Assessing the Effects of the New Cooperative Medical Scheme on Alleviating the Health Payment-Induced Poverty in Shaanxi Province, China

PubMed Central

Gao, Jianmin; Zhou, Zhongliang; Yan, Jue; Lai, Sha; Xu, Yongjian; Chen, Gang

2016-01-01

Background Disease has become one of the key causes of falling into poverty in rural China. The poor households are even more likely to suffer. The New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) has been implemented to provide rural residents financial protection against health risks. This study aims to assess the effect of the NCMS on alleviating health payment-induced poverty in the Shaanxi Province of China. Methods The data was drawn from the 5th National Health Service Survey of Shaanxi Province, conducted in 2013. In total, 41,037 individuals covered by NCMS were selected. Poverty headcount ratio (HCR), poverty gap and mean positive poverty gap were used for measuring the incidence, depth and intensity of poverty, respectively. The differences on poverty measures pre- and post- insurance reimbursement indicate the effectiveness of alleviating health payment-induced poverty under NCMS. Results For the general insured, 5.81% of households fell below the national poverty line owing to the health payment; this HCR dropped to 4.84% after insurance reimbursement. The poverty HCRs for the insured that had hospitalization in the past year dropped from 7.50% to 2.09% after reimbursement. With the NCMS compensation, the poverty gap declined from 42.90 Yuan to 34.49 Yuan (19.60% decreased) for the general insured and from 57.48 Yuan to 10.01 Yuan (82.59% decreased) for the hospital admission insured. The mean positive poverty gap declined 3.56% and 37.40% for two samples, respectively. Conclusion The NCMS could alleviate the health payment-induced poverty. The effectiveness of alleviating health payment-induced poverty is greater for hospital admission insured than for general insured, mainly because NCMS compensates for serious diseases. Our study suggests that a more comprehensive insurance benefit package design could further improve the effectiveness of poverty alleviation. PMID:27380417

Effect of poverty reduction program on nutritional status of the extreme poor in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Jalal, Chowdhury S B; Frongillo, Edward A

2013-12-01

Poverty alleviation programs for the extreme poor improve participants' economic status and may impact other important outcomes that are seldom evaluated. A program targeted to the extreme poor by BRAG, a development organization in Bangladesh, has been successful in significantly alleviating extreme poverty. We hypothesized that the program also improved the nutritional status of women and preschool children. A nonequivalent control, pre- and posttest quasi-experimental design that was longitudinal at the village level was used to test the hypotheses. Data were collected from a random sample of 4,131 children and 3,551 women from 3,409 households in 159 villages of 3 northern districts of Bangladesh in 2002 and 2006. Linear mixed random-intercept models accounted for clustering effects and potential confounders. The weight-for-height of children between 24 and 35 months of age from program households was significantly higher (p < .05) than that of children from control households. We found no significant differences between control and program households in three other growth and body-composition indicators in three other age categories of preschool children or in women. These results are important, as this is a large-scale program that has already been extended to more than half the country. The findings will contribute to judging the cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness of the program and in garnering support for the expansion of such programs.

78 FR 29331 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Western Alaska Community Development Quota Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-20

...) Program is an economic development program implemented under the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and... fisheries, to support economic development in western Alaska, to alleviate poverty and provide economic and... have a choice of either electronic or paper forms. Methods of submittal include email of electronic...

75 FR 5760 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Western Alaska Community Development Quota Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-04

... Development Quota (CDQ) Program is an economic development program implemented under the Magnuson Stevens... Islands Management Area fisheries, to support economic development in western Alaska, to alleviate poverty and provide economic and social benefits for residents of western Alaska, and to achieve sustainable...

Waging War on Poverty: Poverty Trends Using a Historical Supplemental Poverty Measure

PubMed Central

Fox, Liana E.; Wimer, Christopher; Garfinkel, Irwin; Kaushal, Neeraj; Waldfogel, Jane

2015-01-01

Using data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey and the March Current Population Survey, we provide poverty estimates for 1967 to 2012 based on a historical Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). During this period, poverty, as officially measured, has stagnated. However, the official poverty measure (OPM) does not account for the effect of near-cash transfers on the financial resources available to families, an important omission since such transfers have become an increasingly important part of government anti-poverty policy. Applying the historical SPM, which does count such transfers, we find that trends in poverty have been more favorable than the OPM suggests and that government policies have played an important and growing role in reducing poverty—a role that is not evident when the OPM is used to assess poverty. We also find that government programs have played a particularly important role in alleviating child poverty and deep poverty, especially during economic downturns. PMID:26347369

On the psychology of poverty.

PubMed

Haushofer, Johannes; Fehr, Ernst

2014-05-23

Poverty remains one of the most pressing problems facing the world; the mechanisms through which poverty arises and perpetuates itself, however, are not well understood. Here, we examine the evidence for the hypothesis that poverty may have particular psychological consequences that can lead to economic behaviors that make it difficult to escape poverty. The evidence indicates that poverty causes stress and negative affective states which in turn may lead to short-sighted and risk-averse decision-making, possibly by limiting attention and favoring habitual behaviors at the expense of goal-directed ones. Together, these relationships may constitute a feedback loop that contributes to the perpetuation of poverty. We conclude by pointing toward specific gaps in our knowledge and outlining poverty alleviation programs that this mechanism suggests. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Does farmer entrepreneurship alleviate rural poverty in China? Evidence from Guangxi Province

PubMed Central

Zhuang, Jincai

2018-01-01

In recent years, entrepreneurship has been gaining more prominence as a potential tool for solving poverty in developing countries. This paper mainly examines the relationship between farmer entrepreneurship and rural poverty alleviation in China by assessing the contribution of farm entrepreneurs towards overcoming poverty. Data were collected from 309 employees of farmer entrepreneurships in Guangxi Province through survey questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was used to conduct an analysis of the effects of three identified capabilities of farm entrepreneurs—economic, educational and knowledge, and socio-cultural capabilities—on attitude towards farmer entrepreneurship growth and the qualitative growth of farmer entrepreneurship and how these in turn affect rural poverty, using AMOS 21. The findings show that socio-cultural capability has the greatest influence on farmer entrepreneurship growth (β = 0.50, p<0.001). The qualitative growth of farmer entrepreneurship also more significantly impacts rural poverty (β = 0.69, p<0.001) than attitude towards farmer entrepreneurship growth. This study suggests that policy makers in China should involve more rural farmers in the targeted poverty alleviation strategies of the government by equipping rural farmers with entrepreneurial skills. This can serve as a sustainable, bottom-up approach to alleviating rural poverty in remote areas of the country. The study also extends the literature on the farmer entrepreneurship-rural poverty alleviation nexus in China, and this can serve as a lesson for other developing countries in the fight against rural poverty. PMID:29596517

Does farmer entrepreneurship alleviate rural poverty in China? Evidence from Guangxi Province.

PubMed

Naminse, Eric Yaw; Zhuang, Jincai

2018-01-01

In recent years, entrepreneurship has been gaining more prominence as a potential tool for solving poverty in developing countries. This paper mainly examines the relationship between farmer entrepreneurship and rural poverty alleviation in China by assessing the contribution of farm entrepreneurs towards overcoming poverty. Data were collected from 309 employees of farmer entrepreneurships in Guangxi Province through survey questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was used to conduct an analysis of the effects of three identified capabilities of farm entrepreneurs-economic, educational and knowledge, and socio-cultural capabilities-on attitude towards farmer entrepreneurship growth and the qualitative growth of farmer entrepreneurship and how these in turn affect rural poverty, using AMOS 21. The findings show that socio-cultural capability has the greatest influence on farmer entrepreneurship growth (β = 0.50, p<0.001). The qualitative growth of farmer entrepreneurship also more significantly impacts rural poverty (β = 0.69, p<0.001) than attitude towards farmer entrepreneurship growth. This study suggests that policy makers in China should involve more rural farmers in the targeted poverty alleviation strategies of the government by equipping rural farmers with entrepreneurial skills. This can serve as a sustainable, bottom-up approach to alleviating rural poverty in remote areas of the country. The study also extends the literature on the farmer entrepreneurship-rural poverty alleviation nexus in China, and this can serve as a lesson for other developing countries in the fight against rural poverty.

Poverty alleviation programmes in India: a social audit.

PubMed

K Yesudian, C A

2007-10-01

The review highlights the poverty alleviation programmes of the government in the post-economic reform era to evaluate the contribution of these programmes towards reducing poverty in the country. The poverty alleviation programmes are classified into (i) self-employment programmes; (ii) wage employment programmes; (iii) food security programmes; (iv) social security programmes; and (v) urban poverty alleviation programmes. The parameter used for evaluation included utilization of allocated funds, change in poverty level, employment generation and number or proportion of beneficiaries. The paper attempts to go beyond the economic benefit of the programmes and analyzes the social impact of these programmes on the communities where the poor live, and concludes that too much of government involvement is actually an impediment. On the other hand, involvement of the community, especially the poor has led to better achievement of the goals of the programmes. Such endeavours not only reduced poverty but also empowered the poor to find their own solutions to their economic problems. There is a need for decentralization of the programmes by strengthening the panchayat raj institutions as poverty is not merely economic deprivation but also social marginalization that affects the poor most.

Ganokendra: An Innovative Model for Poverty Alleviation in Bangladesh

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alam, Kazi Rafiqul

2006-01-01

Ganokendras (people's learning centers) employ a literacy-based approach to alleviating poverty in Bangladesh. They give special attention to empowering rural women, among whom poverty is widespread. The present study reviews the Ganokendra-approach to facilitating increased political and economic awareness and improving community conditions in…

Evaluating Mission Drift in Microfinance: Lessons for Programs with Social Mission

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hishigsuren, Gaamaa

2007-01-01

The article contributes to a better understanding of implications of scaling up on the social mission of microfinance programs. It proposes a methodology to measure the extent, if any, to which a microfinance program with a poverty alleviation mission drifts away from its mission during rapid scaling up and presents findings from a field research…

Priorities for the poor: a conceptual framework for policy analysis.

PubMed

Pleskovic, B; Sivitanides, P

1993-04-01

A number of poverty alleviation strategies have been developed over the last 2 decades. While these varies approaches have helped stimulate and guide policymaker consideration of the issue, poverty nonetheless remains an enormous problem in most developing countries. Budgetary and administrative constraints demand that the comprehensive basic needs of the poor not be addressed concurrently. Poverty policy and practice will instead be most effective if needs and expenditures identified by evaluating social indicators and social expenditure programs are prioritized. Applied to the case of Morocco, a conceptual framework is presented for identifying priority poverty problems and social expenditure policies. The methodology allows one to sort out critical poverty problems and analyze their causes by using aggregate, territorial, and references indicators; provides a framework for understanding and evaluating the interlinked effects of investments in social sectors; and introduces a tool for selecting cost-effective policy packages for poverty alleviation. The methodology could, however, be refined by improving the derivation of reference indicators by accounting for predetermined government objectives. The estimation of direct and indirect effects of investments in the critical poverty sectors could also be improved. Additional research is called for to determine how econometric models should be structured to aid in quantifying Morocco's SIO tables and how the estimated linkages may be used to extend and improve the cost-benefit analysis of antipoverty policies.

Water participation for poverty alleviation--the case of Meseta Purépecha, Mexico.

PubMed

Escamilla, M; Kurtycz, A; van der Helm, R

2003-01-01

The construction of small water reservoirs has been used in an effort to alleviate poverty in Messeta Purépecha region in Mexico. The programme's rationale can be characterised as incentive-based participation, using both local employment and shared risks concepts. The programme so far has been a relative success. However, in the light of poverty alleviation questions have to be raised about the isolated nature of the programme as well as the role of the incentives used.

Family Planning and Integration. IPPF Bibliography Series. November 1978.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Planned Parenthood Federation, London (England).

This document is a bibliography of materials that present family planning in comprehensive programs for the alleviation of poverty and deprivation. It contains 141 entries. Some of the items describe projects or approaches in which family planning is combined with a single function such as midwifery. The other entries cover programs of varying…

Poverty Alleviation and Integrated Service Delivery: Literacy, Early Child Development and Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nordtveit, Bjorn Harald

2008-01-01

This paper argues that many internationally financed literacy programs do not sufficiently take into consideration important daily life issues of the learners, including nutritional deficiencies that may hinder learning, or of children-parent-society interactions that may improve learning. As a result, many programs have become synonymous with…

Poverty-alleviation program participation and salivary cortisol in very low-income children.

PubMed

Fernald, Lia C H; Gunnar, Megan R

2009-06-01

Correlational studies have shown associations between social class and salivary cortisol suggestive of a causal link between childhood poverty and activity of the stress-sensitive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) system. Using a quasi-experimental design, we evaluated the associations between a family's participation in a large-scale, conditional cash transfer program in Mexico (Oportunidades, formerly Progresa) during the child's early years of life and children's salivary cortisol (baseline and responsivity). We also examined whether maternal depressive symptoms moderated the effect of program participation. Low-income households (income <20th percentile nationally) from rural Mexico were enrolled in a large-scale poverty-alleviation program between 1998 and 1999. A comparison group of households from demographically similar communities was recruited in 2003. Following 3.5 years of participation in the Oportunidades program, three saliva samples were obtained from children aged 2-6 years from intervention and comparison households (n=1197). Maternal depressive symptoms were obtained using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). Results were that children who had been in the Oportunidades program had lower salivary cortisol levels when compared with those who had not participated in the program, while controlling for a wide range of individual-, household- and community-level variables. Reactivity patterns of salivary cortisol did not differ between intervention and comparison children. Maternal depression moderated the association between Oportunidades program participation and baseline salivary cortisol in children. Specifically, there was a large and significant Oportunidades program effect of lowering cortisol in children of mothers with high depressive symptoms but not in children of mothers with low depressive symptomatology. These findings provide the strongest evidence to date that the economic circumstances of a family can influence a child's developing stress system and provide a mechanism through which poverty early in life could alter life-course risk for physical and mental health disorders.

Do Conditional Cash Transfers for Schooling Generate Lasting Benefits? A Five-Year Followup of PROGRESA/Oportunidades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behrman, Jere R.; Parker, Susan W.; Todd, Petra E.

2011-01-01

Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs link public transfers to human capital investment in hopes of alleviating current poverty and reducing its intergenerational transmission. However, little is known about their long-term impacts. This paper evaluates longer-run impacts on schooling and work of the best-known CCT program, Mexico's…

An integration programme of poverty alleviation and development with family planning.

PubMed

1997-04-01

The State Council (the central government) recently issued a Circular for Speeding Up the Integration of Poverty Alleviation and Development with the Family Planning Programme during the Ninth Five-year Plan (1996-2000). The Circular was jointly submitted by the State Family Planning Commission and the Leading Group for Poverty Alleviation and Development. The document sets the two major tasks as solving the basic needs for food and clothing of the rural destitute and the control of over-rapid growth of China's population. Practice indicates that a close Integration Programme is the best way for impoverished farmers to alleviate poverty and become better-off. Overpopulation and low educational attainments and poor health quality of population in backward areas are the major factors retarding socioeconomic development. Therefore, it is inevitable to integrate poverty alleviation with family planning. It is a path with Chinese characteristics for a balanced population and sustainable socioeconomic development. The targets of the Integration Programme are as follows: The first is that preferential policies should be worked out to guarantee family planning acceptors, especially households with an only daughter or two daughters, are the first to be helped to eradicate poverty and become well-off. They should become good examples for other rural poor in practicing fewer but healthier births, and generating family income. The second target is that the population plans for the poor counties identified by the central government and provincial governments must be fulfilled. This should contribute to breaking the vicious circle of poverty leading to more children, in turn generating more poverty. The circular demands that more efforts should focus on the training of cadres for the Integrated Programme and on services for poor family planning acceptors. full text

Poverty in Eritrea: challenges and implications for development.

PubMed

Rena, Ravinder

2009-01-01

Poverty, one of the world's most serious problems, is particularly severe in Africa. Eritrea is a 16-year-old nation that gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993. The country's economy was doing relatively well between 1993 and 1997. Eritrea was then exposed to numerous challenges such as drought, famines and recurrent war. As a result, poverty has become more rampant in a country where over 66 per cent of people live below the poverty line. Some families live on remittances. The government has taken some poverty alleviation measures. However, it has not mitigated poverty due to a lack of resources and a poorly implemented poverty alleviation programme. This article attempts to explore the incidence of poverty. It also provides details of poverty surveys that have been conducted since independence. It discusses various poverty challenges and provides some policy implications for development.

Conditions associated with protected area success in conservation and poverty reduction

PubMed Central

Ferraro, Paul J.; Hanauer, Merlin M.; Sims, Katharine R. E.

2011-01-01

Protected areas are the dominant approach to protecting biodiversity and the supply of ecosystem services. Because these protected areas are often placed in regions with widespread poverty and because they can limit agricultural development and exploitation of natural resources, concerns have been raised about their potential to create or reinforce poverty traps. Previous studies suggest that the protected area systems in Costa Rica and Thailand, on average, reduced deforestation and alleviated poverty. We examine these results in more detail by characterizing the heterogeneity of responses to protection conditional on observable characteristics. We find no evidence that protected areas trap historically poorer areas in poverty. In fact, we find that poorer areas at baseline seem to have the greatest levels of poverty reduction as a result of protection. However, we do find that the spatial characteristics associated with the most poverty alleviation are not necessarily the characteristics associated with the most avoided deforestation. We show how an understanding of these spatially heterogeneous responses to protection can be used to generate suitability maps that identify locations in which both environmental and poverty alleviation goals are most likely to be achieved. PMID:21873177

Poverty Alleviation, Work and Adult Learning. Report of the UIE Round Table Held during the International Congress on Vocational Education and Training (2nd, Seoul, Korea, April 26-30, 1999). UIE Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Madhu, Ed.

This document contains six papers about and from a roundtable discussion of poverty alleviation, work, and adult learning. The "Introduction" (Madhu Singh) presents an overview of the roundtable. "Work-Related Adult Education: Challenges and Possibilities in Poverty Areas" (Enrique Pieck) describes work-related adult education…

The Problem of World Hunger.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Czarra, Fred R.; Long, Cathryn J., Eds.

1983-01-01

The major hunger problem today is chronic undernutrition, the primary cause of which is poverty. Hunger can be alleviated through food supplements, nutrition programs, and disaster relief. It can be eliminated by redistributing existing wealth and producing enough food and through equitable economic growth and a world food security system. (CS)

New Strategies for Improving Rural Family Life.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coombs, Philip H.

Presented in capsule form for the convenience of busy policy makers, planners, and program managers, this booklet summarizes major findings of a three-year study on practical aspects of rural development, with particular emphasis on ways of alleviating extreme poverty among disadvantaged rural families. Using case studies from Bangladesh, India,…

The contribution of veterinary medicine to public health and poverty reduction in developing countries.

PubMed

Muma, John B; Mwacalimba, Kennedy K; Munang'andu, Hetron M; Matope, Gift; Jenkins, Akinbowale; Siamudaala, Victor; Mweene, Aaron S; Marcotty, Tanguy

2014-01-01

Few studies have explicitly examined the linkages between human health, animal disease control and poverty alleviation. This paper reviews the contribution that veterinary medicine can make to poverty alleviation in sub-Saharan Africa. Our analysis attempts to explore aspects of this contribution under five themes: food production; food safety; impact and control of zoonotic infections; promotion of ecotourism; and environmental protection. While these areas of human activity have, more or less, fallen under the influence of the veterinary profession to varying degrees, we attempt to unify this mandate using a 'One Health' narrative, for the purpose of providing clarity on the linkages between the veterinary and other professions, livestock production and poverty alleviation. Future opportunities for improving health and reducing poverty in the context of developing African countries are also discussed. We conclude that veterinary science is uniquely positioned to play a key role in both poverty reduction and the promotion of health, a role that can be enhanced through the reorientation of the profession's goals and the creation of synergies with allied and related professions.

Education for the Alleviation of Poverty: A Comparative Study of Conditional Cash Transfer Programs to Improve Educational Outcomes in Nicaragua and Colombia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stackhouse, Shannon Alexis

2009-01-01

The importance of education for individual well-being, social cohesion and economic growth is widely accepted by researchers and policymakers alike. Yet there exist vast numbers of people around the world, largely poor, who continue to lag behind wealthier people, often within their own nations. Conditional cash transfer programs were created to…

Human capital, social capital and social exclusion: impacts on the opportunity of households with youth to leave poverty.

PubMed

Wong, Hung

2006-01-01

Based on a sample survey, this paper, analyzes the impact of human capital, social capital and social exclusion on the opportunity of Hong Kong families with youth members to leave poverty. Educational attainment of the youth members and adult family members, as well as the quantity and quality of social networks were found to have significant positive impacts, while social exclusion from the labor market of the adult members was found to have significant negative impact on their opportunity to leave poverty. Among all factors, quality of social network is the most influential. The author suggests that in order to help families out of poverty and enable positive development of youth members, poverty alleviation policies or programs should be targeted to help the youth in poor families to build up a quality social network.

Ganokendra: An Innovative Model for Poverty Alleviation In Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alam, Kazi Rafiqul

2006-05-01

Ganokendras (people's learning centers) employ a literacy-based approach to alleviating poverty in Bangladesh. They give special attention to empowering rural women, among whom poverty is widespread. The present study reviews the Ganokendra-approach to facilitating increased political and economic awareness and improving community conditions in line with government initiatives for poverty reduction. Many Ganokendras implement programmes geared towards income-generating activities and establish linkages with other service providers, both governmental and non-governmental. As is shown, one particularly successful strategy for facilitating women's economic empowerment involves co-ordinating micro-credit available through other agencies.

Study on temporal variation and spatial distribution for rural poverty in China based on GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Xianfeng; Xu, Xiuli; Wang, Yingjie; Cui, Jing; Mo, Hongyuan; Liu, Ling; Yan, Hong; Zhang, Yan; Han, Jiafu

2009-07-01

Poverty is one of the most serious challenges all over the world, is an obstacle to hinder economics and agriculture in poverty area. Research on poverty alleviation in China is very useful and important. In this paper, we will explore the comprehensive poverty characteristics in China, analyze the current poverty status, spatial distribution and temporal variations about rural poverty in China, and to category the different poverty types and their spatial distribution. First, we achieved the gathering and processing the relevant data. These data contain investigation data, research reports, statistical yearbook, censuses, social-economic data, physical and anthrop geographical data, etc. After deeply analysis of these data, we will get the distribution of poverty areas by spatial-temporal data model according to different poverty given standard in different stages in China to see the poverty variation and the regional difference in County-level. Then, the current poverty status, spatial pattern about poverty area in villages-level will be lucubrated; the relationship among poverty, environment (including physical and anthrop geographical factors) and economic development, etc. will be expanded. We hope our research will enhance the people knowledge of poverty in China and contribute to the poverty alleviation in China.

Does poverty alleviation decrease depression symptoms in post-conflict settings? A cluster-randomized trial of microenterprise assistance in Northern Uganda.

PubMed

Green, E P; Blattman, C; Jamison, J; Annan, J

2016-01-01

By 2009, two decades of war and widespread displacement left the majority of the population of Northern Uganda impoverished. This study used a cluster-randomized design to test the hypothesis that a poverty alleviation program would improve economic security and reduce symptoms of depression in a sample of mostly young women. Roughly 120 villages in Northern Uganda were invited to participate. Community committees were asked to identify the most vulnerable women (and some men) to participate. The implementing agency screened all proposed participants, and a total of 1800 were enrolled. Following a baseline survey, villages were randomized to a treatment or wait-list control group. Participants in treatment villages received training, start-up capital, and follow-up support. Participants, implementers, and data collectors were not blinded to treatment status. Villages were randomized to the treatment group (60 villages with 896 participants) or the wait-list control group (60 villages with 904 participants) with an allocation ration of 1:1. All clusters participated in the intervention and were included in the analysis. The intent-to-treat analysis included 860 treatment participants and 866 control participants (4.1% attrition). Sixteen months after the program, monthly cash earnings doubled from UGX 22 523 to 51 124, non-household and non-farm businesses doubled, and cash savings roughly quadrupled. There was no measurable effect on a locally derived measure of symptoms of depression. Despite finding large increases in business, income, and savings among the treatment group, we do not find support for an indirect effect of poverty alleviation on symptoms of depression.

Making a technological choice for disaster management and poverty alleviation in India.

PubMed

Srivastava, Sanjay K

2009-03-01

The right mix of policy, institutional arrangements and use of technology provides the framework for a country's approach to disaster mitigation. Worldwide, there has been a shift away from a strictly 'top-down' approach relying on government alone, to a combination of 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' approaches. The aim is to enhance the indigenous coping mechanisms of vulnerable communities; draw on their cooperative spirit and energy; and empower them through appropriate information and contextual knowledge to mitigate natural disasters. In light of this, the paper examines India's use of space technology in its disaster management efforts. Poverty alleviation and disaster management are almost inseparable in many parts of the country, as vulnerability to natural disasters is closely aligned with poverty. Addressing these issues together requires integrated knowledge systems. The paper examines how knowledge inputs from space technology have strengthened the national resolve to combat natural disasters in conjunction with alleviating rural poverty.

Young Children's Ideas about the Nature, Causes, Justification, and Alleviation of Poverty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chafel, Judith A.; Neitzel, Carin

2005-01-01

Sixty-four 8-year-old boys and girls from urban and rural settings and representing different races and socioeconomic status backgrounds responded to questions about the nature, causes, justification, and alleviation of poverty. Much of what the children said indicated that they had not yet internalized prevailing adult norms and values about the…

Rural-to-urban migration and its implications for poverty alleviation.

PubMed

Skeldon, R

1997-03-01

This article examines rural-urban migration, its role in poverty alleviation in Thailand, and policy implications. The empirical research literature suggests that the poorest tend be left behind by wealthier migrants moving to urban areas. The youngest tend to migrate. The impact of remittances tends to appear more positive in international migration, but the impact of remittances among rural internal migrant families can also be substantial and be responsible for wealth differences within rural communities. Return migrants contribute to communities by bringing back new ideas and new attitudes toward family size. Migration can also produce negative impacts for sending communities, but the total analysis appears to favor positive impacts. The urban sector becomes another resource base for rural populations that can sustain rural populations during rapid change processes. The migrant population tends to be wealthier and better educated than rural populations, but poorer and less educated than urban populations. Informal sectors in urban areas may offer migrants flexible working hours, no taxes or deductions, less bureaucratic structures, and only 9% less income than the formal sector. Social networks reinforce migrant work in the informal sector and segmentation of the labor force. Social networks may be formalized into associations and help in securing migrant's housing and living. Migrants are integrated in a variety of ways into city life. Migrant communities are a source of energy, organizational skills, and talent. The incidence of poverty appears to be the greatest among women. Women migrants and women left behind by migrants must adjust to new conditions. Migration policies tend to focus on regulating the volume of migration. The author concludes that migration alleviates poverty and that policies should address city management, migrant adjustment processes, and training programs for nonmigrants.

State of Early Child Development Research, Practice, and Policy for Most Vulnerable Children: A Global Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Mary Eming

2017-01-01

Interventions to enhance development of children ages 0-6 have profound benefits for children, families, and societies. The benefits are well documented, recognized internationally, and supportive of policies and programs targeting early child development (ECD). Intervening in the early years is a critical first step toward alleviating poverty,…

Training the Nation's Health Manpower.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Institutes of Health (DHEW), Bethesda, MD. Bureau of Health Manpower Education.

Over the past decade, there has been an increasing concern about the lack of health manpower to serve the U.S. population. The areas hardest hit by this shortage are the poverty areas in large cities and rural areas where 30% of the population but only 10% of the physicians live. Many Federal programs have begun to alleviate the problem of the…

Poverty and perceived stress: Evidence from two unconditional cash transfer programs in Zambia.

PubMed

Hjelm, Lisa; Handa, Sudhanshu; de Hoop, Jacobus; Palermo, Tia

2017-03-01

Poverty is a chronic stressor that can lead to poor physical and mental health. This study examines whether two similar government poverty alleviation programs reduced the levels of perceived stress and poverty among poor households in Zambia. Secondary data from two cluster randomized controlled trials were used to evaluate the impacts of two unconditional cash transfer programs in Zambia. Participants were interviewed at baseline and followed over 36 months. Perceived stress among female caregivers was assessed using the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Poverty indicators assessed included per capita expenditure, household food security, and (nonproductive) asset ownership. Fixed effects and ordinary least squares regressions were run, controlling for age, education, marital status, household demographics, location, and poverty status at baseline. Cash transfers did not reduce perceived stress but improved economic security (per capita consumption expenditure, food insecurity, and asset ownership). Among these poverty indicators, only food insecurity was associated with perceived stress. Age and education showed no consistent association with stress, whereas death of a household member was associated with higher stress levels. In this setting, perceived stress was not reduced by a positive income shock but was correlated with food insecurity and household deaths, suggesting that food security is an important stressor in this context. Although the program did reduce food insecurity, the size of the reduction was not enough to generate a statistically significant change in stress levels. The measure used in this study appears not to be correlated with characteristics to which it has been linked in other settings, and thus, further research is needed to examine whether this widely used perceived stress measure appropriately captures the concept of perceived stress in this population. Copyright © 2017 UNICEF. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Social welfare matters: a realist review of when, how, and why unemployment insurance impacts poverty and health.

PubMed

O'Campo, Patricia; Molnar, Agnes; Ng, Edwin; Renahy, Emilie; Mitchell, Christiane; Shankardass, Ketan; St John, Alexander; Bambra, Clare; Muntaner, Carles

2015-05-01

The recent global recession and concurrent rise in job loss makes unemployment insurance (UI) increasingly important to smooth patterns of consumption and keep households from experiencing extreme material poverty. In this paper, we undertake a realist review to produce a critical understanding of how and why UI policies impact on poverty and health in different welfare state contexts between 2000 and 2013. We relied on literature and expert interviews to generate an initial theory and set of propositions about how UI might alleviate poverty and mental distress. We then systematically located and synthesized peer-review studies to glean supportive or contradictory evidence for our initial propositions. Poverty and psychological distress, among unemployed and even the employed, are impacted by generosity of UI in terms of eligibility, duration and wage replacement levels. Though unemployment benefits are not intended to compensate fully for a loss of earnings, generous UI programs can moderate harmful consequences of unemployment. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Technology choice and development in Brazil: An assessment of Brazil's alternative fuel program and the agriculture, manufacturing, energy, and service sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nolan, Lucy A.

Technology choice profoundly affects a country's development process because capital-intensive and labor-intensive technologies have different socioeconomic linkages within the economy. This research examines the impacts of technology choice through the use of a social accounting matrix (SAM) framework. SAM-based modeling determines the direct and indirect effects of technology choice on development, particularly poverty alleviation in Brazil. Brazil's alternative fuel program was analyzed as a special example of technology choice. Two ethanol production technologies and the gasoline sector were compared; to make the study more robust, labor and capital intensive technologies were evaluated in the production of agriculture, manufacturing, energy, and services. Growth in these economic sectors was examined to assess the effects on employment, factor and household income, energy intensity, and carbon dioxide costs. Poverty alleviation was a focus, so income to unskilled agriculture labor, unskilled non-agriculture labor, and income to rural and urban households in poverty was also analyzed. The major research finding is that overall, labor-intensive technologies generate more employment, factor and household income, environmental and energy benefits to Brazil's economy than capital-intensive technologies. In addition, labor-intensive technologies make a particular contribution to poverty alleviation. The results suggest that policies to encourage the adoption of these technologies, especially in the agriculture and renewable energy sectors, are important because of their intersectoral linkages within the economy. Many studies have shown that Brazil's fuel ethanol program has helped to realize multiple macroeconomic objectives. However, this is the first empirical study to quantify its household income effects. The ethanol industry generated the most household income of the energy sectors. The research confirms a key finding of the appropriate technology literature, namely that government policies are important to the implementation of labor-intensive technologies. Finally, this research makes two important contributions to the SAM methodology. It is one of the first SAM modeling exercises to quantify the costs of carbon dioxide emissions and the impact of alternative fuels on regional and human development. The addition of an environmental sector enables the planner to determine carbon dioxide effects resulting from growth in different socioeconomic sectors. This will have implications for greenhouse gas mitigation strategies.

Aid as Obstacle: Twenty Questions about Our Foreign Aid and the Hungry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lappe, Frances Moore; And Others

Reasons why U.S. foreign aid fails to alleviate hunger and poverty are discussed and a solution to the problem is presented. The United States now channels more foreign aid than ever to the world's poor and hungry through the Agency for International Development, food aid programs, the World Bank, and other multilateral aid agencies, which report…

Scaling up a community-based program for maternal and child nutrition in Thailand.

PubMed

Winichagoon, Pattanee

2014-06-01

The first national nutrition survey of Thailand in 1960 revealed that malnutrition among children and women in this rice-exporting country was highly prevalent. Malnutrition received national-level attention in the 1970s, when a national multisectoral nutrition plan was included in the Fourth National Economic and Social Development Plan (NESDP) (1977-81), followed by effective implementation through Thailand's primary healthcare system and poverty alleviation plan in the 1982-87 NESDP. Nutrition was embedded into primary healthcare, and a community-based nutrition program was successfully implemented through community participation via manpower mobilization and capacity-building, financing, and organization. Growth-monitoring, promotion of infant and young child feeding, and joint financing (government and community) of a nutrition fund were implemented. The poverty alleviation plan made it possible to streamline resource allocations at the national level down to priority poverty areas, which also facilitated microlevel planning. Effective, integrated actions were undertaken using the basic minimum needs approach, wherein community people identified problems and participated in actions with inputs from government personnel. This effective process took about 5 years to put in place. In response, child undernutrition declined significantly. Severe malnutrition was practically eradicated, and it remains resilient despite social and economic challenges, such as the Asian economic crisis in 1977. Currently, stunting and subclinical micronutrient deficiencies remain, while overweight and obesity among children are rising rapidly. A different paradigm and strategy will be essential to address the nation's current nutrition challenges.

Beyond Professionalizing the Agricultural Curriculum for Poverty Alleviation and Prosperity: A Case Study of the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources of the Catholic University Institute of Buea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kima, Laetitia Ako; Mobit, Mbohjim Othniel; Ndzeshala, Takwi Solange; Itoe, Salome Mokabe; Bernard, Nyindem Asongwe

2016-01-01

Education has been recognized as crucial for poverty alleviation through the harnessing of human formation and creativity. However, limited success has been achieved in Cameroon under traditional university approaches, as evidenced by a high unemployment rate among graduates and concerns about the lack of business ethics and values…

Government as Anti-Poverty Facilitator in the USA: Static Inequality Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Musgrave, Frank W.

2009-01-01

This article explores issues of persistent poverty and income inequality. The major focus is that of the alleviation of poverty. Is there a framework that delineates the roles for government, market forces and self-reliance that can effect a reduction in the level of poverty? The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act…

Education: A Solution for Rural Poverty? Staff Paper 350.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clouser, Rodney L.

This paper presents an overview of poverty in rural America, and examines the ways in which improved education could alleviate rural poverty. The question of education as a mechanism to reduce poverty includes issues of economic demand and supply. On the demand side, labor market projections indicate that the service sector will continue to grow,…

Korean delegation focuses on women.

PubMed

1997-01-01

Among the opportunities and challenges facing the ESCAP region in the 21st century is the full and equal participation of women in all sectors of society, stated one of the representatives of the Republic of Korea at the Senior Officials segment of the 53rd session of the Commission. As a follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women, held at Beijing in 1995, her country passed the Women's Development Act, which entered into force in July 1996, she explained. It "provides a strong legal basis for adequate institutional and financial support towards the achievement of gender equality," which is also one of the goals of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development held at Cairo in 1994. In tandem with domestic efforts, enhancing cooperation at the regional and international levels is essential, she added. In a separate intervention, another member of the Korean delegation elaborated on the comments of his colleague. He pointed out that, "for the past 30 years, the Republic of Korea as a nation has done its best to alleviate the pressure of absolute poverty and has improved the quality of life through continued economic growth." He admitted, though, that rapid economic growth has brought about its own side effects -- "unsolved problems still remain such as residual absolute poverty and increasing relative poverty." Poverty alleviation policies aimed at creating equal opportunities must address four aspects, he noted: 1) maintenance and enhancement of health, 2) promotion of educational opportunities, 3) vocational training, and 4) employment promotion. full text

Empowering people. Alleviating poverty through self-sufficiency.

PubMed

Nahariya, R

1993-03-01

Highlights from an interview with Benjamin D. de Leon, who was appointed Presidential Assistant for Social Development in the Philippines in September 1992, are presented. Mr. de Leon's concern for the marginal sectors of society in health, employment, housing, social welfare, and manpower training as well as his goals of poverty alleviation and people empowerment account for this appointment. Duties include formulating a social development agenda; assisting the Social Development Committee of the Cabinet and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in program implementation; and providing weekly information packages about family planning (FP), health, children, women, and the environment. The social development agenda of the Philippine Medium-term Plan (1992-1998) includes employment, income, wages; population, health and nutrition, and family planning; and housing, education, manpower development, social welfare, and community development. The Plan recognizes that poverty is aggravated by rapid population growth, and it strives to ensure that adolescents, military males, high-risk women, and young unmarried couples receive FP information and services from government agencies and nongovernmental organizations. Adequate resources for population and FP as well as recognizing the relationship among population, resources, and the environment are essential to meet the goals of the plan. The present population and FP policy is based on the 1987 Constitution, which spells out responsible parenthood but also rejects abortion as a method of contraception. The official FP program calls for child survival and safe motherhood and accessible, available, and affordable FP services. The Roman Catholic Church opposes the program, since the Church promotes only the rhythm method, but the other religions approve of the program. Some priests and nuns did not object to the promotion of FP. Sufficient financial support from the international community for the Philippine Population and Family Planning Program would also help realize the aspiration that all Filipino children be wanted by their parents and grow up with a sense of discipline and love of country.

Arizona Women in Poverty Hearings. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coudroglou, Aliki

Prepared at the request of Arizona Governor Bruce Babbit, this report documents the state of poverty among women in Arizona and recommends an action plan that will alleviate their poor economic status. Discussion focuses on three factors identified as influencing conditions of poverty experienced by women: changing family structure, the labor…

Factors associated with persons with disability employment in India: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Naraharisetti, Ramya; Castro, Marcia C

2016-10-07

Over twenty million persons with disability in India are increasingly being offered poverty alleviation strategies, including employment programs. This study employs a spatial analytic approach to identify correlates of employment among persons with disability in India, considering sight, speech, hearing, movement, and mental disabilities. Based on 2001 Census data, this study utilizes linear regression and spatial autoregressive models to identify factors associated with the proportion employed among persons with disability at the district level. Models stratified by rural and urban areas were also considered. Spatial autoregressive models revealed that different factors contribute to employment of persons with disability in rural and urban areas. In rural areas, having mental disability decreased the likelihood of employment, while being female and having movement, or sight impairment (compared to other disabilities) increased the likelihood of employment. In urban areas, being female and illiterate decreased the likelihood of employment but having sight, mental and movement impairment (compared to other disabilities) increased the likelihood of employment. Poverty alleviation programs designed for persons with disability in India should account for differences in employment by disability types and should be spatially targeted. Since persons with disability in rural and urban areas have different factors contributing to their employment, it is vital that government and service-planning organizations account for these differences when creating programs aimed at livelihood development.

Warm Homes, Greener Living: Reducing Energy Poverty in Daniel McIntyre and St. Matthews through Energy Retrofits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulz, Kari

This research examines energy poverty in the Daniel McIntyre and St. Matthews (DMSM) neighbourhoods in the city of Winnipeg. Energy poverty, defined as households spending more than 6% of their income on energy expenditures, affects as many as 50% of households in DMSM. Energy poverty can be alleviated through energy retrofits for dwellings such as weather stripping; increasing insulation in exterior walls, the attic and basement; and installing a high-efficiency furnace. The recommendations include: establishing consistent housing and energy efficiency policies; increasing the flexibility of utility on-bill financing; levying the necessary capital for energy retrofits through municipal financing mechanisms; increasing the knowledge and capacity of local residents; increasing the knowledge and capacity of local contractors for sustainable design and construction; creating a provincial strategy to increase the energy efficiency of social housing; developing low-income energy efficiency programs for rental properties; and increasing access to renewable energy sources.

Child Poverty: Definition and Measurement.

PubMed

Short, Kathleen S

2016-04-01

This article provides a discussion of what we mean when we refer to 'child poverty.' Many images come to mind when we discuss child poverty, but when we try to measure and quantify the extent of child poverty, we often use a very narrow concept. In this article a variety of poverty measures that are used in the United States are described and some of the differences between those measures are illustrated. In this article 3 measures are explored in detail: a relative measure of poverty that is used more often in an international context, the official US poverty measure, and a new supplemental poverty measure (SPM). The new measure differs from the other 2 because it takes into account noncash benefits that are provided to poor families. These include nutrition assistance such as food stamps, subsidized housing, and home energy assistance. The SPM also takes account of necessary expenses that families face, such as taxes and expenses related to work and health care. Comparing estimates for 2012, the SPM showed lower poverty rates for children than the other 2 measures. Because noncash benefits help those in extreme poverty, there were also lower percentages of children in extreme poverty with resources below half the SPM threshold. These results suggest that 2 important measures of poverty, the relative measure used in international comparisons, and the official poverty measure, are not able to gauge the effect of government programs on the alleviation of poverty, and the SPM illustrates that noncash benefits do help families meet their basic needs. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Education and microfinance: an alternative approach to the empowerment of the poor people in Indonesia.

PubMed

Hadi, Rizali; Wahyudin, Uyu; Ardiwinata, Jajat S; Abdu, Wamaungo Juma

2015-01-01

There is good reason to combine education with microcredit for poverty alleviation in the poor communities of the developing world, including in Indonesia. Poverty is dangerous, it deprives people of their right to education, their right to good health, their right to freedom of speech, their right to democracy, their right to financial services and of course their right to knowledge enhancement, which are all crucial to living a better life. We must therefore, provide services beyond, credits for the poor. In this case, education should be included to each and every development agenda for the poor since it is key to any positive change and sustainable development of people. If well planned and well integrated within the microcredit services, education can serve a good purpose in poverty alleviation. This paper describes how education and microfinance have been used in combination to alleviate poverty in Indonesia, especially in the areas studied. The study uses a multi-cases approach to examine the purposively selected baitul maal tamwil (BMTs) organisations, which are sharia based semiformal microfinance institutions regarded to be among those few integrating education with their financial services.

Using a Transdisciplinary Interpretive Lens to Broaden Reflections on Alleviating Poverty and Promoting Decent Work.

PubMed

Di Fabio, Annamaria; Maree, Jacobus G

2016-01-01

This article aims to broaden current reflections on definitions of decent work and poverty using a transdisciplinary interpretive lens comprising philosophical, juridical, economic, sociological, and psychological understandings. We (the authors) undertook an adapted systematic qualitative review to gather data on different perspectives on decent work and poverty. The article summarizes and compares reflections on the two constructs and proposes an enhancement of the current definition of decent work. The aim is to facilitate the identification and development of new research and intervention projects that can be implemented to promote fair and sustainable economic development, the provision of decent work, and the reduction of poverty globally. We believe that challenges should be dealt with pro-actively rather than reactively and that intervening at the level of primary prevention should lie at the heart of any strategy to promote decent work and alleviate poverty. Radical intervention is needed to ensure that future generations not only survive but develop, grow, and express themselves meaningfully through decent work.

Using a Transdisciplinary Interpretive Lens to Broaden Reflections on Alleviating Poverty and Promoting Decent Work

PubMed Central

Di Fabio, Annamaria; Maree, Jacobus G.

2016-01-01

This article aims to broaden current reflections on definitions of decent work and poverty using a transdisciplinary interpretive lens comprising philosophical, juridical, economic, sociological, and psychological understandings. We (the authors) undertook an adapted systematic qualitative review to gather data on different perspectives on decent work and poverty. The article summarizes and compares reflections on the two constructs and proposes an enhancement of the current definition of decent work. The aim is to facilitate the identification and development of new research and intervention projects that can be implemented to promote fair and sustainable economic development, the provision of decent work, and the reduction of poverty globally. We believe that challenges should be dealt with pro-actively rather than reactively and that intervening at the level of primary prevention should lie at the heart of any strategy to promote decent work and alleviate poverty. Radical intervention is needed to ensure that future generations not only survive but develop, grow, and express themselves meaningfully through decent work PMID:27148115

Social Work's Response to Poverty: From Benefits Dependence to Economic Self-Sufficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gates, Lauren B.; Koza, Jennifer; Akabas, Sheila H.

2017-01-01

Welfare reform in the 1990s represented a fundamental policy shift in the United States' response to poverty from supporting benefits dependency to promoting economic self-sufficiency. Social work's capacity to integrate this policy shift into practice is central to meeting its mission to alleviate poverty. This study looked at the preparation of…

Gendered Poverty and Education: Moving beyond Access to Expanding Freedoms through Microfinance Policy in India and Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voola, Archana

2016-01-01

Microfinance has been recognized globally as a poverty alleviating strategy and particularly as a gender equality enhancing approach. There have been immense, intense and nuanced debates in the field of international development, feminist studies and comparative social policy regarding the role of microfinance in addressing gendered poverty. This…

Rural Poverty Alleviation in Brazil: Toward an Integrated Strategy. World Bank Country Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valdes, Alberto; Mistiaen, Johan A.

This report constitutes a step toward designing an integrated strategy for rural poverty reduction in Brazil. The report contains an updated and detailed profile of the rural poor in the northeast and southeast regions of Brazil; identifies key components of rural poverty in those regions; and proposes a five-pronged strategic framework in which…

Pedagogising Poverty Alleviation: A Discourse Analysis of Educational and Social Policies in Argentina and Chile

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rambla, Xavier; Veger, Antoni

2009-01-01

For the past decades international organisations and governments have promoted and implemented analogous education policies on the grounds that education is the key factor to foster development and fight poverty. This article sets the context of these educational programmes and analyses their discourse on poverty in Argentina and Chile. Then, it…

Preventing trafficking in women and children in Asia: issues and options.

PubMed

Bennett, T

1999-09-01

This article discusses the issues and options in the prevention of trafficking of women and children in Asia. Studies revealed a higher prevalence of trafficking in Asian countries such as Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Philippines, Cambodia, and Thailand. This is due to a huge population, growing urbanization, and poverty. Several programs by the government and nongovernmental organizations have been developed to address the trafficking problem. In Nepal, the Maiti program was organized to help trafficking victims return to their home country, while occupational alternatives and awareness campaigns were organized for young women vulnerable to trafficking. In Thailand, greater penalties were imposed to customers as compared to the sellers so as to discourage the continuance and decrease the prevalence of trafficking. Other strategies have also been identified, such as prosecution of procurers, community awareness through campaigns, poverty alleviation, and gender equalization to address the trafficking problem.

An Examination of the Nature of Sand Harvesting Conflicts and Their Influence on Poverty Alleviation Initiatives in Makueni County, Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muthomi, Simon; Okoth, Pontian; Were, Edmond; Vundi, Silvia

2015-01-01

Though natural resources play an important role in the economies of many countries, conflicts associated with their access continue to contribute to poverty in many African countries. While studies confirm conflict-poverty nexus for high value natural resources, scanty information is available on the low value resources. This study, therefore,…

Imputed food insecurity as a predictor of disease and mental health in Taiwanese elementary school children.

PubMed

Chen, Likwang; Wahlqvist, Mark L; Teng, Nai-Chi; Lu, Hsin-Ming

2009-01-01

This study investigated the association between food insecurity and Taiwanese children's ambulatory medical care use for treating eighteen disease types linked to endocrine and metabolic disorders, nutrition, immunity, infections, asthma, mental health, injury, and poisoning. We used longitudinal data in the Taiwan National Health Insurance scheme (NHI) for 764,526 elementary children, and employed approximate NHI data to construct three indicators imputed to food insecurity: low birth weight status, economic status (poverty versus non-poverty), and time of year (summer break time versus semester time). We compared ambulatory care for these diseases between children with low birth weight and those not, and between children living in poverty and those not. A difference-in-differences method was adopted to examine the potential for a publicly- funded lunch program to reduce the harmful health effects of food insecurity on poor children. We found that children in poverty were significantly more likely to have ambulatory visits linked with diabetes, inherited disorders of metabolism, iron deficiency anemias, ill-defined symptoms concerning nutrition, metabolism and development, as well as mental disorders. Children with low birth weight also had a significantly higher likelihood of using care for other endocrine disorders and nutritional deficiencies, in addition to the above diseases. The study failed to find any significant effect of the semester school lunch program on alleviating the harmful health effects of food insecurity for poor children, suggesting that a more intensive food program or other program approaches might be required to help poor children overcome food insecurity and its related health outcomes.

Food Security and Women's Access to Natural Resources workshop; a brief report.

PubMed

1997-01-01

This article describes the workshop on Food Security and Women's Access to Natural Resources, held in January 1997 in Mumbai, India. The workshop was organized jointly by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and the Indian Association of Women's Studies. The aim was to examine the food security situation in Maharashtra and Gujarat states in the west, the initiative to build alternative institutions, legal changes augmenting industrialization, and how traditional rights to common property resources can be legalized and how the poor can have access to new resources. The workshop organizers were unable to obtain experts on some topics. Core discussion centered on changes in industrialization, natural resources, gender and food security; access to natural resources and poverty alleviation programs; initiatives to create food security; and laws related to access to land and water. Discussions revealed the alienation of small and marginal farmers, landless laborers, and artisans from their livelihoods and survival strategies for these disenfranchised groups. The design of drought eradication and water conservation programs did not permit women and men working at construction sites to have access to the program assets. Case studies revealed situations in which women won the right of access to community water and then negotiated for land in lease. The women used landowners to negotiate credit and access development program assets, but normal channels of the National Bank of Agricultural Research and Development could have provided these benefits. Participants discussed how governments can be held accountable and how public funds could be used to revamp poverty alleviation and asset creation programs. All agreed that macrolevel development should give priority to agricultural development and legal constraints or problems. Five follow-up activities are identified.

