No description available.

Tourism is arguably the world’s largest industry today, and has been adopted as an economic staple by countless low-income countries. However, while the tourism industry can bring much needed foreign capital into a country’s economy, it has also proven to have severe environmental, economic and social implications on host countries. With these implications come the drive for sustainable and ecotourism approaches, and more recently, pro-poor tourism, which is tourism that aims to generate net benefits specifically for the poor population of the tourism community or country. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential for pro-poor tourism strategies to be implemented in low-income countries, and evaluate the obstacles to implementing these strategies in small-scale tourism locations. The study site for this research is a small rural community in Communist Cuba, and the main objectives of the research are to evaluate the current economic linkages that exist within the study site; determine the thoughts and feelings of the local people with respect to their local tourism industry; evaluate the degree to which the study site is currently following pro-poor tourism principles and what possibilities exist for more to be done; and to offer recommendations for the case study location. In addition to a comprehensive literature review on the progression of Cuba’s tourism industry since the Revolution to present date, this research employs further methods to examine Cuba’s small-scale tourism industry including semi-structured and informal interviews with residents employed by the tourism industry, residents employed in sectors other than tourism, as well as local farmers. Further, participant observation is carried out over a three month period on the island, with one month spent specifically at the study site. The results of this study demonstrate that Cuba’s Communist political environment both fosters and hinders pro-poor tourism development. In terms of employment and agriculture, the State goes to great ends to utilize local resources to supply the local economy, however, with respect to entrepreneurship and the rigid regulations dictated by the State, pro-poor development is inhibited. Not surprisingly, Cubans generally have a positive opinion of the tourism industry, primarily because it has directly increased the standard of living of many, yet for those who do not work in tourism, State wages and monthly rations are inadequate, pushing many to find other means to make ends meet. These factors have swayed many people to dealings on the black market and to seek out legal and illegal employment within the tourism industry, both of which have serious implications on the country’s economy. The main conclusion drawn from this study is that Cuba’s small-scale tourism industry is in fact benefiting the country’s rural population, and generally, the residents’ standard of living within the study site has improved with its introduction. While the Cuban government has not purposefully adopted pro-poor tourism principles, some of the country’s Communist practices naturally lead to their adoption, i.e. maximizing internal economic linkages where possible, widespread local employment, and maximizing the use of regional and national foodstuffs to support the country’s tourism industry. On the other hand however, and as this thesis will reveal, Communism works in direct opposition to the adoption of many pro-poor practices.

Education, as an indispensable component of human capital, has been acknowledged to play a critical role in economic growth, which is theoretically elaborated by human capital theory and empirically confirmed by evidence from different parts of the world. The educational impact on growth is especially valuable and meaningful when it is for the sake of poverty reduction and pro-poorness of growth. The paper re-explores the precious link between human capital development and poverty reduction by investigating the causal effect of education accumulation on earnings enhancement for anti-poverty and pro-poor growth. The analysis takes the evidence from a well-known conditional cash transfer (CCT) program — Oportunidades in Mexico. Aiming at alleviating poverty and promoting a better future by investing in human capital for children and youth in poverty, this CCT program has been recognized producing significant outcomes. The study investigates a short-term impact of education on earnings of the economically disadvantaged youth, taking the data of both the program’s treated and untreated youth from urban areas in Mexico from 2002 to 2004. Two econometric techniques, i.e. difference-in-differences and difference-in-differences propensity score matching approach are applied for estimation. The empirical analysis first identifies that youth who under the program’s schooling intervention possess an advantage in educational attainment over their non-intervention peers; with this identification of education discrepancy as a prerequisite, further results then present that earnings of the education advantaged youth increase at a higher rate about 20 percent than earnings of their education disadvantaged peers over the two years. This result indicates a confirmation that education accumulation for the economically disadvantaged young has a positive impact on their earnings enhancement and thus inferring a contribution to poverty reduction and pro-poorness of growth.

This thesis examines the concept of water cooperatives as an alternative model to create access, supply and manage water services in poor urban and peri urban areas. Two case studies from the Municipality of Moreno, Buenos Aires are presented in this thesis in order to account for the feasibility of the model. The primary data for this research is derived from participant observation, key informant interviews, household questionnaire-based interviews and archival research. The significance of researching water cooperatives is that they have traditionally been dismissed in regard to their potential of being a practical alternative to large water concessions and public run water services in the Global South. Research on alternatives such as water cooperatives is key, particularly in the face of growing de-privatization in the water sector in the province of Buenos Aires. The Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area is an important case study for research on water governance because it was intended to be the World Banks model for which other countries would strive to emulate when reforming and improving water services by means of private concessions. The first part of the thesis examines the political and social history of water cooperatives in Argentina and the effects of privatization on the cooperative model. The second part outlines the theoretical advantages and disadvantages of the governance model and positions these theories against the realities of an existing water cooperative and a poor peri-urban community that has a strong affinity for implementing the model in their community. The two case studies presented in this thesis help to elucidate why the water governance model is able to serve poor peri-urban communities that otherwise remain unserviced by the traditional public or private water governance models. This is significant if we are earnest about providing water and sanitation services to all.

