<p>In course of time the role of the individual being has become increasingly important in the fight against poverty. Through its microcredit programmes, the organization Grameen Bank offers “aid to self-help” to poor women on the countryside in Bangladesh. The purpose of this essay is to investigate how participation in Grameen’s microcredit programmes can affect these women’s social situation and working situation. In order to achieve the purpose the following questions have been formulated: How does microcredit affect women’s self-esteem, influence in the household, and exposure to domestic violence? How does microcredit affect women’s occupational situation, to what extent do they have control over their loans, and how is microcredit regarded in comparison with permanent jobs, as a way to reduce poverty?</p><p>The research, which has been carried out as a qualitative text analysis, shows that Grameen plays an important role when it comes to improving women’s living conditions. The access to microcredit helps women increasing their working activity as well as their self-esteem and influence in the household. However, microcredit does not merely create positive consequences. There are cases where microcredit increases the risk of domestic violence. Often the loans are transferred within the household, and then controlled by men. In addition, women’s use of microcredit is still confined to activities traditionally performed by women. These factors are important to consider when evaluating Grameen’s programmes, since they counteract Grameen’s vision of creating development for women.</p>

This paper examines how debt cancellation, given under the HIPC-initiative, has affected corruption over the period 2000-2006. The examination is foremost interesting due to earlier research showing that high corruption leads to unequal distribution of economic resources. This, combined with the objective of the HIPC initiative to reduce poverty, indicates that combating corruption must be successful in order to fulfill the goals of the initiative. A linear regression shows that countries that have benefited from the HIPC-initiative indeed have a lower corruption than other countries. A panel-data analysis shows on the other hand that no effect on corruption due to debt cancellation or reforms undertaken in the program can be confirmed.

The principal objective of this thesis is to explore the issue of poverty in selected research sites in Papua. This objective is broken down to four questions: how is poverty understood, how is it measured, what are its causes and how is it alleviated? Two approaches were utilised to investigate the above questions. Macro level investigation was based on exploring data available in the official publications while the micro approach was based on fieldwork carried out in the selected sites. The results of the first approach are examined in chapters two, three and four, and the second approach are discussed in chapter five, six, seven and eight. In relation to the first question, the macro exploration found that poverty is understood mainly in terms of a lack of basic components of life such as income, consumption or basic needs. Understanding poverty from this approach normally uses the poverty line, which is set up based on these items, to separate the poor from the non-poor. According to this line, poverty refers to those people whose consumption falls below the line while the rest are non-poor. This view looks at poverty from one dimension that is an economic dimension. Hence, it does not provide a complete picture of human poverty, which covers not only the economic dimension but also others such as vulnerability, powerlessness, isolation, and a lack of choice. The micro investigation adopts a poverty understanding stemming from the experience of the poor. This investigation found that the poor understand poverty from what they feel to be lacking in their environment. In this approach, poverty is a lack of assets, in particular natural, physical, human, social and financial assets. Nonetheless, those affected by poverty argue that their poverty is not related to nature, but to physical, human, social and financial assets. This view seems to offer a broader picture of human poverty and hence, it is useful for formulation of or as a basis for a poverty reduction policy. With regard to the second question, the macro approach found that poverty measurement employs a quantitative measurement of both items and methods. The quantitative items can include income, consumption or basic needs (food and non-food), which are valued in monetary terms. The quantitative methods apply statistical techniques such as headcount index, poverty gap index, poverty severity index and others to measure poverty. This measurement only considers the quantitative aspect and, therefore, it does not pay attention to the qualitative aspect of human poverty. The micro approach on the other hand, attempts to amalgamate both aspects into a poverty measurement. One of the approaches that attempts an amalgamation of the two is the participatory approach, which is utilised in this study. Although it is a qualitative-based approach, it still opens the window to the use of quantitative approaches. The micro approach seems to offer some benefits such as giving more depth of information regarding human poverty, directly touching the lives of the poor, and facilitating a bottom-up policy to alleviate poverty in the local context. In the third question, the macro exploration demonstrates that structural forces such as agents, class and institutions bring about poverty through their policies, programmes and rules. The micro investigation on the other hand, shows that individual characteristics and a lack of assets contribute to poverty. This investigation sees that poverty at the micro level is a result of the mutual operation of structural forces, individual characteristics and a lack of assets. With regard to the last question, both approaches demonstrate a variety of polices to eliminate poverty as discussed in chapters three, six, seven, eight and ten. One framework for a poverty reduction strategy is the Asian Development Bank (ABD) three pillars strategy: social development, pro-poor growth and good governance. However the emphasis is for government commitment and the political will to alleviate poverty. Some experts underline this as a prerequisite to implement a poverty reduction policy because, as they argue, without this the policy will either not exist or will develop only very slowly. The selected sites experienced poor environments in terms of infrastructure, poor education and skills, poor health and nutrition. This is indeed a manifestation of poor government policies as identified by the poor. From the poor's point of view, it was found that all participants in the fieldwork identified poor policy as a contributing factor of poverty they experienced. This was also justified by looking at the ranking of institutions they gave. In these rankings, government institutions were generally given a rank of less importance by the poor. Participants stated that these institutions were not trusted and were not effective in providing support to the poor.