Women's Education: The Contending Discourses and Possibilities for Change. Promoting the Empowerment of Women. A Series of 29 Booklets Documenting Workshops Held at the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education (Hamburg, Germany, July 14-18, 1997).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Hamburg (Germany). Inst. for Education.

This booklet reflects issues raised at a workshop on women's education and empowerment held at the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education. It focuses on promoting empowerment for women in educational contexts ranging from formal education systems to literacy and poverty alleviation programs. Section 1 discusses two perspectives on…

Neighborhood-Level Interventions to Improve Childhood Opportunity and Lift Children Out of Poverty.

PubMed

Sandel, Megan; Faugno, Elena; Mingo, Angela; Cannon, Jessie; Byrd, Kymberly; Garcia, Dolores Acevedo; Collier, Sheena; McClure, Elizabeth; Boynton-Jarrett, Renée

2016-04-01

Population health is associated with the socioeconomic characteristics of neighborhoods. There is considerable scientific and policy interest in community-level interventions to alleviate child poverty. Intergenerational poverty is associated with inequitable access to opportunities. Improving opportunity structures within neighborhoods may contribute to improved child health and development. Neighborhood-level efforts to alleviate poverty for all children require alignment of cross-sector efforts, community engagement, and multifactorial approaches that consider the role of people as well as place. We highlight several accessible tools and strategies that health practitioners can engage to improve regional and local systems that influence child opportunity. The Child Opportunity Index is a population-level surveillance tool to describe community-level resources and inequities in US metropolitan areas. The case studies reviewed outline strategies for creating higher opportunity neighborhoods for pediatricians interested in working across sectors to address the impact of neighborhood opportunity on child health and well-being. Copyright © 2016 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Women and family poultry production in rural Africa.

PubMed

Gueye, E H

2000-02-01

Poultry production has existed for many generations in Africa, and almost every village household keeps chickens. The rural family poultry (RFP) are generally raised in free-range and/or backyard systems, which are traditional extensive husbandry systems. The development of an intensive poultry production has been the goal of the African government over the years. Despite efforts aiming for such goal, RFP is still very important in African countries that are both poor and net importers of food. It is a valuable asset because it can contribute significantly in alleviating poverty, securing food supply, and promoting gender equality. In view of this, interventions to improve RFP production systems should take into account the sociocultural issues, specifically gender-based aspects. It is noted that such interventions might, in addition to food security and poverty alleviation, also serve to promote gender equality. RFP development programs should be more women-friendly in order to facilitate women's participation, as RFP production in the region is generally a woman's business. Moreover, efforts to empower village women has to be envisaged cautiously as there is a serious risk of men taking over once the poultry sector becomes more profitable.

Poverty functions and the aged population.

PubMed

Owens, E W

1990-01-01

This article examines trends in poverty among the elderly in the United States from two perspectives. "First, we are interested in changes that took place in the magnitude, characteristics and incidence of poverty within this sector, as a result of the functioning of the economy as well as the poverty programme during the past decade. Our second primary objective is to present analytical models of the severity of poverty and use these models to describe techniques that might be employed in evaluating ways of alleviating poverty in one category of the aged poor where it seems most acute and most intractable, i.e. aged women living alone." excerpt

Product advertising versus ideas advertising.

PubMed

Harvey, P

1998-01-01

Social marketing programs which promote the use of a product, such as a condom, have certain advantages over programs which simply try to convince people to change their behavior. Of considerable importance, the success or failure of a social marketing program can be readily assessed through the level of sales of the promoted product. Most programs designed to alleviate poverty or advance social goals are extremely hard to measure, often leading to program inefficiency and even undetected failure. However, when a socially motivated program depends upon product sales, those sales can be quickly measured. Even though sales statistics alone are not enough to accurately judge the impact of family planning programs, they can still say much about relative program efficiencies. The brand advantage of promoting and selling branded products is also explained.

Does cataract surgery alleviate poverty? Evidence from a multi-centre intervention study conducted in Kenya, the Philippines and Bangladesh.

PubMed

Kuper, Hannah; Polack, Sarah; Mathenge, Wanjiku; Eusebio, Cristina; Wadud, Zakia; Rashid, Mamunur; Foster, Allen

2010-11-09

Poverty and blindness are believed to be intimately linked, but empirical data supporting this purported relationship are sparse. The objective of this study is to assess whether there is a reduction in poverty after cataract surgery among visually impaired cases. A multi-centre intervention study was conducted in three countries (Kenya, Philippines, Bangladesh). Poverty data (household per capita expenditure--PCE, asset ownership and self-rated wealth) were collected from cases aged ≥50 years who were visually impaired due to cataract (visual acuity<6/24 in the better eye) and age-sex matched controls with normal vision. Cases were offered free/subsidised cataract surgery. Approximately one year later participants were re-interviewed about poverty. 466 cases and 436 controls were examined at both baseline and follow-up (Follow up rate: 78% for cases, 81% for controls), of which 263 cases had undergone cataract surgery ("operated cases"). At baseline, operated cases were poorer compared to controls in terms of PCE (Kenya: $22 versus £35 p = 0.02, Bangladesh: $16 vs $24 p = 0.004, Philippines: $24 vs 32 p = 0.0007), assets and self-rated wealth. By follow-up PCE had increased significantly among operated cases in each of the three settings to the level of controls (Kenya: $30 versus £36 p = 0.49, Bangladesh: $23 vs $23 p = 0.20, Philippines: $45 vs $36 p = 0.68). There were smaller increases in self-rated wealth and no changes in assets. Changes in PCE were apparent in different socio-demographic and ocular groups. The largest PCE increases were apparent among the cases that were poorest at baseline. This study showed that cataract surgery can contribute to poverty alleviation, particularly among the most vulnerable members of society. This study highlights the need for increased provision of cataract surgery to poor people and shows that a focus on blindness may help to alleviate poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Addressing Energy Poverty through Smarter Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oldfield, Eddie

2011-01-01

Energy poverty is a key detriment to labor productivity, economic growth, and social well-being. This article presents a qualitative review of literature on the potential role of intelligent communication technology, web-based standards, and smart grid technology to alleviate energy costs and improve access to clean distributed energy in developed…

Poverty crisis in the Third World: the contradictions of World Bank policy.

PubMed

Burkett, P

1991-01-01

Politicians, the mainstream media, and orthodox social science have all been telling us of a final victory of capitalism over socialism, suggesting that capitalism is the only viable option for solving the world's problems. Yet, the global capitalist system is itself entering the third decade of a profound structural crisis, the costs of which have been borne largely by the exploited and oppressed peoples of the underdeveloped periphery. While the World Bank's latest World Development Report recognizes the current poverty crisis in the third world, its "two-part strategy" for alleviating poverty is based on an inadequate analysis of how peripheral capitalist development marginalizes the basic needs of the third world poor. Hence, the World Bank's assertion that free-market policies are consistent with effective antipoverty programs does not confront the class structures and global capitalist interests bound up with the reproduction of mass poverty in the third world. The World Bank's subordination of the basic needs of the poor to free-market adjustments and reforms in fact suggests that the real purpose of its "two-part strategy" is to ensure continued extraction of surplus from third world countries by maintaining the basic structure of imperialist underdevelopment.

Rural poverty and environmental degradation in the Philippines: A system dynamics approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parayno, Phares Penuliar

Poverty among the small cultivators in the Philippines remains widespread despite a general increase in per capita income during the last three decades. At the same time, the degradation of agricultural land resources, as sources of daily subsistence for the rural workers, is progressing. Past policy studies on the alleviation of rural poverty in the developing countries have centered on the issue of increasing food production and expanding economic growth but gave little attention to the issue of constraints imposed by degradation of agricultural land resources. Only in recent years have there been increasing focus on the relationship between rural poverty and environmental degradation. Inquiry is, however, often done by simplistic one way causal relationships which, although often illuminating, does not provide a comprehensive understanding of the different interacting processes that create rural poverty and land degradation. Thus, policies ensuing from such analyses provide only short-term gains without effecting lasting improvement in the living conditions of the small cultivators. This dissertation examines the complex interrelationships between rural poverty and land degradation and attempts to explain the inefficacy of broad development programs implemented in alleviating rural poverty and reversing deterioration of land resources. The study uses the case of the Philippines for empirical validation. The analysis employs computer simulation experiments with a system dynamics model of a developing economy consisting of an agricultural sector whose microstructure incorporates processes influencing: agricultural production; disbursement of income; changes in the quality of agricultural land resources; demographic behavior; and rural-urban transfer of real and monetary resources. The system dynamics model used in this study extends the wage and income distribution model of Saeed (1988) by adding to it decision structures concerning changes in the quality of agricultural land resources and rural-urban interaction. The study concludes that development programs advancing growth in agricultural production and providing technological, organizational, and financial assistance to target poor groups would not deliver long-term improvement in the economic conditions of the poor peasants unless distribution of land is altered. Similarly, policies promoting land improvement and conservation measures in an economic environment where land ownership remains skewed do not produce lasting betterment of agricultural land quality. It has been shown that a policy, which discourages the separation of land ownership from cultivatorship by imposing a tax on income accrued from absentee ownership, is therefore very critical in promoting land ownership among small cultivators and changing unequal land and income distribution. However, in order to sustain the improvement in the economic and environmental conditions of the small cultivators, this policy of taxing rent income must be complemented by policies that: (1) promote increases in agricultural production; (2) provide technological, organizational, and financial assistance to the small farmers; and (3) promote land improvement measures.

The development of rural area residence based on participatory planning case study: A rural residential area of Pucungrejo village, Magelang through "neighborhood development" program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

KP, R. M. Bambang Setyohadi; Wicaksono, Dimas

2018-03-01

The poverty is one of the prevailing problems in Indonesia until now. Even a change of the era of governance has not succeeded in eradicating the problem of poverty. The program of poverty alleviation program has always been a focus in the budget allocation in all era of leadership in Indonesia. Those programs were strategic because it prepared the foundation of community self-reliance in the form of representative, entrenched and conducive community leadership institutions to develop of social capital of society in the future. Developing an area of the village requires an integrated planning (Grand Design) to figure out the potential and the problems existing in the rural area as well as the integration of the rural area surrounding. In addition, the grand design needs to be synchronized to the more comprehensive spatial plan with a hierarchical structure such as RTBL, RDTRK / RRTRK, RTRK, and RTRW. This rural area management plan can be oriented or refer to the pattern developed from neighborhood Development program which is part of the PNPM Mandiri program. The neighborhood development program is known as residential area development plan whose process involves of the entire community. Therefore, the regional development up to the scale of the environment requires the planning phase. Particularly, spatial planning which emphasizes the efforts to optimize sectorial development targets to be integrated into an integrated development process must be conducted, in addition to taking into consideration the opportunities, potentials and limitations of the resources, the level of interconnection with the central government within the district and between sub-districts and rural areas.

Dimensions of Poverty and Health Outcomes Among People Living with HIV Infection: Limited Resources and Competing Needs.

PubMed

Kalichman, Seth C; Hernandez, Dominica; Kegler, Christopher; Cherry, Chauncey; Kalichman, Moira O; Grebler, Tamar

2015-08-01

HIV infection is concentrated in populations living in poverty. We examined the overlapping and independent effects of multiple poverty indicators on HIV-related health status. Because substance use can create competing survival needs when resources are limited, we also sought to objectively measure expenditures on food relative to alcohol and tobacco products. To achieve these aims, 459 men and 212 women living with HIV infection in Atlanta, GA completed measures of socio-demographic and heath characteristics as well as multiple indicators of poverty including housing stability, transportation, food insecurity, and substance use. Participants were given a $30 grocery gift card for their participation and we collected receipts which were coded for alcohol (beer, wine, liquors) and tobacco purchases. Results showed that participants with unsuppressed HIV replication were significantly more likely to experience multiple indicators of poverty. In addition, one in four participants purchased alcohol or tobacco products with their gift cards, with as much as one-fourth of money spent on these products. A multivariable logistic regression model showed that food insecurity was independently associated with unsuppressed HIV, and purchasing alcohol or tobacco products did not moderate this association. Results confirm previous research to show the primacy of food insecurity in relation to HIV-related health outcomes. Competing survival needs, including addictive substances, should be addressed in programs that aim to alleviate poverty to enhance the health and well-being of people with HIV infection.

Poverty blindness: exploring the diagnosis and treatment of an epidemic condition.

PubMed

Ventres, William; Gusoff, Geoff

2014-02-01

Despite the historical and social significance of poverty, scholars from varied ideological and philosophical disciplines have often observed that its most notable feature is its invisibility. We suggest that poverty is not excluded from view, but rather from consciousness. This lack of consciousness is due to a subjective "poverty blindness" on the part of those who fail to take the poor into account. In this article we explore this new concept of "Poverty Blindness" (PB) using a clinical approach. We review the clinical manifestations of PB and the associated condition of Poverty Acuity Disorder (PAD). We conclude by suggesting that the ability to see these circumstances and consequences of poverty is not some ambiguous externalized concept, but lies within our own consciousnesses and consciences. Only through recognizing this are we able to assess honestly the realities of poverty or debate how to go about its alleviation.

The political economy of tobacco and poverty alleviation in Southeast Asia: contradictions in the role of the state.

PubMed

Barraclough, Simon; Morrow, Martha

2010-03-01

Of the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), all but Indonesia have embraced the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and all endorse some form of tobacco control policy. Nevertheless, except for Brunei, all these states are, to varying degrees, complicit in investing in or promoting the tobacco industry, often using the justification of poverty alleviation. Tobacco use is the major preventable cause of illness and death among the populations of these countries. Claims that tobacco alleviates poverty in developing countries have increasingly been discredited: thus continuing state support for the industry represents a fundamental paradox. Using primary documents from governments and the tobacco industry, and published studies investigating tobacco and poverty, this article explores the contradictions inherent in the state seeking to prevent tobacco use in the interests of health, while actively promoting tobacco for the economic benefit of its citizens. These contradictions result in both symbolic and substantial harm to tobacco control efforts: tobacco production is legitimized, rational policy principles are violated, direct cooperation between the state and multinational tobacco corporations is made possible with associated opportunities for mollifying control policies, and different state agencies work at cross purposes. Although tobacco exports within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) also threaten the group's health solidarity, it is argued that divestiture of state ownership of capital in tobacco corporations and a commitment by states not to promote tobacco are urgently required if the Convention is to have full effect both in the countries of the region and in other states that have ratified it.

The Role of Training in Reducing Poverty: The Case of the Ultra-Poor in Bangladesh

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, Mohammad Aktaruzzaman; Ali, Anees Janee

2014-01-01

Although microcredit is considered the main vehicle for increasing the income of the poor and alleviating poverty in Bangladesh, it is now well recognised that more than this is needed to reach the ultra poor in rural areas. Consequently, almost half of the Bangladesh population is in some way linked to non-governmental organizations' development…

Accounting for Poverty in Infrastructure Reform: Learning from Latin America's Experience. WBI Development Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Estache, Antonio; Foster, Vivien; Wodon, Quentin

This book explores the connections between infrastructure reform and poverty alleviation in Latin America based on a detailed analysis of the effects of a decade of reforms. The book demonstrates that because the access to, and affordability of, basic services is still a major problem, infrastructure investment will be a core component of poverty…

Extension Strategies for Poverty Alleviation: Lessons from China and India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Burton E.

2006-01-01

This paper discusses the transition from a national focus on food security during the last half of the 20th century to an emerging strategy on helping small-scale farm households increase farm income to reduce rural poverty. The basic proposition is that if extension is going to help increase farm incomes and rural employment, then it must shift…

Is Health of the Aging Improved by Conditional Cash Transfer Programs? Evidence From Mexico

PubMed Central

Behrman, Jere R.

2013-01-01

Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs link public transfers to human capital investment in the hopes of alleviating current poverty and reducing its intergenerational transmission. Whereas nearly all studies of their effects have focused on youth, CCT programs may also have an impact on aging adults by increasing household resources or inducing changes in allocations of time of household members, which may be of substantial interest, particularly given the rapid aging of most populations. This article contributes to this underresearched area by examining health and work impacts on the aging for the best-known and most influential of these programs, the Mexican PROGRESA/Oportunidades program. For a number of health indicators, the program appears to significantly improve health, with larger effects for recipients with a greater time receiving benefits from the program. Most of these health effects are concentrated on women. PMID:23494570

Tourism Contribution to Poverty Alleviation in Kenya: A Dynamic Computable General Equilibrium Analysis.

PubMed

Njoya, Eric Tchouamou; Seetaram, Neelu

2018-04-01

The aim of this article is to investigate the claim that tourism development can be the engine for poverty reduction in Kenya using a dynamic, microsimulation computable general equilibrium model. The article improves on the common practice in the literature by using the more comprehensive Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) index to measure poverty instead of headcount ratios only. Simulations results from previous studies confirm that expansion of the tourism industry will benefit different sectors unevenly and will only marginally improve poverty headcount. This is mainly due to the contraction of the agricultural sector caused the appreciation of the real exchange rates. This article demonstrates that the effect on poverty gap and poverty severity is, nevertheless, significant for both rural and urban areas with higher impact in the urban areas. Tourism expansion enables poorer households to move closer to the poverty line. It is concluded that the tourism industry is pro-poor.

Tourism Contribution to Poverty Alleviation in Kenya: A Dynamic Computable General Equilibrium Analysis

PubMed Central

Njoya, Eric Tchouamou; Seetaram, Neelu

2017-01-01

The aim of this article is to investigate the claim that tourism development can be the engine for poverty reduction in Kenya using a dynamic, microsimulation computable general equilibrium model. The article improves on the common practice in the literature by using the more comprehensive Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) index to measure poverty instead of headcount ratios only. Simulations results from previous studies confirm that expansion of the tourism industry will benefit different sectors unevenly and will only marginally improve poverty headcount. This is mainly due to the contraction of the agricultural sector caused the appreciation of the real exchange rates. This article demonstrates that the effect on poverty gap and poverty severity is, nevertheless, significant for both rural and urban areas with higher impact in the urban areas. Tourism expansion enables poorer households to move closer to the poverty line. It is concluded that the tourism industry is pro-poor. PMID:29595836

Impact of the Kenya Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children on early pregnancy and marriage of adolescent girls.

PubMed

Handa, Sudhanshu; Peterman, Amber; Huang, Carolyn; Halpern, Carolyn; Pettifor, Audrey; Thirumurthy, Harsha

2015-09-01

There is promising evidence that poverty-targeted cash transfer programs can have positive impacts on adolescent transitions to adulthood in resource poor settings, however existing research is typically from small scale programs in diverse geographic and cultural settings. We provide estimates of the impact of a national unconditional cash transfer program, the Kenya Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, on pregnancy and early marriage among females aged 12 to 24, four years after program initiation. The evaluation was designed as a clustered randomized controlled trial and ran from 2007 to 2011, capitalizing on the existence of a control group, which was delayed entry to the program due to budget constraints. Findings indicate that, among 1549 females included in the study, while the program reduced the likelihood of pregnancy by five percentage points, there was no significant impact on likelihood of early marriage. Program impacts on pregnancy appear to work through increasing the enrollment of young women in school, financial stability of the household and delayed age at first sex. The Kenyan program is similar in design to most other major national cash transfer programs in Eastern and Southern Africa, suggesting a degree of generalizability of the results reported here. Although the objective of the program is primarily poverty alleviation, it appears to have an important impact on facilitating the successful transition of adolescent girls into adulthood. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of the Kenya Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children on early pregnancy and marriage of adolescent girls

PubMed Central

Handa, Sudhanshu; Huang, Carolyn; Halpern, Carolyn; Pettifor, Audrey; Thirumurthy, Harsha

2015-01-01

There is promising evidence that poverty-targeted cash transfer programs can have positive impacts on adolescent transitions to adulthood in resource poor settings, however existing research is typically from small scale programs in diverse geographic and cultural settings. We provide estimates of the impact of a national unconditional cash transfer program, the Kenya Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, on pregnancy and early marriage among females aged 12 to 24, four years after program initiation. The evaluation was designed as a clustered randomized controlled trial and ran from 2007 to 2011, capitalizing on the existence of a control group, which was delayed entry to the program due to budget constraints. Findings indicate that, among 1,549 females included in the study, while the program reduced the likelihood of pregnancy by five percentage points, there was no significant impact on likelihood of early marriage. Program impacts on pregnancy appear to work through increasing the enrollment of young women in school, financial stability of the household and delayed age at first sex. The Kenyan program is similar in design to most other major national cash transfer programs in Eastern and Southern Africa, suggesting a degree of generalizability of the results reported here. Although the objective of the program is primarily poverty alleviation, it appears to have an important impact on facilitating the successful transition of adolescent girls into adulthood. PMID:26246032

Effects of China's New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme on reducing medical impoverishment in rural Yanbian: An alternative approach.

PubMed

Sun, Mei; Shen, Jay J; Li, Chengyue; Cochran, Christopher; Wang, Ying; Chen, Fei; Li, Pingping; Lu, Jun; Chang, Fengshui; Li, Xiaohong; Hao, Mo

2016-08-22

This study aimed to measure the poverty head count ratio and poverty gap of rural Yanbian in order to examine whether China's New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme has alleviated its medical impoverishment and to compare the results of this alternative approach with those of a World Bank approach. This cross-sectional study was based on a stratified random sample survey of 1,987 households and 6,135 individuals conducted in 2008 across eight counties in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin province, China. A new approach was developed to define and identify medical impoverishment. The poverty head count ratio, relative poverty gap, and average poverty gap were used to measure medical impoverishment. Changes in medical impoverishment after the reimbursement under the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme were also examined. The government-run New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme reduced the number of medically impoverished households by 24.6 %, as well as the relative and average gaps by 37.3 % and 38.9 %, respectively. China's New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme has certain positive but limited effects on alleviating medical impoverishment in rural Yanbian regardless of how medical impoverishment is defined and measured. More governmental and private-sector efforts should therefore be encouraged to further improve the system in terms of financing, operation, and reimbursement policy.

Community development and livestock promotion in rural Nepal: effects on child growth and health.

PubMed

Miller, Laurie C; Joshi, Neena; Lohani, Mahendra; Rogers, Beatrice; Loraditch, Meghan; Houser, Robert; Singh, Padma; Mahato, Shubh

2014-09-01

More than 50% of children in Nepal are malnourished. Economic growth and poverty reduction are not always sufficient to improve the health and nutritional status of children. Heifer Nepal uses livestock training as a tool for community development and poverty alleviation but does not directly address child health and nutrition. To systematically assess the effects of Heifer activities on child health and nutrition. The study was a 2-year, longitudinal, randomized, controlled trial in six communities in Nepal (both Terai and hills), pair-matched for specific characteristics, randomly assigned to receive Heifer community development activities at baseline (intervention) or 1 year (control). At 6-month intervals over a period of 2 years, child anthropometric and comprehensive household surveys were performed. Four hundred fifteen households were enrolled containing 607 children 6 months to 5 years of age. The intervention and control communities were equivalent for baseline socioeconomic status, household size, ownership of land and animals, and child nutrition and health. At 12 months (prior to animal donations), the Terai intervention group had improved child weight (p = .04), improved child height (p = .05), and reduced sick days (p = .03), as well as increased household income (p = .004), increased ownership of animals (p = .04) and land (p = .04), and improved sanitation practices (p < .01). In all districts, longer participation in Heifer activities corresponded to more improvement in child height-for-age z-scores. Heifer interventions resulted in improved socioeconomic status and household income per family member. Children under 60 months of age in the intervention group had greater incremental improvement in height-for-age and weight-for-age z-scores than children in the control group, and longer participation in Heifer activities was associated with better growth. Poverty alleviation programs, such as Heifer, may indirectly benefit child growth.

Addressing poverty, education, and gender equality to improve the health of women worldwide.

PubMed

Tyer-Viola, Lynda A; Cesario, Sandra K

2010-01-01

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) that target alleviating poverty, improving primary education, and fostering gender equity are important as a foundation to promote world health. Achieving these goals will create an environment for healthy lives for women and children. Poverty, education, and gender equality, although undeniably linked, need to be addressed individually. Nurses have the capacity and political will to address MDGs and to contribute to the health and well-being of the world population. © 2010 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

Literacy, Income Generation, and Poverty Alleviation in Sindh Pakistan and Its Impact on Economic Development, Human Resource Development in Pakistan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Panhwar, Farzana

Rural poverty in Sindh, Pakistan, has been artificially created by low prices of wheat, fixed by the federal government's price control board. Agriculture and agro-based industries account for 80 percent of the country's labor force. Among the consequences of this price control are low margins of profit to the farming community; low capacity to…

Responding to Poverty through Education and Teacher Education Initiatives: A Critical Evaluation of Key Trends in Government Policy in England 1997-2015

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burn, Katharine; Childs, Ann

2016-01-01

This paper presents a comparative critique of key education and teacher education policies in England adopted by New Labour (1997-2010) and the Coalition government (2010-2015). It focuses on direct measures intended to alleviate the effects of poverty on young people's educational outcomes, and on teacher education policies with implications for…

New Rulers in the Ghetto: The Community Development Corporation and Urban Poverty. Contributions in Afro-American and African Studies, Number 28.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berndt, Harry Edward

The activities of the Community Development Corporation (CDC), founded in 1967 to alleviate urban poverty in the United States, are analyzed in this book. The overall strategies used by the CDC, including the acquisition of existing businesses, development of new businesses, investments in physical assets of the community, assistance through loans…

Educators' Rating of Strategies Considered Necessary for Motivation of Potential Entrepreneurs among Secondary School Students for Poverty Alleviation in Anambra State

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okoli, Constance. I.; Igwegbe, Angela I.

2015-01-01

Timely planning and strategizing for the future had remained the major strength of wealthy nations; who in a bid to unleash their full development potentials, have set up educational programmes, necessary to fight poverty in all its ramifications. This study aimed at assessing strategies considered necessary for the motivation of potential…

Nutrition, poverty alleviation, and development in Central America and Panama.

PubMed

Immink, Maarten D C

2010-03-01

This paper reviews research with policy relevance for food and nutrition in Central America and similar areas. The research was conducted by the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) during the last three decades of the past millennium (1970-99). Six policy areas were selected for this review: agricultural commercialization and rural development; wage and price policies; human resource development; social safety nets, particularly complementary food programs; multi-sectoral nutrition planning; and food and nutrition monitoring for policy formulation. The contents and major conclusions of the work are described, as well as their public policy implications.

Is malaria illness among young children a cause or a consequence of low socioeconomic status? evidence from the united Republic of Tanzania

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Malaria is commonly considered a disease of the poor, but there is very little evidence of a possible two-way causality in the association between malaria and poverty. Until now, limitations to examine that dual relationship were the availability of representative data on confirmed malaria cases, the use of a good proxy for poverty, and accounting for endogeneity in regression models. Methods A simultaneous equation model was estimated with nationally representative data for Tanzania that included malaria parasite testing with RDTs for young children (six-59 months), and accounted for environmental variables assembled with the aid of GIS. A wealth index based on assets, access to utilities/infrastructure, and housing characteristics was used as a proxy for socioeconomic status. Model estimation was done with instrumental variables regression. Results Results show that households with a child who tested positive for malaria at the time of the survey had a wealth index that was, on average, 1.9 units lower (p-value < 0.001), and that an increase in the wealth index did not reveal significant effects on malaria. Conclusion If malaria is indeed a cause of poverty, as the findings of this study suggest, then malaria control activities, and particularly the current efforts to eliminate/eradicate malaria, are much more than just a public health policy, but also a poverty alleviation strategy. However, if poverty has no causal effect on malaria, then poverty alleviation policies should not be advertised as having the potential additional effect of reducing the prevalence of malaria. PMID:22571516

Time Discounting and Credit Market Access in a Large-Scale Cash Transfer Programme.

PubMed

Handa, Sudhanshu; Martorano, Bruno; Halpern, Carolyn; Pettifor, Audrey; Thirumurthy, Harsha

2016-06-01

Time discounting is thought to influence decision-making in almost every sphere of life, including personal finances, diet, exercise and sexual behavior. In this article we provide evidence on whether a national poverty alleviation program in Kenya can affect inter-temporal decisions. We administered a preferences module as part of a large-scale impact evaluation of the Kenyan Government's Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children. Four years into the program we find that individuals in the treatment group are only marginally more likely to wait for future money, due in part to the erosion of the value of the transfer by inflation. However among the poorest households for whom the value of transfer is still relatively large we find significant program effects on the propensity to wait. We also find strong program effects among those who have access to credit markets though the program itself does not improve access to credit.

New development of China's population programme.

PubMed

Peng, P

1998-06-01

This article presents excerpts of a speech presented by the State Family Planning Commissioner of China at the UNFPA headquarters. Madame Peng Peiyun indicated that China has adopted some new decision-making processes as a follow-up to the 1994 ICPD Plan of Action. President Jiang Zemin stated that sustainable development must be achieved as part of the movement toward modernization. China places great importance on balancing population growth, social production, economic development, resources, and the environment. In 1995, the State Family Planning Commission changed its guidelines and approaches by integrating family planning (FP) within socioeconomic development and shifting to an interest oriented program integrated with social restraints and integrating FP publicity and education with comprehensive services and modern management. The FP program should meet the needs for reproductive health and contraception and be integrated within poverty alleviation and economic development schemes in rural areas. The aim is to build happy and more civil-minded farming families. Attention should be directed to the interests of farmers and the physical and psychological health of women. Programs should be voluntary. Many poverty reduction programs operated in the early 1990s. Pilot programs were established in 1995, in 11 selected counties and urban districts. The aim was to improve grassroots efforts to meet clients' needs for quality reproductive health and contraception. In 1994, providers received upgrading of skills. As the most populous country in the world, China needs UNFPA support in stabilizing population growth.

Portrayal of sustainability principles in the mission statements and on home pages of the world's largest organizations.

PubMed

Garnett, Stephen T; Lawes, Michael J; James, Robyn; Bigland, Kristen; Zander, Kerstin K

2016-04-01

Conservation can be achieved only if sustainability is embraced as core to organizational cultures. To test the extent to which the related concepts of sustainability, conservation, response to climate change, poverty alleviation, and gender equity have been incorporated into organizational culture, we compared mission statements published from 1990 to 2000 with those published in 2014 for 150 organizations, including conservation nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), aid NGOs, government development agencies, resource extraction companies, and retailers (30 in each category). We also analyzed the 2014 home web pages of each organization. Relative to the earlier period, the frequency with which mission statements mentioned poverty alleviation, biodiversity conservation, and a range of sustainable practices increased only slightly by 2014, particularly among resource extractors and retail companies. Few organizations in any sector had embedded either climate change or gender equity into their mission statements. In addition, the proportional intensity with which any of the aspirations were expressed did not change between periods. For current home pages, conservation NGOs, resource extractors, and government agencies were significantly more likely to acknowledge the importance of matters that were not part of their core business, but few aid agencies or retail companies promoted goals beyond alleviation of crises and profit maximization, respectively. Overall, there has been some progress in recognizing poverty alleviation, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable practices, but gender equity and a determination to reduce impacts on climate change are still rarely promoted as central institutional concerns. Sustainability in general, and biodiversity conservation in particular, will not be achieved unless their importance is more widely apparent in core communication products of organizations. © 2015 Society for Conservation Biology.

Women's entrepreneurship and intimate partner violence: A cluster randomized trial of microenterprise assistance and partner participation in post-conflict Uganda (SSM-D-14-01580R1).

PubMed

Green, Eric P; Blattman, Christopher; Jamison, Julian; Annan, Jeannie

2015-05-01

Intimate partner violence is widespread and represents an obstacle to human freedom and a significant public health concern. Poverty alleviation programs and efforts to economically "empower" women have become popular policy options, but theory and empirical evidence are mixed on the relationship between women's empowerment and the experience of violence. We study the effects of a successful poverty alleviation program on women's empowerment and intimate partner relations and violence from 2009 to 2011. In the first experiment, a cluster-randomized superiority trial, 15 marginalized people (86% women) were identified in each of 120 villages (n = 1800) in Gulu and Kitgum districts in Uganda. Half of villages were randomly assigned via public lottery to immediate treatment: five days of business training, $150, and supervision and advising. We examine intent-to-treat estimates of program impact and heterogeneity in treatment effects by initial quality of partner relations. 16 months after the initial grants, the program doubled business ownership and incomes (p < 0.01); we show that the effect on monthly income, however, is moderated by initial quality of intimate partner relations. We also find small increases in marital control (p < 0.05), self-reported autonomy (p < 0.10), and quality of partner relations (p < 0.01), but essentially no change in intimate partner violence. In a second experiment, we study the impact of a low-cost attempt to include household partners (often husbands) in the process. Participants from the 60 waitlist villages (n = 904) were randomly assigned to participate in the program as individuals or with a household partner. We observe small, non-significant decreases in abuse and marital control and large increases in the quality of relationships (p < 0.05), but no effects on women's attitudes toward gender norms and a non-significant reduction in autonomy. Involving men and changing framing to promote more inclusive programming can improve relationships, but may not change gender attitudes or increase business success. Increasing women's earnings has no effect on intimate partner violence. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Colleges, Institutes and Communities: Partners in Poverty Alleviation. Submission to the House of Commons Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association of Canadian Community Colleges, 2009

2009-01-01

This report was created in conjunction with the Association of Canadian Community College's (ACCC) review of the federal government's contribution to reducing poverty in Canada. Colleges and institutes are fundamental partners in the socio-economic infrastructure and development of their communities. Colleges deliver a comprehensive array of…

Towards a Spatial Understanding of Trade-Offs in Sustainable Development: A Meso-Scale Analysis of the Nexus between Land Use, Poverty, and Environment in the Lao PDR.

PubMed

Messerli, Peter; Bader, Christoph; Hett, Cornelia; Epprecht, Michael; Heinimann, Andreas

2015-01-01

In land systems, equitably managing trade-offs between planetary boundaries and human development needs represents a grand challenge in sustainability oriented initiatives. Informing such initiatives requires knowledge about the nexus between land use, poverty, and environment. This paper presents results from Lao PDR, where we combined nationwide spatial data on land use types and the environmental state of landscapes with village-level poverty indicators. Our analysis reveals two general but contrasting trends. First, landscapes with paddy or permanent agriculture allow a greater number of people to live in less poverty but come at the price of a decrease in natural vegetation cover. Second, people practising extensive swidden agriculture and living in intact environments are often better off than people in degraded paddy or permanent agriculture. As poverty rates within different landscape types vary more than between landscape types, we cannot stipulate a land use-poverty-environment nexus. However, the distinct spatial patterns or configurations of these rates point to other important factors at play. Drawing on ethnicity as a proximate factor for endogenous development potentials and accessibility as a proximate factor for external influences, we further explore these linkages. Ethnicity is strongly related to poverty in all land use types almost independently of accessibility, implying that social distance outweighs geographic or physical distance. In turn, accessibility, almost a precondition for poverty alleviation, is mainly beneficial to ethnic majority groups and people living in paddy or permanent agriculture. These groups are able to translate improved accessibility into poverty alleviation. Our results show that the concurrence of external influences with local-highly contextual-development potentials is key to shaping outcomes of the land use-poverty-environment nexus. By addressing such leverage points, these findings help guide more effective development interventions. At the same time, they point to the need in land change science to better integrate the understanding of place-based land indicators with process-based drivers of land use change.

Can Earth Sciences Help Alleviate Global Poverty?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mutter, J. C.

2004-12-01

Poverty is not properly described solely in terms of economics. Certainly the billion people living on less than a dollar a day are the extreme poor and the two billion people who are living today on two dollars a day or less are poor also. One third of all humans live in poverty today. But poverty concerns deprivation - of good health, adequate nutrition, adequate education, properly paid employment, clean water, adequate housing and good sanitation. It is a fundamental denial of opportunity and a violation of basic human rights. Despite its prevalence and persistence of poverty and the attention given it by many scholars, the causes of poverty are not well understood and hence interventions to bring poor societies out of their condition often fail. One commonly missed component in the search for solutions to poverty is the fundamental co-dependence between the state of the Earth and the state of human well-being. These relationships, are compelling but often indirect and non-linear and sometimes deeply nuanced. They are also largely empirical in nature, lacking theory or models that describe the nature of the relationships. So while it is quite apparent that the poorest people are much more vulnerable than the rich to the Earths excesses and even to relatively small natural variations in places where the base conditions are poor, we do not presently know whether the recognized vulnerability is both an outcome of poverty and a contributing cause. Are societies poor, or held from development out of poverty because of their particular relationship to Earth's natural systems? Does how we live depend on where we live? Providing answers to these questions is one of the most fundamental research challenges of our time. That research lies in a domain squarely at the boundary between the natural and social sciences and cannot be answered by studies in either domain alone. What is clear even now, is that an understanding of the Earth gained from the natural sciences is essential and could hold the key to making gains toward alleviating the burden of global poverty.

Why does Bangladesh remain so poor? Part I: the situation and efforts to change it.

PubMed

Maloney, C

1985-01-01

This 1st part of the discussion of the poverty in Bangladesh reviews efforts on the part of individuals, donor agencies, and the government to alleviate poverty, and some goals of the new Third Five Year Plan. More than 3/4 of the people of Bangladesh live in poverty or close to it, according to development and economic criteria. Bangladesh society has hardly any parallel in the world if viewed from the perspective of its capacity, like a biological species, to adapt to an ecological niche and then reproduce to fill that niche. This defines success in biological terms. The Bangladesh society that developed was highly in tune with the natural environment of the rice growing plains. Social organization, kinship, settlement pattern, economic transactions, beliefs systems, and reproductive biology all developed in close symbiosis with the land. From a humanitarian perspective, Bangladesh is also highly successful. The human interaction, the expressive culture, the fullness of life, and the verbal arts all are more fully expressed than in many cultures. By "development" criteria, Bangladesh appears highly unsuccessful. Per capita income is about $130 a year. Bangladesh ranks very low in such indices as literacy, housing, roads, health services, infant survival, loan recovery, exportable goods, and control of the population growth rate. There is no question but that individuals usually are well aware if their situation is precarious, and they take rational action to improve their security; the government and private agencies have a multitude of programs aimed at alleviating poverty. For Bangladesh as a whole, domestic savings in 1984-85 was 8%, and during the Second Five Year Plan the rate of domestic savings increased faster than was expected, compared with income. Almost all the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), many bilateral donor agencies, and huge segments of government target their efforts to the poor and the small farmers. There are over 150 NGOs of substantial size in Bangladesh, besides many local ones. A 1985 survey of NGO programs to help the poor save and invest found that they have been successful generally in improving the economic condition of the target people. In comparison with the private agencies, government programs to reach small farmers and the poor tend not to work as well because they suffer from the pervasive malaise that affects almost all such attempts through the bureaucracy. Yet, the success they have achieved, as in raising agricultural productivity, accounts in significant measure for the economic stability of the country to date. The key goals of the country to date. The key goals of the Third Five Year Plan are: annual economic growth of 5.4%; reduction of annual population growth to 1.8%; and by the end of the plan raising at least 10% of the rural poor above the poverty line.

Poverty and psychological health among AIDS-orphaned children in Cape Town, South Africa.

PubMed

Cluver, Lucie; Gardner, Frances; Operario, Don

2009-06-01

This study examined associations between AIDS-orphanhood status, poverty indicators, and psychological problems (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, peer problems, delinquency, conduct problems) among children and adolescents in townships surrounding Cape Town, South Africa. One thousand and twenty-five children and adolescents completed standardized and culturally sensitive cross-sectional surveys. Children orphaned by AIDS had more psychological problems including depression, peer problems, post-traumatic stress, and conduct problems. Specific poverty indicators including food security, access to social welfare grants, employment in the household and access to school were associated with better psychological health. Poverty indicators mediated associations of AIDS-orphanhood with psychological problems. Food security showed the most consistent association with reduced psychological problems. Poverty alleviation measures have the potential to improve psychological health for AIDS-orphaned children in South African townships.

Web services for ecosystem services management and poverty alleviation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buytaert, W.; Baez, S.; Veliz Rosas, C.

2011-12-01

Over the last decades, near real-time environmental observation, technical advances in computer power and cyber-infrastructure, and the development of environmental software algorithms have increased dramatically. The integration of these evolutions is one of the major challenges of the next decade for environmental sciences. Worldwide, many coordinated activities are ongoing to make this integration a reality. However, far less attention is paid to the question of how these developments can benefit environmental services management in a poverty alleviation context. Such projects are typically faced with issues of large predictive uncertainties, limited resources, limited local scientific capacity. At the same time, the complexity of the socio-economic contexts requires a very strong bottom-up oriented and interdisciplinary approach to environmental data collection and processing. Here, we present the results of two projects on integrated environmental monitoring and scenario analysis aimed at poverty alleviation in the Peruvian Andes and Amazon. In the upper Andean highlands, farmers are monitoring the water cycle of headwater catchments to analyse the impact of land-use changes on stream flow and potential consequences for downstream irrigation. In the Amazon, local communities are monitoring the dynamics of turtle populations and their relations with river levels. In both cases, the use of online databases and web processing services enable real-time analysis of the data and scenario analysis. The system provides both physical and social indicators to assess the impact of land-use management options on local socio-economic development.

Microenterprise Development Interventions for Sexual Risk Reduction: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Lee, Ramon; Thirumurthy, Harsha; Muessig, Kathryn E.; Tucker, Joseph D.

2013-01-01

Comprehensive interventions that address both individual and structural determinants associated with HIV/STI risk are gaining increasing attention over the past decade. Microenterprise development offers an appealing model for HIV prevention by addressing poverty and gender equality. This study systematically reviewed the effects of microenterprise development interventions on HIV/STI incidence and sexual risk behaviors. Microenterprise development was defined as developing small business capacity among individuals to alleviate poverty. Seven eligible research studies representing five interventions were identified and included in this review. All of the studies targeted women, and three focused on sex workers. None measured biomarker outcomes. All three sex worker studies showed significant reduction in sexual risk behaviors when compared to the control group. Non-sex worker studies showed limited changes in sexual risk behavior. This review indicates the potential utility of microenterprise development in HIV risk reduction programs. More research is needed to determine how microenterprise development can be effectively incorporated in comprehensive HIV control strategies. PMID:23963497

Microenterprise development interventions for sexual risk reduction: a systematic review.

PubMed

Cui, Rosa R; Lee, Ramon; Thirumurthy, Harsha; Muessig, Kathryn E; Tucker, Joseph D

2013-11-01

Comprehensive interventions that address both individual and structural determinants associated with HIV/STI risk are gaining increasing attention over the past decade. Microenterprise development offers an appealing model for HIV prevention by addressing poverty and gender equality. This study systematically reviewed the effects of microenterprise development interventions on HIV/STI incidence and sexual risk behaviors. Microenterprise development was defined as developing small business capacity among individuals to alleviate poverty. Seven eligible research studies representing five interventions were identified and included in this review. All of the studies targeted women, and three focused on sex workers. None measured biomarker outcomes. All three sex worker studies showed significant reduction in sexual risk behaviors when compared to the control group. Non-sex worker studies showed limited changes in sexual risk behavior. This review indicates the potential utility of microenterprise development in HIV risk reduction programs. More research is needed to determine how microenterprise development can be effectively incorporated in comprehensive HIV control strategies.

Improving animal health for poverty alleviation and sustainable livelihoods.

PubMed

Stringer, Andy

2014-11-29

Animals are vital to ensuring food security for individuals, families and communities in countries around the world. In this, the latest article in Veterinary Record's series promoting One Health, Andy Stringer, director of veterinary programmes at the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad, discusses how improving animal health, particularly of poultry and working equids, has the potential to reduce poverty and promote food security and sustainable livelihoods in low-income countries. British Veterinary Association.

Poverty concentration in an affluent city: Geographic variation and correlates of neighborhood poverty rates in Hong Kong

PubMed Central

Guo, Yingqi; Chang, Shu-Sen; Sha, Feng

2018-01-01

Previous investigations of geographic concentration of urban poverty indicate the contribution of a variety of factors, such as economic restructuring and class-based segregation, racial segregation, demographic structure, and public policy. However, the models used by most past research do not consider the possibility that poverty concentration may take different forms in different locations across a city, and most studies have been conducted in Western settings. We investigated the spatial patterning of neighborhood poverty and its correlates in Hong Kong, which is amongst cities with the highest GDP in the region, using the city-wide ordinary least square (OLS) regression model and the local-specific geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. We found substantial geographic variations in small-area poverty rates and identified several poverty clusters in the territory. Factors found to contribute to urban poverty in Western cities, such as socioeconomic factors, ethnicity, and public housing, were also mostly associated with local poverty rates in Hong Kong. Our results also suggest some heterogeneity in the associations of poverty with specific correlates (e.g. access to hospitals) that would be masked in the city-wide OLS model. Policy aimed to alleviate poverty should consider both city-wide and local-specific factors. PMID:29474393

Poverty concentration in an affluent city: Geographic variation and correlates of neighborhood poverty rates in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Guo, Yingqi; Chang, Shu-Sen; Sha, Feng; Yip, Paul S F

2018-01-01

Previous investigations of geographic concentration of urban poverty indicate the contribution of a variety of factors, such as economic restructuring and class-based segregation, racial segregation, demographic structure, and public policy. However, the models used by most past research do not consider the possibility that poverty concentration may take different forms in different locations across a city, and most studies have been conducted in Western settings. We investigated the spatial patterning of neighborhood poverty and its correlates in Hong Kong, which is amongst cities with the highest GDP in the region, using the city-wide ordinary least square (OLS) regression model and the local-specific geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. We found substantial geographic variations in small-area poverty rates and identified several poverty clusters in the territory. Factors found to contribute to urban poverty in Western cities, such as socioeconomic factors, ethnicity, and public housing, were also mostly associated with local poverty rates in Hong Kong. Our results also suggest some heterogeneity in the associations of poverty with specific correlates (e.g. access to hospitals) that would be masked in the city-wide OLS model. Policy aimed to alleviate poverty should consider both city-wide and local-specific factors.

Panzootics and the poor: devising a global livestock disease prioritisation framework for poverty alleviation.

PubMed

Heffernan, C

2009-12-01

Panzootics such as highly pathogenic avian influenza and Rift Valley fever have originated from the South, largely among poor communities. On a global level, approximately two-thirds of those individuals living on less than US$2 per day keep livestock. Consequently, there is a need to better target animal health interventions for poverty reduction using an evidence-based approach. Therefore, the paper offers a three-step prioritisation framework using calculations derived from standard poverty measures: the poverty gap and the head count ratio. Data from 265 poor livestock-keeping households in Kenya informed the study. The results demonstrate that, across a spectrum of producers, the dependence upon particular species varies. Furthermore, the same livestock disease has differing impacts on the depth and severity of poverty. Consequently, animal health interventions need to account for variability in income effects at the species and disease levels.

In Cameroon, a female-centred organization works to conquer the poverty of rural women.

PubMed

Fonkem, R N

1999-01-01

This is a discussion of the work of the Rural Women Development Council for poor rural women in Cameroon. The concept of absolute poverty involves the measurement of the quantity and quality of necessities required to maintain the average well-being of an individual or group of individuals. The standards are considered to be relative to a particular time and place. Subjective poverty is a state of acceptance by the person who is poor that he or she is poor; it is independent of the perspective of onlookers. Income levels vary resulting, and as a result, poverty exists. Under those premises, the Rural Women Development Council (RWDC) is helping to alleviate poverty in rural women through microcredit schemes. Over 200 women have engaged in farming and small trades. Increased equity, enhanced opportunity, peace and security, participation and sustainable future, in addition to increased income, help to defeat poverty. Strategies for eradicating poverty include enhancing the ability of local communities to adapt to stress, overcome emergencies and improve long-term productivity. The RWDC have observed that loanees are today economically above other rural women.

A potential role of anti-poverty programs in health promotion

PubMed Central

Silverman, Kenneth; Holtyn, August F.; Jarvis, Brantley

2016-01-01

Poverty is one of the most pervasive risk factors underlying poor health, but is rarely targeted to improve health. Research on the effects of anti-poverty interventions on health has been limited, at least in part because funding for that research has been limited. Anti-poverty programs have been applied on a large scale, frequently by governments, but without systematic development and cumulative programmatic experimental studies. Anti-poverty programs that produce lasting effects on poverty have not been developed. Before evaluating the effect of anti-poverty programs on health, programs must be developed that can reduce poverty consistently. Anti-poverty programs require systematic development and cumulative programmatic scientific evaluation. Research on the therapeutic workplace could provide a model for that research and an adaptation of the therapeutic workplace could serve as a foundation of a comprehensive anti-poverty program. Once effective anti-poverty programs are developed, future research could determine if those programs improve health in addition to increasing income. The potential personal, health and economic benefits of effective anti-poverty programs could be substantial, and could justify the major efforts and expenses that would be required to support systematic research to develop such programs. PMID:27235603

A potential role of anti-poverty programs in health promotion.

