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Equity and policy effectiveness with imperfect targeting

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  • Bibi, Sami
  • Duclos, Jean-Yves

Abstract

We propose a general cost-of-inequality approach that jointly integrates horizontal and vertical equity criteria in the assessment of poverty alleviation programs, with the strength of each criterion being captured through its own inequity-aversion parameter. This contrasts with the assessment of poverty alleviation programs done with simple under-coverage and leakage ratios or with other methods that do not take into account the heterogeneity of the poor and that do not address directly the social benefits of achieving normative criteria. Our methodology is illustrated using Tunisian data and two alternative poverty alleviation policies. We find inter alia that the social ranking of commodity and socio-demographic targeting in Tunisia depends on the policymaker's comparative preference for vertical and horizontal equity.

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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Journal of Development Economics.

Volume (Year): 83 (2007)
Issue (Month): 1 (May)
Pages: 109-140

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Handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:83:y:2007:i:1:p:109-140

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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Christophe Muller & Sami Bibi, 2007. "Focused Targeting against Poverty Evidence from Tunisia," Working Papers DT/2007/07, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
  2. Christophe Muller, 2007. "Anti-Poverty Transfers without Riots in Tunisia," Working Papers DT/2007/08, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
  3. Sami Bibi & Jean-Yves Duclos, 2004. "Poverty-Decreasing Indirect Tax Reforms: Evidence from Tunisia," Cahiers de recherche 0403, CIRPEE.
  4. Ravallion, Martin, 2004. "Competing concepts of inequality in the globalization debate," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3243, The World Bank.
  5. Jean-Yves Duclos, 2009. "What is “Pro-Poor”?," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 37-58, January.
  6. Jean-Yves Duclos, 2006. "Equity and Equality," Cahiers de recherche 0629, CIRPEE.
  7. Sami Bibi, 2006. "Growth with Equity is Better for the Poor," Cahiers de recherche 0640, CIRPEE.
  8. Christophe MULLER and Sami BIBI, 2008. "Focused Transfer Targeting against Poverty Evidence from Tunisia," THEMA Working Papers 2008-37, THEMA (THéorie Economique, Modélisation et Applications), Université de Cergy-Pontoise.

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