MDG 1 - Poverty and Hunger

DDVE’s work on poverty and hunger covers four sub-areas: (1) Poverty analysis; (2) Poverty and MDG maps; (3) Hunger and food security; and (4) Distributional analysis. Much of this work was started through activities initially carried in the Africa Region at The World Bank, but new work is underway in other regions. DDVE is also co-leading a flagship study on the Africa Economic Crisis.

• Poverty analysis: DDVE staffs are preparing country case studies on poverty measurement and analysis as well as notes for Capacity Development in this area for NGOs and civil society, including faith-inspired organizations. Material will soon be available on DDVE’s Poverty and Distributional Analysis webpage which is under construction. 
    
• Poverty maps: Following previous work carried in the Africa Region at the World Bank, DDVE is managing a project on poverty maps which provide detailed information on poverty for small geographic areas such as a village or an urban neighborhood. The maps can be used for targeting social programs and inform decision making not only by governments and donors, but also by NGOs and faith-inspired organizations given that many of these organizations are aiming to reach the poor (while governments often have a mandate to serve the population as a whole). DDVE’s main project in this area is Targeting and Reaching the Poor. 
    
• Hunger and food security: DDVE staffs are working on measuring food security as well as on the targeting performance and impact of food aid in several countries. Country studies on Hunger and Food Security are underway for Burundi (in partnership with the World Food Program) and Niger. This work will serve as an input for the Africa Economic Crisis study. 
    
• Distributional analysis: Analyzing the potential impact of policy reforms and highlighting some of the ethical dilemmas faced by policy makers when implementing such reforms is an important area of focus for the DDVE team. Current thematic areas of focus include work on cash crops and poverty in Africa, as well a DDVE project on Infrastructure Services - Access and Affordability in several regions, and especially in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.