PubMed

Silverman, Kenneth; Holtyn, August F; Jarvis, Brantley P

2016-11-01

Poverty is one of the most pervasive risk factors underlying poor health, but is rarely targeted to improve health. Research on the effects of anti-poverty interventions on health has been limited, at least in part because funding for that research has been limited. Anti-poverty programs have been applied on a large scale, frequently by governments, but without systematic development and cumulative programmatic experimental studies. Anti-poverty programs that produce lasting effects on poverty have not been developed. Before evaluating the effect of anti-poverty programs on health, programs must be developed that can reduce poverty consistently. Anti-poverty programs require systematic development and cumulative programmatic scientific evaluation. Research on the therapeutic workplace could provide a model for that research and an adaptation of the therapeutic workplace could serve as a foundation of a comprehensive anti-poverty program. Once effective anti-poverty programs are developed, future research could determine if those programs improve health in addition to increasing income. The potential personal, health and economic benefits of effective anti-poverty programs could be substantial, and could justify the major efforts and expenses that would be required to support systematic research to develop such programs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The environmental sustainability of sugarcane cultivation under scenarios of climate change: case studies for Brazil and Ghana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Black, E.; Vidale, P. L.; Verhoef, A.; Cuadro, S. V.

2012-04-01

Over the next decades increasing oil and carbon prices will lead to a proliferation of energy crop cultivation initiatives. Many of these will be based in developing countries, and hence will affect some of the poorest people in the world. The capacity of such initiatives to alleviate poverty in the long term depends on their environmental sustainability. Specifically, the exploitation of water resources in an unsustainable manner may permanently damage vulnerable ecosystems and ultimately deepen poverty. These issues have motivated a collaborative project - Integrated Carbon, Water and Land Management for Poverty Alleviation (ICWALPA), which asks whether the export of bio-fuel technology from Brazil to Ghana will alleviate poverty. This presentation will describe the initial results from ICWALPA - including the development of an integrated environmental modelling framework and its application to sugarcane cultivation under scenarios of climate change. The environmental model used to represent the biophysical interactions is process-based and implemented in the framework of the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES). Crop growth is predicted dynamically by accumulating the carbon assimilated during photosynthesis and is then allocated according to well-established allometric principles. Two contrasting case studies will be presented: the Sao Paulo region of Brazil (where there is an established sugarcane industry) and the Daka River region of Ghana (where commercial sugarcane cultivation is planned). We show that our model is capable of reproducing both the spatial and temporal variability in sugarcane yield for the Sao Paulo province of Brazil - lending credence to the projections for Ghana. For Ghana, we show that, providing there is sufficient irrigation, it is possible to generate approximately 75% of the yield achieved in the Sao Paulo province. In the final part of the study, the behaviour of sugarcane under an idealized climate change scenario is explored. It is shown that the increased drought tolerance that results from higher CO2 concentrations mitigates the greater water stress associated with higher evaporation.

Time Discounting and Credit Market Access in a Large-Scale Cash Transfer Programme

PubMed Central

Handa, Sudhanshu; Martorano, Bruno; Halpern, Carolyn; Pettifor, Audrey; Thirumurthy, Harsha

2017-01-01

Summary Time discounting is thought to influence decision-making in almost every sphere of life, including personal finances, diet, exercise and sexual behavior. In this article we provide evidence on whether a national poverty alleviation program in Kenya can affect inter-temporal decisions. We administered a preferences module as part of a large-scale impact evaluation of the Kenyan Government’s Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children. Four years into the program we find that individuals in the treatment group are only marginally more likely to wait for future money, due in part to the erosion of the value of the transfer by inflation. However among the poorest households for whom the value of transfer is still relatively large we find significant program effects on the propensity to wait. We also find strong program effects among those who have access to credit markets though the program itself does not improve access to credit. PMID:28260842

Towards a Spatial Understanding of Trade-Offs in Sustainable Development: A Meso-Scale Analysis of the Nexus between Land Use, Poverty, and Environment in the Lao PDR

PubMed Central

Messerli, Peter; Bader, Christoph; Hett, Cornelia; Epprecht, Michael; Heinimann, Andreas

2015-01-01

In land systems, equitably managing trade-offs between planetary boundaries and human development needs represents a grand challenge in sustainability oriented initiatives. Informing such initiatives requires knowledge about the nexus between land use, poverty, and environment. This paper presents results from Lao PDR, where we combined nationwide spatial data on land use types and the environmental state of landscapes with village-level poverty indicators. Our analysis reveals two general but contrasting trends. First, landscapes with paddy or permanent agriculture allow a greater number of people to live in less poverty but come at the price of a decrease in natural vegetation cover. Second, people practising extensive swidden agriculture and living in intact environments are often better off than people in degraded paddy or permanent agriculture. As poverty rates within different landscape types vary more than between landscape types, we cannot stipulate a land use–poverty–environment nexus. However, the distinct spatial patterns or configurations of these rates point to other important factors at play. Drawing on ethnicity as a proximate factor for endogenous development potentials and accessibility as a proximate factor for external influences, we further explore these linkages. Ethnicity is strongly related to poverty in all land use types almost independently of accessibility, implying that social distance outweighs geographic or physical distance. In turn, accessibility, almost a precondition for poverty alleviation, is mainly beneficial to ethnic majority groups and people living in paddy or permanent agriculture. These groups are able to translate improved accessibility into poverty alleviation. Our results show that the concurrence of external influences with local—highly contextual—development potentials is key to shaping outcomes of the land use–poverty–environment nexus. By addressing such leverage points, these findings help guide more effective development interventions. At the same time, they point to the need in land change science to better integrate the understanding of place-based land indicators with process-based drivers of land use change. PMID:26218646

'These are not luxuries, it is essential for access to life': Disability related out-of-pocket costs as a driver of economic vulnerability in South Africa.

PubMed

Hanass-Hancock, Jill; Nene, Siphumelele; Deghaye, Nicola; Pillay, Simmi

2017-01-01

With the dawn of the new sustainable development goals, we face not only a world that has seen great successes in alleviating poverty but also a world that has left some groups, such as persons with disabilities, behind. Middle-income countries (MICs) are home to a growing number of persons with disabilities. As these countries strive to achieve the new goals, we have ample opportunity to include persons with disabilities in the emerging poverty alleviation strategies. However, a lack of data and research on the linkages between economic vulnerability and disability in MICs hampers our understanding of the factors increasing economic vulnerability in people with disabilities. This article aims to present data related to elements of this vulnerability in one MIC, South Africa. Focusing on out-of-pocket costs, it uses focus group discussions with 73 persons with disabilities and conventional content analysis to describe these costs. A complex and nuanced picture of disability-driven costs evolved on three different areas: care and support for survival and safety, accessibility of services and participation in community. Costs varied depending on care and support needs, accessibility (physical and financial), availability, and knowledge of services and assistive devices. The development of poverty alleviation and social protection mechanisms in MICs like South Africa needs to better consider diverse disability-related care and support needs not only to improve access to services such as education and health (National Health Insurance schemes, accessible clinics) but also to increase the effect of disability-specific benefits and employment equity policies.

Poverty alleviation strategies in eastern China lead to critical ecological dynamics.

PubMed

Zhang, Ke; Dearing, John A; Dawson, Terence P; Dong, Xuhui; Yang, Xiangdong; Zhang, Weiguo

2015-02-15

Poverty alleviation linked to agricultural intensification has been achieved in many regions but there is often only limited understanding of the impacts on ecological dynamics. A central need is to observe long term changes in regulating and supporting services as the basis for assessing the likelihood of sustainable agriculture or ecological collapse. We show how the analyses of 55 time-series of social, economic and ecological conditions can provide an evolutionary perspective for the modern Lower Yangtze River Basin region since the 1950s with powerful insights about the sustainability of modern ecosystem services. Increasing trends in provisioning ecosystem services within the region over the past 60 years reflect economic growth and successful poverty alleviation but are paralleled by steep losses in a range of regulating ecosystem services mainly since the 1980s. Increasing connectedness across the social and ecological domains after 1985 points to a greater uniformity in the drivers of the rural economy. Regime shifts and heightened levels of variability since the 1970s in local ecosystem services indicate progressive loss of resilience across the region. Of special concern are water quality services that have already passed critical transitions in several areas. Viewed collectively, our results suggest that the regional social-ecological system passed a tipping point in the late 1970s and is now in a transient phase heading towards a new steady state. However, the long-term relationship between economic growth and ecological degradation shows no sign of decoupling as demanded by the need to reverse an unsustainable trajectory. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cold homes, fuel poverty and energy efficiency improvements: A longitudinal focus group approach.

PubMed

Grey, Charlotte N B; Schmieder-Gaite, Tina; Jiang, Shiyu; Nascimento, Christina; Poortinga, Wouter

2017-08-01

Cold homes and fuel poverty have been identified as factors in health and social inequalities that could be alleviated through energy efficiency interventions. Research on fuel poverty and the health impacts of affordable warmth initiatives have to date primarily been conducted using quantitative and statistical methods, limiting the way how fuel poverty is understood. This study took a longitudinal focus group approach that allowed exploration of lived experiences of fuel poverty before and after an energy efficiency intervention. Focus group discussions were held with residents from three low-income communities before (n = 28) and after (n = 22) they received energy efficiency measures funded through a government-led scheme. The results show that improving the energy efficiency of homes at risk of fuel poverty has a profound impact on wellbeing and quality of life, financial stress, thermal comfort, social interactions and indoor space use. However, the process of receiving the intervention was experienced by some as stressful. There is a need for better community engagement and communication to improve the benefits delivered by fuel poverty programmes, as well as further qualitative exploration to better understand the wider impacts of fuel poverty and policy-led intervention schemes.

Cold homes, fuel poverty and energy efficiency improvements: A longitudinal focus group approach

PubMed Central

Grey, Charlotte N. B.; Schmieder-Gaite, Tina; Jiang, Shiyu; Nascimento, Christina

2017-01-01

Cold homes and fuel poverty have been identified as factors in health and social inequalities that could be alleviated through energy efficiency interventions. Research on fuel poverty and the health impacts of affordable warmth initiatives have to date primarily been conducted using quantitative and statistical methods, limiting the way how fuel poverty is understood. This study took a longitudinal focus group approach that allowed exploration of lived experiences of fuel poverty before and after an energy efficiency intervention. Focus group discussions were held with residents from three low-income communities before (n = 28) and after (n = 22) they received energy efficiency measures funded through a government-led scheme. The results show that improving the energy efficiency of homes at risk of fuel poverty has a profound impact on wellbeing and quality of life, financial stress, thermal comfort, social interactions and indoor space use. However, the process of receiving the intervention was experienced by some as stressful. There is a need for better community engagement and communication to improve the benefits delivered by fuel poverty programmes, as well as further qualitative exploration to better understand the wider impacts of fuel poverty and policy-led intervention schemes. PMID:28890663

[Coupling between ecological vulnerability and economic poverty in contiguous destitute areas, China: Empirical analysis of 714 poverty-stricken counties.

PubMed

Cao, Shi Song; Wang, Yan Hui; Duan, Fu Zhou; Zhao, Wen Ji; Wang, Zhi Heng; Fang, Na

2016-08-01

Maintaining the coordinated correlation between ecological environment and economic development is one of the important strategies in the new stage of poverty alleviation and development. Taking 714 poverty-stricken counties in contiguous destitute areas as study areas, this paper designed the ecological vulnerability evaluation indicator system based on the ecological sensitivity-resilience-pressure (SRP) conceptual model, as well as the comprehensive poverty evaluation indicators from the perspective of socioeconomic development, so as to build the coupling model to reveal the coupling between ecological vulnerability and economic poverty. The results showed that Hu-Line could act as a feasible partition label to depict the spatial distribution patterns of ecological vulnerability, economic poverty, as well as their coupling degree in contiguous destitute areas, which should be fully taken into consideration the influence of Hu-Line on the east-west pattern classification of national poverty reduction. In addition, there existed a symbiotic positive correlation between ecological vulnerability and economic poverty, therefore, the strategic significance of ecological and environment protection in poverty-stricken areas should be specifically emphasized to reduce economic poverty by synchronously protecting the ecological environment. Approximately half of the counties involved in the study area were in the coordinated type of recession disorders, where the ecological environment quality and the economic development could not be synchronized.

Multidimensional poverty measure and analysis: a case study from Hechi City, China.

PubMed

Wang, Yanhui; Wang, Baixue

2016-01-01

Aiming at the anti-poverty outline of China and the human-environment sustainable development, we propose a multidimensional poverty measure and analysis methodology for measuring the poverty-stricken counties and their contributing factors. We build a set of multidimensional poverty indicators with Chinese characteristics, integrating A-F double cutoffs, dimensional aggregation and decomposition approach, and GIS spatial analysis to evaluate the poor's multidimensional poverty characteristics under different geographic and socioeconomic conditions. The case study from 11 counties of Hechi City shows that, firstly, each county existed at least four respects of poverty, and overall the poverty level showed the spatial pattern of surrounding higher versus middle lower. Secondly, three main poverty contributing factors were unsafe housing, family health and adults' illiteracy, while the secondary factors include fuel type and children enrollment rate, etc., generally demonstrating strong autocorrelation; in terms of poverty degree, the western of the research area shows a significant aggregation effect, whereas the central and the eastern represent significant spatial heterogeneous distribution. Thirdly, under three kinds of socioeconomic classifications, the intra-classification diversities of H, A, and MPI are greater than their inter-classification ones, while each of the three indexes has a positive correlation with both the rocky desertification degree and topographic fragmentation degree, respectively. This study could help policymakers better understand the local poverty by identifying the poor, locating them and describing their characteristics, so as to take differentiated poverty alleviation measures according to specific conditions of each county.

The Association Between Neighborhood Poverty and HIV Diagnoses Among Males and Females in New York City, 2010-2011.

PubMed

Wiewel, Ellen W; Bocour, Angelica; Kersanske, Laura S; Bodach, Sara D; Xia, Qiang; Braunstein, Sarah L

2016-01-01

We assessed the association of neighborhood poverty with HIV diagnosis rates for males and females in New York City. We calculated annual HIV diagnosis rates by ZIP Code, sex, and neighborhood poverty level using 2010-2011 New York City (NYC) HIV surveillance data and data from the U.S. Census 2010 and American Community Survey 2007-2011. Neighborhood poverty levels were percentage of residents in a ZIP Code with incomes below the federal poverty threshold, categorized as 0%-<10% (low poverty), 10%-<20% (medium poverty), 20%-<30% (high poverty), and 30%-100% (very high poverty). We used sex-stratified negative binomial regression models to measure the association between neighborhood-level poverty and HIV diagnosis rates, controlling for neighborhood-level education, race/ethnicity, age, and percentage of men who have sex with men. In 2010-2011, 6,184 people were newly diagnosed with HIV. Median diagnosis rates per 100,000 population increased by neighborhood poverty level overall (13.7, 34.3, 50.6, and 75.6 for low-, medium-, high-, and very high-poverty ZIP Codes, respectively), for males, and for females. In regression models, higher neighborhood poverty remained associated with higher diagnosis rates among males (adjusted rate ratio [ARR] = 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.34, 1.97) and females (ARR=2.14, 95% CI 1.46, 3.14) for very high- vs. low-poverty ZIP Codes. Living in very high- vs. low-poverty urban neighborhoods was associated with increased HIV diagnosis rates. After controlling for other factors, the association between poverty and diagnosis rates was stronger among females than among males. Alleviating poverty may help decrease HIV-related disparities.

The Association Between Neighborhood Poverty and HIV Diagnoses Among Males and Females in New York City, 2010–2011

PubMed Central

Bocour, Angelica; Kersanske, Laura S.; Bodach, Sara D.; Xia, Qiang; Braunstein, Sarah L.

2016-01-01

Objective We assessed the association of neighborhood poverty with HIV diagnosis rates for males and females in New York City. Methods We calculated annual HIV diagnosis rates by ZIP Code, sex, and neighborhood poverty level using 2010–2011 New York City (NYC) HIV surveillance data and data from the U.S. Census 2010 and American Community Survey 2007–2011. Neighborhood poverty levels were percentage of residents in a ZIP Code with incomes below the federal poverty threshold, categorized as 0%–<10% (low poverty), 10%–<20% (medium poverty), 20%–<30% (high poverty), and 30%–100% (very high poverty). We used sex-stratified negative binomial regression models to measure the association between neighborhood-level poverty and HIV diagnosis rates, controlling for neighborhood-level education, race/ethnicity, age, and percentage of men who have sex with men. Results In 2010–2011, 6,184 people were newly diagnosed with HIV. Median diagnosis rates per 100,000 population increased by neighborhood poverty level overall (13.7, 34.3, 50.6, and 75.6 for low-, medium-, high-, and very high-poverty ZIP Codes, respectively), for males, and for females. In regression models, higher neighborhood poverty remained associated with higher diagnosis rates among males (adjusted rate ratio [ARR] = 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.34, 1.97) and females (ARR=2.14, 95% CI 1.46, 3.14) for very high- vs. low-poverty ZIP Codes. Conclusion Living in very high- vs. low-poverty urban neighborhoods was associated with increased HIV diagnosis rates. After controlling for other factors, the association between poverty and diagnosis rates was stronger among females than among males. Alleviating poverty may help decrease HIV-related disparities. PMID:26957664

Poverty alleviation in Nigeria: lessons from socioeconomic thoughts of the Yoruba.

PubMed

Babalola, Joel B; Oni, Adesoji; Atanda, Ademola; Oyejola-Oshodi, Benedicta O

2009-01-01

Nigeria is the 13th largest oil producer in the world. Yet about 56 per cent of the total population lives in absolute poverty. This article confronts conventional theories of poverty with the indigenous thoughts of the Yoruba (one of the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria). Darwinian, individualistic, cultural, situational and structural theories of poverty associate it either with individual-case or economy-wide factors. Approaching anti-poverty strategy through individual-related factors (such as training the unskilled poor) without due consideration to the economy-wide factors (such as job creation for the poor) ends up redistributing rather than actually reducing aggregate poverty. The analysis of poverty-related proverbs of the Yoruba reveals a consistency between the conventional theories and what the Yoruba think about poverty. The Yoruba believe in chronic (osi) versus transitory (ise) poverty, associated with suffering. They believe that poor people can escape the poverty trap through their own personal efforts (such as by developing a positive work attitude, working hard and reducing their family size) along with the help of support systems (such as job creation and food security). The Yoruba believe that job creation is the best anti-poverty strategy. They further believe that by removing hunger, poverty becomes insignificant. Based on these two axioms, this article suggests that attention be paid to job creation and food security for the poor. It also recommends that studies of the socioeconomic thought of the other major Nigerian tribes with respect to poverty be undertaken, so as to arrive at nationally and culturally derived anti-poverty strategies in Nigeria.

Decentralization and Development: The Indian Balancing Act

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

Kerala Model’,” Working Paper 361, Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, 2004, 39-40. 146 Pranab Bardhan and Dilip Mookherjee...in Federal States.” World Politics 59 (2006): 1-36. Bardhan , Pranab, and Dilip Mookherjee. “Panchayati Raj and Poverty Alleviation in West Bengal

Caring for Us, Caring about People.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morris, Robert

1992-01-01

Proposes an alternative conceptual framework for social work practice. Describes the present model as lacking a clear, easily articulated identity. Details social problems, including family structure changes, mental illness, physical disability, delinquency, and poverty. Provides key steps to alleviating these problems, emphasizing more active…

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lilley, Art; Pandey, Bikash; Karstad, Elsen

The document explores the linkages between renewable energy, poverty alleviation, sustainable development, and climate change in developing countries. In particular, the paper places emphasis on biomass-based energy systems. Biomass energy has a number of unique attributes that make it particularly suitable to climate change mitigation and community development applications.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Galenson, W.

During the past few years, the international agencies have been playing down economic growth as the main road to the elimination of poverty and emphasizing the role of asset and income redistribution. The latest reflection of this attitude is the so-called basic needs approach. This essay attempts to demonstrate that where economic growth has been sufficiently high and sustained, it has been a powerful means of alleviating poverty. Growth has not failed; there is simply not enough of it. International agencies should be cautious in advocating redistribution, for the results may be disastrous. 12 references.

‘These are not luxuries, it is essential for access to life’: Disability related out-of-pocket costs as a driver of economic vulnerability in South Africa

PubMed Central

Nene, Siphumelele; Deghaye, Nicola; Pillay, Simmi

2017-01-01

Background With the dawn of the new sustainable development goals, we face not only a world that has seen great successes in alleviating poverty but also a world that has left some groups, such as persons with disabilities, behind. Middle-income countries (MICs) are home to a growing number of persons with disabilities. As these countries strive to achieve the new goals, we have ample opportunity to include persons with disabilities in the emerging poverty alleviation strategies. However, a lack of data and research on the linkages between economic vulnerability and disability in MICs hampers our understanding of the factors increasing economic vulnerability in people with disabilities. Methods This article aims to present data related to elements of this vulnerability in one MIC, South Africa. Focusing on out-of-pocket costs, it uses focus group discussions with 73 persons with disabilities and conventional content analysis to describe these costs. Results A complex and nuanced picture of disability-driven costs evolved on three different areas: care and support for survival and safety, accessibility of services and participation in community. Costs varied depending on care and support needs, accessibility (physical and financial), availability, and knowledge of services and assistive devices. Conclusions The development of poverty alleviation and social protection mechanisms in MICs like South Africa needs to better consider diverse disability-related care and support needs not only to improve access to services such as education and health (National Health Insurance schemes, accessible clinics) but also to increase the effect of disability-specific benefits and employment equity policies. PMID:28730066

Balancing Conservation with National Development: A Socio-Economic Case Study of the Alternatives to the Serengeti Road.

PubMed

Hopcraft, J Grant C; Bigurube, Gerald; Lembeli, James Daudi; Borner, Markus

2015-01-01

Developing countries often have rich natural resources but poor infrastructure to capitalize on them, which leads to significant challenges in terms of balancing poverty alleviation with conservation. The underlying premise in development strategies is to increase the socio-economic welfare of the people while simultaneously ensuring environmental sustainability, however these objectives are often in direct conflict. National progress is dependent on developing infrastructure such as effective transportation networks, however roads can be ecologically catastrophic in terms of disrupting habitat connectivity and facilitating illegal activity. How can national development and conservation be balanced? The proposed Serengeti road epitomizes the conflict between poverty alleviation on one hand, and the conservation of a critical ecosystem on the other. We use the Serengeti as an exemplar case-study in which the relative economic and social benefits of a road can be assessed against the ecological impacts. Specifically, we compare three possible transportation routes and ask which route maximizes the socio-economic returns for the people while minimizing the ecological costs. The findings suggest that one route in particular that circumnavigates the Serengeti links the greatest number of small and medium sized entrepreneurial businesses to the largest labour force in the region. Furthermore, this route connects the most children to schools, provisions the greatest access to hospitals, and opens the most fertile crop and livestock production areas, and does not compromise the ecology and tourism revenue of the Serengeti. This route would improve Tanzania's food security and self-reliance and would facilitate future infrastructure development which would not be possible if the road were to pass through the Serengeti. This case study provides a compelling example of how a detailed spatial analysis can balance the national objectives of poverty alleviation while maintaining ecological integrity.

Balancing Conservation with National Development: A Socio-Economic Case Study of the Alternatives to the Serengeti Road

PubMed Central

Hopcraft, J. Grant C.; Bigurube, Gerald; Lembeli, James Daudi; Borner, Markus

2015-01-01

Developing countries often have rich natural resources but poor infrastructure to capitalize on them, which leads to significant challenges in terms of balancing poverty alleviation with conservation. The underlying premise in development strategies is to increase the socio-economic welfare of the people while simultaneously ensuring environmental sustainability, however these objectives are often in direct conflict. National progress is dependent on developing infrastructure such as effective transportation networks, however roads can be ecologically catastrophic in terms of disrupting habitat connectivity and facilitating illegal activity. How can national development and conservation be balanced? The proposed Serengeti road epitomizes the conflict between poverty alleviation on one hand, and the conservation of a critical ecosystem on the other. We use the Serengeti as an exemplar case-study in which the relative economic and social benefits of a road can be assessed against the ecological impacts. Specifically, we compare three possible transportation routes and ask which route maximizes the socio-economic returns for the people while minimizing the ecological costs. The findings suggest that one route in particular that circumnavigates the Serengeti links the greatest number of small and medium sized entrepreneurial businesses to the largest labour force in the region. Furthermore, this route connects the most children to schools, provisions the greatest access to hospitals, and opens the most fertile crop and livestock production areas, and does not compromise the ecology and tourism revenue of the Serengeti. This route would improve Tanzania’s food security and self-reliance and would facilitate future infrastructure development which would not be possible if the road were to pass through the Serengeti. This case study provides a compelling example of how a detailed spatial analysis can balance the national objectives of poverty alleviation while maintaining ecological integrity. PMID:26200107

A NOVEL SOLAR THERMAL COMBINED CYCLE FOR DISTRIBUTED POWER GENERATION

EPA Science Inventory

Impacts of this work will be seen in the areas of energy, poverty alleviation, improvement of quality of health care provision and quality of life, business development, and education. We will be directly preventing installation of polluting diesel generators while improving ...

78 FR 76811 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-19

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request The Department of Commerce will... economic development in western Alaska, to alleviate poverty and provide economic and social benefits for... occasion. Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits. OMB Desk Officer: OIRA_Submission...

Tobacco use & social status in Kerala.

PubMed

Thankappan, K R; Thresia, C U

2007-10-01

Health indicators of Kerala State such as infant mortality rate (14/ 1000 live births) and life expectancy at birth (71 yr for men and 76 yr for women) are far ahead of the Indian averages (IMR 58, life expectancy men 62 and women 63) and closer to the developed countries. However, tobacco use prevalence is similar to the national average. Smoking is the commonest form of tobacco usage among men in the State whereas chewing tobacco is more common among women and children. Tobacco chewing among men is increasing in Kerala probably due to the smoking ban and industry strategy to focus on smokeless tobacco. Tobacco use is significantly more among the low socio-economic (SE) groups compared to the high SE group. Mortality and morbidity attributed to tobacco is higher among the poorest people in the State. Age adjusted cancer rate of oral cavity and lung cancer has been increasing in the State in recent years. Heart diseases among the young people are increasing in the State. Cancer and heart diseases are chronic illnesses which may pull the individual and the entire family below the poverty line. Tobacco control therefore should be a top priority not only as a health issue but as a poverty reduction issue. Poverty alleviation is one of the major goals of developing economies. No poverty alleviation programme can ignore the potential impoverishment associated with tobacco use. Kerala with a very strong decentralized government has a very good opportunity to address tobacco control as a priority at the grass root level and reduce the impoverishment due to tobacco use.

Comparing Black and White Drug Offenders: Implications for Racial Disparities in Criminal Justice and Reentry Policy and Programming.

PubMed

Rosenberg, Alana; Groves, Allison K; Blankenship, Kim M

2017-01-01

Despite knowledge of racial bias for drug-related criminal justice involvement and its collateral consequences, we know less about differences between Black and White drug offenders. We compare 243 Blacks and White non-violent drug offenders in New Haven, CT for demographic characteristics, substance use, and re-entry services accessed. Blacks were significantly more likely to have sales and possession charges, significantly more likely to prefer marijuana, a less addictive drug, and significantly less likely to report having severe drug problems. For both races, drug treatment was the most common service accessed through supervision. These comparisons suggest different reasons for committing drug-related crimes and thus, different reentry programming needs. While drug treatment is critical for all who need it, for racial justice, we must also intervene to address other needs of offenders, such as poverty alleviation and employment opportunities.

Social security and mortality: the role of income support policies and population health in the United States.

PubMed

Arno, Peter S; House, James S; Viola, Deborah; Schechter, Clyde

2011-05-01

Social Security is the most important and effective income support program ever introduced in the United States, alleviating the burden of poverty for millions of elderly Americans. We explored the possible role of Social Security in reducing mortality among the elderly. In support of this hypothesis, we found that declines in mortality among the elderly exceeded those among younger age groups following the initial implementation of Social Security in 1940, and also in the periods following marked improvements in Social Security benefits via legislation and indexing of benefits that occurred between the mid-1960s and the early 1970s. A better understanding of the link between Social Security and health status among the elderly would add a significant and missing dimension to the public discourse over the future of Social Security, and the potential role of income support programs in reducing health-related socioeconomic disparities and improving population health.

Teaching Physics Using Appropriate Technology Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearce, Joshua M.

2007-01-01

Appropriate technologies able to be easily and economically constructed from readily available materials by local craftspeople have a central role in the alleviation of poverty in the developing world. However, research and development of these technologies are generally apportioned relatively modest support by the developed world's institutions,…

Shaping Solutions from Learnings in PAIs: A Blueprint

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dosanjh, Nawtej; Jha, Pushkar P.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The paper outlines a portal that facilitates learning through sharing of experiences. This flow is between experience sharers and solution seekers in the domain of poverty alleviation interventions (PAIs). Practitioners working on PAIs are often confined to searching from within "lessons learned" repositories and also from…

Native American Entrepreneurship. Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seymour, Nicole

Although Native Americans have owned and started the fewest small businesses of all U.S. minority groups, entrepreneurship is considered to be an efficient tool for alleviating their economic problems. Barriers to Native American entrepreneurship include poverty, scarce start-up capital, poor access to business education and technical assistance,…

An Overview of Head Start Program Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hines, Jeanne Morris

2017-01-01

Johnson's "War on Poverty" administrative team campaigned for committee members to join the War on Poverty efforts to create and develop programs for children born into poverty (Zigler, 2003). Poverty based programs, such as the Head Start program, continue to put into place proactive measures to increase preschooler's cognitive…

Social Networks, Social Participation, and Health among Youth Living in Extreme Poverty in Rural Malawi

PubMed Central

Rock, Amelia; Barrington, Clare; Abdoulayi, Sara; Tsoka, Maxton; Mvula, Peter; Handa, Sudhanshu

2017-01-01

Extensive research documents that social network characteristics affect health, but knowledge of peer networks of youth in Malawi and sub-Saharan Africa is limited. We examine the networks and social participation of youth living in extreme poverty in rural Malawi, using in-depth interviews with 32 youth and caregivers. We describe youth’s peer networks and assess how gender and the context of extreme poverty influence their networks and participation, and how their networks influence health. In-school youth had larger, more interactive, and more supportive networks than out-of-school youth, and girls described less social participation and more isolation than boys. Youth exchanged social support and influence within their networks that helped cope with poverty-induced stress and sadness, and encouraged protective sexual health practices. However, poverty hampered their involvement in school, religious schools, and community organizations, directly through lack of required material means, and indirectly by reducing time and emotional resources and creating shame and stigma. Poverty alleviation policy holds promise for improving youth’s social wellbeing and mental and physical health by increasing their opportunities to form networks, receive social support, and experience positive influence. PMID:27760393

Social networks, social participation, and health among youth living in extreme poverty in rural Malawi.

PubMed

Rock, Amelia; Barrington, Clare; Abdoulayi, Sara; Tsoka, Maxton; Mvula, Peter; Handa, Sudhanshu

2016-12-01

Extensive research documents that social network characteristics affect health, but knowledge of peer networks of youth in Malawi and sub-Saharan Africa is limited. We examine the networks and social participation of youth living in extreme poverty in rural Malawi, using in-depth interviews with 32 youth and caregivers. We describe youth's peer networks and assess how gender and the context of extreme poverty influence their networks and participation, and how their networks influence health. In-school youth had larger, more interactive, and more supportive networks than out-of-school youth, and girls described less social participation and more isolation than boys. Youth exchanged social support and influence within their networks that helped cope with poverty-induced stress and sadness, and encouraged protective sexual health practices. However, poverty hampered their involvement in school, religious schools, and community organizations, directly by denying them required material means, and indirectly by reducing time and emotional resources and creating shame and stigma. Poverty alleviation policy holds promise for improving youth's social wellbeing and mental and physical health by increasing their opportunities to form networks, receive social support, and experience positive influence. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Protected areas reduced poverty in Costa Rica and Thailand

PubMed Central

Andam, Kwaw S.; Ferraro, Paul J.; Sims, Katharine R. E.; Healy, Andrew; Holland, Margaret B.

2010-01-01

As global efforts to protect ecosystems expand, the socioeconomic impact of protected areas on neighboring human communities continues to be a source of intense debate. The debate persists because previous studies do not directly measure socioeconomic outcomes and do not use appropriate comparison groups to account for potential confounders. We illustrate an approach using comprehensive national datasets and quasi-experimental matching methods. We estimate impacts of protected area systems on poverty in Costa Rica and Thailand and find that although communities near protected areas are indeed substantially poorer than national averages, an analysis based on comparison with appropriate controls does not support the hypothesis that these differences can be attributed to protected areas. In contrast, the results indicate that the net impact of ecosystem protection was to alleviate poverty. PMID:20498058

World food and nutrition: the scientific and technological base.

PubMed

Wortman, S

1980-07-04

Alleviation of world hunger and poverty will require the accelerated development and application in each low-income country of a broad spectrum of technologies based on advances in the biological, social, and physical sciences. They will range from improved cropping systems for farmers or small labor-intensive enterprises (small and beautiful) to nationwide transportation and communications systems, power grids, and other distribution and marketing capabilities (big and beautiful). Concerted action through a combination of commodity production campaigns, area development efforts, and overhaul of outdated national agencies offers the best prospect for overcoming both hunger and poverty.

HIV/AIDS Education: What Works for Swaziland University Students?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sukati, C. W. S.; Vilakati, Nokuthula; Esampally, Chandraiah

2010-01-01

Background: HIV/AIDS poses a major threat to development and poverty alleviation, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Education has been declared an effective preventative approach and the single most powerful weapon against HIV transmission. However, there is a paucity of research on the type of education required, the appropriate…

Haiti's Economic Growth Initiative and CTE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dimattina, Cara

2009-01-01

In a study by the World Bank in 1993, "Skills for Productivity: Vocational Education and Training in Developing Countries," researchers found that skill training in the rural and urban informal sectors in developing countries may contribute more to the alleviation of poverty than training for modern sector wage employment. They also…

Wishing for a World without "Theatre for Development": Demystifying the Case of Bangladesh.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmed, Syed Jamil

2002-01-01

Argues that Theatre for Development in Bangladesh practiced by Non-Governmental Organizations, which is almost entirely funded by international donor organizations, serves globalization in the name of poverty alleviation. Concludes by advocating for the necessity of exploring alternatives by which indigenous theatre performers may access directly…

Building Educational Resilience. Fastback 430.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Margaret C.; Haertel, Geneva D.; Walberg, Herbert J.

The number of children at risk of school failure because of poverty, illness, divorce, drug and alcohol abuse, frequent relocation, and other adverse circumstances is increasing. Although some teachers may feel as though these problems are beyond them, research points to educators' actions that can alleviate such problems by fostering educational…

Poverty Alleviation: Insights and Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Motilal

The development theory for progress in the countries of the Third World must be based on the aspirations of the common people; the majority poor. The poor cannot simply be provided with resources; they must also be psychologically, socially, and economically empowered. The most important conflict in poor countries is between urban and rural…

Relationships between poverty and AIDS Illness in South Africa: an investigation of urban and rural households in KwaZulu-Natal.

PubMed

Steinert, Janina Isabel; Cluver, Lucie; Melendez-Torres, G J; Herrero Romero, Rocio

2017-09-01

The association between poverty and HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa remains contested. A better understanding of the relationship between the prevalence of poverty and the disease is essential for addressing prevention, treatment, and care. The present study interrogates this relationship, using a cross-sectional survey of 2477 households in urban and rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Structural equation modelling was employed to estimate the correlations between poverty and AIDS illness. The analysis revealed a correlation of r pb  = 0.23, denoting that a higher level of household poverty was associated with a higher likelihood of being AIDS-unwell. Post hoc t-test showed that receipt of a disability grant by AIDS-affected households was associated with significantly lower poverty, compared to AIDS-affected households not receiving the grant, t(654) = 3.67, p < .01. Geographic location was found to confound the correlation: the strength of the relationship between poverty and AIDS was decreased to r pb  = 0.15 (p < .001) for the urban and r pb  = 0.16 (p < .001) for the rural sub-population. Findings suggest the importance of two sets of policies: those that address the potential upstream risk of poverty through economic interventions, and those that alleviate the impoverishing effects of AIDS illness for affected households.

Shamba Maisha: A pilot study assessing impacts of a micro-irrigation intervention on the health and economic wellbeing of HIV patients

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background HIV/AIDS negatively impacts poverty alleviation and food security, which reciprocally hinder the rapid scale up and effectiveness of HIV care programs. Nyanza province has the highest HIV prevalence (15.3%), and is the third highest contributor (2.4 million people) to rural poverty in Kenya. Thus, we tested the feasibility of providing a micro-irrigation pump to HIV-positive farmers in order to evaluate its impact on health and economic advancement among HIV-positive patients and their families. Methods Thirty HIV-positive patients enrolled in the Family AIDS Care and Education Services (FACES) program in Kisumu, Kenya were provided a micro-financed loan to receive an irrigation pump and farming guidance from KickStart, the developer of the pump. Economic data, CD4 counts, household health and loan repayment history were collected 12 months after the pumps were distributed. Results Mean annual family income increased by $1,332 over baseline. CD4 counts did not change significantly. Though income increased, only three (10%) participants had paid off more than a quarter of the loan. Conclusions We demonstrated the feasibility of an income-generating micro-irrigation intervention among HIV-positive patients and the collection of health and economic data. While family income improved significantly, loan repayment rates were low- likely complicated by the drought that occurred in Kenya during the intervention period. PMID:20459841

Shamba Maisha: a pilot study assessing impacts of a micro-irrigation intervention on the health and economic wellbeing of HIV patients.

PubMed

Pandit, Jay A; Sirotin, Nicole; Tittle, Robin; Onjolo, Elijah; Bukusi, Elizabeth A; Cohen, Craig R

2010-05-11

HIV/AIDS negatively impacts poverty alleviation and food security, which reciprocally hinder the rapid scale up and effectiveness of HIV care programs. Nyanza province has the highest HIV prevalence (15.3%), and is the third highest contributor (2.4 million people) to rural poverty in Kenya. Thus, we tested the feasibility of providing a micro-irrigation pump to HIV-positive farmers in order to evaluate its impact on health and economic advancement among HIV-positive patients and their families. Thirty HIV-positive patients enrolled in the Family AIDS Care and Education Services (FACES) program in Kisumu, Kenya were provided a micro-financed loan to receive an irrigation pump and farming guidance from KickStart, the developer of the pump. Economic data, CD4 counts, household health and loan repayment history were collected 12 months after the pumps were distributed. Mean annual family income increased by $1,332 over baseline. CD4 counts did not change significantly. Though income increased, only three (10%) participants had paid off more than a quarter of the loan. We demonstrated the feasibility of an income-generating micro-irrigation intervention among HIV-positive patients and the collection of health and economic data. While family income improved significantly, loan repayment rates were low- likely complicated by the drought that occurred in Kenya during the intervention period.

Economic and Social Council ends meeting after considering poverty.

PubMed

1993-09-01

An overview is provided of the recent meetings of the UN Economic and Social Council (UNESC) in Geneva during July 1993. The issues of the meetings focused on poverty alleviation and population issues and plans for the International Conference on Population and Development. More than 100 resolutions and decisions were approved by the UNESC Commissions. In the meeting held on June 29-30, 1993, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary General of the UN, addressed 15 ministers and 38 senior government officials and representatives of multilateral financial and trade institutions. He said that an unstable society undermines a stable economy and a stable political order. Social development must be the basis of all development. Social development has the goal of the alleviating poverty in the marginalization of populations, in discrimination in social relationship, in rootlessness of culture, and in vulnerability in ecology. The priority is in attacking poverty first. The World Summit to be held in March 1995 should enlist international cooperation in ending poverty. The UN marks its 50th anniversary also at that time, and the Summit would provide an opportunity to begin dealing with real and tangible issues such as poverty, social integration and employment. All countries are in need of formulating new directions in social policy and policies that accounting for the interrelationships globally in such a way as to put the best interests of all nations at the forefront. Development and international cooperation must "put people first." The meetings also addressed the issue of women's integration into society and the need to invest in women, as part of changing gender discrimination and contributing to their full participation in socioeconomic development. The Council requested an extension to meetings scheduled for April 1994 and the preparation of documentation by Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund that would include this Council meeting's recommendations. 9 resolutions and 4 decisions were recommended by the Economic Committee on regional cooperation. The aim was to strengthen regional commissions and decentralize which would provide a more effective distribution of responsibilities and tasks. Restructuring of the UN should include the recommendations made by regional commissions.

Impact of food and nutrition interventions on poverty in an informal settlement in the Vaal Region of South Africa.

PubMed

Oldewage-Theron, Wilna H; Slabbert, Tielman J C

2008-02-01

UNICEF has stated that urban poverty is primarily found in squatter settlements. At present 13.5% of all South African households live in informal settlements. The major research question is to what extent does poverty influence the food, nutrition and health of informal-settlement dwellers. The purpose of the present study was to determine the depth of poverty in this community and to measure the possible effect that planned food and nutrition interventions may have on eliminating poverty in this area. Pre-tested questionnaires were administered to 340 randomly-selected caregivers. A validated quantified FFQ was administered by trained enumerators as the test measurement for dietary intake and food consumption patterns and 24 h recall was used as the reference measurement, and the data were analysed. A poverty model was used to measure the impact of extra income on the poverty levels of 190 households. Of the respondents 89% lived in Zn shacks and the average household size was 4.9 individuals. The unemployment rate was 94.2% for respondents and 64.9% for their partners. The majority of households (68.8%) had an income of

Regional action plan handling of social welfare problem in nganjuk regency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zain, IM; Utami, WS; Setyawan, KG

2018-01-01

Local action plans are expected to ensure a social protection for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups or PMKS. The method used in this research is by primary survey and secondary survey. The condition of the people who still belong to PMKS requires the state to come to the community to solve the problems faced. Stakeholders should be involved to handle PMKS. The activities presented should also receive periodic monitoring and evaluation so that there is progress reporting at any time. Implementable poverty reduction strategies and policies are social protection strategies, opportunity expansion strategies, resource capacity building strategies, community empowerment strategies and partnership strategies. The flow of PMKS is the validation and updating of data, the fulfillment of the basic needs of the PMKS family, the development of PMKS human resources, the improvement of the quality of life for poor families, the institutions of poverty alleviation stakeholders and the unemployed at the base level. The Regional Action Plan (RAP) is prepared as a reference in the context of carrying out PMKS mitigation which is expected to serve as a guide for managers and program implementers with relevant agencies that are conducted jointly and continuously for the period of time specified.

Determinants Of Impoverishment Due To Out Of Pocket Payments In Nigeria.

PubMed

Aregbeshola, Bolaji Samson; Khan, Samina Mohsin

2017-01-01

Poverty is an extreme consequence of out of pocket payments in countries with health systems that do not provide financial risk protection through mandatory health insurance coverage for people in both the formal and informal sectors. The study assessed the determinants of impoverishment due to out of pocket payments in Nigeria. Secondary data from the Harmonized Nigeria Living Standard Survey (HNLSS) of 2009/10 was utilized to assess factors associated with impoverishment in Nigeria. Household and individual characteristics associated with impoverishment were determined using binary logistic regression. A significance level of p<0.05 was used. Results show that lack of health insurance, having a member above 65 years, large household size, household socio-economic status, type of illness suffered, type of health facility visited, geo-political zones, education of household heads and location were major determinants of impoverishment due to out of pocket health expenditure. Findings from the study show that most households and individuals are vulnerable to financial risk due to this regressive source of payments for health care services. This explains why the level of poverty keeps increasing in spite of the numerous poverty alleviation programs across the country. Policy makers and political actors need to design a new health system financing policy that will increase financial risk protection for people in both the formal and informal sectors. Governments and decision makers have to focus on health as a determinant of economic well-being.

Microcredit -- an emerging tool for fighting poverty.

PubMed

1997-01-01

A summit focusing on microcredit (small business, microenterprise, loans) as a means of fighting poverty was held February 3-4 in Washington; it was co-chaired by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and by Queen Sofia of Spain. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has long supported microenterprise and microfinance. The summit set a goal of reaching 100 million poor families over the next nine years. USAID Administrator Brian Atwood spoke concerning the need to involve the private sector in microfinance; previously loans had been financed outside of the mainstream financial system via nongovernmental organizations and credit unions funded mainly by governments and donors. USAID launched a Microenterprise Initiative in 1994 that has supported 150 programs in 45 countries, and that is expected to reach approximately 4 million families. Atwood said the microenterprise strategies were currently in use in nearly every country USAID supports in Latin America and Asia, and most countries in Africa; future efforts would concentrate on countries in Africa, in eastern Europe and in central Asia. Mrs. Clinton called microenterprise "an invaluable tool in alleviating poverty, promoting self-sufficiency, and stimulating the economy." Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin stated that the policy helped people help themselves by giving them the tools they needed to join the economic mainstream. Microcredit focuses on businesses with five or fewer workers; loans range from less than $100 to $10,000. More than half of the businesses are owned and operated by women.

Establishment of Institutional Policies for Enhancing Education Quality in Cambodian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rany, Sam; Zain, Ahmad Nurulazam Md; Jamil, Hazri

2012-01-01

In the context of global and national economic development, higher education in Cambodia plays a significant role to develop human capital with technical knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes for sustainable economic growth, social development, and alleviation of poverty. When the civil war in 1998 was over, the Royal Government of Cambodia…

Philippines Government Boosts Opportunity for Renewable Energy Investments

Science.gov Websites

development in the Philippines. These changes aim to use renewable energy to enhance economic growth and alleviate poverty, while reducing oil imports and protecting the environment. The changes were based on a International Development at Manila, and the interagency Technology Cooperation Agreement Pilot Project of USAID

The Shifting Demographics and Lifelong Learning. Conference Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karmel, Tom

2011-01-01

This paper was presented at the International Symposium on Lifelong Learning for Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development: Developing a Research Agenda for the Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong, 12-13 January 2011. Tom Karmel suggests that there are four implications of an ageing population: the need to improve labour force participation and…

How New Industry Will Affect Your Community. SRDC Series Publication No. 27.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Eldon D.

In evaluating the impacts of increased industrialization on small rural communities, some factors to consider are: how much employment and income will go to local people; will industry alleviate poverty; how will income benefits be distributed; and how will industry change community values, local politics and volunteer organizations, local…

Gender and Rural Employment: A View from Latin America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballara, Marcela

2007-01-01

The paper focuses on women employment in rural areas and its impacts in food security. The presentation includes data on rural women employment and its different labour strategies: temporary work, non agriculture rural employment and permanent rural employment. Poverty alleviation and its impact on families as well as implications in the economic…

Globalization, Critical Post-Colonialism and Career and Technical Education in Africa: Challenges and Possibilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goura, Tairou

2012-01-01

In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is central to political discourses and educational concerns as a means for economic development, poverty alleviation, youth employment, and social mobility. Yet, there is an intriguing contradiction between this consideration and the real attention dedicated to…

India’s Seventh Fire-Year Plan: New Departures or Business as Usual?

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-01-01

obtaining credit and in marketing. This sector includes khadi; village industries; handlooms ; sericulture; handicrafts; and coir, among the traditional...India’s labor-intensive handloomed cloth, clothes, and handicrafts is doing a good deal more to alleviate poverty in the world than any number of bogus rock

Cultures of Funding, Management and Learning in the Global Mainstream

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, R.

2005-01-01

This paper examines changes over the last 20 years which have shaped international human development assistance for the alleviation of poverty and inclusion and what it achieves. With reference to labour market restructuring and the contemporary rhetoric, design and management of human development interventions, it describes a study into how these…

Population Growth and Family Planning. IN Visitors' Information Special Report. SO 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heisse, Thomas

The rapid and still-accelerating increase in the world's population, especially in developing nations, will have a number of serious economic, social, and ecological consequences for the whole world. Germany is attempting to help solve these problems by providing family planning and poverty alleviation assistance to developing nations. German…

Strategies to alleviate poverty and grassland degradation in Inner Mongolia: Intensification vs production efficiency of livestock

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Semi-nomadic pastoralism was replaced by sedentary pastoralism in Inner Mongolia during the 1960's in response to changes in land use policy and increasing human population. Large increases in numbers of livestock and pastoralist households (11- and 9-fold, respectively) during the past 60 yrs have ...

Evaluating the unintended health consequences of poverty alleviation strategies: or what is the relevance of Mohammed Yunus to public health?

PubMed

Mohindra, K S; Haddad, Slim

2008-01-01

Public health researchers are increasingly shifting their attention away from merely documenting those factors that determine health--a solid evidence base on health determinants now exists--to improving our understanding of how various interventions influence population health. This paper argues for greater investigations of the potential unintended health benefits associated with participation in a poverty alleviation strategy (PAS) in low-income countries. We focus on microcredit, a PAS that has been spreading across the developing world. Microcredit aims to address the "credit gap" between the poor and the better off by offering an alternative for the poor to acquire loans: small groups are formed and loans are allocated to members based on group solidarity instead of formal collateral. We argue that microcredit corresponds with activities that will help build up health capital (e.g., greater access to resources) and describe the main pathways from microcredit participation to health. We advocate that microcredit and other potential pro-health PAS be included among the range of interventions considered by public health researchers in improving the health of the poor.

Increasing urban community empowerment through changing of poverty rate index on the productive zakat impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaenal, M. H.; Astuti, A. D.; Sadariyah, A. S.

2018-01-01

We show how changes in poverty measures can be applied into growth of islamic philanthropy distribution via zakat, and we use the methodology to zakat community development (ZCD) program in Bantul during the 2016. The purpose of the present paper is to prove zakat is able to be a solution part for the community empowerment. The result is the number of productive zakat program beneficiaries whose income is below the poverty line (poor category) before the program are 244 people (H = 0.171) and after the program change to 168 (H = 0.118), which means the program has succeeded in reducing the number of poor people by 76 people (5.34 percent). The poverty gap (P1) of beneficiaries of productive zakat program in Bantul also decrease. The gap between poverty line and average income of beneficiaries is Rp 63,763 before the program, while the gap after the program is Rp 56,992. The income gap (I) is also decline from 0.197 to 0.169. Poverty severity of beneficiaries of productive zakat program in Bantul seen by Sen Index (P2) decrease from 0.093 to 0.062, while using Foster-Greer-Thorbecke Index (P3), the poverty severity decrease from 0.010 to 0.004. The analysis revealed the zakat community empowerment was significant economically in suppressing the poverty rate, and possible for reducing inequality and ending poverty in Indonesia.

