The paper analyzes the price effects of cash versus in-kind transfers using data from a randomized experiment in Mexico. It finds that:
1) Prices for goods decline more for in-kind transfers than for cash transfers, with the difference in price effects being statistically significant.
2) The price effects are larger in more remote villages, consistent with those villages having more closed economies and less competition.
3) The results provide empirical evidence that in-kind transfers can have larger impacts on prices than cash transfers due to introducing supply as well as demand for goods in local markets.
The document discusses decision and policy analysis work at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) on several topics:
1. CIAT focuses on delivering research outcomes related to climate change, ecosystem services, and linking farmers to markets through modeling, gender analysis, impact assessment, and other expertise.
2. Research on cassava and other staple crops examines their suitability and potential roles under climate change through crop modeling and analysis of adaptation options.
3. Work in four sites in East Africa examines gender dimensions of climate-smart agriculture adoption and relations between different stakeholder groups in watershed management.
4. Research on payments for ecosystem services in Peru aims to balance watershed stakeholders' interests through
City Harvest is a non-profit organization that rescues excess food and distributes it to food programs across New York City. Their strategic plan outlines goals to (1) provide more nutritious food to more hungry people over the next three years, (2) teach people nutrition and cooking skills, and (3) help more people access food stamp benefits and summer meal programs. The plan details objectives, outcomes, and initiatives to achieve these goals through food rescue, distribution, education, and enabling access to public food resources.
Agricultural Price Rise – Addressing the Supply Side ConstraintsVenkata Subramanian
Panel discussion on “Agricultural Price Rise – Addressing the Supply Side Constraints” held on 26th August 2011 at TAFE’s MDCC [Management Development Consultancy Centre], 105, Dr Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore, Chennai between 1500 hrs and 1730 hrs. This programme is being organised to obtain the views of the stakeholders.
Presentation by
In this regard, we will be happy if you could confirm your presence as a panelist, during the panel discussion and provide your inputs on the topic. Your valuable inputs will be helpful in recommending solutions on the issue, to the Government.
The welfare impacts of rising quinoa prices: evidence from PeruCIAT
Riding on a wave of Western interest in "superfoods," quinoa–a grain that has been grown for centuries in the Andes–has gone in less than a decade from being largely unknown outside of Latin America to an upper-class staple in the US and Western Europe. Concurrent with this increased demand for quinoa, there has been a sharp rise in the price of quinoa over the last 10 years. We study the impacts of rising quinoa prices on the welfare of households in Peru. Using 10 years of a nationally representative, large-scale household survey, we combine pseudo-panel and difference-in-differences methods to estimate the relationship between quinoa production and household consumption. We find that conditional on baseline values, quinoa production is associated with higher consumption and lower variance of consumption expenditures, indicating that the production of quinoa has both first- and second-order positive effects on household welfare.
The document provides an overview of using social media for organizations. It discusses why organizations should use social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Key reasons include engaging audiences, enhancing brands, connecting with others, communicating consistently, and participating where many users are active online. Statistics on user demographics and behaviors are presented for each platform. Examples of profile and page designs are shown for each social media site.
chmsc lab school science project Grade 5SundayVince
The document summarizes the key components of an ecosystem:
1) Producers, such as green plants, take in non-living matter from the environment and use it to support life through photosynthesis.
2) Consumers, such as herbivores and carnivores, rely on producers for food and are part of the food chain. Omnivores also consume producers and other consumers.
3) Decomposers, like fungi and bacteria, feed off dead plants and animals, breaking them down into minerals and gases.
This document summarizes a study that evaluated the impact of a mobile phone-based agricultural advice and information service called Avaaj Otalo (AO) on cotton farmers in Gujarat, India. The study used a randomized controlled trial with 1,200 farmers randomized to either receive AO, AO plus physical extension sessions, or serve as pure controls. The study examined the impact on sources of information, agricultural knowledge, and farming practices. It also analyzed peer effects and information sharing. The results of the study will provide insights into the effectiveness of using mobile phones to deliver agricultural extension services and the diffusion of information among farmers.
The document discusses decision and policy analysis work at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) on several topics:
1. CIAT focuses on delivering research outcomes related to climate change, ecosystem services, and linking farmers to markets through modeling, gender analysis, impact assessment, and other expertise.
2. Research on cassava and other staple crops examines their suitability and potential roles under climate change through crop modeling and analysis of adaptation options.
3. Work in four sites in East Africa examines gender dimensions of climate-smart agriculture adoption and relations between different stakeholder groups in watershed management.
4. Research on payments for ecosystem services in Peru aims to balance watershed stakeholders' interests through
City Harvest is a non-profit organization that rescues excess food and distributes it to food programs across New York City. Their strategic plan outlines goals to (1) provide more nutritious food to more hungry people over the next three years, (2) teach people nutrition and cooking skills, and (3) help more people access food stamp benefits and summer meal programs. The plan details objectives, outcomes, and initiatives to achieve these goals through food rescue, distribution, education, and enabling access to public food resources.
Agricultural Price Rise – Addressing the Supply Side ConstraintsVenkata Subramanian
Panel discussion on “Agricultural Price Rise – Addressing the Supply Side Constraints” held on 26th August 2011 at TAFE’s MDCC [Management Development Consultancy Centre], 105, Dr Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore, Chennai between 1500 hrs and 1730 hrs. This programme is being organised to obtain the views of the stakeholders.
Presentation by
In this regard, we will be happy if you could confirm your presence as a panelist, during the panel discussion and provide your inputs on the topic. Your valuable inputs will be helpful in recommending solutions on the issue, to the Government.
The welfare impacts of rising quinoa prices: evidence from PeruCIAT
Riding on a wave of Western interest in "superfoods," quinoa–a grain that has been grown for centuries in the Andes–has gone in less than a decade from being largely unknown outside of Latin America to an upper-class staple in the US and Western Europe. Concurrent with this increased demand for quinoa, there has been a sharp rise in the price of quinoa over the last 10 years. We study the impacts of rising quinoa prices on the welfare of households in Peru. Using 10 years of a nationally representative, large-scale household survey, we combine pseudo-panel and difference-in-differences methods to estimate the relationship between quinoa production and household consumption. We find that conditional on baseline values, quinoa production is associated with higher consumption and lower variance of consumption expenditures, indicating that the production of quinoa has both first- and second-order positive effects on household welfare.