p. 1-125 / Submitted by Santiago Fabio (fabio.ssantiago@hotmail.com) on 2013-03-13T17:51:34Z No. of bitstreams: 1 3333.pdf: 1825339 bytes, checksum: b6ba898110ebd9f710aaa0392d676485 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Tatiana Lima(tatianasl@ufba.br) on 2013-03-13T19:40:28Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 3333.pdf: 1825339 bytes, checksum: b6ba898110ebd9f710aaa0392d676485 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-03-13T19:40:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3333.pdf: 1825339 bytes, checksum: b6ba898110ebd9f710aaa0392d676485 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Apesar do crescente aumento do estoque de riqueza material no mundo, a pobreza continua a ser um problema de grande extensão e gravidade devido, especialmente, às desigualdades sociais. Existe uma dificuldade inicial na formulação e acompanhamento das políticas de combate a pobreza que é a indefinição ou limitação das concepções de pobreza adotadas. Este trabalho considera as inúmeras críticas quanto ao caráter limitado da renda, a proxy mais utilizada para a descrição da pobreza, adotando uma abordagem multidimensional como a mais adequada para a análise. Concluiuse, entretanto que a abordagem da renda pode ser utilizada para a mensuração da pobreza como proxy de uma conceituação multifacetada deste fenômeno, desde que completada com indicadores sociais, mas é insuficiente para a análise das suas causas. Utilizouse a Bahia como estudo de caso para a discussão da adequação da renda como forma de medir a pobreza. Diferentes estudos apontavam resultados distintos desde o início da década de 90; um dos motivos seria a concepção de pobreza utilizada. O problema de pesquisa deste trabalho então foi o seguinte: a dinâmica da pobreza na Bahia demonstrada através de linhas de pobreza baseadas na renda é consistente com uma abordagem multidimensional? A hipótese inicial de que as análises da dinâmica da pobreza eram inconsistentes com uma abordagem multidimensional não foi comprovada, ou seja, a evolução da pobreza entre 1991 e 2000 descritas através da renda mostrouse semelhante à observada por meio das necessidades básicas ou das capacidades, mensuradas por meio de um sistema de indicadores sociais e do IDH, respectivamente. A distinção de resultados ocorreu na análise baseada nos indicadores de desigualdades, que buscavam refletir a abordagem de exclusão social. A observação das diversas dimensões da pobreza e seus comportamentos no período e a análise dos resultados foi objetivo específico deste trabalho. A pesquisa foi feita através de uma metodologia quantitativa com dados secundários a partir de quatro perspectivas em relação à pobreza (renda, necessidades básicas, capacidades e exclusão social). Concluíse assim que para se ter um quadro mais próximo da realidade, há uma necessidade de se analisar a pobreza utilizando abordagens distintas, mas complementares. / Salvador

Co-operatives are seen as one of the appropriate strategies for intervention in eradicating poverty in rural communities. During the financial year 2007-2008 the Department of Social Development and Special Programmes pronounced on the availability of funds in its budget for the establishment of women’s co-operatives and other livelihood community projects. The initiative of funding rural women’s cooperatives was one of the interventions to address high poverty and unemployment levels among rural women in the province. Rural women co-operatives were nonexistent in the Mbhashe area of the Eastern Cape, as a consequence, co-operatives were speedily formed in order to access funding for women co-operatives that was made available by the Department of Social Development and Special Programmes. The concern of the state initiated rural women’s co-operatives was their long-term sustainability as they were not embedded in the principles of a co-operative as autonomous association of persons who should voluntarily unite to meet their common economic, cultural and social needs and aspirations through a jointly democratically controlled enterprise. It was a top-down approach which negated inherent values of cooperation, namely self help, self responsibility, democracy, equity and solidarity. The aim of the study was to investigate the challenges faced by state-initiated rural women’s co-operatives in reducing poverty in the Mbhashe Area, Eastern Cape Province. Purposive sampling was used to select members of the co-operatives as participants. Study had an applied goal and intrinsic was the research design. Data was collected by means of focus group interviews and semi-structured interviews were used. The findings indicated that there is inadequate capacity in knowledge and skills to manage co-operatives and run a business and lack of co-operative values and principles among co-operatives. The study concludes that lack of knowledge about business, financial management and non adherence to co-operatives values and principles limit the ability of co-operatives to operate independently and succeed as businesses. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

