World Bank

About: World Bank is a other organization based out in Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poverty. The organization has 7813 authors who have published 21594 publications receiving 1198361 citations. The organization is also known as: World Bank, WB & The World Bank.

The appropriate role of agricultural insurance in developing countries

Abstract: Multiple-risk crop insurance programmes have proven expensive to governments but have not lived up to their expectations. Many agricultural risks cannot be insured on a financially sound basis, but there is scope for increased insurance of farm assets, of the life and health of rural people, and of some specific perils that affect crop and livestock yields. Such insurance could be efficiently provided by the private sector if governments were to remove some of the important constraints impinging on commercial insurers. The greatest challenge is to find ways of insuring low-income rural households against natural hazards on a financially sound basis. Simple lottery schemes that provide insurance against catastrophic weather events (e.g. drought or flood) recorded at regional weather stations might prove effective.

Aggregate Income Shocks and Infant Mortality in the Developing World

Abstract: Health and income are strongly correlated both within and across countries, yet the extent to which improvements in income have a causal effect on health status remains controversial. The authors investigate whether short-term fluctuations in aggregate income affect infant mortality using an unusually large data set of 1.7 million births in 59 developing countries. The authors show a large, negative association between per capita GDP and infant mortality. Female infant mortality is more sensitive than male infant mortality to negative economic shocks, suggesting that policies that protect the health status of female infants may be especially important during economic downturns.

Declining Inequality in Latin America in the 2000s: The Cases of Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico

Abstract: Between 2000 and 2010, the Gini coefficient declined in 13 of 17 Latin American countries. The decline was statistically significant and robust to changes in the time interval, inequality measures, and data sources. In-depth country studies for Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico suggest two main phenomena underlie this trend: a fall in the premium to skilled labor and more progressive government transfers. The fall in the premium to skills resulted from a combination of supply, demand, and institutional factors. Their relative importance depends on the country.

Is There an Intrahousehold 'Flypaper Effect'? Evidence From a School Feeding Programme

Abstract: Are public transfers targeted toward children neutralised by the household, as the theory of altruism implies, or is there an intrahousehold 'flypaper effect' whereby such transfers 'stick' to the child? This paper studies the impact of a school feeding programme on child caloric intake in the Philippines using a quasi-experimental methodology. The empirical results confirm an intrahousehold flypaper effect; indeed, they indicate virtually no intrahousehold reallocation of calories in response to the feeding programme. In poorer households, however, children's gains from the programme appear to be 'taxed' more heavily.

Migration and Economic Mobility in Tanzania: Evidence from a Tracking Survey

Abstract: This study explores the extent to which migration has contributed to improved living standards of individuals in Tanzania. Using longitudinal data on individuals, the authors estimate the impact of migration on consumption growth between 1991 and 2004. The analysis addresses concerns about heterogeneity and unobservable factors correlated with both income changes and the decision to migrate. The findings show that migration adds 36 percentage points to consumption growth, during a period of considerable growthin consumption. These results are robust to numerous tests and alternative specifications. Unpacking the findings, the analysis finds that moving out of agriculture is correlated with much higher growth than staying in agriculture, although growth is always higher in any sector if one physically moves. Economic mobility is strongly linked to geographic mobility. The puzzle is why more people do not move if returns to geographic mobility are high. The evidence is consistent with models in which exit barriers are set by home communities (through social and family norms) that prevent migration of certain categories of people.