Community-based Targeting and Initial Local Conditions: Evidence from Indonesia’s IDT Program

Community-based selection of social program recipients has the potential to benefit from local knowledge about individuals in need. This informational advantage however might be offset by local elite capture and administrative incompetency. Using Indonesia's anti-poverty program, this paper investigates which pre-program conditions are associated with community-based targeting outcomes. Results show that wealthier and more unequal villages constantly target better. This suggests that, though there is much concern about local capture in communities with large inequality, the ease of identifying the poor could overwhelm the possibly larger political influence of local elites. Also, villages headed by young, educated persons initially exhibit better targeting, but lose this advantage over time, as the monitoring of loan disbursement becomes more difficult for village heads. I explore Indonesia's political context, which provides insight into these findings.targeting, community, inequality, IDT, Indonesia

Parental Investment in Children: Differential Pathways of Parental Education and Mental Health

This paper examines pathways through which parental characteristics might affect children’s cognitive and behavioural outcomes. Using the 2004 LSAC, I show that more educated and mentally healthier parents are likely to have children with better outcomes. While educated parents are more frequently engaged in education-oriented activities with their children, mentally healthier parents exhibit more favourable parenting practices. To the extent that these results reflect causal relationships, they suggest that parental education and mental health affect children’s outcomes through different pathways.parental education, parental mental health, test score, behavioural outcome, parenting

Children's Health and Parental Labour Supply

This paper investigates the relationship between children's long-term health problems and parental labour supply using the 2004, 2006 and 2008 Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). The results from the individual Fixed Effects Model indicate that mothers of children aged 0years in 2004 reduce their labour supply when their children start to show long-term health problems, and their household income declines by 8 per cent, mainly due to the partners' shift from permanent to fixed-term work. Parents of children aged 4years in 2004 show no change in these outcomes associated with the onset of their children's long-term health problems

Heterogeneity in the returns to investment in poor villages

Under Indonesia\u27s anti-poverty program, IDT, the government provided selected poor villages with grants of the same value, regardless of population size. Exploiting the variation in per household grant value that is caused by this program design, the author estimates the returns to public grants, which are designated for investment loans. Results show that the returns are heterogeneous. Villages with pre-existing market facilities demonstrate increases in male labor supply, per capita income (PCI) and per capita expenditure (PCE). However, villages not accessible by land exhibit few changes in labor supply or PCI and yet an increase in PCE, particularly on festivals. These results suggest that the returns to investment capital are limited without a basic economic infrastructure

Heterogeneity in the Returns to Investment in Poor Villages

Under Indonesia's anti-poverty program, IDT, the government provided selected poor villages with grants of the same value, regardless of population size. Exploiting the variation in per household grant value that is caused by this program design, I estimate the returns to public grants, which are designated for investment loans. Results show that the returns are heterogeneous. Villages with pre-existing market facilities demonstrate increases in male labor supply, per capita income (PCI) and per capita expenditure (PCE). However, villages not accessible by land exhibit few changes in labor supply or PCI and yet an increase in PCE, particularly on festivals. These results suggest that the returns to investment capital are limited without a basic economic infrastructure.poverty, labor supply, investment, IDT, Indonesia

Rural–Urban Migration in Indonesia: Survey Design and Implementation

This paper summarizes the study design of the Rural–Urban Migration in China and Indonesia (RUMiCI) project. We first discuss the overall distribution of migrants in Indonesia and the selection of survey cities. Next, we describe the process of identifying the migration status of each household in the sampling frame, using a presurvey listing. This is followed by a discussion of the sampling method, focusing on the oversampling of migrant households. The timeline of the survey is then discussed and the questionnaire is summarized. Finally, we provide some concluding remarks.migration, survey design, sampling, questionnaire

Rural–Urban migration in Indonesia: Survey design and implementation

This paper summarizes the study design of the Rural–Urban Migration in Indonesia (RUMiI) project. We first discuss the overall distribution of migrants in Indonesia and the selection of survey cities. Next, we describe the process of identifying the migration status of each household in the sampling frame, using a pre-survey listing. This is followed by a discussion of the sampling method, focusing on the oversampling of migrant households. The timeline of the survey is then discussed and the questionnaire is summarized. Finally, we provide some concluding remarks.Australian Research Council, AusAID, IZA, Ford Foundatio

Preventive Effects of Health-Food Drinks on the Obesity and DNA Damage of Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet under a Mild Stress

The body weight gain of mice fed an obesity-inducing diet is suppressed by a mild restraint stress, but at the same time, as previously reported, the stress induces DNA damage in the cells of multiple organs. In the present study, we attempted to prevent not only the obesity but also the DNA damage of mice fed an obesity-inducing diet under a mild restraint with commercially available health-food drinks such as fruit and vegetable juices, soymilks, vinegars and lactic acid bacteria drinks, which are rich in antioxidants. The body weight gain of young female mice fed a high-fat diet containing 20% fat for 4 weeks was considerably inhibited by restraint for 15 min per day in weeks 2 to 4 of 4-week period. The inhibition was further promoted with the concomitant administration of health-food drinks noted above, and was accompanied by a decrease of periovular fat, a major abdominal fat in the female mice. The definite loss of energy intake in the mice given health-food drinks was approximately compensated by the energy of the drink administered. On the other hand, the increase of DNA damage generated by restraint in the cells of five organs – the liver, pancreas, spleen, heart and bone marrow – was markedly suppressed with the administration of these drinks. The results suggest that a combination of mild stress and intake of suitable health-food containing some antioxidants may inhibit lifestyle-related diseases including hyperlipidemia and obesity, which may contribute to the inhibition of metabolic syndrome and childhood obesity