Impact evaluation

Economists have engaged for some time in developing methodologies for assessing the economic impact of agricultural research and in undertaking empirical studies to measure this impact. In recent years they have documented more than 1,800 estimates of rates of return to agricultural research. Economists have paid little attention, however, to how to evaluate the impact of social science research. A symposium conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute in 1997 was one of the first attempts to address this knowledge gap. In November 2001 the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and IFPRI brought together a group of researchers to follow up on the earlier symposium. Their conclusions fall into two broad categories: how to measure or value the economic impact of policy-oriented social science research and how to enhance the effectiveness of such research in policymaking environments. This brief summarizes the key elements of the work of the conference.Agricultural research Congresses ,

Out of the shadow of famine

Over the past two decades, Bangladesh has transformed its food markets and food policies to free the country from the constant threat of famine. The authors, in this report, describe this remarkable transformation.

2020 Focus briefs on the world's poor and hungry people:

Contents: 1.The Changing Profile of Poverty in the World/Shaohua Chen and Martin Ravallion. 2.Characteristics and Causes of Severe Poverty and Hunger/Akhter U. Ahmed, Ruth Vargas Hill, Lisa C. Smith, and Tim Frankenberger. 3.The Poorest and Hungry: Looking Below the Line/Akhter U. Ahmed, Ruth Vargas Hill, and Doris M. Wiesmann. 4.Mapping Where the Poor Live/Todd Benson, Michael Epprecht, and Nicholas Minot 5.Child Malnutrition in India and China/Peter Svedberg. 6.Poverty and the Globalization of the Food and Agriculture System/Joachim von Braun and Tewodaj Mengistu. 7.Poverty Traps: Exploring the Complexity of Causation/Partha Dasgupta 8.Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction: Do Poor Countries Need to Worry about Inequality?/Martin Ravallion. 9.Determinants of Pro-Poor Growth/Stephan Klasen. 10.Global Macroeconomic Development: The Implications for Poverty/Eugenio Díaz-Bonilla 11. Fiscal Policy Instruments and the Political Economy of Designing Programs to Reach the Poorest/Ehtisham Ahmad 12. The Macroeconomic Foundations of Inclusive Middle-Class Growth/Nancy Birdsall 13.Economic Reform to Stimulate Growth and Reduce Poverty: The Latin American Experience/Alberto Valdés and William Foster. 14. Poverty, Inequality, and Welfare in a Rapid-Growth Economy: The Chilean Experience/Dante Contreras 15.International Migration: Can It Improve Living Standards among Poor and Vulnerable Populations?/Alan de Brauw. 16.Growth-promoting Social Safety Nets/Harold Alderman and John Hoddinott. 17.Conditional Cash Transfer Programs: A "Magic Bullet" for Reducing Poverty?/Michelle Adato and John Hoddinott. 18. How Effective are Food-for-Education Programs?/Sarah Adelman, Daniel O. Gilligan, and Kim Lehrer 19. Health Care for the World's Poorest: Is Voluntary (Private) Health Insurance an Option?/Jacques van der Gaag 20. Designing Insurance For The Poor/Stefan Dercon 21.Social Security: What Can Developing Countries Learn from Developed Countries?/Jean-Jacques Dethier. 22.Property Rights for Poverty Reduction/Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Patricia Kameri-Mbote, and Helen Markelova. 23.Developing and Connecting Markets for Poor Farmers/Nicholas Minot and Ruth Vargas Hill. 24.Climate Change: Pro-Poor Adaptation, Risk Management, and Mitigation Strategies/Gary Yohe, Ian Burton, Saleemul Huq, and Mark W. Rosegrant. 25.Strengthening Women's Assets and Status: Programs Improving Poor Women's Lives/John Ambler, Lauren Pandolfelli, Anna Kramer, and Ruth Meinzen-Dick 26.Addressing Discrimination and Inequality Among Groups/Frances Stewart 27.Including People with Disabilities in Actions to Reduce Poverty and Hunger/Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo 28.Policies and Lessons for Reaching Indigenous Peoples in Development Programs/Lennart Bage 29. Trade Liberalization and Children: Understanding and Coping with Children's Vulnerabilities/Javier Escobal 30.Facing Up to Inequality and Exclusion to End Poverty and Hunger in Latin America/Marco Ferroni 31. Economic Exclusion and Poverty in Asia: The Example of Castes in India/Sukhadeo Thorat 32. Choosing Policy Instruments to Reduce Poverty and Hunger: Is It Possible to Overcome the Feasibility Dilemma?/Regina Birner 33.Scaling Up: A Path to Effective Development/Arntraud Hartmann and Johannes F. Linn 34. Improving Governance to Eradicate Hunger and Poverty/Regina Birner 35.The Dynamics of Poverty: Why Don't "The Poor" Act Collectively?/Anirudh Krishna. 36.Land Issues and Poverty Reduction: Requirements for Lasting Peace in Sudan and Afghanistan/Gunnar M. Sørbø and Arne Strand. 37.Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Developing Capacity to Reduce Poverty and Hunger/Suresh Babu and Per Pinstrup-Andersen 38.The Millennium Development Goals: How Realistic Are They?/Michiel Keyzer and Lia van Wesenbeeck. 39.Investment Priorities for Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction/Shenggen Fan, Joanna Brzeska, and Ghada Shields 40.How to Mobilize Public Resources to Support Poverty Reduction/Shenggen Fan, Anuja Saurkar, and Ghada ShieldsPoverty, Hunger, Poverty dynamics, Food policy, food security, Pro-poor growth, Capacity building, Vulnerability, Millennium Development Goals,

