Overcoming Poverty in Multidimensional Poverty Interventions through Self-assessment and Mentoring

Una organización de microfinanzas en Paraguay ha desarrollado el "Semáforo de Eliminación de Pobreza" (PS), una herramienta tecnológica innovadora que permite a las familias autoevaluar su nivel de pobreza multidimensional y comenzar un proceso de tutoría integrado que tiene el objetivo de empoderar a las familias para eliminar la pobreza multidimensional en función de lo que los participantes valoran más. Durante el programa, un mentor trabaja con los participantes para diseñar un plan familiar personalizado para identificar sus desafíos más importantes para superar sus privaciones. El PS coloca el desarrollo humano y la eliminación de la pobreza como el objetivo principal de la intervención. Este artículo tiene tres objetivos. Primero, presenta la herramienta como una métrica multidimensional y una metodología para la intervención de la pobreza con el propósito explícito de fomentar la reflexión y promover la agencia. En segundo lugar, usa el Enfoque de Capacidad para explorar el potencial de la intervención del PS para aumentar la agencia y disminuir la privación. En tercer lugar, presenta los resultados de un proyecto de investigación en curso que evalúa la efectividad del programa para ayudar a los participantes a superar la pobreza. Esta parte empírica se basa en datos recopilados entre agosto de 2015 y junio de 2017 de más de 9,000 clientes de micro finanzas y analizados mediante regresiones OLS. Los resultados indican que la participación en el programa está asociada con una mayor probabilidad de superar la pobreza multidimensional.A microfinance organization in Paraguay has developed the “Poverty Stoplight” (PS), an innovative technological tool that allows families to self-assess their level of multidimensional poverty and start an integrated mentoring process whose goal is to empower families to eliminate multidimensional poverty based on what the participants value the most. During the program, a mentor works with participants to design a customized family plan to identify their most significant challenges in order to overcome their deprivations. The PS places human development and poverty elimination as the main objectives for the intervention. This paper has three elements. First, it presents the methodology for poverty intervention and the detailed tool (i.e. a multidimensional metric) used to encourage reflecting and promoting agency. Second, it uses the Capability Approach to explore the potential of the PS intervention to increase agency and decrease multidimensional deprivations. Third, it presents results from an ongoing research project that evaluates the program’s effectiveness in helping participants overcome poverty. This empirical part is based on data collected between August 2015 and June 2017 from over 9,000 microfinance clients and analyzed using the technique of OLS regressions. The results indicate that participation in the program is indeed associated with a higher probability of overcoming multidimensional poverty

Profits Over Development?

Seit Beginn der 1990er Jahre gewinnt Privatsektorentwicklung im Rahmen der staatlichen Entwicklungspolitik immer mehr an Bedeutung, damit geht auch das Florieren der dazugehörigen Durchführungsorganisationen Development Finance Institutions (DFI) einher. Der Spagat zwischen Gewinnstreben und entwicklungspolitischen Effekten liegt in der Natur der DFI und ist gleichzeitig ihre größte Herausforderung. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird untersucht, inwiefern die beiden schon lange etablierten Entwicklungsfinanzierungsinstitutionen CDC Group plc. (Großbritannien) und DEG (Deutschland) ihrer Rolle und ihrem Auftrag gerecht werden. Unter Zuhilfenahme von Konzepten aus der Policy Analyse gehen die Autorinnen den Fragen nach, nach welchen Kriterien die DFI ihre Investitionsprojekte auswählen, was für sie entwicklungspolitische Relevanz bedeutet und wie sie mit Transparenz und Rechenschaftspflichten gegenüber Politik und Öffentlichkeit umgehen. Im Zuge der deskriptiven Analyse wird klar, dass die beiden Entwicklungsfinanzierungsinstitutionen große Unterschiede aufweisen; die identifizierten Unzulänglichkeiten werden schlussendlich als Ausgangspunkt für Politikempfehlungen genommen.At the beginning of the 1990s a new trend in the field of governmental development policy was born: Private Sector Development. At the same time, implementing agencies called Development Finance Institutions (DFI) started to boom. The balancing act between achieving high rates of return and creating development impact is in their nature and constitutes their major challenge. The authors of this paper discuss whether the already long time ago established CDC Group plc. (UK) and DEG (Germany) are able to come up to their roles and fulfil their missions. The study is done by taking recourse to the policy analysis and asking several questions: which criteria do the DFI use in order to choose the projects they invest in, what do they consider as development impact and how do they deal with transparency and accountability in relation to government and public. The descriptive analysis shows that there are substantial differences between the two DFI; the identified shortcomings are taken as a starting point for policy recommendations

Final report

“Poverty Stoplight” is both a metric and a methodology. Program staff works directly with families in poor communities to complete an easy-to-use, picture-based survey to evaluate poverty levels across a variety of dimensions and indicators. Indicators are self-assessed by the individuals and families who participate, creating data from the bottom up; the method includes measures of agency and organization, is designed to include only indicators that are actionable and; the survey is designed to empower individuals completing the self-assessment, particularly female heads of households. The report details methodology, activities, outputs and outcomes of the project

Overcoming Poverty in Multidimensional Poverty Interventions through Self-assessment and Mentoring

A microfinance organization in Paraguay has developed the “Poverty Stoplight” (PS), an innovative technological tool that allows families to self-assess their level of multidimensional poverty and start an integrated mentoring process whose goal is to empower families to eliminate multidimensional poverty based on what the participants value the most. During the program, a mentor works with participants to design a customized family plan to identify their most significant challenges in order to overcome their deprivations. The PS places human development and poverty elimination as the main objectives for the intervention. This paper has three elements. First, it presents the methodology for poverty intervention and the detailed tool (i.e. a multidimensional metric) used to encourage reflecting and promoting agency. Second, it uses the Capability Approach to explore the potential of the PS intervention to increase agency and decrease multidimensional deprivations. Third, it presents results from an ongoing research project that evaluates the program’s effectiveness in helping participants overcome poverty. This empirical part is based on data collected between August 2015 and June 2017 from over 9,000 microfinance clients and analyzed using the technique of OLS regressions. The results indicate that participation in the program is indeed associated with a higher probability of overcoming multidimensional poverty.</jats:p

Overcoming Poverty in Multidimensional Poverty Interventions through Self-assessment and Mentoring

A microfinance organization in Paraguay has developed the “Poverty Stoplight” (PS), an innovative technological tool that allows families to self-assess their level of multidimensional poverty and start an integrated mentoring process whose goal is to empower families to eliminate multidimensional poverty based on what the participants value the most. During the program, a mentor works with participants to design a customized family plan to identify their most significant challenges in order to overcome their deprivations. The PS places human development and poverty elimination as the main objectives for the intervention. This paper has three elements. First, it presents the methodology for poverty intervention and the detailed tool (i.e. a multidimensional metric) used to encourage reflecting and promoting agency. Second, it uses the Capability Approach to explore the potential of the PS intervention to increase agency and decrease multidimensional deprivations. Third, it presents results from an ongoing research project that evaluates the program’s effectiveness in helping participants overcome poverty. This empirical part is based on data collected between August 2015 and June 2017 from over 9,000 microfinance clients and analyzed using the technique of OLS regressions. The results indicate that participation in the program is indeed associated with a higher probability of overcoming multidimensional poverty