Publication: Bosnia and Herzegovina : Poverty Assessment, Volume 1. Main Report
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2003-11-21
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2013-07-31
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The report consists of two volumes. The first volume contains the main Poverty Assessment report, integrating various data sources and inputs from local counterparts. The second volume provides an in-depth analysis of the Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS), jointly implemented by the Bank, and the Republika Srpska Statistical Institute (RSIS), the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Statistical Institute (FIS), and the Bosnia and Herzegovina State Agency for Statistics (BHAS). This report presents the most comprehensive analysis of poverty in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) to date, whose calculations suggest that poverty - defined as lack of adequate consumption - is quite substantial, affecting every fifth citizen. Poverty is substantial compared to some neighboring countries. Nevertheless, and despite the country's post-conflict situation and its low officially measured level of GDP, there is no extreme poverty. Inequality in material well-being also appears to be quite moderate by international standards and, the non-income dimensions of poverty are also generally not extreme in BiH. The analysis finds that a sizable proportion of the population faces the risk of falling into poverty, and it identifies risk factors that may thrust a non-poor household into poverty: a) precarious earning sources, because the predominant living arrangement features a single-earner household; b) widespread health risks, including uninsured financial risks, and lingering post-conflict risks; c) violation of human rights, discrimination and corruption; d) limited geographical mobility; e) limited access to formal safety nets; and, f) worn-out stock of household assets and limited access to credit. Physical security remains an issue, economic security is also a problem, and, powerlessness and voicelessness impede the capacity of poor people to break out of a vicious circle of impoverishment. To reduce poverty, selectivity, stability and growth are outlined, particularly focusing on prudent monetary policy, and responsible fiscal management.
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“World Bank. 2003. Bosnia and Herzegovina : Poverty Assessment, Volume 1. Main Report. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/14693 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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Nevertheless, and despite the country's post-conflict situation and its low officially measured level of GDP, there is no extreme poverty. Inequality in material well-being also appears to be quite moderate by international standards and, the non-income dimensions of poverty are also generally not extreme in BiH. The analysis finds that a sizable proportion of the population faces the risk of falling into poverty, and it identifies risk factors that may thrust a non-poor household into poverty: a) precarious earning sources, because the predominant living arrangement features a single-earner household; b) widespread health risks, including uninsured financial risks, and lingering post-conflict risks; c) violation of human rights, discrimination and corruption; d) limited geographical mobility; e) limited access to formal safety nets; and, f) worn-out stock of household assets and limited access to credit. 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The second volume contains the more detailed technical analysis on which this first volume is based.Publication Bulgaria : Poverty Assessment(Washington, DC, 2002-10-29)The sharp reduction in poverty in Bulgaria since the 1997 crisis highlights the role of effective economic stabilization policies and the social safety nets in improving the living conditions of the population. The nature of poverty in Bulgaria has changed since 1997, when poverty for many households was a transient phenomenon resulting from the immediate shock of hyperinflation and sharply increasing unemployment. Poverty in 2001 is more entrenched, concentrated among clearly defined groups. Most strikingly, poverty is highest among ethnic minorities, which comprise 60 percent of the poor. Roma are overrepresented among this group. this trend highlights the need for Bulgaria's poverty reduction strategy to focus on measures to address inclusion of ethnic minorities within society. Despite the improvements since 1997, there are indications of underlying fault lines which threaten the trend of rising living standards. In particular, if the high level of unemployment is maintained, or continued to increase, poverty will go up. While unemployed households have managed to stay out of poverty by relying on the safety net and private coping strategies, the close link between poverty and unemployment indicates that these trends are not sustainable. Similarly, the importance of the skills gap suggests that declining access to education will contribute to poverty over the long-term. The priority for the Government is to maintain its reform path and sustain the growth levels of the past five years. A combination of policies which address the underlying causes of unemployment, expand opportunities through building human capital, and protect the poor through well-targeted programs are the pillars of an effective anti-poverty strategy. Improvements in poverty monitoring and communication with the public are also key. Despite the improvements in living conditions since 1997, opinion surveys indicate that nearly three-quarters of the population think that they live in poverty. Addressing these perceptions and expectations is critical to maintain public trust in government institutions and the reform process.Publication Armenia : Poverty Assessment, Volume 1. A Summary of Findings(Washington, DC, 2003-11)This report reviews poverty in Armenia in 2001, and examines the most recent trends covering the 1998/99 to 2001 period. It looks at the determinants of poverty, and analyzes linkages between economic growth, sector policies and poverty. The findings are based on two rounds of the Armenia Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS), one carried out in 1998/99, and the other in 2001. The report has contributed to the development of Armenia's national strategy for growth and poverty reduction. Poverty is high in Armenia, with an estimated 48 percent of the population below the poverty line in 2001. Despite some 20 percent still living in extreme poverty, there has been nonetheless, a significant decline in poverty, as poverty incidence dropped by 12 percent, and extreme poverty incidence by 25 percent from their respective levels in 1998/99. There is a strong correlation between poverty and low educational attainment, while the unemployed and non-participants in the labor market, face the highest poverty risk, depth and severity of poverty. In rural areas, poverty is positively correlated with the size of landholdings. The drop in poverty reflects a decline in urban poverty since 1998/99. Rural poverty has increased slightly. Yerevan, the capital and largest urban area in Armenia, registered the most significant reduction in poverty, as poverty incidence there dropped by 23 percent and extreme poverty by over a third, to 45 percent and 20 percent, respectively. 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