In most developing countries, poverty is more widespread and severe in rural than in urban areas. The author reviews some important aspects of rural poverty and draws key implications for public policy. He presents a policy framework for reducing poverty, taking into account the functional...

Natural disaster risk is emerging as an increasingly important constraint on economic development and poverty reduction. This paper first sets out the key stylized facts in the area-that the costs of disaster have been increasing, seem set to continue to increase, and bear especially heavily on...

This paper explores the role of foreign aid and remittance inflows in the mitigation of the effects of food price shocks. Using a large sample of developing countries and mobilising dynamic panel data specifications, the econometric results yield two important findings. First, remittance and aid...

This paper reviews the Third Progress Report 2002/03 for Tanzania’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. The report highlights what the government did during the past year in terms of policy developments, an assessment of the achievements and challenges, including the monitoring system. There are...

This Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) on Djibouti explains past strategies and the PRSP formulation process. Djibouti suffers from a gross lack of reliable health statistics. Available information gives only a fragmented picture of the reality, but globally, it reveals a difficult health...

This report assesses the Annual Progress Report on the implementation of the Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction Program (SDPRP), which is the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for Ethiopia. It reviews the fundamental development objectives of the SDPRP to build a free-market economic...

This paper examines Sierra Leone’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). Sierra Leone’s PRSP considers a number of short- to medium-term challenges that should not only impact immediately on the living conditions of people but also lay solid foundations for addressing the...

The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) on Burkina Faso explains economic growth and persistence. The government intends to strengthen the foundations of macroeconomic and financial stability, and enhance competitiveness in promising sectors. Success in meeting the expected objectives of...

Global food aid is considered a critical consumption smoothing mechanism in many countries. However, its record of stabilizing consumption has been mixed. This paper examines the cyclical properties of food aid with respect to food availability in recipient countries, with a view to assessing...

This report reviews the Joint Staff Assessment of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Annual Progress Report for The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. It summarizes the Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction Program (SDPRP), which is the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for...