A Big Push for Entrepreneurship: Lessons from a Field Experiment – Cartier

Cartier Women’s Initiative (2022)  Using a field experiment from BRAC as an entry point, Prof. Esther Duflo shows how one big boost to women living in extreme poverty can help their businesses take off, with long-lasting positive impact for them and the next generation. Prof. Duflo shares lessons learned from the program, with insights on … Continued

In Memoriam: Alison Wright

BRAC’s Statement on the Tragic Passing of Alison Wright BRAC expresses its sincerest condolences to the family and friends of documentary photographer, author, public speaker, educator, and friend of BRAC, Alison Wright. Alison showcased BRAC’s work around the world through her brilliant photography and has documented the people our programs serve in a deeply personal … Continued

Webinar on Ending Ultra-Poverty in India through the Graduation Approach – The Nudge Foundation at Skoll Forum 2022

This session sheds light on the state of ultra-poverty in India and the potential for the Graduation approach model to end it in this decade. With 23 million households ( 5.9% of the population) living in extreme poverty, there is a clear need for an evidence based approach to end ultra poverty in India. Globally, … Continued

Long-Term Effects of the Targeting the Ultra-Poor Program

Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Garima Sharma (2021) This paper studies the long-run effects of a “big-push” program providing a large asset transfer to the poorest Indian households. In a randomized controlled trial that follows these households over 10 years, we find positive effects on consumption (0.6 SD), food security (0.1 SD), income (0.3 SD), … Continued

UK International Development Committee Formal Meeting: Extreme Poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals

On Tuesday 1 March, the UK House of Commons International Development Committee (IDC) began taking evidence on extreme poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals. Experts sharing evidence included: Dr. Sabina Alkire, Director at Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford Romilly Greenhill, UK Director at ONE Campaign Shameran Abed, Executive … Continued

OPINION: Will COP27 Still Be Conducting Fire Drills as the World Burns? – Thomson Reuters Foundation

By Asif Saleh | Executive Director, BRAC Bangladesh This article originally appeared in Thomson Reuters Foundation News on February 23, 2022. Read it here. It has been 100 days since COP26 in Glasgow and temperatures continue to peak, fires decimate crops, wildlife and forests, and flooding washes away lives and livelihoods. COP26 was a vitally important global gathering … Continued

Responding to New Threats to Poverty Eradication in Asia – IPS News

By Dr. Imran Matin | Executive Director of BRAC Institute of Governance and Development & Dr. Stephanie Levy | Guest Lecturer, London School of Economics This article originally appeared in Inter Press Service on February 14, 2022. Read it here. DHAKA, Bangladesh, Feb 14 2022 (IPS) – With consistent, robust economic growth, countries across Asia … Continued

BRAC Regional Dialogue: Applying Evidence to Eradicate Extreme Poverty for the Long Term Across Asia

Organiser: Asian Development Bank, ADB BRAC Institute for Governance and Development, BIGD BRAC London School of Economics, LSE United Nations Development Programme, UNDP According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), COVID-19 has pushed 75 million to 80 million people into extreme poverty throughout Asia as of last year. Progress has also been negatively impacted in … Continued

OPINION: Global leaders are funding a historic COVID response for the world’s poorest countries, but will it reach those who need it most?

By Shameran Abed | Executive Director, BRAC International; Joanne Carter | Executive Director, RESULTS; and Barbara Jackson |  Vice President: Programs, TrickleUp Far from the limelight, global leaders are on the cusp of striking a historic and unprecedented financing deal for spurring pandemic recovery through the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), a mechanism overseen … Continued

DOLE Graduation Program: Building Resilience in the Philippines through Sustainable Livelihoods

In 2018, the Philippines Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and technical assistance from BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative launched a pilot across five municipalities in Negros Occidental. The video highlights the program interventions and the many obstacles participants overcame in their efforts to uplift themselves out of … Continued