Targeted Transfers in Poor Countries : Revisiting the Tradeoffs and Policy Options

Two tradeoffs have been widely seen to severely constrain the scope for attacking poverty using redistributive transfers in poor countries: an equity-efficiency tradeoff and an insurance-efficiency tradeoff. The author provides a critical overview...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ravallion, Martin
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
en_US
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:
EGS
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/05/2360829/targeted-transfers-poor-countries-revisiting-tradeoffs-policy-options
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18213
id okr-10986-18213
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-182132021-04-23T14:03:41Z Targeted Transfers in Poor Countries : Revisiting the Tradeoffs and Policy Options Ravallion, Martin TARGETED ASSISTANCE TARGETED SUBSIDIES REDISTRIBUTION TRADEOFFS EQUITY OBJECTIVES RISK MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS ADVERSE EFFECTS ADVERSE IMPACT AGGREGATE GROWTH AGGREGATE OUTPUT ASSET DISTRIBUTION ASSET INEQUALITY ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION CASH TRANSFERS CHRONIC POVERTY CONSUMPTION GROWTH COUNTRY-SPECIFIC EFFECTS CREDIT MARKET CREDIT MARKET FAILURE DATA SET DECISION MAKING DEVELOPED COUNTRIES DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DIMINISHING RETURNS DROUGHT DYNAMIC PANEL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ECONOMIC GROWTH EGS EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE EMPIRICAL RESEARCH EMPIRICAL RESULTS EMPIRICAL STUDIES EMPIRICAL SUPPORT EMPIRICAL WORK EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION EXTERNALITIES FAMINE GROWTH PROCESS GROWTH PROSPECTS GROWTH RATE GROWTH RATES GROWTH REGRESSION HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD INCOME HUMAN CAPITAL IDIOSYNCRATIC SHOCKS IMPACT OF INEQUALITY INCOME INCOME GROUPS INCOME INEQUALITY INCOME RISK INCOME SHOCKS INCOME SUPPORT INCOME TRANSFERS INCOMES INDICATOR TARGETING INEQUALITY INEQUALITY REDUCTION INFLATION INSURANCE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES INVOLUNTARY UNEMPLOYMENT LABOR FORCE LAND INEQUALITY LINK BETWEEN INEQUALITY AND GROWTH LOW INCOME MARKET FAILURES MARKET IMPERFECTIONS MEAN INCOME MEANS TESTING MEANS TESTS MEASUREMENT ERRORS MEASUREMENT PROBLEMS NEGATIVE CORRELATION NEGATIVE SHOCK NUTRITIONAL STATUS POLICY CIRCLES POLICY DESIGN POLICY IMPLICATIONS POLICY INTERVENTION POLICY INTERVENTIONS POLICY MAKERS POLICY OPTIONS POLICY RESEARCH POLITICAL ECONOMY POLITICAL SUPPORT POOR POOR AREAS POOR COUNTRIES POOR GROWTH POOR PEOPLE POPULATION SHARE POVERTY INDEX POVERTY LEVELS POVERTY REDUCTION POVERTY REDUCTION OBJECTIVE POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITY PRODUCTIVE OPPORTUNITIES PRODUCTIVITY PUBLIC SPENDING RANDOM WALK REDISTRIBUTIVE POLICIES REDISTRIBUTIVE POLICY REDUCING INEQUALITY REDUCING POVERTY RISING INEQUALITY SAFETY NETS SAVINGS SOCIAL COSTS TARGETED TRANSFERS TARGETING TARGETING MECHANISMS TAXATION THEORETICAL MODELS TRADEOFFS TRANSFER PROGRAMS UNEMPLOYMENT WAGES RISK MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS Two tradeoffs have been widely seen to severely constrain the scope for attacking poverty using redistributive transfers in poor countries: an equity-efficiency tradeoff and an insurance-efficiency tradeoff. The author provides a critical overview of recent theoretical and empirical work that has called into question the extent of these tradeoffs in poor countries. He argues that these aggregate tradeoffs are often exaggerated. Indeed, they may not even be binding constraints in practice, given market failures. There appears to be scope for using carefully designed transfer schemes as an effective tool against both transient and chronic poverty. However, the same factors that weaken the tradeoffs also suggest that efficient redistributive policies might look rather different to the programs often found in practice. 