Tourism has emerged as one of the most dynamic sectors in many countries; as one outcome, it has generated widespread hope that this particular industry can bring prosperity to numerous developing nations. Conversely, there is substantial suspicion of its capacity to bring equitable benefits to the poor. A recent proposition is to strengthen the tourism-poverty nexus by placing tourism at the heart of poverty reduction strategies. This thesis explores the application of this new and relatively untested approach. It does so by conducting a case study of the impact of heritage tourism, a community-based and poverty-focused tourism initiative, implemented in Anse La Raye, the most impoverished rural community in the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. Obviously a single case study cannot justify sweeping generalizations, but it can perhaps serve at least to raise a number of useful policy questions that might also have some broader application.The findings reveal that poverty-focused tourism development initiatives can positively impact the lives of the rural poor, under certain circumstances. Some observable effects included the creation of useful community infrastructure, linkages of direct and indirect employment benefits and consequent income generation. Notwithstanding these successes, this limited research piece suggests that, despite their nearly exclusive and commendable focus on the livelihood of the poor, pro-poor approaches to tourism also have limitations [for example, seasonal and part-time employment, and leakages] and certainly cannot be regarded as a panacea for reducing poverty in any poverty stricken region. Nonetheless, it is believed that St. Lucia, at least, can learn from the experiences of Anse La Raye as it further refines its tourism development policies in quest of further development targets.

No description available.

This thesis looks at the potential for using tourism as a poverty alleviation strategy in the context of Vietnam and the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). The theoretical basis for this research stems for the growing recognition within development rhetoric of the place of tourism as a key industry in many developing nations, and the formation of a Pro-Poor Tourism (PPT) approach. The fieldwork section of this thesis looks at the barriers and opportunities for those in the poorer communities of Lang Co, a small town on the cental east coast of Vietnam, to supply the burgeoning tourism industry with locally produced products that are compatible with their current livelihood strategies. Results show that there are many opportunities for the poor to benefit from the rapidly growing tourism industry in Vietnam and the region. There is a strong recognition of tourism in national and regional development strategies, there is a rich cultural, environmental and social context driving the tourism industry and there are several initiatives taking place, such as the Vietnamese National Tourism Law, which include many elements of pro-poor tourism principles. However, this thesis has found many barriers also prevent poorer people from benefiting from tourism. In the case of Lang Co, the poor were often limited in their ability to participate in the industry by debt and lack of access to credit, lack of education and training opportunities, a declining natural resource base and by a lack of awareness and participation in the planning of the tourism industry. More widely, the tourism industry is centrally driven and focused on high growth and large infrastructure type developments which in some cases conflict with the principles of PPT and the ability of people at the ground level to participate. This research highlights the complexity of attempting to use tourism as a poverty reduction strategy given the wide range of stakeholders involved and various levels involved the planning and implementation of the tourism industry. The potential applicability of a concept of pro-poor tourism in a rapidly changing context such as Vietnam is contingent of the ability of the poor to have influence on an industry which is having an increasing effect on their lives and livelihoods.

This paper is a balance of the Peruvian economic policies, taken by government inthe last decade. We focus on determining, based on the available literature, whetheror not these polices have improved the economic well-being of poor people. Furthermore,this balance allow us to give the agenda for future research on these areas, aswell as to shed some light about the pro-poor necessary policies. There are several policies that have been taken into account in this balance. Macroeconomicpolicies; trade and investment policies; specific sector promotion policies(agriculture, industry and mining sector); labor (both formal and informal), capitaland land markets; regulation of goods and services markets (telecommunications andelectricity); taxation policies; public expenditure; security and risk management mechanismsand, finally, regional policies. / La década de 1990, en el Perú, estuvo marcada por un conjunto de profundos cambios en materia de política económica. Este trabajo hace un balance de las políticas económicas tomadas en función de su contribución al empeoramiento o mejoramiento del nivel de vida de los pobres. Asimismo, este balance nos permite arrojar algunas luces acerca de las políticas necesarias, así como darnos cuenta de cuáles son los temas no abordados y las investigaciones pendientes para los futuros años de investigación. Las políticas consideradas se refieren a la política macroeconómica; el comercio internacional y la inversión; las políticas sectoriales (sector agrícola, industrial y minero); los mercados de trabajo (formal e informal), capital y tierras para zonas urbanas y rurales; la regulación de los mercados de bienes y servicios (telecomunicaciones y electricidad); la tributación; el gasto público; la seguridad y los mecanismos de manejo de riesgos y, por último, las políticas regionales.

