Search

Begin New Search Political Geography South America Publishing Institution Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University

1. Peru’s JUNTOS Cash Conditional Transfer Program: Geographic Targeting(2005-2017)

Author:
Miguel Angel Carpio, Farhan Majid, Sonia Laszlo, Alan Sanchez, and Zeljko Janzic
Publication Date:
06-2019
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University
Abstract:
Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) have become an important anti-poverty policy globally in recent decades by aiming to alleviate poverty through financial incentives tied directly to human capital investments (namely primary and secondary schooling and maternal and child health). In Peru, the CCT program JUNTOS targeting poor families was established in 2005. By 2017, it has covered 693 thousand families in 1,305 of Peru’s 1,943 districts. 1 Official sources estimate that 72% of all potential household beneficiaries were already covered by the program by 2015.2 In order to select its beneficiaries, JUNTOS implemented a two-stage procedure. The first stage involves geographic targeting by selecting districts in need. The second stage then selects households in the targeted districts. In both cases the program follows an eligibility rule. Like most large-scale anti-poverty programs, JUNTOS was rolled out in several phases. However, despite considerable work evaluating JUNTOS, to our knowledge the various phases and changes observed in the eligibility rule over these phases have not yet been described in detail in one single public document. Furthermore, in discussions with researchers who have evaluated JUNTOS, some discrepancies have been noted between de jure criteria for selection and de facto receipt of benefits. With this in mind, this report has two objectives: (i) to document the information available about the eligibility rule at the district level (also known as the geographic rule); and (ii) to use the information available to replicate the eligibility rule using information that is publicly available. One key challenge we faced in elaborating this report is that the information that is publicly available about the JUNTOS eligibility rule is not specific enough in some important respects, including the sources of information used, the definition of the variables, and the specific ways in which the rule was updated over time.
Topic:
Treaties and Agreements, Finance, Economy, and Development Aid
Political Geography:
South America and Peru

2. Understanding policy impact amidst controversy: Lessons from forest zoning in Argentina

Author:
C. Nolte, Y. le Polain de Waroux, M. Piquer-Rodriguez, V. Butsic, and E.F. Lambin
Publication Date:
12-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University
Abstract:
Lessons for empirical scholars engaged in debates on conservation policies include: "Impact" must be distinguished from other measures of policy effectiveness. Estimating policy impact requires including appropriate spatial and temporal confounders in the model. Enforcement does not have to be perfect to have a deterrent effect. A policy outcome's success or failure should be assessed based on identified standards.
Topic:
Natural Resources, Conservation, and Forest
Political Geography:
Argentina and South America

3. To eliminate deforestation in South America, reduce differences in regulations across regions and actors

Author:
R. Garrett, E.F. Lambin, and Y. le Polain de Waroux
Publication Date:
01-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University
Abstract:
Effective deforestation regulations are implemented in places with high conservation value and low opportunity costs. Restrictive deforestation regulations drive away large-scale farms that rely on forest clearing. Increasing regulations do not slow down agricultural expansion, suggesting that large farms avoiding regulations are replaced by smaller farms. Increasing deforestation restrictions makes production costlier, causing major importers to shift to cheaper, less-regulated areas. This shift is partially compensated by rising domestic consumption, and by increasing demand from quality-driven importers.
Topic:
Agriculture, Regulation, Conservation, and Forest
Political Geography:
South America

4. Mine the (Development) Gap? A Case Study

Author:
Lauren Konken and Geneva List
Publication Date:
01-2016
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University
Abstract:
How can strategic partnerships shape the lives and economic opportunities of communities surrounding large-scale mining operations? The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Anglo American PLC, and TechnoServe have pioneered a pilot partnership to implement a regional development plan that leverages the resources and skills of each contributing partner. The project, Beyond Extraction: Economic Opportunities in Communities Hosting Mining Operations, develops a flexible multifaceted program based on three pillars – local procurement, workforce development, and local government capacity building. From this systemic approach, onthe-ground operations will be tailored to the needs of local municipalities surrounding select Anglo American mining operations in each participating country. Each initiative builds on nearly a decade of program conceptualization and implementation through a pre-existing partnership between Anglo American and TechnoServe, combining lessons learned and resources from four enterprise development programs that have been executed collaboratively since 2006. Overall this new strategic partnership serves to elevate and expand Anglo American’s core business practices with the goal of developing local mining communities in ways that ensure sustainability and productivity beyond the lifespan of their mining operations in the region. In this case study we discuss the development of this strategic partnership as well as the challenges it has faced prior to its approval by the IDB in the summer of 2016. Within the context of global mining operations and the subnational regions in which it plans to operate, we analyze how the program goes beyond corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a public private partnership for development (PPPD). As the IDB develops an agenda for work within the extractives sector, this pilot builds on major corporate-bank partnerships surrounding large scale mining operations with a regional focus. The project serves as a precedent and key learning exercise from a multinational perspective for all partners involved as to the challenges and opportunities of strategic partnerships in the extractive sector.
Topic:
Development, Natural Resources, Mining, and Banking
Political Geography:
South America, North America, and Global Focus

