How to effectively target development transfers [1]

How should government effectively target the poorest sections of society? Ben Olken (MIT) studies two approaches to target development assistance in Indonesia. Namely, the proxy means test and the community based approach. The study finds that while the proxy means test method is better at targeting those below a defined income, the community based approach better identifies those who are poor according to local perceptions that are not solely based on income or wealth.

Video: 
Standfirst: 
Ben Olken discusses the effectiveness and trade-offs of different methods of targeting development assistance.
Date Published: 
Friday, December 1, 2017
Tags: 
development [2]
assistance [3]
cash [4]
transfer [5]
proxy means test [6]
Community [7]
income test [8]
Indonesia [9]
Authors: 
benjaminolken0 [10]
Cover Image: 
Topic: 
Public Economics [11]
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Combating poverty in developing countries with a universal basic income [13]
The future of social assistance in Africa and beyond [14]
Designing more effective resettlement programs: Lessons from transmigration in Indonesia [15]
How to reduce elite capture: Watch out for local elites during democratic transitions [16]
Photo Credit: 
Jonathan McIntosh