Designing payments for ecosystem services: Lessons from previous experience with incentive-based mechanisms

PubMed Central

Jack, B. Kelsey; Kousky, Carolyn; Sims, Katharine R. E.

2008-01-01

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) policies compensate individuals or communities for undertaking actions that increase the provision of ecosystem services such as water purification, flood mitigation, or carbon sequestration. PES schemes rely on incentives to induce behavioral change and can thus be considered part of the broader class of incentive- or market-based mechanisms for environmental policy. By recognizing that PES programs are incentive-based, policymakers can draw on insights from the substantial body of accumulated knowledge about this class of instruments. In particular, this article offers a set of lessons about how the environmental, socioeconomic, political, and dynamic context of a PES policy is likely to interact with policy design to produce policy outcomes, including environmental effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and poverty alleviation. PMID:18621696

Designing payments for ecosystem services: Lessons from previous experience with incentive-based mechanisms.

PubMed

Jack, B Kelsey; Kousky, Carolyn; Sims, Katharine R E

2008-07-15

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) policies compensate individuals or communities for undertaking actions that increase the provision of ecosystem services such as water purification, flood mitigation, or carbon sequestration. PES schemes rely on incentives to induce behavioral change and can thus be considered part of the broader class of incentive- or market-based mechanisms for environmental policy. By recognizing that PES programs are incentive-based, policymakers can draw on insights from the substantial body of accumulated knowledge about this class of instruments. In particular, this article offers a set of lessons about how the environmental, socioeconomic, political, and dynamic context of a PES policy is likely to interact with policy design to produce policy outcomes, including environmental effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and poverty alleviation.

Financial Structure and Economic Welfare: Applied General Equilibrium Development Economics.

PubMed

Townsend, Robert

2010-09-01

This review provides a common framework for researchers thinking about the next generation of micro-founded macro models of growth, inequality, and financial deepening, as well as direction for policy makers targeting microfinance programs to alleviate poverty. Topics include treatment of financial structure general equilibrium models: testing for as-if-complete markets or other financial underpinnings; examining dual-sector models with both a perfectly intermediated sector and a sector in financial autarky, as well as a second generation of these models that embeds information problems and other obstacles to trade; designing surveys to capture measures of income, investment/savings, and flow of funds; and aggregating individuals and households to the level of network, village, or national economy. The review concludes with new directions that overcome conceptual and computational limitations.

Financial Structure and Economic Welfare: Applied General Equilibrium Development Economics

PubMed Central

Townsend, Robert

2010-01-01

This review provides a common framework for researchers thinking about the next generation of micro-founded macro models of growth, inequality, and financial deepening, as well as direction for policy makers targeting microfinance programs to alleviate poverty. Topics include treatment of financial structure general equilibrium models: testing for as-if-complete markets or other financial underpinnings; examining dual-sector models with both a perfectly intermediated sector and a sector in financial autarky, as well as a second generation of these models that embeds information problems and other obstacles to trade; designing surveys to capture measures of income, investment/savings, and flow of funds; and aggregating individuals and households to the level of network, village, or national economy. The review concludes with new directions that overcome conceptual and computational limitations. PMID:21037939

Parliamentarians play key role in linking population and social development.

PubMed

1995-01-01

Mr. Hirofunti Ando, Deputy Executive Director of the UNFPA, delivered the statement of Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of the UNFPA at the International Meeting of Parliamentarians on Population and Social Development. The International Conference of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (ICPPD) in Cairo in September 1994 made a significant impact on the attitudes and support of parliamentarians regarding population issues. The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) brought together a group of parliamentarians from all over the world to discuss population issues and social development. The World Summit included in its deliberations the accumulated experiences of earlier international conferences dealing with social economic issues. The ICPD Program of Action addressed concerns relevant to the agenda of the Social Summit: the crucial contribution that early population stabilization will make towards the attainment of sustainable development; the significant role of integrated policies on population and development in creating employment; the importance of population policies and programs in alleviating poverty; the contributions of reproductive health policies, including high-quality family planning services, to the enhancement of the status of women and to the achievement of gender equality; the synergy between education, family planning, and the general improvement of the human condition; and the relationship between population pressures, poverty, and environmental degradation. The ICPD Program of Action also identified critically important population and development objectives, such as ensuring access to education, especially of girls; reducing infant, child, and maternal mortality; and providing universal access to reproductive health and family planning services. Now the challenge is to mobilize the necessary resources for the Social Summit.

The present and future of Mexican health promotion.

PubMed

Acosta-Mendez, María; Mariscal-Servitje, Lorenza; Santos-Burgoa, Carlos

2007-01-01

Mexico, with a 92 percent literacy, 62 native languages and 12.7 million indigenous people, has entered a new era of macroeconomic stability. Nevertheless 40 percent of the population live below the poverty line. The burden of disease includes malnutrition, infectious diseases, reproductive health problems, as well as chronic diseases. Addressing the social determinants of health has been a priority. This can be seen in two of the most successful Mexican programs. The National Healthy Communities Program that uses a setting approach to establish a link between socioeconomic development and health levels and the Opportunities Program that has become an international model and which is a comprehensive, poverty alleviation program that uses education, fiscal measures and health education to improve population health. Both have been implemented throughout all the states in an intersectorial manner, since 1997 and 2000 respectively. Health promotion in Mexico has evolved in many positive ways during the past 20 years. Development of healthy environments and community actions are the strongest components. Evidence and evaluation, health services reorientation, and building personal skills and empowerment are the weakest. The paradox between low empowerment and high community action results in a superficial community participation that lacks a real commitment towards health. The newest Mexican health promotion policy is named National Alliance for Health and it aims to involve all members of society. Its value is to be independent of any international recommendation; its weakness is that it lacks a deep analysis of the health issues that it is supposed to solve. Consequently valid evaluations are not feasible, and without real evidence the impact of these kinds of policies will remain unknown.

The Zero Hunger and Brazil without Extreme Poverty programs: a step forward in Brazilian social protection policy.

PubMed

Paes-Sousa, Romulo; Vaitsman, Jeni

2014-11-01

Brazilian social protection programs have had consistent effects in reducing poverty and inequality among their respective target-groups: children, adolescents and pregnant and breastfeeding women. In 2011, the Brazil without Extreme Poverty program was launched as a strategy to eradicate extreme poverty by 2014. It makes the promotion of rights the core concept of the official political narrative. This study seeks to provide a systematic description of the Brazil without Extreme Poverty program and its initial results. A review of official documents and academic studies on the social protection programs was conducted. The Brazil without Extreme Poverty program represents an incremental approach to the social protection policies enacted by the previous administration. It advocates a multidimensional and focused approach, funded primarily by the federal government. The strategy subscribes to the international trend of associating social protection with employment and income generation policies.

DO FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAMS DECREASE POVERTY? EVIDENCE FROM PUBLIC CENSUS DATA

PubMed Central

Bailey, Martha J.; Malkova, Olga; Norling, Johannes

2014-01-01

This paper provides new evidence that family planning programs are associated with a decrease in the share of children and adults living in poverty. Our research design exploits the county roll-out of U.S. family planning programs in the late 1960s and early 1970s and examines their relationship with poverty rates in the short and longer-term in public census data. We find that cohorts born after federal family planning programs began were less likely to live in poverty in childhood and that these same cohorts were less likely to live in poverty as adults. PMID:25346655

National program for family planning and primary health care Pakistan: a SWOT analysis.

PubMed

Wazir, Mohammad Salim; Shaikh, Babar Tasneem; Ahmed, Ashfaq

2013-11-22

The National Program for Family Planning and Primary Healthcare was launched in 1994. It is one of the largest community based programs in the world, providing primary healthcare services to about 80 million people, most of which is rural poor. The program has been instrumental in improving health related indicators of maternal and child health in the last two decades. SWOT analysis was used by making recourse to the structure and dynamics of the program as well as searching the literature. Strengths of the program include: comprehensive design of planning, implementation and supervision mechanisms aided by an MIS, selection and recruitments processes and evidence created through improving health impact indicators. Weaknesses identified are slow progress, poor integration of the program with health services at local levels including MIS, and de-motivational factors such as job insecurity and non-payment of salaries in time. Opportunities include further widening the coverage of services, its potential contribution to health system research, and its use in areas other than health like women empowerment and poverty alleviation. Threats the program may face are: political interference, lack of funds, social threats and implications for professional malpractices. Strengthening of the program will necessitate a strong political commitment, sustained funding and a just remuneration to this bare foot doctor of Pakistan, the Lady Health Worker.

Challenging Hydrological Panaceas: Water poverty governance accounting for spatial scale in the Niger River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, John; Kaczan, David

2014-11-01

Water poverty in the Niger River Basin is a function of physical constraints affecting access and supply, and institutional arrangements affecting the ability to utilise the water resource. This distinction reflects the complexity of water poverty and points to the need to look beyond technical and financial means alone to reduce its prevalence and severity. Policy decisions affecting water resources are generally made at a state or national level. Hydrological and socio-economic evaluations at these levels, or at the basin level, cannot be presumed to be concordant with the differentiation of poverty or livelihood vulnerability at more local levels. We focus on three objectives: first, the initial mapping of observed poverty, using two health metrics and a household assets metric; second, the estimation of factors which potentially influence the observed poverty patterns; and third, a consideration of spatial non-stationarity, which identifies spatial correlates of poverty in the places where their effects appear most severe. We quantify the extent to which different levels of analysis influence these results. Comparative analysis of correlates of poverty at basin, national and local levels shows limited congruence. Variation in water quantity, and the presence of irrigation and dams had either limited or no significant correlation with observed variation in poverty measures across levels. Education and access to improved water quality were the only variables consistently significant and spatially stable across the entire basin. At all levels, education is the most consistent non-water correlate of poverty while access to protected water sources is the strongest water related correlate. The analysis indicates that landscape and scale matter for understanding water-poverty linkages and for devising policy concerned with alleviating water poverty. Interactions between environmental, social and institutional factors are complex and consequently a comprehensive understanding of poverty and its causes requires analysis at multiple spatial resolutions.

Quantifiable impact on poverty in Trinidad And Tobago of the Uruguay Round Agreement On Agriculture.

PubMed

Pemberton, Carlisle; Ramnarine, Deokie

2006-09-01

The agreement on agriculture and the World Trade Organization were major outcomes of the 1986-1994 Uruguay Round (UR) negotiations within the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The measures under the UR were predicted to increase poverty in developing countries, a serious cause for concern since poverty alleviation is a major goal of developing countries. Thus this paper simulated the impact on poverty of the UR for a net food importing country, Trinidad and Tobago. The objectives of the study were to determine the changes in poverty levels in Trinidad and Tobago that we expected would result from changes in the price levels of food commodities after the removal of trade protection following the UR, and to examine recent trends in poverty in Trinidad and Tobago and the prices of major agricultural exports from the United States, its principal trading partner. A regression model (poverty model) was used to determine the relationship between poverty levels and the prices of sensitive imported food commodities (SIFCs) and other key economic variables. Impact models were used to project changes in world market prices of the SIFCs due to the UR, and these price changes were used to predict changes in poverty in Trinidad and Tobago. The results showed a positive elasticity between poverty and the prices of SIFCs. The study also predicted that the average projected increase in price levels of the SIFCs of less than 9% by the year 2000 would cause an increase in poverty in Trinidad and Tobago of less than 4%. There has been, in fact, a small decline in poverty in Trinidad and Tobago since 1996. The prices of major agricultural exports from the United States have also been falling since 1995. Thus, so far the UR has had no perceptible effects in increasing the prices of food exports from the United States. Also, so far the UR has had no perceptible effect on the poverty level in Trinidad and Tobago.

A revealed preference approach to estimating supply curves for ecosystem services: use of auctions to set payments for soil erosion control in Indonesia.

PubMed

Jack, B Kelsey; Leimona, Beria; Ferraro, Paul J

2009-04-01

To supply ecosystem services, private landholders incur costs. Knowledge of these costs is critical for the design of conservation-payment programs. Estimating these costs accurately is difficult because the minimum acceptable payment to a potential supplier is private information. We describe how an auction of payment contracts can be designed to elicit this information during the design phase of a conservation-payment program. With an estimate of the ecosystem-service supply curve from a pilot auction, conservation planners can explore the financial, ecological, and socioeconomic consequences of alternative scaled-up programs. We demonstrate the potential of our approach in Indonesia, where soil erosion on coffee farms generates downstream ecological and economic costs. Bid data from a small-scale, uniform-price auction for soil-conservation contracts allowed estimates of the costs of a scaled-up program, the gain from integrating biophysical and economic data to target contracts, and the trade-offs between poverty alleviation and supply of ecosystem services. Our study illustrates an auction-based approach to revealing private information about the costs of supplying ecosystem services. Such information can improve the design of programs devised to protect and enhance ecosystem services.

Evaluation of Ecological Environment Security in Contiguous Poverty Alleviation Area of Sichuan Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xian, W.; Chen, Y.; Chen, J.; Luo, X.; Shao, H.

2018-04-01

According to the overall requirements of ecological construction and environmental protection, rely on the national key ecological engineering, strengthen ecological environmental restoration and protection, improve forest cover, control soil erosion, construct important ecological security barrier in poor areas, inhibit poverty alleviation through ecological security in this area from environmental damage to the vicious cycle of poverty. Obviously, the dynamic monitoring of ecological security in contiguous destitute areas of Sichuan province has a policy sense of urgency and practical significance. This paper adopts RS technology and GIS technology to select the Luhe region of Jinchuan county and Ganzi prefecture as the research area, combined with the characteristics of ecological environment in poor areas, the impact factors of ecological environment are determined as land use type, terrain slope, vegetation cover, surface water, soil moisture and other factors. Using the ecological environmental safety assessment model, the ecological environment safety index is calculated. According to the index, the ecological environment safety of the research area is divided into four levels. The ecological environment safety classification map of 1990 in 2009 is obtained. It can be seen that with the human modern life and improve their economic level, the surrounding environment will be destroyed, because the research area ecological environment is now in good, the ecological environment generally tends to be stable. We should keep its ecological security good and improve local economic income. The relationship between ecological environmental security and economic coordinated development in poor areas has very important strategic significance.

Human Capital Development and Poverty Alleviation in Nigeria: A Symbiotic Overview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asaju, Kayode

2012-01-01

Human Capital development through education is a long time investment made by the state to enhance the well being of her citizenry. By investing in education, well educated individuals bring to bear their talents, knowledge, skills and experiences as they function in the various sectors of the economy. Human Capital development is therefore a…

Participatory Experiences of Women in Economic Development Cooperatives in Bhambayi, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raniga, Tanusha

2017-01-01

Purpose: Nation states in both the Global North and South have debated the human rights and liberatory function as opposed to the dependency and economically viable function of social protection policy. This article is an attempt to advance empirical knowledge in the field of social protection policy and poverty alleviation. Method: Using…

Trade in Educational Services: An Overview of GATS and Policy Implications for Higher Agricultural Education in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soam, S. K.; Sastry, R. Kalpana; Rashmi, H. B.

2007-01-01

Higher education is a service that contributes to national development, integration and regional cohesion. Agricultural education in particular has been viewed in many developing countries as a significant contributor to sustainable development and poverty alleviation. In view of its public mandate, higher education in most countries is regulated…

The Drivers of Women Farmers' Participation in Cash Crop Production: The Case of Women Smallholder Farmers in Northern Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zakaria, Hudu

2017-01-01

Purpose: Participation in labour markets and high-value crops among men and women smallholder farmers has always been an important strategy for poverty alleviation and attainment of food and income security. In contributing to the generation of gender-disaggregated empirical literature, this paper examined determinants of women smallholder…

The Impact of Education in Shaping Lives: Reflections of Young People with Disabilities in Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singal, Nidhi; Mahama Salifu, Edward; Iddrisu, Khadijatu; Casely-Hayford, Leslie; Lundebye, Helen

2015-01-01

There is increasing recognition of the importance of focusing on people with disabilities (PWDs) in international efforts aimed at poverty alleviation. While universal education has been central to these efforts, the specific and additional needs of children with disabilities are often overlooked in policies and programmes. In order to gain a…

Social Gains from Female Education: A Cross-National Study. World Bank Discussion Papers 194.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subbarao, K.; Raney, Laura

This paper on the social gains from female education is part of a series, prepared by the World Bank, on the benefits of improving opportunities for women. The paper suggests that expanding women's opportunities enhances their productivity and earning potential and thus contributes to better economic performance and poverty alleviation. Education…

The State of America's Children: 1992.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Children's Defense Fund, Washington, DC.

This report on the state of children in the United States begins with a call to action that points out the destructive effects of poverty, violence, and drug use on America's children while outlining 10 needed steps that should be followed to help alleviate these problems. The greater part of the report focuses on: (1) health; (2) child care; (3)…

Management Education and the Base of the Pyramid

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Michael D.

2008-01-01

Doing business at the base of the pyramid is a topic of increasing interest to business practitioners and academics. Base of the pyramid business offers the promise of great economic gains for companies and the possibility of a powerful new approach to alleviate poverty. At the same time, it may threaten local culture and independence while…

Correlates of Unemployed Graduates' Perceptions of the Importance of Entrepreneurial Education in Poverty Alleviation in Cross River State, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ekuri, E. E.; Alade, F. O.; Sule, M.; Odigwe, F. N.

2013-01-01

Drawing from the empirical research on unemployment among young graduates and the question of economic relevance of curricula of the tertiary education in Nigeria, this investigation was carried out to answer the following research question: Will unemployed graduates' perceptions of the importance of entrepreneurial education in poverty…

Social security and mortality: The role of income support policies and population health in the United States

PubMed Central

Arno, Peter S.; House, James S.; Viola, Deborah; Schechter, Clyde

2011-01-01

Social Security is the most important and effective income support program ever introduced in the United States, alleviating the burden of poverty for millions of elderly Americans. We explored the possible role of Social Security in reducing mortality among the elderly. In support of this hypothesis, we found that declines in mortality among the elderly exceeded those among younger age groups following the initial implementation of Social Security in 1940, and also in the periods following marked improvements in Social Security benefits via legislation and indexing of benefits that occurred between the mid-1960s and the early 1970s. A better understanding of the link between Social Security and health status among the elderly would add a significant and missing dimension to the public discourse over the future of Social Security, and the potential role of income support programs in reducing health-related socioeconomic disparities and improving population health. PMID:21326333

Pathway to neural resilience: Self-esteem buffers against deleterious effects of poverty on the hippocampus.

PubMed

Wang, Yinan; Zhang, Lin; Kong, Xiangzhen; Hong, Yingyi; Cheon, Bobby; Liu, Jia

2016-11-01

Human neuroimaging studies have shown that people living in poverty tend to suffer hippocampal atrophy, which leads to impaired memory and learning throughout life. However, behavioral studies demonstrate that poor people with high self-esteem are often exempt from the deleterious effect of poverty and instead possess a happy and successful life. Here we investigated whether high self-esteem can buffer against the deleterious effects of poverty, as indicated by low subjective socioeconomic status (SSS), on the hippocampal gray matter volume (GMV) in a large cohort of young participants (N = 280). As expected, findings revealed that although low (vs. high) SSS was linked with a smaller hippocampal GMV, the deleterious effect of low SSS on hippocampal GMV was alleviated when the participants have high self-esteem. Commonality analyses further confirmed this observation. The current study suggests that positive psychological resources such as self-esteem may provide protection for the hippocampal atrophy in adversity. Hum Brain Mapp 37:3757-3766, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Poverty 1996-1999. Current Population Reports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iceland, John

This report examines patterns of poverty using seven different measures: average monthly poverty, episodic poverty, chronic poverty, annual poverty, poverty spells, poverty entry rates, and poverty exit rates. Data come from the 1996 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and reflect the dynamics of poverty from 1996-1999.…

The effect of poverty and social protection on national homicide rates: Direct and moderating effects.

PubMed

Rogers, Meghan L; Pridemore, William Alex

2013-05-01

Social protection is the ability of a government to insulate its citizens from the problems associated with poverty and market forces that negatively affect their quality of life. Prior research shows that government policies that provide social protection moderate the influence of inequality on national homicide rates. Recent research, however, reveals a strong association between poverty and national homicide rates. Further, theory and evidence suggest that social protection policies are meant to aid in providing a subsistence level of living, and thus to alleviate the vagaries of poverty not inequality. To this point, however, no studies have examined the potentially moderating effect of social protection on the strength of the association between poverty and homicide rates cross-nationally. We do so in the present study. Employing data for the year 2004 from a sample of 30 nations, we estimate a series of weighted least squares regression models to test three hypotheses: the association between poverty and homicide will remain significant and positive when controlling for social protection, social protection will have a significant negative direct effect on national homicide rates, and social protection will diminish the strength of the poverty-homicide association. The results provided evidence supporting all three hypotheses. We situate our findings in the cross-national empirical literature on social structure and homicide and discuss our results in the theoretical context of social protection. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

45 CFR 284.30 - What information must the State include in its assessment of the impact of the TANF program(s) in...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... assessment of the impact of the TANF program(s) in the State on the increase in child poverty? 284.30 Section... FOR DETERMINING WHETHER AN INCREASE IN A STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE... TANF program(s) in the State on the increase in child poverty? (a) The State's assessment must: (1...

[Coupling coordination evaluation method between eco-environment quality and economic development level in contiguous special poverty-stricken areas of China].

PubMed

Wang, Yan-hui; Li, Jing-yi

2015-05-01

It is one of the important strategies in the new period of national poverty alleviation and development to maintain the basic balance between the ecological environment and economic development, and to promote the coordinated sustainable development of economy and ecological environment. Taking six contiguous special poverty-stricken areas as the study areas, a coupling coordination evaluation method between eco-environment quality and economic development level in contiguous special poverty-stricken areas was explored in this paper. The region' s ecological poverty index system was proposed based on the natural attribute of ecological environment, and the ecological environment quality evaluation method was built up by using AHP weighting method, followed by the design of the coupling coordination evaluation method between the ecological environment indices and the county economic poverty comprehensive indices. The coupling coordination degrees were calculated and their spatial representation differentiations were analyzed respectively at district, province, city, and county scales. Results showed that approximately half of the counties in the study areas achieved the harmoniously coordinated development. However, the ecological environmental quality and the economic development in most counties could not be synchronized, where mountains, rivers and other geographic features existed roughly as a dividing line of the coordinated development types. The phenomena of dislocation between the ecological environment and economic development in state-level poor counties were more serious than those of local poor counties.

Duration in Poverty-Related Programs and Number of Child Maltreatment Reports.

PubMed

Kim, Hyunil; Drake, Brett

2017-02-01

This study examined the relationship of a family's duration in poverty-related programs (i.e., Aid to Families with Dependent Children/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Medicaid) to the subject child's number of maltreatment reports while considering race and baseline neighborhood poverty. Children from a large Midwestern metropolitan area were followed through a linked cross-sector administrative database from birth to age 15. Generalized multilevel models were employed to account for the multilevel structure of the data (i.e., nesting of families within neighborhoods). The data showed a unique and significant contribution of duration in poverty-related programs to the number of maltreatment reports. The predicted number of maltreatment reports increased by between 2.5 and 3.7 times, as duration in poverty-related programs increased from 0 to 9 years. This relationship was consistent between Whites and non-Whites (over 98% Black), but non-Whites showed a significantly lower number of total maltreatment reports while controlling for duration in poverty-related programs. We were unable to find a significant association between child maltreatment reports and baseline neighborhood poverty.

Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): 2010 Highlights

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Census Bureau, 2011

2011-01-01

This document presents 2010 data from the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) program of the U.S. Census Bureau. The SAIPE program produces poverty estimates for the total population and median household income estimates annually for all counties and states. SAIPE data also produces single-year poverty estimates for the school-age…

Poverty, population and environmental degradation in China.

PubMed

Rozelle, S; Huang, J; Zhang, L

1997-06-01

This article examines the relationship between poverty, population, and environmental degradation in China. Environmental conditions include water pollution, deforestation, destruction of grasslands, soil erosion, and salinization. The authors review China's success in controlling environmental degradation through leadership, environmental policies, and institutional capacity. Findings suggest that environmental progress is best achieved indirectly by poverty alleviation, market integration, and population control. Government policies were not very effective. Degradation occurs due to limited financial resources, poorly trained personnel, and political factors. Control of water pollution was instituted since the 1980s. The levels of pollutants have been reduced, but the type of pollutant determines the seriousness of impact. Water pollution is due to industrial wastes, agricultural run-off, and soil erosion. Since the 1970s, reforestation targets have not been met. Technical extension and monitoring of planting is not available in most areas, and private, profit seeking interests control acreage. Grassland destruction is due to deforestation, agricultural expansion, and overgrazing. Independent regional authorities have successfully managed pasture programs. Erosion is the most serious in Loess Plateau, the Red Soils area, the Northeast China Plain, and the Northwest Grasslands, which comprise 70% of total land area. In 1990, erosion control was practiced in 39% of eroded land area. Salinization has remained fairly constant. Environmental controls (direct regulation, planned recovery, and state-mandated technological improvements) are uneven. The main tool for environmental management is the State Environmental Protection Commission and its executive unit, SEPA. Problems stem from vague laws, lack of means of enforcement, lack of coordination of laws, and lack of standards, schedules, and other provisions in ordinances.

Tablet Nuff but Life Still Rough: Technology for Early Childhood Sustainable Development in Jamaica

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly-Williams, Suzette; Berson, Ilene R.; Berson, Michael J.

2017-01-01

Early childhood education has a role to play in constructing a sustainable society. In particular, increasing global attention has focused on how early childhood may help alleviate poverty among children and their families and promote economic growth. Part of this discourse involves the use of technology as a means to improve the quality of early…

The "Ongoing Culture Shock" of Upward Mobility: Cultural Capital, Symbolic Violence and Implications for Family Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curl, Heather D.

2013-01-01

Social mobility is often viewed as a way to alleviate poverty and create equality; it represents the basis upon which the United States is viewed as a meritocratic nation of opportunity. Missing from this persistent narrative, however, is analysis of the actual experience of social mobility. This qualitative study explores the narratives of…

Poverty Alleviation and Child Labor. NBER Working Paper No. 15345

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edmonds, Eric V.; Schady, Norbert

2009-01-01

How important are subsistence concerns in a family's decision to send a child to work? We consider this question in Ecuador, where poor families are selected at random to receive a cash transfer that is equivalent to 7 percent of monthly expenditures. Winning the cash transfer lottery is associated with a decline in work for pay away from the…

Paradoxes and Prospects: Moving beyond the Study of Foreign Aid

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mundy, Karen

2010-01-01

In his article, "Aid, Development, and Education," Steve Klees tells two stories about foreign aid. The first is that foreign aid does not "work" to alleviate world poverty, no matter whether one takes a neo-Marxist or liberal approach to understanding it. Aid is more about self-interest and geopolitics than anything else--at best it is a form of…

Sub-Saharan Africa Report No. 2807.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-08

USSR Journalists’ Agreement Afghan Revolution Supported GDR Farmers’ Agreement GABON Observers Reportedly Consider Bongo Firmly in...is the position of white workers in South Africa? To what extent have pri- vileges affected their attitudes?" "What is your definition of the...reconversion of huge military expenditure into sound develop- ment programmes to alleviate poverty, illiteracy, disease and hunger which affect millions of

Health-system reform and universal health coverage in Latin America.

PubMed

Atun, Rifat; de Andrade, Luiz Odorico Monteiro; Almeida, Gisele; Cotlear, Daniel; Dmytraczenko, T; Frenz, Patricia; Garcia, Patrícia; Gómez-Dantés, Octavio; Knaul, Felicia M; Muntaner, Carles; de Paula, Juliana Braga; Rígoli, Felix; Serrate, Pastor Castell-Florit; Wagstaff, Adam

2015-03-28

Starting in the late 1980s, many Latin American countries began social sector reforms to alleviate poverty, reduce socioeconomic inequalities, improve health outcomes, and provide financial risk protection. In particular, starting in the 1990s, reforms aimed at strengthening health systems to reduce inequalities in health access and outcomes focused on expansion of universal health coverage, especially for poor citizens. In Latin America, health-system reforms have produced a distinct approach to universal health coverage, underpinned by the principles of equity, solidarity, and collective action to overcome social inequalities. In most of the countries studied, government financing enabled the introduction of supply-side interventions to expand insurance coverage for uninsured citizens--with defined and enlarged benefits packages--and to scale up delivery of health services. Countries such as Brazil and Cuba introduced tax-financed universal health systems. These changes were combined with demand-side interventions aimed at alleviating poverty (targeting many social determinants of health) and improving access of the most disadvantaged populations. Hence, the distinguishing features of health-system strengthening for universal health coverage and lessons from the Latin American experience are relevant for countries advancing universal health coverage. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rural food insecurity and poverty mappings and their linkage with water resources in the Limpopo River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magombeyi, M. S.; Taigbenu, A. E.; Barron, J.

2016-04-01

The mappings of poverty and food insecurity were carried out for the rural districts of the four riparian countries (Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe) of the Limpopo river basin using the results of national surveys that were conducted between 2003 and 2013. The analysis shows lower range of food insecure persons (0-40%) than poverty stricken persons (0-95%) that is attributable to enhanced government and non-government food safety networks in the basin countries, the dynamic and transitory nature of food insecurity which depends on the timings of the surveys in relation to harvests, markets and food prices, and the limited dimension of food insecurity in relation to poverty which tends to be a more structural and pervasive socio-economic condition. The usefulness of this study in influencing policies and strategies targeted at alleviating poverty and improving rural livelihoods lies with using food insecurity mappings to address short-term socio-economic conditions and poverty mappings to address more structural and long-term deprivations. Using the poverty line of 1.25/day per person (2008-2013) in the basin, Zimbabwe had the highest percentage of 68.7% of its rural population classified as poor, followed by Mozambique with 68.2%, South Africa with 56.1% and Botswana with 20%. While average poverty reduction of 6.4% was observed between 2003 and 2009 in Botswana, its population growth of 20.1% indicated no real poverty reduction. Similar observations are made about Mozambique and Zimbabwe where population growth outstripped poverty reductions. In contrast, both average poverty levels and population increased by 4.3% and 11%, respectively, in South Africa from 2007 to 2010. While areas of high food insecurity and poverty consistently coincide with low water availability, it does not indicate a simple cause-effect relationship between water, poverty and food insecurity. With limited water resources, rural folks in the basin require stronger institutions, increased investments and support to enable them generate sufficient income from their rain-fed farming livelihood to break out of the poverty cycle.

Young child poverty in the United States: Analyzing trends in poverty and the role of anti-poverty programs using the Supplemental Poverty Measure.

PubMed

Pac, Jessica; Nam, JaeHyun; Waldfogel, Jane; Wimer, Christopher

2017-03-01

Between 1968 and 2013, the poverty rate of young children age 0 to 5 years fell by nearly one third, in large part because of the role played by anti-poverty programs. However, young children in the U.S. still face a much higher rate of poverty than do older children in the U.S. They also continue to have a much higher poverty rate than do young children in other developed countries around the world. In this paper, we provide a detailed analysis of trends in poverty and the role of anti-poverty programs in addressing poverty among young children, using an improved measure of poverty, the Supplemental Poverty Measure. We examine changes over time and the current status, both for young children overall and for key subgroups (by child age, and by child race/ethnicity). Our findings can be summarized in three key points. First, poverty among all young children age 0-5 years has fallen since the beginning of our time series; but absent the safety net, today's poverty rate among young children would be identical to or higher than it was in 1968. Second, the safety net plays an increasing role in reducing the poverty of young children, especially among Black non-Hispanic children, whose poverty rate would otherwise be 20.8 percentage points higher in 2013. Third, the composition of support has changed from virtually all cash transfers in 1968, to about one third each of cash, credit and in-kind transfers today.

Young child poverty in the United States: Analyzing trends in poverty and the role of anti-poverty programs using the Supplemental Poverty Measure

PubMed Central

Pac, Jessica; Nam, JaeHyun; Waldfogel, Jane; Wimer, Christopher

2017-01-01

Between 1968 and 2013, the poverty rate of young children age 0 to 5 years fell by nearly one third, in large part because of the role played by anti-poverty programs. However, young children in the U.S. still face a much higher rate of poverty than do older children in the U.S. They also continue to have a much higher poverty rate than do young children in other developed countries around the world. In this paper, we provide a detailed analysis of trends in poverty and the role of anti-poverty programs in addressing poverty among young children, using an improved measure of poverty, the Supplemental Poverty Measure. We examine changes over time and the current status, both for young children overall and for key subgroups (by child age, and by child race/ethnicity). Our findings can be summarized in three key points. First, poverty among all young children age 0–5 years has fallen since the beginning of our time series; but absent the safety net, today’s poverty rate among young children would be identical to or higher than it was in 1968. Second, the safety net plays an increasing role in reducing the poverty of young children, especially among Black non-Hispanic children, whose poverty rate would otherwise be 20.8 percentage points higher in 2013. Third, the composition of support has changed from virtually all cash transfers in 1968, to about one third each of cash, credit and in-kind transfers today. PMID:28659652

Doing Poverty: Learning Outcomes among Students Participating in the Community Action Poverty Simulation Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steck, Laura West; Engler, Jennifer N.; Ligon, Mary; Druen, Perri B.; Cosgrove, Erin

2011-01-01

This article discusses an application of the Lewinian/Kolb experiential learning model in the context of undergraduate participation in the Missouri Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) program. CAPS is designed to simulate common, everyday experiences among people living in poverty as participants take on the roles of family members working…

Poverty and program participation among immigrant children.

PubMed

Borjas, George J

2011-01-01

Researchers have long known that poverty in childhood is linked with a range of negative adult socioeconomic outcomes, from lower educational achievement and behavioral problems to lower earnings in the labor market. But few researchers have explored whether exposure to a disadvantaged background affects immigrant children and native children differently. George Borjas uses Current Population Survey (CPS) data on two specific indicators of poverty-the poverty rate and the rate of participation in public assistance programs-to begin answering that question. He finds that immigrant children have significantly higher rates both of poverty and of program participation than do native children. Nearly half of immigrant children are being raised in households that receive some type of public assistance, compared with roughly one-third of native children. Although the shares of immigrant and native children living in poverty are lower, the rate for immigrant children is nonetheless about 15 percentage points higher than that for native children-about the same as the gap in public assistance. Poverty and program participation rates among different groups of immigrant children also vary widely, depending in part on place of birth (foreign- or U.S.-born), parents (immigrant or native), and national origin. According to the CPS data, these native-immigrant differences persist into young adulthood. In particular, the program participation and poverty status of immigrant children is strongly correlated with their program participation and poverty status when they become young adults. But it is not possible, says Borjas, to tell whether the link results from a set of permanent factors associated with specific individuals or groups that tends to lead to "good" or "bad" outcomes systematically over time or from exposure during childhood to adverse socioeconomic outcomes, such as poverty or welfare dependency. Future research must explore the causal impact of childhood poverty on immigrant adult outcomes and why it might differ between immigrant and native families. Developing successful policies to address problems caused by the intergenerational breeding of poverty and program participation in the immigrant population depends on understanding this causal mechanism.

Capacity building in water demand management as a key component for attaining millennium development goals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gumbo, Bekithemba; Forster, Laura; Arntzen, Jaap

Successful water demand management (WDM) implementation as a component of integrated water resource management (IWRM) can play a significant role in the alleviation of poverty through more efficient use of available water resources. The urban population in Southern African cities is characterised by so-called ‘water poor’ communities who typically expend a high percentage of their household income on poor quality water. Usually they have no access to an affordable alternative source. Although WDM as a component of IWRM is not a panacea for poverty, it can help alleviate poverty by facilitating water services management by municipal water supply agencies (MWSAs) in the region. WDM is a key strategy for achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs) and, as such, should be given due attention in the preparation of national IWRM and water efficiency plans. Various studies in the Southern African region have indicated that capacity building is necessary for nations to develop IWRM and water-use efficiency plans to meet the targets set out in the MDGs. WDM education and training of water professionals and end-users is particularly important in developing countries, which are resource and information-access poor. In response to these findings, The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and its consulting partners, the Training and Instructional Design Academy of South Africa (TIDASA), and Centre for Applied Research (CAR) designed, developed and presented a pilot WDM Guideline Training Module for MWSAs as part of Phase II of IUCN’s Southern Africa regional WDM project. Pilot training was conducted in July 2004 in Lusaka, Zambia for a group of 36 participants involved in municipal water supply from nine Southern African countries. This paper looks at the links between building the capacity of professionals, operational staff and other role-players in the municipal water supply chain to implement WDM as part of broader IWRM strategies, and the subsequent potential for poverty relief resulting from more effective, efficient and equitable use and allocation of municipal water supplies.

Scaling up model of social capital: Developing a model of empowerment for poor society in rural areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chawa, A. F.; Kusumastuti, A.; Harjo, I. W. W.

2017-06-01

Indonesian government has delivered various community development programs to alleviate poverty problems of rural communities. This is despite the fact that the numbers of people who live in poverty in this area is going to increase. This has given rise to a crucial question in how development programs should be distributed to rural community members. This article present empirical findings of research depicts a model or mechanism by which rural community members who have been involved in Posdaya (Pos Pemberdayaan Keluarga/ Family Empowerment Post) program success in achieving economic empowerment objective by employing their social capital. This study employs qualitative method with an approach of case study and multiple case design. It conducts the logic of ‘replica’, meaning that it would lead the analysed case to be used either for making predictions of similar results (literal logic) or for achieving different results (theoretical replica). The fundamental assumption of the study refers to the lack involvement or participation of the empowered community or social groups. The domination of top-down approach has allowed people to rely on external party. On the other hand, bottom-up approach has not been fully implemented due to the absence of strong social capital in the empowered society. As a consequence, there have been only parts of people controlling and enjoying the presented empowerment program. Social capital is not an existing or a given capital in society. Rather, social capital is a mere potential, and in order to shape and develop it some strategies or endeavours are required. Thus, the study attempts to find out a suitable model to arrange and progress the social capital in the implementation of social empowerment program. Additionally, the study will advance the scaling up model into a wider space with an expectation to create a powerful community.

The Relationship of School Poverty and Suspension Rates: Finding Ways to Reduce Suspension through Prevention Programming and School Bonding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shirley, Erica

2012-01-01

What is the relationship between school poverty and school suspension rates and to what extent do prevention programming and school bonding lower the suspension risk for students in high poverty schools? The present study examined the association between school level poverty and suspension rates in addition to investigating whether prevention…

National program for family planning and primary health care Pakistan: a SWOT analysis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The National Program for Family Planning and Primary Healthcare was launched in 1994. It is one of the largest community based programs in the world, providing primary healthcare services to about 80 million people, most of which is rural poor. The program has been instrumental in improving health related indicators of maternal and child health in the last two decades. Methods SWOT analysis was used by making recourse to the structure and dynamics of the program as well as searching the literature. SWOT analysis Strengths of the program include: comprehensive design of planning, implementation and supervision mechanisms aided by an MIS, selection and recruitments processes and evidence created through improving health impact indicators. Weaknesses identified are slow progress, poor integration of the program with health services at local levels including MIS, and de-motivational factors such as job insecurity and non-payment of salaries in time. Opportunities include further widening the coverage of services, its potential contribution to health system research, and its use in areas other than health like women empowerment and poverty alleviation. Threats the program may face are: political interference, lack of funds, social threats and implications for professional malpractices. Conclusion Strengthening of the program will necessitate a strong political commitment, sustained funding and a just remuneration to this bare foot doctor of Pakistan, the Lady Health Worker. PMID:24268037

Quantifying Human Appropriated Net Primary Productivity (HANPP) in a Ghanaian Cocoa System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morel, A.; Adu-Bredu, S.; Adu Sasu, M.; Ashley Asare, R.; Boyd, E.; Hirons, M. A.; Malhi, Y.; Mason, J.; Norris, K.; Robinson, E. J. Z.; McDermott, C. L.

2015-12-01

Ghana is the second largest producer of cocoa (Theobroma cacoa), exporting approximately 18 percent of global volumes. These cocoa farms are predominantly small-scale, ranging in size from 2-4 hectares (ha). Traditionally, the model of cocoa expansion in Ghana relied on clearing new areas of forest and establishing a farm under remnant forest trees. This is increasingly less practical due to few unprotected forest areas remaining and management practices favoring close to full sun cocoa to maximize short-term yields. This study is part of a larger project, ECOLMITS, which is an interdisciplinary, ESPA-funded[1] initiative exploring the ecological limits of ecosystem system services (ESS) for alleviating poverty in small-scale agroforestry systems. The ecological study plots are situated within and around the Kakum National Forest, a well-protected, moist-evergreen forest of the Lower Guinea Forest region. Net primary productivity (NPP) is a measure of the rate at which carbon dioxide (CO2) is incorporated into plant tissues (e.g. canopy, stem and root). For this study, NPP was monitored in situ using methods developed by the Global Environmental Monitoring Network (GEM, http://gem.tropicalforests.ox.ac.uk/). By comparing NPP measured in intact forest and farms, the human appropriated NPP (HANPP) of this system can be estimated. The forest measures provide the "potential" NPP of the region, and then the reduction in NPP for farm plots is calculated for both land-cover change (HANPPLUC) and cocoa harvesting (HANPPHARV). The results presented are of the first year of NPP measurements across the cocoa landscape, including measurements from intact forest, logged forest and cocoa farms across a shade gradient and located at varying distances from the forest edge (e.g. 100 m, 500 m, 1 km and 5 km). These measures will have implications for carbon sequestration potential over the region and long-term sustainability of the Ghanaian cocoa sector. [1] Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation grant program, http://www.espa.ac.uk/

Energy Justice in Sub-Saharan Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchholz, Kathleen B.

Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest rates of electrification and some of the worst education statistics worldwide. In the absence of strong infrastructure for a reliable grid system and quality universal primary schooling, the poor suffer significantly. Though substantial research has been done on both issues separately, the relationship between the two has yet to be explored. This thesis uses social justice theories to introduce the connections between energy poverty and an individual's education capabilities through a case study in Zambia. Case study research was carried out in the urban low-resource settlements of Lusaka, Zambia over a period of two months with Lifeline Energy, using methods of participant observation. Drawing on trends discovered in survey responses, interviews and feedback from a distribution of renewable technologies, this study demonstrates that a lack of modern forms of energy detracts from education. By synthesizing the data with Martha Nussbaum's capabilities approach and Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir's scarcity theory, the research reveals that energy poverty hinders an individual's ability to study and gain a quality education and diminishes their available cognitive capacity to learn by tunneling attention to the resource deficit. Furthermore, it supports the claim that energy poverty is not gender neutral. The research concludes that the scarcity caused by energy poverty can be lessened by the investment in and use of small-scale renewable technologies which alleviates some of the daily stress and grind of poverty. This thesis lays the groundwork to recognize energy poverty as an injustice. Keywords: Energy Poverty, Education, Gender, Sub-Saharan Africa, Scarcity, Capabilities Approach..

IWRM and poverty reduction in Malawi: A socio-economic analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulwafu, Wapulumuka O.; Msosa, Hendrina K.

Like most other countries in the SADC region, Malawi has swiftly endorsed the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. In the water sector, these principles are reflected in the National Water Policy (2004) and in the Malawi Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) (2002) which emphasize three key aspects. First, the articulation of a vision and policy objectives that address development and management of water for productive purposes, conservation and poverty reduction. Second, the recognition of international and regional conventions and agreements on water resources to which Malawi is a signatory, thereby promoting global partnership for development. Third, the provision of mechanisms for monitoring, assessment and development related to watershed management, conservation and the mitigation of floods and droughts. Both the Malawi Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and the National Water Policy seek to reduce poverty by increasing access to water for domestic and productive purposes. In particular, the MPRSP will focus on constructing and rehabilitating water facilities, extend water supply capacity, promote community-based management and improve water resources conservation and management. In this paper, we examine the challenges of implementing these goals against the background of various institutional reforms in the water sector. We argue that although Malawi has come up with very clear strategies and guidelines for promoting MDGs, a combination of human and financial resources, bedevil the successful implementation of these ideas. In addition, the strategies do not articulate water as a medium for poverty alleviation in a holistic manner. The paper further demonstrates ways in which the promotion of IWRM can facilitate in reducing poverty.

Southeast Asia Report. No. 1296

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-07

proposals. Agrarian Reform Minister Coftrado F. Estrella , head of the seven-man delegation, said the Philippine posi- tions on integrated...rural development, human set- tlements, social develop- ment, and other topics were incorporated in the commission’s report. Estrella said the...alleviation of poverty." Estrella said that the ESCAP sought to "analy* ze agricultural policies and Strategie« of member- countries and examine ways of

The World Bank and Private Provision of Schooling: A Look through the Lens of Sociological Theories of Organizational Hypocrisy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mundy, Karen; Menashy, Francine

2014-01-01

In this article, we explore how the World Bank operationalizes its focus on poverty alleviation in one of the most controversial arenas of educational change: the expansion of privately provided schooling. We argue that the Bank's role in promoting private provision has been far more complicated than most critics have discerned. It has…

Combating Terrorism: A Socio-Economic Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

alleviate poverty. As C.K. Prahalad states: Historically, governments, aid agencies, non- governmental organizations, large firms, and the organized...undergraduate and graduate students. What are the incentives for the private sector and large firms to service the BOP? According to Prahalad , “The...humanitarian and civic activities at a strategic level in January 2004. As the command began to realize the importance of environmental aspects of

A Comparison of the Effects of Three Intervention Approaches on Parental Self-Efficacy, Parenting Skills, and Parental Stress Levels of Impoverished Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rooney, MaryEllen

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to compare three intervention approaches that focused on alleviating some of the deleterious effects of poverty by building parental self-efficacy, increasing parenting skills, and decreasing parental stress levels in parents at-risk for negative child outcomes due to factors associated with adverse socioeconomic…

Utilization of Adult and Non-Formal Education Programs in Combating Rural Poverty in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ihejirika, John Chinedu

2012-01-01

The purpose of this paper was to examine the concept of poverty and its causes in Nigeria and to analyze how adult and non-formal education programs can be utilized to reduce rural poverty in Nigeria. In spite of Nigeria's affluence in human and material resources, it is classified among countries with high level of poverty. Incidentally, the…

The population slide.

PubMed

Mukerjee, M

1998-12-01

The level of total fertility in Bangladesh has fallen from 7 in 1975 to 3 today, the sharpest fertility transition in South Asia. Fertility decline in Bangladesh and Nepal follows such transition occurring first in Sri Lanka, then in India. While in Western countries, levels of fertility began to fall once an advanced stage of development had been reached, these new declines in South Asia are not directly correlated with indicators of development such as increased literacy or the alleviation of poverty. Bangladesh has experienced major fertility decline despite being one of the world's 20 poorest countries. Fertility decline in Bangladesh may be attributed to a combination of an effective government family planning program, a general desire among Bangladesh's population to bear fewer children, reductions in mortality, the availability of microcredit, changes in women's status, and the provision of health and family planning information over the radio 6 hours per day.

Contraceptive issues of youth and adolescents in developing countries: highlights from the Philippines and other Asian countries.

PubMed

Alesna-Llanto, Emma; Raymundo, Corazon M

2005-10-01

This article highlights contraceptive issues in Asia, home to some 700 million adolescents. It starts with a description of the socio-cultural milieu of adolescents in South and Southeast Asia, their knowledge and use of contraceptives, the myriad barriers to access, and the many innovative programs to broaden contraceptive availability. The reproductive health needs of adolescents in poor countries cannot be solved by merely supplying them with contraceptives--these needs can only be fully addressed in the context of gender equality, poverty alleviation and the conviction that investing in the reproductive health of adolescents is a most urgent priority. Investing in the reproductive health of adolescents will have an impact not only on birth and abortion rates, maternal health, and the spread of STI/HIV but also on the demographics and economic development of the region--and beyond.

Gender, age, and exclusion: a challenge to community organisations in Lima, Peru.

PubMed

Clark, F C; Laurie, N

2000-07-01

This article examines the role of two successful grassroots women's organizations in empowering women in old age in Lima, Peru. These organizations include Comedores Populares (soup kitchens) and the Vaso de Leche (glass of milk) Program. The primary goal of both groups is poverty alleviation, specifically through improved nutrition. Through them, women have lobbied on issues such as provision of education and health services, and campaigned against the guerrilla insurgency of the 1980s and the early 1990s. However, evidence from three low-income settlements on the outskirts of Lima implied that no long-term support is available from these organizations to promote the welfare of elderly people. Also, the contribution that elderly members of households make to the work of the organizations is invisible and undervalued. Thus, these findings clearly suggest that even the most successful New Social Movements in Lima are also passive members of society in need of charity.

BEHAVIOR ANALYSTS IN THE WAR ON POVERTY: A REVIEW OF THE USE OF FINANCIAL INCENTIVES TO PROMOTE EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

PubMed Central

Holtyn, August F.; Jarvis, Brantley P.; Silverman, Kenneth

2017-01-01

Poverty is a pervasive risk factor underlying poor health. Many interventions that have sought to reduce health disparities associated with poverty have focused on improving health-related behaviors of low-income adults. Poverty itself could be targeted to improve health, but this approach would require programs that can consistently move poor individuals out of poverty. Governments and other organizations in the United States have tested a diverse range of antipoverty programs, generally on a large scale and in conjunction with welfare reform initiatives. This paper reviews antipoverty programs that used financial incentives to promote education and employment among welfare recipients and other low-income adults. The incentive-based, antipoverty programs had small or no effects on the target behaviors; they were implemented on large scales from the outset, without systematic development and evaluation of their components; and they did not apply principles of operant conditioning that have been shown to determine the effectiveness of incentive or reinforcement interventions. By applying basic principles of operant conditioning, behavior analysts could help address poverty and improve health through development of effective antipoverty programs. This paper describes a potential framework for a behavior-analytic antipoverty program, with the goal of illustrating that behavior analysts could be uniquely suited to make substantial contributions to the war on poverty. PMID:28078664

Behavior analysts in the war on poverty: A review of the use of financial incentives to promote education and employment.