O crescimento econÃmico de longo prazo à condiÃÃo sine qua non para uma populaÃÃo garantir seu bem-estar e o de suas geraÃÃes futuras. Muitas vezes o fluxo de renda em uma economia especÃfica à insuficiente para proporcionar a todos uma vida digna de modo que todos estejam inclusos na sociedade do consumo. Outras vezes hà renda suficiente para que toda sociedade se beneficie dos frutos gerados por esta, como à o caso do Brasil. Entretanto, a renda gerada se concentra em camadas mais ricas da sociedade de modo que impossibilita, direta e muitas vezes indiretamente, Ãs camadas mais pobres as condiÃÃes mÃnimas de sobrevivÃncia. Portanto, sÃo sempre vÃlidos os estudos que busquem entender, identificar e propor soluÃÃes viÃveis para o problema da pobreza. Este trabalho busca diagnosticar os fatores de crescimento atravÃs da decomposiÃÃo dos Ãndices de pobreza (proporÃÃo de pobres, hiato de pobreza e hiato quadrÃtico), de modo a identificar os fatores de influÃncia do crescimento econÃmico e da desigualdade de renda nos Ãndices de pobreza, alÃm de acompanhar sua evoluÃÃo entre 1995 e 2005 com base nos dados disponibilizados pela Pesquisa Nacional de DomicÃlios (PNAD) em valores constantes corrigidos pelo Ãndice Nacional de PreÃo ao Consumidor de 2005. Por meio dessa evoluÃÃo à possÃvel identificar se o crescimento econÃmico à pro pobre ou nÃo. O modelo de decomposiÃÃo consegue separar os efeitos do crescimento econÃmico e da distribuiÃÃo de renda nos Ãndices de pobreza, sendo necessÃrios os dados sobre a renda familiar per capita da zona rural e a curva de Lorenz, que à o parÃmetro de desigualdade. O modelo foi utilizado para a anÃlise em Ãmbito nacional, regional e estadual, abrangendo vinte estados e excluindo o Distrito Federal e os estados da regiÃo Norte, exceto Tocantins. Os resultados sinalizam na grande maioria dos estados, a ocorrÃncia de crescimento prà pobre na zona rural brasileira e indicam ainda o Nordeste como a regiÃo mais atingida com o fenÃmeno da pobreza rural. Juntamente com o Norte, à a que menos reduziu a sua proporÃÃo de pobres, sugerindo a formaÃÃo de clubes de convergÃncia. Em se tratando da anÃlise por estado, devem-se assinalar os estados das regiÃes Sul e Centro-Oeste que lideram o ranking de reduÃÃo de pobreza rural para todos os Ãndices observados. Os resultados deste estudo podem ainda fundamentar estratÃgias de polÃticas pÃblicas regionais que visem aumentar a atividade econÃmica, e as polÃticas de distribuiÃÃo de renda. / Long-term economic growth is a sine qua non condition for ensuring the well being of a population and of their future generations. Most of the time the level of income of a given economy is insufficient to provide a decent life for the population in such a way to enable that everyone is included in the society of consumption. Though, as in Brazilâs case, the income generated is more than enough to provide those benefits for the population, its distribution in fact, doesnât favor this desired outcome. Thus studies that attempts to analyses the relation of income distribution and poverty are relevant. This paper analyses the factors of growth through the decomposition of poverty rates (proportion of poor, the poverty gap and quadratic gap poverty), in order to identify the possible influence of economic growth and inequality of income distribution in the poverty indices. Additionally it analyses the evolution of the poverty indices as well its evolution in the period of 1995 and 2005 based on data provided by the National Survey of Household (PNAD) at constant values corrected by the National Index of Consumer Price to 2005. Through this evolution it is possible to identify if economic growth is in favor or not of the poor. This model of decomposition allows for the separation of effects of economic growth and income distribution on the poverty indices. To achieve this result data on household per capita income of rural area and on the Lorenz curve are necessary. This two set of information give a measure of inequality. The analysis was made at the national, regional and state levels, and involved twenty states. The Federal District and the states of the north region, except Tocantins were excluded. The results indicate the occurrence of positive effects in relation to the poor for the Brazilian rural area in the majority of states. It also indicates that the Northeast region was the most affected with the phenomenon of rural poverty. The Northeast and the Northern regions are the ones where the proportions of poor were less reduced suggesting the formation of clubs of convergence. At the state level it is important to note that the states of the South and Center-West regions are the leaders in reducing the rural poverty for all observed indices. These results can give a basis for implementation of strategies for public policies aimed at increasing regional economic activity, as well as policies for the distribution of income.

The purpose of this thesis was to examine how liberalization and the introduction of pro-poor policies can be successful in post-conflict countries using the Rwanda coffee market as a case study. My research supports the notion that economic development, political stability and peace can be a result of liberalization when policies that are pro-poor and focus on the largest sector of the population are created. The study examines why and how Rwanda chose to liberalize their economy in the way they did by focusing on the intentions of the actors and the effects their actions have had on the coffee market and country as a whole. The findings suggest that Rwanda’s coffee market liberalization has been successful and has contributed to stability and economic development in Rwanda. The conclusion indicates that pro-poor liberalization policies with the assistance from a variety of actors and institutions can lead developing countries on the path to development in ways the international community has not seen before.