Community History and Characteristics
Book 1: Community History and Characteristics
In a group interview, the village or municipal head (Kepala Desa) and other community leaders were asked detailed questions about their community, past and present.
Sampling information. Up to six names were gotten of people who could answer the informant book. Of these 2 were later chosen randomly. Also names were provided of local ADAT experts who could answer the ADAT book. This information is not in the public release.
Transportation. Module A determined the location of various institutions (market, bus stop, post office, telephone, administrative city) relative to the village leader’s office, and the mode, time, and cost associated with using public transportation to reach those institutions. Questions were also asked about the availability of public transportation within the village and the availability of the main route to the community during the year.
Electricity. Module B determined the availability of electricity within the village, the approximate proportion of households using electricity, the most important sources of electricity (public versus private, individual generator, local community group), and the frequency of blackouts.
Water sources and sanitation. Module C determined primary and secondary sources of water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and laundry. If a piped water system existed, the module probed the date of its establishment, its source, the frequency of disruptions, and the most common source of drinking water before the system was installed. Other questions concerned the adequacy of water sources during the dry season and alternative sources should the primary source be inadequate. Respondents were also queried about the existence and establishment date of sewage systems, the most common and other types of toilets, and methods of garbage disposal. If a garbage collection system existed, the start up date and monthly subscription fee were asked.
Agriculture and industry. In rural enumeration areas, module D identified the three primary agricultural crops, the extent of irrigation, number of rice crops, the existence of animal husbandry projects, whether the village benefited from agricultural extension projects (and their duration), and male, female, and child wage rates for agricultural work. In both rural and urban areas module D queried village leaders about local factories. For up to five factories, the product, location, date of establishment, and wage rates (for males, females, and children) were collected. Finally, the module determined whether the village had a public employment project and, if so, the associated wage rates.
Community history and climate. Module E recorded any change that had occurred in the name of the village and the typical dates of the rainy season. Descriptions and dates were collected of significant village events since 2000 (e.g., major infrastructure changes). The leaders were also asked to estimate the proportion of the population affected by the event.
Natural disasters: This module collected information on natural disasters of various types (earthquake, volcano eruptions, tsunami, floods, drought, fires) in the last 5 years. We asked about the types and severity of infrastructure damage.
Credit institutions. Module G collected data on the presence, date of establishment, and ownership of formal credit institutions in the village, the distance to the nearest credit institution before a credit source was established within the village, whether an informal money lender existed in the village and, if so, the monthly interest rates for loans of various amounts.
School availability. Module I collected information on the current availability of elementary, junior high, and senior high schools. This is used to update the Service Availability Roster (SAR).
History of health services availability. Module J asked about outreach activities in the village conducted by staff from the area health center (including mass immunization campaigns since 1995) and about health-related volunteer activities in the village. This is used to update the Service Availability Roster (SAR).
Community development activities. Module PMKD queried leaders on the existence of various community development activities, when they began, and the estimated number of community members involved in the activities.
Subjective well-being. Module SW asked the subjective views of the leaders about the economic condition of the community before and after economic crisis, using the same 6 step ladder question used in module SW of household book 3A. We also asked about changes in welfare since the 1998 financial crisis.
Poverty alleviation programs. Module PAP, also new in IFLS4, collected data about recent public social safety net programs. These included two rice subsidy programs: Raskin and Market Operations; health insurance subsidies; unconditional cash transfers and conditional cash transfers. We asked about information campaigns about each program, about eligibility criteria, population coverage in the village, how the program was distributed (equal parts per household, targeted to eligible groups, usually the poor).
Perception on public services and infrastructure. Module PPS, new in IFLS4, asked the perceptions of the village leader about the existing public infrastructure and recent changes.
Social interactions. Also new in IFLS4, we asked about local conflicts and conflict resolution, crime in the village and local attitudes of trust of others in the community.