scholarly journals Exploring the impacts of Internet access on poverty: A regional analysis of rural Mexico

2021 ◽  
pp. 146144482110006
Author(s):  
Fernando García-Mora ◽  
Jorge Mora-Rivera
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Regional Analysis ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Rural Sector ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Rural Mexico ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this article is to estimate the impact of Internet access on poverty for a sample of people living in contrasting regions located across rural Mexico. Using a quasi-experimental technique, our results suggest that Internet access is an additional mechanism that contributes to decreasing poverty levels. Consequently, it could assist in increasing the proportion of people living out of poverty in rural areas; however, this is not uniform across regions (higher positive effects are estimated for less developed regions). These findings highlight the prevailing regional heterogeneity in Mexico’s rural sector and suggest that governments must design better-targeted public policies that address the uneven development in Internet diffusion typical of the rural sector. These policy improvements would allow governments to maximize the potential benefits of the Internet, as this technology alone is not sufficient to break the cycle of poverty in middle-income countries like Mexico.

scholarly journals Girls’ Menstrual Management in Five Districts of Nepal: Implications for Policy and Practice

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Morrison ◽  
Machhindra Basnet ◽  
Anju Bhatt ◽  
Sangeeta Khimbanjar ◽  
Sandhya Chaulagain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Information Barriers ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Teachers And Parents

Discriminatory practices related to menstruation affect the social, mental and physical wellbeing of girls in many low-and middle-income countries. We conducted mixed methods research in five districts of Nepal to explore how menstruation affected girls’ ability to fully participate in school and community life. We conducted 860 structured interviews, 26 group interviews and 10 focus group discussions with schoolgirls in rural areas,14 semi-structured interviews with girls’ mothers, and 10 interviews with health teachers. Girls in all districts experienced social, material and information barriers to confident menstrual management. Menstrual blood was believed to carry diseases, and girls’ movement was restricted to contain ritual pollution and protect them from illness, spirit possession, and sexual experiences. Taboos prevented girls from worshipping in temples or in their home, and some girls were not allowed to enter the kitchen, or sleep in their home while menstruating. Teachers and parents felt unprepared to answer questions about menstruation and focused on the maintenance of restrictions. Teachers and students were embarrassed discussing menstruation in school and classes were not question-driven or skills-based. Gender disaggregated teaching of menstruation and engagement of health facility staff may have positive effects. Community participatory approaches that engage girls, their families and the wider community are necessary to address harmful cultural practices. Cross-sectoral approaches to provide clean, private, safe spaces for girls and increased availability of preferred materials could enable confident menstrual management.

scholarly journals Impacto del programa Asignación Universal por Hijo en los resultados educativos y las tareas de los estudiantes en Argentina

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Monserrat Serio ◽  
Martina Herrera
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Conditional Cash Transfer ◽  
Average Treatment Effect ◽  
Cash Transfer ◽  
Transfer Program ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Impact ◽  
School Tasks

This paper explores the effect of the principal conditional cash transfer program known as Asignación Universal por Hijo (AUH) of Argentina on educational outcomes such as attendance, performance in reading and mathematics, and grade repetition. Also, we analyze the impact on non-school tasks that students performed which can replace the time dedicated to studying and permanence in the school. We use the Aprender 2016 assessment database focusing on data of students from primary and high school. We use non-experimental data exploiting the question about if the student’s family is a beneficiary of the AUH. We perform a Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) and estimate the average treatment effect on the treated of the program. The results show that the AUH had a positive impact on attendance augmenting the probability of not being absent from class fewer than eight and seventeen days in 1.3 p.p and 1 p.p., respectively. However, positive effects on educational performance and conducting of non-school tasks are not found. We also found heterogeneous effects, for male students the program increases the probability of missing fewer classes at all levels between 0.4 p.p. and 1.5 p.p. and students from rural areas and public schools have reassigned non-school tasks.

The Effects of Peer Parental Education on Student Achievement in Urban China: The Disparities Between Migrants and Locals

2021 ◽  
pp. 000283122198965
Author(s):  
Jinho Kim ◽  
Yuying Tong ◽  
Skylar Biyang Sun
Keyword(s):  
Parental Education ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Urban China ◽  
Migrant Students ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Rural Migrant ◽  
Urban Migrants ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Local Students ◽  
The Impact

Despite scholarly consensus on the positive influence of peers’ parental education on students’ academic achievement, less is known about whether marginalized students reap similar benefits as their nonmarginalized counterparts. Using data from the China Educational Panel Survey and a quasi-experimental design, we show that the impact of classmates’ parental education on test scores is significantly stronger for local students than for migrant students in urban schools. These differential effects are largely driven by rural-to-urban migrants and not by urban-to-urban migrants. Additionally, we find that rural migrant students benefit less from the positive effects of peer parental education than their local counterparts, especially when their local peers hold higher levels of discriminative attitudes toward rural migrant students in their classes.

