Poverty in Transition?

Poverty in Transition? PDF Author: United Nations Development Programme. Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
Transition has already led to success in many countries. Nations such as Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Estonia, have numerous achievements to their credit. Further, countries such as Uzbekistan were able to effectively protect many citizens from acute socio-economic distress. A wealth of natural resources in countries such as the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan promises the potential for prosperity. At the same time, the process of transition has been painful for millions of citizens. There has been an unprecedented increase in poverty and mortality in countries, some of which have become, ironically, the most unequal in the world. Further, the countries of the former Soviet Union have suffered sharper reversals than any other region of the world in three indicators of socio-economic distress - mortality, income, and inflation. This report not only documents these adverse developments but also outlines the measures required to address poverty.

Poverty in Transition Economies

Poverty in Transition Economies PDF Author: Sandra Hutton
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134693427
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
This study addresses the experience of, and responses to poverty in a range of transition economies including Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovenia, Uzbekistan, Romania, Albania and Macedonia. It covers topics such as the definition of poverty lines and the measurement of poverty; the role of income-in-kind in supporting families; homelessness and destitution; housing; the design, targeting and administration of welfare; and personal responses to economic transition.

Poverty in Transition?

Poverty in Transition? PDF Author: United Nations Development Programme. Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
Transition has already led to success in many countries. Nations such as Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Estonia, have numerous achievements to their credit. Further, countries such as Uzbekistan were able to effectively protect many citizens from acute socio-economic distress. A wealth of natural resources in countries such as the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan promises the potential for prosperity. At the same time, the process of transition has been painful for millions of citizens. There has been an unprecedented increase in poverty and mortality in countries, some of which have become, ironically, the most unequal in the world. Further, the countries of the former Soviet Union have suffered sharper reversals than any other region of the world in three indicators of socio-economic distress - mortality, income, and inflation. This report not only documents these adverse developments but also outlines the measures required to address poverty.

Poverty and the Economic Transition

Poverty and the Economic Transition PDF Author: Peter Lanjouw
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN:
Category : Ajuste estructural
Languages : en
Pages : 41

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Book Description
November 1998 Has the economic transition in Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union been harder on pensioner households or on households containing children? Do per capita measures of welfare give a misleading picture? Much attention has been paid to the relative vulnerability of two well-defined household groups during the transition. Some observers argue that old-age pensioner households have been relatively protected because of a less steep decline in real pensions compared with wages in most transition economies. By contrast, households with young children are believed to have experienced a substantial decline in living standards under reform and show strikingly higher rates of measured poverty than pensioner households. But others argue that the elderly have suffered more than the young during the transition. Can these conflicting viewpoints about the relative poverty of old and young households be arbitrated? Lanjouw, Milanovic, and Paternostro show that strong (though implicit) assumptions underpin certain poverty comparisons. Notably, using a per capita measure of individual welfare assumes that there are no economies of scale in household consumption, in the sense that the per capita cost of reaching a specific level of welfare does not fall as household size increases. Relaxing that assumption could affect comparisons, showing higher poverty rates among the elderly because their households tend to be smaller than the households containing children. Even the nature of the transition has implications for economies of scale. The relative cost of housing and other goods and services with at least some public-good characteristics has risen rapidly. These relative price shifts hit small households particularly hard, because a greater share of their expenditures goes to public and quasi-public goods. But transition economies have also experienced big increases in the relative prices of goods and services consumed largely by children, such as kindergarten and other education services. These increases affect younger households more. Since there is no accepted way to establish the true extent of economies of scale in a given country, the question can't be answered exactly. But clearly a small departure from a per capita measure may be enough in some cases to overturn the conventional relative ranking of poverty headcounts: poverty among the elderly may then turn out to be worse than among children. This paper-a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group-is part of a larger effort in the group to study changes in welfare and inequality during the transition. The authors may be contacted at [email protected] or [email protected].

The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Poverty

The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Poverty PDF Author: Philip N. Jefferson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195393783
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 864

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Book Description
This Handbook examines poverty measurement, anti-poverty policy and programs, and poverty theory from the perspective of economics. It is written in a highly accessible style that encourages critical thinking about poverty. What's known about the sources of poverty and its alleviation are summarized and conventional thinking about poverty is challenged.

Making Transition Work for Everyone

Making Transition Work for Everyone PDF Author: World Bank
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 9780821347201
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 540

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Book Description
Annotation This book brings together the latest findings on the nature and evolution of poverty and inequality in the region.

