Other Poverty Study

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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.
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.
Drivers of Poverty Reduction in Lao PDR

(World Bank, Vientiane, 2015-10-01) World Bank Group

Poverty in Lao PDR declined from 33.5 percent to 23.2 percent over the 10 year period between 2002/3 and 2012/13. The number of poor people declined by about half a million to 1.35 million in 2013 and Lao PDR has met its MDG target of reducing poverty to below 24 percent by 2015. Improvements in welfare are evident in the changes in other socio-economic indicators such as the ownership of televisions and access to electricity, which doubled, and the number of households living in houses built with bricks or concrete, which nearly tripled, while the proportion of those without a toilet halved. Net secondary enrollment increased from 27 percent in 2002/3 to 50 percent in 2012/13 showing significant improvements in education.
Poverty and Shared Prosperity in Brazil's Metropolitan Regions: Taking Stock and Identifying Priorities

(Washington, DC, 2015-07-08) World Bank Group

In the 20th Century, Brazil rapidly urbanized and is now not only an urban nation but a metropolitan one. Brazils sprawling regioes metropolitanas (metropolitan regions, or RMs, which are municipal clusters) are now home to almost 50 million people and much of the countrys economic vitality. The RM spatial level and its supporting governmental institutions have thus become critical to Brazils future development. While challenges remain for tackling deprivation in rural areas, poverty in Brazil is now predominantly urban. More than six in 10 Brazilians in extreme poverty were living in urban settings as of 2012. Of these, over a fourth was concentrated in the 10 largest RMs.
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.
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.
The Socio-Economic Impacts of Ebola in Liberia : Results from a High Frequency Cell Phone Survey

(Washington, DC, 2015-02-24) World Bank Group

As of February 18, 2015 Liberia has reported over 9,000 cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), and 3,900 deaths. Since the previous round of data collection, in December 2014, Liberia continues to show progress toward getting to zero cases, and in the 21 days leading up to January 28, there were only 20 confirmed cases nationally, down from 92 in the 21 days ending on December 31, 2014, and a high of 546 in late August and early September. It is believed that all those currently infected are seeking care in Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs), some of which have begun to close in recent weeks as a result of declining need. The World Bank Group, with the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services and the Gallup Organization, has continued to monitor the socio-economic impacts of EVD on households through a series of mobile-phone surveys conducted in October, November, and December 2014, and January 2015. As the health crisis continues to abate in Liberia, it will be crucial to tackle the important medium- and long-term economic and welfare impacts of Ebola on households. As Liberia continues on the path to eradicating Ebola, it will be important to identify and support those who are most vulnerable to the sluggish economy and whose long-term welfare may be negatively impacted by coping decisions made in the name of immediate stability. As households send their children back to school in the next month, the World Bank Group and partners will continue to monitor the crisis and work to support the Liberian government and its people as they move into economic recovery.
Volatility and Inequality as Constraints to Shared Prosperity : Paraguay Equity Assessment

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-01) World Bank Group ; Lopez-Calva, Luis Felipe ; Lugo, Maria Ana

Isolated by nature, and recovering from a period of historically low growth during the eighties and nineties, Paraguay faced many economic and social challenges at the beginning of the twenty first century. By year 2000, Paraguay GDP per capita was only 50 percent of the Latin American average and 34 percent of its MERCOSUR partners. High poverty and inequality were an inherent characteristic of the country. Yet, between 2003 and 2013, Paraguay has performed substantially well, seeing a reduction in moderate and extreme (monetary) poverty. This is essentially the result of a period of average significant growth combined with a reduction in inequality. This report explores the factors associated to the observed improvements in welfare and inequality, and investigates the challenges facing their sustainability, given the historical structural problems of Paraguay to maintain growth and improve social indicators. The underlying question is indeed whether the growth model and reduction in inequality are consistent with a positive social dynamics, taking a comprehensive definition of equity, which includes sustainable elimination of absolute poverty, enhancing equality of opportunity and strengthening agency for all groups.
Over the Horizon : A New Levant

(Washington, DC, 2014-03) World Bank Group

The report is organized as follows. The report begins by providing an analytical basis for the evaluation of potential bilateral economic complementarities between Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, and the Palestinian Territories (where data is available) in chapter one. The analysis goes beyond the aggregate level in order to examine the scope for regional trade and investment in particular industries or products. Building on an analysis of economic complementarities and trade and investment potentials in the sub-region, chapter two analyzes the economic implications of a deeper regional integration. A CGE model examines four scenarios emphasizing different aspects of trade relations among possible members of a new economic integration zone. Chapter three reviews and compares the trade and investment regimes of the Levant countries with a view to identifying the areas of reforms needed to harmonize their policies in order to improve competitiveness collectively and increase trade and investment flows among them. Chapter four reviews the services sectors and levels of regulatory restrictiveness in the context of efforts at regional and global integration of Levant economies. The chapter identifies existing and potential barriers to integrating services markets of the sample countries within the Levant region, and advances a number of policy recommendations centered on the promotion of closer regulatory ties in services markets and expanded trade in services. Chapter five-eight focus on five sectors for an in-depth analysis (financial services, energy, ICT and air transport, and tourism) discussing how liberalization of services trade under the framework of deeper regional economic integration would help countries take advantage of the regional opportunities, including an overview for trade in services in the sub-region. Chapter nine analyzes barriers to deeper regional integration in the Levant, focusing on non-tariff measures, trade facilitation, and logistics issues, and proposes policies to remove these barriers. Finally, chapter ten reviews the current regional agreements, identifies the weaknesses and proposes recommendations for a possible economic zone in the medium to long term.