R4D Social Protection

Ten years of 'war against poverty': what have we learned since 2000 and what should we do 2010-2020?

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:00:00 GMT

The Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC) is calling for papers on poverty research for presentation at an international conference in Manchester, 8-10 September 2010

DFID plans new Research Programme Consortia on Effective and Fragile States, and Taxation

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Expression of Interests are sought for service providers of four new DFID Research Programme Consortia on the themes of 'Effective' and 'Fragile' states, and on taxation

This is Open Access Week

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:00:00 GMT

This week, 19-23 October 2009, is the first International Open Access Week, which aims to broaden awareness and understanding of Open Access.

Making Migration Work for Development

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:12:00 GMT

Miscellaneous Development Research Centre on Migration, Globalisation and Poverty (Migration DRC) 2009 Development Research Centre on Migration, Globalisation and Poverty, Brighton, UK, 48 pp. This report is a summary of six years of investigation into migration policy and practice. The economic value of migration to poor countries is already well-established, with migrant workers sending over $300bn to developing countries, around four times global aid flows. However, the Centres findings indicate that for migration to have its full developmental impact, the most beneficial policy change would be to reduce barriers to migration, at all levels and particularly for the poorest. Yet according to the findings report, policy on migration in developing countries remains fragmentary, and there is still a lack of consensus on what pro-poor migration policies should look like in poor countries. Professor Richard Black, the Centres Director, said: Our research shows that migration can be seen as part of the solution to problems of underdevelopment. Instead, most governments still assume that more development is the solution to problems of migration. In many cases, migration of poor people helps reduce poverty, improve educational attainment and increase gender equality. But government policies matter a great deal in facilitating such positive change by migrants.

Key findings in the document, which includes links to core research and policy briefings produced by Migration DRC, include:

Poor people are more likely to travel and work within or between poor countries, yet they are often ignored in international debates about migration;
Migration, particularly among the young, often stimulates investment in education, either in the country of origin or destination.
Where poor people have a greater choice in terms of migration destinations, the net effect on inequality is more likely to be positive.
Skilled migration is largely a symptom, not a cause of underdevelopment.

Policies that support migrant communities can contribute to the development of their countries of origin; migrants do not need to return to be effective and sustainable. The Centres work has included the compilation of data on migration flows, with an emphasis on those previously least well-represented; analysis of the links between migration, globalisation and poverty and reviews of emerging migration issues and policies. Field research was conducted in a number of countries in West Africa, South Asia, the Middle East and South-East Europe. This work has resulted in the compilation of a number of robust databases and user-friendly web resources; the production of more than 40 working papers and 50 refereed journal articles or book chapters; and new conceptual approaches in areas that include, but are not limited to, the migration of children and youth; mobility of highly-skilled professionals; and social protection by and for migrant workers.

Working Paper T30. Social Protection for Migrant Labour In the Ghanaian Pineapple Sector.

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:11:00 GMT

Miscellaneous S. Barrientos, J. Anarfi, N. Lamhauge, A. Castaldo, and N. Akua Anyidoho 2009 WP-T30, Sussex, UK, DRC on Migration, Globalisation and Poverty, 51 pp. The expansion of export production for global supermarkets has generated new employment channels for internal rural-rural migrant workers in Africa. Yet analysis of migrant labour in the global economy tends to focus on rural-urban migration or the movement of workers across international borders. Internal migrant labourers work at the interface of the advancing commercialisation of global agriculture and of more traditional forms of rural livelihood generation. Agro-export production involves inherent risks, particularly from commercial shocks as consumer trends change. How the benefits and risks affect migrant workers is little understood. To what extent do migrant workers gain from incorporation into agro-exports? What are the avenues for protection of migrant workers in a rapidly changing global economy? How can strategies be enhanced to reduce the impact of negative shocks on migrant labour?

This paper examines these questions based on a study of the pineapple export sector in Ghana. This is a new and growing export crop, contributing to the role of agro-exports in reducing poverty within Ghana. Ghana's pineapple export sector has grown rapidly between 1986 and 2002, with production increasing from 2,600 to 42,000 metric tons. Production for export is based mainly in the Eastern Region, in locations north of Accra. The main export destinations are in Europe (particularly Germany and the UK), where supermarket retailing is becoming the dominant retail outlet. Supermarkets have increasingly required compliance with standards relating to agricultural practice (eg. Eurep-gap) and social compliance. More recently there has been a move by some producer and exporter groups to become Fairtrade and Organic accredited.

