Most countries around the world implement some form of a safety net program for poor households. A widespread concern is that such programs crowd out private-sector jobs. But they could also improve workers' welfare by allowing them to take on more risk, for example through self-employment. This...

Public works programs in developing countries can reduce poverty in the long term and help lowskilled workers cope with economic shocks in the short term. But success depends on a scheme's design and implementation. Key design factors are: properly identifying the target population; selecting...

Recent years have seen an increasing interest in using public-works programs as anti-poverty measures in developing countries. This paper analyzes the rural labor market impacts of the Indian National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, one of the most ambitious programs of its kind, by using a...

Der Beitrag berichtet über persönliche Erfahrungen aus der Politikberatung in der Frühphase der Arbeitsmarktreformen zu Beginn der letzten Dekade vor dem Hintergrund der wissenschaftlichen Neuorientierung der Wirtschaftsforschungsinstitute aufgrund von Auflagen des Wissenschaftsrates. Der Rat...