The document provides an overview of using social media for organizations. It discusses why organizations should use social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Key reasons include engaging audiences, enhancing brands, connecting with others, communicating consistently, and participating where many users are active online. Statistics on user demographics and behaviors are presented for each platform. Examples of profile and page designs are shown for each social media site.
chmsc lab school science project Grade 5SundayVince
The document summarizes the key components of an ecosystem:
1) Producers, such as green plants, take in non-living matter from the environment and use it to support life through photosynthesis.
2) Consumers, such as herbivores and carnivores, rely on producers for food and are part of the food chain. Omnivores also consume producers and other consumers.
3) Decomposers, like fungi and bacteria, feed off dead plants and animals, breaking them down into minerals and gases.
This document summarizes a study that evaluated the impact of a mobile phone-based agricultural advice and information service called Avaaj Otalo (AO) on cotton farmers in Gujarat, India. The study used a randomized controlled trial with 1,200 farmers randomized to either receive AO, AO plus physical extension sessions, or serve as pure controls. The study examined the impact on sources of information, agricultural knowledge, and farming practices. It also analyzed peer effects and information sharing. The results of the study will provide insights into the effectiveness of using mobile phones to deliver agricultural extension services and the diffusion of information among farmers.
The document summarizes research comparing the impacts of providing assistance in the form of food or cash transfers in developing countries. It discusses a four-country experimental study conducted by IFPRI and WFP that directly compared the impacts of providing equivalent amounts of food or cash/vouchers in Ecuador, Niger, Uganda, and Yemen. The study found that across contexts, cash transfers generally improved food security outcomes slightly better than food transfers while costing significantly less to implement. The study provides evidence that cash transfers did not have adverse impacts and in some cases had additional beneficial impacts, though food transfers remain appropriate in some contexts. The discussion emphasizes moving beyond ideological debates to focus on objectives, context, and cost-effectiveness of different modalities.
The role of transaction costs in 'cash versus food' debateessp2
Kalle Hirvonen, IFPRI, Ethiopia Strategy Support Program (ESSP)
with John Hoddinott, Cornell University
Nordic Conference in Development Economics, Gothenburg, June 2017
This presentation is part of the programme of the International Seminar "Social Protection, Entrepreneurship and Labour Market Activation: Evidence for Better Policies", organized by the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG/UNDP) together with Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Colombian Think Tank Fedesarrollo held on September 10-11 at the Ipea Auditorium in Brasilia.
From protection to production: the impact of cash transfer programs on econom...FAO
The document discusses the impact of cash transfer programs on economic activities in sub-Saharan Africa. It summarizes that around half of sub-Saharan countries have government-run cash transfer programs, while most others have programs run by multilateral organizations and NGOs. Impact evaluations in multiple countries have found that cash transfers can increase ownership of livestock and household consumption of own-produced foods, as well as participation in non-farm enterprises, while having mixed effects on labor supply. Simulation models also show cash transfers stimulating local economies through multiplier effects. The document advocates including productive dimensions in cash transfer program design and policy.
Agricultural growth and multiplier effects of consumption spending in rural a...IFPRIMaSSP
As per capita income of households increase, the share of expenditure on food declines as do expenditures on staples. Further, as incomes rise in the face of increasing urbanization, factor intensities of consumption patterns tend to shift from labor intensive rurally produced commodities to foreign exchange, capital intensive imported commodities. Using a nationally representative survey data and a social accounting matrix, this paper discusses locational and consumption linkages across aggregated commodity groups. It further analyzes the interdependencies between activities, households and factors by providing income multipliers in a general equilibrium framework. Results generally indicate that marginal propensities to consume for most food commodities are falling as incomes while some luxurious food groups such as spices and beverages are rising. Associated income and price multiplier effects show that output, demand, GDP and household incomes will increase by a factor of two cumulatively. However, increased output will not be sufficient to offset demand and as such imports will grow by a factor of four. Generally, changes in consumption spending behavior result in positive growth but prioritized growth is more appropriate.
This document discusses various topics related to pork production quality and valuation, including:
- The importance of quality, consistency, and attention to detail in meeting customer expectations.
- Factors that can degrade commodity pork quality like cheap feed ingredients.
- Regulatory responsibilities around price reporting and payment timelines.
- Alternative methods for valuing livestock when negotiated trades are limited.
- The need for the industry to improve production processes and standards to regain customer trust.
The increasing costs of nutritious foods in Ethiopia: Evidence and determinantsessp2
This document summarizes a study on trends in prices of nutritious foods in Ethiopia between 2007-2016. Key findings include:
1) Prices of vitamin A-rich foods and animal-source foods significantly increased, making healthy diets less affordable.
2) Prices of sugars and oils/fats decreased, which could contribute to obesity issues.
3) Local supply and demand, as well as border prices and exchange rates, were significant determinants of food prices.
4) Increasing prices of nutritious foods could undermine nutrition goals, so policies should focus on improving production and access to diverse, healthy diets.
Rao 5b policies for raising food entitlementsSizwan Ahammed
This document discusses various policy options for raising food entitlements for food-insecure populations, focusing on targeted interventions. It describes targeted asset distribution and production support programs, public works programs like food-for-work, targeted food subsidies through shops/stamps with geographical or commodity targeting, and direct food transfers. It analyzes the impact pathways and trade-offs between administrative costs and leakage for different targeted policy options.
Coaxing profits from your farm - ellen polishukEllen Polishuk
This document discusses ways for farmers to increase profitability by analyzing costs and revenues. It emphasizes the importance of keeping detailed records on expenses, sales, labor hours, and yields in order to understand which crops and market channels are most profitable. With data on costs of production, sales prices, and labor efficiency, farmers can identify ways to boost profits, such as increasing yields, raising prices, selling more volume, or reducing operating costs without impacting quality. Keeping good records provides the information needed to make informed decisions about improving whole-farm profitability.
