Best practice in poverty analysis : Malawi human resources and poverty - profile and priorities for action, November 1995

60572 Findings reports on ongoing operational, economic and sector work carried out by the World Bank and its member governments in the Africa Region. It is published periodically by the Knowledge, Information & Technology Center on behalf of the Africa Region. Best Practice in Poverty Analysis Malawi Human Resources and Poverty: Profile and Priorities for Action, November 1995. Objectives: To achieve a greater understanding of the magnitude and dimensions of poverty in Malawi. Impact on the ground: The report requested by the government of Malawi updates the poverty assessment completed in March 1990. It will guide policy and investment priorities, and inform the design of programs intended to improve living conditions and increase incomes of the people in Malawi. A greater understanding of the magnitude and the profile of poverty will also make it easier to implement a monitoring system to evaluate the effects of programs and track the progress of key indicators of poverty. Lessons Learned: The profile confirms that the level of human resource development in Malawi is dismal and that poverty is widespread and severe. Health and education indicators in Malawi are among the worst in the world. Access to land and inputs is so limited that most smallholders have little hope of moving out of poverty solely by working their farms. The generally low incomes, combined with marked income inequality, point to severe structural problems which are made worse by the high population growth rate. Strategies to reduce poverty in Malawi will require substantial efforts in every sector. The report points out that the following priorities require immediate attention:  • Develop human resources - Expand access and reduce inequities in the social sectors and increase effectiveness and quality of social services. • Improve rural livelihoods - Introduce interventions that will enable the poor to respond to the opportunities emerging from economic liberalization, ensure that economic reforms are broadened to reach the poorest, examine land policies with a view to achieving a more equitable distribution of land, and increase opportunities for smallholders to earn off-farm income. • Support safety nets for the most vulnerable - Introduce short-term income transfers to alleviate the most urgent problems of the poor. • Poverty monitoring and analysis - Continue activities aimed at monitoring progress in poverty reduction and analyze many unanswered questions. Key documents on Poverty World Bank.1996. Implementing Projects for the Poor: What Has Been Learned? Directions in Development Series. World Bank, Washington, D.C. World Bank 1996. Taking Action to Reduce Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa: Development in Practice Series, Washington, DC. Available in French and English. Demery, Lionel and Lyn Squire. 1996. "Macroeconomic Adjustment and Poverty in Africa: An Emerging Picture." The World Bank Research Observer 11 (1). Binswanger, Hans P. and Pierre Landell-Mills. 1995. The World Bank's Strategy for Reducing Poverty and Hunger: A Report to the Development Community. Environmentally Sustainable Development Studies and Monographs Series No. 4. World Bank, Washington, D.C. Chambers, Robert. 1995. Poverty and Livelihoods: Whose Reality Counts?, IDS Discussion Paper, No. 247, IDS, Sussex. Bruno, Michael, Martin Ravallion, and Lyn Squire. 1995. "Equity and Growth in Developing Countries: Old and New Perspectives on the Policy Issues". Paper presented at the Conference on Income Distribution and Sustainable Development, June 1-2, 1995, Washington, D.C. International Monetary Fund, Washington, D.C. World Bank. 1995. Rural Women in the Sahel and Their Access to Agricultural Extension: An Overview of Five Country Studies. Report No. 13532. Agricultural Operations Division, Sahelian Department. Washington, D.C. World Bank.1995. Social Funds: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Conditions for Success. ESP Discussion Paper Series 52. Education and Social Policy Department, Washington, D.C. World Bank. 1995. Ghana: Poverty Past, Present, and Future. Report No. 14504-GH. Population and Human Resources Division, West Central Africa Department, Washington, D.C. World Bank. 1995. Malawi: Human Resources and Poverty: Profile and Priorities for Action, Southern Africa Department, Africa Region. Norton, Andrew and Tom Stephens. 1995. Participation in Poverty Assessments. Participation Series. World Bank, Environment Department, Washington, D.C. Sahn, David E. Paul Dorosh, and Stephen Younger. 1994. Economic Reform in Africa: A Foundation for Poverty Alleviation. Cornell Food and Nutrition Policy Program, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Baker, Judy L. and Margaret E. Grosh. 1994. Measuring the Effects of Geographic Targeting on Poverty Reduction. Living Standards Measurement Survey Working Paper No. 99. World Bank, Washington, D.C. Chambers, Robert. 1994. The Origins and Practice of (PRA), World Development, Vol. 22:953- 69. Blackden, M. and E. Morris-Hughes. 1993. Paradigm Postponed: Gender and Economic Adjustment in Sub-Saharan Africa. Technical Note No. 13. World Bank, Human Resources and Poverty Division, Africa Technical Department, Washington, D.C. Sahn, David E. 1990. Fiscal and Exchange Rate Reforms in Africa: Considering the Impact on the Poor. CFNPP, Ithaca, N.Y. For more information on this specific study or copies, contact P.C. Mohan, Rm. J5-171, Knowledge, Information and Technology Center, World Bank, 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433. Tel (202) 473-4114 or INTERNET at: pmohan@worldbank.org.