My post last week on giving cash to the poor got far more traction and publicity than I imagined. For those interested in some of the best new and unpublished research in this area, some of my recent favorites:
- Oriana Bandiera and several co-authors evaluate asset transfers in Bangladesh–especially cattle–to poor women, and find that it shifts them out of agriculture wage work into self-employment (cattle raising and farming). My take: like my study, providing capital is sufficient to create a boost in growth in development.
- My friend Mushfiq Mobarak and co-authors study a vocational training program in Malawi (skills only, no capital) and find a gain in skills but not in incomes or employability. My take: Skills are not the binding constraint on the poor.
- Bianchi and Bobba have an outstanding paper that compares one-time conditional cash transfers to smaller, continuous transfers. They argue the regular transfers promote more entrepreneurship because it mitigates risk. The takeaway: Risk, in addition to credit, constrains the poor.
- McKenzie and Woodruff step back and look at what we’ve learned from innumerable business training programs around the world. The answer: not much. There’s certainly little evidence of any positive impact. more evidence of skills not being the binding constraint?
- It remains to be seen whether business and finance training combines well with grants. The same authors have one new study on this in Sri Lanka. Unlike the above, I haven’t read it closely. My quick look tells me that cash plus training helps the poor start new businesses (much like we see with the other papers) but that it’s no panacea.
- My friends Karen Macours and Patrick Premand look at a combination of cash and vocational training in Nicaragua. They see high returns to the package, with extra added punch from more capital alone. Clearly skills and capital are complements, though I still see capital as the scarcer, more valuable input.
- Also, see my recent policy report (paper forthcoming) where we look at the effects of cash+training on female entrepreneurship in Uganda. We also evaluate whether a hands-on NGO presence (giving advice and holding them accountable to invest the cash) helps. The answer: women’s incomes double, and the hands-on aspect helps. But the NGO advising is so costly it doesn’t pass a cost-benefit test.
If this stuff interests you, I cannot recommend enough the SSRN Randomized Social Experiments e-Journal (fixed). Sign-up is free and you will get the latest and greatest papers in your inbox weekly.
63 Responses
RT @rakeshrajani: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor? New research shows Its the cash, stupid. http://t.co/2m7OJyZCyu
Good reminder – holistic approach key RT@cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor? New studies: http://t.co/q7qd0gUFGA
HHRD doing in Pakistan… Being building block of economy entrepreneur takes something home but letting others too :) http://t.co/iUwLvApMUP
Can #entrepreneurship transform the lives of the #poor (and how)? New research you should read http://t.co/dRPoAmgSMo #development #aid
Where are the studies on life skills? Can #entreprepreneurship transform the lives of the poor and how? http://t.co/CS4DmIj82O
Speaking of the academic-practitioner divide… @cblatts summarizes recent studies on entrepreneuship for us:
http://t.co/jSC0Z5uIg7
“@jeremyhiggs: Some great papers on #entrepreneurship and poverty alleviation linked here: http://t.co/UlxIqtmbYx (via @strickvl)” @jamimoiz
How to reduce poverty by giving poor people money. But not as tautological as you’d think. Actually, awesome: http://t.co/0FRhkuyS5n
Chris Blattman’s roundup of new research on cash vs vocational training vs entrepeneurship training. http://t.co/Q6VbQSZLK7
@JosephWongUT Fantastic new research on whether + how #entrepreneurship can transform the lives of poor via @cblatts http://t.co/RvU6DjuJNK
RT @rakeshrajani: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor? New research shows Its the cash, stupid. http://t.co/2m7OJyZCyu
RT @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/pYP3szY2MX
RT @fp2p: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read from @cblatts http://t.co/yDKyCd0ZZ0
RT @fp2p: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read from @cblatts http://t.co/yDKyCd0ZZ0
Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read http://t.co/0OsblsKBTd
Can entrepre… http://t.co/0OsblsKBTd
RT @TrialogueSA: Via @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/Po…
RT @TrialogueSA: Via @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/Po…
RT @TrialogueSA: Via @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/Po…
Via @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/Poejc2QxFj
Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor? New research shows Its the cash, stupid. http://t.co/2m7OJyZCyu
RT @fp2p: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read from @cblatts http://t.co/yDKyCd0ZZ0
RT @fp2p: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read from @cblatts http://t.co/yDKyCd0ZZ0
RT @fp2p: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read from @cblatts http://t.co/yDKyCd0ZZ0
Evaluando como puede el emprendimiento transformar la vida de los pobre. Recursos por @cblatts http://t.co/I4Levd3MBI
RT @fp2p: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read from @cblatts http://t.co/yDKyCd0ZZ0
Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read from @cblatts http://t.co/yDKyCd0ZZ0
Challenging so much conventional wisdom: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? http://t.co/pCG4IvIVfp
Rt @PPmerino: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read http://t.co/eOtnIbYraw
MT @PPmerino: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research http://t.co/Vzlontz6Bn <FYI @JasmineCecena
RT @PPmerino: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read http://t.co/erpZ53JZfg
“@PPmerino: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor …? New research you should read http://t.co/XO9cP8va2v” –>@EnriqueJacobR
Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read http://t.co/erpZ53JZfg
RT @MilanV: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read from @cblatts: http://t.co/dBD7hc3…
Can entrepre… http://t.co/pe5SVFdSgK Nice summary. The last article on cost effectiveness of NGO advice looks very pertinent
RT @MilanV: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read from @cblatts: http://t.co/dBD7hc3…
Interesting research on the capacity of #entrepreneurship to help mitigate #poverty http://t.co/DkOoHAFnMA
RT @MilanV: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read from @cblatts: http://t.co/dBD7hc3…
Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read from @cblatts: http://t.co/dBD7hc3jEq
Cash plus capital equals entrepreneurship. Skills can help too but not as essential… http://t.co/cgm54glxTt
RT @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/pYP3szY2MX
RT @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/pYP3szY2MX
RT @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/pYP3szY2MX
“Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)?” @Cblatts offers some great readings http://t.co/QYjbkz2vuI
RT @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/pYP3szY2MX
Great stuff. —> Can entrepreneurship help the poor?… http://t.co/JKx1KIUant
RT @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/pYP3szY2MX
If capital is a large binding constraint, why is there such mixed evidence on microfinance?
Link fixed I believe.
RT @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/pYP3szY2MX
RT @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/pYP3szY2MX
RT @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/pYP3szY2MX
I think the best link to use to subscribe to the SSRN e-Journal is this: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/sample_issues/1156916_CMBO.html
then click subscribe in the header…
Can entrepre… http://t.co/CVMl7FMWri
RT @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/pYP3szY2MX
@cblatts The SSRN email link takes me to a search page with “no results”
RT @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/pYP3szY2MX
RT @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/pYP3szY2MX
RT @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/pYP3szY2MX
RT @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/pYP3szY2MX
RT @cblatts: Can entrepreneurship transform the lives of the poor (and how)? New research you should read: http://t.co/pYP3szY2MX