2014-05-09T18:40:14Z 2014-05-09T18:40:14Z 2003-05 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/05/2360829/targeted-transfers-poor-countries-revisiting-tradeoffs-policy-options http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18213 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 3048 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic TARGETED ASSISTANCE
TARGETED SUBSIDIES
REDISTRIBUTION
TRADEOFFS
EQUITY OBJECTIVES
RISK MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS
ADVERSE EFFECTS
ADVERSE IMPACT
AGGREGATE GROWTH
AGGREGATE OUTPUT
ASSET DISTRIBUTION
ASSET INEQUALITY
ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION
CASH TRANSFERS
CHRONIC POVERTY
CONSUMPTION GROWTH
COUNTRY-SPECIFIC EFFECTS
CREDIT MARKET
CREDIT MARKET FAILURE
DATA SET
DECISION MAKING
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DIMINISHING RETURNS
DROUGHT
DYNAMIC PANEL
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
ECONOMIC GROWTH
EGS
EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE
EMPIRICAL RESEARCH
EMPIRICAL RESULTS
EMPIRICAL STUDIES
EMPIRICAL SUPPORT
EMPIRICAL WORK
EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION
EXTERNALITIES
FAMINE
GROWTH PROCESS
GROWTH PROSPECTS
GROWTH RATE
GROWTH RATES
GROWTH REGRESSION
HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION
HOUSEHOLD DATA
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
HUMAN CAPITAL
IDIOSYNCRATIC SHOCKS
IMPACT OF INEQUALITY
INCOME
INCOME GROUPS
INCOME INEQUALITY
INCOME RISK
INCOME SHOCKS
INCOME SUPPORT
INCOME TRANSFERS
INCOMES
INDICATOR TARGETING
INEQUALITY
INEQUALITY REDUCTION
INFLATION
INSURANCE
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
INVOLUNTARY UNEMPLOYMENT
LABOR FORCE
LAND INEQUALITY
LINK BETWEEN INEQUALITY AND GROWTH
LOW INCOME
MARKET FAILURES
MARKET IMPERFECTIONS
MEAN INCOME
MEANS TESTING
MEANS TESTS
MEASUREMENT ERRORS
MEASUREMENT PROBLEMS
NEGATIVE CORRELATION
NEGATIVE SHOCK
NUTRITIONAL STATUS
POLICY CIRCLES
POLICY DESIGN
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
POLICY INTERVENTION
POLICY INTERVENTIONS
POLICY MAKERS
POLICY OPTIONS
POLICY RESEARCH
POLITICAL ECONOMY
POLITICAL SUPPORT
POOR
POOR AREAS
POOR COUNTRIES
POOR GROWTH
POOR PEOPLE
POPULATION SHARE
POVERTY INDEX
POVERTY LEVELS
POVERTY REDUCTION
POVERTY REDUCTION OBJECTIVE
POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY
PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITY
PRODUCTIVE OPPORTUNITIES
PRODUCTIVITY
PUBLIC SPENDING
RANDOM WALK
REDISTRIBUTIVE POLICIES
REDISTRIBUTIVE POLICY
REDUCING INEQUALITY
REDUCING POVERTY
RISING INEQUALITY
SAFETY NETS
SAVINGS
SOCIAL COSTS
TARGETED TRANSFERS
TARGETING
TARGETING MECHANISMS
TAXATION
THEORETICAL MODELS
TRADEOFFS
TRANSFER PROGRAMS
UNEMPLOYMENT
WAGES
RISK MANAGEMENT
ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS
spellingShingle TARGETED ASSISTANCE
TARGETED SUBSIDIES
REDISTRIBUTION
TRADEOFFS
EQUITY OBJECTIVES
RISK MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS
ADVERSE EFFECTS
ADVERSE IMPACT
AGGREGATE GROWTH
AGGREGATE OUTPUT
ASSET DISTRIBUTION
ASSET INEQUALITY
ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION
CASH TRANSFERS
CHRONIC POVERTY
CONSUMPTION GROWTH
COUNTRY-SPECIFIC EFFECTS
CREDIT MARKET
CREDIT MARKET FAILURE
DATA SET
DECISION MAKING
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DIMINISHING RETURNS
DROUGHT
DYNAMIC PANEL
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
ECONOMIC GROWTH
EGS
EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE
