4. CASE STUDY: HONDURAS
4.1 Introduction
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4. A CASE STUDY: HONDURAS
4.1 Introduction
Honduras, is a Central American country with a territorial and maritime extension on 112,492 km2. As of April, 2018 it has an estimated population of 9,385,003. The population density in Honduras is 84 per Km2 (218 people per mi2). 53.4 % of the population is urban (5,031,591 people in 2018), and the median age in Honduras is 23.4 years.
Honduras is divided into 18 departments and 298 municipalities. Honduras ethnic group includes mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1%. Inside the Amerindian classification, we can find nine ethnic groups. From these nine ethnic groups, seven are considered indigenous: Tolupanes, Misquitos, Tawaka, Chorti, Lenca, Pech, Nahoa. Garifunas and Black English are the afro-descendent ethnic groups.
Honduras has not had many relevant studies focusing solely on itself as a country. Separating one of the poorest countries from the LAC region from the rest for more in-depth study can help the author and the readers to be able to visualize a clearer panorama of the variables that might be retarding economic development in the said country.
In Honduras, a diagnostic instrument called “Análisis de Situación de Población” translated to the English language by the researcher as “Analysis of the Population Situation” from now on in this research called “ASP” was initiated in 2008. The “ASP” was created hand in hand by key national actors between them the Presidential Commissioner for the reduction of poverty and the United Nations Population Fund. This “ASP” had as a goal to reveal the importance of the population behavior for the analysis, design, and implementation of public policies, poverty reduction, and respect to human rights. This project was impacted by the important political events that occurred
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in Honduras in 2009. This political events, led the United Nations Population Fund to work by itself on the “ASP” final draft. Between the most important conclusions of this study, we can find factors affecting population behavior in Honduras, such as demographic transition, population and health, and lastly the population’s geographical distribution. During the research of this study, it was observed that Honduras was going by through a demographic transition defined first by the
“deceleration” of population growth and second by the transformation of structures by age. Results showed a reduction in the number of person’s dependent for every person in reproductive age.
Carias Chaverri (2010), described this tendency as a “bono demográfico” or “demographic bonus”
as translated to the English language by the Researcher. Carias Chaverri, explained that this demographic bonus would lead to a time were a major demographic incentive for economic growth would exist. He thought that this incentive would exist due to the highly growing participation of the population in working age in the populations total. He added that for this “demographic bonus”
to have its expected results, the implementation of correct economic and social policies was needed. Between these policies he mentioned the strengthening of quality and coverage of secondary school, giving more emphasis to the reproductive health of the young population, and lastly investment in programs that provide employment for the young population.
In the population and health factor, Carias Chaverri (2010) explains that even though health both general and reproductive have increased in quality, advances are considerably slower than those of other Latin American countries. Carias Chaverri, argues that deep inequality in health indicators are strong causes for the previously explained. The most affected population groups are those situated in geographical areas that have been excluded like rural areas. These rural areas contain the major numbers of population that are less educated and that have major income inequality.
Public Policies in this sector should search for the guaranteeing of medical attention to this part of
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the population that has been traditionally excluded because of their geographical area, ethnicity, and age.
The last factor explained by the “ASP” is populations geographical distribution. There is no equal distribution of the population along Honduras 112,492 km2. The larger masses of population are concentrated in the capital city called Tegucigalpa, and in the industrial sector of the country like the city of San Pedro Sula in the department of Cortés. Carias Chaverri (2010) argues that poor rural migrants make poverty in the Honduran cities grow. Therefore, he states that the expansion on public services to these rural areas is of vital importance. Employment generation is also a must to help lower the migration indexes from the rural to the urban areas.
In the following sections I will discuss about religion, access to electricity, education, and the lack of sexual education in order to demonstrate that the influence of religious groups and not having access to basic needs, hence, observing high inequality, might increase a higher number of birth rates, therefore, affecting economic development.
4.2 “Ellos no tenían Televisor.”
The availability of public services is important to generate economic development. Having access to electricity and water is something that might be taken for granted in developed countries. But for developing countries is something that is taken care of due to the uncertainty of its possession.
For example, being part of the middle class in Honduras, guarantees you can pay for electricity service. Therefore, you would believe that because you pay for your electricity consumption you will always have it. The truth is that; energy blackouts in Honduras are more common than you would believe. Based on Modi, V., S. McDade, D. Lallement, and J. Saghir. (2006) argument that
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“Access to energy facilitates the eradication of poverty”, the researcher believes this is an important topic to discuss.
Fisher, Ronald C. (1997), questioned before if there was a relationship between public services and economic development. The authors mentioned before, chose to test the following three types of public services: Highways (transportations), public safety and education. Fisher, Ronald C., found that transportation services and highway facilities were the services that had a greater relationship with economic development. Yet the authors did not choose access to basic public services such as access to electricity and water to test if there was a relationship with economic development.
The name of this section “Ellos no tenían televisor”, translated to English means “They did not have a television”. The purpose of naming this section this way is to emphasize the importance of having access to electricity in order to support development in a country. In Honduras, “ellos no tenían televisor” is a common expression to indicate why couples mostly in the rural areas, have such a big number of children. This due to the fact that as the parents didn’t have any other entertainment option at home, they turned their direction to having children.
The Researcher will show the available data related to the Honduran celebrated phrase “ellos no tenían televisor” explained before. The table below, shows the amount of homes surveyed in 2015 in the “Encuesta permanente de hogares de Propósitos Múltiples” by the national institute of statistics of Honduras, that had a television.
