IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ris/badest/0535.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Can Proxy Means Testing Improve the Targeting Performance of Social Safety Nets in Bangladesh?

Author

Listed:
  • SHARIF, IFFATH A.

    (Senior Economist, South Asia Social Protection Unit, The World Bank)

Abstract

This paper develops and discusses a Proxy Means Test (PMT) based household targeting system for Bangladesh. The PMT model derived from household survey data includes observable and verifiable characteristics on (i) household demographics and characteristics of household head; (ii) ownership of assets; (iii) housing quality, and access to facilities and remittances; and (iv) location variables in a formal algorithm to proxy household welfare. Simulations of the model suggest that the proposed PMT formula is able to improve the targeting efficiency by a considerable amount when compared with existing targeted safety net programmes. However, numerous implementation challenges remain which include but are not limited to a cost-efficient data collection process, effective management of information and a feasible and cost-efficient monitoring and verification system to minimise fraud and leakage.

Suggested Citation

  • Sharif, Iffath A., 2012. "Can Proxy Means Testing Improve the Targeting Performance of Social Safety Nets in Bangladesh?," Bangladesh Development Studies, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), vol. 35(2), pages 1-43, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:ris:badest:0535
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://bids.org.bd/uploads/publication/BDS/35/35-2/01_Can%20Proxy%20Means%20Testing.pdf
    File Function: Full text
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Castaneda, Tarsicio & Lindert, Kathy & de la Briere, Benedicte & Fernandez, Luisa & Hubert, Celia & Larranaya, Oswaldo & Orozco, Monica & Viquez, Roxana, 2005. "Designing and implementing household targeting systems : lessons from Latin American and The United States," Social Protection Discussion Papers and Notes 32756, The World Bank.
    2. Siddiqui, Tasneem. & Abrar, Chowdhury R., 2003. "Migrant worker remittances and microfinance in Bangladesh," ILO Working Papers 993632983402676, International Labour Organization.
    3. Glewwe, Paul & Kanaan, Oussama, 1989. "Targeting assistance to the poor using household survey data," Policy Research Working Paper Series 225, The World Bank.
    4. Glewwe, P. & Kanaan, O., 1989. "Targeting Assistance to the Poor: A Multivariate Approach Using Household Survey Data," Papers 94, Warwick - Development Economics Research Centre.
    5. Grosh, M.E. & Baker, J.L., 1995. "Proxy Means Tests for Targetting Social Programs. Simulations and Speculation," Papers 118, World Bank - Living Standards Measurement.
    6. repec:ilo:ilowps:363298 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Ahmed, Akhter U. & Bouis, Howarth E., 2002. "Weighing what's practical: proxy means tests for targeting food subsidies in Egypt," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 27(5-6), pages 519-540.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Md. Masud‐All‐Kamal & Choyon Kumar Saha, 2014. "Targeting Social Policy and Poverty Reduction: The Case of Social Safety Nets in Bangladesh," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 6(2), pages 195-211, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Aguila, Emma & Kapteyn, Arie & Tassot, Caroline, 2017. "Designing cash transfer programs for an older population: The Mexican case," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 9(C), pages 111-121.
    2. Christophe Muller & Sami Bibi, 2006. "Focused Targeting Against Poverty Evidence From Tunisia," Working Papers. Serie AD 2006-01, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie).
    3. Adama Bah, 2015. "Finding the Best Indicators to Identify the Poor," CERDI Working papers halshs-00936201, HAL.
    4. Bisogno, Marcelo & Chong, Alberto, 2001. "Foreign aid and poverty in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Targeting simulations and policy implications," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(4-6), pages 1020-1030, May.
    5. Christophe Muller & Sami Bibi, 2010. "Refining Targeting against Poverty Evidence from Tunisia," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 72(3), pages 381-410, June.
    6. Bibi Sami, 2003. "On the Impact of Better Targeted Transfers on Poverty in Tunisia," Review of Middle East Economics and Finance, De Gruyter, vol. 1(1), pages 17-35, January.
    7. World Bank, 2009. "Social Assistance Transfers in Bosnia and Herzegovina : Moving Toward a More Sustainable and Better-Targeted Safety Net," World Bank Publications - Reports 18607, The World Bank Group.
    8. Tapanat Paiboonsin, 2019. "Targeting Poor Students With Proxy Means Test," International Journal of Business and Administrative Studies, Professor Dr. Bahaudin G. Mujtaba, vol. 5(3), pages 155-176.
    9. Tschirley, David L. & Rose, Donald, 2000. "Developing Cost Effective Methods for Estimating Household Income and Nutrient Intake Adequacy," Food Security International Development Policy Syntheses 11330, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    10. Delalić Adela & Abdić Ademir & Halilbašić Muamer & Šćeta Lamija, 2020. "Assesing efficiency of targeting in social services in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina," Croatian Review of Economic, Business and Social Statistics, Sciendo, vol. 6(1), pages 56-74, May.
    11. Christophe MULLER & 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.
    12. John A. Maluccio, 2009. "Household targeting in practice: The Nicaraguan Red de Protección Social," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 21(1), pages 1-23.
    13. Brown, Caitlin & Ravallion, Martin & van de Walle, Dominique, 2018. "A poor means test? Econometric targeting in Africa," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 109-124.
    14. Stoeffler, Quentin & Mills, Bradford & del Ninno, Carlo, 2016. "Reaching the Poor: Cash Transfer Program Targeting in Cameroon," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 244-263.
    15. Sabina Alkire & Suman Seth, 2013. "Selecting a Targeting Method to Identify BPL Households in India," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 112(2), pages 417-446, June.
    16. Houssou, Nazaire & Asante-Addo, Collins & Andam, Kwaw S., 2017. "Improving the targeting of fertilizer subsidy programs in Africa south of the Sahara: Perspectives from the Ghanaian experience," IFPRI discussion papers 1622, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    17. Adesina, Adedoyin & Akogun, Oladele & Dillon, Andrew & Friedman, Jed & Njobdi, Sani & Serneels, Pieter, 2017. "Robustness and External Validity: What do we Learn from Repeated Study Designs over Time?," 2018 Allied Social Sciences Association (ASSA) Annual Meeting, January 5-7, 2018, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 266292, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    18. Schleicher, Michael & Souares, Aurélia & Pacere, Athanase Narangoro & Sauerborn, Rainer & Klonner, Stefan, 2016. "Decentralized versus Statistical Targeting of Anti-Poverty Programs: Evidence from Burkina Faso," Working Papers 0623, University of Heidelberg, Department of Economics.
    19. Christophe Muller, 2007. "Anti-Poverty Transfers without Riots in Tunisia," Working Papers DT/2007/08, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    20. Akogun, Oladele & Dillon, Andrew & Friedman, Jed & Prasann, Ashesh & Serneels, Pieter, 2017. "Productivity and Health: Alternative Productivity Measures using Physical Activity," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258380, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Targeting; Proxy Means Test; Safety Nets; Bangladesh;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C15 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Statistical Simulation Methods: General
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ris:badest:0535. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Meftaur Rahman, Cheif Publication Officer, BIDS (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/bidssbd.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.