Poverty Reduction Policies Research Articles

Trends in antenatal care visits and associated factors in Ghana from 2006 to 2018

IntroductionGiven that maternal mortality is a major global health concern, multiple measures including antenatal care visits have been promoted by the global community. However, most pregnant women in Ghana and other sub-Saharan African countries do not attain the recommended timelines, in addition to a slower progress towards meeting the required minimum of eight visits stipulated by the World Health Organization. Therefore, this study explored the trends in antenatal care visits and the associated factors in Ghana from 2006 to 2018 using the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.MethodsThe study used women datasets (N = 7795) aged 15 to 49 years from three waves (2006, 2011, and 2017-2018) of the Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (GMICS). STATA version 14 was used for data analyses. Univariable analyses, bivariable analyses with chi-square test of independence, and multivariable analyses with robust multinomial logistic regression models were fitted.ResultsThe study found a consistent increase in the proportion of women having adequate and optimal antenatal attendance from 2006 to 2018 across the women’s sociodemographic segments. For instance, the proportion of mothers achieving adequate antenatal care (4 to 7 antenatal care visits) increased from 49.3% in 2006 to 49.98% in 2011 to 58.61% in 2017-2018. In the multivariable model, women with upward attainment of formal education, health insurance coverage, increasing household wealth, and residing in the Upper East Region were consistently associated with a higher likelihood of adequate and/or optimal antenatal care attendance from 2006 to 2018.ConclusionWomen who are less likely to achieve optimal antenatal care visits should be targeted by policies towards reducing maternal mortalities and other birth complications. Poverty-reduction policies, promoting maternal and girl-child education, improving general livelihood in rural settings, expanding health insurance coverage and infrastructural access, harnessing community-level structures, and innovative measures such as telehealth and telemedicine are required to increase antenatal care utilization.

As jy arm is, is jy fokol! – poverty, personalism, and development: farmworkers’ experiences of neoliberal South Africa

ABSTRACT Contemporary commercial agricultural production in the Western Cape bears the legacies of longstanding racialised paternalism. Attending to interpersonal interactions and expectations in this milieu, this paper interrogates the changing conceptions and experiences of poverty, personalism, and development among farmworkers in the neoliberal 2010s. Central to the analysis are two vignettes. The first captures interaction between an employer and an employee of a relatively progressive farming business, and the second presents the experiences of a woman farmworker with an empowerment project run by a non-governmental organisation. Both vignettes show how claims to develop or empower inadvertently affirm the disempowerment of those being developed or empowered, while the privileged status of those doing development remains unchallenged. The Afrikaans idiom of ‘as jy arm is, is jy fokol! [if you’re poor, you’re nothing]’ brings out the rawness of emotions, expressing a breach in promises of development, as a way out of poverty and powerlessness. Despite the nominal moral consensus over poverty reduction objectives and policies, the neoliberal economy of development in post-apartheid South Africa produces its own social and material inequalities. The burdens and humiliations resulting from changing character of inequalities manifest in interpersonal interactions, perpetuating feelings of worthlessness among the working poor.

Assessing the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program as a conditional income transfer: a search for a conceptual framework

Purpose Ghana has implemented different kinds of pro-poor program and policies since its independence to reduce poverty. The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) is one of such program. LEAP is a social cash transfer program and its implementation has been under the auspices of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection since 2008. It provides direct cash and health insurance coverage for extremely poor households across the country to alleviate short-term poverty and encourage long-term human capital development. This paper examines the LEAP program in terms of how it has achieved its aim and the opportunities for improvement.Design/methodology/approach Primary data were obtained from interviews of 110 beneficiaries of the program. The study proposes a conceptual framework that links poverty reduction and social policies to assist researchers analyze pro-poor or social cash transfer program.Findings The findings show that the program is challenged with administrative bureaucracies, irregular inflow of funds, perceived political interferences, inconsistent implementation strategies and low value of the cash transfer (which results in little or no impact on consumption). However, the data also show that LEAP has positive impacts on nonconsumption spending like children's schooling. The program' exit strategy does not impact much on beneficiaries to allow them exit without the tendency of being poor.Practical implications This paper discussed the LEAP program as a social cash transfer to the poor in Ghana. The study constructed a conceptual framework to help researchers and practitioners analyze the implementation of pro-poor interventions. This conceptualization allows for cash transfer program to empower beneficiaries and exits them to allow for other beneficiaries to enroll, ensuring reduction in poverty over time. Generally, the beneficiaries have benefited from the LEAP in the areas of consumption, education and healthcare with few beneficiaries being able to accumulate some few assets. The LEAP program has no exit plan.Originality/value This study adds to literature by offering a conceptual framework to help researchers and policy makers in dealing with social assistance policies to the poor. The study also gave an insight into how pro-poor policy strategies could be crafted.