PubMed

Holtyn, August F; Jarvis, Brantley P; Silverman, Kenneth

2017-01-01

Poverty is a pervasive risk factor underlying poor health. Many interventions that have sought to reduce health disparities associated with poverty have focused on improving health-related behaviors of low-income adults. Poverty itself could be targeted to improve health, but this approach would require programs that can consistently move poor individuals out of poverty. Governments and other organizations in the United States have tested a diverse range of antipoverty programs, generally on a large scale and in conjunction with welfare reform initiatives. This paper reviews antipoverty programs that used financial incentives to promote education and employment among welfare recipients and other low-income adults. The incentive-based, antipoverty programs had small or no effects on the target behaviors; they were implemented on large scales from the outset, without systematic development and evaluation of their components; and they did not apply principles of operant conditioning that have been shown to determine the effectiveness of incentive or reinforcement interventions. By applying basic principles of operant conditioning, behavior analysts could help address poverty and improve health through development of effective antipoverty programs. This paper describes a potential framework for a behavior-analytic antipoverty program, with the goal of illustrating that behavior analysts could be uniquely suited to make substantial contributions to the war on poverty. © 2017 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Values underpinning poverty programs for children.

PubMed

Heclo, H H

1997-01-01

Values create a framework through which the American public gives meaning to particular concepts and events. To better understand the values underlying public support for poverty programs for children, this article examines public attitudes toward children, poverty, and government. Although Americans continue to view helping children as a top policy priority, there is ambivalence with regard to poor children because of their inevitable connection to poor adults and the public's expectation that adults be self-sufficient. Rather than choosing between extreme ideological views of the causes of poverty and the ideal role of government in curbing poverty, the American public takes an integrative perspective that both values individual initiative and supports opportunities for all Americans. Favored are government programs fitted to the practical needs of everyday life. Such programs should support personal efforts but not assume responsibility for individual or particular group outcomes.

Analysis of the distributional impact of out-of-pocket health payments: evidence from a public health insurance program for the poor in Mexico.

PubMed

Garcia-Diaz, Rocio; Sosa-Rubi, Sandra G; Sosa-Rub, Sandra G

2011-07-01

Many governments have health programs focused on improving health among the poor and these have an impact on out-of-pocket health payments made by individuals. Therefore, one of the objectives of these programs is to reach the poorest and reduce their out-of-pocket expenditure. In this paper we propose the distributional poverty impact approach to measure the poverty impact of out-of-pocket health payments of different health financing policies. This approach is comparable to the impoverishment methodology proposed by Wagstaff and van Doorslaer (2003) that compares poverty indices before and after out-of-pocket health payments. In order to escape the specification of a particular poverty index, we use the marginal dominance approach that uses non-intersecting curves and can rank poverty reducing health financing policies. We present an empirical application of the out-of-pocket health payments for an innovative social financing policy implemented in Mexico named Seguro Popular. The paper finds evidence that Seguro Popular program has a better distributional poverty impact when families face illness when compared to other poverty reducing policies. The empirical dominance approach uses data from Mexico in 2006 and considers international poverty standards of $2 per person per day. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

"Cairo must address the equity issue." Interview: Sandra Postel.

PubMed

1994-01-01

Sandra Postel, of the Worldwatch Institute, believes that inequalities in consumption and income foster environmental degradation. The richest 20% are getting richer and consuming excessively. The bottom 20%, comprising about 1 billion people, are getting poorer and are degrading their environment in order to survive. Per capita availability of resources is continually being reduced. If there is a desire to improve the quality of life for the poorest segment of the world population, then the richest must forfeit something. Environmental taxation could reduce excessive consumption in general; this strategy would be the most efficient and useful. Taxes would be placed on pollution and resources in danger of depletion; income taxes could be reduced to balance the impact of increased taxes on the economy. Wealthy countries must make a renewed commitment to poverty alleviation and to realistic sustainable development. Aid budgets should no longer reflect military priorities or strategic objectives. Trade is clearly related to the environment and poverty, and these connections must be made publicly known. National and international trade policies must deal with poverty issues and not contribute to further environmental destruction. Eliminating debt problems is another problem in need of change. The World Bank and structural adjustment policies have not proved to be environmentally sound and have not benefitted the poor. Evaluation of programs is needed, and lending policies should reflect the growing awareness of the problems of the poor and environmental consequences. Consumption of energy, wood, paper, and water are all higher among industrialized wealthy countries. Technology needs to be applied to maximize resource use, and policies must reflect this commitment. Israel has set a good example with water consumption reduction through advanced technology.

Using Asset Poverty Measures to Understand Poverty Dynamics, Poverty Traps and Farmer Behavior in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Focus on Rural Ethiopia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liverpool, Lenis Saweda

2009-01-01

Effective poverty reduction programs require careful measurement of poverty status. Commonly used consumption or income-based classifications of poverty aggregate together households that are persistently poor with those who are only in poverty due to passing conditions. They also classify as non-poor households that are at risk of falling into…

Land Degradation is The Instinctive Source of Poverty in Rural Areas of Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, L. L.; Koondhar, M. A.; Liu, Y. Y.; Zeng, W. Z.

2017-10-01

This review paper focused on the correlation between land degradation and poverty. Pakistan is an agricultural country and agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan`s economy. For the rapid growth of population food security should be under guarantee as well as the food production. In that farmers overused agrarian inputs, such as fertilizer, pesticide and water, environment and farmers were affected from the perspective of contamination and disease increase respectively. Due to over-exploitation of fertilizer and irrigation, ground water was contaminated, soil fertility weakening,salinity increasing and waterlogged. Consequently, soil was hard to be cultivated. In Pakistan 70% of people live in rural areas who are directly or indirectly involved in agriculture. As a result of land degradation farmers can not gain much benefit from agricultural activities and they are also unable to feed their children. Many of them became criminals, therefore, poverty deepened day after day. In order to alleviate poverty, Pakistan government should subsidize farmers on environmentally friendly inputs and; government should also open agricultural training schools to engage farmers in modern methods of cultivation, and provide modern technologies with subsidy rate. When the farmers are aware of how to increase the fertility of soil by employing modern methods, they can gain higher production, and obvious higher production is critical for living a better life and reducing poverty.

Trachoma and Relative Poverty: A Case-Control Study.

PubMed

Habtamu, Esmael; Wondie, Tariku; Aweke, Sintayehu; Tadesse, Zerihun; Zerihun, Mulat; Zewdie, Zebideru; Callahan, Kelly; Emerson, Paul M; Kuper, Hannah; Bailey, Robin L; Mabey, David C W; Rajak, Saul N; Polack, Sarah; Weiss, Helen A; Burton, Matthew J

2015-11-01

Trachoma is widely considered a disease of poverty. Although there are many epidemiological studies linking trachoma to factors normally associated with poverty, formal quantitative data linking trachoma to household economic poverty within endemic communities is very limited. Two hundred people with trachomatous trichiasis were recruited through community-based screening in Amhara Region, Ethiopia. These were individually matched by age and gender to 200 controls without trichiasis, selected randomly from the same sub-village as the case. Household economic poverty was measured through (a) A broad set of asset-based wealth indicators and relative household economic poverty determined by principal component analysis (PCA, (b) Self-rated wealth, and (c) Peer-rated wealth. Activity participation data were collected using a modified 'Stylised Activity List' developed for the World Bank's Living Standards Measurement Survey. Trichiasis cases were more likely to belong to poorer households by all measures: asset-based analysis (OR = 2.79; 95%CI: 2.06-3.78; p<0.0001), self-rated wealth (OR, 4.41, 95%CI, 2.75-7.07; p<0.0001) and peer-rated wealth (OR, 8.22, 95% CI, 4.59-14.72; p<0.0001). Cases had less access to latrines (57% v 76.5%, p = <0.0001) and higher person-to-room density (4.0 v 3.31; P = 0.0204) than the controls. Compared to controls, cases were significantly less likely to participate in economically productive activities regardless of visual impairment and other health problems, more likely to report difficulty in performing activities and more likely to receive assistance in performing productive activities. This study demonstrated a strong association between trachomatous trichiasis and relative poverty, suggesting a bidirectional causative relationship possibly may exist between poverty and trachoma. Implementation of the full SAFE strategy in the context of general improvements might lead to a virtuous cycle of improving health and wealth. Trachoma is a good proxy of inequality within communities and it could be used to target and evaluate interventions for health and poverty alleviation.

Vocational Pedagogy; What It Is, Why It Matters and How to Put It into Practice. Report of the UNESCO-UNEVOC Virtual Conference, 12-26 May 2014

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, 2014

2014-01-01

Around the world technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is widely seen as having a key role in promoting both economic and socio-economic growth, increasing productivity, empowering citizens and alleviating poverty. Yet the quality of TVET in terms of learner outcomes and teaching inputs is variable. In some countries this…

Students Setting out to Alleviate "Poverty of Spirit" in Rural China Found Themselves Transformed: Self-Organized Volunteerism among University Students for Rural Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geng, Diane

2008-01-01

Most university students in China have their sights firmly set on future job and study opportunities in urban cities and abroad. However, a network of student volunteers felt compelled to join the cause of rural development and villager empowerment, reminiscent of efforts promoted forty years ago by Chairman Mao who sent "educated youth"…

Psychological Stress and Parenting Behavior among Chinese Families: Findings from a Study on Parent Education for Economically Disadvantaged Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lam, Ching Man

2011-01-01

With the recognition of the crucial role of family and with the belief that parents have the greatest influence on a child's life, family and parent education has been widely practiced in Hong Kong and many other countries as measure for poverty alleviation. A study, employed quantitative method of a cross-sectional parent survey (N = 10,386) was…

Are High Quality Schools Enough to Close the Achievement Gap? Evidence from a Social Experiment in Harlem. NBER Working Paper No. 15473

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dobbie, Will; Fryer, Roland G., Jr.

2009-01-01

Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ), which combines community investments with reform minded charter schools, is one of the most ambitious social experiments to alleviate poverty of our time. We provide the first empirical test of the causal impact of HCZ on educational outcomes, with an eye toward informing the long-standing debate whether schools alone…

Human development and South East Asian countries: Special emphasis on India.

PubMed

Sharma, Kalpa

2013-08-31

'Development' is to improve the quality of people's lives by creating an environment for them to engage in a wide range of activities, to be healthy and well nourished, to be knowledgeable and to be able to participate in the community life. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a multi-dimensional index of development as it is the combination of three development indices- health index, education index and income index. This article attempts to compare the HDI and its components between various South East Asian countries. Secondary data is used. India's position on the HDI scale is equivalent to the South East Asian average and rank 134 out of more than 190 countries. In South East Asia, India stood fifth in HDI, behind Sri Lanka, Thailand, Maldives and Indonesia. Country has launched several schemes and programs to improve the health indicators, to provide elementary education to every child and to alleviate poverty. India's HDI value has improved with time but still country has a long way to go in achieving an acceptable HDI. Need is to strengthen the existing schemes and programs.

Human development and South East Asian countries: Special emphasis on India

PubMed Central

Sharma, Kalpa

2013-01-01

‘Development’ is to improve the quality of people's lives by creating an environment for them to engage in a wide range of activities, to be healthy and well nourished, to be knowledgeable and to be able to participate in the community life. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a multi-dimensional index of development as it is the combination of three development indices- health index, education index and income index. This article attempts to compare the HDI and its components between various South East Asian countries. Secondary data is used. India's position on the HDI scale is equivalent to the South East Asian average and rank 134 out of more than 190 countries. In South East Asia, India stood fifth in HDI, behind Sri Lanka, Thailand, Maldives and Indonesia. Country has launched several schemes and programs to improve the health indicators, to provide elementary education to every child and to alleviate poverty. India's HDI value has improved with time but still country has a long way to go in achieving an acceptable HDI. Need is to strengthen the existing schemes and programs. PMID:24251281

Mitigation gambles: uncertainty, urgency and the last gamble possible

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shue, Henry

2018-05-01

A rejection by current generations of more ambitious mitigation of carbon emissions inflicts on future generations inherently objectionable risks about which they have no choice. Any gains through savings from less ambitious mitigation, which are relatively minor, would accrue to current generations, and all losses, which are relatively major, would fall on future generations. This mitigation gamble is especially unjustifiable because it imposes a risk of unlimited losses until carbon emissions cease. Ultimate physical collapses remain possible. Much more ominous is prior social collapse from political struggles over conflicting responses to threatened physical collapse. The two most plausible objections to the thesis that less ambitious mitigation is unjustifiable rely, respectively, on the claim that negative emissions will allow a later recovery from a temporary overshoot in emissions and on the claim that ambitious mitigation is incompatible with poverty alleviation that depends on inexpensive fossil fuels. Neither objection stands up. Reliance on negative emissions later instead of ambitious mitigation now permits the passing of tipping points for irreversible change meanwhile, and non-carbon energy is rapidly becoming price competitive in developing countries like India that are committed to poverty alleviation. This article is part of the themed issue `The Paris Agreement: understanding the physical and social challenges for a warming world of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels'.

45 CFR 284.35 - What action will we take in response to the State's assessment and other information?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.35 What action will we take in response... other available information. If we determine that the increase in the child poverty rate of five percent... increase in the State's child poverty rate of five percent or more is the result of the TANF program(s) in...

45 CFR 284.35 - What action will we take in response to the State's assessment and other information?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.35 What action will we take in response... other available information. If we determine that the increase in the child poverty rate of five percent... increase in the State's child poverty rate of five percent or more is the result of the TANF program(s) in...

Ethics and allocation of health resources--the influence of poverty on health.

PubMed

Taipale, V

1999-01-01

Poverty and health are examined from the global and Nordic perspectives. The data from global social policy research, Nordic comparisons and equity in health research provide a basis for the discussion. At the global level the consequences of poverty are growing and the resultant problems posed are becoming increasingly evident. Poverty and sickness are interwoven; poverty aggravates mental problems, a situation regarding which we have seen steady deterioration. Research suggests that social cohesion, the factor that creates social capital and empowerment in societies, is a major factor that promotes health and the economy. Structural measures to combat poverty would require a global social policy: global redistribution, global regulation and global provision. However, the international community is not yet fully prepared for this discussion. At the Nordic level, Finland is a laboratory in which the viability of the welfare state has been tested in the worst recession ever to hit an OECD country. On the whole, it seems that income disparity has not grown during the recession and that services have functioned moderately well despite budget cuts. However, during that period the correlation between unemployment and sickness became apparent, and the challenges to healthcare more evident. We must make headway in untangling these relationships, because the tendency towards greater income disparity is growing in the post-recession boom. At the social welfare and health service level even the Nordic welfare states are not in full command of the means to alleviate poverty and its related health problems. Has the time come to dispel our Nordic arrogance and look at how the present services may in fact be generating inequity?

Promoting the Positive Development of Boys in High-Poverty Neighborhoods: Evidence From Four Anti-Poverty Experiments

PubMed Central

Snell, Emily K.; Castells, Nina; Duncan, Greg; Gennetian, Lisa; Magnuson, Katherine; Morris, Pamela

2012-01-01

This study uses geocoded address data and information about parent’s economic behavior and children’s development from four random-assignment welfare and anti-poverty experiments conducted during the 1990s. We find that the impacts of these welfare and anti-poverty programs on boys’ and girls’ developmental outcomes during the transition to early adolescence differ as a function of neighborhood poverty levels. The strongest positive impacts of these programs are among boys who lived in high-poverty neighborhoods at the time their parents enrolled in the studies, with smaller or non-statistically significant effects for boys in lower poverty neighborhoods and for girls across all neighborhoods. This research informs our understanding of how neighborhood context and child gender may interact with employment-based policies to affect children’s well-being. PMID:24348000

Continent at a Crossroads: Prosperity, Justice, and Security in South America

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-10-01

ADA416593. (REP LIT AD-A416 593) Dijck, Pitou van. The Bolivian Experiment: Structural Adjustment and Poverty Alleviation . Amsterdam: Centro de Estudios ...and Human Rights. Westport: Praeger, 2002. (F 1418 .G58 2002) 3 Brito, Alexandra Barahona de . Human Rights and Democratization in Latin...JC 599 .U7 B75 1997) Brito, Alexandra Barahona de , Carmen González-Enríquez, and Paloma Aguilar Fernandez, eds. The

Impact of the Bolsa Família program on food availability of low-income Brazilian families: a quasi experimental study.

PubMed

Martins, Ana Paula Bortoletto; Monteiro, Carlos Augusto

2016-08-19

The Bolsa Família Program was created in Brazil in 2003, by the joint of different social programs aimed at poor or very poor families with focus on income transfer to promote immediate poverty relief, conditionalities and complementary programs. Given the contributions of conditional cash transfer programs to poverty alleviation and their potential effects on nutrition and health, the objective of this study was to assess the impact of the Bolsa Família Program on food purchases of low-income households in Brazil. Representative data from the Household Budget Survey conducted in 2008-2009 were studied, with probabilistic sample of 55,970 households. 11,282 households were eligible for this study and 48.5 % were beneficiaries of the BFP. Food availability indicators were compared among paired blocks of households (n = 100), beneficiaries or non-beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família Program, with monthly per capita income up to R$ 210.00. Blocks of households were created based on the propensity score of each household to have beneficiaries and were homogeneous regarding potential confounding variables. The food availability indicators were weekly per capita expenditure and daily energy consumption, both calculated considering all food items and four food groups based on the extent and purpose of the industrial food processing. The comparisons between the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries blocks of households were conducted through paired 't' tests. Compared to non-beneficiaries, the beneficiaries households had 6 % higher food expenditure (p = 0.015) and 9.4 % higher total energy availability (p = 0.010). It was found a 7.3 % higher expenditure on in natura or minimally processed foods and 10.4 % higher expenditure on culinary ingredients among the Bolsa Família Program families. No statistically significant differences were found regarding the expenditure and the availability of processed and ultra-processed food and drink products. In the in natura or minimally processed foods group, the expenditure and the availability of meat, tubers and vegetables were higher among the Bolsa Família Program beneficiaries. The Bolsa Família Program impact on food availability among low-income families was higher food expenditure, higher availability of fresh foods and culinary ingredients, including those foods that increase diet's quality and diversity.

Is wealthier always healthier in poor countries? The health implications of income, inequality, poverty, and literacy in India.

PubMed

Rajan, Keertichandra; Kennedy, Jonathan; King, Lawrence

2013-07-01

Standard policy prescriptions for improving public health in less developed countries (LDCs) prioritise raising average income levels over redistributive policies since it is widely accepted that 'wealthier is healthier'. It is argued that income inequality becomes a significant predictor of public health only after the 'epidemiological transition'. This paper tests this theory in India, where rising income levels have not been matched by improvements in public health. We use state-, district-, and individual-level data to investigate the relationship between infant and under-five mortality, and average income, poverty, income inequality, and literacy. Our analysis shows that at both state- and district-level public health is negatively associated with average income and positively associated with poverty. But, at both levels, controlling for poverty and literacy renders average income statistically insignificant. At state-level, only literacy remains a significant and negative predictor. At the less aggregated district-level, both poverty and literacy predict public health but literacy has a stronger effect than poverty. Inequality does not predict public health at state- or district-levels. At the individual-level, however, it is a strong predictor of self-reported ailment, even after we control for district average income, individual income, and individual education. Our analysis suggests that wealthier is indeed healthier in India - but only to the extent that high average incomes reflect low poverty and high literacy. Furthermore, inequality has a strong effect on self-reported health. Standard policy prescriptions, then, need revision: first, alleviating poverty may be more effective than raising average income levels; second, non-income goods like literacy may make an important contribution to public health; and third, policy should be based on a broader understanding of societal well-being and the factors that promote it. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Poverty, development, and Himalayan ecosystems.

PubMed

Sandhu, Harpinder; Sandhu, Sukhbir

2015-05-01

The Himalayas are rich in biodiversity but vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures. They are also host to growing number of rural poor who are dependent on forest and ecosystem services for their livelihood. Local and global efforts to integrate poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation in the Himalayas remain elusive so far. In this work, we highlight two key impediments in achieving sustainable development in the Himalayas. On the positive side, we also highlight the work of Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), a research organization based in India that seeks to integrate biodiversity concerns with livelihood security. For impediments, we draw on two examples from the Darjeeling district, India, in Eastern Himalayan region to illustrate how development organizations are failing to simultaneously address poverty and environmental issues. Based on the success of ATREE, we then propose a conceptual framework to integrate livelihood generating activities with sustainable and equitable development agenda. We recommend developing a Hindu-Kush Himalayan Ecosystem Services Network in the region to formulate a strategy for further action. We conclude by offering measures to address the challenge of integrating livelihood and environment issues through this network.

Interventions to mitigate the effects of poverty and inequality on mental health.

PubMed

Wahlbeck, Kristian; Cresswell-Smith, Johanna; Haaramo, Peija; Parkkonen, Johannes

2017-05-01

To review psychosocial and policy interventions which mitigate the effects of poverty and inequality on mental health. Systematic reviews, controlled trials and realist evaluations of the last 10 years are reviewed, without age or geographical restrictions. Effective psychosocial interventions on individual and family level, such as parenting support programmes, exist. The evidence for mental health impact of broader community-based interventions, e.g. community outreach workers, or service-based interventions, e.g. social prescribing and debt advice is scarce. Likewise, the availability of evidence for the mental health impact of policy level interventions, such as poverty alleviation or youth guarantee, is quite restricted. The social, economic, and physical environments in which people live shape mental health and many common mental disorders. There are effective early interventions to promote mental health in vulnerable groups, but it is necessary to both initiate and facilitate a cross-sectoral approach, and to form partnerships between different government departments, civic society organisations and other stakeholders. This approach is referred to as Mental Health in All Policies and it can be applied to all public policy levels from local policies to supranational.

Socio-demographic characteristics of the addicted inmates of Qom and Tabriz prisons in Iran.

PubMed

Sattari, Mohammadreza; Islambulchilar, Mina; Toluyi, Mohsen; Mashayekhi, Siminozar

2012-01-01

The aim of this investigation was to study the factors responsible for drug addiction amongst the inmates of Tabriz and Qom prisons, to further understand the reasons for drug abuse particularly in the young and find improved methods for combating these widespread problems. A multi-choice questionnaire was provided to inmates to potentially assess the reasons for their drug addiction psychiatric, personal, social, economical, and political factors were thought to be implicated. Two hundred drug addicted prisoners were individually interviewed randomly in both Tabriz and Qom prisons. A questionnaire including questions about the inmates' demographic characteristics and 49 multiple answers questions, was provided to identify the effects of different reasons for drug addiction for instance: psychiatric, personal, social, economical, and political factors. The collected data were analyzed by Student t-test and chi-squared test using SPSS software. The results showed that the following factors could lead to drug addiction e.g. company with addicted friends and offenders, curiosity, imitation, illiteracy, family problems, crowded family, poverty, unemployment, and lack of self confidence. There were significant differences between Tabriz and Qom prisoners in relation to age, starting age of addiction, job, income, education, class of addiction, marital status, and hobbies. Mean age, mean starting age of addiction, poverty, alcohol drinking before addiction, marital status, heroin addiction, codeine and benzodiazepines abuse were significantly greater for Tabriz prisoners than those of Qom. It is clear that the governmental programs for reducing unemployment, creation of safe hobbies, proper control on drug dispensing in the pharmacies, proper birth control programs, and encouragement to higher education could alleviate addiction problem in Iran.

Socio-demographic characteristics of the addicted inmates of Qom and Tabriz prisons in Iran

PubMed Central

Sattari, Mohammadreza; Islambulchilar, Mina; Toluyi, Mohsen; Mashayekhi, Siminozar

2012-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this investigation was to study the factors responsible for drug addiction amongst the inmates of Tabriz and Qom prisons, to further understand the reasons for drug abuse particularly in the young and find improved methods for combating these widespread problems. Methods: A multi-choice questionnaire was provided to inmates to potentially assess the reasons for their drug addiction psychiatric, personal, social, economical, and political factors were thought to be implicated. Two hundred drug addicted prisoners were individually interviewed randomly in both Tabriz and Qom prisons. A questionnaire including questions about the inmates’ demographic characteristics and 49 multiple answers questions, was provided to identify the effects of different reasons for drug addiction for instance: psychiatric, personal, social, economical, and political factors. The collected data were analyzed by Student t-test and chi-squared test using SPSS software. Results: The results showed that the following factors could lead to drug addiction e.g. company with addicted friends and offenders, curiosity, imitation, illiteracy, family problems, crowded family, poverty, unemployment, and lack of self confidence. There were significant differences between Tabriz and Qom prisoners in relation to age, starting age of addiction, job, income, education, class of addiction, marital status, and hobbies. Mean age, mean starting age of addiction, poverty, alcohol drinking before addiction, marital status, heroin addiction, codeine and benzodiazepines abuse were significantly greater for Tabriz prisoners than those of Qom. Conclusion: It is clear that the governmental programs for reducing unemployment, creation of safe hobbies, proper control on drug dispensing in the pharmacies, proper birth control programs, and encouragement to higher education could alleviate addiction problem in Iran. PMID:24312772

Geoinformatics for the Mapping of Nexus Between Poverty and Land Degradation in Drylands of Thar Desert

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaur, Mahesh

2012-07-01

Poverty and land degradation are major problems in majority of world dry lands, where meagre vegetative coverage (of forests and trees) contribute significantly to rural livelihoods. In order to eradicate poverty in the dry lands, it is important to protect the land from deforestation, fragmentation, degradation, drought and sometimes flash floods. Satellite remote sensing is a critical need for India - for spatial and temporal inter-linking of poverty and land degradation nexus and its prioritization. Remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) is often used to generate and apply knowledge in the complex local context. Connecting natural resources and ecosystem services with attributes of poverty is amenable through Remote Sensing and GIS. Such linkages in a typical local context are important to recognize while building rural assets and natural resources conservation leading to poverty alleviation. A large proportion of the poor in the Rajasthan state live in resource poor western region who lack productive assets (especially land) and also lack adequate livelihoods skills or capacities due to illiteracy. People are inadequately organized to assert their rights and utilize available resources and services. The state also continues to be plagued by high levels of gender and caste discrimination (World Bank, 2007). Incidence of Poverty: The number of population below poverty line in Rajasthan in 2004-05 were 22.1 percent. The corresponding figures for rural areas are 18.7 percent. In urban areas, the number of poor people are 32.9 percent. Rural poverty situation is significantly better than urban poverty. (HDR, 2008) Despite the fact that poverty rates in Rajasthan are lower than the national average, the incidence of poverty in Western Rajasthan is nevertheless high. The incidence of poverty varies between 11.2% in Jodhpur to as much as 35.2% in Jalore. The poor households suffer from both lack of resources and the means to access them, which contributes to the relatively low Human Development Index (HDI) indicators. Besides the extreme deprivations in the normal course of life, the poor become particularly vulnerable at the time of recurrent drought induced crisis. (MPOWER, 2010) The present study demonstrates application of earth observations for the mapping of nexus between poverty and land degradation. The empirical study carried out by the investigator in the Pali district highlights that such technological inputs could be applied in support of the poor and marginal farming community in the different parts of State and the country at cadastral level.

Beyond the feminisation of poverty: gender-aware poverty reduction.

PubMed

Lockwood, M; Baden, S

1995-09-01

There must be an awareness of gender issues in poverty reduction programs. For example, program efforts that direct aid to the promotion of labor intensive employment options disregard women's already overburdened work regime. Public expenditures to benefit the poor, such as primary education or reformed agricultural extension, may be based on the assumption that men and women will benefit equally, yet there is often gender bias in the delivery of services. One recommendation is to target female headed households in budget-constrained anti-poverty programs. One of the few examples of such programs provides urban female household heads in Chile with employment training, housing, health care, child care, and legal aid services. Causes of female headship vary, and a simple correlation with poverty is not always the case. Well-intentioned women-in-development credit programs in Ghana and Bangladesh have been "hijacked" by men. Programs to address gender discrimination only among the poor may overlook other oppressed women. In India gender discrimination is often greatest among women in wealthy households. Programs must offer more than economic resources, they must help women stretch traditional gender boundaries and obtain skills such as literacy or financial management. They must help women organize collectively to protest injustices and achieve institutional reforms.

76 FR 3637 - Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-20

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Office of the Secretary Annual Update of the HHS Poverty... update of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) poverty guidelines to account for last... program. For information about poverty figures for immigration forms, the Hill-Burton Uncompensated...

77 FR 4034 - Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-26

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Office of the Secretary Annual Update of the HHS Poverty... update of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) poverty guidelines to account for last... program. For information about poverty figures for immigration forms, the Hill-Burton Uncompensated...

78 FR 5182 - Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-24

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Office of the Secretary Annual Update of the HHS Poverty... update of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) poverty guidelines to account for last... program. For information about poverty figures for immigration forms, the Hill-Burton Uncompensated...

The Impact of Poverty on African American Children in the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Rudolph, Jr.

2010-01-01

Poverty among individuals is an enduring condition in almost all societies. The responses by governments to poverty, however, have varied. In the United States, President Lyndon Johnson sought to address poverty through the creation of the Great Society programs in the 1960s. In effect, he declared a War on Poverty. Later, especially during the…

Administrative and Legislative Uses of the Terms "Poverty,""Low Income," and other Related Items. The Measure of Poverty, Technical Paper II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grob, George; And Others

This paper is a compilation of the major federal, legislative, administrative and statistical uses of the terms poverty, low income, and related expressions. The first section summarizes the most commonly used definitions of poverty. These are: (1) the official statistical poverty definition, (2) program eligibility guidelines of the Community…

Dr Mario Raviglione, director of the Stop TB Department World Health Organization. Interview by Christo Hall.

PubMed

Raviglione, Mario

2012-03-01

Tuberculosis (TB) is a very global disease; there are over 9 million new incidences of TB every year with the vast majority of cases emerging in the developing world. As one of three major diseases associated with poverty it affects the areas where poverty is most prevalent, notably Asia and Africa. While the incidence rate has been slowly declining in the developed world it continues to pose a major health threat to even the most developed nations. To demonstrate the global, and persistent, nature of TB we asked Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of the World Health Organization's Stop TB Department to provide an analysis on the current TB situation in the United Kingdom and comment on what measures should be taken to alleviate the issue of TB in one of the world's richest countries.

NGO-promoted microcredit programs and women's empowerment in rural Bangladesh: quantitative and qualitative evidence.

PubMed

Amin, R; Becker, S; Bayes, A

1998-01-01

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in rural Bangladesh are reaching out to poor women with collateral-free credit programs aimed at both alleviating poverty and increasing women's status. The present study investigated the hypothesis that participation in credit-related activities by NGO credit members leads to greater empowerment of credit members compared to nonmembers. The sample was comprised of 1164 loanees and 1200 nonloanees from the five NGO areas in Bangladesh and of 1200 nonloanees from non-program areas of rural Bangladesh with no significant NGO presence. NGO credit members had significantly higher scores on all three indices of female empowerment: inter-spouse consultation, autonomy, and authority. Moreover, nonmembers within NGO program areas had higher autonomy and authority scores than nonmembers within the comparison areas. Even after background variables were controlled in the multivariate analysis, NGO credit membership and residence in an NGO program area remained significantly and positively associated with both the autonomy and authority indices. Other variables that exerted a significant positive effect on women's empowerment were concrete or corrugated buildings, area of residence outside the southern or eastern regions, nonagricultural occupation, respondent's education, and age. In focus group discussions, NGO credit loanees reported that the program made them more confident, assertive, intelligent, self-reliant, and aware of their rights. NGO credit programs that target poor women are likely to produce substantial improvements in women's social and economic status, without the long delays associated with education or employment opportunities in the formal sector.

Neighborhood Poverty. Policy Implications in Studying Neighborhoods. Volume II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne, Ed.; Duncan, Greg J., Ed.; Aber, J. Lawrence, Ed.

Volume 2 of the "Neighborhood Poverty" series incorporates empirical data on neighborhood poverty into discussions of policy and program development. The chapters are: (1) "Ecological Perspectives on the Neighborhood Context of Urban Poverty: Past and Present" (Robert J. Sampson and Jeffrey D. Morenoff); (2) "The Influence of Neighborhoods on…

Examining the Culture of Poverty: Promising Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cuthrell, Kristen; Stapleton, Joy; Ledford, Carolyn

2009-01-01

Spurred by preservice teachers' perceptions that diversity issues such as poverty would not affect their teaching, professors in 1 southeastern U.S. elementary teacher-preparation program took action, which resulted in this examination of the culture of poverty and the identification of strategies to best serve children living in poverty. The…

What Teacher Preparation Programs Can Do to Better Prepare Teachers to Meet the Challenges of Educating Students Living in Poverty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Jacqueline A.

2010-01-01

Because of the present, increasing economic circumstances, poverty is fast becoming a crisis, and teacher preparation programs must begin to prepare teachers to explicitly address the needs of poor children. The inclusion of poverty in this discourse is in no way intended to discount the issues of race, ethnicity, and gender. The intention here is…

Adjusted Poverty Measures and the Distribution of Title I Aid: Does Title I Really Make the Rich States Richer?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Bruce D.; Taylor, Lori; Levin, Jesse; Chambers, Jay; Blankenship, Charles

2013-01-01

Federal and state governments in the United States make extensive use of student poverty rates in compensatory aid programs like Title I. Unfortunately, the measures of student poverty that drive funding allocations under such programs are biased because they fail to reflect geographic differences in the cost of living. In this study, we construct…

[Depression in older adults with extreme poverty belonging to Social Program in City Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico].

PubMed

Flores-Padilla, Luis; Ramírez-Martínez, Flor Rocío; Trueba-Gómez, Rocío

2016-01-01

To identify depression in older adults living in extreme poverty beneficiaries of social program in City Juarez, Chihuahua. Analytical study in 941 adults > 60 years, studied variables: age, sex, marital status, education and work, extreme poverty, place of residence, asylum. Yesavage Geriatric scale was used. X², IC < 95%, p < 0.05. The analysis was performed with SPSS 20.0. Prevalence of depression 45.48%, in women 46.75%. Older adults who do not work, incomplete education, living in asylum, have hypertension and pulmonary diseases increase depression risk (p < 0.05). Older Adults program beneficiaries living in extreme poverty depression is greater than that reported in the literature. The support granted by the Mexican Government to social programs that benefit older adults should be planned strategically with aims on improving the long-term health.

Strategies to alleviate poverty and grassland degradation in Inner Mongolia: intensification vs production efficiency of livestock systems.

PubMed

Briske, David D; Zhao, Mengli; Han, Guodong; Xiu, Changbai; Kemp, David R; Willms, Walter; Havstad, Kris; Kang, Le; Wang, Zhongwu; Wu, Jianguo; Han, Xingguo; Bai, Yongfei

2015-04-01

Semi-nomadic pastoralism was replaced by sedentary pastoralism in Inner Mongolia during the 1960's in response to changes in land use policy and increasing human population. Large increases in numbers of livestock and pastoralist households (11- and 9-fold, respectively) during the past 60 yrs have variously degraded the majority of grasslands in Inner Mongolia (78 M ha) and jeopardize the livelihoods of 24 M human inhabitants. A prevailing strategy for alleviating poverty and grassland degradation emphasizes intensification of livestock production systems to maintain both pastoral livelihoods and large livestock numbers. We consider this strategy unsustainable because maximization of livestock revenue incurs high supplemental feed costs, marginalizes net household income, and promotes larger flock sizes to create a positive feedback loop driving grassland degradation. We offer an alternative strategy that increases both livestock production efficiency and net pastoral income by marketing high quality animal products to an increasing affluent Chinese economy while simultaneously reducing livestock impacts on grasslands. We further caution that this strategy be designed and assessed within a social-ecological framework capable of coordinating market expansion for livestock products, sustainable livestock carrying capacities, modified pastoral perceptions of success, and incentives for ecosystem services to interrupt the positive feedback loop that exists between subsistence pastoralism and grassland degradation in Inner Mongolia. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The UNESCO biosphere reserve concept as a tool for urban sustainability: the CUBES Cape Town case study.

PubMed

Stanvliet, R; Jackson, J; Davis, G; De Swardt, C; Mokhoele, J; Thom, Q; Lane, B D

2004-06-01

The Cape Town Case Study (CTCS) was a multi-institutional collaborative project initiated by CUBES, a knowledge networking initiative of UNESCO's Ecological Sciences Division and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Cape Town was selected as a CUBES site on the basis of its high biological and cultural significance, together with its demonstrated leadership in promoting urban sustainability. The CTCS was conducted by the Cape Town Urban Biosphere Group, a cross-disciplinary group of specialists drawn from national, provincial, municipal, and civil society institutions, mandated to examine the potential value of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve concept as a tool for environmental management, social inclusion, and poverty alleviation in Cape Town. This article provides a contextualization of the CTCS and its collaborative process. It also reviews the biosphere reserve concept relative to urban sustainability objectives and proposes a more functional application of that concept in an urban context. A detailed analysis of key initiatives at the interface of conservation and poverty alleviation is provided in table format. Drawing on an examination of successful sustainability initiatives in Cape Town, specific recommendations are made for future application of the biosphere reserve concept in an urban context, as well as a model by which urban areas might affiliate with the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves, and criteria for such affiliation.

Mitigation gambles: uncertainty, urgency and the last gamble possible.

PubMed

Shue, Henry

2018-05-13

A rejection by current generations of more ambitious mitigation of carbon emissions inflicts on future generations inherently objectionable risks about which they have no choice. Any gains through savings from less ambitious mitigation, which are relatively minor, would accrue to current generations, and all losses, which are relatively major, would fall on future generations. This mitigation gamble is especially unjustifiable because it imposes a risk of unlimited losses until carbon emissions cease. Ultimate physical collapses remain possible. Much more ominous is prior social collapse from political struggles over conflicting responses to threatened physical collapse. The two most plausible objections to the thesis that less ambitious mitigation is unjustifiable rely, respectively, on the claim that negative emissions will allow a later recovery from a temporary overshoot in emissions and on the claim that ambitious mitigation is incompatible with poverty alleviation that depends on inexpensive fossil fuels. Neither objection stands up. Reliance on negative emissions later instead of ambitious mitigation now permits the passing of tipping points for irreversible change meanwhile, and non-carbon energy is rapidly becoming price competitive in developing countries like India that are committed to poverty alleviation.This article is part of the themed issue 'The Paris Agreement: understanding the physical and social challenges for a warming world of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels'. © 2018 The Author(s).

A multidimensional approach to measure poverty in rural Bangladesh.

PubMed

Bhuiya, Abbas; Mahmood, Shehrin Shaila; Rana, A K M Masud; Wahed, Tania; Ahmed, Syed Masud; Chowdhury, A Mushtaque R

2007-06-01

Poverty is increasingly being understood as a multidimensional phenomenon. Other than income-consumption, which has been extensively studied in the past, health, education, shelter, and social involvement are among the most important dimensions of poverty. The present study attempts to develop a simple tool to measure poverty in its multidimensionality where it views poverty as an inadequate fulfillment of basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, health, education, and social involvement. The scale score ranges between 72 and 24 and is constructed in such a way that the score increases with increasing level of poverty. Using various techniques, the study evaluates the poverty-measurement tool and provides evidence for its reliability and validity by administering it in various areas of rural Bangladesh. The reliability coefficients, such as test-retest coefficient (0.85) and Cronbach's alpha (0.80) of the tool, were satisfactorily high. Based on the socioeconomic status defined by the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) exercise, the level of poverty identified by the scale was 33% in Chakaria, 26% in Matlab, and 32% in other rural areas of the country. The validity of these results was tested against some traditional methods of identifying the poor, and the association of the scores with that of the traditional indicators, such as ownership of land and occupation, asset index (r=0.72), and the wealth ranking obtained from the PRA exercise, was consistent. A statistically significant inverse relationship of the poverty scores with the socioeconomic status was observed in all cases. The scale also allowed the absolute level of poverty to be measured, and in the present study, the highest percentage of absolute poor was found in terms of health (44.2% in Chakaria, 36.4% in Matlab, and 39.1% in other rural areas), followed by social exclusion (35.7% in Chakaria, 28.5% in Matlab, and 22.3% in other rural areas), clothing (6.2% in Chakaria, 8.3% in Matlab, and 20% in other rural areas), education (14.7% in Chakaria, 8% in Matlab, and 16.8% in other rural areas), food (7.8% in Chakaria, 2.9% in Matlab and 3% in other rural areas), and shelter (0.8% in Chakaria, 1.4% in Matlab, and 3.7% in other rural areas). This instrument will also prove itself invaluable in assessing the individual effects of poverty-alleviation programmes or policies on all these different dimensions.

A Multidimensional Approach to Measure Poverty in Rural Bangladesh

PubMed Central

Bhuiya, Abbas; Shaila Mahmood, Shehrin; Rana, A.K.M. Masud; Wahed, Tania; Ahmed, Syed Masud; Chowdhury, A. Mushtaque R.

2007-01-01

Poverty is increasingly being understood as a multidimensional phenomenon. Other than income-consumption, which has been extensively studied in the past, health, education, shelter, and social involvement are among the most important dimensions of poverty. The present study attempts to develop a simple tool to measure poverty in its multidimensionality where it views poverty as an inadequate fulfillment of basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, health, education, and social involvement. The scale score ranges between 72 and 24 and is constructed in such a way that the score increases with increasing level of poverty. Using various techniques, the study evaluates the poverty-measurement tool and provides evidence for its reliability and validity by administering it in various areas of rural Bangladesh. The reliability coefficients, such as test-retest coefficient (0.85) and Cronbach's alpha (0.80) of the tool, were satisfactorily high. Based on the socioeconomic status defined by the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) exercise, the level of poverty identified by the scale was 33% in Chakaria, 26% in Matlab, and 32% in other rural areas of the country. The validity of these results was tested against some traditional methods of identifying the poor, and the association of the scores with that of the traditional indicators, such as ownership of land and occupation, asset index (r=0.72), and the wealth ranking obtained from the PRA exercise, was consistent. A statistically significant inverse relationship of the poverty scores with the socioeconomic status was observed in all cases. The scale also allowed the absolute level of poverty to be measured, and in the present study, the highest percentage of absolute poor was found in terms of health (44.2% in Chakaria, 36.4% in Matlab, and 39.1% in other rural areas), followed by social exclusion (35.7% in Chakaria, 28.5% in Matlab, and 22.3% in other rural areas), clothing (6.2% in Chakaria, 8.3% in Matlab, and 20% in other rural areas), education (14.7% in Chakaria, 8% in Matlab, and 16.8% in other rural areas), food (7.8% in Chakaria, 2.9% in Matlab and 3% in other rural areas), and shelter (0.8% in Chakaria, 1.4% in Matlab, and 3.7% in other rural areas). This instrument will also prove itself invaluable in assessing the individual effects of poverty-alleviation programmes or policies on all these different dimensions. PMID:17985815

Assessing the burden of medical impoverishment by cause: a systematic breakdown by disease in Ethiopia.

PubMed

Verguet, Stéphane; Memirie, Solomon Tessema; Norheim, Ole Frithjof

2016-10-21

Out-of-pocket (OOP) medical expenses often lead to catastrophic expenditure and impoverishment in low- and middle-income countries. Yet, there has been no systematic examination of which specific diseases and conditions (e.g., tuberculosis, cardiovascular disease) drive medical impoverishment, defined as OOP direct medical costs pushing households into poverty. We used a cost and epidemiological model to propose an assessment of the burden of medical impoverishment in Ethiopia, i.e., the number of households crossing a poverty line due to excessive OOP direct medical expenses. We utilized disease-specific mortality estimates from the Global Burden of Disease study, epidemiological and cost inputs from surveys, and secondary data from the literature to produce a count of poverty cases due to OOP direct medical costs per specific condition. In Ethiopia, in 2013, and among 20 leading causes of mortality, we estimated the burden of impoverishment due to OOP direct medical costs to be of about 350,000 poverty cases. The top three causes of medical impoverishment were diarrhea, lower respiratory infections, and road injury, accounting for 75 % of all poverty cases. We present a preliminary attempt for the estimation of the burden of medical impoverishment by cause for high mortality conditions. In Ethiopia, medical impoverishment was notably associated with illness occurrence and health services utilization. Although currently used estimates are sensitive to health services utilization, a systematic breakdown of impoverishment due to OOP direct medical costs by cause can provide important information for the promotion of financial risk protection and equity, and subsequent design of health policies toward universal health coverage, reduction of direct OOP payments, and poverty alleviation.

45 CFR 284.20 - What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each State?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... poverty rate in each State? 284.20 Section 284.20 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare...'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.20 What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each State? (a) General. We will determine the child poverty rate in...

45 CFR 284.20 - What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each State?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... poverty rate in each State? 284.20 Section 284.20 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare...'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.20 What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each State? (a) General. We will determine the child poverty rate in...

45 CFR 284.20 - What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each State?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... child poverty rate in each State? 284.20 Section 284.20 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public... TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.20 What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each State? (a) General. We will determine the child poverty rate in...

45 CFR 284.20 - What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each State?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... child poverty rate in each State? 284.20 Section 284.20 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public... TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.20 What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each State? (a) General. We will determine the child poverty rate in...

45 CFR 284.20 - What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each State?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... child poverty rate in each State? 284.20 Section 284.20 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public... TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.20 What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each State? (a) General. We will determine the child poverty rate in...

Trachoma and Relative Poverty: A Case-Control Study

PubMed Central

Habtamu, Esmael; Wondie, Tariku; Aweke, Sintayehu; Tadesse, Zerihun; Zerihun, Mulat; Zewdie, Zebideru; Callahan, Kelly; Emerson, Paul M.; Kuper, Hannah; Bailey, Robin L.; Mabey, David C. W.; Rajak, Saul N.; Polack, Sarah; Weiss, Helen A.; Burton, Matthew J.

2015-01-01

Background Trachoma is widely considered a disease of poverty. Although there are many epidemiological studies linking trachoma to factors normally associated with poverty, formal quantitative data linking trachoma to household economic poverty within endemic communities is very limited. Methodology/Principal Findings Two hundred people with trachomatous trichiasis were recruited through community-based screening in Amhara Region, Ethiopia. These were individually matched by age and gender to 200 controls without trichiasis, selected randomly from the same sub-village as the case. Household economic poverty was measured through (a) A broad set of asset-based wealth indicators and relative household economic poverty determined by principal component analysis (PCA, (b) Self-rated wealth, and (c) Peer-rated wealth. Activity participation data were collected using a modified ‘Stylised Activity List’ developed for the World Bank’s Living Standards Measurement Survey. Trichiasis cases were more likely to belong to poorer households by all measures: asset-based analysis (OR = 2.79; 95%CI: 2.06–3.78; p<0.0001), self-rated wealth (OR, 4.41, 95%CI, 2.75–7.07; p<0.0001) and peer-rated wealth (OR, 8.22, 95% CI, 4.59–14.72; p<0.0001). Cases had less access to latrines (57% v 76.5%, p = <0.0001) and higher person-to-room density (4.0 v 3.31; P = 0.0204) than the controls. Compared to controls, cases were significantly less likely to participate in economically productive activities regardless of visual impairment and other health problems, more likely to report difficulty in performing activities and more likely to receive assistance in performing productive activities. Conclusions/Significance This study demonstrated a strong association between trachomatous trichiasis and relative poverty, suggesting a bidirectional causative relationship possibly may exist between poverty and trachoma. Implementation of the full SAFE strategy in the context of general improvements might lead to a virtuous cycle of improving health and wealth. Trachoma is a good proxy of inequality within communities and it could be used to target and evaluate interventions for health and poverty alleviation. PMID:26600211

Poverty and severe psychiatric disorder in the U.S.: evidence from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

PubMed

Vick, Brandon; Jones, Kristine; Mitra, Sophie

2012-06-01

Previous studies have shown that persons with severe psychiatric disorders are more likely to be poor and face disparities in education and employment outcomes. Poverty rates, the standard measure of poverty, give no information on how far below the poverty line this group falls. This paper compares the poverty rate, poverty depth (distance from the poverty line) and poverty severity (inequality of incomes below the poverty line) of households with and without a working-age member with severe psychiatric disorder in the United States using data from the 2007 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). First, we perform multivariate analysis of the association between severe disorder and poverty depth using MEPS data. Second, we calculate poverty rates, depth, and severity for the subgroup of households having a member with disorder and compare to the subgroup of households without such a member. In multivariate regressions, the presence of a household member with severe psychiatric disorder predicts a 52-percentage point increase in poverty depth and 3.10 times the odds of being poor. Poverty rate, depth, and severity are significantly greater for households of persons with disorder. Mean total incomes are lower for households of persons with severe disorder compared to other households while mean health expenditures are similar. Severe psychiatric disorder is associated with greater depth of poverty and likelihood of being poor. We identify groups who are the most disadvantaged according to severity of income poverty among households with severe psychiatric disorder. These include households whose head has no high school education, who has been without work for the entire year, and who is black or Hispanic. While these characteristics are related to poverty for the overall sample, they correlate to heightened poverty severity when combined with severe disorder. Families face less severity than single persons but poverty rate, depth, and severity increase for both groups when combined with severe psychiatric disorder. Our study does not attempt to investigate the causes of poverty, focusing rather on improved poverty measurement. We find that households of persons with disorder have a lower standard of living and face more severe forms of poverty. This may affect the health of their members through reduced access to health inputs, including access to health care. This paper shows that there is a strong association between severe psychiatric disorder and poverty, and points to a need to break this association. Both mental health policy and income assistance programs should consider using poverty rate, depth and severity measures to evaluate the economic benefits of current programs and target future programs to those facing the most severe poverty. The results point to the need for additional research in a number of areas: trends in poverty for households with severe psychiatric disorders over time; mobility and persistence of poverty for this group; and the association of severe disorder to other, non-monetary dimensions of poverty, such as a lack of social integration.

