where one can act meaningfully to pursue one's goals, and where one enjoys a satisfactory quality of life".

Further information about the project can be found on the WeD website and the ESRC Award webpage. Wellbeing in Developing Countries: Resources and Needs, 2004-2005 comprises the Resources and Needs Questionnaire (RANQ) which was carried out in each of the four countries. RANQ was administered to approximately 250 households in each research site and designed as a single respondent instrument. Where possible the single principal respondent to the questions was the Head of Household. In the absence of the Head of Household another senior member of the household was taken as the principal respondent. In order to obtain information or views from other members of the household, interviewers were encouraged to allow the main respondent to be informed by other members of the household. This type of group' interview is often unavoidable but RANQ procedures encouraged the principal respondent to consult other available household members, if it was acceptable to do so.

For each country there is one data file at the household level, one file for the individual level, and there are several files at lower levels (where there are several records per household or individual). Main Topics:Topics covered include:household demographicshuman resources (main activities; education; vaccinations and supplements; illness and treatment)material resources (land and natural resource ownership; livestock and small animals ownership; asset ownership; housing, utilities and sanitation; long-term shocks and fortunes; food shortages and clothing; wealth, transfers and income support)social resources (kin and fictive kin relationships; connections to the local community, wider world, markets and governmentscultural resources (language; social identification; honorific titles)