Economic well-being and physical ill-being

Abstract

In the development literature, income and expense-based indicators are often used to measure household well-being. However, later researchers pointed out that it is not appropriate to use economic indicators alone to measure domestic well-being, but it should be studied with a broader concept (Phipps 2002; Alkire and Sarwar 2009; Edward N. Wolff and Ajit Zacharias 2006; Sen 1985). They highlighted the importance of multidimensional factors and indicators in investigating household well-being (Di Tommaso 2007; Krishnakumar 2007; Krishnakumar and Ballon 2008; Mabsout 2011). Accordingly, this study investigates household well-being in Sri Lanka in terms of economic, social, and physical well-being. The first chapter examines the impact of a large-scale development program on household well-being in the Hambantota District in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. The name of the program is the Greater Hambantota Development Program (GHDP), which includes international level constructions such as a port, an airport, a stadium, and a massive administrative complex. The government obtained a huge amount of money from China for the construction of the project. Introducing such a massive development program to Hambantota was one of the biggest promises one candidate made during the presidential election in 2005. Project outcomes and the political motivation of the program are still debatable. However, whether the project is successful or not, the job creation and the cash flow circulating in the area can directly and indirectly impact domestic well-being, which is the focus of this study. The findings show that the income (earnings from wages, agricultural activities, and non-agricultural activities) of the people living in the Hambantota districts is lower than the income of the people who live in the non-treated district after the program was implemented, relative to the before intervention. Simultaneously, people's spending on food and non-food items has also been lower in the households of the Hambantota district compared to their counterparts. The time it needs to spend by people who live in the Hambantota district to reach the public places is higher than the people who live in the non-treated district after the new city plan and road network introduced, vis-a-vis the before period. Furthermore, irregular development projects carried out have increased the vulnerability of the people of the area to natural disasters and disasters due to wild animals. Chapter two examines the impact of war on the physical well-being of children under five by using two critical indicators of stunting and wasting. The study finds that children under five exposed to the war are more likely to be stunted and wasted than the same age cohort who lived in the non-war areas. When considering single age groups, the stunting results show the larger effects for younger cohorts. When under five cohorts are separated into two based on children born during the ceasefire and non-Ceasefire, results indicate that children born during the battle are more likely to be severely stunted and wasted than those born during the ceasefire. The study also provides evidence that antenatal care and postnatal care in the war area are lower than the non-war areas in the war period, relative to the non-war period. In addition, the iron and parasite drugs intakes of children and mothers exposed to war are significantly lower than that of their counterparts during the war period relative to the non-war periods. Chapter three investigates the impact of Ride-Sharing Service (RSS) on the taxi/trishaw industry in Sri Lanka. According to the findings, the RSS increases the income of both full-time and part-time taxi drivers. However, the income of part-time taxi drivers increases at a higher rate compared to full-time taxi drivers. The study also reveals that the working hours of full-time employees have fallen, while those of part-time workers have increased. Moreover, both full-time and part-time taxi drivers desire to work longer hours if the opportunity arises. Compared to the full-time workers, more part-time taxi drivers desire to continue the same occupation if they get an opportunity to work more hours. Considering the entire workforce, the demand for taxi driving jobs has increased after the RSS intervened in the taxi industry in Sri Lanka.