76 FR 68762 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-07

... in Families Receiving Payment in Excess of the Poverty Income Level from a State Program Funded Under... Homes and Children Receiving Payments in Excess of the Poverty Level From a State Program Funded Under...

Reforestation strategies amid social instability: lessons from Afghanistan.

PubMed

Groninger, John W

2012-04-01

Foreign and domestic government agencies and other international organizations pursue reforestation programs in rural upper watershed areas of Afghanistan over the past decade to alleviate poverty, combat the insurgency and rehabilitate a depleted forest resource base. Popular programs incorporate cash-for-work to conduct hillside terracing, check dam construction and tree-planting for nut production, fuel wood, timber, dune stabilization, and erosion abatement. Programmatic approaches have varied as a function of accessibility, security and local objectives. Uncertain land tenure and use rights, weak local environmental management capacity, and a focus on agricultural production to meet immediate needs limit interest, nationally and locally. Unreliable security, a lack of high quality tree planting stock, limited technical knowledge and coordination among government agencies, and poor security hamper program expansion. Reforestation success would be most likely where these issues are least acute. The Afghan government should focus on supporting community based natural resource management, developing and disseminating improved conservation tree nursery strategies, and promoting watershed management schemes that incorporate forestry, range management and agronomic production. Reforestation practitioners could benefit from the human and material resources now present as part of the international war effort. Successes and failures encountered in Afghanistan should be considered in order to address similar problems in insecure regions elsewhere when reforestation may help reverse environmental degradation and contribute to broader social stabilization efforts.

Reforestation Strategies Amid Social Instability: Lessons from Afghanistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groninger, John W.

2012-04-01

Foreign and domestic government agencies and other international organizations pursue reforestation programs in rural upper watershed areas of Afghanistan over the past decade to alleviate poverty, combat the insurgency and rehabilitate a depleted forest resource base. Popular programs incorporate cash-for-work to conduct hillside terracing, check dam construction and tree-planting for nut production, fuel wood, timber, dune stabilization, and erosion abatement. Programmatic approaches have varied as a function of accessibility, security and local objectives. Uncertain land tenure and use rights, weak local environmental management capacity, and a focus on agricultural production to meet immediate needs limit interest, nationally and locally. Unreliable security, a lack of high quality tree planting stock, limited technical knowledge and coordination among government agencies, and poor security hamper program expansion. Reforestation success would be most likely where these issues are least acute. The Afghan government should focus on supporting community based natural resource management, developing and disseminating improved conservation tree nursery strategies, and promoting watershed management schemes that incorporate forestry, range management and agronomic production. Reforestation practitioners could benefit from the human and material resources now present as part of the international war effort. Successes and failures encountered in Afghanistan should be considered in order to address similar problems in insecure regions elsewhere when reforestation may help reverse environmental degradation and contribute to broader social stabilization efforts.

Poverty, Residential Mobility, and Persistence across Urban and Rural Family Literacy Programs in Pennsylvania. Research Brief #1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schafft, Kai; Prins, Esther; Movit, Marcela

2008-01-01

This study examined how poverty and residential mobility influence low-income adults' persistence in family literacy programs in Pennsylvania. Twelve out of 20 program directors reported that learners typically moved at least once a year. In five of these high-mobility programs moving was reported to significantly hinder persistence. Geographic…

Microfinance and poverty reduction: evidence from a village study in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Nawaz, Shah

2010-01-01

To evaluate the competing claims on the impact of microfinance programs on multidimensional poverty, a village study in Bangladesh was conducted where three microfinance programs had been operating for more than five years. The study found that microfinance has resulted in a moderate reduction in the poverty of borrowers, as measured by a variety of socio-economic indicators, but has not reached many of the poorest in the village. To make microfinance a more effective means of poverty reduction other services such as skills training, technological support, education and health related strategies should be included with microfinance.

Timeline historical review of income and financial transactions: a reliable assessment of personal finances.

PubMed

Black, Anne C; Serowik, Kristin L; Ablondi, Karen M; Rosen, Marc I

2013-01-01

The need for accurate and reliable information about income and resources available to individuals with psychiatric disabilities is critical for the assessment of need and evaluation of programs designed to alleviate financial hardship or affect finance allocation. Measurement of finances is ubiquitous in studies of economics, poverty, and social services. However, evidence has demonstrated that these measures often contain error. We compare the 1-week test-retest reliability of income and finance data from 24 adult psychiatric outpatients using assessment-as-usual (AAU) and a new instrument, the Timeline Historical Review of Income and Financial Transactions (THRIFT). Reliability estimates obtained with the THRIFT for Income (0.77), Expenses (0.91), and Debt (0.99) domains were significantly better than those obtained with AAU. Reliability estimates for Balance did not differ. THRIFT reduced measurement error and provided more reliable information than AAU for assessment of personal finances in psychiatric patients receiving Social Security benefits. The instrument also may be useful with other low-income groups.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Science Research for Energy Management. Part 1; Overview of Energy Issues and an Assessment of the Potential for Application of NASA Earth Science Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zell, E.; Engel-Cox, J.

2005-01-01

Effective management of energy resources is critical for the U.S. economy, the environment, and, more broadly, for sustainable development and alleviating poverty worldwide. The scope of energy management is broad, ranging from energy production and end use to emissions monitoring and mitigation and long-term planning. Given the extensive NASA Earth science research on energy and related weather and climate-related parameters, and rapidly advancing energy technologies and applications, there is great potential for increased application of NASA Earth science research to selected energy management issues and decision support tools. The NASA Energy Management Program Element is already involved in a number of projects applying NASA Earth science research to energy management issues, with a focus on solar and wind renewable energy and developing interests in energy modeling, short-term load forecasting, energy efficient building design, and biomass production.

Monetary incentives in support of academic achievement: results of a randomized field trial involving high-achieving, low-resource, ethnically diverse urban adolescents.

PubMed

Spencer, Margaret Beale; Noll, Elizabeth; Cassidy, Elaine

2005-06-01

Significant resources have been directed at understanding and alleviating the achievement gap in education. Most programs focused on this aim rely on a top-down approach, including funding for infrastructure improvement, curriculum development, class size, and teacher salaries. This article presents findings from a randomized field trial that evaluates a bottom-up approach in which high-achieving students of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds from poor families are given monetary incentives to maintain their academic standing. The evaluation was designed to explore the role of monetary incentives as a mechanism for promoting resiliency in the face of poverty-related challenge. Discussion of what motivates students to learn is framed as a function of normal cognitive and socioemotional development in challenging environments. Evaluation findings indicate that monetary incentives are effective in promoting academic success to different degrees and for different reasons depending on students' perception of the meaning of the incentive in relation to their emergent identity.

Peasant friendly plant breeding and the early years of the green revolution in Mexico.

PubMed

Harwood, Jonathan

2009-01-01

Despite their success in boosting cereals production overall, the Green Revolution programs of the 1950s and 1960s were often criticized for failing to achieve their declared aim of alleviating world hunger. Most critics argued that the programs had produced a technology unsuited to the needs of small peasant farmers. This paper explores why such inappropriate technology might have been developed, focusing on the early years of the Rockefeller Foundation's Mexican Agricultural Program (MAP). It shows that some foundation officers as well as agricultural advisors had prior experience of the problems faced by small farmers in the United States and elsewhere. Moreover, the foundation's expressed concern for rural poverty does not appear to have been mere posturing by an organization anxious to be seen as an agent of philanthropy. Furthermore, the program's early work in maize-breeding was well tailored to the conditions of Mexican agriculture. Once the MAP was up and running, however, it became apparent that the task of getting new varieties and cultivation practices to small farmers was going to be difficult. Needing to make some kind of impact quickly, MAP staff chose to concentrate upon projects that were likely to find a rapid uptake. This meant setting aside the needs of peasant farmers to develop high-yielding varieties suited to large commercial farms.

Effect of heat waves on VOC emissions from vegetation and urban air quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Churkina, G.; Kuik, F.; Lauer, A.; Bonn, B.; Butler, T. M.

2015-12-01

Programs to plant millions of trees in cities around the world aim at the reduction of summer temperatures, increase carbon storage, storm water control, provision of space for recreation, as well as poverty alleviation. Although these multiple benefits speak positively for urban greening programs, the programs do not take into account how close human and natural systems are coupled in urban areas. Elevated temperatures together with anthropogenic emissions of air and water pollutants distinguish the urban system. Urban and sub-urban vegetation responds to ambient changes and reacts with pollutants. Neglecting this coupling may lead to unforeseen drawbacks of urban greening programs. The potential for emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from vegetation combined with anthropogenic emissions to produce ozone has long been recognized. This potential increases under rising temperatures. Here we investigate how heat waves affect emissions of VOC from urban vegetation and corresponding ground-level ozone. In this study we use Weather Research and Forecasting Model with coupled atmospheric chemistry (WRF-CHEM) to quantify these feedbacks in Berlin, Germany during the 2006 heat wave. VOC emissions from vegetation are simulated with MEGAN 2.0 coupled with WRF-CHEM. Our preliminary results indicate that contribution of VOCs from vegetation to ozone formation may increase by more than twofold during the heat wave period. We highlight the importance of the vegetation for urban areas under changing climate and discuss associated tradeoffs.

Heat Waves, Urban Vegetation, and Air Pollution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Churkina, G.; Grote, R.; Butler, T. M.

2014-12-01

Fast-track programs to plant millions of trees in cities around the world aim at the reduction of summer temperatures, increase carbon storage, storm water control, provision of space for recreation, as well as poverty alleviation. Although these multiple benefits speak positively for urban greening programs, the programs do not take into account how close human and natural systems are coupled in urban areas. Elevated temperatures together with anthropogenic emissions of air and water pollutants distinguish the urban system. Urban and sub-urban vegetation responds to ambient changes and reacts with pollutants. Neglecting the existence of this coupling may lead to unforeseen drawbacks of urban greening programs. The potential for emissions from urban vegetation combined with anthropogenic emissions to produce ozone has long been recognized. This potential increases under rising temperatures. Here we investigate how global change induced heat waves affect emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from urban vegetation and corresponding ground-level ozone levels. We also quantify other ecosystem services provided by urban vegetation (e.g., cooling and carbon storage) and their sensitivity to climate change. In this study we use Weather Research and Forecasting Model with coupled atmospheric chemistry (WRF-CHEM) to quantify these feedbacks in Berlin, Germany during the heat waves in 2003 and 2006. We highlight the importance of the vegetation for urban areas under changing climate and discuss associated tradeoffs.

A review of financial instruments to pay for predator conservation and encourage human–carnivore coexistence

PubMed Central

Dickman, Amy J.; Macdonald, Ewan A.; Macdonald, David W.

2011-01-01

One of the greatest challenges in biodiversity conservation today is how to facilitate protection of species that are highly valued at a global scale but have little or even negative value at a local scale. Imperiled species such as large predators can impose significant economic costs at a local level, often in poverty-stricken rural areas where households are least able to tolerate such costs, and impede efforts of local people, especially traditional pastoralists, to escape from poverty. Furthermore, the costs and benefits involved in predator conservation often include diverse dimensions, which are hard to quantify and nearly impossible to reconcile with one another. The best chance of effective conservation relies upon translating the global value of carnivores into tangible local benefits large enough to drive conservation “on the ground.” Although human–carnivore coexistence involves significant noneconomic values, providing financial incentives to those affected negatively by carnivore presence is a common strategy for encouraging such coexistence, and this can also have important benefits in terms of reducing poverty. Here, we provide a critical overview of such financial instruments, which we term “payments to encourage coexistence”; assess the pitfalls and potentials of these methods, particularly compensation and insurance, revenue-sharing, and conservation payments; and discuss how existing strategies of payment to encourage coexistence could be combined to facilitate carnivore conservation and alleviate local poverty. PMID:21873181

A review of financial instruments to pay for predator conservation and encourage human-carnivore coexistence.

PubMed

Dickman, Amy J; Macdonald, Ewan A; Macdonald, David W

2011-08-23

One of the greatest challenges in biodiversity conservation today is how to facilitate protection of species that are highly valued at a global scale but have little or even negative value at a local scale. Imperiled species such as large predators can impose significant economic costs at a local level, often in poverty-stricken rural areas where households are least able to tolerate such costs, and impede efforts of local people, especially traditional pastoralists, to escape from poverty. Furthermore, the costs and benefits involved in predator conservation often include diverse dimensions, which are hard to quantify and nearly impossible to reconcile with one another. The best chance of effective conservation relies upon translating the global value of carnivores into tangible local benefits large enough to drive conservation "on the ground." Although human-carnivore coexistence involves significant noneconomic values, providing financial incentives to those affected negatively by carnivore presence is a common strategy for encouraging such coexistence, and this can also have important benefits in terms of reducing poverty. Here, we provide a critical overview of such financial instruments, which we term "payments to encourage coexistence"; assess the pitfalls and potentials of these methods, particularly compensation and insurance, revenue-sharing, and conservation payments; and discuss how existing strategies of payment to encourage coexistence could be combined to facilitate carnivore conservation and alleviate local poverty.

Linking Regional Satellite Observations with Coupled Human-Ecological Systems in Global Drylands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutchinson, C.; Reynolds, J. F.

2009-12-01

The African Sahel has attracted consistent attention since a series of droughts in the 1970s and 1980s caused widespread famine and land degradation (desertification). These events spawned international conventions and sustained development efforts to increase food security and reverse poverty for the local populations, and to arrest environmental degradation. Since 1985, several studies using satellite data have described a general “greening” in response to increased rainfall trends. However, some areas show more greening while others less greening than can be explained by precipitation alone (Glob. Env. Change 15- 2005). The debated question is how to explain the residual changes: management, policy, human adaptation, or something else? Placing results in an human-ecological framework could help answer this question. Providing a meaningful assessment will allow national and international agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative approaches to poverty alleviation and environmental restoration in drylands at regional and global scales.

Estimating life expectancies for US small areas: a regression framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Congdon, Peter

2014-01-01

Analysis of area mortality variations and estimation of area life tables raise methodological questions relevant to assessing spatial clustering, and socioeconomic inequalities in mortality. Existing small area analyses of US life expectancy variation generally adopt ad hoc amalgamations of counties to alleviate potential instability of mortality rates involved in deriving life tables, and use conventional life table analysis which takes no account of correlated mortality for adjacent areas or ages. The alternative strategy here uses structured random effects methods that recognize correlations between adjacent ages and areas, and allows retention of the original county boundaries. This strategy generalizes to include effects of area category (e.g. poverty status, ethnic mix), allowing estimation of life tables according to area category, and providing additional stabilization of estimated life table functions. This approach is used here to estimate stabilized mortality rates, derive life expectancies in US counties, and assess trends in clustering and in inequality according to county poverty category.

From Bottleneck to Breakthrough: Urbanization and the Future of Biodiversity Conservation

PubMed Central

Sanderson, Eric W; Walston, Joseph; Robinson, John G

2018-01-01

Abstract For the first time in the Anthropocene, the global demographic and economic trends that have resulted in unprecedented destruction of the environment are now creating the necessary conditions for a possible renaissance of nature. Drawing reasonable inferences from current patterns, we can predict that 100 years from now, the Earth could be inhabited by between 6 and 8 billion people, with very few remaining in extreme poverty, most living in towns and cities, and nearly all participating in a technologically driven, interconnected market economy. Building on the scholarship of others in demography, economics, sociology, and conservation biology, here, we articulate a theory of social–environmental change that describes the simultaneous and interacting effects of urban lifestyles on fertility, poverty alleviation, and ideation. By recognizing the shifting dynamics of these macrodrivers, conservation practice has the potential to transform itself from a discipline managing declines (“bottleneck”) to a transformative movement of recovery (“breakthrough”). PMID:29867252

From Bottleneck to Breakthrough: Urbanization and the Future of Biodiversity Conservation.

PubMed

Sanderson, Eric W; Walston, Joseph; Robinson, John G

2018-06-01

For the first time in the Anthropocene, the global demographic and economic trends that have resulted in unprecedented destruction of the environment are now creating the necessary conditions for a possible renaissance of nature. Drawing reasonable inferences from current patterns, we can predict that 100 years from now, the Earth could be inhabited by between 6 and 8 billion people, with very few remaining in extreme poverty, most living in towns and cities, and nearly all participating in a technologically driven, interconnected market economy. Building on the scholarship of others in demography, economics, sociology, and conservation biology, here, we articulate a theory of social-environmental change that describes the simultaneous and interacting effects of urban lifestyles on fertility, poverty alleviation, and ideation. By recognizing the shifting dynamics of these macrodrivers, conservation practice has the potential to transform itself from a discipline managing declines ("bottleneck") to a transformative movement of recovery ("breakthrough").

How Effective Have Thirty Years of Internationally Driven Conservation and Development Efforts Been in Madagascar?

PubMed

Waeber, Patrick O; Wilmé, Lucienne; Mercier, Jean-Roger; Camara, Christian; Lowry, Porter P

2016-01-01

Conservation and development are intricately linked. The international donor community has long provided aid to tropical countries in an effort to alleviate poverty and conserve biodiversity. While hundreds of millions of $ have been invested in over 500 environmental-based projects in Madagascar during the period covered by a series of National Environmental Action Plans (1993-2008) and the protected areas network has expanded threefold, deforestation remains unchecked and none of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) established for 2000-2015 were likely be met. Efforts to achieve sustainable development had failed to reduce poverty or deliver progress toward any of the MDGs. Cross-sectorial policy adjustments are needed that (i) enable and catalyze Madagascar's capacities rather than deepening dependency on external actors such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and donor countries, and that (ii) deliver improvements to the livelihoods and wellbeing of the country's rural poor.

45 CFR 284.40 - When is a corrective action plan due?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING WHETHER AN INCREASE IN A STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF... result of the TANF program(s) in the State, its child poverty rate increased by five percent or more for...

45 CFR 284.40 - When is a corrective action plan due?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING WHETHER AN INCREASE IN A STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF... result of the TANF program(s) in the State, its child poverty rate increased by five percent or more for...

45 CFR 284.40 - When is a corrective action plan due?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING WHETHER AN INCREASE IN A STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF... result of the TANF program(s) in the State, its child poverty rate increased by five percent or more for...

45 CFR 284.40 - When is a corrective action plan due?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING WHETHER AN INCREASE IN A STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF... result of the TANF program(s) in the State, its child poverty rate increased by five percent or more for...

45 CFR 284.40 - When is a corrective action plan due?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING WHETHER AN INCREASE IN A STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF... result of the TANF program(s) in the State, its child poverty rate increased by five percent or more for...

Multidimensional poverty in rural Mozambique: a new metric for evaluating public health interventions.

PubMed

Victor, Bart; Blevins, Meridith; Green, Ann F; Ndatimana, Elisée; González-Calvo, Lázaro; Fischer, Edward F; Vergara, Alfredo E; Vermund, Sten H; Olupona, Omo; Moon, Troy D

2014-01-01

Poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon and unidimensional measurements have proven inadequate to the challenge of assessing its dynamics. Dynamics between poverty and public health intervention is among the most difficult yet important problems faced in development. We sought to demonstrate how multidimensional poverty measures can be utilized in the evaluation of public health interventions; and to create geospatial maps of poverty deprivation to aid implementers in prioritizing program planning. Survey teams interviewed a representative sample of 3,749 female heads of household in 259 enumeration areas across Zambézia in August-September 2010. We estimated a multidimensional poverty index, which can be disaggregated into context-specific indicators. We produced an MPI comprised of 3 dimensions and 11 weighted indicators selected from the survey. Households were identified as "poor" if were deprived in >33% of indicators. Our MPI is an adjusted headcount, calculated by multiplying the proportion identified as poor (headcount) and the poverty gap (average deprivation). Geospatial visualizations of poverty deprivation were created as a contextual baseline for future evaluation. In our rural (96%) and urban (4%) interviewees, the 33% deprivation cut-off suggested 58.2% of households were poor (29.3% of urban vs. 59.5% of rural). Among the poor, households experienced an average deprivation of 46%; thus the MPI/adjusted headcount is 0.27 ( = 0.58×0.46). Of households where a local language was the primary language, 58.6% were considered poor versus Portuguese-speaking households where 73.5% were considered non-poor. Living standard is the dominant deprivation, followed by health, and then education. Multidimensional poverty measurement can be integrated into program design for public health interventions, and geospatial visualization helps examine the impact of intervention deployment within the context of distinct poverty conditions. Both permit program implementers to focus resources and critically explore linkages between poverty and its social determinants, thus deriving useful findings for evidence-based planning.

Multidimensional Poverty in Rural Mozambique: A New Metric for Evaluating Public Health Interventions

PubMed Central

Victor, Bart; Blevins, Meridith; Green, Ann F.; Ndatimana, Elisée; González-Calvo, Lázaro; Fischer, Edward F.; Vergara, Alfredo E.; Vermund, Sten H.; Olupona, Omo; Moon, Troy D.

2014-01-01

Background Poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon and unidimensional measurements have proven inadequate to the challenge of assessing its dynamics. Dynamics between poverty and public health intervention is among the most difficult yet important problems faced in development. We sought to demonstrate how multidimensional poverty measures can be utilized in the evaluation of public health interventions; and to create geospatial maps of poverty deprivation to aid implementers in prioritizing program planning. Methods Survey teams interviewed a representative sample of 3,749 female heads of household in 259 enumeration areas across Zambézia in August-September 2010. We estimated a multidimensional poverty index, which can be disaggregated into context-specific indicators. We produced an MPI comprised of 3 dimensions and 11 weighted indicators selected from the survey. Households were identified as “poor” if were deprived in >33% of indicators. Our MPI is an adjusted headcount, calculated by multiplying the proportion identified as poor (headcount) and the poverty gap (average deprivation). Geospatial visualizations of poverty deprivation were created as a contextual baseline for future evaluation. Results In our rural (96%) and urban (4%) interviewees, the 33% deprivation cut-off suggested 58.2% of households were poor (29.3% of urban vs. 59.5% of rural). Among the poor, households experienced an average deprivation of 46%; thus the MPI/adjusted headcount is 0.27 ( = 0.58×0.46). Of households where a local language was the primary language, 58.6% were considered poor versus Portuguese-speaking households where 73.5% were considered non-poor. Living standard is the dominant deprivation, followed by health, and then education. Conclusions Multidimensional poverty measurement can be integrated into program design for public health interventions, and geospatial visualization helps examine the impact of intervention deployment within the context of distinct poverty conditions. Both permit program implementers to focus resources and critically explore linkages between poverty and its social determinants, thus deriving useful findings for evidence-based planning. PMID:25268951

24 CFR 903.2 - With respect to admissions, what must a PHA do to deconcentrate poverty in its developments and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... must a PHA do to deconcentrate poverty in its developments and comply with fair housing requirements... URBAN DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY PLANS Deconcentration of Poverty and Fair Housing in Program Admissions § 903.2 With respect to admissions, what must a PHA do to deconcentrate poverty in its...

24 CFR 903.2 - With respect to admissions, what must a PHA do to deconcentrate poverty in its developments and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... must a PHA do to deconcentrate poverty in its developments and comply with fair housing requirements... URBAN DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY PLANS Deconcentration of Poverty and Fair Housing in Program Admissions § 903.2 With respect to admissions, what must a PHA do to deconcentrate poverty in its...

24 CFR 903.2 - With respect to admissions, what must a PHA do to deconcentrate poverty in its developments and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... must a PHA do to deconcentrate poverty in its developments and comply with fair housing requirements... URBAN DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY PLANS Deconcentration of Poverty and Fair Housing in Program Admissions § 903.2 With respect to admissions, what must a PHA do to deconcentrate poverty in its...

Promoting the Positive Development of Boys in High-Poverty Neighborhoods: Evidence from Four Anti-Poverty Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snell, Emily K.; Castells, Nina; Duncan, Greg; Gennetian, Lisa; Magnuson, Katherine; Morris, Pamela

2013-01-01

This study uses geocoded address data and information about parents' economic behavior and children's development from four random-assignment welfare and anti-poverty experiments conducted during the 1990s. We find that the impacts of these welfare and anti-poverty programs on boys' and girls' developmental outcomes during the transition to early…

Catastrophic healthcare expenditure and poverty related to out-of-pocket payments for healthcare in Bangladesh-an estimation of financial risk protection of universal health coverage.

PubMed

Khan, Jahangir A M; Ahmed, Sayem; Evans, Timothy G

2017-10-01

The Sustainable Development Goals target to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), including financial risk protection (FRP) among other dimensions. There are four indicators of FRP, namely incidence of catastrophic health expenditure (CHE), mean positive catastrophic overshoot, incidence of impoverishment and increase in the depth of poverty occur for high out-of-pocket (OOP) healthcare spending. OOP spending is the major payment strategy for healthcare in most low-and-middle-income countries, such as Bangladesh. Large and unpredictable health payments can expose households to substantial financial risk and, at their most extreme, can result in poverty. The aim of this study was to estimate the impact of OOP spending on CHE and poverty, i.e. status of FRP for UHC in Bangladesh. A nationally representative Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2010 was used to determine household consumption expenditure and health-related spending in the last 30 days. Mean CHE headcount and its concentration indices (CI) were calculated. The propensity of facing CHE for households was predicted by demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The poverty headcount was estimated using 'total household consumption expenditure' and such expenditure without OOP payments for health in comparison with the poverty-line measured by cost of basic need. In absolute values, a pro-rich distribution of OOP payment for healthcare was found in urban and rural Bangladesh. At the 10%-threshold level, in total 14.2% of households faced CHE with 1.9% overshoot. 16.5% of the poorest and 9.2% of the richest households faced CHE. An overall pro-poor distribution was found for CHE (CI = -0.064) in both urban and rural households, while the former had higher CHE incidences. The poverty headcount increased by 3.5% (5.1 million individuals) due to OOP payments. Reliance on OOP payments for healthcare in Bangladesh should be reduced for poverty alleviation in urban and rural Bangladesh in order to secure FRP for UHC. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Global hunger: a challenge to agricultural, food, and nutritional sciences.

PubMed

Wu, Shiuan-Huei; Ho, Chi-Tang; Nah, Sui-Lin; Chau, Chi-Fai

2014-01-01

Hunger has been a concern for generations and has continued to plague hundreds of millions of people around the world. Although many efforts have been devoted to reduce hunger, challenges such as growing competitions for natural resources, emerging climate changes and natural disasters, poverty, illiteracy, and diseases are posing threats to food security and intensifying the hunger crisis. Concerted efforts of scientists to improve agricultural and food productivity, technology, nutrition, and education are imperative to facilitate appropriate strategies for defeating hunger and malnutrition. This paper provides some aspects of world hunger issues and summarizes the efforts and measures aimed to alleviate food problems from the food and nutritional sciences perspectives. The prospects and constraints of some implemented strategies for alleviating hunger and achieving sustainable food security are also discussed. This comprehensive information source could provide insights into the development of a complementary framework for dealing with the global hunger issue.

Mapping Social Ecological Systems Archetypes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rocha, J. C.; Malmborg, K.; Gordon, L.

2016-12-01

Achieving sustainable development goals requires targeting and monitoring sustainable solutions tailored to different social and ecological contexts. Elinor Ostrom stressed that there is no panaceas or universal solutions to environmental problems, and developed a social-ecological systems' (SES) framework -a nested multi tier set of variables- to help diagnose problems, identify complex interactions, and solutions tailored to each SES arena. However, to our knowledge, the SES framework has only been applied to over a hundred cases, and typically reflect the analysis of local case studies with relatively small coverage in space and time. While case studies are context rich and necessary, their conclusions might not reach policy making instances. Here we develop a data driven method for upscaling Ostrom's SES framework and applied to a context where we expect data is scarce, incomplete, but also where sustainable solutions are badly needed. The purpose of upscaling the framework is to create a tool that facilitates decision making on data scarce environments such as developing countries. We mapped SES by applying the SES framework to poverty alleviation and food security issues in the Volta River basin in Ghana and Burkina Faso. We found archetypical configurations of SES in space given data availability, we study their change over time, and discuss where agricultural innovations such as water reservoirs might have a stronger impact at increasing food security and therefore alleviating poverty and hunger. We conclude outlining how the method can be used in other SES comparative studies.

76 FR 13152 - Promise Neighborhoods Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-10

... concentration of poverty. A Federal evaluation of the reading and mathematics outcomes of elementary students in 71 schools in 18 districts and 7 States found that even when controlling for individual student poverty, there is a significant negative association between school-level poverty and student achievement...

45 CFR 284.50 - What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each Territory?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... child poverty rate in each Territory? 284.50 Section 284.50 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to... STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.50 What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each Territory? (a) Our intent is that, to the extent...

45 CFR 284.50 - What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each Territory?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... poverty rate in each Territory? 284.50 Section 284.50 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public... TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.50 What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each Territory? (a) Our intent is that, to the extent that reliable data...

45 CFR 284.50 - What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each Territory?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... poverty rate in each Territory? 284.50 Section 284.50 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public... TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.50 What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each Territory? (a) Our intent is that, to the extent that reliable data...

45 CFR 284.50 - What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each Territory?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... child poverty rate in each Territory? 284.50 Section 284.50 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to... STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.50 What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each Territory? (a) Our intent is that, to the extent...

45 CFR 284.50 - What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each Territory?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... child poverty rate in each Territory? 284.50 Section 284.50 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to... STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.50 What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each Territory? (a) Our intent is that, to the extent...

A Pilot Study of a Kindergarten Summer School Reading Program in High-Poverty Urban Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denton, Carolyn A.; Solari, Emily J.; Ciancio, Dennis J.; Hecht, Steven A.; Swank, Paul R.

2010-01-01

This pilot study examined an implementation of a kindergarten summer school reading program in 4 high-poverty urban schools. The program targeted both basic reading skills and oral language development. Students were randomly assigned to a treatment group (n = 25) or a typical practice comparison group (n = 28) within each school; however,…

Child Poverty Can Be Reduced.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plotnick, Robert D.

1997-01-01

Reviews programs for increasing earnings of parents with low market skills to prevent pretransfer poverty and discusses three types of income supplementation (public cash transfers, private child support payments, and tax credits) and how successful they are in reducing poverty. Also provides international comparisons of policies to reduce child…

45 CFR 96.85 - Income eligibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Assistance Program § 96.85 Income eligibility. (a) Application of poverty income guidelines and State median...-35 (42 U.S.C. 8624(b)(2)), grantees using the Federal government's official poverty income guidelines... with the most recently published revision to the poverty income guidelines or State median income...

45 CFR 96.85 - Income eligibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Assistance Program § 96.85 Income eligibility. (a) Application of poverty income guidelines and State median...-35 (42 U.S.C. 8624(b)(2)), grantees using the Federal government's official poverty income guidelines... with the most recently published revision to the poverty income guidelines or State median income...

45 CFR 96.85 - Income eligibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Assistance Program § 96.85 Income eligibility. (a) Application of poverty income guidelines and State median...-35 (42 U.S.C. 8624(b)(2)), grantees using the Federal government's official poverty income guidelines... with the most recently published revision to the poverty income guidelines or State median income...

45 CFR 96.85 - Income eligibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Assistance Program § 96.85 Income eligibility. (a) Application of poverty income guidelines and State median...-35 (42 U.S.C. 8624(b)(2)), grantees using the Federal government's official poverty income guidelines... with the most recently published revision to the poverty income guidelines or State median income...

45 CFR 96.85 - Income eligibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Assistance Program § 96.85 Income eligibility. (a) Application of poverty income guidelines and State median...-35 (42 U.S.C. 8624(b)(2)), grantees using the Federal government's official poverty income guidelines... with the most recently published revision to the poverty income guidelines or State median income...

A thought on the integration of poverty relief with family planning.

PubMed

Yang, K

1997-01-01

This article discusses the relationship between population growth and poverty in China, the issue of overpopulation in poor areas, and the need for programs that integrate population control with economic development. The number of Chinese living in poverty declined from about 250 million in 1978 to 80 million in 1993. In March 1994, the government initiated a poverty relief program that aimed to eliminate all poverty by 2001. By 1995, the number of poor declined to 65 million. The causes of poverty are numerous, but include overpopulation. Over the decades, demographic trends in poor areas reveal higher fertility, lower mortality, and higher growth. Poverty appears to be concentrated in 18 provinces and autonomous regions. Poor areas have higher rates of early marriage, early childbirth, and multiple children. Poor areas also have higher rates of disabilities and disease and lower levels of education. Poor areas have double the national percentage of illiterates. Many people living in poor areas are disadvantaged by poor transportation, remote locations, backward production methods, and a lack of a social security system. Scientific knowledge about contraception and quality child care are difficult to diffuse in poor areas. The size of the population denominator directly affects per capita income and per capita grain production. Increases in population put pressure on investment resources for production and development. A larger work force adds to the problem of unemployment. A large population size puts pressure on arable land. Poor areas need a better educated population. Sustainable development requires fertility decline. Integrated family planning programs popularize slogans such as "stabilize grain yield, increase income, and control population growth." Integrated programs have had variable success. Countermeasures must be taken to prevent the association of large families with wealth. Leadership is essential.

Community concepts of poverty: an application to premium exemptions in Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Poverty is multi dimensional. Beyond the quantitative and tangible issues related to inadequate income it also has equally important social, more intangible and difficult if not impossible to quantify dimensions. In 2009, we explored these social and relativist dimension of poverty in five communities in the South of Ghana with differing socio economic characteristics to inform the development and implementation of policies and programs to identify and target the poor for premium exemptions under Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme. Methods We employed participatory wealth ranking (PWR) a qualitative tool for the exploration of community concepts, identification and ranking of households into socioeconomic groups. Key informants within the community ranked households into wealth categories after discussing in detail concepts and indicators of poverty. Results Community defined indicators of poverty covered themes related to type of employment, educational attainment of children, food availability, physical appearance, housing conditions, asset ownership, health seeking behavior, social exclusion and marginalization. The poverty indicators discussed shared commonalities but contrasted in the patterns of ranking per community. Conclusion The in-depth nature of the PWR process precludes it from being used for identification of the poor on a large national scale in a program such as the NHIS. However, PWR can provide valuable qualitative input to enrich discussions, development and implementation of policies, programs and tools for large scale interventions and targeting of the poor for social welfare programs such as premium exemption for health care. PMID:23497484

Community concepts of poverty: an application to premium exemptions in Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme.

PubMed

Aryeetey, Genevieve C; Jehu-Appiah, Caroline; Kotoh, Agnes M; Spaan, Ernst; Arhinful, Daniel K; Baltussen, Rob; van der Geest, Sjaak; Agyepong, Irene A

2013-03-14

Poverty is multi dimensional. Beyond the quantitative and tangible issues related to inadequate income it also has equally important social, more intangible and difficult if not impossible to quantify dimensions. In 2009, we explored these social and relativist dimension of poverty in five communities in the South of Ghana with differing socio economic characteristics to inform the development and implementation of policies and programs to identify and target the poor for premium exemptions under Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme. We employed participatory wealth ranking (PWR) a qualitative tool for the exploration of community concepts, identification and ranking of households into socioeconomic groups. Key informants within the community ranked households into wealth categories after discussing in detail concepts and indicators of poverty. Community defined indicators of poverty covered themes related to type of employment, educational attainment of children, food availability, physical appearance, housing conditions, asset ownership, health seeking behavior, social exclusion and marginalization. The poverty indicators discussed shared commonalities but contrasted in the patterns of ranking per community. The in-depth nature of the PWR process precludes it from being used for identification of the poor on a large national scale in a program such as the NHIS. However, PWR can provide valuable qualitative input to enrich discussions, development and implementation of policies, programs and tools for large scale interventions and targeting of the poor for social welfare programs such as premium exemption for health care.

Characteristics of Poverty in Nonmetro Counties. Rural Development Research Report Number 52.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrissey, Elizabeth S.

Economic growth and federal assistance programs lowered the overall nonmetro poverty rates during the years 1959-80, but uneven distribution of benefits resulted in high poverty rates among rural counties containing populations with distinctive demographic, socioeconomic, and employment characteristics. The 100 rural counties with the highest…

76 FR 16724 - Child Nutrition Programs-Income Eligibility Guidelines

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-25

... for Children (7 CFR part 215). These eligibility guidelines are based on the Federal income poverty... price meals were obtained by multiplying the year 2011 Federal income poverty guidelines by 1.30 and 1... only the annual Federal poverty guidelines issued by the Department of Health and Human Services...

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for the "War on Poverty."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Besen, Stanley M.; And Others

Two anti-poverty programs--investment in education and in highways and other public facilities--should increase earnings and employment through an increase in production possibilities and a fuller utilization of existing resources. In evaluating training programs, there is considerable evidence that training expenditures have a return at least…

Does household composition explain welfare regime poverty risks for older adults and other household members?

PubMed

Tai, Tsui-o; Treas, Judith

2009-11-01

This cross-national study examines the poverty of older adults and their household members and relates the risk of poverty to macrolevel state approaches to welfare as well as to microlevel composition of households. Data on individuals in households with older adults for 22 countries come from the Luxembourg Income Survey. Robust cluster analysis relates the risk of poverty to the type of state welfare regime; the characteristics of the household head (age, gender, marital status, and education); as well as the household's numbers of earners, older adults, and children. Persons in households with older adults are significantly less likely to be poor in countries with social democratic and conservative welfare regimes than in Taiwan, an exemplar of limited social welfare programs. Controlling for country differences in household composition increases the differences in poverty risks. Living with fewer children, more older adults, and more earners lowers the risk of poverty, as does having a married and better educated household head. Countries with more generous social welfare provisions have lower risks of poverty despite having household characteristics that are comparatively unfavorable. As Taiwan demonstrates, household composition, particularly a reliance on multigenerational households, compensates for limited state welfare programs.

THE FAMILY AGENT, A TRAINING MANUAL AND PROGRAM EVALUATION OF A NEW CAREER IN SOCIAL SERVICE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LAZAR, JOYCE B.

THE PERSONNEL OF THE FAMILY AGENT PROGRAMS WERE WOMEN OF COMFORTABLE MEANS WHO HAD TEN TO TWENTY HOURS A WEEK AVAILABLE FOR SERVICE TO THE POOR. THE TRAINING PROGRAM DESCRIBED IS DIVIDED INTO TWO PHASES--INITIAL TRAINING AND INSERVICE TRAINING. SUBJECTS COVERED INCLUDE--(1) CONCEPTS OF THE WAR ON POVERTY, (2) THE NATURE OF POVERTY, (3) THE CULTURE…

A FIVE-YEAR CRASH PROGRAM FOR QUALITY EDUCATION--AN ATTACK ON UNEMPLOYMENT AND POVERTY THROUGH IMPROVED EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, NY.

NOTING THAT THE WELFARE OF INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS AS WELL AS THE WELFARE OF THE CITY, STATE, AND NATION DEMANDS THAT THE VICIOUS CYCLE OF INSUFFICIENT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, UNEMPLOYMENT, AND POVERTY BE BROKEN, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF NEW YORK CITY PROPOSED A 5-YEAR EMERGENCY PROGRAM FOR QUALITY EDUCATION. THE PROGRAM INCLUDES PLANS FOR THE…

45 CFR 284.21 - What will we do if the State's child poverty rate increased five percent or more over the two...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false What will we do if the State's child poverty rate... IN A STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.21 What will we do if the State's child poverty rate increased five percent or more over the two-year period? (a) If...

Child Poverty and the Promise of Human Capacity: Childhood as a Foundation for Healthy Aging.

PubMed

Wise, Paul H

2016-04-01

The effect of child poverty and related early life experiences on adult health outcomes and patterns of aging has become a central focus of child health research and advocacy. In this article a critical review of this proliferating literature and its relevance to child health programs and policy are presented. This literature review focused on evidence of the influence of child poverty on the major contributors to adult morbidity and mortality in the United States, the mechanisms by which these associations operate, and the implications for reforming child health programs and policies. Strong and varied evidence base documents the effect of child poverty and related early life experiences and exposures on the major threats to adult health and healthy aging. Studies using a variety of methodologies, including longitudinal and cross-sectional strategies, have reported significant findings regarding cardiovascular disorders, obesity and diabetes, certain cancers, mental health conditions, osteoporosis and fractures, and possibly dementia. These relationships can operate through alterations in fetal and infant development, stress reactivity and inflammation, the development of adverse health behaviors, the conveyance of child chronic illness into adulthood, and inadequate access to effective interventions in childhood. Although the reviewed studies document meaningful relationships between child poverty and adult outcomes, they also reveal that poverty, experiences, and behaviors in adulthood make important contributions to adult health and aging. There is strong evidence that poverty in childhood contributes significantly to adult health. Changes in the content, financing, and advocacy of current child health programs will be required to address the childhood influences on adult health and disease. Policy reforms that reduce child poverty and mitigate its developmental effects must be integrated into broader initiatives and advocacy that also attend to the health and well-being of adults. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Not just a walk in the park: efficacy to effectiveness for after school programs in communities of concentrated urban poverty.

PubMed

Frazier, Stacy L; Mehta, Tara G; Atkins, Marc S; Hur, Kwan; Rusch, Dana

2013-09-01

This study examined a model for mental health consultation, training and support designed to enhance the benefits of publicly-funded recreational after-school programs in communities of concentrated urban poverty for children's academic, social, and behavioral functioning. We assessed children's mental health needs and examined the feasibility and impact of intervention on program quality and children's psychosocial outcomes in three after-school sites (n = 15 staff, 89 children), compared to three demographically-matched sites that received no intervention (n = 12 staff, 38 children). Findings revealed high staff satisfaction and feasibility of intervention, and modest improvements in observed program quality and staff-reported children's outcomes. Data are considered with a public health lens of mental health promotion for children in urban poverty.

Poverty, Pregnancy, and Birth Outcomes: A Study of the Earned Income Tax Credit

PubMed Central

Rehkopf, David H.

2015-01-01

Background Economic interventions are increasingly recognized as a mechanism to address perinatal health outcomes among disadvantaged groups. In the United States, the earned income tax credit (EITC) is the largest poverty alleviation program. Little is known about its effects on perinatal health among recipients and their children. We exploit quasi-random variation in the size of EITC payments over time to examine the effects of income on perinatal health. Methods The study sample includes women surveyed in the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (N=2,985) and their children born during 1986–2000 (N=4,683). Outcome variables include utilization of prenatal and postnatal care, use of alcohol and tobacco during pregnancy, term birth, birthweight, and breast-feeding status. We examine the health effects of both household income and EITC payment size using multivariable linear regressions. We employ instrumental variables analysis to estimate the causal effect of income on perinatal health, using EITC payment size as an instrument for household income. Results We find that household income and EITC payment size are associated with improvements in several indicators of perinatal health. Instrumental variables analysis, however, does not reveal a causal association between household income and these health measures. Conclusions Our findings suggest that associations between income and perinatal health may be confounded by unobserved characteristics, but that EITC income improves perinatal health. Future studies should continue to explore the impacts of economic interventions on perinatal health outcomes, and investigate how different forms of income transfers may have different impacts. PMID:26212041

The Enduring Challenge of Concentrated Poverty in America: Case Studies from Communities Across the U.S.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erickson, David, Ed.; Reid, Carolina, Ed.; Nelson, Lisa, Ed.; O'Shaughnessy, Anne, Ed.; Berube, Alan, Ed.

2008-01-01

This report--a joint effort of the Federal Reserve's Community Affairs function and the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program--examines the issue of concentrated poverty and profiles 16 high-poverty communities from across the country, including immigrant gateway, Native American, urban, and rural communities. Through these case…

Persistent Poverty in Rural America. Rural Studies Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rural Sociological Society, Bozeman, MT.

In this volume, the Rural Sociological Society Task Force on Persistent Rural Poverty analyzes the leading explanations of persistent rural poverty and points out new directions in theory that should provide a firmer foundation for antipoverty policies and programs. Written by over 50 leading social scientists, the Task Force report explains that…

General Music and Children Living in Poverty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McAnally, Elizabeth Ann

2013-01-01

A review of recent writing makes the case that children living in poverty (urban, rural, or other) are more in jeopardy now than ever. As teachers attest and research asserts, poverty affects children in profound, complicated, and lasting ways. However, the general music program is uniquely positioned to meet children’s needs, especially those…

76 FR 68763 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-07

... Poverty Rate is the Result of the TANF Program. OMB No.: 0970-0186. Description: In accordance with... Bureau data show that a State's child poverty rate increased by 5 percent or more from one year to the next, a State may submit independent estimates of its child poverty rate. If HHS determines that the...

Understanding the null-to-small association between increased macroeconomic growth and reducing child undernutrition in India: role of development expenditures and poverty alleviation.

PubMed

Joe, William; Rajaram, Ramaprasad; Subramanian, S V

2016-05-01

Empirical evidence suggests that macroeconomic growth in India is not correlated with any substantial reductions in the prevalence of child undernutrition over time. This study investigates the two commonly hypothesized pathways through which macroeconomic growth is expected to reduce child undernutrition: (1) an increase in public developmental expenditure and (2) a reduction in aggregate income-poverty levels. For the anthropometric data on children, we draw on the data from two cross-sectional waves of National Family Health Survey conducted in 1992-1993 and 2005-2006, while the data for per capita net state domestic product and per capita public spending on developmental expenditure and headcount ratio of poverty were obtained from the Reserve Bank of India and the Government of India expert committee reports. We find that between 1992-1993 and 2005-2006, state-level macroeconomic growth was not associated with any substantial increases in public development expenditure or substantial reductions in poverty at the aggregate level. Furthermore, the association between changes in public development expenditure or aggregate poverty and changes in undernutrition was small. In summary, it appears that the inability of macroeconomic growth to translate into reductions in child undernutrition in India is likely a consequence of the macroeconomic growth not translating into substantial investments in development expenditure that could matter for children's nutritional status and neither did it substantially improve incomes of the poor, a group where undernutrition is also the highest. The findings here build a case to advocate a 'support-led' strategy for reducing undernutrition rather than simply relying on a 'growth-mediated' strategy. Key messages Increases in macroeconomic growth have not been accompanied by substantial increases in public developmental spending or reduction in aggregate poverty headcount ratio in India. Association between increases in public development expenditure or poverty headcount ratios and changes in child undernutrition, in particular, child stunting, is small to null. Reducing the burden of undernutrition in India cannot be accomplished solely relying on a growth-mediated strategy, and a concerted support-led strategy is required. © 2016 The Authors. Maternal & Child Nutrition published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Understanding the null‐to‐small association between increased macroeconomic growth and reducing child undernutrition in India: role of development expenditures and poverty alleviation

PubMed Central

Joe, William; Rajaram, Ramaprasad

2016-01-01

Abstract Empirical evidence suggests that macroeconomic growth in India is not correlated with any substantial reductions in the prevalence of child undernutrition over time. This study investigates the two commonly hypothesized pathways through which macroeconomic growth is expected to reduce child undernutrition: (1) an increase in public developmental expenditure and (2) a reduction in aggregate income‐poverty levels. For the anthropometric data on children, we draw on the data from two cross‐sectional waves of National Family Health Survey conducted in 1992–1993 and 2005–2006, while the data for per capita net state domestic product and per capita public spending on developmental expenditure and headcount ratio of poverty were obtained from the Reserve Bank of India and the Government of India expert committee reports. We find that between 1992–1993 and 2005–2006, state‐level macroeconomic growth was not associated with any substantial increases in public development expenditure or substantial reductions in poverty at the aggregate level. Furthermore, the association between changes in public development expenditure or aggregate poverty and changes in undernutrition was small. In summary, it appears that the inability of macroeconomic growth to translate into reductions in child undernutrition in India is likely a consequence of the macroeconomic growth not translating into substantial investments in development expenditure that could matter for children's nutritional status and neither did it substantially improve incomes of the poor, a group where undernutrition is also the highest. The findings here build a case to advocate a ‘support‐led’ strategy for reducing undernutrition rather than simply relying on a ‘growth‐mediated’ strategy. Key messages Increases in macroeconomic growth have not been accompanied by substantial increases in public developmental spending or reduction in aggregate poverty headcount ratio in India.Association between increases in public development expenditure or poverty headcount ratios and changes in child undernutrition, in particular, child stunting, is small to null.Reducing the burden of undernutrition in India cannot be accomplished solely relying on a growth‐mediated strategy, and a concerted support‐led strategy is required. PMID:27187916

Poverty, Residential Mobility, and Persistence across Urban and Rural Family Literacy Programs in Pennsylvania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schafft, Kai A.; Prins, Esther S.

2009-01-01

This study investigates how poverty and residential mobility affect adult persistence and participation in family literacy (FL) programs. Combining data from interviews with directors and participants from a sample of FL sites in Pennsylvania, this study examines (a) the perceptions of practitioners and adult learners regarding the role of…

The Plantation Adult Basic Education Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southern Mutual Help Association, Abbeville, LA.

The Plantation Adult Basic Education Program started in 1970 as an alternative to poverty for sugar cane workers in Louisiana. The document discusses the various aspects of the poverty conditions that exist in the area, such as: housing, diet, health, education, and lack of consumer information, and how these existing conditions are to be changed…

A Matter of Friendship: Educational Interventions into Culture and Poverty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shuffelton, Amy B.