There is much said about how to support a client as a social worker. Much is based on the country's politics, structure, organization, norms, but also on the values, knowledge, and responsiveness of social workers. When a country is exposed to poverty, social work takes a certain kind of shape and direction based on several viewpoints. The world has its eyes on developing countries with many poverty reduction recommendations, but how do social workers, living and working in a country with high poverty, express their reality?                       This study aims to, in a Philippine context, examine professional social workers perception of poverty and identify their approach to poverty alleviation and clients living in poverty. A qualitative study, with eight semi-structured interviews was hold plus one group interview including two respondents. All respondents were professional social workers that worked with poverty reduction in various ways. The thematic analysis was made with the framework of Human Development and Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach theory. The result shows that the efforts to reduce poverty in the Philippines require long-term thinking where respondents' mostly have the task of changing communities and clients' values. The respondents’ perceptions of poverty is that it is a condition that can be changed as long as the individual living in poverty makes active choices. The conclusions show that the major approach the respondents have, is to work with clients potentials and mindset by aware them to see what they actually can do for themselves. Almost all of the respondents use their own background as a motivator to support clients out of poverty and they approach their clients with patience, attention, belonging, and love, which can lead to minimizing obstacles that may be in the way of increasing the well-being of clients. On the other hand, the results show that it is the individual's responsibility to change his or her situation and a common perception among the respondents' is that education is the key to reduce poverty.

Ghana’s government implemented the following World Bank programmes: SAP and PRSP. This thesis shows that SAP and PRSP have impacted Ghana in different ways. Sometimes SAP and PRSP worked. Other times both SAP and PRSP had problems and they did not work. SAP created more negative impacts or problems in Ghana than PRSP. The influence of neoliberalism on Ghana’s SAP cannot be ignored. This is because the tenets of neoliberalism include the withdrawal of government subsidies, high productivity, the cutting down of government expenditures or spending and privatization. The withdrawal of government subsidy was seen in the Education and Health sectors of Ghana. In the Education sector under SAP, the government cut down its subsidy to the Ghana Education Service. Then it introduced a programme called “Cost Sharing” in which students and their parents were asked to contribute to the payment of expenditures in providing education in Ghana. Many parents could not afford it, and this led to many school dropouts and a gap in the education of boys and girls. In the health sector, the Ghanaian government cut down its subsidy under SAP. It introduced the “Cash and Carry System,” in which Ghanaians were asked to contribute to the cost of health delivery services. This became a problem for many. Healthcare services became inaccessible for many Ghanaians as well. In the manufacturing sector, under SAP, the rate of productivity fell. Ghana’s products in the world market experienced volatility or fluctuations in prices. In the mining sector the influence of neoliberalism was on privatization. Based on this principle, the government privatized Ghana’s mining sector. It put in place policies that attracted investments into Ghana to do mining. These mining activities contributed significantly to Ghana’s economy. But these mining activities also caused the problem of dislocation of people, loss of farmlands, along with environmental and health problems. SAP had more negative impacts on Ghana. PRSP also impacted Ghana because it attempted to address the problems SAP created in many sectors, including Education, Health, mining, manufacturing sectors. I conclude by saying that although SAP made some contributions to Ghana’s economy especially in the mining sector, it created more problems in the Education, Health, Mining and Manufacturing sectors. PRSP attempted to address them. Thus it cannot be said that both SAP and PRSP impacted Ghana equally in a more positive way. But rather it can said that (1) SAP created more problems in Ghana and PRSP on the other hand attempted to address them.(2)The later developments taking place indicate that the civil society participation in PRSP is having an impact in Ghana.