scholarly journals Labor clauses in trade agreements: Hidden protectionism?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Carrère ◽  
Marcelo Olarreaga ◽  
Damian Raess
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Bilateral Trade ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Flows ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Bilateral Trade Flows ◽  
The Impact

AbstractWe explore the impact of the introduction and design of labor clauses (LCs) in preferential trade agreements (PTAs) on bilateral trade flows over the period 1990–2014. While it is not a priori clear if the inclusion of LCs in PTAs will decrease or increase bilateral trade, we expect the direction of trade to matter, that is, we expect to observe the (negative or positive) impact of LCs in the South-North trade configuration. We also expect, in that configuration, stronger LCs to yield stronger (negative or positive) effects on bilateral trade flows. Using a novel dataset on the content of labor provisions in PTAs, we find in line with our first expectation that while the introduction of LCs has on average no impact on bilateral trade flows, it increases exports of low and middle-income countries with weaker labor standards in North–South trade agreements. Consistent with our second expectation, this positive impact is mostly driven by LCs with institutionalized cooperation provisions. In contrast, LCs with strong enforcement mechanisms do not have a statistically significant impact on exports of developing countries in North–South PTAs. The results are inconsistent with the ideas that LCs are set for protectionist reasons or have protectionist effects, casting doubt on the logic for the reluctance of many developing countries to include LCs in their trade agreements.

scholarly journals POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGIES: EVIDENCE FROM U-MICROFINANCE BANK

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 01-16
Author(s):  
Iram Rani ◽  
Minhoon Khan Laghari ◽  
Muhammad Asif Channa
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Poverty Level ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
Poverty Status ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: This Study intends the assessment of microloan by U Microfinance Bank from females of upper Sindh. The core objective was to assess the impact of U-Microfinance on the poverty level of female for improving their living standards by providing them micro-loans to be used for their small-scale business which could enable them to be empowered politically, socially, economically, and assessing its impacts on the health and education of their families. Methodology: This study was conducted on the assessment of microloan interventions of U Microfinance Bank in the rural areas of upper Sindh. A quantitative approach was used to measure the impact of microloan on the poverty status of the female along with a qualitative study to further confirm the findings. In this study, a quasi-experimental design was used in which two groups of data from the same respondents assuming the data ‘Before-loan and After-Loan Situation’ from the female borrowers of Khairpur, Sukkur, Shikarpur, Larkana, and Dadu Districts of Upper Sindh. Poverty Score Card was used as a survey instrument originally developed by the World Bank for each region separately. The collected data were analyzed by applying the descriptive statistics and logistic regression technique by using SPSS latest version. Results: Results of the logistic regression analysis demonstrate that the microloan program does empower females of targeted cities, but the empowerment process does not necessarily occur simultaneously across all dimensions. Whereas microfinance does effect individually on each dimension of empowerment. For microfinance ventures, the results suggest that occupation types have a positive impact on women's empowerment. Applications of this study: This study can be very effective in improving the strategies for poverty reduction among the female borrowers of the upper Sindh. The Novelty of the study: The novelty of this study investigating the effect of poverty reduction strategies on female empowerment.

scholarly journals How to do (or not to do) … Assessing the impact of a policy change with routine longitudinal data

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mylene Lagarde
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Data ◽  
Health Financing ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Financing Policy ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Impact

Abstract A lack of good quality evidence on the effect of alternative social policies in low- and middle-income countries has been recently underlined and the value of randomized trials increasingly advocated. However, it is also acknowledged that randomization is not always feasible or politically acceptable. Analyses using longitudinal data series before and after an intervention can also deliver robust results and such data are often reasonably easy to access. Using the example of evaluating the impact on utilization of a change in health financing policy, this article explains how studies in the literature have often failed to address the possible biases that can arise in a simple analysis of routine longitudinal data. It then describes two possible statistical approaches to estimate impact in a more reliable manner and illustrates in detail the more simple method. Advantages and limitations of this quasi-experimental approach to evaluating the impact of health policies are discussed.