2013-01-01

Contemporary educational reformers have claimed that research on social class differences in child raising justifies programs that aim to lift children out of poverty by means of cultural interventions. Focusing on the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), Ruby Payne's "aha! Process," and the Harlem Children's Zone as examples,…

Individual and Structural Attributions for Poverty and Persistence in Family Literacy Programs: The Resurgence of the Culture of Poverty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prins, Esther; Schafft, Kai A.

2009-01-01

Background/Context: Educational researchers have long sought to understand the factors that enable or constrain persistence in non-formal family literacy and adult education programs. Scholars typically posit three sets of factors influencing persistence: situational (learners' life circumstances), institutional (programmatic factors), and…

Integrated conservation and development: evaluating a community-based marine protected area project for equality of socioeconomic impacts.

PubMed

Gurney, Georgina G; Pressey, Robert L; Cinner, Joshua E; Pollnac, Richard; Campbell, Stuart J

2015-11-05

Despite the prevalence of protected areas, evidence of their impacts on people is weak and remains hotly contested in conservation policy. A key question in this debate is whether socioeconomic impacts vary according to social subgroup. Given that social inequity can create conflict and impede poverty reduction, understanding how protected areas differentially affect people is critical to designing them to achieve social and biological goals. Understanding heterogeneous responses to protected areas can improve targeting of management activities and help elucidate the pathways through which impacts of protected areas occur. Here, we assessed whether the socioeconomic impacts of marine protected areas (MPAs)-designed to achieve goals for both conservation and poverty alleviation-differed according to age, gender or religion in associated villages in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Using data from pre-, mid- and post-implementation of the MPAs for control and project villages, we found little empirical evidence that impacts on five key socioeconomic indicators related to poverty differed according to social subgroup. We found suggestive empirical evidence that the effect of the MPAs on environmental knowledge differed by age and religion; over the medium and long terms, younger people and Muslims showed greater improvements compared with older people and Christians, respectively. © 2015 The Author(s).

Zoonoses and marginalised infectious diseases of poverty: where do we stand?

PubMed

Molyneux, David; Hallaj, Zuhair; Keusch, Gerald T; McManus, Donald P; Ngowi, Helena; Cleaveland, Sarah; Ramos-Jimenez, Pilar; Gotuzzo, Eduardo; Kar, Kamal; Sanchez, Ana; Garba, Amadou; Carabin, Helene; Bassili, Amal; Chaignat, Claire L; Meslin, Francois-Xavier; Abushama, Hind M; Willingham, Arve L; Kioy, Deborah

2011-06-14

Despite growing awareness of the importance of controlling neglected tropical diseases as a contribution to poverty alleviation and achieving the Millennium Development Goals, there is a need to up-scale programmes to achieve wider public health benefits. This implementation deficit is attributable to several factors but one often overlooked is the specific difficulty in tackling diseases that involve both people and animals - the zoonoses. A Disease Reference Group on Zoonoses and Marginalised Infectious Diseases (DRG6) was convened by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), a programme executed by the World Health Organization and co-sponsored by UNICEF, UNDP, the World Bank and WHO. The key considerations included: (a) the general lack of reliable quantitative data on their public health burden; (b) the need to evaluate livestock production losses and their additional impacts on health and poverty; (c) the relevance of cross-sectoral issues essential to designing and implementing public health interventions for zoonotic diseases; and (d) identifying priority areas for research and interventions to harness resources most effectively. Beyond disease specific research issues, a set of common macro-priorities and interventions were identified which, if implemented through a more integrated approach by countries, would have a significant impact on human health of the most marginalised populations characteristically dependent on livestock.

Income change alters default mode network connectivity for adolescents in poverty.

PubMed

Weissman, David G; Conger, Rand D; Robins, Richard W; Hastings, Paul D; Guyer, Amanda E

2018-04-01

Experiencing poverty during childhood and adolescence may affect brain function. However, income is dynamic, and studies have not addressed whether income change relates to brain function. In the present study, we investigated whether intrinsic functional connectivity of default mode network (DMN) regions was influenced by mean family income and family income change. Parents of 68 Mexican-origin adolescents (35 females) reported family income annually when adolescents were 10-16 years old. Intercept and slope of income at each of these ages were calculated for each participant. At age 16 years, adolescents completed a resting state functional neuroimaging scan. Adolescents from high and low income families did not differ in their functional connectivity, but for adolescents in families with lower incomes, their connectivity patterns depended on their income slope. Low-income adolescents whose income increased demonstrated greater connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), both DMN regions, and between the PCC and the right inferior frontal gyrus. Increases in income were associated with greater connectivity of the mPFC with the right inferior frontal gyrus and the left superior parietal lobule regardless of mean income. Increases in income, especially among adolescents in poverty, may alleviate stressors, influencing the development of brain networks. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Zoonoses and marginalised infectious diseases of poverty: Where do we stand?

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Despite growing awareness of the importance of controlling neglected tropical diseases as a contribution to poverty alleviation and achieving the Millennium Development Goals, there is a need to up-scale programmes to achieve wider public health benefits. This implementation deficit is attributable to several factors but one often overlooked is the specific difficulty in tackling diseases that involve both people and animals - the zoonoses. A Disease Reference Group on Zoonoses and Marginalised Infectious Diseases (DRG6) was convened by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), a programme executed by the World Health Organization and co-sponsored by UNICEF, UNDP, the World Bank and WHO. The key considerations included: (a) the general lack of reliable quantitative data on their public health burden; (b) the need to evaluate livestock production losses and their additional impacts on health and poverty; (c) the relevance of cross-sectoral issues essential to designing and implementing public health interventions for zoonotic diseases; and (d) identifying priority areas for research and interventions to harness resources most effectively. Beyond disease specific research issues, a set of common macro-priorities and interventions were identified which, if implemented through a more integrated approach by countries, would have a significant impact on human health of the most marginalised populations characteristically dependent on livestock. PMID:21672216

Improving population health by reducing poverty: New York's Earned Income Tax Credit.

PubMed

Wicks-Lim, Jeannette; Arno, Peter S

2017-12-01

Despite the established relationship between adverse health outcomes and low socioeconomic status, researchers rarely test the link between health improvements and poverty-alleviating economic policies. New research, however, links individual-level health improvements to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a broad-based income support policy. We build on these findings by examining whether the EITC has ecological, neighborhood-level health effects. We use a difference-in-difference analysis to measure child health outcomes in 90 low- and middle- income neighborhoods before and after the expansion of New York State and New York City's EITC policy between 1997-2010. Our study takes advantage of the relatively exogenous source of income variation supplied by the EITC-legislative changes to EITC policy parameters. This feature minimizes the endogeneity problem in studying the relationship between income and health. Our estimates link a 15-percentage-point increase in EITC benefit rates to a 0.45 percentage-point reduction in the low birthweight rate. We do not observe any measurable link between EITC benefits and prenatal health or asthma-related pediatric hospitalization. The magnitude of the EITC's impact on low birthweight rates suggests ecological effects, and an additional channel through which anti-poverty measures can serve as public health interventions.

Trends in Child Poverty Using an Improved Measure of Poverty.

PubMed

Wimer, Christopher; Nam, JaeHyun; Waldfogel, Jane; Fox, Liana

2016-04-01

The official measure of poverty has been used to assess trends in children's poverty rates for many decades. But because of flaws in official poverty statistics, these basic trends have the potential to be misleading. We use an augmented Current Population Survey data set that calculates an improved measure of poverty to reexamine child poverty rates between 1967 and 2012. This measure, the Anchored Supplemental Poverty Measure, is based partially on the US Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics' new Supplemental Poverty Measure. We focus on 3 age groups of children, those aged 0 to 5, 6 to 11, and 12 to 17 years. Young children have the highest poverty rates, both historically and today. However, among all age groups, long-term poverty trends have been more favorable than official statistics would suggest. This is entirely due to the effect of counting resources from government policies and programs, which have reduced poverty rates substantially for children of all ages. However, despite this progress, considerable disparities in the risk of poverty continue to exist by education level and family structure. Copyright © 2016 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Conference considers low fertility.

PubMed

1997-01-01

At present, at least 51 countries--representing 44% of the world's population--are showing below-replacement fertility rates. In some of these countries, where the number of new births is not adequate to replace aging populations, this trend is problematic. In other countries, most notably China, declining fertility has conferred significant benefits. At an Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Population Commission meeting held in New York in 1997, staff from China's State Statistical Bureau reported the country has a current total fertility rate of 1.8. The birth rate remains high, however, because of the large numbers of Chinese women in the 15-49 year reproductive age group (336 million in 1997). Also buffering the impact of a low fertility rate is a large labor surplus (130 million excess workers in rural China). To keep fertility below the replacement level, China plans to improve the quality of its family planning service, enhance poverty alleviation programs, and increase incentives for small families in rural areas. China's low fertility rate has provided an important impetus for economic development.

Manpower Information for Urban Poverty Areas.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Louis; Norton, John Herbert

A lack of data continues to hinder efforts to cure the problems of poverty areas. This project was designed to determine possible means to gather the needed data, so that program planners could make decisions based on facts rather than intuition. Although this is a case study of an inner-city poverty area of Philadelphia, the need for data and the…

34 CFR 645.6 - What definitions apply to the Upward Bound Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... individual means an individual whose family taxable income did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty level... definitions also apply to this part: Family taxable income means— (1) With regard to a dependent student, the... project. The poverty level amount is determined by using criteria of poverty established by the Bureau of...

45 CFR 284.10 - What does this part cover?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... WHETHER AN INCREASE IN A STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284... poverty rates in the States and the Territories, as required by section 413(i) of the Social Security Act, including determining whether the child poverty rate increased by five percent or more as a result of the...

45 CFR 284.10 - What does this part cover?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... WHETHER AN INCREASE IN A STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284... poverty rates in the States and the Territories, as required by section 413(i) of the Social Security Act, including determining whether the child poverty rate increased by five percent or more as a result of the...

Poverty Measurement in the U.S., Europe, and Developing Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Couch, Kenneth A.; Pirog, Maureen A.

2010-01-01

In December of 2009, many within the American community of analysts, policymakers, and program managers are looking expectantly at the possibility of change in the basic measure used to gauge poverty in the United States. A broad consensus has emerged that the current official measure of poverty in the United States is deeply flawed, in the income…

76 FR 18861 - Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations: Amendments Related to the Food, Conservation...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-06

... sources, as long as the household's gross income does not exceed 200 percent of the Federal Poverty... gross monthly income standard, which is set at 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. If the... of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for the net monthly income standard. As discussed above, SNAP uses...

45 CFR 284.10 - What does this part cover?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... WHETHER AN INCREASE IN A STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284... poverty rates in the States and the Territories, as required by section 413(i) of the Social Security Act, including determining whether the child poverty rate increased by five percent or more as a result of the...

34 CFR 230.2 - What definitions apply to the Troops-to-Teacher program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... incomes below the poverty line means the updated data on the number of children ages 5 through 17 from families with incomes below the poverty line provided by the Department of Commerce that the Secretary uses... agency— (1) That serves not fewer than 10,000 children from families with incomes below the poverty line...

77 FR 15812 - Notice of Funding Opportunity and Solicitation for Grant Applications for Serving Juvenile...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-16

... Solicitation for Grant Applications for Serving Juvenile Offenders in High-Poverty, High-Crime Communities..., ages 14 and above, in high- poverty, high-crime communities. The purpose of these grants is to improve... competitively select local sub-grantees to operate the program in a minimum of three high-poverty, high-crime...

76 FR 2423 - Report on the Selection of Eligible Countries for Fiscal Year 2011

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-13

... programs that advance the progress of such countries in achieving lasting economic growth and poverty... investing in their people, as well as on the opportunity to reduce poverty and generate economic growth in... considered the opportunity to reduce poverty and promote economic growth in a country, in light of the...

Trading Off Global Fuel Supply, CO2 Emissions and Sustainable Development.

PubMed

Wagner, Liam; Ross, Ian; Foster, John; Hankamer, Ben

2016-01-01

The United Nations Conference on Climate Change (Paris 2015) reached an international agreement to keep the rise in global average temperature 'well below 2°C' and to 'aim to limit the increase to 1.5°C'. These reductions will have to be made in the face of rising global energy demand. Here a thoroughly validated dynamic econometric model (Eq 1) is used to forecast global energy demand growth (International Energy Agency and BP), which is driven by an increase of the global population (UN), energy use per person and real GDP (World Bank and Maddison). Even relatively conservative assumptions put a severe upward pressure on forecast global energy demand and highlight three areas of concern. First, is the potential for an exponential increase of fossil fuel consumption, if renewable energy systems are not rapidly scaled up. Second, implementation of internationally mandated CO2 emission controls are forecast to place serious constraints on fossil fuel use from ~2030 onward, raising energy security implications. Third is the challenge of maintaining the international 'pro-growth' strategy being used to meet poverty alleviation targets, while reducing CO2 emissions. Our findings place global economists and environmentalists on the same side as they indicate that the scale up of CO2 neutral renewable energy systems is not only important to protect against climate change, but to enhance global energy security by reducing our dependence of fossil fuels and to provide a sustainable basis for economic development and poverty alleviation. Very hard choices will have to be made to achieve 'sustainable development' goals.

Trading Off Global Fuel Supply, CO2 Emissions and Sustainable Development

PubMed Central

Wagner, Liam; Ross, Ian; Foster, John; Hankamer, Ben

2016-01-01

The United Nations Conference on Climate Change (Paris 2015) reached an international agreement to keep the rise in global average temperature ‘well below 2°C’ and to ‘aim to limit the increase to 1.5°C’. These reductions will have to be made in the face of rising global energy demand. Here a thoroughly validated dynamic econometric model (Eq 1) is used to forecast global energy demand growth (International Energy Agency and BP), which is driven by an increase of the global population (UN), energy use per person and real GDP (World Bank and Maddison). Even relatively conservative assumptions put a severe upward pressure on forecast global energy demand and highlight three areas of concern. First, is the potential for an exponential increase of fossil fuel consumption, if renewable energy systems are not rapidly scaled up. Second, implementation of internationally mandated CO2 emission controls are forecast to place serious constraints on fossil fuel use from ~2030 onward, raising energy security implications. Third is the challenge of maintaining the international ‘pro-growth’ strategy being used to meet poverty alleviation targets, while reducing CO2 emissions. Our findings place global economists and environmentalists on the same side as they indicate that the scale up of CO2 neutral renewable energy systems is not only important to protect against climate change, but to enhance global energy security by reducing our dependence of fossil fuels and to provide a sustainable basis for economic development and poverty alleviation. Very hard choices will have to be made to achieve ‘sustainable development’ goals. PMID:26959977

Cumulative risk and AIDS-orphanhood: interactions of stigma, bullying and poverty on child mental health in South Africa.

PubMed

Cluver, Lucie; Orkin, Mark

2009-10-01

Research shows that AIDS-orphaned children are more likely to experience clinical-range psychological problems. Little is known about possible interactions between factors mediating these high distress levels. We assessed how food insecurity, bullying, and AIDS-related stigma interacted with each other and with likelihood of experiencing clinical-range disorder. In South Africa, 1025 adolescents completed standardised measures of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress. 52 potential mediators were measured, including AIDS-orphanhood status. Logistic regressions and hierarchical log-linear modelling were used to identify interactions among significant risk factors. Food insecurity, stigma and bullying all independently increased likelihood of disorder. Poverty and stigma were found to interact strongly, and with both present, likelihood of disorder rose from 19% to 83%. Similarly, bullying interacted with AIDS-orphanhood status, and with both present, likelihood of disorder rose from 12% to 76%. Approaches to alleviating psychological distress amongst AIDS-affected children must address cumulative risk effects.

How Effective Have Thirty Years of Internationally Driven Conservation and Development Efforts Been in Madagascar?

PubMed Central

Wilmé, Lucienne; Mercier, Jean-Roger; Camara, Christian; Lowry, Porter P.

2016-01-01

Conservation and development are intricately linked. The international donor community has long provided aid to tropical countries in an effort to alleviate poverty and conserve biodiversity. While hundreds of millions of $ have been invested in over 500 environmental-based projects in Madagascar during the period covered by a series of National Environmental Action Plans (1993–2008) and the protected areas network has expanded threefold, deforestation remains unchecked and none of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) established for 2000–2015 were likely be met. Efforts to achieve sustainable development had failed to reduce poverty or deliver progress toward any of the MDGs. Cross-sectorial policy adjustments are needed that (i) enable and catalyze Madagascar’s capacities rather than deepening dependency on external actors such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and donor countries, and that (ii) deliver improvements to the livelihoods and wellbeing of the country’s rural poor. PMID:27532499

Invisible water, visible impact: groundwater use and Indian agriculture under climate change

DOE PAGES

Zaveri, Esha; Grogan, Danielle S.; Fisher-Vanden, Karen; ...

2016-08-03

India is one of the world's largest food producers, making the sustainability of its agricultural system of global significance. Groundwater irrigation underpins India's agriculture, currently boosting crop production by enough to feed 170 million people. Groundwater overexploitation has led to drastic declines in groundwater levels, threatening to push this vital resource out of reach for millions of small-scale farmers who are the backbone of India's food security. Historically, losing access to groundwater has decreased agricultural production and increased poverty. We take a multidisciplinary approach to assess climate change challenges facing India's agricultural system, and to assess the effectiveness of large-scalemore » water infrastructure projects designed to meet these challenges. We find that even in areas that experience climate change induced precipitation increases, expansion of irrigated agriculture will require increasing amounts of unsustainable groundwater. Finally, the large proposed national river linking project has limited capacity to alleviate groundwater stress. Thus, without intervention, poverty and food insecurity in rural India is likely to worsen.« less

Invisible water, visible impact: groundwater use and Indian agriculture under climate change

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zaveri, Esha; Grogan, Danielle S.; Fisher-Vanden, Karen

India is one of the world's largest food producers, making the sustainability of its agricultural system of global significance. Groundwater irrigation underpins India's agriculture, currently boosting crop production by enough to feed 170 million people. Groundwater overexploitation has led to drastic declines in groundwater levels, threatening to push this vital resource out of reach for millions of small-scale farmers who are the backbone of India's food security. Historically, losing access to groundwater has decreased agricultural production and increased poverty. We take a multidisciplinary approach to assess climate change challenges facing India's agricultural system, and to assess the effectiveness of large-scalemore » water infrastructure projects designed to meet these challenges. We find that even in areas that experience climate change induced precipitation increases, expansion of irrigated agriculture will require increasing amounts of unsustainable groundwater. Finally, the large proposed national river linking project has limited capacity to alleviate groundwater stress. Thus, without intervention, poverty and food insecurity in rural India is likely to worsen.« less

Indian parliamentarians meet to discuss population and food security.

PubMed

1996-01-01

96 parliamentarians and state legislators attended a seminar on November 8 on food security, population, and development. The one-day meeting was held at the Parliament House Annex in New Delhi and organized by the Indian Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development as part of a regional campaign to highlight the relationship between population and food security. The first session of the day focused upon the impact of population on food security and nutrition, the second session was on the strategy for food security through poverty alleviation, and the third session discussed food security through trade and self-sufficiency. The participants believe that population size is growing faster than food production. Furthermore, it is important to view both food production and the capacity of people to buy food. Poverty is rooted in unemployment and unemployment is the result of overpopulation. As such, overpopulation causes unemployment which results in the inability of the poor to buy food. A declaration was adopted at the seminar.

Invisible water, visible impact: groundwater use and Indian agriculture under climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaveri, Esha; Grogan, Danielle S.; Fisher-Vanden, Karen; Frolking, Steve; Lammers, Richard B.; Wrenn, Douglas H.; Prusevich, Alexander; Nicholas, Robert E.

2016-08-01

India is one of the world’s largest food producers, making the sustainability of its agricultural system of global significance. Groundwater irrigation underpins India’s agriculture, currently boosting crop production by enough to feed 170 million people. Groundwater overexploitation has led to drastic declines in groundwater levels, threatening to push this vital resource out of reach for millions of small-scale farmers who are the backbone of India’s food security. Historically, losing access to groundwater has decreased agricultural production and increased poverty. We take a multidisciplinary approach to assess climate change challenges facing India’s agricultural system, and to assess the effectiveness of large-scale water infrastructure projects designed to meet these challenges. We find that even in areas that experience climate change induced precipitation increases, expansion of irrigated agriculture will require increasing amounts of unsustainable groundwater. The large proposed national river linking project has limited capacity to alleviate groundwater stress. Thus, without intervention, poverty and food insecurity in rural India is likely to worsen.

Redesigning Health Care Practices to Address Childhood Poverty.

PubMed

Fierman, Arthur H; Beck, Andrew F; Chung, Esther K; Tschudy, Megan M; Coker, Tumaini R; Mistry, Kamila B; Siegel, Benjamin; Chamberlain, Lisa J; Conroy, Kathleen; Federico, Steven G; Flanagan, Patricia J; Garg, Arvin; Gitterman, Benjamin A; Grace, Aimee M; Gross, Rachel S; Hole, Michael K; Klass, Perri; Kraft, Colleen; Kuo, Alice; Lewis, Gena; Lobach, Katherine S; Long, Dayna; Ma, Christine T; Messito, Mary; Navsaria, Dipesh; Northrip, Kimberley R; Osman, Cynthia; Sadof, Matthew D; Schickedanz, Adam B; Cox, Joanne

2016-04-01

Child poverty in the United States is widespread and has serious negative effects on the health and well-being of children throughout their life course. Child health providers are considering ways to redesign their practices in order to mitigate the negative effects of poverty on children and support the efforts of families to lift themselves out of poverty. To do so, practices need to adopt effective methods to identify poverty-related social determinants of health and provide effective interventions to address them. Identification of needs can be accomplished with a variety of established screening tools. Interventions may include resource directories, best maintained in collaboration with local/regional public health, community, and/or professional organizations; programs embedded in the practice (eg, Reach Out and Read, Healthy Steps for Young Children, Medical-Legal Partnership, Health Leads); and collaboration with home visiting programs. Changes to health care financing are needed to support the delivery of these enhanced services, and active advocacy by child health providers continues to be important in effecting change. We highlight the ongoing work of the Health Care Delivery Subcommittee of the Academic Pediatric Association Task Force on Child Poverty in defining the ways in which child health care practice can be adapted to improve the approach to addressing child poverty. Copyright © 2016 Academic Pediatric Association. All rights reserved.

Women Still in Poverty.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Commission on Civil Rights, Washington, DC.

Poverty remains a persistent problem for many women, and certain features of American life serve to keep them in a disadvantaged economic position. The welfare system is so arranged that many of its programs (such as the Work Incentive Program) favor men or (as in the case of Aid to Families with Dependent Children) force poor women to place their…

Identification of Potential Aggressive Behavior in Rural At-Risk Minority Youth: A Community Response.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

French, Laurence Armand; Rodriguez, Richard F.

1998-01-01

New Mexico ranks high in youth violence, substance abuse, poverty, teen pregnancies, and school dropout rates. In response, Western New Mexico University developed a special master's program in bilingual special education, attended primarily by minority-group school personnel, and implemented a program to address the cycle of poverty by training…

Targeting Parenting in Early Childhood: A Public Health Approach to Improve Outcomes for Children Living in Poverty.

PubMed

Morris, Amanda Sheffield; Robinson, Lara R; Hays-Grudo, Jennifer; Claussen, Angelika H; Hartwig, Sophie A; Treat, Amy E

2017-03-01

In this article, the authors posit that programs promoting nurturing parent-child relationships influence outcomes of parents and young children living in poverty through two primary mechanisms: (a) strengthening parents' social support and (b) increasing positive parent-child interactions. The authors discuss evidence for these mechanisms as catalysts for change and provide examples from selected parenting programs that support the influence of nurturing relationships on child and parenting outcomes. The article focuses on prevention programs targeted at children and families living in poverty and closes with a discussion of the potential for widespread implementation and scalability for public health impact. © 2017 The Authors. Child Development © 2017 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

45 CFR 1219.3 - Procedure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... SERVICE ELIGIBILITY § 1219.3 Procedure. (a) The Deputy Associate Director for VISTA and Anti-Poverty... Anti-Poverty Programs (or his designee) shall, upon the request of a duly recognized representative of...

45 CFR 1219.3 - Procedure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... SERVICE ELIGIBILITY § 1219.3 Procedure. (a) The Deputy Associate Director for VISTA and Anti-Poverty... Anti-Poverty Programs (or his designee) shall, upon the request of a duly recognized representative of...

45 CFR 1219.3 - Procedure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... SERVICE ELIGIBILITY § 1219.3 Procedure. (a) The Deputy Associate Director for VISTA and Anti-Poverty... Anti-Poverty Programs (or his designee) shall, upon the request of a duly recognized representative of...

45 CFR 1219.3 - Procedure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... SERVICE ELIGIBILITY § 1219.3 Procedure. (a) The Deputy Associate Director for VISTA and Anti-Poverty... Anti-Poverty Programs (or his designee) shall, upon the request of a duly recognized representative of...

45 CFR 1219.3 - Procedure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... SERVICE ELIGIBILITY § 1219.3 Procedure. (a) The Deputy Associate Director for VISTA and Anti-Poverty... Anti-Poverty Programs (or his designee) shall, upon the request of a duly recognized representative of...

IMAGINE-ing interprofessional education: program evaluation of a novel inner city health educational experience

PubMed Central

Hu, Tina; Cox, Kelly Anne; Nyhof-Young, Joyce

2017-01-01

Background Poverty is a key determinant of health that leads to poor health outcomes. Although most healthcare providers will work with patients experiencing poverty, surveys among healthcare students have reported a curriculum gap in this area. This study aims to introduce and evaluate a novel, student-run interprofessional inner city health educational program that combines both practical and didactic educational components. Methods Students participating in the program answered pre- and post-program surveys. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and descriptive thematic analysis were used for quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. Results A total of 28 out of 35 participants responded (response rate: 80%). Student knowledge about issues facing underserved populations and resources for underserved populations significantly increased after program participation. Student comfort working with underserved populations also significantly increased after program participation. Valued program elements included workshops, shadowing, and a focus on marginalized populations. Conclusion Interprofessional inner city health educational programs are beneficial for students to learn about poverty intervention and resources, and may represent a strategy to address a gap in the healthcare professional curriculum. PMID:28344718

The Role of Public Health Insurance in Reducing Child Poverty.

PubMed

Wherry, Laura R; Kenney, Genevieve M; Sommers, Benjamin D

2016-04-01

Over the past 30 years, there have been major expansions in public health insurance for low-income children in the United States through Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and other state-based efforts. In addition, many low-income parents have gained Medicaid coverage since 2014 under the Affordable Care Act. Most of the research to date on health insurance coverage among low-income populations has focused on its effect on health care utilization and health outcomes, with much less attention to the financial protection it offers families. We review a growing body of evidence that public health insurance provides important financial benefits to low-income families. Expansions in public health insurance for low-income children and adults are associated with reduced out of pocket medical spending, increased financial stability, and improved material well-being for families. We also review the potential poverty-reducing effects of public health insurance coverage. When out of pocket medical expenses are taken into account in defining the poverty rate, Medicaid plays a significant role in decreasing poverty for many children and families. In addition, public health insurance programs connect families to other social supports such as food assistance programs that also help reduce poverty. We conclude by reviewing emerging evidence that access to public health insurance in childhood has long-term effects for health and economic outcomes in adulthood. Exposure to Medicaid and CHIP during childhood has been linked to decreased mortality and fewer chronic health conditions, better educational attainment, and less reliance on government support later in life. In sum, the nation's public health insurance programs have many important short- and long-term poverty-reducing benefits for low-income families with children. Copyright © 2016 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Decisions in poverty contexts.

PubMed

Shafir, Eldar

2017-12-01

The circumstances surrounding poverty-tight financial challenges, instability of income and expenses, low savings, no insurance, and several other stressors-translate into persistent and cognitively taxing hardship for people in poverty contexts. Thoughts about money and expenses loom large, shape mental associations, interfere with other experiences, and are difficult to suppress. The persistent juggling of insufficient resources affects attention, cognitive resources, and ensuing decisions. Despite the demanding struggle with challenging circumstances, people in poverty encounter disdain rather than admiration, and obstacles rather than support. Societal appreciation for the power of context, along with behaviorally informed programs designed to facilitate life under poverty, are essential for those in poverty contexts to be able to make the most of their challenging circumstances. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geohazards and Poverty: An Ecosystem Services Approach in Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutton, C.; Nicholls, R. J.; Lazar, A.

2014-12-01

The Ecosystem Services (ES) of river deltas often support high population densities, estimated at over 500 million people globally, with particular concentrations in South, South-East and East Asia and Africa. Further, a large proportion of delta populations experience extremes of poverty and are highly vulnerable to the environmental and ecological stress and degradation that is occurring. A systems dynamics approach is adopted to provide policy makers with the knowledge and tools to enable them to evaluate the effects of Geohazards and environmental stressors and associated policy decisions on people's livelihoods (Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation - ESPA Deltas). This is done by a multidisciplinary and multi-national team of policy analysts, social and natural scientists and engineers. The work presents a participatory approach to formally evaluating ecosystem services and poverty in the context of the wide range of environmetnal stressors and hazards. These changes include subsidence and sea level rise, land degradation and population pressure in delta regions. The approach will be developed, tested and applied in coastal Bangladesh. Rural livelihoods are inextricably linked with the natural ecosystems and low income farmers are highly vulnerable to changes in ecosystem services as they are impacted by geohazards and environmental stressors. Their health, wellbeing and financial security are under threat from many directions such as unreliable supplies of clean water, increasing salinisation of soils and flood, while in the longer term they are threatened by subsidence and sea-level rise. This study will contribute to the understanding of this present vulnerability and help the people who develop the relevant policy to make more informed choices about how best to reduce this vulnerability.

Public Pensions as the Great Equalizer? Decomposition of Old-Age Income Inequality in South Korea, 1998-2010.

PubMed

Hwang, Sun-Jae

2016-01-01

This study examines the redistributive effects of public pensions on old-age income inequality, testing whether public pensions function as the "great equalizer." Unlike the well-known alleviating effect of public pensions on old-age poverty, the effects of public pensions on old-age income inequality more generally have been less examined, particularly outside Western countries. Using repeated cross-sectional data of elderly Koreans between 1998 and 2010, we applied Gini coefficient decomposition to measure the impact of various income sources on old-age inequality, particularly focusing on public pensions. Our findings show that, contrary to expectations, public pension benefits have inequality-intensifying effects on old-age income in Korea, even countervailing the alleviating effects of public assistance. This rather surprising result is due to the specific institutional context of the Korean public pension system and suggests that the "structuring" of welfare policies could be as important as their expansion for the elderly, particularly for developing welfare states.

Indian Poverty in South Dakota.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kent, Calvin A.; Johnson, Jerry W.

An analysis of economic problems of the American Indian population in South Dakota is given in the document. The purpose of the study was (1) to characterize and describe Indian poverty and (2) to measure the impact of this poverty, in economic terms, on the economy of the state and to analyze some of the programs in operation to ease the Indians'…

45 CFR 284.45 - What are the contents and duration of the corrective action plan?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.45 What are the contents and duration of the... manner in which the State or Territory will reduce its child poverty rate; (2) A description of the... corrective action plan until it determines and notifies us that its child poverty rate, as determined in...

45 CFR 284.45 - What are the contents and duration of the corrective action plan?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.45 What are the contents and duration of the... manner in which the State or Territory will reduce its child poverty rate; (2) A description of the... corrective action plan until it determines and notifies us that its child poverty rate, as determined in...

45 CFR 284.45 - What are the contents and duration of the corrective action plan?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.45 What are the contents and duration of the... manner in which the State or Territory will reduce its child poverty rate; (2) A description of the... corrective action plan until it determines and notifies us that its child poverty rate, as determined in...

45 CFR 284.45 - What are the contents and duration of the corrective action plan?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.45 What are the contents and duration of the... manner in which the State or Territory will reduce its child poverty rate; (2) A description of the... corrective action plan until it determines and notifies us that its child poverty rate, as determined in...

45 CFR 284.45 - What are the contents and duration of the corrective action plan?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.45 What are the contents and duration of the... manner in which the State or Territory will reduce its child poverty rate; (2) A description of the... corrective action plan until it determines and notifies us that its child poverty rate, as determined in...

A Search for New Directions in the War Against Poverty. Staff Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheppard, Harold L.

Demographic surveys and data could be used to assess programs and policies directly and indirectly concerned with the reduction of poverty, and, through the use of such survey data, to point to a number of population subgroupings which are or are not moving out of poverty. Annually collected Census Bureau facts, the basis of much of the analysis…

7 CFR 1774.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... either below the poverty line or below 80 percent of the statewide non-metropolitan median household... this program. Poverty line. The level of income for a family of four, as defined in section 673(2) of...

Poverty Warriors: The Human Experience of Planned Social Intervention. Hogg Foundation Research Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zurcher, Louis A., Jr.

This book presents some of the experiences of men and women, poor and not poor, who participated in a community's OEO poverty program. The research upon which this book was based focused upon those subcomponents of the program which best revealed the process experiences of the participants. The study was concerned with three major components of…

Up from Dependency: A New National Public Assistance Strategy. Supplement 3: A Self-Help Catalog.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kotler, Martin; And Others

Self-help among low-income people is vitally important. In no area is self-help more important than in overcoming poverty's burdens and energizing the escape from poverty. This document comprises an inventory of self-help and mutual-help programs that feature active involvement of members of the low-income population. The programs in this…

Adequacy of dietary intakes and poverty in India: trends in the 1990s.

PubMed

Mahal, Ajay; Karan, Anup K

2008-03-01

Linear programming methods, indicators of nutritional adequacy from the Indian Council of Medical Research and household expenditure survey data from the National Sample Survey Organization were used to construct poverty lines for India. Poverty ratios were calculated for 1993--1994 and 1999--2000 on the basis of nutritional adequacy poverty lines and compared to official estimates of poverty based on energy requirements. Nutritional adequacy poverty lines are higher than official poverty lines, particularly in rural areas. The application of nutritional adequacy poverty lines points to greater rural-urban poverty differences than in official estimates. Declines in rural poverty during the 1990s were also slower under the nutritional adequacy definition, especially in south India. There is a greater degree of rural-urban and regional bias in nutritional adequacy poverty reduction than suggested by official data. Inter-state variations in changes in nutritional poverty and official poverty in the 1990s are largely explained by differences in assumptions on overall price movements. However, relative price movements in food items also played a role, particularly the slow increase in prices of cereals and edible oils in comparison to the prices of pulses, and in some southern states, compared to milk and vegetable prices as well.

[Poverty profile regarding households participating in a food assistance program].

PubMed

Álvarez-Uribe, Martha C; Aguirre-Acevedo, Daniel C

2012-06-01

This study was aimed at establishing subgroups having specific socioeconomic characteristics by using latent class analysis as a method for segmenting target population members of the MANA-ICBF supplementary food program in the Antioquia department of Colombia and determine their differences regarding poverty and health conditions in efficiently addressing pertinent resources, programs and policies. The target population consisted of 200,000 children and their households involved in the MANA food assistance program; a representative sample by region was used. Latent class analysis was used, as were the expectation-maximization and Newton Raphson algorithms for identifying the appropriate number of classes. The final model classified the households into four clusters or classes, differing according to well-defined socio-demographic conditions affecting children's health. Some homes had a greater depth of poverty, therefore lowering the families' quality of life and affecting the health of the children in this age group.

Status Concern and Relative Deprivation in China: Measures, Empirical Evidence and Economic and Policy Implications

PubMed Central

Xi, CHEN

2017-01-01

Status concern and feelings of relative deprivation affect individual behaviour and well-being. Traditional norms and the alarming inequality in China have made relative deprivation increasingly intense for the Chinese population. This article reviews empirical literature on China that attempts to test the relative deprivation hypothesis, and also reviews the origins and pathways of relative deprivation, compares its economic measures in the literature and summarises the scientific findings. Drawing from solid empirical evidence, the author discusses the important policy implications on redistribution, official regulations and grassroots sanctions, and relative poverty alleviation. PMID:29033479

Status Concern and Relative Deprivation in China: Measures, Empirical Evidence and Economic and Policy Implications.

PubMed

Xi, Chen

2016-02-01

Status concern and feelings of relative deprivation affect individual behaviour and well-being. Traditional norms and the alarming inequality in China have made relative deprivation increasingly intense for the Chinese population. This article reviews empirical literature on China that attempts to test the relative deprivation hypothesis, and also reviews the origins and pathways of relative deprivation, compares its economic measures in the literature and summarises the scientific findings. Drawing from solid empirical evidence, the author discusses the important policy implications on redistribution, official regulations and grassroots sanctions, and relative poverty alleviation.

Women and retirement.

PubMed

Richardson, V E

1999-01-01

A feminist analysis of retirement is presented by questioning the applicability of traditional definitions and theories of retirement to retired women. The effects of marriage, caregiving and other family obligations on women's retirement are examined within the context of salient social, psychological and economic factors. An empowerment-oriented perspective that considers interactions and connections between family and work roles, public and private and personal and political levels are recommended to alleviate the high poverty rates among older women, to promote parity among men and women during retirement and to emancipate women from substantial involvement in unpaid work, specifically, caregiving and home labor.

Food Stamp and School Lunch Programs Alleviate Food Insecurity in Rural America. Fact Sheet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Kristin; Savage, Sarah

2007-01-01

The Food Stamp and the National School Lunch Programs play a vital role in helping poor, rural Americans obtain a more nutritious diet and alleviate food insecurity and hunger. This fact sheet looks at the extent to which rural America depends on these programs and describes characteristics of beneficiaries of these federal nutrition assistance…

The influence of health expenditures on household impoverishment in Brazil

PubMed Central

Boing, Alexandra Crispim; Bertoldi, Andréa Dâmaso; Posenato, Leila Garcia; Peres, Karen Glazer

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE To analyze the variation in the proportion of households living below the poverty line in Brazil and the factors associated with their impoverishment. METHODS Income and expenditure data from the Household Budget Survey, which was conducted in Brazil between 2002-2003 (n = 48,470 households) and 2008-2009 (n = 55,970 households) with a national sample, were analyzed. Two cutoff points were used to define poverty. The first cutoff is a per capita monthly income below R$100.00 in 2002-2003 and R$140.00 in 2008-2009, as recommended by the Bolsa Família Program. The second, which is proposed by the World Bank and is adjusted for purchasing power parity, defines poverty as per capita income below US$2.34 and US$3.54 per day in 2002-2003 and 2008-2009, respectively. Logistic regression was used to identify the sociodemographic factors associated with the impoverishment of households. RESULTS After subtracting health expenditures, there was an increase in households living below the poverty line in Brazil. Using the World Bank poverty line, the increase in 2002-2003 and 2008-2009 was 2.6 percentage points (6.8%) and 2.3 percentage points (11.6%), respectively. Using the Bolsa Família Program poverty line, the increase was 1.6 (11.9%) and 1.3 (17.3%) percentage points, respectively. Expenditure on prescription drugs primarily contributed to the increase in poor households. According to the World Bank poverty line, the factors associated with impoverishment include a worse-off financial situation, a household headed by an individual with low education, the presence of children, and the absence of older adults. Using the Bolsa Família Program poverty line, the factors associated with impoverishment include a worse-off financial situation and the presence of children. CONCLUSIONS Health expenditures play an important role in the impoverishment of segments of the Brazilian population, especially among the most disadvantaged. PMID:25372171

The influence of health expenditures on household impoverishment in Brazil.

PubMed

Boing, Alexandra Crispim; Bertoldi, Andréa Dâmaso; Posenato, Leila Garcia; Peres, Karen Glazer

2014-10-01

To analyze the variation in the proportion of households living below the poverty line in Brazil and the factors associated with their impoverishment. Income and expenditure data from the Household Budget Survey, which was conducted in Brazil between 2002-2003 (n = 48,470 households) and 2008-2009 (n = 55,970 households) with a national sample, were analyzed. Two cutoff points were used to define poverty. The first cutoff is a per capita monthly income below R$100.00 in 2002-2003 and R$140.00 in 2008-2009, as recommended by the Bolsa Família Program. The second, which is proposed by the World Bank and is adjusted for purchasing power parity, defines poverty as per capita income below US$2.34 and US$3.54 per day in 2002-2003 and 2008-2009, respectively. Logistic regression was used to identify the sociodemographic factors associated with the impoverishment of households. After subtracting health expenditures, there was an increase in households living below the poverty line in Brazil. Using the World Bank poverty line, the increase in 2002-2003 and 2008-2009 was 2.6 percentage points (6.8%) and 2.3 percentage points (11.6%), respectively. Using the Bolsa Família Program poverty line, the increase was 1.6 (11.9%) and 1.3 (17.3%) percentage points, respectively. Expenditure on prescription drugs primarily contributed to the increase in poor households. According to the World Bank poverty line, the factors associated with impoverishment include a worse-off financial situation, a household headed by an individual with low education, the presence of children, and the absence of older adults. Using the Bolsa Família Program poverty line, the factors associated with impoverishment include a worse-off financial situation and the presence of children. Health expenditures play an important role in the impoverishment of segments of the Brazilian population, especially among the most disadvantaged.

24 CFR 903.1 - What is the purpose of this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... URBAN DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY PLANS Deconcentration of Poverty and Fair Housing in Program... policy, must follow in order to develop and apply a policy that provides for deconcentration of poverty...

24 CFR 903.1 - What is the purpose of this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... URBAN DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY PLANS Deconcentration of Poverty and Fair Housing in Program... policy, must follow in order to develop and apply a policy that provides for deconcentration of poverty...

24 CFR 903.1 - What is the purpose of this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... URBAN DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY PLANS Deconcentration of Poverty and Fair Housing in Program... policy, must follow in order to develop and apply a policy that provides for deconcentration of poverty...

24 CFR 903.1 - What is the purpose of this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... URBAN DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY PLANS Deconcentration of Poverty and Fair Housing in Program... policy, must follow in order to develop and apply a policy that provides for deconcentration of poverty...

24 CFR 903.1 - What is the purpose of this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... URBAN DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY PLANS Deconcentration of Poverty and Fair Housing in Program... policy, must follow in order to develop and apply a policy that provides for deconcentration of poverty...

Transitions in Income and Poverty Status: 1985-86. Current Population Reports: Household Economic Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Short, Kathleen S.; Littman, Mark S.

1990-01-01

This report presents data from the complete 1985 panel file of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) on changes between 1985 and 1986 in the income and poverty status of persons. SIPP data make it possible to gauge movement along the whole income distribution and into and out of poverty for the same persons in two consecutive…

Ecological School Counseling in High-Poverty Elementary Schools: Counselors' Backgrounds and Perceptions Regarding the Effects of Poverty, Importance of Advocacy and School-Based Mental Health Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, La Vera C.

2016-01-01

Elementary school counselors working in high-poverty schools experience several challenges due to the multiple barriers associated with serving children from low-SES families. Research shows that children from low-SES families are at risk of adverse consequences to their developmental and psychological progress due to negative environmental…

45 CFR 284.35 - What action will we take in response to the State's assessment and other information?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.35 What action will we... assessment along with other available information. If we determine that the increase in the child poverty... determine that the increase in the State's child poverty rate of five percent or more is the result of the...

45 CFR 284.35 - What action will we take in response to the State's assessment and other information?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.35 What action will we... assessment along with other available information. If we determine that the increase in the child poverty... determine that the increase in the State's child poverty rate of five percent or more is the result of the...

45 CFR 284.35 - What action will we take in response to the State's assessment and other information?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.35 What action will we... assessment along with other available information. If we determine that the increase in the child poverty... determine that the increase in the State's child poverty rate of five percent or more is the result of the...

Beyond Cairo: changing directions for population policies in the Asia-Pacific region.

PubMed

Jones, G W

1998-01-01

This article reviews post-Cairo thinking about population policies, program strategies by governments in the Asia-Pacific region, and the prospects for implementing reproductive health (RH) services. Cairo's action plan emphasizes development of broad social policy, sustainability, and RH. There is no mechanism of enforcement. Asia is very diverse in population size, trends in fertility and mortality, rates of economic development, patterns of migration, and development approaches. RH approaches are not controversial in Asian countries that are below, have, or are approaching replacement level fertility. Economic crises have occurred since the 1994 Cairo Plan. The region needs the Cairo focus on women's empowerment and a humane attitude to women in family planning (FP) implementation. The Cairo approach to human rights, equitable gender relations, RH and rights, and poverty alleviation is needed. It is not possible to specify what kind of FP program inputs will produce specific impacts, without considering broader policy and program contexts. Satisfaction of unmet need would more than exceed targets for fertility decline in 13 of 17 Asian countries. A focus on unmet need could take 10 years. All approaches require an expansion of service outreach. Research can determine cost effectiveness of essential RH services. RH requires institutional structures that promote a holistic view, gender sensitive quality care, and community participation. There is a need to retrain, upgrade skills, and reorient attitudes. Available financial services must be effectively used. RH must not dilute scarce FP resources.

45 CFR 2522.470 - What other factors or information may the Corporation consider in making final funding decisions?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... diverse and includes innovative programs, and projects in rural, high poverty, and economically distressed... poverty rate, unemployment rate, labor force participation, and median household income; (ii) Information...

45 CFR 2522.470 - What other factors or information may the Corporation consider in making final funding decisions?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... diverse and includes innovative programs, and projects in rural, high poverty, and economically distressed... poverty rate, unemployment rate, labor force participation, and median household income; (ii) Information...

45 CFR 400.101 - Financial eligibility standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... established at up to 200% of the national poverty level; and (b) In States without a medically needy program... eligibility standard established at up to 200% of the national poverty level. [54 FR 5480, Feb. 3, 1989, as...

45 CFR 2522.470 - What other factors or information may the Corporation consider in making final funding decisions?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... diverse and includes innovative programs, and projects in rural, high poverty, and economically distressed... poverty rate, unemployment rate, labor force participation, and median household income; (ii) Information...

45 CFR 2522.470 - What other factors or information may the Corporation consider in making final funding decisions?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... diverse and includes innovative programs, and projects in rural, high poverty, and economically distressed... poverty rate, unemployment rate, labor force participation, and median household income; (ii) Information...

45 CFR 400.101 - Financial eligibility standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... established at up to 200% of the national poverty level; and (b) In States without a medically needy program... eligibility standard established at up to 200% of the national poverty level. [54 FR 5480, Feb. 3, 1989, as...

45 CFR 400.101 - Financial eligibility standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... established at up to 200% of the national poverty level; and (b) In States without a medically needy program... eligibility standard established at up to 200% of the national poverty level. [54 FR 5480, Feb. 3, 1989, as...

45 CFR 400.101 - Financial eligibility standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... established at up to 200% of the national poverty level; and (b) In States without a medically needy program... eligibility standard established at up to 200% of the national poverty level. [54 FR 5480, Feb. 3, 1989, as...

75 FR 38748 - Medicaid Program; Premiums and Cost Sharing; Correction

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-06

... more than 150 percent of the Federal poverty level (FPL) does not apply to non-emergency services... more than 150 percent of the Federal poverty level (FPL) does not apply to non-emergency services...

45 CFR 400.101 - Financial eligibility standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... established at up to 200% of the national poverty level; and (b) In States without a medically needy program... eligibility standard established at up to 200% of the national poverty level. [54 FR 5480, Feb. 3, 1989, as...

Agricultural livelihoods in coastal Bangladesh under climate and environmental change--a model framework.

PubMed

Lázár, Attila N; Clarke, Derek; Adams, Helen; Akanda, Abdur Razzaque; Szabo, Sylvia; Nicholls, Robert J; Matthews, Zoe; Begum, Dilruba; Saleh, Abul Fazal M; Abedin, Md Anwarul; Payo, Andres; Streatfield, Peter Kim; Hutton, Craig; Mondal, M Shahjahan; Moslehuddin, Abu Zofar Md

2015-06-01

Coastal Bangladesh experiences significant poverty and hazards today and is highly vulnerable to climate and environmental change over the coming decades. Coastal stakeholders are demanding information to assist in the decision making processes, including simulation models to explore how different interventions, under different plausible future socio-economic and environmental scenarios, could alleviate environmental risks and promote development. Many existing simulation models neglect the complex interdependencies between the socio-economic and environmental system of coastal Bangladesh. Here an integrated approach has been proposed to develop a simulation model to support agriculture and poverty-based analysis and decision-making in coastal Bangladesh. In particular, we show how a simulation model of farmer's livelihoods at the household level can be achieved. An extended version of the FAO's CROPWAT agriculture model has been integrated with a downscaled regional demography model to simulate net agriculture profit. This is used together with a household income-expenses balance and a loans logical tree to simulate the evolution of food security indicators and poverty levels. Modelling identifies salinity and temperature stress as limiting factors to crop productivity and fertilisation due to atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations as a reinforcing factor. The crop simulation results compare well with expected outcomes but also reveal some unexpected behaviours. For example, under current model assumptions, temperature is more important than salinity for crop production. The agriculture-based livelihood and poverty simulations highlight the critical significance of debt through informal and formal loans set at such levels as to persistently undermine the well-being of agriculture-dependent households. Simulations also indicate that progressive approaches to agriculture (i.e. diversification) might not provide the clear economic benefit from the perspective of pricing due to greater susceptibility to climate vagaries. The livelihood and poverty results highlight the importance of the holistic consideration of the human-nature system and the careful selection of poverty indicators. Although the simulation model at this stage contains the minimum elements required to simulate the complexity of farmer livelihood interactions in coastal Bangladesh, the crop and socio-economic findings compare well with expected behaviours. The presented integrated model is the first step to develop a holistic, transferable analytic method and tool for coastal Bangladesh.