Poverty in Transition and Transition in Poverty

Poverty in Transition and Transition in Poverty PDF Author: Yogesh Atal
Publisher: Berghahn Books
ISBN: 9781571811912
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
Poverty is an issue facing countries around the globe, yet it is a multi-dimensional phenomenon caused by a variety of factors, differing from context with no linear chain of cause and effect. The occurrence and persistence of poverty is influenced by an interrelated web of economic, social, psychological, cultural, and political factors. Focusing on countries-in-transition belonging to the former Soviet bloc where the existence of poverty was officially denied until the collapse of the Soviet Union, this volume examines the ways in which each country is dealing with its newly acknowledged and rapidly increasing poverty. The transition from socialism to democracy and market economies has proved more difficult and costly than anyone imagined. Scholars from the six countries examined here profile and evaluate current social policies and programs on poverty eradication and provide a comparative perspective that ensures that culturally specific solutions can be found in place of borrowed solutions from abroad - solutions which have thus far ignored the cultural factor and have thus failed to deliver.

Transitions in and Out of Poverty

Transitions in and Out of Poverty PDF Author: Patricia Ruggles
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Income
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description


poverty inequality and social policy in transition economies

poverty inequality and social policy in transition economies PDF Author: Branko Milanovic
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description
November 1995 What happens to poverty and income inequality during the early period of transition to a market economy? Poverty is on the rise, and income inequality widens. Better targeting of social assistance and pension reform are the necessary policy reforms. In examining what happens to poverty and income inequality during the early period of transition to a market economy, Milanovic covers the period up to 1993. His analysis includes almost all transition economies that were not affected by wars, blockades, or embargoes. (In economies so affected, the intrinsic issues of transition are overshadowed by more basic issues of war or quasi-war economy and survival.) The two key issues of social policy in transition economies are pension reform and better targeting of social assistance. Pensions represent 70 to 80 percent of cash social expenditures. No reduction of current levels of social spending (which is unsustainable) can be envisaged without pension reform. Better targeting of social assistance is needed because many universally or enterprise-provided benefits have been terminated, poverty has increased, and social programs lack funding. If poverty is on the rise and money is scarce, better targeting is the only option. This paper -- a product of the Transition Economics Division, Policy Research Department -- is part of a larger effort in the department to study social effects of transition.

Poverty and the Economic Transition

Poverty and the Economic Transition PDF Author: Peter F. Lanjouw
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Has the economic transition in Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union been harder on pensioner households or on households containing children? Do per capita measures of welfare give a misleading picture? Much attention has been paid to the relative vulnerability of two well-defined household groups during the transition. Some observers argue that old-age pensioner households have been relatively protected because of a less steep decline in real pensions compared with wages in most transition economies. By contrast, households with young children are believed to have experienced a substantial decline in living standards under reform and show strikingly higher rates of measured poverty than pensioner households. But others argue that the elderly have suffered more than the young during the transition. Can these conflicting viewpoints about the relative poverty of old and young households be arbitrated? Lanjouw, Milanovic, and Paternostro show that strong (though implicit) assumptions underpin certain poverty comparisons. Notably, using a per capita measure of individual welfare assumes that there are no economies of scale in household consumption, in the sense that the per capita cost of reaching a specific level of welfare does not fall as household size increases. Relaxing that assumption could affect comparisons, showing higher poverty rates among the elderly because their households tend to be smaller than the households containing children. Even the nature of the transition has implications for economies of scale. The relative cost of housing and other goods and services with at least some public-good characteristics has risen rapidly. These relative price shifts hit small households particularly hard, because a greater share of their expenditures goes to public and quasi-public goods. But transition economies have also experienced big increases in the relative prices of goods and services consumed largely by children, such as kindergarten and other education services. These increases affect younger households more. Since there is no accepted way to establish the true extent of economies of scale in a given country, the question can't be answered exactly. But clearly a small departure from a per capita measure may be enough in some cases to overturn the conventional relative ranking of poverty headcounts: poverty among the elderly may then turn out to be worse than among children. This paper - a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study changes in welfare and inequality during the transition.

Income, Inequality, and Poverty During the Transition from Planned to Market Economy

Income, Inequality, and Poverty During the Transition from Planned to Market Economy PDF Author: Branko Milanovi?
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 9780821339947
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
World Bank Technical Paper No. 394. Joint Forest Management (JFM) has emerged as an important intervention in the management of Indias forest resources. This report sets out an analytical method for examining the costs and benefits of JFM arrangements. Two pilot case studies in which the method was used demonstrate interesting outcomes regarding incentives for various groups to participate. The main objective of this study is to develop a better understanding of the incentives for communities to participate in JFM.