Benin : Poverty Assessment
The main purpose of this Poverty Assessment is to complement the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). It aims at providing the Government with a more solid base on which to shape a poverty reduction strategy. To do so it focuses on analyzing th...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Poverty Assessment |
Language: | English en_US |
Published: |
Washington, DC
2013
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/09/4263887/benin-poverty-assessment http://hdl.handle.net/10986/14594 |
Summary: | The main purpose of this Poverty
Assessment is to complement the Poverty Reduction Strategy
Paper (PRSP). It aims at providing the Government with a
more solid base on which to shape a poverty reduction
strategy. To do so it focuses on analyzing the areas left
open by the PRSP, which have mostly to do with the lack of
reliable and detailed information on the characteristics,
incidence and dynamics of poverty today. A household survey
(the CWIQ) was conducted in early 2003 to obtain
quantitative data that provide a basis for up to date
estimates. At the same time, a qualitative study based on
participatory fieldwork provided insight into the
perceptions of the poor themselves as well as a deeper
understanding of the phenomenon. The report is organized in
five chapters (excluding the overview): Chapter 2 looks at
poverty mostly from a macro- economic perspective. I t first
focuses on the recent (1987-2000) economic growth of the
country, pointing at the main factors that may explain the
performance of Benin's economy. It then looks at the
national data available on poverty (in terms of consumption
levels and assets) and at inequality. The chapter concludes
with simulations of the impact of economic growth on poverty
reduction, and a look at the government's PRSP and the
likelihood that Benin will reach the Millennium Development
Goals (MDG). Chapter 3 focuses on poverty at the household
level, and is introduced by a brief description of how the
poor perceive poverty. An analysis of the characteristics
(or determinants) of poverty is followed by an examination o
f the sources of inequality and by an analysis of poverty as
vulnerability, looking at the major risks facing the poor.
After surveying the geographical distribution of poverty and
vulnerability, the chapter examines how poverty affects the
life of people living in cities, how it particularly impacts
children, and the survival strategy of the poor. Chapter 4
tries to shed some light on rural poverty by looking at the
way in which agro-ecological characteristics, and
socioeconomic factors and policies interact. Particular
attention is paid to cotton, given its importance for the
country. Chapter 5 concludes with a series of policy
recommendations for the development of the agricultural
sector in the perspective of poverty reduction. This chapter
examines the poor's access to education, health care,
nutrition, and water and sanitation. An overview of the
situation and main challenges in each sector is followed by
an analysis of government policies and suggestions for
improving access by the poor to these basic needs. Chapter 6
reviews the existing sources of information on poverty and
the poverty monitoring system presently in place to conclude
suggestions for improving the availability and explanations
of information needed to monitor the PRSP implementation,
and more in general to facilitate social accountability. |
---|