The Impact of a Comprehensive Microfinance Intervention on Depression Levels of AIDS-Orphaned Children in Uganda. *

PubMed Central

Ssewamala, Fred M.; Neilands, Torsten B.; Waldfogel, Jane; Ismayilova, Leyla

2011-01-01

Purpose By adversely affecting family functioning and stability, poverty constitutes an important risk factor for children’s poor mental health functioning. This study examines the impact of a comprehensive microfinance intervention, designed to reduce the risk of poverty, on depression among AIDS-orphaned youth. Methods Children from 15 comparable primary schools in Rakai District of Uganda, one of those hardest hit by HIVAIDS in the country, were randomly assigned to control (n=148) or treatment (n=138) conditions. Children in the treatment condition received a comprehensive microfinance intervention comprising of matched savings accounts, financial management workshops, and mentorship. This was in addition to traditional services provided for all school-going orphaned adolescents (counseling and school supplies). Data were collected at wave 1 (baseline), wave 2 (10-months postintervention), and wave 3 (20-months post-intervention). We used multilevel growth models to examine the trajectory of depression in treatment and control conditions, measured using Children’s Depression Inventory (Kovacs). Results Children in the treatment group exhibited a significant decrease in depression whereas their control group counterparts showed no change in depression. Conclusion The findings indicate that over and above traditional psychosocial approaches used to address mental health functioning among orphaned children in sub-Saharan Africa, incorporating poverty alleviation-focused approaches, such as this comprehensive microfinance intervention, has the potential to improve psychosocial functioning of these children. PMID:22443837

Comparing and contrasting poverty reduction performance of social welfare programs across jurisdictions in Canada using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA): an exploratory study of the era of devolution.

PubMed

Habibov, Nazim N; Fan, Lida

2010-11-01

In the mid-1990s, the responsibilities to design, implement, and evaluate social welfare programs were transferred from federal to local jurisdictions in many countries of North America and Europe through devolution processes. Devolution has caused the need for a technique to measure and compare the performances of social welfare programs across multiple jurisdictions. This paper utilizes Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for a comparison of poverty reduction performances of jurisdictional social welfare programs across Canadian provinces. From the theoretical perspective, findings of this paper demonstrates that DEA is a promising method to evaluate, compare, and benchmark poverty reduction performance across multiple jurisdictions using multiple inputs and outputs. This paper demonstrates that DEA generates easy to comprehend composite rankings of provincial performances, identifies appropriate benchmarks for each inefficient province, and estimates sources and amounts of improvement needed to make the provinces efficient. From a practical perspective the empirical results presented in this paper indicate that Newfoundland, Prince Edwards Island, and Alberta achieve better efficiency in poverty reduction than other provinces. Policy makers and social administrators of the ineffective provinces across Canada may find benefit in selecting one of the effective provinces as a benchmark for improving their own performance based on similar size and structure of population, size of the budget for social programs, and traditions with administering particular types of social programs. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

34 CFR 200.25 - Schoolwide programs in general.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... families under paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section, the LEA may use a measure of poverty that is different from the measure or measures of poverty used by the LEA to identify and rank school attendance areas...

34 CFR 200.25 - Schoolwide programs in general.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... families under paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section, the LEA may use a measure of poverty that is different from the measure or measures of poverty used by the LEA to identify and rank school attendance areas...

34 CFR 200.25 - Schoolwide programs in general.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... families under paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section, the LEA may use a measure of poverty that is different from the measure or measures of poverty used by the LEA to identify and rank school attendance areas...

Small individual loans and mental health: a randomized controlled trial among South African adults

PubMed Central

Fernald, Lia CH; Hamad, Rita; Karlan, Dean; Ozer, Emily J; Zinman, Jonathan

2008-01-01

Background In the developing world, access to small, individual loans has been variously hailed as a poverty-alleviation tool – in the context of "microcredit" – but has also been criticized as "usury" and harmful to vulnerable borrowers. Prior studies have assessed effects of access to credit on traditional economic outcomes for poor borrowers, but effects on mental health have been largely ignored. Methods Applicants who had previously been rejected (n = 257) for a loan (200% annual percentage rate – APR) from a lender in South Africa were randomly assigned to a "second-look" that encouraged loan officers to approve their applications. This randomized encouragement resulted in 53% of applicants receiving a loan they otherwise would not have received. All subjects were assessed 6–12 months later with questions about demographics, socio-economic status, and two indicators of mental health: the Center for Epidemiologic Studies – Depression Scale (CES-D) and Cohen's Perceived Stress scale. Intent-to-treat analyses were calculated using multinomial probit regressions. Results Randomization into receiving a "second look" for access to credit increased perceived stress in the combined sample of women and men; the findings were stronger among men. Credit access was associated with reduced depressive symptoms in men, but not women. Conclusion Our findings suggest that a mechanism used to reduce the economic stress of extremely poor individuals can have mixed effects on their experiences of psychological stress and depressive symptomatology. Our data support the notion that mental health should be included as a measure of success (or failure) when examining potential tools for poverty alleviation. Further longitudinal research is needed in South Africa and other settings to understand how borrowing at high interest rates affects gender roles and daily life activities. CCT: ISRCTN 10734925 PMID:19087316

Female labour force integration and the alleviation of urban poverty: a case study of Kingston, Jamaica.

PubMed

Holland, J

1995-01-01

The author posits that female labor force integration in Jamaica accomplishes little in alleviating poverty and making maximum use of human resources. Women are forced into employment in a labor market that limits their productivity. Women have greater needs to increase their economic activity due to price inflation and cuts in government spending. During the 1980s and early 1990s the country experienced stabilization and structural adjustment resulting in raised interest rates, reduced public sector employment, and deflated public expenditures. Urban population is particularly sensitive to monetary shifts due to dependency on social welfare benefits and lack of assets. Current strategies favor low wage creation in a supply-side export-oriented economy. These strategies were a by-product of import-substitution industrialization policies during the post-war period and greater control by multilateral financial institutions in Washington, D.C. The World Bank and US President Reagan's Caribbean Basin Initiative stressed export-oriented development. During the 1980s, Jamaican government failed to control fiscal policy, built up a huge external debt, and limited the ability of private businessmen to obtain money for investment in export-based production. Over the decade, uncompetitive production declined and light manufacturing increased. Although under 10% of new investment was in textile and apparel manufacturing, almost 50% of job creation occurred in this sector and 80% of all apparel workers were low-paid women. Devaluation occurred both in the exchange rate and in workers' job security, fringe benefits, union representation, and returns on skills. During 1977-89 women increased employment in the informal sector, which could not remain competitive under devaluation. Women's stratification in the labor market, high dependency burdens, and declining urban infrastructure create conditions of vulnerability for women in Jamaica.

Towards a virtual observatory for ecosystem services and poverty alleviation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buytaert, W.; Baez, S.; Cuesta, F.; Veliz Rosas, C.

2010-12-01

Over the last decades, near real-time environmental observation, technical advances in computer power and cyber-infrastructure, and the development of environmental software algorithms have increased dramatically. The integration of these evolutions, which is commonly referred to as the establishment of a virtual observatory, is one of the major challenges of the next decade for environmental sciences. Worldwide, many coordinated activities are ongoing to make this integration a reality. However, far less attention is paid to the question of how these developments can benefit environmental services management in a poverty alleviation context. Such projects are typically faced with issues of large predictive uncertainties, limited resources, limited local scientific capacity. At the same time, the complexity of the socio-economic contexts requires a very strong bottom-up oriented and interdisciplinary approach to environmental data collection and processing. In this study, we present three natural resources management cases in the Andes and the Amazon basin, and investigate how "virtual observatory" technology can improve ecosystem management. Each of these case studies present scientific challenges in terms of model coupling, real-time data assimilation and visualisation for management purposes. The first project deals with water resources management in the Peruvian Andes. Using a rainfall-runoff model, novel visualisations are used to give farmers insight in the water production and regulation capacity of their catchments, which can then be linked to land management practices such as conservation agriculture, wetland protection and grazing density control. In a project in the Amazonian floodplains, optimal allocation of the nesting availability and quality of the giant freshwater turtle are determined using a combined hydraulic model and weather forecasts. Finally, in the rainforest of the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, Ecuador, biodiversity models are used to quantify the impacts of hunting and logging on community composition and wildlife populations.

Small individual loans and mental health: a randomized controlled trial among South African adults.

PubMed

Fernald, Lia C H; Hamad, Rita; Karlan, Dean; Ozer, Emily J; Zinman, Jonathan

2008-12-16

In the developing world, access to small, individual loans has been variously hailed as a poverty-alleviation tool - in the context of "microcredit" - but has also been criticized as "usury" and harmful to vulnerable borrowers. Prior studies have assessed effects of access to credit on traditional economic outcomes for poor borrowers, but effects on mental health have been largely ignored. Applicants who had previously been rejected (n = 257) for a loan (200% annual percentage rate - APR) from a lender in South Africa were randomly assigned to a "second-look" that encouraged loan officers to approve their applications. This randomized encouragement resulted in 53% of applicants receiving a loan they otherwise would not have received. All subjects were assessed 6-12 months later with questions about demographics, socio-economic status, and two indicators of mental health: the Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale (CES-D) and Cohen's Perceived Stress scale. Intent-to-treat analyses were calculated using multinomial probit regressions. Randomization into receiving a "second look" for access to credit increased perceived stress in the combined sample of women and men; the findings were stronger among men. Credit access was associated with reduced depressive symptoms in men, but not women. Our findings suggest that a mechanism used to reduce the economic stress of extremely poor individuals can have mixed effects on their experiences of psychological stress and depressive symptomatology. Our data support the notion that mental health should be included as a measure of success (or failure) when examining potential tools for poverty alleviation. Further longitudinal research is needed in South Africa and other settings to understand how borrowing at high interest rates affects gender roles and daily life activities. CCT: ISRCTN 10734925.

Knowledge about persons with disability act (1995) among health care professionals dealing with persons affected by disabilities.

PubMed

Berry, B S; Devapitchai, K S; Raju, M S

2009-01-01

To assess the level of awareness about the different provisions of the persons with Disability Act (1995) among the health care professionals, 201 health care professionals dealing with the disabled persons from different parts of India were interviewed using structured interview checklist. The data were analysed through statistical package of social sciences software. Chi-square test were applied on the variables and the Pvalues were ascertained. The results show that 48.3% knew about administration hierarchy, 53.7% of respondents were aware of the free education available for the disabled, 68.5% were aware of the employment scheme, 62.7% about poverty alleviation schemes, 59.2% know about the traveling benefits, 56.2% of professionals were aware of the benefits for people with low vision. Only 29.9% of respondents knew about provisions to overcome architectural barriers. 43.8% of them knew about the least disability percentage whereas only 28.4% were aware of research and manpower schemes. Regarding affirmative action, 32.17% told correctly and 52.7% of the professionals responded correctly with respectto non- discrimination schemes. The level of awareness among the professionals working in rural regions is lower with regard to administration hierarchy and poverty alleviation schemes. Informations regarding disabled friendly environments and research and manpower development were found to be low among respondents of all professions which need to be effectively intervened. Gender did not show any influence with respect to the components of the act. The study showed that there is an ample need for educational interventions among the health care professionals in all socio-demography. Inclusion of PWD Act in the curriculum of medical schools as a topic in conferences and workshops for health care professionals are suggested.

Poverty assessment using DMSP/OLS night-time light satellite imagery at a provincial scale in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wen; Cheng, Hui; Zhang, Li

2012-04-01

All countries around the world and many international bodies, including the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the International Labor Organization (ILO), have to eliminate rural poverty. Estimation of regional poverty level is a key issue for making strategies to eradicate poverty. Most of previous studies on regional poverty evaluations are based on statistics collected typically in administrative units. This paper has discussed the deficiencies of traditional studies, and attempted to research regional poverty evaluation issues using 3-year DMSP/OLS night-time light satellite imagery. In this study, we adopted 17 socio-economic indexes to establish an integrated poverty index (IPI) using principal component analysis (PCA), which was proven to provide a good descriptor of poverty levels in 31 regions at a provincial scale in China. We also explored the relationship between DMSP/OLS night-time average light index and the poverty index using regression analysis in SPSS and a good positive linear correlation was modelled, with R2 equal to 0.854. We then looked at provincial poverty problems in China based on this correlation. The research results indicated that the DMSP/OLS night-time light data can assist analysing provincial poverty evaluation issues.

A National Focus: An Assessment of the Habits of African American Males from Urban Households of Poverty Who Successfully Complete Secondary Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parson, Gail C.; Kritsonis, William Allan

2006-01-01

The purpose of this article is to assess six habits of academic achievement by African American male students from households of poverty whom been successful in completing a 5-A high school program of study. Despite the wealth of research that indicates a great disparity among racial and gender groups with regard to standardized assessment,…

Parents' Participation in a Work-Based Anti-Poverty Program Can Enhance Their Children's Future Orientation: Understanding Pathways of Influence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purtell, Kelly M.; McLoyd, Vonnie C.

2013-01-01

Planning and preparing for life after high school is a central developmental task of American adolescents, and may be even more critical for low-income youth who are less likely to attend a four year college. This study investigates factors that led to the effects of the New Hope Project, a work-based, anti-poverty program directed at parents on…

49 CFR 195.577 - What must I do to alleviate interference currents?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... each impressed current or galvanic anode system to minimize any adverse effects on existing adjacent... 49 Transportation 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false What must I do to alleviate interference currents... alleviate interference currents? (a) For pipelines exposed to stray currents, you must have a program to...

49 CFR 195.577 - What must I do to alleviate interference currents?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... each impressed current or galvanic anode system to minimize any adverse effects on existing adjacent... 49 Transportation 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false What must I do to alleviate interference currents... alleviate interference currents? (a) For pipelines exposed to stray currents, you must have a program to...

Addressing poverty through disease control programmes: examples from Tuberculosis control in India.

PubMed

Kamineni, Vishnu Vardhan; Wilson, Nevin; Das, Anand; Satyanarayana, Srinath; Chadha, Sarabjit; Sachdeva, Kuldeep Singh; Chauhan, Lakbir Singh

2012-03-26

Tuberculosis remains a major public health problem in India with the country accounting for one-fifth or 21% of all tuberculosis cases reported globally. The purpose of the study was to obtain an understanding on pro-poor initiatives within the framework of tuberculosis control programme in India and to identify mechanisms to improve the uptake and access to TB services among the poor. A national level workshop was held with participation from all relevant stakeholder groups. This study conducted during the stakeholder workshop adopted participatory research methods. The data was elicited through consultative and collegiate processes. The research study also factored information from primary and secondary sources that included literature review examining poverty headcount ratios and below poverty line population in the country; and quasi-profiling assessments to identify poor, backward and tribal districts as defined by the TB programme in India. Results revealed that current pro-poor initiatives in TB control included collaboration with private providers and engaging community to improve access among the poor to TB diagnostic and treatment services. The participants identified gaps in existing pro-poor strategies that related to implementation of advocacy, communication and social mobilisation; decentralisation of DOT; and incentives for the poor through the available schemes for public-private partnerships and provided key recommendations for action. Synergies between TB control programme and centrally sponsored social welfare schemes and state specific social welfare programmes aimed at benefitting the poor were unclear. Further in-depth analysis and systems/policy/operations research exploring pro-poor initiatives, in particular examining service delivery synergies between existing poverty alleviation schemes and TB control programme is essential. The understanding, reflection and knowledge of the key stakeholders during this participatory workshop provides recommendations for action, further planning and research on pro-poor TB centric interventions in the country.

The Social Development Summit and the developing countries.

PubMed

Barnabas, A P; Kulkarni, P D; Nanavatty, M C; Singh, R R

1996-01-01

This article discusses some concerns of the 1996 UN Summit on Social Development. Conference organizers identified the three key conference issues as poverty alleviation, social integration of the marginalized and disadvantaged, and expansion of productive employment. The goal of a "society for all" means dealing with the increasing differences between rich and poor countries, the survival of weaker economies in a competitive market system, wide variations in consumption patterns between countries, attainment of political stability while respecting ethnic identity, the rise in social problems among countries with a high human development index, and increasing joblessness. The Human Development Report for 1994 emphasizes human security. Social development is not the equivalent of human resource development nor a side issue of economic growth. The integration of ethnic groups poses social and political problems. There remains a question about what political system and culture would be best for social integration. Developed countries define poverty as the inability of people and government to provide resources and necessary services for people's productive activity. Poverty in developing countries is blamed on colonialism. Globally, developed countries control 71% of world trade. Sharing resources to meet basic needs throughout the world is not an operational ideal. The highest 20% of income earners receive 83% of the world income. The culture of poverty is the strategy used by the poor to survive. Welfare is not an end in itself but does enable the poor to improve their conditions. Development that focuses on productive employment is uncertain. Developed and developing countries do not share similar perceptions of human rights. There is a question as to who should set the priorities for social development. Sustainable social development is related to preservation of natural resources, control of population growth, and promotion of social security.

Does alleviating poverty affect mothers’ depressive symptoms? A quasi-experimental investigation of Mexico’s Oportunidades programme

PubMed Central

Ozer, Emily J; Fernald, Lia CH; Weber, Ann; Flynn, Emily P; VanderWeele, Tyler J

2011-01-01

Background Depression is a major cause of disability, particularly among women; poverty heightens the risk for depression. Beyond its direct effects, maternal depression can harm children’s health and development. This study aimed to assess the effects of a large-scale anti-poverty programme in Mexico (Oportunidades) on maternal depressive symptoms. Methods In 2003, 5050 women living in rural communities who had participated in Oportunidades since its inception were assessed and compared with a group of 1293 women from matched communities, whose families had received no exposure to Oportunidades at the time of assessment but were later enrolled. Self-reported depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Ordinary least squares regressions were used to evaluate the treatment effect of programme participation on depression while adjusting for covariates and clustering at the community level. Results Women in the treatment group had lower depressive symptoms than those in the comparison group (unadjusted mean CES-D scores: 16.9 ± 9.8 vs 18.6 ± 10.2). In multivariable analyses, programme participation was associated with lower depression whilst controlling for maternal age, education and household demographic, ethnicity and socio-economic variables [β = −1.7 points, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) −2.46 to −0.96, P < 0.001]. Reductions in perceived stress and increases in perceived control were mediators of programme effects on women. Conclusions Although Oportunidades did not target maternal mental health directly, we found modest but clinically meaningful effects on depressive symptoms. Our design permits stronger causal inference than observational studies that have linked poverty and depressive symptoms. Our results emphasize that the well-being of individuals is responsive to macro-level economic policies and programmes. PMID:21737404

Does alleviating poverty affect mothers' depressive symptoms? A quasi-experimental investigation of Mexico's Oportunidades programme.

PubMed

Ozer, Emily J; Fernald, Lia C H; Weber, Ann; Flynn, Emily P; VanderWeele, Tyler J

2011-12-01

Depression is a major cause of disability, particularly among women; poverty heightens the risk for depression. Beyond its direct effects, maternal depression can harm children's health and development. This study aimed to assess the effects of a large-scale anti-poverty programme in Mexico (Oportunidades) on maternal depressive symptoms. In 2003, 5050 women living in rural communities who had participated in Oportunidades since its inception were assessed and compared with a group of 1293 women from matched communities, whose families had received no exposure to Oportunidades at the time of assessment but were later enrolled. Self-reported depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Ordinary least squares regressions were used to evaluate the treatment effect of programme participation on depression while adjusting for covariates and clustering at the community level. Women in the treatment group had lower depressive symptoms than those in the comparison group (unadjusted mean CES-D scores: 16.9 ± 9.8 vs 18.6 ± 10.2). In multivariable analyses, programme participation was associated with lower depression whilst controlling for maternal age, education and household demographic, ethnicity and socio-economic variables [β= -1.7 points, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) -2.46 to -0.96, P < 0.001]. Reductions in perceived stress and increases in perceived control were mediators of programme effects on women. Although Oportunidades did not target maternal mental health directly, we found modest but clinically meaningful effects on depressive symptoms. Our design permits stronger causal inference than observational studies that have linked poverty and depressive symptoms. Our results emphasize that the well-being of individuals is responsive to macro-level economic policies and programmes.

Population growth and development in the Third World: the neocolonial context.

PubMed

Patterson, J G; Shrestha, N R

1988-01-01

Less developed countries (LDCs) that were colonies of other nations continued operating under the same social and political structures set up by the former ruling nations. The small minority of elites in the LDCs held on to the power acquired during colonial times. In order to preserve their political and financial status after independence, they maintained their close linkages to the capitalist nations and their multinational corporations (MNCs). The elites did not generally have popular support, however. These capitalist nations and their commercial interests continue to dictate most LDCs development process which supports the financial interests of the MNCs and the local elites and not those of the majority, the poor. The poor realize that they are trapped and unable to break away from the economic and political structures, therefore, to assure some form of security, they have many children which exacerbates their poverty. Yet population control policies based on Malthusian theory and those that rely on such undimensional, technical approaches as family planning alone cannot cure the multidimensional social problems of high population growth and poverty. Neither the Malthusian nor Marxist theories totally explain the situation in the LDCs or even provide workable solutions. Research on population and development in LDCs needs to address both the Malthusian concern for the problems posed by high growth rates and the Marxist critique of class struggle in development trends. To eliminate the trap of poverty and dependent economies, each country must design its own remedies based on its history, culture, and geography and alter the prevailing social, economic, and political power structures in favor of the poor. 6 propositions that must be modified to each nation's particular problems and needs are presented to guide LDCs in formulating or reformulating policies to alleviate the problems of population and poverty.

Implementing a gender policy in ACORD: strategies, constraints, and challenges.

PubMed

Hadjipateras, A

1997-02-01

ACORD, a consortium of 11 nongovernmental organizations from Europe, Asia, and North America devoted to poverty alleviation in Africa, formally adopted a gender policy in 1990 aimed at reducing gender-based inequities in communities where ACORD works. A 1994-96 survey of field programs indicated that the greatest gains for women had been recorded in the areas of welfare, access to resources, conscientization (awareness of and will to alter gender inequalities), and, to a lesser extent, participation; minimal progress was noted in shifting the prevailing gender-based imbalance of power and control in public or private spheres. The research identified several programming and organizational strategies that have promoted positive outcomes for women: gender-awareness training for staff and community members, working with mixed groups, working with women-only groups, promotion of female leadership, gender-aware participatory planning and evaluation, spreading responsibility throughout the organization for implementing the gender policy, recruitment and promotion of women staff, networks for women staff, and direct field involvement in research. Also identified were internal and external factors that weakened policy implementation: a lack of clarity as to its aims, culture-based resistance, confusion regarding responsibilities and procedures, weak accountability mechanisms, lack of gender impact indicators, training inadequacies, underrepresentation of women staff, and inadequate resources. As a result of the review process, ACORD has given gender issues centrality in its current 5-year strategic plan.

Hunger--1973; Prepared by the Staff of the Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, United States Senate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs.

This report, prepared by the staff of the Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs of the U. S. Senate, is intended as a profile of the "half-full, half-empty plate which the Federal food programs represent to the nation's poor." The report focuses on various aspects of poverty and hunger such as: (1) poverty in the nation--the poverty line,…

How Do Microfinance Programs Contribute to Poverty Reduction

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

areas have experienced statistically higher incidents of crime tied to class conflict.90 Land tax systems under the British were also responsible for...countries.173 This low delinquency rate is credited to the lack of alternative opportunities that are available to the poor.174 According to Muhammad...TOTAL: 909 54.6 60.2 55 Figure 2. Program Duration and Objective Poverty.197 The statistical analysis conducted by Chowdhury, Gosh and Wright finds

Suggestions for the New Social Entrepreneurship Initiative: Focus on Building a Body of Research-Proven Programs, Shown to Produce Major Gains in Education, Poverty Reduction, Crime Prevention, and Other Areas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, 2009

2009-01-01

This paper outlines a possible approach to implementing the Social Entrepreneurship initiative, focused on building a body of research-proven program models/strategies, and scaling them up, so as to produce major progress in education, poverty reduction, crime prevention, and other areas. The paper summarizes the rationale for this approach, then…

Helping Low-Wage Workers Persist in Education Programs: Lessons from Research on Welfare Training Programs and Two Promising Community College Strategies. MDRC Working Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richburg-Hayes, Lashawn

2008-01-01

Employment has long been held to be an important deterrent against poverty, and work is a core component of a range of federal efforts to improve the economic well-being of low-income families. However, recent trends in earnings and research both confirm that work alone is not sufficient to prevent poverty. While there is compelling evidence that…

The Role of Language in Adult Education and Poverty Reduction in Botswana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagwasi, Mompoloki

2006-05-01

This study examines the role of language in reducing poverty in Botswana through adult-education programs. Because language is the medium through which human beings communicate and grow intellectually and socially, it should form the basis of any discussion involving the relation between development and education. In order best to respond to societal changes and bridge the gap between the less privileged and the more privileged, adult-education programs should be guided by language policies that are sensitive to this pivotal role that language plays. Language is important in any discussion of poverty reduction because it determines who has access to educational, political and economic resources. The author recommends that adult-education programs in Botswana take account of the multilingual nature of society and so allow learners to participate freely, make use of their indigenous knowledge, and enhance their self-esteem and identity.

Discussing Poverty as a Student Issue: Making a Case for Student Human Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cady, Clare

2012-01-01

Student poverty is an issue with which far too many students are confronted. Student affairs professionals must increase their awareness of this human dynamic and develop programs, services, and personal knowledge to support students faced with this challenge.

Recovery from depression among clients transitioning out of poverty.

PubMed

Ali, Alisha; Hawkins, Robert L; Chambers, Debbie Ann

2010-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate whether a program designed to change the economic conditions of clients' lives could also have an impact on reducing their level of depression. The study focused on a sample of men and women attending a program designed to transition clients out of poverty through microlending and peer support. Results revealed that 40.5% of participants who met diagnostic criteria for major depression before beginning the program were no longer clinically depressed after participating in the program for 6 months. The results also revealed that the clients who reported that they felt a strong sense of interpersonal connection within the program were the most likely to recover from depression.

What should we call instruments commonly known as payments for environmental services? A review of the literature and a proposal.

PubMed

Shelley, Barry G

2011-02-01

Researchers, policy makers, and practitioners have used various terms to describe instruments that reward the stewardship of ecosystem services that benefit "external" actors. Payments for environmental services, or PES, has been the predominant name. However, critics have challenged both the payments and environmental components of this nomenclature, most commonly proposing markets, compensation, or rewards as alternatives for the former, and ecosystem for the latter. Additional questions arise regarding what to call the agents directly involved in the transaction: sellers and buyers, or stewards and beneficiaries? For some, concerns about this terminology have emerged from so-called "pro-poor PES" debates that ask if actors could and should incorporate poverty alleviation goals into PES instruments. This review of the modulating use of terms and the arguments about which best fit theory and experience points to the key policy and ethical issues at stake as PES programs face critical and timely questions about the direction they will head. The author contends that the choices of terms will influence that direction and proposes a new alternative-rewards for ecosystem service stewardship (RESS)-that better encompasses pro-poor options. © 2011 New York Academy of Sciences.

Energy, energy efficiency, and the built environment.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Paul; Smith, Kirk R; Beevers, Sean; Tonne, Cathryn; Oreszczyn, Tadj

2007-09-29

Since the last decades of the 19th century, technological advances have brought substantial improvements in the efficiency with which energy can be exploited to service human needs. That trend has been accompanied by an equally notable increase in energy consumption, which strongly correlates with socioeconomic development. Nonetheless, feasible gains in the efficiency and technology of energy use in towns and cities and in homes have the potential to contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse-gas emissions, and to improve health, for example, through protection against temperature-related morbidity and mortality, and the alleviation of fuel poverty. A shift towards renewable energy production would also put increasing focus on cleaner energy carriers, especially electricity, but possibly also hydrogen, which would have benefits to urban air quality. In low-income countries, a vital priority remains the dissemination of affordable technology to alleviate the burdens of indoor air pollution and other health effects in individuals obliged to rely on biomass fuels for cooking and heating, as well as the improvement in access to electricity, which would have many benefits to health and wellbeing.

Reference allocations and use of a disparity measure to inform the design of allocation funding formulas in public health programs.

PubMed

Buehler, James W; Bernet, Patrick M; Ogden, Lydia L

2012-01-01

Funding formulas are commonly used by federal agencies to allocate program funds to states. As one approach to evaluating differences in allocations resulting from alternative formula calculations, we propose the use of a measure derived from the Gini index to summarize differences in allocations relative to 2 referent allocations: one based on equal per-capita funding across states and another based on equal funding per person living in poverty, which we define as the "proportionality of allocation" (PA). These referents reflect underlying values that often shape formula-based allocations for public health programs. The size of state populations serves as a general proxy for the amount of funding needed to support programs across states. While the size of state populations living in poverty is correlated with overall population size, allocations based on states' shares of the national population living in poverty reflect variations in funding need shaped by the association between poverty and multiple adverse health outcomes. The PA measure is a summary of the degree of dispersion in state-specific allocations relative to the referent allocations and provides a quick assessment of the impact of selecting alternative funding formula designs. We illustrate the PA values by adjusting a sample allocation, using various measures of the salary costs and in-state wealth, which might modulate states' needs for federal funding.

Social, economic and legal dimensions of tobacco and its control in South-East Asia region.

PubMed

Kyaing, Nyo Nyo; Islam, Md Ashadul; Sinha, Dhirendra N; Rinchen, Sonam

2011-01-01

This paper examines the social, cultural, economic and legal dimensions of tobacco control in the South-East Asia Region in a holistic view through the review of findings from various studies on prevalence, tobacco economics, poverty alleviation, women and tobacco and tobacco control laws and regulations. Methods were Literature review of peer reviewed publications, country reports, WHO publications, and reports of national and international meetings on tobacco and findings from national level surveys and studies. Tobacco use has been a social and cultural part of the people of South-East Asia Region. Survey findings show that 30% to 60% of men and 1.8% to 15.6% of women in the Region use one or the other forms of tobacco products. The complex nature of tobacco use with both smoking and smokeless forms is a major challenge for implementing tobacco control measures. Prevalence of tobacco use is high among the poor and the illiterate. It is higher among males than females but studies show a rising trend among girls and women due to intensive marketing of tobacco products by the tobacco industry. Tobacco users spend a huge percent of their income on tobacco which deprives them and their families of proper nutrition, good education and health care. Some studies of the Region show that cost of treatment of diseases attributable to tobacco use was more than double the revenue that governments received from tobacco taxation. Another challenge the Region faces is the application of uniform tax to all forms of tobacco, which will reduce not only the availability of tobacco products in the market but also control people switching over to cheaper tobacco products. Ten out of eleven countries are Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and nine countries have tobacco control legislation. Enforcement of control measures is weak, particularly in areas such as smoke-free environments, advertisement at the point of sale and sale of tobacco to minors. Socio-cultural acceptance of tobacco use is still a major challenge in tobacco control efforts for the governments and stakeholders in the South-East Asia Region. The myth that chewing tobacco is less harmful than smoking tobacco needs to be addressed with public awareness campaigns. Advocacy on the integration of tobacco control with poverty alleviation campaigns and development programs is urgently required. Law enforcement is a critical area to be strengthened and supported by WHO and the civil society organizations working in the area of tobacco control.

7 CFR 275.24 - High performance bonuses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... to persons with incomes below 125 percent of poverty, as calculated in accordance with paragraph (b... administrative annual counts of participants minus new participants certified under special disaster program rules by State averaged over the calendar year. For the number of people below 125 percent of poverty...

Hunger, Poverty, and Malnutrition in Rural Mississippi.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Storer, John H.; Frate, Dennis A.

1990-01-01

Defining hunger on the basis of poverty or other nonphysiological criteria is misleading. With nutritional data used by human-service agencies, suggests programs with such conception of hunger hurt the efforts at nutritional change. Uses central Mississippi as an example to propose objective nutritional definition and assessment. (TES)

Race, Hunger, and Poverty on Montana Indian Reservations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brod, Rodney L.; Miller, Paul E.

1998-01-01

Uses a quantitative analytic procedure, logistic regression, to search for and identify critical attributes of race, highlighting the characteristics of American Indians that underlie poverty on Montana's seven reservations, with their varied tribal affiliations. Implications are drawn for the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations,…

76 FR 52956 - Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-24

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Administration for Children and Families Proposed... an Increase in a State's Child Poverty Rate is the Result of the TANF program--NPRM OMB No.: 0970... collection requirements. For instances when Census Bureau data show that a State's child poverty rate...

34 CFR 200.74 - Use of an alternative method to distribute grants to LEAs with fewer than 20,000 total residents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... poverty measure consistently for small LEAs across the State for all Title I, part A programs. (d) Based on the alternative poverty data selected, the SEA must— (1) Re-determine eligibility of its small...

34 CFR 200.74 - Use of an alternative method to distribute grants to LEAs with fewer than 20,000 total residents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... poverty measure consistently for small LEAs across the State for all Title I, part A programs. (d) Based on the alternative poverty data selected, the SEA must— (1) Re-determine eligibility of its small...

34 CFR 200.74 - Use of an alternative method to distribute grants to LEAs with fewer than 20,000 total residents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... poverty measure consistently for small LEAs across the State for all Title I, part A programs. (d) Based on the alternative poverty data selected, the SEA must— (1) Re-determine eligibility of its small...

34 CFR 200.74 - Use of an alternative method to distribute grants to LEAs with fewer than 20,000 total residents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... poverty measure consistently for small LEAs across the State for all Title I, part A programs. (d) Based on the alternative poverty data selected, the SEA must— (1) Re-determine eligibility of its small...

34 CFR 200.74 - Use of an alternative method to distribute grants to LEAs with fewer than 20,000 total residents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... poverty measure consistently for small LEAs across the State for all Title I, part A programs. (d) Based on the alternative poverty data selected, the SEA must— (1) Re-determine eligibility of its small...

Government health insurance for people below poverty line in India: quasi-experimental evaluation of insurance and health outcomes.

PubMed

Sood, Neeraj; Bendavid, Eran; Mukherji, Arnab; Wagner, Zachary; Nagpal, Somil; Mullen, Patrick

2014-09-11

To evaluate the effects of a government insurance program covering tertiary care for people below the poverty line in Karnataka, India, on out-of-pocket expenditures, hospital use, and mortality. Geographic regression discontinuity study. 572 villages in Karnataka, India. 31,476 households (22,796 below poverty line and 8680 above poverty line) in 300 villages where the scheme was implemented and 28,633 households (21,767 below poverty line and 6866 above poverty line) in 272 neighboring matched villages ineligible for the scheme. A government insurance program (Vajpayee Arogyashree scheme) that provided free tertiary care to households below the poverty line in about half of villages in Karnataka from February 2010 to August 2012. Out-of-pocket expenditures, hospital use, and mortality. Among households below the poverty line, the mortality rate from conditions potentially responsive to services covered by the scheme (mostly cardiac conditions and cancer) was 0.32% in households eligible for the scheme compared with 0.90% among ineligible households just south of the eligibility border (difference of 0.58 percentage points, 95% confidence interval 0.40 to 0.75; P<0.001). We found no difference in mortality rates for households above the poverty line (households above the poverty line were not eligible for the scheme), with a mortality rate from conditions covered by the scheme of 0.56% in eligible villages compared with 0.55% in ineligible villages (difference of 0.01 percentage points, -0.03 to 0.03; P=0.95). Eligible households had significantly reduced out-of-pocket health expenditures for admissions to hospitals with tertiary care facilities likely to be covered by the scheme (64% reduction, 35% to 97%; P<0.001). There was no significant increase in use of covered services, although the point estimate of a 44.2% increase approached significance (-5.1% to 90.5%; P=0.059). Both reductions in out-of-pocket expenditures and potential increases in use might have contributed to the observed reductions in mortality. Insuring poor households for efficacious but costly and underused health services significantly improves population health in India. © Sood et al 2014.

Escaping from poverty trap: a choice between government transfer payments and public services.

PubMed

Chen, Sixia; Li, Jianjun; Lu, Shengfeng; Xiong, Bo

2017-01-01

Anti-poverty has always been an important issue to be settled. What policies should be selected to help individuals escaping from the poverty trap: by directly offering transfer payments or indirectly providing public services? This paper is among the first to explore the effects of public anti-poverty programs system in China. We Using unbalanced panel data of China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) from 1989 to 2009, we demonstrate how the individual poverty status is determined through a four-staged simultaneous model. We choose the 3SLS (Three Staged Linear Squared) methodology to do the estimation. GTPs (Government Transfer Payments) don't have positive effects on poverty reductions. The results demonstrate that GTPs increasing by 10% makes private transfer payments decrease by 3.9%. Meanwhile, GTPs increasing by 10% makes the household income decreased by 27.1%. However, public services (such as medical insurance, health services, hygiene protection etc.) have significantly positive impacts on poverty reduction. Public services share a part of living cost of the poor, and are conducive for people to gain higher household income. GTPs given by governments are not effective in reducing the poverty, as a result of "crowd-out effect" and "inductive effect". However, public services are suggested to be adopted by governments to help the poor out of the poverty trap.

Poverty rates in Venezuela: getting the numbers right.

PubMed

Weisbrot, Mark; Sandoval, Luis; Rosnick, David

2006-01-01

This article looks at household and individual poverty rates in Venezuela over the past seven years. For more than a year, the statement that poverty in Venezuela has increased under the government of President Hugo Chávez has appeared in scores of major newspapers, on major television and radio programs, and even in publications devoted to foreign policy. There are no data to support such statements, and in fact the available data show a decline in poverty for both individuals and households over the seven-year period: the percentage of people in poverty declined from 50 percent in the first quarter of 1999 to 43.7 percent in 2005. Further, there is no evidence to suggest any change in the methodology for measuring poverty during this period, as has been alleged in a number of reports. The article also examines briefly the impact of significant changes in non-cash benefits such as free health care, which are not taken into account in the measured poverty rate, on poor people in Venezuela. Finally, the authors look at how the mistakes in reporting on Venezuela's poverty rate were made; an appendix gives examples of mistakes in major media and foreign policy publications.

Elderly poverty and Supplemental Security Income.

PubMed

Nicholas, Joyce; Wiseman, Michael

2009-01-01

In the United States, poverty is generally assessed on the basis of income, as reported in the Current Population Survey's (CPS's) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC), using an official poverty standard established in the 1960s. The prevalence of receipt of means-tested transfers is underreported in the CPS, with uncertain consequences for the measurement of poverty rates by both the official standard and by using alternative "relative" measures linked to the contemporaneous income distribution. The article reports results estimating the prevalence of poverty in 2002. We complete this effort by using a version of the 2003 CPS/ASEC for which a substantial majority (76 percent) of respondents have individual records matching administrative data from the Social Security Administration on earnings and receipt of income from the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. Adjustment of the CPS income data with administrative data substantially improves coverage of SSI receipt. The consequence for general poverty is sensitive to the merge procedures employed, but under both sets of merge procedures considered, the estimated poverty rate among all elderly persons and among elderly SSI recipients is substantially less than rates estimated using the unadjusted CPS. The effect of the administrative adjustment is less significant for perception of relative poverty than for absolute poverty. We emphasize the effect of these adjustments on perception of poverty among the elderly in general and elderly SSI recipients in particular.

Effect of VOC emissions from vegetation on urban air quality during hot periods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Churkina, Galina; Kuik, Friderike; Bonn, Boris; Lauer, Axel; Grote, Ruediger; Butler, Tim

2016-04-01

Programs to plant millions of trees in cities around the world aim at the reduction of summer temperatures, increase of carbon storage, storm water control, and recreational space, as well as at poverty alleviation. These urban greening programs, however, do not take into account how closely human and natural systems are coupled in urban areas. Compared with the surroundings of cities, elevated temperatures together with high anthropogenic emissions of air and water pollutants are quite typical in urban systems. Urban and sub-urban vegetation respond to changes in meteorology and air quality and can react to pollutants. Neglecting this coupling may lead to unforeseen negative effects on air quality resulting from urban greening programs. The potential of emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from vegetation combined with anthropogenic emissions of air pollutants to produce ozone has long been recognized. This ozone formation potential increases under rising temperatures. Here we investigate how emissions of VOC from urban vegetation affect corresponding ground-level ozone and PM10 concentrations in summer and especially during heat wave periods. We use the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with coupled atmospheric chemistry (WRF-CHEM) to quantify these feedbacks in the Berlin-Brandenburg region, Germany during the two summers of 2006 (heat wave) and 2014 (reference period). VOC emissions from vegetation are calculated by MEGAN 2.0 coupled online with WRF-CHEM. Our preliminary results indicate that the contribution of VOCs from vegetation to ozone formation may increase by more than twofold during heat wave periods. We highlight the importance of the vegetation for urban areas in the context of a changing climate and discuss potential tradeoffs of urban greening programs.

THE NEW U. S. IMMIGRANTS: HOW DO THEY AFFECT OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE?

PubMed Central

Bean, Frank D.; Feliciano, Cynthia; Lee, Jennifer; Van Hook, Jennifer

2011-01-01

The implications of recent immigration for race relations in the United States depend importantly on family cultural orientations among Mexican Americans and how this group is culturally perceived by Anglos. Because Moynihan's 1965 work (in)famously emphasized the need to change black family culture in order to ameliorate black poverty, his work still holds implications for understanding how cultural orientations affect changing color lines. Unfortunately, his partially insightful analyses inadequately foresaw that policies designed to alleviate poverty through the modification of family cultural patterns are likely to fail without parallel changes in structural opportunities. Similar limitations also often emerge from mis-characterizations of Mexican origin family cultural situations, which all too often are incongruously reified as either being unduly familistic (thus falsely implying Mexican origin families foster self-sufficiency) or largely governed by culture of poverty tendencies (thus inaccurately suggesting Mexican origin families depend on welfare). Here we review research suggesting that Mexican origin families are neither substantially familistic nor disproportionately susceptible to moral hazard, thus indicating that future Mexican origin economic advancement is likely to turn on the availability of structural opportunities. In-depth interviews with Anglos further suggest that Mexicans are not culturally viewed with the same degree of prejudice and discrimination as blacks, implying that the integration of Mexicans into American society, contingent on adequate economic opportunity, will probably progress more steadily than often feared, while that of blacks may proceed more slowly than often expected. PMID:22199397

The Vicious Circle of Illiteracy, Over Population and Poverty--Functional Literacy and Family Life Planning Education Approach to Tackle It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khajapeer, M.

1976-01-01

The interrelated nature of the problems of illiteracy, overpopulation, and poverty in developing countries is explored and an integrated approach to solving these problems in India, the Functional Literacy and Family Life Planning Education program, is described. (MS)

Actions against Poverty: The Impact of Career Technical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rabren, Karen; Carpenter, Jonathan; Dunn, Caroline; Carney, Jamie S.

2014-01-01

There is clear and convincing evidence that students with disabilities living in poverty are facing the double jeopardy of dealing with issues associated with their disability, as well as the challenges of living in minimal conditions. Improving outcomes for this population requires the identification and implementation of effective programs. This…

Poverty and Program Participation among Immigrant Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borjas, George J.

2011-01-01

Researchers have long known that poverty in childhood is linked with a range of negative adult socioeconomic outcomes, from lower educational achievement and behavioral problems to lower earnings in the labor market. But few researchers have explored whether exposure to a disadvantaged background affects immigrant children and native children…

Piercing the Bubble: How Management Students Can Confront Poverty in Colombia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenbloom, Al; Cortes, Juan Alejandro

2008-01-01

This article describes the current relationship between management education in Colombia and the efforts of the management program at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB) in Medellin to reduce local poverty. The article uses the metaphor of "the bubble" to illustrate how social class, family socialization, and the current UPB…

Honduran-U.S. Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-01

government resources to finance poverty-reduction programs. Nonetheless, Honduras continues to face a poverty rate of nearly 70%, in addition to widespread...d’état” in Honduras (H.Res. 630, Delahunt) and calling upon the Micheletti government to end its “illegal seizure of power”(H.Res. 620, Serrano...2 Micheletti Government

Poverty and Material Hardship in Grandparent-Headed Households

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Lindsey A.; Mutchler, Jan E.

2010-01-01

Using the 2001 Survey of Income and Program Participation, the current study examines poverty and material hardship among children living in 3-generation (n = 486), skipped-generation (n = 238), single-parent (n = 2,076), and 2-parent (n = 6,061) households. Multinomial and logistic regression models indicated that children living in…

Studies in Public Welfare. Paper No. 12 (Part I): The Family, Poverty, and Welfare Programs; Factors Influencing Family Instability. A Volume of Studies Prepared for the Use of the Subcommittee on Fiscal Policy of the Joint Economic Committee, Congress of the United States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joint Economic Committee, Washington, DC.

Contents of this volume of studies analyzing the causes of the alarming growth in illegitimacy, families lacking a father, and welfare caseloads, include the following studies: "The Family, Poverty, and Welfare Programs: An Introductory Essay on Problems of Analysis and Policy," Robert I. Lerman; "The Impact of Welfare Payment Levels on Family…

The impact on rural livelihoods and ecosystem services of a major relocation and settlement program: A case in Shaanxi, China.

PubMed

Li, Cong; Li, Shuzhuo; Feldman, Marcus W; Li, Jie; Zheng, Hua; Daily, Gretchen C

2018-03-01

China's largest-ever resettlement program is underway, aiming to restore ecosystems and lift ecosystem service providers out of the poverty trap and into sustainable livelihoods. We examine the impact of the relocation and settlement program (RSP) to date, reporting on an ecosystem services (ES) assessment and a 1400-household survey. The RSP generally achieves the goals of ES increase and livelihood restore. In biophysical terms, the RSP improves water quality, sediment retention, and carbon sequestration. In social terms, resettled households so far report transformation of livelihoods activities from traditional inefficient agricultural and forest production to non-farm activities. Increased income contributes to decrease the poverty rate and improve resettled households' living condition and standard. Meanwhile, the RSP decreases households' dependence on ES in terms of provisioning services. Difficulty and challenge also showed up subsequently after relocation. A major current challenge is to enable poorer households to move, while providing greater follow-up support to relocated households. While the program is unique to China, it illuminates widespread opportunities for addressing environmental and poverty-related concerns in a rapidly changing world.

Understanding the Lives and Challenges of Women in Poverty after TANF.

PubMed

Hildebrandt, Eugenie

2016-08-01

Welfare Reform has caused a dramatic change in the lives and health of single mothers living in poverty. This qualitative study explored the health and socioeconomic lives of 22 community-dwelling women in poverty in the years after they were terminated from the current work-based welfare program intended to move women from welfare to work and independence. The instruments were a semistructured interview guide, the HANES General Well-Being Schedule, and a demographic data form. Data were analyzed using multistage narrative analysis and descriptive statistics. These primary source data showed participants had multiple barriers that precede or follow poverty. Their voices of how they survive are a rich source of data to assist providers and policy makers in devising evidence-based solutions for reducing poverty in America. © The Author(s) 2016.

Evaluation of performance and impacts of maternal and child health hospital services using Data Envelopment Analysis in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China: a comparison study among poverty and non-poverty county level hospitals.

PubMed

Wang, Xuan; Luo, Hongye; Qin, Xianjin; Feng, Jun; Gao, Hongda; Feng, Qiming

2016-08-23

As the core of the county-level Maternal and Child Health Hospitals (MCHH) in rural areas of China, the service efficiency affects the fairness and availability of healthcare services. This study aims to identify the determinants of hospital efficiency and explore how to improve the performance of MCHH in terms of productivity and efficiency. Data was collected from a sample of 32 county-level MCHHs of Guangxi in 2014. Firstly, we specified and measured the indicators of the inputs and outputs which represent hospital resources expended and its profiles respectively. Then we estimated the efficiency scores using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for each hospital. Efficiency scores were decomposed into technical, scale and congestion components, and the potential output increases and/or input reductions were also estimated in this model, which would make relatively inefficient hospitals more efficient. In the second stage, the estimated efficiency scores are regressed against hospital external and internal environment factors using a Tobit model. We used DEAP (V2.1) and R for data analysis. The average scores of technical efficiency, net technical efficiency (managerial efficiency) and scale efficiency of the hospitals were 0.875, 0.922 and 0.945, respectively. Half of the hospitals were efficient, and 9.4 % and 40.6 % were weakly efficient and inefficient, respectively. Among the low-productiveness hospitals, 61.1 % came from poor counties (Poor counties in this article are in the list of key poverty-stricken counties at the national level, published by The State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, 2012). The total input indicated that redundant medical resources in poverty areas were significantly higher than those in non-poverty areas. The Tobit regression model showed that the technical efficiency was proportional to the total annual incomes, the number of discharge patients, and the number of outpatient and emergency visits, while it was inversely proportional to total expenditure and the actual number of open beds. Technical efficiency was not associated with number of health care workers. The overall operational efficiency of the county-level MCHHs in Guangxi was low and needs to be improved. Regional economic differences affect the performances of hospitals. Health administrations should adjust and optimize the resource investments for the different areas. For the hospitals in poverty areas, policy-makers should not only consider the hardware facilities investment, but also the introduction of advanced techniques and high-level medical personnel to improve their technical efficiency.

Urban air pollution, poverty, violence and health--Neurological and immunological aspects as mediating factors.

PubMed

Kristiansson, Marianne; Sörman, Karolina; Tekwe, Carmen; Calderón-Garcidueñas, Lilian

2015-07-01

Rapid rural-urban migration has created overcrowded areas characterized by concentrated poverty and increases in indoor and outdoor air pollutants. These "hotspots" constitute an increased risk of violence and disease outbreaks. We hypothesize that the effects of poverty and associated air pollution-related stress on impaired cognitive skills are mediated by inflammatory cytokines. A research framework is proposed, encompassing (i) an epidemiological investigation of associations between poverty, high concentrations of air pollutants, violence and health, (ii) a longitudinal follow-up of working memory capacities and inflammatory markers, and (iii) intervention programs aiming to strengthen employability and decreased exposures to toxic air pollutants. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.