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Public programs are designed to reach certain goals and
beneficiaries. Methods to understand whether such programs actually
work, as well as the level and nature of impacts on intended
beneficiaries, are main themes of this book. Has the Grameen Bank,
for example, succeeded in lowering consumption poverty among the
rural poor in Bangladesh? Can conditional cash transfer programs in
Mexico and Latin America improve health and schooling outcomes for
poor women and children? Does a new road actually raise welfare in
a remote area in Tanzania, or is it a 'highway to nowhere'? This
book reviews quantitative methods and models of impact evaluation.
It begins by reviewing the basic issues pertaining to an evaluation
of an intervention to reach certain targets and goals. It then
focuses on the experimental design of an impact evaluation,
highlighting its strengths and shortcomings, followed by
discussions on various non-experimental methods. The authors also
cover methods to shed light on the nature and mechanisms by which
different participants are benefiting from the program. For
researchers interested in learning how to use these models with
statistical software, the book also provides STATA exercises in the
context of evaluating major microcredit programs in Bangladesh,
such as the Grameen Bank. The framework presented in this book can
be very useful for strengthening local capacity in impact
evaluation among technicians and policymakers in charge of
formulating, implementing, and evaluating programs to alleviate
poverty and underdevelopment.
Bangladesh has the world s fastest growing, off-grid solar home
system (SHS) coverage. In the past decade, the number of SHS
installations has risen phenomenally from a five-year target of
50,000 in 2003 to 50,000 a month in 2013, with support from the
World Bank and other development partners. Even so, only 10 percent
of off-grid households have been reached, suggesting ample room for
continued expansion. Given the recent surge in SHS adoption, a key
policy issue is whether the partial subsidy provided under the
current program, implemented by the Infrastructure Development
Company Limited (IDCOL), should be continued. Surge in Solar
Powered Homes: Off-Grid Experience in Bangladesh assesses the
country s remarkable growth in SHS, its support schemes, and the
welfare impacts for rural households, using both large-scale
household survey and institutional data. The book s findings
clearly demonstrate that the social benefits from SHS adoption far
exceed the cost of the subsidy. Within the current market incentive
structure, there is tremendous scope for broadening the rural
market reach. But the high upfront cost of purchasing a SHS at
current market prices is a barrier to future sales, suggesting the
continued need for IDCOL s well-targeted, subsidized operation."
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