Getting the long-term macro development perspective right: Diversification of the economy with strategic investment and increased protection from risks

The purpose of this Working Paper is to explore a menu of policy recommendations that developing country governments can use to think through their policy-making decisions and ensure the poorest people participate in economic growth on good terms, such that they can sustainably escape poverty.

Authors: Chiara Mariotti and Andrew Shepherd

Read More

Do Anti-Discrimination Measures Reduce Poverty Among Marginalised Social Groups?

This report is a rigorous review of 470 pieces of evidence on the effectiveness of anti-discrimination measures in low and middle-income countries. The review focuses on women and girls, children, young people, disabled people, marginalised ethnic and racial groups and marginalised castes.

Read More

How can public policy enhance female employment and empower women economically as countries urbanize?

Urbanisation and labour force participation can be powerful drivers of women economic empowerment. This paper reviews the empowering and disempowering effects of urbanisation on the the main areas of work performed by women in cities and analyses the interventions which have been implemented to support the different types of female urban livelihoods

Read More

Improving the delivery of public services What role could a local governance index play?

One of the most powerful ideas in development in recent years has been good governance. This review of available evidence considers how the performance of local governance can be improved in relation to the better delivery of services, through the use of a local governance performance index. It also considers how the public tracking of locally meaningful measures of governance can be used to improve the accountability of local government bureaucracies and politicians.

Authors: Anna Mdee and Lisa Thorley

Read More

Policy Brief: Financial Inclusion in Nigeria

This policy brief provides a situation analysis on financial inclusion in Nigeria, including a short analysis of how it may figure in chronic poverty, and processes of escaping poverty and impoverishment. It also goes on to assess the relevance of the four potential promising avenues identified in the global CPAN Financial inclusion Policy Guide (Smith et al 2015) for including the poorest people in Nigeria. This leads to a commentary on the e Nigerian Financial Inclusion Strategy.

Read More

Financial inclusion and chronic poverty: access to savings and insurance services in Tanzania

This brief examines the current extent of financial inclusion in Tanzania – focusing particularly on the chronically poor – and also specifically on access to savings and insurance services. This is because of the increasing body of evidence about the role which the two services can play in helping households to escape poverty and, by implication, to manage shocks and build their resilience.

Authors: Lucy Scott and William Smith

Photo Credit: Panos Pictures

Read More

Pro-poorest economic growth: Employment and social assistance contributions to the eradication of extreme poverty

This policy brief highlights the importance of making poverty eradication an overarching goal of the post 2015 process, with other goal areas such as employment, education and social assistance all making a contribution towards it, rather than focusing on poverty eradication policies alone.

Authors: Andrew Shepherd, Lucy Scott and Chiara Mariotti.

Read More

Tackling obstacles to social protection for chronically poor people

Social  protection  policies  and  programmes  can  make a major contribution to reducing poverty among  chronically and severely poor people and securing  their rights. Negative perceptions of social protection transfers continue to influence national and international anti-poverty agendas. Most of the concerns raised are based on misconceptions. This briefing outlines evidence that demolishes some of the myths concerning social protection. 

Author: Rachel Marcus

Read More

Social protection transfers for chronically poor people

Social protection policies aim to address both  severe  and  long-term  poverty,  and to  reduce vulnerability,  and  are  thus  one of the most significant areas of policy for chronically and severely poor people. good social protection addresses both factors that push people into poverty and those which keep them there. It can help both poor people and countries move out of ‘low equilibrium poverty traps’, where they are producing low-value added products with limited returns.

Author: Rachel Marcus

Read More