New data collection

Monitoring and forecasting benefits from improved data collection and better theories of change. Inaccessible regions pose particular problems to data collection. Based on extensive fieldwork in Irian Jaya, Indonesia, Lautenbach (1999) found that several cognitive aspects affect the types of data that can be collected and the data quality. Some ideas about the mental schemes people use to interpret the world, thier world-views in other words, assists the data collection. Her research adds a cognitive anthropological dimension to empirical research. She also found that fertility levels in the region studied (Teminabuan) are lower than expected in a population not using modern contraceptives. The research was part of a major programme coordinated by Leiden University and funded by the NWO.