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Optimal targeting under budget constraints in a humanitarian context

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  • Verme, Paolo
  • Gigliarano, Chiara

Abstract

The paper uses Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and related indexes to determine the optimal targeting strategy of a food voucher program for refugees. Estimations focus on the 2014 food voucher administered by the World Food Program to Syrian refugees in Jordan using data collected by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The paper shows how to use ROC curves to optimize targeting using coverage rates, budgets, or poverty lines as guiding principles to increase the overall efficiency of a program. As humanitarian organizations operate under increasing budget constraints and increasing demands for efficiency, the proposed approach addresses both concerns.

Suggested Citation

  • Verme, Paolo & Gigliarano, Chiara, 2019. "Optimal targeting under budget constraints in a humanitarian context," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 224-233.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:119:y:2019:i:c:p:224-233
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.12.012
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    Cited by:

    1. Altındağ, Onur & O'Connell, Stephen D. & Şaşmaz, Aytuğ & Balcıoğlu, Zeynep & Cadoni, Paola & Jerneck, Matilda & Foong, Aimee Kunze, 2021. "Targeting humanitarian aid using administrative data: Model design and validation," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    2. Pape, Utz & Verme, Paolo, 2023. "Measuring Poverty in Forced Displacement Contexts," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1245, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    3. Želinský, Tomáš & Ng, Jason Wei Jian & Mysíková, Martina, 2020. "Estimating subjective poverty lines with discrete information," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    4. Theresa Beltramo & Hai-Anh Dang & Ibrahima Sarr & Paolo Verme, 2024. "Estimating poverty among refugee populations: a cross-survey imputation exercise for Chad," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(1), pages 94-113, January.
    5. Matthew C. LaFevor & Alexandra G. Ponette-González & Rebecca Larson & Leah M. Mungai, 2021. "Spatial Targeting of Agricultural Support Measures: Indicator-Based Assessment of Coverages and Leakages," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-17, July.
    6. Verme, Paolo, 2020. "Which Model for Poverty Predictions?," GLO Discussion Paper Series 468, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    7. Tandon, Sharad & Vishwanath, Tara, 2021. "How well is humanitarian assistance targeted in fragile environments? Evidence from the announcement of a food emergency in Yemen," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    8. Abayomi Samuel Oyekale, 2022. "Poverty and Its Correlates among Kenyan Refugees during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Random Effects Probit Regression Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-12, August.
    9. Brück, Tilman & d’Errico, Marco & Pietrelli, Rebecca, 2019. "The effects of violent conflict on household resilience and food security: Evidence from the 2014 Gaza conflict," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 203-223.
    10. Dang,Hai-Anh H. & Verme,Paolo, 2019. "Estimating Poverty for Refugee Populations : Can Cross-Survey Imputation Methods Substitute for Data Scarcity ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9076, The World Bank.
    11. Schnitzer,Pascale & Stoeffler,Quentin, 2021. "Targeting for Social Safety Nets : Evidence from Nine Programs in the Sahel," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9816, The World Bank.
    12. Pascucci, Elisa, 2021. "More logistics, less aid: Humanitarian-business partnerships and sustainability in the refugee camp," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    13. Mark Brennan & Stephen Graves & Jonars Spielberg & Bish Sanyal, 2022. "Operations, risk, and small firms: Field results from irrigation equipment vendors in Senegal," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 31(9), pages 3594-3610, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Food vouchers; Refugees; Receiver Operating Characteristics curves; Targeting;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

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