Other Poverty Study

351 items available

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http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2119

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South Caucasus in Motion

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-01) World Bank Group

The people of the South Caucasus aspire for their countries to become strong middle-class societies, and they are on track to make that aspiration a reality. Two decades of social and economic progress have changed the societies of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The notable improvements that people in the region have experienced are reflected in better living standards that allowed poverty to be reduced by half in the 12 years between 2005 and 2017. Yet, to consolidate middle-class societies, the governments of the South Caucasus need to do more to achieve the stability and resilience enjoyed by their more advanced peers in Europe and Central Asia. Sustainable economic growth, poverty reduction, and shared prosperity require that the full potential of all geographical and administrative areas, population groups, and economic sectors be realized. This boo analyzes spatial, social, and economic mobility in the South Caucasus. The book argues that Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia have not yet integrated important geographical areas and population segments in full economic participation and social development. Economic gains have not been uniformly and equitably translated into greater welfare and opportunity among all households and individuals. The main conclusion is that sustainable growth, poverty reduction, and the consolidation of the middle class require that the institutional and physical foundations of greater and more equitable economic and social mobility be secured in the South Caucasus. Understanding and removing the constraints to the development of lagging districts; leveraging opportunities for agglomeration; linking geographical areas, peoples, and markets; fostering equality in access to better jobs; and making sure that high-quality education and basic services are available to all individuals and areas are crucial.
Slovakia Catching-Up Regions: Prešov Region - Key Development Dynamics

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-01-01) World Bank Group ; European Commission

Though the European Union (EU) is a development conversion machine for national economies, it is less so for subnational regions. EU accession countries have been catching up to regional averages in terms of economic development since they joined the union. The economic success of the accession countries reduced disparities in national GDP per capita, but since 2005 both EU-wide and in most individual countries the gap between most- and least-developed subnational regions has been widening. This suggests that in accession countries growth, and its benefits are concentrated in a few regions, mostly large cities and national capitals, while many areas fall further behind. Slovakia illustrates the difference between national convergence and subnational divergence. While Slovakia is considered one of the EU’s economic stars, it also has some of the union’s highest regional disparities. Slovakia’s impressive economic gains over the last two decades were led by Bratislava region, which in 2016 became the sixth richest region in the EU by GDP per capita. On the other hand, Eastern Slovakia, which includes Prešov, is among the poorest regions in the EU. This report on the Prešov region of Slovakia, reviews patterns of regional development in Slovakia, discusses opportunities and challenges of the Prešov region, and recommends policy actions for the region.
Glass Half Full: Poverty Diagnostic of Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Conditions in Tajikistan

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-08-29) World Bank Group

Located on the western tip of the Himalayas, Tajikistan has abundant fresh water resources in its rivers, lakes, and glaciers. Yet, access to improved drinking water, and to sanitation connected to a functioning sewerage system, are among the most severe and unequally distributed services in the country. Unsafe water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) conditions have significant adverse effects on well-being, particularly for rural residents, the poor and the children. Glass Half Full: Poverty Diagnostic of Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Conditions in Tajikistan documents the realities, characteristics, and priorities of Tajikistan’s WASH-deprived population. It presents new, comprehensive evidence on the coverage and quality of WASH service conditions, along with their diverse well-being impacts. It also identifies institutional gaps and service delivery models that can inform future policies and investments in the WASH sector. The findings communicate a sense of urgency that should inspire the government, civil society, and the international community to accelerate their actions toward addressing WASH deprivation in Tajikistan.
Convergence without Equity: A Closer Look at Spatial Disparities in Russia

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-06) World Bank Group

Addressing regional disparities is key to unlocking Russia’s potential to achieve stronger gains in growth and equity outcomes as well as to improve its institutional environment. While spatial disparities have been an important policy concern in Russia for a long time, inequalities across its vast territory remain stark. This report explores the current state of regional disparities at the macro and micro-level, updating existing literature to reflect recent trends and providing new insights into household-level drivers of welfare. The report stresses that addressing spatial disparities does not necessary imply “balancing” growth across a geographic territory – but rather focusing on creating opportunities for all people, regardless of where they live.
Kyrgyz Republic: Food Prices and Household Welfare

