Publication database

Research Paper #17 uses a laboratory experiment in Gujarat, India to assess consumers' relative valuations of savings versus insurance when planning for risky rainfall. This is done in an attempt to measure potential demand for a new type of financial product that combines savings and rainfall insurance, a Weather Insured Savings Account (WISA). Experiments reveal that many participants prefer pure insurance or pure savings to any mixture of the two, and that this preference is most pronounced among those who are more risk averse. The results suggest that the introduction of a WISA is unlikely to be successful and mixed saving, insurance products require further investigation.

Research Paper #11 evaluates the Health Care Fund for the Poor (HCFP), a scheme that was initiated in Vietnam in 2003. The paper shows that, participation in the HCFP program reduced the out-of-pocket health care expenditure of poor participants, increased the intensity with which the poor sought health care and regular check-ups in public health facilities. The paper also reveals that the HCFP helped reduce the incidence of catastrophic spending when dealing with adverse health events. The paper addresses the possible selection bias of insurance participation by means of fixed-effects models and an instrument variable method within fixed-effects.

Research Paper #12 looks into whether access to microinsurance makes any difference in reducing child labour. The research compares three groups of households: those with no microcredit or microinsurance, those with microcredit but no microinsurance and those households with both microinsurance and microcredit. The study finds that in the case of extremely poor households with health microinsurance and/or life microinsurance in combination with microcredit, microinsurance has a significant effect on reducing child labour. However, it is also found that credit-life insurance has no significant influence. The practical policy consideration stemming from this research is that providing microcredit to extremely poor households is not enough to negate the use of child labour, however microcredit in combination with certain types of microinsurance can have a positive impact on reducing child labour.

This document summarises four approaches for assessing social impact of companies: local livelihood assessment, poverty footprint/value chain mapping, economic contribution and tracking indicators. For each option, the purpose, strengths, constraints and relevant application of approach is discussed.

This report provides an overview of the portfolio of companies receiving support from the Innovations Against Poverty challenge fund. Analysis is based on 29 IAP grantee baseline reports and focuses on challenges faced by the businesses such as access to finance and creation of consumer demand, as well as expected commercial and development results and lessons learnt about donor support to inclusive business.

The document discusses the Business Innovation Facility's approach to monitoring and evaluating inclusive business projects; it covers the types of results tracked such as commercial returns and social impact, the reporting process and provides nine learnings based on the experiences with results measurement as part of the donor programme.

This article summarises Root Capital and Acumen's perspectives on programme and impact evaluation, and it's similarities to GPS which measures three dimensions of location (latitude, longitude, and elevation). It elaborates on how impact information also has three primary dimensions: type of impact—the nature of the impact(s) on each person or organisation; scale of impact—the number of people or organizations affected; and depth of impact—the amount or intensity of change experienced, per type of impact, per person affected.

Este documento presenta una metolodoía para la evaluación y medición del impacto de los negocios inclusivos en la Triple Cuenta de Resultados. Esto se hace a través de un ejemplo de un negocio inclusivo.

This report provides a summary of five IDB-MIF projects that aimed to include small and medium-sized producers in high-value agriculture value chains. It outlines a set of lessons learned to design and implement efficient, effective and sustainable projects in the future.

This report analyses current approaches and frameworks for evaluating ‘Inclusive Business’ impacts. It concludes that the tools currently available for impact measurement shed light on the complex network of effects that businesses have and the ways in which some firms are attempting to contribute to development but they are unable to provide information about the actual impacts of business activities.