Conflict and Poverty Dynamics

How does armed conflict intersect with poverty dynamics, and how can policy and programming effectively address work at the poverty-conflict nexus?

The majority of the world’s poor today are located in FCVS, and these trends are expected to intensify. By 2030, projections suggest that anywhere between 43% and 80% of the world’s extreme poor will live in FCV contexts. Several risks are also noted in the literature to be increasing, including conflict and violent extremism, but also climate change, pandemics, and food insecurity.

These trends and risks pose significant constraints to poverty reduction. There is a mutually reinforcing relationship between poverty and conflict: poverty contributes to conflict, and conflict can impoverish people or deepen poverty. The likelihood that conflict turns extreme poverty into chronic poverty and also impoverishes, means that policy makers need to consider how to address chronic poverty and impoverishment in the context of conflict and conflict-prevention. Experiencing multiple shocks and living in conflict-prone areas have similar and mutually reinforcing effects on wellbeing trajectories.

As such, people living in conflict-affected areas facing multiple sources of vulnerability, both nationally and subnationally, must be a target group for international agencies and donors working to get to zero poverty.

CPAN has produced a suite of research over the years linked to the poverty dynamics and conflict nexus. These have been supported by a variety of funders mentioned within each publication.

 

Photo credits: Displaced women carrying their belongings arrive in Bossangoa, Central African Republic, after fleeing violence in their village. Photo: © UNHCR/B. Heger

Investigating the dynamics and drivers of transitory poverty escapes

Recent research by ODI using existing panel data sets to examine poverty dynamics in 14 countries revealed a disturbing trend.  In  countries like Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, a significant proportion of rural households that escaped poverty have felt back into poverty during the 8 to 10 year period examined. A significant number of rural households that were not poor also became poor during the same period.  To further explore, quantify and understand this trend CPAN, in partnership with ACDI VOCA, have started implementing this USAID funded project. Read more. 

Photo Credit: CPAN

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Evaluating anti-discrimination measures – Phase II

Phase 2 of the anti-discrimination project aims to evaluate the effects of anti-discrimination measures in labour markets and related human development services; to assess the efficacy of civil society advocacy, legal mechanisms and political party activities or other inputs to political decision-making, leading to more effective labour market and related policies, programmes and implementation; to examine the efficiency of resource allocation and implementation mechanisms established to counter the impacts of labour market discrimination on the poor.

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Donor’s best practices in reducing chronic poverty among women and girls

This research projects aims at identifying the policies and programmes which  have improved the livelihoods of chronically poor women and girls and at analysing the trends in donors’ strategies to reduce extreme or chronic poverty among women and girls, as well as their actions. This study is funded by  Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Government of Canada.

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Holding local government to account: Can a performance index provide meaningful accountability?

If you give people a voice, will they be able to hold leaders to account and put pressure on them to take decisions that will improve public services and reduce poverty? This research starts with this question and is based on the idea that good governance can lead to efficient poverty reduction strategies

Photo Credit:  © Dominic Chavez/World Bank

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Leaving no one behind: adjusting economic growth strategies - Pro-poorest growth policy analysis

Since 2000, economic growth is increasingly taking place in developing countries. However, growth benefits the poorest people very variably. CPAN’s concern is that it should do so as much as is politically, economically and socially possible. The overarching objective of this project is to provide national policy makers in the 30 developing countries, which account for the great majority of the extremely poor, with the knowledge they need to develop and implement measures that will ensure that the poorest people are included in economic growth.

Photo Credit: Bertakefe, Timor-Leste. UN Photo/Martine Perret.

 

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Disability, poverty and poverty dynamics: a preliminary analysis of panel data, policies and politics in Bangladesh

What difference does disability makes to poverty dynamics? Currently there is little evidence about this relationship, however it certainly has serious implications, especially on the conditions and processes that influence the outcomes experienced by households which include persons with disabilities. This Bangladesh-based pilot project aims to provide policy makers at national and global levels with an initial idea of what can be learnt about the relationship between disability and poverty dynamics, and how that modifies the picture of the relationship held by policy makers and practitioners.

Photo Credits: © John Isaac / World Bank

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Evaluating anti-discrimination measures - Phase I

Anti-discrimination measures are a key part of poverty eradication policies, and without them, certain categories of people will remain in, or slide back into, poverty. This is the starting-point for this project. It seeks answers to the question: which measures have worked in reducing discrimination against excluded groups and the poorest people, including the poorest children, in lower- and middle-income countries?

Photo Credit: Panos Picture

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