Studies

Measuring the long-term impact of reducing childhood poverty: Evidence from Ultra-poor Graduation program

This study, conducted in partnership with G2LM and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, seeks to understand the intergenerational long-term impact of the 2007 cohort of BRAC’s Ultra Poor Graduation program, specifically in reducing childhood poverty.  

Researchers: Tahsina Naz Khan; Anindita Bhattacharjee; Narayan Das; Marzuk A. N. Hossain; Atiya Rahman; Asma Tabassum  

Partners: Gender, Growth, and Labour Markets in Low Income Countries Programme (G2LM), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

Timeline: 2023-2026

Status: Ongoing

Contact: Marzuk A.N. Hossain; marzuk.hossain@bracu.ac.bd

Context 

BRAC’s Ultra Poor Graduation (UPG) program has two explicit objectives. The first is to provide immediate asset and training support that can be used in an income-generating activity in the short run. The second objective is to to empower ultra-poor women along non-economic dimensions, such as providing health support and training on legal, social, and political rights. The training component was intended to mitigate earning risks from working with livestock and increase the return on investment in livestock rearing. Despite the noteworthy success of the UPG programs in shaping the social policy landscape of Bangladesh, until recently, none of the impact evaluations had assessed the long-term outcomes of UPG beneficiaries. In this context, this study attempts to evaluate the intergenerational impact of UPG cohort 2007.

Objectives 

The main objective of this study is to assess the intergenerational impact of the UPGP 2007 cohort, with the hope that such interventions will increase their earning capacities, reduce the likelihood that children will grow up to be poor, and thereby reduce inequality in their generation. The goal is to examine the causal relationship between the UPG program intervention in beneficiaries’ households and children’s human capital outcomes for their generation. This study aims to set the benchmark for further analysis of intergenerational human capital formation and labor market outcomes.

This study is relevant to SDG 1 (no poverty), and more specifically, to reducing child poverty. 

Methodology 

In 2007, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) was designed for that year’s BRAC UPG cohort to assess the impact of this multifaceted graduation program on the livelihoods of the poorest community. Till now, the RCT’s samples have been surveyed five times: in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014, and 2018. A total of 4,066 households were selected for treatment, and 2,657 households were in the control group. Now, an in-person follow-up survey of those treated and control households of the 2007 cohort will be conducted to collect information about their children, who were 5 to 10 years old in 2007. After that, depending on where these children live, an in-person or phone survey of people aged between 20 and 25 years in 2023 will be conducted to collect socio-demographic information and labor market engagement.

Findings and Recommendations

Forthcoming

 

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