Assessing the Relationship between Poverty and Economic Growth: Does Sustainable Development Goal Can be Achieved?

Income inequality, poverty, and economic growth are defined as an economy's exposure to exogenous shocks arising out of poverty. The study used various econometric estimations to measure the effect of inequality and poverty on economic development during 1990 to 2016 in Vietnam. Various econometric estimation tests confirmed the presence of a long-run association between inequality and poverty, and economic growth is the matter of poverty headcount ratio in Vietnam. When we added the investment-to-GDP ratio and the number of years in education, it decreases by -0.144. This is reduced to -0.05 when log population growth rate was added while the employment, the coefficient decreases to -0.04 and becomes statistically insignificant. We found a negative impact of poverty and we reassess the hypothesis's emphasis on inequality and poverty and their combining effect of inclusive economic growth. Interestingly our results verify the previous findings that inequality and poverty show a negative impact on economic growth. The negative impact of poverty and inequality on economic growth appears to be concentrated at the high poverty level. These findings recommend that poverty reduction policies should be beneficial in encouraging economic growth even if they do not decrease income inequality.

Effect of Foreign Aid on Economic Growth and Investment in Ethiopia

This study examined the effect of foreign aid on both economy and investment of Ethiopia from time 1974 to 2014. The empirical analysis has been done using multivariate co integration analysis of both vector autoregressive model (VAR) and (Vector error Correction model (VECM). Both models which enables to capture short run dynamics. VECM model is constructed by restricting long run behavior of endogenous variables for allowing for short run adjustment dynamics. The co integrating vector which is deviation from the long run equilibrium corrected through series of partial short run dynamics, which is known as error correction term The main findings of the study shown foreign aid has a significant positive effect on economic progress in both lengthy run and squat run. On other hands, aid has irrelevant and optimistic effect on gross domestic investment in both extensive time and short run. Further, the findings discovered that there is unidirectional causality among foreign aid to economic growth and foreign aid to gross domestic investment. Based on the findings the study recommends aid should be used to support the shortage of resource gap; also, aid should be focused on growth enhancing sectors as well as poverty reduction policies, then it will rise savings of societies’.

Transferência de Políticas Públicas e Organizações Internacionais: A complexa relação entre o Brasil e o Banco Mundial na implementação do programa Bolsa Família

Abstract This article discusses the complex relationship between the World Bank and the Brazilian government regarding the implementation of the Bolsa Família Program (Family Allowance Program) from 2004 onwards. The hypothesis is that there was an alignment of the agendas for combating hunger and poverty among the entities. This made it possible to transfer Brazilian instruments and experiences to the world through World Bank. Based on a triangulation technique, it argues that the development of state capacity for the implementation of the program took place on a more cooperative basis than an imposition on the part of the World Bank, in a positive-sum game. Brazil gained the World Bank’s seal of approval as a model of policy transfer to the world and the international organisation found new experience of best practices, which renewed the Bank’s portfolio of policy instruments. As a result, in the last years of Lula’s second term, Brazil became an export platform for social policies in an international context, specifically concerning conditional cash transfer and poverty reduction policies.

Market participation of urban agriculture producers and its impact on poverty: Evidence from Ghana

This paper aimed to investigate the impact of urban agriculture commercialisation on poverty and assess the determinants of urban farmers’ market outlet choice. A total of 480 urban farmers were selected for this study. Household Commercialisation Index (HCI) was used, and the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) model was adopted to analyse poverty. The Two-Stage Least Squares Regression (2SLS) and the heteroskedastic linear regression models were used to analyse the effect of urban agriculture commercialisation on poverty. Probit and Bivariate Probit Models were applied to determine the factors influencing the marketing outlet choice of farmers. The results revealed that age, gender, educational level, experience, household size, household food security and commercialisation significantly influence urban poverty. Also, educational level, postharvest losses, commercialisation, storage ability, grading and sorting, minutes to the nearest market, extension contacts and nature of roads influenced market outlet choice. The study recommended that government, traditional leaders, and other vital stakeholders should integrate urban farming into urban development policies for sustainable poverty reduction in urban areas of developing countries.