Pineapple production is labour intensive, and case studies indicate that approximately one third of workers are migrants from other regions within Ghana, particularly the Volta and Central Regions. The aim of the project was to assess the comparative risks and vulnerabilities faced by internal migrant workers in pineapple exports, what channels for social protection are open to them, and how they can be made more effective for migrant workers. The risks these workers face were highlighted in 2002-4 when a sudden switch by global supermarkets took place from the traditional pineapple variety grown in Ghana to a new variety (MD2). Much of the production of Sweet Cayenne went unsold and exporters failed to meet payment obligations. Small-scale producers were least able to cope or make the switch. Many migrant workers were made unemployed or went unpaid. Children were withdrawn from school as the crisis hit household incomes. This highlights the importance of protection for migrant workers in a sector subject to commercial shocks.

DFID releases a new project database

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Information about projects funded by DFID, ranging from emergency aid for countries affected by conflict or humanitarian crises, to ongoing support to improve health, education and sanitation in the poorest countries, is now available online.

Journal Issue: Managing Risks: Household Illness Costs, Coping Strategies and Access to Social Protection

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:03:00 GMT

Miscellaneous 2009 Journal of International Development (2009) 21 (2) The Journal of International Development has published a special issue on household experiences of ill-health and risk protection mechanisms. The edition is based on a workshop that was hosted by CREHS to discuss research findings from several countries in Africa and Asia.

The papers presented in the journal analyse the processes linking illness and impoverishment at the household level. They measure the costs of illness and the burdens these impose on household budgets, explore treatment actions and the strategies used to pay for the treatment, and assess households access to and uptake of policy measures designed to reduce health care expenditures.

The insights presented in the papers help to cast light on the types of policy measures needed to effectively protect poor households from risks associated with health expenditure. They also draw attention to the challenges of policy implementation including the perceptions of actors throughout the health system.

DFID seeks applications for three posts in the Research Uptake Team

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:00:00 GMT

DFID is seeking to fill three posts in the Research Uptake team within the Policy and Research Directorate - Team Leader and two Research Evidence Brokers

Social policy in development contexts. Final Research Report.

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:02:00 GMT

Miscellaneous G. Wood and I. Gough 2001 19 pp. Two categories of outputs from the project are reported on:

1. Insecurity and Welfare Regimes in Developing Countries: East Asia, Latin America, Africa and Bangladesh, together with models of multi-tiered welfare systems on a regional and international basis.

2. Securing Development- Exclusion, Adverse Incorporation and Security Strategies: social exclusion; generational bargains; vulnerability and coping; insecurity and search for security; clientelism and governance; institutional responsibility; social rights, citizenship and correlative duties; de-commodification for development.

Chronic Poverty Research Centre response to the DFID White Paper consultation document

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:47:00 GMT

Miscellaneous Chronic Poverty Research Centre 2009 5 pp. The Chronic Poverty Research Centre responded to the DFID White Paper consulation document in May 2009. The Centre outlined that the White Paper should recognise that:

poverty persists across time and across generations the concept of chronic poverty now has widespread use in donor agencies, governments and among the general public;

vulnerability can be reduced by social protection this is cost-effective, and an imperative in the global economic crisis;

and global economic governance must bring poverty into its core, incorporating poverty into macro-economic responses to the crisis.

Egypt's first conditional cash transfers scheme

Fri, 29 May 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Women are at the heart of Egypt's first conditional cash transfers programme which is supported by the DFID-funded Pathways of Women's Empowerment Consortium.

Social protection is centuries-old! CPRC Working Paper No. 140.

Wed, 20 May 2009 14:56:00 GMT

Miscellaneous J. De Coninck and E. Drani 2009 CPRC Working Paper No. 140, Chronic Poverty Research Centre, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-906433-41-3, 28 pp. In spite of continued growth, millions of Ugandans remain in long-term, extreme poverty. They are also likely to continue being by-passed by the opportunities that economic growth offers, mostly to the active poor. Recognising this, Government and other development actors are turning their attention to policy initiatives geared towards social protection. This paper posits that these initiatives might borrow much from elsewhere, in the process neglecting the local cultural context, and failing to build on existing indigenous protection mechanisms that are susceptible to being strengthened.