This document discusses a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effects of a light-touch graduation model implemented at large scale in rural Ethiopia. The intervention included a $200 lump sum transfer (in cash or poultry), training, and establishment of village savings groups for the poorest households. In the short-run, the intervention led to increases in livestock assets and savings rates. In the medium-run, positive effects were seen on assets, agricultural income, and savings rates, but not on consumption or food security. The lighter-touch approach without transfers did not have significant impacts except on savings. While increasing incomes, the intervention was not sufficient on its own to lift households out of poverty, highlighting the need for more intensive graduation models
The document discusses measuring the cost of living through the Consumer Price Index (CPI). It explains that the CPI measures the cost of goods and services bought by a typical consumer to determine changes in cost of living over time. It describes how the CPI is calculated by fixing a basket of typical consumer goods, finding the prices of those goods each period, and computing an index number using a base year. Issues like substitution bias, new products, and unmeasured quality changes mean the CPI may overstate true cost increases. The CPI is used to adjust dollar amounts for inflation comparisons across time periods.
1) The document summarizes a study examining the distributional impacts of yield increases in cassava production in Nigeria.
2) It uses household survey data and a microsimulation approach to estimate the effects on different household types, including impacts on income and poverty levels.
3) The methodology estimates how a 10% increase in cassava yields would affect producer and consumer prices, as well as producer and consumer welfare gains and losses under various scenarios.
This document provides an overview of key macroeconomic concepts including aggregate demand, aggregate supply, fiscal policy, and their interactions. It defines aggregate demand and supply, explains why they are downward and upward sloping respectively, and discusses shifts in both curves. It then covers fiscal policy tools like government spending and taxes, and how discretionary and automatic policies can be used expansionary or contractionary. The document also addresses topics like the multiplier effect, consumption and saving determinants, and weaknesses of fiscal policy.
This document provides an overview of key macroeconomic concepts including aggregate demand and supply, fiscal policy, consumption and saving, investment, and the multiplier effect. It defines these terms, explains how they relate to each other, and outlines models to illustrate their interactions in the macroeconomy. The document also discusses debates around aggregate supply assumptions and the effectiveness of fiscal policy tools.
Household pork consumption behaviour in Vietnam: Implications for pro-smallho...ILRI
Presented by Nga Nguyen Thi Duong, Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, Pham Van Hung, Duong Nam Ha, Tran Van Long, Dang Thi Be, Fred Unger and Lucy Lapar at Tropentag 2015, Berlin, Germany, 16-18 September 2015.
Cash and vouchers led to starkly different purchasing patterns. Voucher recipients purchased fewer types of items compared to cash recipients, indicating the voucher was extra-marginal for some food items. However, there were few differences in other outcomes like food security and asset ownership between the groups. Cash recipients were able to save more of the transfer value since vouchers could only be spent on certain goods. The voucher program also had higher costs for the implementing agency than cash transfers.
The document summarizes research comparing the impacts of providing assistance in the form of food or cash transfers in developing countries. It discusses a four-country experimental study conducted by IFPRI and WFP that directly compared the impacts of providing equivalent amounts of food or cash/vouchers in Ecuador, Niger, Uganda, and Yemen. The study found that across contexts, cash transfers generally improved food security outcomes slightly better than food transfers while costing significantly less to implement. The study provides evidence that cash transfers did not have adverse impacts and in some cases had additional beneficial impacts, though food transfers remain appropriate in some contexts. The discussion emphasizes moving beyond ideological debates to focus on objectives, context, and cost-effectiveness of different modalities.
The role of transaction costs in 'cash versus food' debateessp2
Kalle Hirvonen, IFPRI, Ethiopia Strategy Support Program (ESSP)
with John Hoddinott, Cornell University
Nordic Conference in Development Economics, Gothenburg, June 2017
This presentation is part of the programme of the International Seminar "Social Protection, Entrepreneurship and Labour Market Activation: Evidence for Better Policies", organized by the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG/UNDP) together with Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Colombian Think Tank Fedesarrollo held on September 10-11 at the Ipea Auditorium in Brasilia.
From protection to production: the impact of cash transfer programs on econom...FAO
The document discusses the impact of cash transfer programs on economic activities in sub-Saharan Africa. It summarizes that around half of sub-Saharan countries have government-run cash transfer programs, while most others have programs run by multilateral organizations and NGOs. Impact evaluations in multiple countries have found that cash transfers can increase ownership of livestock and household consumption of own-produced foods, as well as participation in non-farm enterprises, while having mixed effects on labor supply. Simulation models also show cash transfers stimulating local economies through multiplier effects. The document advocates including productive dimensions in cash transfer program design and policy.
Agricultural growth and multiplier effects of consumption spending in rural a...IFPRIMaSSP
As per capita income of households increase, the share of expenditure on food declines as do expenditures on staples. Further, as incomes rise in the face of increasing urbanization, factor intensities of consumption patterns tend to shift from labor intensive rurally produced commodities to foreign exchange, capital intensive imported commodities. Using a nationally representative survey data and a social accounting matrix, this paper discusses locational and consumption linkages across aggregated commodity groups. It further analyzes the interdependencies between activities, households and factors by providing income multipliers in a general equilibrium framework. Results generally indicate that marginal propensities to consume for most food commodities are falling as incomes while some luxurious food groups such as spices and beverages are rising. Associated income and price multiplier effects show that output, demand, GDP and household incomes will increase by a factor of two cumulatively. However, increased output will not be sufficient to offset demand and as such imports will grow by a factor of four. Generally, changes in consumption spending behavior result in positive growth but prioritized growth is more appropriate.
This document discusses various topics related to pork production quality and valuation, including:
- The importance of quality, consistency, and attention to detail in meeting customer expectations.
- Factors that can degrade commodity pork quality like cheap feed ingredients.
- Regulatory responsibilities around price reporting and payment timelines.
- Alternative methods for valuing livestock when negotiated trades are limited.