ЗАХОДИ ПОЛІТИКИ, СПРЯМОВАНІ НА ВИРІШЕННЯ ПРОБЛЕМ ПРОДОВОЛЬЧОЇ БЕЗПЕКИ В УМОВАХ УПОВІЛЬНЕННЯ ЗРОСТАННЯ ЕКОНОМІКИ ТА ЕКОНОМІЧНИХ СПАДІВ

The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic were the most devastating for food security and nutrition as a result of unprecedented depth and scale of economic downturns caused by pandemic measures. They have caused an economic downturn in 2020 in most countries around the world: per capita incomes have fallen more than ever in recent years.There is not enough scientific work aimed at comprehensively solving the problem in the economic, technological, environmental and social spheres that determine the factors and, accordingly, measures to eliminate or mitigate the effects of economic downturns, increase the resilience of food systems. The aim of this work is to deepen theoretical and methodological approaches and develop policy measures, determine the expected results and systematize implementation tools aimed at addressing food security and malnutrition in a slowdown and economic downturns. The study found that policy measures aimed at addressing food insecurity and malnutrition in the context of slowing economic growth and economic downturns include: policy measures aimed at the main channels of transmission of the impact of slowing economic growth and economic downturns; stimulating complex structural transformations in order to reduce economic vulnerability; cross-sectoral policies aimed at tackling food insecurity and malnutrition, with a special focus on poverty and inequality; making the most of trade for food security and nutrition. The main expected results of such measures are: curbing the rise in food prices or compensating for its consequences; stimulating job creation and increasing incomes; financial feasibility and sustainability of countercyclical policy; developing a balanced policy and ensuring balanced investments in favor of complex transformations. Poverty reduction policy measures are proposed, focusing on each of the main aspects of food security: physical availability of food; economic and physical access to food; food use; stability of the other three dimensions over time.

ТРАЕКТОРИИ И АСПЕКТЫ ДОЛГОСРОЧНОЙ ДИНАМИКИ УРОВНЯ БЕДНОСТИ В РЕГИОНАХ РОССИИ

The aim of the study is to determine the regional trajectories of the poverty changes in Russia in 1995-2020, to identify the most and least successful regions in terms of poverty reduction. In the process of work, the author uses the methods of analysis and generalization of statistical data of Rosstat, systematization and classification of scientific data obtained in the course of early domestic research on poverty. The study results confirm that the all-Russian dynamics of poverty reflect the crisis and recovery periods of the country's economy and highlight a polarization of Russian regions by poverty level. The author analyzes the main changes that have taken place in the redistribution of regional groups of "leaders" and "outsiders", the main aspects of regional poverty in Russia and the possible reasons for the sharp polarization of regions in this indicator. The research results can be of practical importance in the context of studying the experience of the most successful regions that have demonstrated the most effective poverty reduction compared to other regions, and be useful to federal and regional authorities in developing poverty reduction policies. The author concludes that the results of this study may become the basis for further detailed analysis, for example, clustering of regions and typical characteristics of the regions of each cluster in order to identify factors that ensure effective poverty reduction or, on the contrary, successful poverty combating.

Adaptive Policies in the Family Hope Program (PKH) to achieve Sustainable Development Goals in Pangkep Regency

In general, the objectives of this study are: (1) To describe how the implementation of poverty reduction policies through the Family Hope Program (PKH) in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Pangkep Regency; (2) To find out the obstacles to the implementation of poverty reduction policies through the Family Hope Program (PKH) in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Pangkep Regency. This study used a qualitative descriptive method with informants selected through the snowball technique. Data collection methods used in this study are interviews, observations, and documents related to the research. The data collected was then analyzed using the Interactive Analysis Model of Miles, Huberman & Saldana. Based on the results of the research, the implementation of poverty reduction policies through the Family Hope Program (PKH) in Pangkep Regency concerning assisting the Adaptive Policies theory according to Swanson & Bhadwal (2009), 5 out of 7 indicators have been implemented properly to successfully achieve Goal 1 of SDGs 2030 which related to integrated and forward-looking analysis, automatic policy adjustment, decentralization of decision-making, promoting variation, and formal policy review and continuous learning. However, 2 of them have not been optimal, namely related to multistakeholder deliberation and enabling self-organization and social networking. The research found obstacles in the implementation of these policies were the lack of involvement of the private sector, geographical constraints of the region, and the mindset of the community in receiving assistance.