The paper presents findings from research conducted by the Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda, a local NGO, on the interface between culture and traditional social protection mechanisms for the very poor in Uganda. Research has focused on the prevalence and functioning of such mechanisms, the reasons for their survival (or withering), the benefits they provide and to whom, and opportunities for strengthening or revitalising them.

The paper goes on to suggest several policy implications and makes the point, for a start, that social protection initiatives could usefully take this cultural context into account. Secondly, policy could build on (rather than substitute) these traditional solidarity values and mechanisms. Some mechanisms have indeed shown resilience, adaptability and a degree of inclusiveness that can provide opportunities for future growth. If these today appear insufficient to address all the economic and social challenges that the very poor face, the latter can nevertheless (at least at times and for a time), turn to the opportunities such mechanisms offer, or at least invoke the values of solidarity that have (and do still) inform them, for support.

Research results also indicate that these mechanisms display several limitations, including the reciprocal nature of many collective benefits, at times excluding the very poor; another is the risk of adverse incorporation and exploitative relationships. Supporting such mechanisms will therefore have to take these limitations into account, such as by incorporating different types of contributions by the poorest to groups, that are not necessarily monetary.

Should some of the conclusions and policy pointers presented here be considered, policy makers may feel daunted by the task of scaling-up what currently remain localised, if often beneficial, culturally-driven and sustained solidarity mechanisms. Rather than designing a completely externally-inspired social protection initiative, however, the findings indicate that much might be gained by strengthening existing mechanisms and building on existing values, rather than starting afresh. This would, however, require a re-examination of attitudes among policy makers and implementers towards cultural resources and values. It would also require cultural mainstreaming in government ministries and agencies. This should foster a more sympathetic understanding of the potential that ones cultural heritage affords in all aspects of life, including the value of solidarity towards the less fortunate in the community and the nation.

Building Capacity for Better Governance and Social Policy Research - Africa. A DFID Call for Expressions of Interest in establishing the African Social Science Research Consortium

Tue, 19 May 2009 01:00:00 GMT

DFID wishes to appoint a service provider to develop and facilitate phase 1 of a programme to build capacity and improve the quality of Africa's political and social science research. The programme will focus on 3 main levels of capacity building: individual, organisational and institutional

Briefing Paper No. 18. Staying Behind When Husbands Move: Womens Experiences in India and Bangladesh

Mon, 18 May 2009 15:46:00 GMT

Miscellaneous Deeptima Massey 2009 DRC on Migration, Globalisation and Poverty, Brighton, UK, 4 pp. The aim of this briefing is to summarise the effects of the temporary absence of migrant men on womens livelihoods in rural West Bengal, India, and northern Bangladesh. It discusses how temporary work migration by men often increases insecurity in women and children living in poor households, by leading to food shortages, financial pressure or ill-health. In these instances, informal social protection from kin or social relations can be instrumental in reducing and overcoming insecurity and hardship for those women who stay behind. Despite the increased risks, the temporary absence of migrant men can sometimes facilitate greater autonomy for women, allowing them to manage their own work and take decisions on household needs.

Rude Accountability in the Unreformed State: Informal Pressures on Frontline Bureaucrats in Bangladesh.

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:55:00 GMT

Miscellaneous N. Hossain 2009 IDS Working Paper no. 319. ISBN: 978 1 85864 574 3, 37 pp. 'Rude' forms of accountability are central to how poor people negotiate their entitlements on the frontline of service delivery in Bangladesh. This paper documents the unorganised, informal pressures that poor citizens exert on officials in a context where effective formal systems for accountability are absent, and the state remains unreformed in key respects. The paper explores the impact of 'rude accountability' on services, as well as their limitations and the consequences for formal accountability systems. Based on extensive research into how poor people experience safety nets, schools and health services, the paper argues that strong social and local political pressures go some way towards supplying a rough responsiveness to demands for service. These work through shame and embarrassment, pressures to maintain reputation and status, and the threat of violence. Poor people have good reasons to use these methods in preference to formal accountability mechanisms. And poor women may have a particularly strong comparative advantage in doing so not because they are so much better than men or rich people at complaining and shaming, but because it is comparatively less difficult for them to do so than to engage in more formally structured means of complaint or feedback. The idea of rude accountability is seductive: when formal governance systems fail, the idea that there are informal mechanisms that are better suited to context and culture is intrinsically attractive. Yet the paper concludes that the gains from rude accountability are often short-lived and may backfire, as public officials fear and resist efforts to enable citizen participation in holding them to account. There are features of contemporary Bangladeshi state-society relations that lend themselves to informal means of accountability, the analysis here of informal accountability mechanisms has wider implications for the move towards citizen involvement in performance-based accountability in other contexts.

