Summary This paper uses a newly constructed cross-country database composed of comparable income aggregates to examine the full range of income generating activities carried out by rural households. The analysis paints a clear picture of multiple activities across rural space in countries on all...

Summary This paper examines the links between the assets and the economic activities of rural households in developing countries to provide insight into how the promotion of certain key assets--particularly education, land, and infrastructure--influences the economic choices of these households....

Summary This paper assesses the current rural development practice against the main trends in recent rural development thinking, based on evidence from four country case studies. While much progress has been made in understanding the need to look beyond only agriculture for the promotion of...

Summary This paper uses a duration analysis based on adoption data spanning 25 years from six communities in the Central Highlands of Guatemala to explore how household characteristics and external trends play into both the adoption and diffusion processes of non-traditional exports (NTX) among...

Summary This paper evaluates the behavioral impact of conditionality and gender targeting on spending behavior in the Progresa conditional cash transfer (CCT) program from rural Mexico. Results indicate that transfer income is not spent differently from general income, suggesting that transfers...

Summary This paper analyzes the characteristics of beneficiaries who drop out of the Mexican conditional cash transfer program Oportunidades to determine if dropping out of the program is a result of self-targeting by the non-poor or the exclusion of the target poor population. Using...

In poverty reduction programs, a significant number of beneficiaries change program status. An analysis of Oportunidades’ data from urban Mexico shows that beneficiaries that drop out for behavioral and administrative reasons are those who are marginally eligible, improving targeting through...