Religious Institutions and Poverty Reduction: Evidence from Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

In spite of the numerous poverty reduction policies and programs of successive administrations in Nigeria, the generality of the populace are still in a web of deprivation and hunger. It is apparent that government is unable to stem the tide of poverty and thus the need for surrogate stakeholders to lift the poor out of poverty. Therefore, an empirical study was conducted to estimate the factors influencing the willingness of religious institutions to undertake poverty reduction programs for it members and the constraints limiting their ability to initiate programs that will ameliorate the suffering of poor members in the congregation. A total of 60 churches were sampled through the multistage sampling procedure and information were elicited using questionnaire. Data were analyzed using probit model and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. Result revealed that the most critical factors influencing the willingness of churches to undertake programs that will lift poor members of the congregation out of poverty were age and educational level of the church leaders, size of congregation, church income and age of the church. Result of Kendall’s coefficient of concordance indicated that there was 54 percent (moderate agreement) between the ranking of constraints associated with the willingness of churches to undertake programs that will lessen the pains of poverty among its members. Findings further showed that the top five most limiting constraints were lack of finance, lack of trained personnel, inadequate knowledge about the programs, unfavorable government policies and low membership strength.

DINAMIKA PELAKSANAAN KEBIJAKAN PEMERINTAH DALAM PENANGGULANGAN KEMISKINAN DI INDONESIA

Poverty Reduction Policies here have a very strategic role in efforts to increase poverty reduction in Indonesia. Various programs have been created and run by the government in various forms over a long period of time. However, in the implementation phase of the policy, it turns out that there are still many obstacles and obstacles. The distribution of social assistance that has not been properly targeted (distribution bias) is one of the main problems that must be immediately found the best solution. This distribution bias is caused by the discretion of the program implementing officers in the field (street level bureaucracy). This condition has had an impact on the achievement of the poverty reduction target which has not been optimal.

Effect of Major Illness Insurance on Vulnerability to Poverty: Evidence From China.

Disease is the primary cause of poverty in China. Health insurance is an essential mechanism for managing health risks and addressing the risk of financial loss. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) waves from 2010 to 2016, this study develops a random forest method to assess households' vulnerability to poverty and then examines the impact of major illness insurance on vulnerability to poverty by focusing on the rollout period of a major illness insurance scheme. The research also examines the impact of increased major illness insurance coverage on poverty reduction by focusing on the change from low- to high-coverage health insurance. The findings indicate that major illness insurance and improvements in the degree of coverage significantly reduce vulnerability to poverty. In addition, major illness insurance is found to alleviate the vicious cycle of poverty and disease through the mechanism of increasing household income, and its effect has strengthened over time. Compared to other poverty reduction policies, major illness insurance has a greater influence on poverty alleviation.

Unpacking the Role of Neoliberalism on the Politics of Poverty Reduction Policies in Ontario, Canada: A Descriptive Case Study and Critical Analysis

This paper employs a descriptive case study method to analyze and critically review the emergence of the provincial poverty reduction strategy in Ontario, Canada which was implemented in 2008 and renewed in 2014. The purpose of this study is two-fold: first, it defines the principles of neoliberalism and explores the historical growth of neoliberal thought in Canada, and specifically within Ontario, beginning in the 1980s to the present-day. Drawing on a combination of primary, secondary and grey literature, this paper discusses the ways in which neoliberal ideologies and rhetoric became deeply rooted in political thought and discourse within the province. Employing a critical theory framework, the paper highlights the contrasting ways in which neoliberal values were adopted by the different political parties in power and the detrimental impact this espousal had on individuals living in poverty within Ontario. Second, the paper illustrates the powerful ways in which anti-poverty grassroots movements and social advocacy groups assembled to push for the creation of a provincial poverty reduction strategy. The analysis ends with a critique of the neoliberal influences on the strategy’s recommendations and the future outlook of the poverty reduction strategy based on the current political climate within the province.

Policy Learning dalam Formulasi Kebijakan Penanggulangan Kemiskinan Daerah: Insight dari Gunungkidul

Studies on policy learning in the formulation of public policies have received less attention in the era of decentralization. This article aims to discuss policy learning in the formulation of local poverty reduction policies. By taking a case study in Gunungkidul Regency, this study shows that the learning carried out is conceptual learning which changes the perspective on local poverty reduction, from problem-based to asset-based. The form of policy learning that occurs is by selective imitation, which is taking certain elements to be included in the policy and not taking it in detail to avoids political risks. This policy learning model has implications for the implementation of policies that do not explicitly create new activities, but complement existing activity programs. The policy learning process at first glance appears as an administrative process, but in essence it is very political because it involves various actors with various interests.