The impact of the global financial crisis on developing countries

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:00:00 GMT

The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) publishes a series of policy briefs exploring the impact of the global financial crisis on developing countries ahead of the G20 summit

Policy Responses to the Global Financial Crisis

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:47:00 GMT

Miscellaneous IDS 2009 IDS In Focus Policy Briefing Issue 7, Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex Brighton, UK, 20 pp. A series of rapid research projects was undertaken to determine how the global financial crisis will affect developing countries and what the policy responses should be? This issue brings together the 10 individual briefings in one issue:

The Global Financial Crisis, Developing Countries and Policy Responses

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:37:00 GMT

Miscellaneous McCulloch, N.; Schmidt, A.; Sumner, A. 2009 IDS In Focus Policy Briefing 7.1, Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex Brighton, UK, 2 pp. How will the global financial crisis affect developing countries and what should policy responses be? To address the development dimensions of the current crisis, the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) undertook a set of rapid research projects. This brief summarises the conclusions from those projects.

New Director at ODI

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Alison Evans is announced as the new Director at the Overseas Development Institute.

G20 Briefs Policy responses to the global financial crisis

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:33:00 GMT

Current To prepare a set of briefs on the global financial crisis to be produced in time for the April G20 meeting.

Mining, Social Networks and Rural Livelihoods in Bangladesh

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:02:00 GMT

Current In recent years, mining has emerged as an explosive political issue in Bangladesh, pitting those whose livelihoods depend upon land where mines are to be developed against multinational corporations and the state. Indeed, recent protests point to a clash between the state sponsored push for economic growth, in which foreign investment and the extraction of coal and gas are key to achieving economic development, and local populations, for whom the loss of land means the destruction of livelihoods and physical displacement. For the most vulnerable, who sharecrop, labour or 'gather' on affected land, and who rarely, if ever, receive compensation, informal social protection provided by locally based networks and relationships is often a crucial safety net; for these households, physical displacement and the loss of immediate access to longstanding social networks may lead to destitution. Here, it would seem, the development of mining may boost national growth statistics, but leads directly to impoverishment. Yet despite the urgency of these issues, and their impact on national poverty reduction goals, no research has yet been conducted on the relationship between mining and the disruption of social networks and rural livelihoods in Bangladesh. 1. Data which can be used to draw conclusions about the differential impacts of mining on livelihoods and poverty in Bangladesh, with analytical focus on the role of social networks.

2. Recommendations concerning the role of practices of CSR in poverty reduction, and how these might be best targeted and used in contexts of mining.

3. Tools and 'best practice' recommendations for the development of social impact assessment in contexts of land loss and displacement.

4. New understandings of the dynamics of resistance and protest movements in South Asia

5. An ethnography of the lived experience of globalisation and industrialisation

Young Lives research highlights new challenges in poverty reduction

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:00:00 GMT

Midway findings on child poverty and poverty reduction policies are now available from the DFID-funded Young Lives research programme

Support to United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:47:00 GMT

Current

Founded in 1963, UNRISD engages exclusively in research on social development and is the only UN organization that does so. UNRISD is part of the UN system but is not supported by it, and so seeks funding in the form of core contributions and grants for specific research topics/projects. The DFID support strengthens policy-relevant research capacity on social development issues within the UN system, improves UNRISD dissemination and assists in diversifying UNRISD research networks.

Priority thematic areas currently being addressed in UNRISD research are the role of social policy in social development and poverty reduction; gender and development; markets, business and regulation; and the impact of civil society activism on the policy process.

DFID is to provide support to UNRISD over three years to enable it to continue to provide research to developing countries on the role of social policy in both economic and social development. Policy-relevant research on the role of social policy in inclusive development that is disseminated in forms that are accessible and affordable, thereby enhancing global knowledge about, and policies that support, the role, instruments, financing and critical institutions of social policy in inclusive economic and social development in different country contexts.

