Progressively targeted cash transfers remain the dominant policy response to chronic poverty in developing countries. But are there alternative social protection policies that might have larger poverty impacts over time for the same public expenditure? To explore this question, this paper...

The effective design and implementation of interventions that reduce vulnerability and poverty require a solid understanding of underlying poverty dynamics and associated behavioral responses. Stochastic and dynamic benefit streams can make it difficult for the poor to learn the value of such...

Intro -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction / Christopher B. Barrett, Michael R. Carter, and Jean- Paul Chavas -- I. Nutrition, Health, and Human Capital Formation -- 1. Human Capital and Shocks: Evidence on Education, Health, and Nutrition / Elizabeth Frankenberg and Duncan Thomas --...