Child Labor and Poverty Reduction in Vietnam: Issues and Policy Implications

There is a relationship between child labor and poverty. The unaffordable financial state of households is the main reason to force children to become workers at an early age. One of the main points to respond to eliminating and preventing child labor is how to reduce poverty. Accordingly, many legal tools are designed and applied, such as forming regulations in finance supports and vocational training programs. This study provided practical evidence on the link between child labor and poverty in Vietnam as well as analysis on which legal measures the Vietnamese Government has done to tackle child labor based on the poverty approach. It was followed by some recommendations to eliminate child labor, especially in the context that negative impacts of COVID-19 pandemic push children to fall into poverty again and force them to continue to work in early-stage in most countries, including Vietnam. The study used a qualitative approach, including on desk review and a second-date analysis on regulations on child labor and poverty reduction policies in Vietnam. This study found that there existed a gap between policies on poverty to reduce child labor and practices. Comprehensive approaches in making policies, as well as law enforcement, are the core reasons. The gap should be overcome by providing unified action plans with an effective governmental authority system.
 KEYWORDS: Child Labor, Children Rights, Poverty Reduction.

Understanding poverty dynamics in Ethiopia: Implications for the likely impact of COVID-19.

We aim at identifying vulnerable groups that face a higher risk of falling into poverty due to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Applying a synthetic panel data approach, our analysis of poverty and vulnerability transitions during the pre‐COVID period shows not only a high rate of poverty persistence in Ethiopia but also a high probability of moving from vulnerable nonpoor status to poor status. Given the observed persistence of poverty and greater risk of downward mobility, even in the pre‐COVID period, it is highly likely that poverty persistence and downward mobility will be aggravated during the current pandemic. A detailed poverty profiling exercise shows that households where the household head is less educated, engaged in the service sector, self‐employed, and a domestic worker are population segments with a high rate of downward mobility. As the emerging evidence on the socioeconomic impact of COVID shows, these segments of the population are also the ones relatively more affected by the pandemic. Overall, the pandemic is likely to result in a serious setback to the progress made in poverty reduction in Ethiopia. Poverty reduction policies should thus target not only the existing poor but also the vulnerable nonpoor.

Child Poverty and Health in the United States: Introduction and Executive Summary.

Child Poverty and Health in the United States: Introduction and Executive Summary.

Reducing poverty through use of irrigation: Evidence from rice farming in Benin

An emerging body of literature has claimed that poverty is multidimensional and therefore the unidimensional measure cannot serve as a good proxy for poverty. The actual debate is about the inclusion of other dimensions in the poverty analysis framework. Regarding this, the current study examines poverty measurement in rice farming communities in the municipality of Malanville, Benin using both unidimensional and multidimensional poverty indices. It also assesses the effect of involvement in irrigation on multidimensional poverty through an estimation of a two-stage instrumental variable probit model. Results indicate that incidence of monetary poverty was 45.8%. In term of multidimensional poverty, 53.4% of the rice farmers were found to be multidimensionally poor. Overall, the analysis shows lower incidence of poverty for irrigation farmers compared to dry land farmers. We find that the use of irrigation contributes to reducing the likelihood of being multidimensionally poor by 11%. Other determinants include age of the farmer, gender, farm size, use of improved seed, access to credit, off-farm income and market participation. The positive relationship between use of irrigation and poverty reduction justifies the need for irrigation development targeting to implement poverty reduction policies in developing countries.

Target Group Behavior for Policy Performance Impact: Study on Poverty Reduction Implementation in Makassar, Indonesia

The implementation of poverty reduction policies in Makassar City is still reaping many problems. Various poverty reduction programs launched by the government have not been able to eradicate poverty effectively. In the implementation of these various poverty reduction programs, the response of the target group tends to be negative, causing fragmentation at the level of implementation. Therefore, this study aims to identify and analyze the process of implementing poverty reduction policies in Makassar City from the perspective of group behavior. The research method used is a qualitative method with data collection techniques through in-depth interviews, field observations, and review of poverty documents. The research data were analyzed by qualitative analysis. The results show that the community is basically very responsive to the existence of poverty reduction policies in the form of multi-purpose social security assistance distributed by the Makassar City Social Service because some of them feel helped by the assistance, but some also feel that the policies are not well targeted due to incomplete data collection. equitable and fair. The inaccuracy of policy targets (assistance for beneficiaries) for the poor causes social jealousy in the community which has an impact on street level publicity and policy performance so that it does not significantly reduce poverty in Makassar City.