Impact of the withdrawal of modern energy on urban poor

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Ongoing Policy makers and civil society organisations will understand the impacts on livelihoods of the urban poor of deterioration of modern energy supplies (in E. Europe), with a view to incorporating mitigating activities into reform policy and pro-poor activities respectively. Of more interest to the research is an understanding of how people's fuel choices and use are likely to change as the reforms start to bite. For example, if a significant number of people use wood to substitute for electricity, then there will be consequences for the regulation of timber industries in order to protect forests. It appears that gas is the preferred substitute for electricity and whilst in Albania there are plans to expand the local LPG industry, which would appear to be a timely response to changes in the electricity supply industry, there is no LPG industry to speak of in Kyrgyzstan where electricity prices remain relatively low. Social protection mechanisms proposed are based on existing state support mechanisms, yet the data indicates that some households experiencing poverty are not receiving any form of benefit e.g. up to a third of pensioners are not receiving pension benefits. The cost of making benefit systems more effective needs to be included in any analysis of social protection mechanisms. Changing to cheaper fuels will have not only environmental implications associated with burning gas, wood and coal in preference to electricity (mostly renewable from hydro plant), but also health implications on a domestic level. There will also be implications on livelihoods (notably health and education) of likely coping strategies associated with reduction of energy use. The implications of this for the urban poor is being discussed in final workshops within the research project. The final output of the project should inform decision makers regarding how industry reforms can be linked to social protection systems in such a way to minimise the negative impact on the poor. The research methodology employs a combination of qualitative data and non parametric statistical analysis to investigate the links between changes in the energy industry and changes in household energy behaviour. Household surveys questionnaires were developed through preliminary surveys in each of the three countries, which included interviews with government ministries, regulators, energy related institutions, electricity distribution companies, NGOs, local energy suppliers, and local residents. The main household surveys have now been completed and the data is being prepared for analysis.

The preliminary surveys confirmed that the energy reform processes in all three countries do indeed have potential negative social and economic impacts on the poor. It is also evident that the full implications for the poor of liberalisation are yet to be realised. Tariff increases to date have been minimal e.g. only nominal increase in lifeline tariff in Albania, and although lifeline tariffs have increased in Kyrgyzstan, they remain low in real terms e.g. around 1.1 cent/kWh. Electricity companies are only just beginning to address the issues of non-payment and theft e.g. meter installation programmes are under way in Albania where over half of respondents receive nominal rather than metered bills (only 7% of respondents have no meter in Moldova and Kyrgyzstan). Nevertheless, the authorities recognise the potential consequences of increased electricity costs, and are investigating mechanisms to administer additional funds to compensate for price increases e.g. the Kyrgyz Tariff Policy Project (funded by DFID). However, social protection mechanisms proposed are based on existing systems i.e. existing registers for pensions, disability, unemployment benefits etc. Two main concerns have been voiced - will the extra money be enough (pensioners have been identified as a high risk group), and what will happen to households who fall through the social protection net?

Preliminary results confirm a general preference for gas for cooking (LPG and piped, depending on national markets). Although gas is also the dominant space heating fuel in Albania, use is low in Kyrgyzstan because gas is only piped to dwellings that also have district heating, so there is no demand; electricity and coal are used instead. Albania is the only country registering significant use of wood.

The data shows that even though the full impact of reforms has yet to be felt, some have already changed their choice of fuels and payment behaviour. For example, in Albania over a quarter of people have changed fuels, with most changing from electricity to LPG for cooking and heating, whilst in Kyrgyzstan less than 20% have changed fuels. It is interesting to note that whilst 30% of respondents in Albania have started paying for electricity over the last 5 years, 20% have stopped paying.

When faced with potential enforcement of payment and price increases, enforcement is regarded as the main threat where payment rates are low (Albania), otherwise electricity price rises are regarded as most important (Kyrgyzstan). Potential responses appear to be mixed; for example people in Albania say they will change to cheaper fuels, whilst those in Kyrgyzstan prefer to reduce their energy consumption. What is clear is that people will have difficulty paying, and the remaining analysis intends to look at responses to coping strategies to predict the impacts on livelihoods.

Now that data sets from all three countries are available, the analysis needs to be completed and a draft policy paper drawn up. Research partners in each country will then circulate these amongst national experts as part of a consultation and verification phase. Finally, a set of reports will be published and disseminated amongst various stakeholder groups.

Centre for research on regulation and competition in developing countries

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Current The Centre will undertake policy relevant research into regulation and competition issues in developing countries, with the aim of contributing to an improved understanding of the ways in which regulation and competitive processes can work in support of economic growth and poverty reduction. The intended outcome of the implementation of effective regulation and competition policies and reforms in low-income countries.