- The need for the industry to improve production processes and standards to regain customer trust.
The increasing costs of nutritious foods in Ethiopia: Evidence and determinantsessp2
This document summarizes a study on trends in prices of nutritious foods in Ethiopia between 2007-2016. Key findings include:
1) Prices of vitamin A-rich foods and animal-source foods significantly increased, making healthy diets less affordable.
2) Prices of sugars and oils/fats decreased, which could contribute to obesity issues.
3) Local supply and demand, as well as border prices and exchange rates, were significant determinants of food prices.
4) Increasing prices of nutritious foods could undermine nutrition goals, so policies should focus on improving production and access to diverse, healthy diets.
Rao 5b policies for raising food entitlementsSizwan Ahammed
This document discusses various policy options for raising food entitlements for food-insecure populations, focusing on targeted interventions. It describes targeted asset distribution and production support programs, public works programs like food-for-work, targeted food subsidies through shops/stamps with geographical or commodity targeting, and direct food transfers. It analyzes the impact pathways and trade-offs between administrative costs and leakage for different targeted policy options.
Coaxing profits from your farm - ellen polishukEllen Polishuk
This document discusses ways for farmers to increase profitability by analyzing costs and revenues. It emphasizes the importance of keeping detailed records on expenses, sales, labor hours, and yields in order to understand which crops and market channels are most profitable. With data on costs of production, sales prices, and labor efficiency, farmers can identify ways to boost profits, such as increasing yields, raising prices, selling more volume, or reducing operating costs without impacting quality. Keeping good records provides the information needed to make informed decisions about improving whole-farm profitability.
This document discusses a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effects of a light-touch graduation model implemented at large scale in rural Ethiopia. The intervention included a $200 lump sum transfer (in cash or poultry), training, and establishment of village savings groups for the poorest households. In the short-run, the intervention led to increases in livestock assets and savings rates. In the medium-run, positive effects were seen on assets, agricultural income, and savings rates, but not on consumption or food security. The lighter-touch approach without transfers did not have significant impacts except on savings. While increasing incomes, the intervention was not sufficient on its own to lift households out of poverty, highlighting the need for more intensive graduation models
The document discusses measuring the cost of living through the Consumer Price Index (CPI). It explains that the CPI measures the cost of goods and services bought by a typical consumer to determine changes in cost of living over time. It describes how the CPI is calculated by fixing a basket of typical consumer goods, finding the prices of those goods each period, and computing an index number using a base year. Issues like substitution bias, new products, and unmeasured quality changes mean the CPI may overstate true cost increases. The CPI is used to adjust dollar amounts for inflation comparisons across time periods.
1) The document summarizes a study examining the distributional impacts of yield increases in cassava production in Nigeria.
2) It uses household survey data and a microsimulation approach to estimate the effects on different household types, including impacts on income and poverty levels.
3) The methodology estimates how a 10% increase in cassava yields would affect producer and consumer prices, as well as producer and consumer welfare gains and losses under various scenarios.
This document provides an overview of key macroeconomic concepts including aggregate demand, aggregate supply, fiscal policy, and their interactions. It defines aggregate demand and supply, explains why they are downward and upward sloping respectively, and discusses shifts in both curves. It then covers fiscal policy tools like government spending and taxes, and how discretionary and automatic policies can be used expansionary or contractionary. The document also addresses topics like the multiplier effect, consumption and saving determinants, and weaknesses of fiscal policy.
This document provides an overview of key macroeconomic concepts including aggregate demand and supply, fiscal policy, consumption and saving, investment, and the multiplier effect. It defines these terms, explains how they relate to each other, and outlines models to illustrate their interactions in the macroeconomy. The document also discusses debates around aggregate supply assumptions and the effectiveness of fiscal policy tools.
Household pork consumption behaviour in Vietnam: Implications for pro-smallho...ILRI
Presented by Nga Nguyen Thi Duong, Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, Pham Van Hung, Duong Nam Ha, Tran Van Long, Dang Thi Be, Fred Unger and Lucy Lapar at Tropentag 2015, Berlin, Germany, 16-18 September 2015.
Cash and vouchers led to starkly different purchasing patterns. Voucher recipients purchased fewer types of items compared to cash recipients, indicating the voucher was extra-marginal for some food items. However, there were few differences in other outcomes like food security and asset ownership between the groups. Cash recipients were able to save more of the transfer value since vouchers could only be spent on certain goods. The voucher program also had higher costs for the implementing agency than cash transfers.
This study examines the stability of social, risk, and time preferences over multiple years using data from 2002, 2007, 2009, and 2010. The main findings are:
1. Risk preferences are not stable over time, while time preferences are highly stable.
2. Experimental measures of social preferences like altruism and trust show little stability over time.
3. There is some evidence that previous experimental outcomes can influence preferences in later experiments, such as being unlucky increasing later risk aversion or being paired with a generous partner increasing later generosity.
4. However, the impacts across experiments are small and the results should be interpreted cautiously due to sample attrition and differences in experimental designs over the years.
The study evaluated the impact of an alternative cash transfer program for education in Morocco that provided small, unlabeled cash transfers to fathers in poor communities. Over two years:
1. The unconditional cash transfers reduced the school dropout rate by 67-75% among children enrolled at baseline and increased school reentry by 85% among previous dropouts.
2. Adding attendance conditions did not provide additional educational gains compared to the unconditional transfers.
3. There was also little difference in impacts between transfers made to mothers versus fathers.
4. The program appeared to work in part by changing parents' perceptions of the returns to education and quality of local schools, without directly imposing conditions.
This document describes a study examining how increased access to mobile phones impacted small boat manufacturers in Kerala, India. The researchers conducted a census of 143 boat builders from 1997-2004, collecting data on output, prices, and boat quality. Prior to phones, builders only served local demand. Phones increased information sharing, allowing fishermen to learn about distant builders. This likely expanded each builder's effective market size. The study tests if this led more productive builders to grow and less productive ones to exit, increasing average firm size and productivity over time. The natural experiment from phone diffusion provides an opportunity to study these impacts.
