Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP2064
Authors: Aline Coudouel; Sheila Marnie; John Micklewright
Abstract: Falling output and living standards have pushed countries in transition from the socialist system to re-consider how best to target public resources on those in need. The paper investigates the workings of a new social assistance benefit in Uzbekistan, the largest of the former Soviet Central Asian republics, administered by community organizations, the Mahallas. Data are used from a 1995 household survey to assess the scheme's success in targeting the most vulnerable households, using a variety of indicators including income, durable goods ownership, agricultural assets, employment status, and the anthropometric status of children. The separate probabilities of knowledge of the scheme, of application for benefit, and of award are modelled.
Keywords: targeting; social assistance; Central Asia; Uzbekistan
JEL Codes: H53; I38; O15; P35
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| benefits awarded (H55) | household well-being (I31) |
| scheme favors children (J13) | benefits awarded (H55) |
| scheme favors female-headed households (H53) | benefits awarded (H55) |
| scheme favors unemployed households (H53) | benefits awarded (H55) |
| rural areas (R19) | benefits awarded (H55) |
| ethnic Central Asian households (P36) | benefits awarded (H55) |
| self-targeting (D91) | claims from high-welfare households (H53) |
| low-welfare households (I38) | claims encouraged (G52) |
| household characteristics (R20) | probability of receiving assistance (I38) |
| less well-off households (D19) | benefits awarded (H55) |