Migration, Globalisation and Poverty (Migration DRC)

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Current In the past, migration has generally been seen as reflecting the failure of development, or worse, as contributing to a vicious circle in which poverty is reinforced. However, there is now growing recognition that migration, whether internal or international, can also represent an important route out of poverty. Evidence suggests that migration can have significant positive impacts on livelihood and well-being, though it also carries costs and risks that may be borne disproportionately by the poor, and may increase inequality.

The critical challenge that remains is to understand under what conditions the positive impacts of migration on poverty can be enhanced, or the risks and costs of migration to the poor reduced. This understanding can be used to underpin new policy approaches that maximise the benefits of migration for the poor, whilst minimising the costs.

Together with partners from South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe, the Centre will undertake a programme of research, capacity-building, training and promotion of dialogue to provide the strong evidential and conceptual base needed for such new policy approaches. This knowledge base will also be shared directly with poor migrants, contributing both directly and indirectly to the elimination of poverty. Together with partners from South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe, the Centre is undertaking a programme of research, capacity-building, training and promotion of dialogue to provide the strong evidential and conceptual base needed for such new policy approaches. This knowledge base will also be shared directly with poor migrants, contributing both directly and indirectly to the elimination of poverty. Development and dissemination of knowledge on how the positive impact of migration on poverty can be enhanced, or the costs and risks of migration to the poor reduced.

Build the capacity of a range of institutions and other target audiences to explore the significance of migration in poverty reduction.

Application of knowledge and capacity by target audience (including DFID) to influence policy and programme implementation. Understanding of the influence of migration on poverty widely promoted. Production of high quality and poverty focused research has been fully achieved. Some of the research outputs for 2008 exceeded projections, particularly on publications. The DRC and its products have been cited in in many publications and has continued to receive requests for specific researches on aspects of migration. Migration DRC researchers have been involved in preparations for UN High-Level Dialogue on migration. DRC partners have been working with policymakers in their own countries in setting out responses to migration challenges. Partnership with University of Ghana has contributed to the establishment of the Migration Centre in Ghana. In Bangladesh, the partner organisation is very influential with policy makers and has seen a partial lifting of restrictions on female migration.

Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC) Sub-centre on Children in Poverty

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Current As a specialist sub-centre of the Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC) and as a partner with Save the Children (SC) the sub-centre will create synergy with CPRC and SC on the relationship between child and chronic poverty and the policy implications of that relationship.

Development Research Centre on Chronic Poverty and Development Policy - Inception Phase

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Current Although the Centre is not yet established, this proposal builds on the findings of two recently completed ESRC research projects:

*The first revealed that market-based economic development in remote rural areas in Africa is associated with growing inequality, reduced access to natural resources for the poorest and the social and economic marginalisation of significant numbers of people. Analysing patterns of in- and out-migration and rural-urban linkages is fundamental to understanding the dynamics of social exclusion within, and outside, such regions.

*Secondly, opportunities for economic diversification in remote rural areas are discouraged by public policy and the difficulties of establishing mutually beneficial partnerships between 'communities' and the formal private sector. The benefits of 'value added' diversification (e.g. tourism and safari-hunting) largely accrue to national and international elites rather than to local residents. To provide analysis and policy guidance that will stimulate national and international debate and action about achieving greater inclusion of the chronic poor in the formulation of, and benefits from, developing policy. Policy relevant working papers, articles in professional and academic journals, policy briefings and media items on the extent and nature of chronic poverty.

Website providing easy electronic access to items.

Three regional 'Chronic Poverty Reports' (CPRs), (South Asia, East Africa and Southern Africa) published and launched in region on two occasions.

Two major international conferences mounted on 'Chronic Poverty and Development Policy'.

High quality customised capacity-building work in the four regions focused on individual skills and organisational capacity.

Production of a low cost student textbook on chronic poverty. (Might be developed into a distance learning module).

Participation in relevant conferences and workshops, meetings with relevant agencies and provision of advisory services.