This document discusses a new approach to measuring the impact of foreign labor on native employment. It presents two natural experiments using data on H-2A visa workers and unemployment insurance records from North Carolina farms. The results section analyzes the effect of the recession on job referrals and native labor supply, finding that higher unemployment led to more job referrals but lower native employment, suggesting native workers withdrew from the labor market during economic downturns.
The document discusses increasing girls' enrollment in secondary schools in India. It notes that the gender gap in education is more pronounced in Bihar, with girls' enrollment dropping off sharply at age 14 when transitioning to secondary schools. Distance to secondary schools is a major barrier, with enrollment declining as distance increases. The authors propose exploring cost-effective, scalable alternatives to expanding access beyond the default approach of school construction, such as providing bicycles.
This document analyzes the long-term effects of the 1832 Cherokee Land Lottery on wealth using census and other data. It finds that those who received land titles in the lottery on average had higher wealth levels in 1850 and 1860 compared to those who did not receive titles, even after controlling for other factors. The effects were larger for those matched to land closest to gold deposits discovered in the 1830s.
This paper examines middleman margins and the impact of providing price information to potato farmers in West Bengal, India. It finds that middlemen earn very large margins of 50-90% of farmgate prices on average. When farmers were provided daily wholesale market price information, it had no average effect on prices received but increased volatility, consistent with a bargaining model. This suggests neither risk-sharing nor asymmetric information play a major role in middlemen margins. The key cause of high margins appears to be the market power of middlemen in the hierarchical potato marketing system.
This document summarizes a study on daily income targets and labor supply among 257 Kenyan bicycle taxi drivers. The study collected detailed daily logs from participants over several months, including whether they had a cash need that day and if so, the amount. The results suggest that drivers (1) have cash needs that vary substantially and put them off until the last day, (2) work more on high-need days, and (3) are more likely to quit after reaching their target for the day. Providing unexpected cash payments did not affect labor supply. The study aims to better understand how individuals without formal work arrangements motivate themselves to meet daily income targets.
Hiring knowledge agents to spread information about a public health insurance scheme in rural India had a positive impact on villagers' knowledge about the scheme. The effect was entirely driven by agents on incentive pay contracts, who received bonuses based on villagers' knowledge levels. Improved knowledge, in turn, increased enrollment in the scheme. Social distance between agent and villager had a negative impact on knowledge transmission, but incentive pay canceled out this effect. The study used a randomized controlled trial to test these relationships, hiring different types of agents (fixed pay vs incentive pay) across villages.
1. The document analyzes maternal beliefs about the technology of skill formation in children.
2. Objective estimates of the technology are obtained using data on skills, investments, and health conditions of children over time. These estimates find that investments have a statistically significant effect on skills.
3. Maternal beliefs about the technology are heterogeneous and may differ systematically from objective estimates if mothers are misinformed. Comparing beliefs to estimates could reveal if certain groups are misinformed.
This study evaluates a performance incentive program in Mexican high schools aimed at improving mathematics achievement. It provided monetary incentives to students (T1), teachers (T2), or both (T3) based on scores on curriculum-aligned mathematics tests. The program was implemented over three school years in 88 schools randomly assigned to treatment or control groups. Initial results found positive effects on test scores, with the largest effects in the treatment combining incentives for both students and teachers.
1) The document describes a field experiment that randomized offers of index insurance to agricultural households in India to study the interaction between formal insurance and informal risk-sharing networks.
2) It finds that the presence of strong informal risk-sharing networks through castes/jatis reduces demand for formal insurance, and that basis risk, where payouts do not perfectly correlate with losses, also reduces demand.
3) However, informal and formal insurance can be complements when basis risk is high, as both provide partial coverage against different risks. The study uses detailed survey and rainfall data on castes/jatis to characterize their risk-sharing practices.
The document discusses a study on the impact of female property rights on suicide rates in India. It notes that women's ability to inherit property is restricted in many societies, including in India. The study uses variation in property rights for women generated by state amendments to inheritance laws and land reforms. It develops a model of intra-household bargaining incorporating conflict and finds that better property rights for women are associated with a decrease in the gender difference in suicide rates but an increase in overall male and female suicide rates, possibly due to increased intra-household conflict from challenging traditional gender roles.
The document analyzes how pro-poor growth, or reducing poverty, will impact global energy demand. It develops an economic model showing that as household income grows over time in a nonlinear way, ownership of durable goods like refrigerators also increases nonlinearly. The model predicts that the pace of income growth matters, with more uneven income growth leading to higher durable ownership. Analysis of a Mexican anti-poverty program confirms the model's predictions, showing that households receiving more uneven transfers over time were more likely to acquire refrigerators. The findings suggest that projections of energy demand need to account for how rapidly populations rise out of poverty to avoid underestimating future demand.
The document summarizes a study that evaluated the impact of a business literacy intervention in rural Mexico. The intervention provided free 6-week business skills courses taught by professors and students to about 25 women entrepreneurs per class. The courses covered topics like accounting, pricing, taxes, and marketing. The study found that the training led to large, positive and significant effects on profits, revenues, and number of clients both in the short- and medium-run. There was also evidence of heterogeneous treatment effects. The results suggest the training improved accounting practices, lowered costs, increased mark-ups, and in some cases lowered prices.
The document describes an experiment conducted in Malawi to test if job referral networks disadvantage women. The experiment found that when people could refer either men or women, only 30% of referrals were women, compared to 38% of initial applicants. However, when people could only refer one gender, men and women referred at similar rates regardless of the gender they were restricted to. This suggests social incentives rather than differences in productivity lead referral networks to disadvantage women.
This document summarizes a study evaluating Mexico's Hábitat program, which aims to improve infrastructure and quality of life in marginalized urban areas. The study uses a randomized saturation design where municipalities were randomly assigned a treatment fraction, and polygons within municipalities were then randomly assigned as treatment or control. Over 9,700 households were surveyed at baseline in 2009 and follow-up in 2012 to evaluate impacts on infrastructure access, health, social capital, and other outcomes. The randomized design at multiple levels aims to quantify program impacts while accounting for potential spillovers between treatment and control areas.
