This paper studies the political economy of relief allocation using evidence from aid programs after cyclone Gafilo hit Madagascar in 2004. Relief was provided by the government as well as local and international aid agencies. Aid was more likely in areas with a higher need for relief, in more...

Summary This paper investigates the role of media and monitoring in reducing capture. We analyze data on capture of public expenditures by local officials in Madagascar. Our findings indicate important constraints on decentralization of public service delivery, in particular in remote areas....

Summary Global retail companies ("supermarkets") have an increasing influence on developing countries, through foreign investments and/or through the imposition of their private standards. The impact on developing countries and poverty is often assessed as negative. In this paper we show the...

Summary Modern retail is quickly becoming an important driver of change in food markets in developing countries. However, the impact of this development on basic food prices facing urban consumers is not well understood. In a detailed case study of Delhi, modern retail is shown to emerge...

In Dhaka, the share of the less expensive coarse rice is shown to be rapidly decreasing in rice markets and it thus seems that the role of rice as only a cheap staple food is being redefined. The increasing demand for the more expensive varieties is seemingly associated with a more important...

Summary This paper uses a unique, spatially-explicit dataset to study the link between agricultural performance and rural poverty in Madagascar. We show that, controlling for geographical and physical characteristics, communes that have higher rates of adoption of improved agricultural...

Summary The combination of transition and globalization since the early 1990s has caused dramatic changes in the dairy chains in Central and Eastern Europe. This paper uses survey evidence from several Central and East European countries to document the growth of vertical coordination in the...

Summary This article introduces this special issue on the rapid transformation of the agrifood industry in developing countries and its effects on small farmers. We review the literature from the late 1980s to the present and find evidence first of food processing then retail transformation, and...

Summary In the debate on trade and poverty it is argued that standards act as trade barriers and cause marginalization of the poor. This paper quantifies income and poverty effects of high-standards trade and integrates labor market effects, by using company and household survey data from the...