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Did Program Support for the Poorest Areas Work? Evidence from Rural Vietnam

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  • Dang, Hai-Anh H.
  • Deininger, Klaus
  • Cuong Viet Nguyen

Abstract

We investigate the impact of a large-scale poverty alleviation program targeted at 62 poorest districts in Vietnam, analyzing multiple datasets spanning the past 20 years with a regression discontinuity design with district fixed effects. While we do not find significant program effects on household welfare (as measured by per capita income and poverty) and local economic development (as measured by nighttime light intensity and establishment of new firms), we find that the program facilitates a shift from farm to nonfarm employment and significantly increases the share of nonfarm income for rural households. One possible explanation for the positive effects on nonfarm employment is the improved access to credit that the program provides to participating households. We also find that the program increases household access to electricity, public transfer, educational subsidies for students residing in the program districts, and healthcare utilization, possibly through improving availability of commune healthcare centers.

Suggested Citation

  • Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Deininger, Klaus & Cuong Viet Nguyen, 2024. "Did Program Support for the Poorest Areas Work? Evidence from Rural Vietnam," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1519, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:glodps:1519
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    poverty; targeting; household surveys; Vietnam;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C15 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Statistical Simulation Methods: General
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General
    • O57 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Comparative Studies of Countries

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