1. The Price Effects of Cash Versus In-Kind Transfers
Jesse Cunha (Naval Postgraduate School)
Giacomo De Giorgi (Stanford University)
Seema Jayachandran (Northwestern University)
September 2012
2. In-kind versus cash transfers
• Government transfers are often made in-kind
• One rationale is paternalism—boost consumption of certain goods
• Other potential reasons are self-targeting, political economy
• Weighed against constraining consumer choice and administrative
costs
• This paper: Price effects are another factor in this policy choice
3. Price effects of transfers
• Cash and in-kind transfers have an income (demand) effect
• Demand and prices for normal goods ↑
• In-kind transfers also inject supply into the local economy
– Setting where goods are provided (public housing) rather than
vouchers (Food Stamps)
• Influx of supply reduces prices
⇒ This paper: Empirically assess the size of price effects for cash
and in-kind transfers
4. Overview of paper
• Examine price effects of food transfer program in Mexico
– Randomized experiment across villages: in-kind transfers, cash
transfers, control group
• Find that prices decline for in-kind transfers relative to cash
transfers
• Larger effects in more remote villages, consistent with both...
– More closed economy
– Less competition
• Magnitudes small in non-remote villages; large in remote villages
• Differential effects for households that produce food
5. Effect of cash and in-kind transfers on prices
P
MC
Supply provided by govt
ΔPin‐kind < ΔPcash
ΔPcash > 0
ΔPcash
ΔPin‐kind
Income effect
MRin‐kind MR0 MRcash
Q
6. Hypotheses
• Cash transfers have positive income effect on prices
⇒ ∆pcash > 0
• In-kind transfers have positive income effect + negative supply
effect on prices
⇒ ∆pinkind < ∆pcash
• Sign of ∆pinkind is theoretically ambiguous without restrictions
on preferences
– But for, e.g., homothetic preferences, ∆pinkind < 0
7. Imperfect competition
• Can generate same predictions with imperfect competition
– Cash transfers cause price increase
– In-kind transfers cause prices to decrease, relatively
• Effects probably more likely to persist in the long run under
imperfect competition
– Long-run supply curve flatter than short-run curve
– If inherent barriers to entry lead to imperfect competition, may
persist in long run
8. Normative implications of price effects
• Lower price of transferred good furthers paternalistic goal of
encouraging consumption of transferred goods
• In-kind transfers redistribute from producers to consumers
(relative to cash transfers)
• If govt wants to tax producers to make transfers to consumers,
in-kind transfers could be a second-best tax instrument (Coate,
Johnson, and Zeckhauser 1994)
• With imperfect competition, no longer just a pecuniary externality
– Goods are undersupplied by the market
– Govt influx of supply could increase efficiency
9. Outline of rest of talk
• Background on PAL program + data
• Results
– Overall price effects for cash versus in-kind program
– Heterogeneity based on remoteness of village
– Quantifying the total effect
– Producer versus consumer households
• Conclusion
10. Transfer program we study
• Mexico’s food assistance program, Programa de Apoyo
Alimentario (PAL)
• PAL nationwide (in 2009): 200,000 households in 5,000 villages
• Targets poor households in villages too poor to be receiving
Oportunidades
11. PAL experiment
• Experiment in 2003-05: 208 villages
• Village-level randomization among eligible villages (small, rural,
poor) in 6 southern states
• Household-level targeting: 89% of households eligible
• 3 treatment arms – eligible HHs receive the following each month:
– Food box with 10 goods
– 150 pesos cash
– No transfer (control group)
12. Items in food box
Value per box Calories, as Village change
Amount per (pre-program, % of total in supply
Item Type box (kg) in pesos) box (∆Supply)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Corn flour basic 3 15.7 20% 1.00
Rice basic 2 12.7 12% 0.61
Beans basic 2 21.0 13% 0.29
Fortified powdered milk basic 1.92 76.2 17% 8.62
Packaged pasta soup basic 1.2 16.2 8% 0.93
Vegetable oil basic 1 (lt) 10.4 16% 0.25
Biscuits basic 1 18.7 8% 0.81
Lentils supplementary 1 10.3 2% 3.73
Canned tuna/sardines supplementary 0.6 14.8 2% 1.55
Breakfast cereal supplementary 0.2 9.3 1% 0.90
Notes:
(1) Value is calculated using the average of pre-treatment village-level median unit values. 10 pesos ≈ 1 USD.
(2) ∆Supply measures the PAL supply influx into villages, relative to what would have been consumed absent the
program. It is constructed as the average across all in-kind villages of the total amount of the good transferred to the
village divided by the average consumption of the good in control villages in the post-period.
(3) We do not know whether a household received canned tuna fish (0.35kg) or canned sardines (0.8kg); the analysis
assumes the mean weight and calories throughout.
(4) Biscuits are excluded from our analysis as post-program prices are missing.
15. Influx of cash and food was large
• Transfers are large: 19% of baseline monthly food expenditures
for recipients, 12% of total expenditures
• Given 89% eligibility, influx of 17% of baseline monthly food
expenditures for village
• Cash transfer was 8% of baseline total expenditures for village
16. Income effect of transfers
• Is the income effect from cash and in-kind transfers the same?