A review of linkages between social protection and agricultural/rural growth

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Completed Further to demand from country programmes and numerous development agencies, the agriculture and natural resources team commissioned this study to synthesise key global lessons on how to improve linkages between social protection and agricultural/rural development, thereby enabling them to provide focussed inputs to a broader DFID position paper. To review the analytical relationship between social protection instruments and agricultural/rural development. To outline current knowledge on the issue and leading players in the debate, using the following key questions as a guide *What are the causes of chronic and acute poverty that exclude people from growth processes and agricultural development "How can the potential negative impacts of social protection on agricultural development (eg: disincentives to development, distortion of local markets) be limited? "Are there examples of non-welfarist innovation that minimise intra- and inter-annual variance at household level, and graduate the poor into agricultural and rural growth process using their own assets? Can new welfarist approaches for the most disadvantaged help to engage such people more fully in agricultural markets as consumers? *What are the gaps in knowledge, constraints and good example of programme/policy (including commodity assistance and Targetted Input Programmes) that balance shock prevention, mitigation and coping? *Does current public expenditure - including agricultural technology development and research - achieve the right balance between 'variance reduction' and 'growth promotion?'

A review of food security issues as addressed in PRSPs and DFID Country Plans

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Completed In a DFID-commissioned review of how food security issues were being handled in PRSP documents, it was found that the majority of PRSPs give insufficient attention to food security issues. It therefore identified an important role for donors in bringing food security into the PRSP agenda, and suggested that one way to do this would be to give greater prominence to food security concerns on donor commentaries on PRSPs. This current review is therefore being commissioned to update understanding of how food security issues are being addressed in PRSPs, to suggest ways in which these issues can be better integrated into the analysis of poverty and provide guidance for DFID country offices in promoting food security issues in this context. To enable country offices to analyse PRSPs for food security issues; and to provide practical guidelines, based on best practice, to ensure where appropriate, that food security is fully integrated into PRSPs and DFID CAPs. A key findings sheet was developed by the PASS Management Team in the reporting period. It is hoped that this will result in feedback from DFID and its partners enabling RTVP to develop country guidance notes on integrating food security issues into PRSP processes and the CAP process. To undertake an assessment for DFID of the extent to which food security issues are being addressed in PRSPs (or other national poverty planning process) and DFID Country Assistance Plans (CAPs) as part of the process of operationalising its strategy for achieving the Millennium Development Goal on hunger, contained in the document Eliminating Hunger. A draft report has been produced, which includes the following:
*how food security issues are addressed in PRSPs.
*an analysis of DFID planning and strategy documents (to aid integrating food security issues into CAPs).
*six regional/country case studies.

The document provides a detailed analysis of different aspects of PRSPs in relation to food security, including macro-economic, trade and fiscal policies; agricultural sector policies; rural development, social sector policies; social protection; disaster management; institutional issues; and budgets.

R4D Social Protection

Ten years of 'war against poverty': what have we learned since 2000 and what should we do 2010-2020?

DFID plans new Research Programme Consortia on Effective and Fragile States, and Taxation

This is Open Access Week

Making Migration Work for Development

Working Paper T30. Social Protection for Migrant Labour In the Ghanaian Pineapple Sector.

DFID releases a new project database

Journal Issue: Managing Risks: Household Illness Costs, Coping Strategies and Access to Social Protection

DFID seeks applications for three posts in the Research Uptake Team

Social policy in development contexts. Final Research Report.

Chronic Poverty Research Centre response to the DFID White Paper consultation document

Egypt's first conditional cash transfers scheme

Social protection is centuries-old! CPRC Working Paper No. 140.

Building Capacity for Better Governance and Social Policy Research - Africa. A DFID Call for Expressions of Interest in establishing the African Social Science Research Consortium

Briefing Paper No. 18. Staying Behind When Husbands Move: Womens Experiences in India and Bangladesh

Rude Accountability in the Unreformed State: Informal Pressures on Frontline Bureaucrats in Bangladesh.

The impact of the global financial crisis on developing countries

Policy Responses to the Global Financial Crisis

The Global Financial Crisis, Developing Countries and Policy Responses

New Director at ODI

G20 Briefs  Policy responses to the global financial crisis

Mining, Social Networks and Rural Livelihoods in Bangladesh

Young Lives research highlights new challenges in poverty reduction

Support to United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)

Impact of the withdrawal of modern energy on urban poor

Centre for research on regulation and competition in developing countries

Migration, Globalisation and Poverty (Migration DRC)

Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC) Sub-centre on Children in Poverty

Development Research Centre on Chronic Poverty and Development Policy - Inception Phase

A review of linkages between social protection and agricultural/rural growth

A review of food security issues as addressed in PRSPs and DFID Country Plans

Briefing Paper No. 18. Staying Behind When Husbands Move: Womens Experiences in India and Bangladesh

G20 Briefs Policy responses to the global financial crisis