On a worldwide basis, microfinance institutions (MFIs) provide financial services to the poorest households. To date, funding of MFI activities has come primarily from outright donor grants, government subsidies, and often debt capital, including debt with non-market terms favorable to the MFI....

The purpose of the study is to assess the economics of dairy farming in Bangladesh and the prospects for improving the dairy income for small-scale producers, which currently form the backbone of the dairy industry. The document begins with a general overview of milk production in the country,...

The purpose of the study is to assess the economics of dairy farming in the state of Orissa, one of the poorest states in India, and to evaluate the prospects for improving the dairy income for small-scale producers, which currently form the backbone of the dairy industry. The study applies a...

Public agricultural research has come under increasing pressure to redefine its strategic priorities to contribute to poverty alleviation goals. However, the issue of whether the poor benefit more from agricultural research that pursues efficiency or equity objectives remains unresolved, largely...

The HIPC Initiative requires countries receiving debt relief to undertake a Poverty Reduction Strategy programme involving elements of trade policy reform. This study reviews country experiences with respect to the impact of reforms of trade and trade-related policies on economic performance,...

In view of rising wage inequality and increasing poverty, the introduction of a legal minimum wage has recently become an important policy issue in Germany. We analyze the distributional effects of the introduction of a nationwide legal minimum wage of € 7.5 per hour on the basis of a...

Ein Argument für die Einführung eines gesetzlichen Mindestlohnes in Deutschland ist die Verringerung von Armut der arbeitenden Bevölkerung. Eine aktuelle Studie des DIW Berlin untersucht die Verteilungswirkungen eines bundesweiten Mindestlohnes von 7,50 Euro auf Löhne und Haushaltseinkommen....

The 2004 Annual Review of Development Effectiveness (ARDE) analyses and evaluates the World Bank's development assistance activities. It concludes that the Bank has paid insufficient attention to issues of growth. Furthermore, it argues that without growth no sustainable poverty reduction is...

The movement emphasizing free markets to reduce poverty has found strong expression in the ‘bottom of the pyramid’ approach in recent years. It views the poor as “resilient and creative entrepreneurs and value-conscious consumers”. This romanticized view of the poor harms the poor in two...