EMPIRICAL RESEARCH
EMPIRICAL RESULTS
EMPIRICAL STUDIES
EMPIRICAL SUPPORT
EMPIRICAL WORK
EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION
EXTERNALITIES
FAMINE
GROWTH PROCESS
GROWTH PROSPECTS
GROWTH RATE
GROWTH RATES
GROWTH REGRESSION
HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION
HOUSEHOLD DATA
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
HUMAN CAPITAL
IDIOSYNCRATIC SHOCKS
IMPACT OF INEQUALITY
INCOME
INCOME GROUPS
INCOME INEQUALITY
INCOME RISK
INCOME SHOCKS
INCOME SUPPORT
INCOME TRANSFERS
INCOMES
INDICATOR TARGETING
INEQUALITY
INEQUALITY REDUCTION
INFLATION
INSURANCE
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
INVOLUNTARY UNEMPLOYMENT
LABOR FORCE
LAND INEQUALITY
LINK BETWEEN INEQUALITY AND GROWTH
LOW INCOME
MARKET FAILURES
MARKET IMPERFECTIONS
MEAN INCOME
MEANS TESTING
MEANS TESTS
MEASUREMENT ERRORS
MEASUREMENT PROBLEMS
NEGATIVE CORRELATION
NEGATIVE SHOCK
NUTRITIONAL STATUS
POLICY CIRCLES
POLICY DESIGN
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
POLICY INTERVENTION
POLICY INTERVENTIONS
POLICY MAKERS
POLICY OPTIONS
POLICY RESEARCH
POLITICAL ECONOMY
POLITICAL SUPPORT
POOR
POOR AREAS
POOR COUNTRIES
POOR GROWTH
POOR PEOPLE
POPULATION SHARE
POVERTY INDEX
POVERTY LEVELS
POVERTY REDUCTION
POVERTY REDUCTION OBJECTIVE
POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY
PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITY
PRODUCTIVE OPPORTUNITIES
PRODUCTIVITY
PUBLIC SPENDING
RANDOM WALK
REDISTRIBUTIVE POLICIES
REDISTRIBUTIVE POLICY
REDUCING INEQUALITY
REDUCING POVERTY
RISING INEQUALITY
SAFETY NETS
SAVINGS
SOCIAL COSTS
TARGETED TRANSFERS
TARGETING
TARGETING MECHANISMS
TAXATION
THEORETICAL MODELS
TRADEOFFS
TRANSFER PROGRAMS
UNEMPLOYMENT
WAGES
RISK MANAGEMENT
ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS
Ravallion, Martin
Targeted Transfers in Poor Countries : Revisiting the Tradeoffs and Policy Options
relation Policy Research Working Paper;No. 3048
description Two tradeoffs have been widely seen to severely constrain the scope for attacking poverty using redistributive transfers in poor countries: an equity-efficiency tradeoff and an insurance-efficiency tradeoff. The author provides a critical overview of recent theoretical and empirical work that has called into question the extent of these tradeoffs in poor countries. He argues that these aggregate tradeoffs are often exaggerated. Indeed, they may not even be binding constraints in practice, given market failures. There appears to be scope for using carefully designed transfer schemes as an effective tool against both transient and chronic poverty. However, the same factors that weaken the tradeoffs also suggest that efficient redistributive policies might look rather different to the programs often found in practice.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author Ravallion, Martin
author_facet Ravallion, Martin
author_sort Ravallion, Martin
title Targeted Transfers in Poor Countries : Revisiting the Tradeoffs and Policy Options
title_short Targeted Transfers in Poor Countries : Revisiting the Tradeoffs and Policy Options
title_full Targeted Transfers in Poor Countries : Revisiting the Tradeoffs and Policy Options
title_fullStr Targeted Transfers in Poor Countries : Revisiting the Tradeoffs and Policy Options
title_full_unstemmed Targeted Transfers in Poor Countries : Revisiting the Tradeoffs and Policy Options
title_sort targeted transfers in poor countries : revisiting the tradeoffs and policy options
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2014
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/05/2360829/targeted-transfers-poor-countries-revisiting-tradeoffs-policy-options
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18213
_version_ 1764439148440059904