Incentive and crowding out effects of foodassistance: Evidence from randomizedevaluation of food-for-training project inSouthern Sudan

Food assistance is one of the most common forms of safety net programs in postconflictsituations. Besides the humanitarian and promotional roles, there arewidespread scepticisms of food assistance regarding its possible influence ondisincentive to work and on crowding out of private transfers. While there is arelatively large amount of empirical research on social protection in stable context, itis less researched in post-conflict situations. Based on randomized evaluation of afood-for-training program implemented in Southern Sudan, this paper estimatesthese effects. We observe a significant negative impact (about 13%) on per capitahousehold income. However, there is no effect on the hours of work or the type ofthe economic activities of the adult members. The decline in income mostlyhappened through a reduction in child labor. There is also a positive effect on schoolenrolment for girls (about 10 percentage points) and an improvement in theirhousing status. We also do not find any indication of crowding out of privatetransfers for the participants. This is most likely due to the extent of private transfersbeing very low to begin with. However, there is a small but significant impact of thetransfers given out by the participants.food assistance, incentive, crowding-out, Southern Sudan

Social protection and human capital accumulation in developing countries

My thesis comprises of three stand‐alone papers, which are connected by the theme of social protection and human capital accumulation. In the first paper, using experimental data from South Sudan, I focus on evaluating the effects of food transfer on household labour supply decisions and crowding‐out of informal private transfers. I do not observe significant impact on either of these two domains, except reduction in child labour. This effect corresponds with increased school enrolment of children. I find that positive income shocks from short‐term food transfers induced the households to invest in durable goods, and child ‘non‐work’ is a luxury good for the ultra‐poor. The second paper evaluates the effects of a policy related to exam standard on labour market performance of secondary school graduates in Bangladesh. Using a natural experiment, the paper shows that lowering standard reduced labour market returns for the graduates. General equilibrium effects of increased supply of graduates and lower human capital accumulation due to lower standard have been identified as possible mechanisms underlying this labour market effect. In my third paper, I evaluate the effects of an asset transfer programme for the ultra‐poor in Bangladesh on children’s enrolment. I find that despite exceptionally large positive impact on household income, asset transfer did not increase enrolment rates. Moreover, there was increased demand for child labour in these households. The evidence suggests that asset transfer may not be sufficient to increase school enrolment among households in extreme poverty and may have unintended effects on child labor

BRAC-CEGA learning collaborative - supporting graduation programs through empirical evidence and leadership promotion : final technical report

The collaboration between BRAC (Building Resources Across Communities) and CEGA (Center for Effective Global Action) helped to share BRAC learnings with a wide research and development community and contributed to BRAC’s long term goal of institutionalizing the use of evidence in creating opportunities for economic growth and wellbeing among those living in extreme poverty. This report provides the details of activities accomplished under the project while focusing on substantive achievements and lessons learned. BRAC is the largest development NGO in the world, providing almost 140 million people globally with empowerment and livelihood programs, financial services, and health care

Supporting young and female entrepreneurs for SME growth in Uganda and Somalia

This project was designed to analyze services offered by two innovation support agencies: Microfinance Support Centre in Uganda and Shaqodoon in Somalia. The study sought to situate the two by identifying their support for SMEs in their countries. How they contribute towards supporting young female entrepreneurs in their entrepreneurship journey. More especially starting and sustaining small enterprises, and how their support advance equity, diversity, and inclusiveness (EDI) within the SME sector. The study also sought to examine the broader ecosystem of SME support promotion in both countries and assess the state of knowledge on the design and impact of the innovation programs

Social incentives, delivery agents, and the effectiveness of development interventions

There has been a rise in the use of the local delivery model for development interventions, where local agents are hired as intermediaries to target benefits to potential beneficiaries. We study this model in the context of a standard agricultural extension intervention in Uganda. We document a trade-off between coverage and targeting: delivery agents treat more farmers when they have a greater number of social ties, but they are significantly more likely to target their nonpoor ties. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for the design of the local delivery model for antipoverty interventions

Ultra poor graduation programme : endline report

BRAC Uganda (Building Resources Across Communities) implemented the Ultra Poor Graduation project with the objective of improving the livelihoods and welfare of poor and vulnerable households. The model relies on a staggered approach whereby poor households are provided with multiple interventions to help them smooth their immediate consumption expenditures while allowing them to build resilient livelihoods. For youth that participated in the project, there was significant improvement in agricultural and livestock productivity. The project also resulted in impressive improvements in household food security. As well, the number of households practicing recommended water and sanitation measures increased

Tackling youth unemployment: evidence from a labor market experiment in Uganda

We design a labor market experiment to compare demand- and supply-side policies to tackle youth unemployment, a key issue in low-income countries. The experiment tracks 1700 workers and 1500 firms over four years to compare the effect of offering workers either vocational training (VT) or firm-provided training (FT) for six months in a common setting where youth unemployment is above 60%. Relative to control workers we find that averaged over three post-intervention years, FT and VT workers: (i) enjoy large and similar upticks in sector-specific skills, (ii) significantly improve their employment rates, and, (iii) experience marked improvements in an index of labor market outcomes. These averages, however, mask differences in dynamics: FT gains materialize quickly but fade over time, while VT gains emerge slowly but are long-lasting, leading VT worker employment and earning profiles to rise above those of FT workers. Estimating a job ladder model of worker search reveals the key reason for this: VT workers receive significantly higher rates of job offers when unemployed thus hastening their movement back into work. This likely stems from the fact that the skills of VT workers are certified and therefore can be demonstrated to potential employers. Tackling youth unemployment by skilling youth using vocational training pre-labor market entry, therefore appears to be more effective than incentivizing firms through wage subsidies to hire and train young labor market entrants

Labor markets and poverty in village economies

We study how women’s choices over labor activities in village economies correlate with poverty and whether enabling the poorest women to take on the activities of their richer counterparts can set them on a sustainable trajectory out of poverty. To do this we conduct a large-scale randomized control trial, covering over 21,000 households in 1,309 villages surveyed four times over a seven year period, to evaluate a nationwide program in Bangladesh that transfers livestock assets and skills to the poorest women. At baseline, the poorest women mostly engage in low return and seasonal casual wage labor while wealthier women solely engage in livestock rearing. The program enables poor women to start engaging in livestock rearing, increasing their aggregate labor supply and earnings. This leads to asset accumulation (livestock, land and business assets) and poverty reduction, both sustained after four and seven years. These gains do not crowd out the livestock businesses of noneligible households while the wages these receive for casual jobs increase as the poor reduce their labor supply. Our results show that: (i) the poor are able to take on the work activities of the non-poor but face barriers to doing so, and, (ii) one-off interventions that remove these barriers lead to sustainable poverty reduction