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-05-28) World Bank Group

Between 2008 and 2012 the urban/rural poverty divide substantially narrowed down, which was the result of relatively stable rural and rising urban poverty rates. Over the same period, food inflation spiked, whereby strong links between domestic and global price movements were observed owed to major import dependence on food. The high shares of consumption that households dedicate to food, especially among the poor, leave limited scope to deal with food price surges by economizing on non-food expenditure. Food price increases of 5, 10, and 15 percent are estimated to increase poverty rates between 2 and 5 percentage points in the baseline scenario.
Kyrgyz Republic: Poverty Profile for 2013

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-05-21) World Bank Group

Over the last decade, the Kyrgyz Republic experienced volatile but positive economic growth. Since the early 2000s, the share of working age population has been growing robustly and foreign labor markets have been an important source of employment. The Kyrgyz Republic has achieved large reductions in poverty over the past decade, but in recent years progress has diminished. During 2003-2012, the Kyrgyz Republic saw significant convergence between urban and rural poverty rates. Poverty reduction during 2003-2013 was driven mostly by growth rather than redistribution.
Labor Migration and Welfare in the Kyrgyz Republic (2008-2013)

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-05-08) World Bank Group

This paper examines the impact of labor migration from a welfare and social development perspective. Rather than focusing on regulatory and legal aspects determining migration, this note centers on the impacts of migration on the domestic welfare of households in the Kyrgyz Republic. The profiling of labor migration and identification of knowledge gaps are used to inform the development of strategies for more effective and sustainable welfare impacts from labor migration and remittances.
Analysis of Potential Work Disincentive Effects of the Monthly Benefit for Poor Families in the Kyrgyz Republic

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-04-29) World Bank Group

The objective of this report was to address the concerns with respect to potential disincentive effects to labor participation of the only poverty-targeted social protection program in the Kyrgyz Republic, the Monthly Benefit for Poor Families with Children (MBPF). The benefit provided by the program is the only social assistance transfer in the Kyrgyz Republic specifically targeted at extremely poor households with children. It is a means-tested transfer that provides monthly cash benefits to lift per capita income of each child in eligible households to the Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI). The report examines the MBPF from different angles. First, the report reviews the design features of the MBPF, focusing on the targeting method and the size of the benefit, with respect to household incomes, consumption and formal and informal wages by economic sector. Secondly, it compares the demographic profile, including labor force participation outcomes, of MBPF beneficiaries to that of non-beneficiaries. The comparison of the labor force participation status of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries focus on the group of people which could be expected to be economically active and have children. The reference group is comprised of the able-bodied working age population (aged 18-62 years old), excluding full time students, living in households with children under 18 years old. Thirdly, it empirically analyzes the potential disincentives for labor force participation of the MBPF, using a quasi-experimental method to analyze the difference in labor market outcomes between MBPF beneficiaries and individuals with similar characteristics, but which are not receiving a transfer.
Poverty and Economic Mobility in the Kyrgyz Republic: Some Insights from the Life in Kyrgyzstan Survey

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-04-27) World Bank Group

This report focuses on the economic mobility of individuals (and corresponding households) belonging to the bottom 40 percent of the Kyrgyz population. This is indeed the target population chosen by the World Bank Group for the achievement of its second and twin goal of shared prosperity (the first one remaining poverty reduction). Moreover, in the specific case of the Kyrgyz Republic total poverty rates in the period under analysis ranged between 34 and 37 percent, thus making the poverty and bottom 40 percent pools almost identical. For each selected transition group, the report depicts a detailed profile of corresponding main socio-economic characteristics. Four transition groups were in particular identified: (i) those who were found to be stuck in the bottom 40 percent in both 2010 and 2011; (ii) those who managed to move up from the bottom 40 percent in 2011; (iii) those who entered the bottom 40 percent in 2011, and (iv) those who managed to stay in the top 60 percent in both years under analysis. The evidence shows a few significant differences among these four groups in terms of both households’ invariant and individual characteristics.
Kyrgyz Republic: Insights on Household Access to Water Supply and Sanitation

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-04) World Bank Group

This note has been prepared as part of the work program on multi-dimensional poverty in the Kyrgyz Republic to raise awareness of poverty dimensions, which in turn should help accelerate the development of water supply and sanitation services, and necessary reforms in the Kyrgyz Republic. The note analyzes the quality and reliability of the Integrated Households Survey (KIHS) data to measure access to water supply and sanitation services. The household survey was conducted by the National Statistics Committee (NSC) of the Kyrgyz Republic. It is representative at the national, rural/urban, and oblast levels. Using survey data we analyze the consumption of water supply and sanitation services at the household level with a focus on access, quality, and expenditures.