Poverty and Economic Conditions

The World Bank has a couple of good sites with information and resources related to poverty. The main portal to the World Bank's work on poverty is PovertyNet.

The site is designed to serve a range of users by providing both broad introductions to key issues as well as more detailed analysis and data for researchers and practitioners.

Another less comprehensive, but useful site provides the latest information on poverty research and household surveys. Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) household surveys have become an important tool in measuring and understanding poverty in developing countries.

The site provides help to individuals to determine if the data can be useful for their purposes; it provides users with actual data for analyses; it provides a link to reports and research done using LSMS data; it provides tools to researchers who would like to design new surveys; and provides tools to help in their analyses.

We also suggest two particularly useful poverty links, Latest Poverty trends, from the World Bank's PovertyNet site, and PovertyNet's list of links to sites on Poverty.

Action Learning Program on Participatory Processes for the PRSP — This site consists of links to case studies, methodologies, and impact analyses of development programs through the PRSP. "This is an interactive learning tool on participatory processes at the national level for the PRSP and other government strategies and actions to reduce poverty. It is currently under development. It is designed to provide staff from country governments, World Bank and the Fund, and civil society leaders guidance on participatory processes and outcomes at the national level through the 4 building blocks: poverty diagnostics, public expenditure management, macroeconomic reform, and monitoring implementation and results of policies."

OECD's development assistance committee (dac) — Comprehensive site on poverty and development issues. It includes the development goals for poor nations by year 2015 set out by several major international organizations.

CGAP Newsletter — A semi-annual newsletter by the Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP). The CGAP is a multi-donor effort to address poverty through the support and promotion of micro-finance programs.

Poverty Lines — A bimonthly World Bank newsletter on poverty issues.  Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Luxembourg Income Study — This page is the gateway to the Luxembourg Income Study and the Luxembourg Employment Study. The Luxembourg Income Study site features income datasets and papers. The Luxembourg Employment Study features datasets, working papers, and conference information focusing on issues of unemployment, social insurance, welfare programs, migration issues, labor market behaviour and economic performance. Both sites focus primarily on industrialized nations.

International Labour Organization — The International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the UN which seeks to promote social justice and international recognition of human and labor rights. Site available in English, French, and Spanish.

Institute of Industrial Relations Library — The Institute of Industrial Relations is a research unit of the University of California, Berkeley. The web site includes a useful list of internet resources related to labor issues.

Social Science Information Gateway — SOSIG is an online catalogue of thousands of high quality Internet resources relevant to social science education and research.

Human Development Reports — From the United Nations Development Programme, the reports include Human Development Indicators that provide comparative data for over 175 countries.

Comparative Research on Poverty — CROP has a very useful list of documents, organizations and databases concerning poverty.

UNICEF: The Progress of Nations 2000 — Includes reports and cross-country data on topics which affect children, such as nutrition, health, education, and women's issues.

World Bank Papers and Web Resources — Papers, working papers, and web resources listed by topic available through the world bank. Includes resources on poverty and social welfare issues.