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Table 4.1 Does this home have a TV? Source: Encuesta Permanente de Hogares de Propositos Multiples 2015. INE, Honduras Does this home have a TV? Cases % Accumulated %
Yes 1514518 77.73 77.73
No 433901 22.27 100
Total 1948419 100 100
We can observe from the table number four, that there were 1,948,419 total cases in the year 2,015 in Honduras, surveyed in order to see if they had a television. From the 1,948,419 total homes surveyed in 2015, an amount of 1,514,518 cases which represent 77.73% had a television. Only 22.27% which equaled 433,901 cases in Honduras did not possess a t.v.
Table 4.2 Television possession * Poverty Classification. Source: Encuesta Permanente de Hogares de Propósitos Múltiples 2015.
INE, Honduras
Does this home have a TV? Poverty Classification
Extreme Relative Not poor Total
Yes 471899 403416 631071 1506386
No 303544 57759 71133 432437
Total 775444 461175 702204 1938823
Does not apply : 9596
Curiously, from table number five, we can see that a considerable amount of cases (471,899) under the extreme poverty classification has a television. Only 303,544 cases out of 775,444 cases in the extreme poverty classification does not have a television. Table five, clearly demonstrates that in every poverty classification there are more cases of homes possessing a television than not possessing one. Regrettably, there is no data concerning the birth rate of the people under the poverty classifications who possess a television in order to test if this saying is true or at least if there is a correlation in Honduras. What can be definitely concluded from table number 4 and five is the priorities of these families in their lives.
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Table 4.3 Access to Electricity in Honduras
Based on table number six, that shows access to electricity, by percent of the population originated from data retrieved from The World Bank for Honduras from the years 1990 to 2014. The average value for Honduras in 1991 was 69.76 percent with a minumum of 54.78 percent, and during the year 2014 a maximum of 88.65 percent. Also, based on information from the World Bank we can see that Honduras stood in place number 134 out of 196 countries in the world in 2014, on access to electricity.
Yet, a report from the National Electric Power Company in Honduras from March 2017, states that for December 2,016 the national coverage index is of 75% having grown from 72.35%
recorded by them in 2,014. Sub nationally, we find that the departments of Islas de la Bahia, Francisco Morazán, Comayagua, Cortés, Valle, Yoro, Copán, Colón, Atlántida, Intibucá, Ocotepeque, El Paraíso, and Choluteca have the largest coverage index of electrical energy in the country, superior or equal to 70%.
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The departments of Santa Bárbara, Lempira, Olancho, and La Paz, have a coverage index above 40% and under 70%. Lastly, the department of Gracias a Dios, has a coverage index of 48.8%.
The report states that 65% of the municipalities show a coverage index superior to 70%, and approximately 81% of the same show a coverage superior to 50%; 88% of the municipalities have a coverage index superior to 20%, and 92% have a coverage index superior to 10%, lastly and approximately 8% of the total municipalities are not being provided services by the National Electric Power Company or Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica (ENEE).
The following table shows the coverage index of electric energy per department in Honduras.
Table 4.4 E.N.E.E., Honduras: Coverage Index of Electrical Energy per Department. Source: ENEE, March 2017
DEPARTMENT POPULATION RESIDENCES SUBSCRIBERS INDEX %
ATLÁNTIDA 457,031 138,518 101,701 73.42%
COLÓN 324,950 80,270 61,068 76.08%
COMAYAGUA 521,748 133,158 106,414 79.92%
COPÁN 388,810 107,934 82,571 76.50%
CORTÉS 1,653,699 467,593 371,422 79.43%
CHOLUTECA 453,360 114,994 81,162 70.58%
EL PARAÍSO 465,864 90,184 63,681 70.61%
FRANCISCO MORAZÁN
1,577,178 438,663 350,558 79.92%
GRACIAS A DIOS
96,384 8,695 4,242 48.79%
INTIBUCÁ 246,258 44,548 32,490 72.93%
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ISLAS DE LA BAHIA
67,704 29,930 25,313 84.57%
LA PAZ 209,783 56,191 29,546 52.58%
LEMPIRA 339,310 69,295 44,484 64.19%
OCOTEPEQUE 154,251 47,328 34,373 72.63%
OLANCHO 545,835 112,560 70,777 62.88%
SANTA BÁRBARA
441,939 125,059 85,833 68.63%
VALLE 180,772 47,349 37,344 78.87%
YORO 596,138 148,970 115,739 77.69%
TOTAL 8,721,014 2,261,238 1,698,718 75.12
Based on the permanent survey of multipurpose homes known in Spanish as “encuesta permanente de hogares de Propósitos Múltiples, (EPHPM)” authored by the national statistics institute in Honduras, the country is classified in terms of population as: 54.11% urban and 45.89% rural and in residence terms its classifies as 56.65% urban and 43.35% rural.
The percentage of electric coverage in the urban area of the country is approximately of 83%, therefore, 17% of urban residences at national level do not have access to electricity. On the other hand, the percentage of electric coverage for the rural area of the country is of approximately 65%, leaving 35% of the rural residences without access to electricity. These 35% uses alternative methods to get light, between them we can mention: candles, gas lamps, and “ocote” which is a type of wood.
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In order to reach the optimal 100% of electrical coverage in the country, the report estimates that a total of USD $1,466,100,651.95 should be invested.
The “Encuesta de Demografia y Salud 2005-2006” translated to English by the Researcher as:
Demography and Health Survey from 2005 and 2006 showed that the rural area has a larger birth rate than the urban area. It also shows that the biggest percentage of teenage pregnancies are in the rural areas. Most importantly it showed that education does make a difference, because the biggest percentage of teenage pregnancies were also in the rural areas, where girls had less education.
Could it also be that the lack of access to electricity that impedes even having a television contribute to high birth rate indexes? Further study on this area is of importance.