Targeted transfers in poor countries : revisiting the trade-offs and policy options

The conventional wisdom in mainstream development policy circles is that income transfers to the poor, and safety net policies more generally, are at best a short-term palliative and at worst a waste of money. They are not seen as a core element of an effective long-term poverty reduction strategy. These views are starting to be questioned. Firstly, evidence from careful evaluations has pointed to a number of success stories. Secondly, the presumption of an overall trade-off between redistribution or insurance and growth has come to be questioned. This paper revisits the role of targeted transfers in poor countries in light of the new theories on the social costs of uninsured risks and unmitigated inequalities.This body of theory and evidence offers a new perspective on social protection policies in poor countries, suggesting that there is scope for using these policies to compensate for the market failures that help perpetuate poverty, particularly in high-inequality settings. While acknowledging caveats to policy implementation, the paper suggests that it is time for a pragmatic and open-minded approach to this class of interventions, recognizing the potentially important role they can play, but using careful design and evaluation to assure that the potential is realized.Safety Nets and Transfers,Services&Transfers to Poor,Rural Poverty Reduction,Environmental Economics&Policies,Achieving Shared Growth

Communicating about the risks and benefits of genetically modified foods. Effects of different information strategies

The research reported here aimed to investigate the effects of different types of information about genetically modified foods on both consumer attitudes towards genetic modification and their tendency to choose genetically modified products (compared to more traditionally manufactured alternatives). The impact of information strategy (balanced, or product specific), attributed information source (The “European Association of Consumers”, the “European Association of Industry” or the “European Commission”) and type of product (yoghurt or beer) were systematically examined in the four European countries involved in the research. The effects of a classical advertising approach were also examined in Denmark and Germany. The results indicated that • Providing information does not increase acceptance of genetically modified foods. The reverse was found to be true. • In all countries, consumers tended to select non-genetically modified products. Cross-national differences related to type of product were not very pronounced. • Those respondents who had positive prior attitudes towards genetically modified foods were more likely to select genetically modified foods. These attitudes were not influenced by information provision. • The form of information strategy about genetically modified foods was not important. However, the provision of information (in itself) was more likely to activate existing attitudes already held by respondents than change these attitudes. • Labelling of genetically modified products alone was unlikely to result in attitude activation. • These results are likely to be applicable only in cultures in which attitudes towards genetically modified foods are already well established. Information may have a different impact in countries in which the public have not been exposed to information about genetically modified foods. • Information source characteristics do influence consumer choices regarding genetically modified foods. In particular, consumers are more likely to choose genetically modified products if the source providing information about them is perceived to be honest, and the information is product specific, or if the source is perceived to be dishonest, and the information is balanced and general in content. • Industry was perceived to be more dishonest providers of information about genetically modified foods in Denmark, Italy and the United Kingdom, but not in Germany, where industry was as trusted as the other sources. • Increased transparency might improve public trust in industry. However, the public are more likely to believe the European Commission or consumer organisations when communicating about genetic modification.Consumer behaviour; Food; Denmark; Italy; United Kingdom; Germany

An explanatory and predictive PLS-SEM approach to the relationship between organizational culture,organizational performance and customer loyalty: The case of health clubs

Purpose This study aims to analyze the impact and predictive capacity of organizational culture on both customer loyalty and organizational performance in health clubs using data from managers and customers of health clubs in Spain. Design/methodology/approach A total of 101 managers were asked to measure organizational culture and organizational performance and 2,931 customers were asked to indicate their customer loyalty. The proposed hypotheses were tested and their predictability assessed through PLS-SEM. A composite concept was adopted to analyze the relationships between the different constructs and their indicators. Findings The findings suggest that organizational culture has a positive relationship with both customer loyalty and organizational performance. The four main dimensions of organizational culture that influence this relationship are, in order of significance, organizational presence, formalization, atmosphere and service-equipment. The authors’ model has a very good predictive power for both dependent variables. Originality/value Customer loyalty is an aspect of health clubs that can be improved. This study highlights the importance of creating a strong organizational culture in health clubs, as it enhances and predicts customer loyalty and organizational performance. Its predictability has already been tested with samples of managers and customers, with the analysis being performed from the perspective of the organization’s management and customer perceptions. This study also contributes to the field of sport management, using a predictive PLS-SEM techniqu

Targeted transfers in poor countries : revisiting the tradeoffs and policy options

Two tradeoffs have been widely seen to severely constrain the scope for attacking poverty using redistributive transfers in poor countries: an equity-efficiency tradeoff and an insurance-efficiency tradeoff. The author provides a critical overview of recent theoretical and empirical work that has called into question the extent of these tradeoffs in poor countries. He argues that these aggregate tradeoffs are often exaggerated. Indeed, they may not even be binding constraints in practice, given market failures. There appears to be scope for using carefully designed transfer schemes as an effective tool against both transient and chronic poverty. However, the same factors that weaken the tradeoffs also suggest that efficient redistributive policies might look rather different to the programs often found in practice.Health Economics&Finance,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Policies,Services&Transfers to Poor,Poverty Impact Evaluation,Safety Nets and Transfers,Services&Transfers to Poor,Rural Poverty Reduction,Environmental Economics&Policies,Inequality