5. Understanding the Links Between Sexual and Reproductive Health Status and Poverty Reduction

Author:
Nata Duvvury and Philip Oxhorn
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University
Abstract:
The interrelationship between poverty and sexual and reproductive health status (SRHS) is widely noted in academic, policy and programmatic discourses, though none establishes causality. The primary emphasis in these discourses is that poor SRHS is an outcome of poverty, and thus can be addressed through poverty reduction programmes. The purpose of this brief is to understand what factors contribute to the interrelationship between SRHS and poverty, with a specific focus on understanding how SRHS impacts household poverty. Future studies may then focus specifically on these factors in order to address issues of causality. This brief is based on desk research involving two sources of data: 1) a review of global literature and 2) three country case studies. The global literature review examined literature documenting the nature, extent and strength of the interrelationship between poverty and SRHS. The literature search was conducted using keywords from different disciplinary perspectives demography, economics, development, women’s studies, sociology, human rights and public health. Key databases such as JSTOR, PubMed, MEDLINE and Elsevier Science Direct were consulted, as well as the specific library databases at National University of Ireland, Galway and McGill University. Researchers at McGill compiled an annotated bibliography of literature on India. The three country case studies were undertaken in Brazil, Ghana and Lebanon. Consultants in each country undertook an extensive search of academic, policy and programmatic literature including journal publications, research reports, policy briefs, and non-governmental organization (NGO) reports. The literature search in each country followed the same method as the global literature review, including identifying keywords from different disciplines and exploring different databases. In addition, the consultants searched grey literature through contacting various NGOs and research institutions. They also obtained statistical information from governmental and institutional databases. All country case studies explored three key questions: 1) Is there literature that demonstrates the impact of poor SRHS on poverty? 2) What factors have been highlighted in the literature as influencing the relationship between SRHS and poverty? 3) Are there trade-offs involved for women between education, fertility, status and work participation? and 4) Do programmes by civil society organizations, such as micro-credit or income-generating programmes, promote sexual and reproductive health?
Topic:
Development, Education, Poverty, Health Care Policy, and Reproductive Health
Political Geography:
Africa, Middle East, Brazil, South America, Lebanon, and Ghana

6. Case Study from Brazil Gender Equality, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and Poverty Reduction: Understanding the Links with Economic Growth and Improvements in Household Income

Author:
Rosana Heringer
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University
Abstract:
The general understanding about the status of women in Brazil show a reality of many advancements in many aspects, however not always followed by equivalent outcomes in terms of the status of women in private space. This means that women in Brazil have experimented increased education levels and increased presence in the labor market. However, Brazilian women are still subjected to prejudice and discrimination when it comes to their role in domestic space, playing a subordinate role in relation to husbands and other male roles in the family. This also has implications for the status of women in relation to sexual and reproductive health and rights and in terms of the participation of women in public sphere, including labor market and political participation. The status of women in the household, when subject to disrespect and lack of autonomy, leading to situations of economic dependence, unwanted pregnancy or domestic violence, to name a few, jeopardize the possibility of women developing themselves as independent citizens and with autonomy to participate in economic life. Although having recently elected the first woman president in the country, Brazil has also a low record when it comes to the political participation of women. The number of women as elected officials in the country is among the smallest in the world, and has been growing slowly along the last decade. It is also important to say that the status of women in Brazil is highly marked by the differences among women themselves in aspects such as class and race or ethnic background. Black and indigenous women in Brazil face the biggest burdens in terms of access to rights, with implications to their well being and to their status in society. It is also acknowledged that class differences, representing the inequalities in terms of education, occupation and income have great influence in the situation of women.
Topic:
Gender Issues, Poverty, Income Inequality, Economic growth, and Reproductive Health
Political Geography:
Brazil and South America