• Could be smaller effect for in-kind transfers – recipients value the
bundle less than its market value
• Could be larger for in-kind transfers, e.g., transfer signals quality
• Roughly, income effect is similar for both transfers in our setting
17. Equivalence of income effect for PAL program
• Cost for the in-kind box at prices in village was 206 pesos
• Government procurement cost was 150 pesos so set cash transfer
at this amount
• In-kind goods can’t be costlessly resold, so value is <206 pesos
18. What is value of PAL in-kind transfer?
• 116 pesos of the bundle was inframarginal, based on examining
control group’s consumption (Cunha 2012)
• In-kind HHs consume 34 pesos more of these goods than they
would have with cash transfer
• Another 56 pesos of transfer is extramarginal but not consumed;
transaction costs from resale
• Assume deadweight loss erodes two thirds of value in both cases;
90 pesos nominal value but valued at 30 pesos
• In-kind box valued at ∼146 pesos
• Even if consumers only value the inframarginal portion, different
income effect cannot explain magnitude of our results
19. Supply side of the market
• Food is sourced from manufacturers outside these villages
– We focus on only the local GE effects, ignoring possible Mexico-
wide effects
• Supply side within the village are grocery stores/shopkeepers
• Agricultural producers in the village supply substitute goods
22. Data
• Matched panel surveys of households and stores
– Pre-intervention (2003) / Follow-up (2005)
– Program underway for ≈ 1 year at follow-up
– For HH survey, interviewed random sample of 33 HHs per
village
• 14 of 208 villages not included because of missing data or program
began before baseline
• Final sample: 194 villages, 360 stores
• Randomization seems to have worked (Table 2)
23. Data on food prices
• 9 PAL food items
– 6 basic goods: corn flour, rice, beans, pasta, oil, fortified milk
– 3 supplementary goods: canned fish, packaged breakfast cereal,
and lentils
– Data for 10th PAL good (biscuits) not collected
• 51 non-PAL food items
• No price data for non-food items
24. Price data
• Our outcome variable is the good-store-village price (12,940
observations)
• Price surveys of local stores in each village
• Up to 3 stores per village but typically 1 or 2
• Looked for, or asked for, lowest priced product
• Incomplete baseline store data
25. Baseline price data: Unit values
• Household survey has food consumption, expenditure,
consumption out of own production by item, 7-day recall
• We calculate unit values (expenditures per unit purchased)
• Use median price for village-good
• Interpolate from other villages in municipality if missing
• Also use store prices, imputing missing values
26. Basic regression
pgsv = α + β 1InKindv + β 2Cashv + φpgsv,t−1 + σXgv + gsv
• g is good, s is store, v is village
• Control for lagged prices
• Control for indicator if lagged prices is imputed
• Cluster on village
• Two predictions are β 1 < β 2 and β 2 > 0
27. Effect of transfer program on price of PAL goods
All PAL Basic PAL All PAL Basic PAL All PAL Basic PA
goods goods goods goods goods goods
Outcome = price price price price price price
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
In‐kind ‐0.037* ‐0.033 ‐0.036* ‐0.033 ‐0.032* ‐0.025
(0.020) (0.020) (0.020) (0.020) (0.017) (0.017)
Cash 0.002 0.014 0.003 0.012 0.001 0.011
(0.023) (0.027) (0.023) (0.026) (0.020) (0.022)
Lagged normalized unit value 0.027 0.127***
(0.021) (0.042)
Lagged normalized store price 0.325*** 0.335**
(0.052) (0.064)
Lagged ln(unit value)
Observations 2,335 1,617 2,335 1,617 2,335 1,617
Effect size: In‐kind ‐ Cash ‐0.039** ‐0.047** ‐0.038** ‐0.045** ‐0.034** ‐0.036**
H 0 : In‐kind = Cash (p‐value) 0.02 0.04 0.03 0.04 0.03 0.04
Notes: *** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1
28. Robustness checks
• Results similar across specifications
– Control for store prices
– Use log prices
• No evidence that results are driven by changes in quality
29. Heterogeneity based on remoteness of village
• Two reasons to expect larger price effects in more remote areas
– Less open economy (steeper supply curve)
– Imperfect competition
• Measured as travel time to market with fresh meat, vegetables,
fruit
– Use village median of self-reports in household survey
30. Results on remoteness of the village
All PAL goods Basic PAL goods only
Above‐ Below‐ Above‐ Below‐
median median All villages median median All villages
remotenes remotenes remotenes remotenes
Outcome = price price price price price price
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
In‐kind ‐0.030 ‐0.044* ‐0.050 ‐0.014 ‐0.045* ‐0.033
(0.033) (0.024) (0.030) (0.027) (0.027) (0.031)
Cash 0.050 ‐0.029 0.013 0.062** ‐0.015 0.032
(0.034) (0.031) (0.031) (0.031) (0.038) (0.036)
ln(Remoteness) x In‐kind ‐0.028 ‐0.007
(0.033) (0.036)
ln(Remoteness) x Cash 0.023 0.033
(0.033) (0.037)
Observations 865 1,470 2,130 603 1,014 1,471
Effect size: In‐kind ‐ Cash ‐0.081*** ‐0.015 ‐0.076*** ‐0.030
H 0 : In‐kind = Cash (p‐value) 0.00 0.56 0.00 0.35
Effect size: ln(Remoteness) x In‐kind ‐
ln(Remoteness) x Cash ‐0.050** ‐0.040*
H 0 : ln(Remoteness) x In‐kind =
0.02 0.08
ln(Remoteness) x Cash (p‐value)
Notes: *** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1
(1) The outcome variable is the post‐treatment price; it varies at the village‐store‐good level. It is normalized by good; the
price is divided by the average price of the good across all observations in the control group. Standard errors are
31. Testing between competition and closed economy
explanations
• Don’t have census of stores per village
• Poor quality data when tried to collect it retrospectively in 2011
• Suggestive evidence using number of stores in the data collection
• Price effects persist for a year, even though long-run MC curve
seems like it should be flat ⇒ Also suggests imperfect competition