Highly pathogenic avian influenza: Multi-disciplinary and collaborative research to minimise the impacts on the poor

The emergence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and the threat of a global human pandemic have been issues of great concern to the international community in recent years. The problem is compounded by uncertainty regarding the timing, extent and severity of HPAI, and the risk of human infection. The global response has been extensive, with billions of dollars pledged (and diverted from other uses) for efforts to control and prevent the influenza. Even though HPAI is a global phenomenon, developing countries in Africa and Asia have had the most difficulty containing the disease. Between 2003 and 2008, 47 countries had reported HPAI in their domestic poultry. Those currently considered endemic are Egypt, Indonesia and Nigeria, while others such as Bangladesh, China, Thailand and Vietnam have had repeated outbreaks. Eight countries have reported human cases, and all but one of those have reported human fatalities.Avian influenza Economic aspects Developing countries, Disease, Health Economic aspects,

Sound choices for development

Rural poverty in India and China has declined substantially in recent decades. This welcome development has come about largely because governments in both countries have invested in agricultural research, education, infrastructure, and other areas important to the rural poor. But what kinds of investments have reduced poverty the most? A clear answer to this question can help policymakers invest limited resources in ways that most benefit the poor. Recent studies by IFPRIand collaborators in India and China show that different kinds of rural public investment pay a range of dividends. Developing countries can significantly reduce rural poverty, stimulate agricultural growth, and move toward food security if they recognize that public investments are indispensable tools for achieving these ends and if they make the right investments.The research also reveals, in stark contrast to conventional thinking, that investments in low-potential lands can bring equal, if not greater, returns to investments in high-potential lands.

IFPRI Annual Report 2006-2007

Biofuels, Food prices,

Africa without borders: building blocks for regional growth

"Recent IFPRI research shows how coordinated investments in regional agricultural trade and productivity can leverage regional growth dynamics and improve Africa's competitiveness in an increasingly globalized world." from Text. This brief looks at investing in trade by targeting Africa's own markets, improving economic integration, and reducing marketing costs; investing in research and development, strengthening regional institutions, and moving forward with an effective regional agenda.Development policies Africa, Sub-Saharan, Globalization, Regional economics,

Mexico - PROGRESA

For many of the world's poor, public safety-net programs are the only hope for a life free from chronic poverty and undernutrition. But the proper combination of incentives and support can be difficult to achieve. The International Food Policy Research Institute's in-depth evaluation of Mexico's PROGRESA (Programa de Educación, Salud y Alimentación) indicates that antipoverty programs that combine education, health, and nutrition interventions in one package can be quite successful in improving the capacity of families to pull themselves out of the poverty that often ensnares generations. In collaboration with the Mexican government, IFPRI rigorously reviewed PROGRESA's impact on education, nutrition, health and rural poverty, as well as the program's overall operation. The evaluation was based on repeated surveys of individuals from 24,000 households in 506 localities in randomly assigned PROGRESA and non-PROGRESA areas. Formal surveys, structured and semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and workshops were held in seven states where the program was first implemented on a pilot basis. The research asked a series of questions about PROGRESA's effectiveness. This brief summarizes the research results.Progresa ,