Population, vulnerability and poverty: a methodological exploration based on Iquitos, Peru

Richard Bilsborrow, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Luis Limachi, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana

Global poverty and vulnerability have both drawn increased attention, throughout the UN system and in research. But the two mean different things (Chambers, 1988) and have quite different policy implications. Vulnerability refers to insecurity/exposure to shocks and the difficulty of confronting them, but the two sides are often confused. Despite recommendations, there has been little research on vulnerability at the micro level. This paper addresses this gap, for Iquitos, Peru, based on a household survey carried out in 15 urban, peri-urban and rural communities in 2005. We discuss the multiple dimensions of vulnerability, and show how survey data can be used to categorize households by (a) shocks confronted and (b) capacity to confront those shocks. Households of various types (by location, size, composition....) are categorized according to shock, ability to confront shocks, and finally by vulnerability, taking into account the two together. We conclude identifying research gaps and policy implications.