Understanding poverty, promoting wellbeing and sustainable development : a sample survey of 16 districts of Zimbabwe

The report presents data drawn from the survey (Moving Zimbabwe Forward Wellbeing and Poverty Survey- MZF) and contextualizes findings in relation to other studies, such as the Poverty Assessment Survey Studies (PASS). It provides comprehensive suggestions for both policy and practice to address poverty in Zimbabwe, while identifying poverty traps: lack of education; lack of quality employment, low land and labour productivity, and health issues. HIV/AIDS, malaria, bilharzias, diabetes, hypertension, infant mortality and maternal morbidity undermine productivity and capital accumulation. A comprehensive social protection programme is necessary, including cash transfers, education and health assistance, and cash (or food) for wor

Multi-donor trust funds and fragile states: assessing the aid effectiveness of the Zimbabwe multi-donor trust fund

It is widely acknowledged that multi-donor trust funds (MDTFs) contribute to aid effectiveness. This paper challenges this assertion through assessing the aid effectiveness of the Zimbabwe Multi-Donor Trust Fund. The paper makes four key arguments. First, political relations between recipient and donor countries are vital in the functioning of MDTFs. Second, the design of MDTFs affects the delivery and functioning of the trust fund. Third, whilst the legitimacy of national governments in fragile states is often contested, targeting legitimate and credible institutions can offer tangible and life changing results. Fourth, MDTFs focusing on the recovery of key sectors such as water, sanitation and energy have direct impacts to economic recovery and people’s lives

Measuring and modelling concurrency

This article explores three critical topics discussed in the recent debate over concurrency (overlapping sexual partnerships): measurement of the prevalence of concurrency, mathematical modelling of concurrency and HIV epidemic dynamics, and measuring the correlation between HIV and concurrency. The focus of the article is the concurrency hypothesis – the proposition that presumed high prevalence of concurrency explains sub-Saharan Africa's exceptionally high HIV prevalence. Recent surveys using improved questionnaire design show reported concurrency ranging from 0.8% to 7.6% in the region. Even after adjusting for plausible levels of reporting errors, appropriately parameterized sexual network models of HIV epidemics do not generate sustainable epidemic trajectories (avoid epidemic extinction) at levels of concurrency found in recent surveys in sub-Saharan Africa. Efforts to support the concurrency hypothesis with a statistical correlation between HIV incidence and concurrency prevalence are not yet successful. Two decades of efforts to find evidence in support of the concurrency hypothesis have failed to build a convincing case

Moving Zimbabwe Forward : An Evidence – Based Policy Dialogue Initiative; Pathways Out of Poverty for Zimbabwe – conference report, 30 November - 1 December 2011, Harare

The objectives of the conference were to examine the current nature of well-being and poverty in Zimbabwe; explore the situation regarding vulnerable groups, particularly women and children; and identify options and opportunities, pro-poor policies and programmes for moving out of poverty, including smallholder agriculture. Agro-ecological region has a marked effect on poverty levels as discovered through the Moving Zimbabwe Forward (MZF) survey. Household consumption and income data were collected as well as participants’ subjective perceptions of their well-being and poverty. Reviews of conference paper presentations are provided