Contents: 1.The Changing Profile of Poverty in the World/Shaohua Chen and Martin Ravallion. 2.Characteristics and Causes of Severe Poverty and Hunger/Akhter U. Ahmed, Ruth Vargas Hill, Lisa C. Smith, and Tim Frankenberger. 3.The Poorest and Hungry: Looking Below the Line/Akhter U. Ahmed, Ruth...

This brief describes research in Bangladesh. The brief argues that poor diet quality and low bioavailability of dietary iron are important factors contributing to iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Nevertheless, can food-based interventions be successful in reducing IDA? Will such interventions be...

The brief states that the bargaining power of men and women crucially shapes the resource allocation decisions households make. Husbands and wives often use their bargaining power to express different priorities about how assets should be allocated. Understanding these differences and their...

The brief discusses the growing body of literature [that] suggests that men and women allocate resources under their control in systematically different ways. Studies have examined the effect of women's income on household expenditure patterns and found that women typically spend a higher...

Over the past two decades, Bangladesh has transformed its food markets and food policies to free the country from the constant threat of famine. The authors, in this report, describe this remarkable transformation.

The "Green Revolution" of the 1960s and 1970s produced an unprecedented growth in agriculture in developing countries. The authors of this Brief examine the Green Revolution's impacts on agricultural production and its social impacts. They then turn to the problems it may have engendered as...