Compared with most other Indian states, women's reported work participation rates have historically been low in West Bengal. This trend is more prominent in rural areas. Historians have tried to explain this phenomenon in terms of culture and the ideology of domesticity. While persisting...

This paper is intended to show the strengths, weaknesses and potential complementarities of different methodological approaches to impact assessment. It reports on the approach and findings reported by a randomized control trial of BRAC's Targeting the Ultra-Poor programme, directed towards...