Evaluation of a resilience intervention for Filipino displaced survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 346-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Regina Hechanova ◽  
Pierce S. Docena ◽  
Liane Peña Alampay ◽  
Avegale Acosta ◽  
Emma E. Porio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Adaptive Coping ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Super Typhoon ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Resilience Intervention

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of a community-based resilience intervention for Filipino displaced survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan. Design/methodology/approach The researchers used a quasi-experimental and mixed-method design comparing a treatment group with a control group across three time periods: before, immediately after, and six months after the intervention. Findings Results showed significant improvements in survivors’ anxiety scores and resilience scores compared to those who did not undergo the program. However, although there was an increase in adaptive coping of participants immediately after the program, there was a reduction in adaptive coping behaviors for all groups six months after the program. Focus group discussions revealed this might be due to significant environmental challenges among displaced survivors. Research limitations/implications A limitation of the study was the lack of randomization and a small sample size due to attrition. Practical implications The study highlights the positive effects of culturally adapted group interventions. Social implications The results suggest the importance of a systemic approach to enabling the recovery of displaced survivors in developing countries. Originality/value This study provides evidence for a resilience intervention developed in a low-middle income country in Southeast Asia.

scholarly journals Has Gavi lived up to its promise? Quasi-experimental evidence on country immunisation rates and child mortality

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. e001789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Jaupart ◽  
Lizzie Dipple ◽  
Stefan Dercon
Keyword(s):  
Child Mortality ◽  
Immunisation Coverage ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Percentage Point Increase ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Point Increase ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Vaccines For Children ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

IntroductionGavi, the Vaccine Alliance, was set up in 2000 to improve access to vaccines for children living in the poorest countries. Funding has increased significantly over time, with Gavi disbursements reaching US $1.58 billion in 2015. We assess whether Gavi’s funding programmes have indeed increased immunisation coverage in 51 recipient countries for two key vaccines for 12–23 month olds: combined diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT) and measles. Additionally, we look at effects on infant and child mortality.MethodsTaking a difference-in-differences quasi-experimental approach to observational data, we estimate the impact of Gavi eligibility on immunisation coverage and mortality rates over time, using WHO/UNICEF figures covering 1995–2016. We control for economy size and population of each country as well as running a suite of robustness checks and sensitivity tests.ResultsWe find large and significant positive effects from Gavi’s funding programmes: on average a 12.02 percentage point increase in DPT immunisation coverage (95% CI 6.56 to 17.49) and an 8.81 percentage point increase in measles immunisation coverage (95% CI 3.58 to 14.04) over the period to 2016. Our estimates show Gavi support also induced 6.22 fewer infant deaths (95% CI −10.47 to −1.97) and 12.23 fewer under-five deaths (95% CI −19.66 to −4.79) per 1000 live births.ConclusionOur findings provide evidence that Gavi has had a substantial impact on the fight against communicable diseases for improved population and child health in lower-income countries. In this case, the health policy to verticalise aid—specifically development assistance for health—via a specialised global fund has had positive outcomes.

scholarly journals Efectos de la actividad física sobre las funciones ejecutivas en una muestra de adolescentes

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inmaculada Martín-Martínez ◽  
Luis J. Chirosa ◽  
Rafael E. Reigal ◽  
Antonio Hernández-Mendo ◽  
Rocío Juárez-Ruiz de Mier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Physical Activity Program ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Trail Making Test ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Activity Program ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Trail Making ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of a physical activity program, eight-week and based on small sided games, on some variables associated to executive function construct. The participants in the study were 54 adolescents, who were physically inactive, from the city of Priego (Córdoba, Spain), whose age ranged between 15 and 16 years old (<em>M</em>=15.35; <em>SD=</em> .48). The study was based on a quasi-experimental pre-post design with two randomized groups, control and experimental. The instruments used to evaluate the cognitive skills were Digits and Letters and Numbers tests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV), the Trail Making Test (A and B) and the Stroop Test. It was realized an analysis of the mixed variance 2x2 to determine the effects of the treatment. Results showed positive effects of the physical activity program in subtest of WISC-IV and Trail Making Test B, although the effect size was weak. It is proposed to increase the time of intervention and apply different treatments to observe the impact of type of activity for future research

scholarly journals Family Conditions and the Accessibility of Online Education: The Digital Divide and Mediating Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8590
Author(s):  
Jiafeng Gu
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Broadband Internet ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

This study is an exploration of the digital divide between urban and rural areas, and it was conducted to assess the impact of the minimum living guarantee system on online education in China. The results of the research showed that 83.38% of students in low-income families have been able to participate in online education at home during the pandemic, while 16.62% of students in low-income families have been unable to do so. The absence of computers, smartphones, and broadband Internet access in low-income households reduces the likelihood of children being able to participate in online education at home. In terms of accessing online education at home, students from urban areas have obvious advantages over those from rural ones, and students from minimum living guarantee families have obvious advantages over those from marginal minimum living guarantee ones. This study also showed that the presence of online education-related amenities, including computers, smartphones, and Internet access, mediates the relationship between the subsistence allowance system, Hukou, and accessibility of online education. To address this issue, this paper includes suggestions for bridging the digital divide in online education.

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