32. Results on number of stores
All PAL goods Basic PAL goods only
Outcome = price price price price
(1) (2) (3) (4)
In‐kind ‐0.030 ‐0.039 ‐0.018 ‐0.020
(0.058) (0.062) (0.064) (0.069)
Cash 0.065 0.056 0.109 0.104
(0.067) (0.071) (0.071) (0.076)
# stores x In‐kind ‐0.004 ‐0.006 ‐0.006 ‐0.007
(0.026) (0.025) (0.029) (0.029)
# stores x Cash ‐0.032 ‐0.022 ‐0.047 ‐0.037
(0.028) (0.030) (0.030) (0.031)
ln(Remoteness) x In‐kind ‐0.025 ‐0.006
(0.034) (0.037)
ln(Remoteness) x Cash 0.022 0.026
(0.035) (0.038)
Observations 2,130 2,130 1,471 1,471
Effect size: In‐kind ‐ Cash ‐0.095* ‐0.096* ‐0.127** ‐0.124**
H 0 : In‐kind = Cash (p‐value) 0.06 0.06 0.02 0.02
Effect size: # stores x In‐kind ‐ # stores x Cash 0.028 0.016 0.040* 0.030
H 0 : # stores x In‐kind = # stores x Cash (p‐
value) 0.15 0.47 0.05 0.18
Effect size: ln(Remoteness) x In‐kind ‐
ln(Remoteness) x Cash ‐0.047** ‐0.033
H 0 : ln(Remoteness) x In‐kind =
ln(Remoteness) x Cash (p‐value) 0.03 0.16
Notes: *** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1
33. Effects on non-PAL goods
• Other food items are substitutes for PAL goods
• Identify subset of goods that are close substitutes for PAL goods
• Examine price effects for all other food items
• No data for non-food prices
34. Substitutes
Set of PAL substitutes All non‐PAL goods
Above‐ Below‐ Above‐ Below‐
All villages median median All villages All villages median median All villages
remoteness remoteness remoteness remoteness
Outcome = price price price price price price price price
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)
In‐kind ‐0.013 0.010 ‐0.024 ‐0.014 0.010 0.000 0.014 ‐0.005
(0.025) (0.032) (0.036) (0.029) (0.019) (0.029) (0.024) (0.023)
Cash 0.027 0.035 0.024 0.024 0.009 0.039 ‐0.012 0.013
(0.031) (0.034) (0.045) (0.033) (0.022) (0.042) (0.023) (0.034)
ln(Remoteness) x In‐kind ‐0.006 ‐0.022
(0.034) (0.028)
ln(Remoteness) x Cash 0.002 0.014
(0.036) (0.032)
Observations 1,442 498 944 1,307 10,648 3,765 6,883 9,698
Effect size: In‐kind ‐ Cash ‐0.039 ‐0.025 ‐0.048 0.001 ‐0.039 0.026
H 0 : In‐kind = Cash (p‐value) 0.15 0.41 0.22 0.95 0.34 0.24
Effect size: ln(Remoteness) x
In‐kind ‐ ln(Remoteness) x
Cash ‐0.008 ‐0.036
H 0 : ln(Remoteness) x In‐kind
= ln(Remoteness) x Cash (p‐ 0.77 0.27
value)
Notes: *** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1
(1) The outcome variable is the post‐treatment price; it varies at the village‐store‐good level. It is normalized by good; the price is divided by the average price
of the good across all observations in the control group. Standard errors are clustered at the village level.
(2) Regressions control for the main effects of the interaction terms reported, as well as for the pre‐period normalized unit value and an indicator for imputed
pre‐program prices (see text).
35. Magnitude of the effects
• Multiply estimated change in prices by expenditure amount to
quantify price effect in pesos
• Expenditures per HH on PAL goods is 200 pesos and on non-PAL
goods, 1050 pesos per month (in control villages)
• Applies to non-recipients too
• Price effects small for non-remote villages
36. Magnitude of the effects
• Price effects have negligible effect on household purchasing power
for non-remote villages
• Price effects large in remote villages
⇒ Difference between in-kind and cash transfers equivalent to 60
extra pesos for a consumer (>30% of direct transfer)
37. Effects on food-producing households
• HHs are mainly consumers of the PAL goods, but some HHs are
agric. producers
• Welfare effects differ for producers
– e.g., Price increase from cash transfer is an extra benefit
• Production decisions might respond to the program
– e.g., Produce/sell more when prices rise in cash villages
• Income effect also could affect production, e.g., investment
affected if credit-constrained
38. Effects for food-producing HHs
Farm Farm ln(Expenditur ln(Expenditur Asset Asset
Outcome =
profits costs e per capita) e per capita) index index
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
In‐kind 143.87 134.01 0.115** 0.084
(89.839) (119.511) (0.046) (0.075)
Cash 186.16* 345.32** 0.064 ‐0.040
(106.082) (140.378) (0.052) (0.106)
Producer x In‐Kind 0.001 ‐0.018 0.077 0.055
(0.060) (0.046) (0.115) (0.088)
Producer x Cash 0.087 0.015 0.266* 0.229**
(0.068) (0.051) (0.142) (0.109)
Producer ‐0.161*** ‐0.003 ‐0.308*** ‐0.007
(0.050) (0.036) (0.092) (0.071)
Control for pre‐period
outcome? yes yes yes yes yes yes
Village FE yes yes
Observations 4,924 5,038 5,534 5,534 5,571 5,571
Effect size: In‐kind ‐ Cash ‐42.29 ‐211.31* 0.050 0.124
H 0 : In‐kind = Cash (p‐value) 0.67 0.08 0.25 0.20
Effect size: Producer x In‐
Kind ‐ Producer x Cash ‐0.086 ‐0.033 ‐0.189 ‐0.174*
H 0 : Producer x In‐Kind =
Producer x Cash (p‐value) 0.13 0.47 0.13 0.07
Notes: *** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1
39. Summary of findings
• In rural Mexico, in-kind transfers cause prices of transferred goods
to fall relative to cash villages
• Results driven by more remote villages, perhaps because of less
supply-side competition
• In remote villages, in-kind transfers deliver 30% more to
consumers than cash transfers
• Welfare consequences of price changes are the opposite for
producers
– Price increase from cash transfers increases farm profits
– Lower prices from in-kind transfers hurt farm profits
40. Concluding thoughts
• Long-run effects might differ as supply adjusts
• Many other considerations when choosing in-kind vs. cash
transfers
– Paternalistic goals versus constraining household choices
– Govt may not be as efficient a supplier as the private sector
• But price effects are too large to ignore in remote villages
– High eligibility for social programs (typically ultra-poor)
– Fewer stores
– Less integrated with the outside economy
• In-kind transfers are one tool to reduce oligopolistic inefficiencies