Browsing by Author "Das, Narayan C"

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Asset transfer programme for the ultra poor: a randomized control trial evaluation
(BRAC, 2011-07) Das, Narayan C; Shams, Raniya
Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction (CFPR), an innovative approach to address extreme poverty, was launched in 2002 in rural Bangladesh. Evaluation of the first phase of the programme revealed that livelihoods of the participant households improved remarkably due to the intervention. But a number of shortcomings were identified regarding the evaluation method of the first phase, particularly due to adopting non-experimental evaluation design. This paper provides further evidence on the effectiveness of CFPR using randomized control trial design, which efficiently addressed much of the data limitation of earlier studies. Using 2007-09 panel data, this paper shows that the programme reduced the vulnerability of the participant households by raising their food expenditure and preparing livelihood pathways for them by generating self-employment and productive asset base including financial, physical and human capital. Remarkable effect on per capita income was observed. Positive impacts on natural assets like land acquisition through mortgaged-in, physical assets like livestock, financial assets like borrowing from NGOs, accumulation of savings and lending out in terms of cash or in kind have also been observed. However, evaluation shows that the programme did not have visible impact on education, a finding which is almost similar to the short-run evaluation of the CFPR phase I. This is probably not surprising because the programme does not provide any direct support on education. However, given that income of the participant household is increasing over time at an impressive rate, this may translate into human capital development through increase in education expenditure in the long-run.
Asset transfer programme for the ultra poor: A randomized control trial evaluation
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division, 2012-12) Bandiera, Oriana; Burgess, Robin; Das, Narayan C; Gulesci, Selim; Rasul, Imran; Shams, Raniya; Sulaiman, Munshi
The world’s poorest people lack both capital and skills and are trapped in low return occupations. However, whether their economic lives can be transformed by programs which attempt to tackle both constraints by providing assets and training to enable them to run small businesses is unknown. To shed light on this issue we conduct a randomized evaluation of an entrepreneurship program that provides assets and training to the poorest women in rural Bangladesh. We find that the program transforms the occupational choices of the poor women who participated in the program by inducing them to spend more time in self-employment, less in wage labour and increases their labour market participation, leading to a 36% increase in annual income on average. Moreover, the program leads to an increase in wages at the village level and its effects spill over to other poor women who experience an increase in labour supply and income.
Can basic entrepreneurship transform the economic lives of the poor?
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division, 2013-04) Bandiera, Oriana; Burgess, Robin; Das, Narayan C; Gulesci, Selim; Rasul, Imran; Sulaiman, Munshi
Does the lack of capital and skills drive occupational choice and poverty? We provide evidence from a large scale and long term Randomized Control Trial of a program that simultaneously provides assets and training to the poorest women in treatment communities in rural Bangladesh. The evaluation tracks 7000 eligible women over four years in treatment and control communities. We find the program transforms the occupational choices of the poor: treated women spend 92% more hours in self-employment activities and 26% fewer hours in wage employment. This shift from insecure wage labour to self-employment is associated with a 38% increase in earnings. The eligible women, who were largely asset-less and illiterate agricultural labourers at baseline, overtake the near-poor and begin to close the gap with middle-class women on dimensions such as occupational choice, the regularity of earnings, household per capita expenditure and happiness. Inculcating basic entrepreneurship, where the most disadvantaged women take on business activities which hitherto had been the preserve of non-poor women, is shown to be a powerful means of transforming the economic lives of the poor.
Can basic entrepreneurship transform the economic lives of the poor?
(BRAC, 2013-04) Bandiera, Oriana; Burgess, Robin; Das, Narayan C; Gulesci, Selim; Rasul, Imran; Sulaiman, Munshi
Does the lack of capital and skills drive occupational choice and poverty? We provide evidence from a large scale and long term randomized control trial of a programme that simultaneously provides assets and training to the poorest women in treatment communities in rural Bangladesh. The evaluation tracks 7000 eligible women over four years in treatment and control communities. We find the programme transforms the occupational choices of the poor: treated women spend 92% more hours in selfemployment activities, and 26% less hours in wage employment. This shift from insecure wage labour to self-employment is associated with a 38% increase in earnings. The eligible women, who were largely asset-less and illiterate agricultural labourers at baseline, overtake the near-poor and begin to close the gap with middle class women on dimensions such as occupational choice, regularity of earnings, household per capita expenditure and happiness. Inculcating basic entrepreneurship, where the most disadvantaged women take on business activities which hitherto had been the preserve of non-poor women, is shown to be a powerful means of transforming the economic lives of the poor.
Impact assessment of credit programme for the tenant farmers
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2014-04) Hossain, Mahabub; Jaim, WMH; Malek, MA; Hossain, Marup; Jimi, Nusrat Abedin; Mahmud, Kazi Tanvir; Ahsan, Abu; Chakraborty, Barnali; Ahmed, Md. Shakil; Reza, Md. Hasib; Tarannum, Taheya; Rahman, ANM Mahfuzur; Das, Narayan C
Integration of the ultra poor into mainstream development: How effective is CFPR?
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division, 2010-12) Shams, Raniya; Mahmud, Sharif; Das, Narayan C
The paper aims to understand the dynamics of participation of the Targeting the Ultra Poor (TUP) members of Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction (CFPR) phase I in the financial market since their graduation from the CFPR program. The analysis was done using the longitudinal panel data (2002, 2005 and 2008). It has been found that after two years of program support and the provision of some flexibilities in borrowing from BRAC microfinance, the ultra-poor can meaningfully participate in the formal credit markets. Their active participation can help them achieve long-term benefits in the form of increased per capita income. Participation in the program has brought about significant positive impacts in the rate of borrowing as well as lending and saving behaviours of the participant households. More than two-thirds of the sampled members had ended up participating at least once in BRAC microfinance. Those who had participated more than once tended to use the loans more for productive purposes like to run their small business enterprises than for consumption. Participation in BRAC microfinance has mostly been influenced by demographic profiles like marital status, level of awareness, the number of male working-aged members, and self-perceived economic status—before participation in the CFPR program and later after graduation whether they were in a separate Village Organization (VO) or in a VO merged with the general microfinance borrowers. Being in separate VOs was one of the strong determinants of BRAC microfinance participation.