Zimbabwe has been experiencing an exponential increase in the levels of household poverty because of the contraction of the formal economy. This state of affairs has resulted in a significant proportion of Zimbabweans engaging in informal sector trade to mitigate the effects of economic decline. The goal of the study was to determine the contribution of informal sector trade to poverty reduction in Rusape, Zimbabwe. The researcher adopted a qualitative research approach and the study was applied in nature as it sought to understand how poverty can be reduced through informal sector trade. The research design was a collective case study. The researcher made use of availability sampling and interviewed participants who were willing and available on a one-on-one basis. The study contextualised how informal sector trade reduces poverty within the social development approach. The study established that informal trade was a commercial enterprise that was undertaken by both men and women of all ages to sustain their households. Engagement in informal trade accorded informal traders the opportunity to be self-sufficient and to generate incomes. The incomes obtained from informal trade enabled the participants to provide for the dietary, medical, housing and educational needs of their families. The study also revealed a number of business survival strategies employed by informal traders to ensure sustainability. Findings show that rotational credit and savings schemes (ROCSS) play an important role in sustaining informal trade operations and their contribution to a reduction in household poverty. The study concluded that engagement in informal trade reduces household poverty. Recommendations include how the State can facilitate the growth of the informal sector. Furthermore, it is recommended that the social work profession should actively engage government structures and advocate for the development of the informal sector and the widespread adoption of the social development approach which reduces poverty in a sustainable manner. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / am2014 / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Alleviating poverty is central to the Sustainable Development Goals. It is emphasized that strong partnerships are required for achieving this goal. While governments are responsible for reducing the poverty in their countries, the potential of national civil society organisations (CSOs) in solving social problems in the areas they work in allows them to be effective partners in alleviating poverty. Noting that Jordan’s poverty rate Grew between 2010 and 2018. This thesis examines the literature about the multidimensional poverty of the Jordanians and the Syrian refugees in Jordan to access their basic needs of sufficient food and nutrition, water and sanitation, basic healthcare, and basic education. It also analyses the partnership between the Jordanian government and national philanthropic CSOs by interviewing representatives of two Royal CSOs and two non-Royal CSOs that work to help the poor access their needs and improve their income. The study shows that access to basic needs is more challenging for the Syrian refugees than the Jordanian poor in all dimensions, before and during COVID-19. For Jordanians, the income dimension is more challenging than other poverty dimensions, compared with the Syrian refugees. Moreover, the partnership between the national CSOs and the government is not a strategic partnership. National CSOs are the implementers of the partnership’s projects. They are the accountable. They do their own monitoring and evaluation. They do not receive funds from the government. Their communications with the government are not effective for the partnership. Thus, to improve the partnership and facilitate the national CSOs’ work, the study suggests that the partnership’s terms be renegotiated, the communications and interactions are strengthened, and have common and periodic evaluations and monitoring for the different timeframes.

Thesis (Ph.D. Agriculture. (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Many researchers in different parts of the world have advocated the use of irrigation water to reduce levels of poverty, especially among rural households. This is made possible through the development of irrigation schemes in these areas and giving the necessary support to these farmers. If this is done sufficiently, irrigation schemes` participants are sure to realise improved livelihoods and poverty reduction. However, different communities are faced with different challenges and are subjected to rules and norms applied in their respective communities. On one hand, farmers are individuals who also have personal beliefs and characteristics that may be critical in determining the success of their irrigation schemes. On the other hand, certain characteristics (e.g., unequal distribution of water and land) can be inherited as challenges by farmers in such communities, making it difficult to overcome and thus posing threats to the success of irrigation schemes. A purposive-multistage technique together with a simple random sampling were used to sample 300 smallholder farmers from the Vhembe and Sekhukhune districts of Limpopo Province. An analysis of data was done using a combination of analytic techniques such as the Binomial Logit, Principal Component Analysis, Multiple Regression Analysis, Poverty Indices and the Women Empowerment Agriculture Index. The latter was employed to examine whether or not there are efforts by the irrigation schemes to empower women. The main aim was to analyse the contribution and impact that irrigations schemes have on poverty reduction among smallholder farmers. There was also a need to consider the role that positive psychological capital may play in uplifting the hope, confidence, resilience and optimism by farmers in their irrigation schemes. The results revealed that women’s participation was high (58%) in the irrigation schemes as compared to men. However, this did not mean that women were empowered automatically. After administering the Women Empowerment Agriculture Index, it was found that women are actually disempowered in three (out of five) indicators that were used as a measure of empowerment. Meanwhile, most farmers who used irrigation, saw their livelihoods improve and their poverty status improve too. Irrigation was able to increase their yields, incomes, employment, and other household assets. It was again proven that positive psychological capital played a significant role in reducing poverty. However, factors such as lack of capital assets, social grants, illiteracy, old age, lack of vocational training and risk aversion in some instances contributed to poverty. In order to enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, the government and other relevant bodies should see to it that agricultural extension services are improved and include vocational training for these farmers together with the provision of market information and business training. This may help farmers realise the importance of farming as a business and not relying on government for everything they need. A larger share of income for most farmers came from social grants and remittances. This is likely to have a negative impact on the success of irrigation schemes. Therefore, farmers need to be trained for self-reliance. The need to promote women’s participation in decision-making for water management and also suggests ways in which women’s access to water can be improved through equitable development cannot be overemphasised. There is also a need to conduct a study on the measurement and role of psychological capital in rural livelihoods using other methods such as revealed preference approach, experimental economics and behavioural economics.