1 option
Should Cash Transfers be Confined to the Poor? : Implications for Poverty and Inequality in Latin America / Acosta, Pablo
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository (formerly "World Bank E-Library Publications") Available online
View online- Format:
- Book
- Government document
- Author/Creator:
- Acosta, Pablo
- Series:
- Policy research working papers.
- World Bank e-Library.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Cash transfer programs.
- Inequality.
- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth.
- Poverty gap.
- Poverty Monitoring & Analysis.
- Poverty Reduction.
- Poverty targeted transfers.
- Regional Economic Development.
- Rural Poverty Reduction.
- Services & Transfers to Poor.
- Social Development.
- Local Subjects:
- Cash transfer programs.
- Inequality.
- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth.
- Poverty gap.
- Poverty Monitoring & Analysis.
- Poverty Reduction.
- Poverty targeted transfers.
- Regional Economic Development.
- Rural Poverty Reduction.
- Services & Transfers to Poor.
- Social Development.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (35 pages)
- Other Title:
- Should Cash Transfers be Confined to the Poor?
- Place of Publication:
- Washington, D.C., The World Bank, 2011
- System Details:
- data file
- Summary:
- This paper compares for 13 Latin American countries the poverty and inequality impacts of cash transfer programs that are given to all children and the elderly (that is, "categorical" transfers), to programs of equal budget that are confined to the poor within each population group (that is, "poverty targeted" transfers). The analysis finds that both the incidence of poverty and the depth of the poverty gap are important factors affecting the relative effectiveness of categorical versus poverty targeted transfers. The comparison of transfers to children and the elderly also supports the view that choosing carefully categories of beneficiaries is almost as important as targeting the poor for achieving a high poverty and inequality impact. Overall, the findings suggest that although in the Latin American context poverty targeting tends to deliver higher poverty impacts, there are circumstances under which categorical targeting confined to geographical regions (sometimes called "geographic targeting") may be a valid option to consider. This is particularly the case in low-income countries with widespread pockets of poverty.
The Penn Libraries is committed to describing library materials using current, accurate, and responsible language. If you discover outdated or inaccurate language, please fill out this feedback form to report it and suggest alternative language.