The social policy process: Using research-based evidence in poverty elimination policies

The International Growth Centre (IGC), STICERD LSE Department of Economics, and BRAC hosted this session to identify ways to move forward and bring poverty elimination programs to scale in places that are most primed, and where they are most needed. Panelists discuss evidence-based poverty elimination programs and implementing them effectively. Academics will share new evidence … Continued

In Practice Brief: Designing and Delivering Government-Led Graduation Programs for People in Extreme Poverty

Maxwell Gollin, Carolina de Miranda, Taddeo Muriuki, Steve Commins While governments face significant obstacles in designing and delivering approaches for people living in extreme poverty, a substantial body of research shows that programs can achieve transformative impact by addressing the socioeconomic barriers that often exclude this population. An increasing number of governments are adopting and … Continued

Designing and Delivering Government-Led Graduation Programs for People in Extreme Poverty

Maxwell Gollin, Carolina de Miranda, Taddeo Muriuki, Steve Commins While governments face significant obstacles in designing and delivering approaches for people living in extreme poverty, a substantial body of research shows that programs can achieve transformative impact by addressing the socioeconomic barriers that often exclude this population. An increasing number of governments are adopting and … Continued

Can psychosocial interventions make anti-poverty programmes more cost-effective? Evidence from Niger – VoxDev

This article was originally published on VoxDev on February 16, 2023. People living in extreme poverty face multiple kinds of deprivation. Lack of capital, limited skills, and distance to markets are often some of the first factors that come to mind. Recognising these intersecting barriers, the ‘graduation’ model was originally designed by the non-profit organisation … Continued

BRAC Applauds the Launch of the Government of Rwanda’s National Strategy for Sustainable Graduation

Jean Claude Muhire | Rwanda Program Director, Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI) Photo credit to Ministry of Local Government, Rwanda BRAC applauds the Government of Rwanda’s adoption of the National Strategy for Sustainable Graduation (NSSG). The National Strategy for Sustainable Graduation represents a notable commitment to empowering people in poverty to develop sustainable livelihoods and establish … Continued

Building Climate Resilience for Women in Extreme Poverty: Adaptations and Policy Recommendations from the Government of Tunisia’s Pilot Graduation Program

Climate change, poverty, and gender are inextricably interconnected. As climate change worsens it compounds systemic inequalities and exacerbates poverty, food insecurity, and injustice, especially for women and girls. Governments must adopt an integrated approach to addressing the climate crisis, with an intentional focus on building resilience for women living in poverty. Climate change poses unprecedented … Continued

Tackling Extreme Poverty and Climate Change Together: Solutions from the Global South

This event was organized by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and BRAC. The panel shared insights and experiences of different approaches including the Graduation approach, cash transfers and broader adaptive social protection systems, and takeaways on applying these approaches to poverty reduction and climate adaptation. Speakers shared concrete examples, practical insights, and evidence … Continued

Stories of Resilience and Innovation: Disability Inclusive Graduation (DIG) in Uganda

In 2020 a Disability Inclusive Graduation program was launched in Northern Uganda, targeting 2,700 households living in extreme poverty. The DIG program provided training on enterprise management, life skills, financial literacy, and inclusion in Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) groups and Village Social Solidarity Committees. Among the participants were 554 persons living with disabilities … Continued

Adapting the Graduation Approach for Unique Contexts

Enabling people to escape the poverty trap for the long-term requires adaptive approaches that are designed at the local level with their unique contexts in mind. Graduation is one such approach that goes far beyond simply building resilient livelihoods and works to address the multidimensional nature of extreme poverty that is often compounded by circumstances … Continued

Expanding Graduation to Reach More in Extreme Poverty

Developed in the early 2000s, the Graduation approach was born out of learning from BRAC’s long period of program implementation that preceded it. BRAC has continuously evolved the Graduation approach since first starting the Ultra-Poor Graduation (UPG) program in Bangladesh in 2002, and it has now been adapted and expanded by BRAC and other organizations … Continued