Targeting based on geographic location is a useful mechanism for transferring benefits to the poor. Programs are relatively simple to implement. No complicated means testing is required in order to distribute...
A recent World Bank study draws on data from two Indian villages to present a new empirical approach to assessing the impact of public works programs on net household income and poverty. The study estimates...
Recent evidence from Viet Nam indicates that deficits in access to basic infrastructure are so widespread that new investments will not automatically be well targeted to the poor. In fact, in Viet Nam...
Cross-country evidence from social assistance programs indicates that good design incorporates both general and country-specific principles. While there is no model program on which all programs can be...
Poverty alleviation programs -- both short- and long-term -- require data that can help to accurately identify vulnerable groups. During periods of economic shock, such programs may then be able to better...
As Hungary institutes a market economy, it presents a model for how a previously centralized state has to rethink dealing with poverty. Given the budget constraints and economic volatility inevitably accompanying...
As more Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) surveys have been completed and the value of household data in policy design has become more widely appreciated, demand has grown for assistance in designing...
Problems in comparing year to year poverty surveys demonstrate that researchers need to take into account changes in survey design. The method described here points to a shortcut to monitor poverty in...
Raising primary school enrollment in low-income developing countries is an important policy goal. However, achieving this goal will require more than simply improving access to primary schools. Because...
A recent World Bank research project entitled The Economic and Political Determinants of Fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa explores the particular kinds of policies that can successfully lower the demand...