Suchergebnisse

Examines the operation of the food subsidy system in Bangladesh, 1980-1995, using a political economy perspective. Two political economy concepts -- rent-seeking lobbies & rent-seeking bureaucrats/agents -- are found to be useful in providing a partial explanation of why this system has failed to benefit the rural poor. However, the concepts are incomplete because they fail to consider the large impact that external actors -- USAID & the World Bank -- have had on the Bangladeshi food subsidy system. One way to improve the ability of this system to reach the poor would be to increase the amount of self-targeting in food subsidies by building on the Food-for-Work program. 5 Tables, 1 Figure, 45 References. Adapted from the source document.

In the past many researchers and policy-makers have viewed the
rural economy of the Third World as being synonymous with agriculture.
According to this view, rural households receive the bulk of their
income from the production and sale of crops. Within the past few years
this view has begun to change. There is now a growing recognition that
the rural non-farm sector-which includes such diverse activities as
government, commerce, and services-also plays a vital role in the
economies of many rural Third World households. Household budget surveys
in developing countries suggest that non-farm income represents between
13 and 67 percent of total rural household income. I According to these
surveys, the contribution of non-farm income to total rural income is
especially high in those areas where unfavourable labour-to-Iand ratios
constrain / income-earning opportunities in agriculture. Despite the
growing attention being focused on non-farm income, there is still no
general agreement about the impact of this income source on poverty and
income distribution. On the one hand, studies by Chinn (1979) and Ho
(1979) in Taiwan indicate that non-farm income reduces rural income
inequality. On the other hand, studies by Reardon, Delgado and Matlon
(1992) in Burkina Faso, and Collier, Radwan and Wangwe (1986) in
Tanzania find that non-farm income has a negative impact on rural income
distribution.