Evaluating Social Funds : A Cross-Country Analysis of Community Investments

The study seeks to answer four questions that summarize the fundamental issues in the international debate about the capacity of social funds to improve beneficiaries' living conditions: o Do social funds reach poor areas and poor households? Do social funds deliver high-quality, sustainable investments? Do social funds affect living standards? How cost-efficient are social funds and the investments they finance, compared with other delivery mechanisms? The findings and lessons from this research reflect a specific moment in the evolution of six social funds and therefore may not fully predict the future impact of current investments. The evaluation assesses subprojects identified and implemented between 1993 and 1999, a period when longer-term objectives-such as increasing access to and utilization of basic services-began to supplant the funds' original emergency mandates. The time period selected allowed enough elapsed time following the implementation of the social fund subprojects to make measurement of impact and sustainability possible. The evaluation does not consider the effects of social fund projects on employment or on income generation-the original objectives of the first generation of social funds, which were introduced in Latin America. It also does not discuss the effect of social fund investments on capacity building-a more recent emphasis of social funds seeking to assist decentralization and community development.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Sherburne-Benz, Lynne, Rawlings, Laura B., van Domelen, Julie
Language:	English en_US
Published:	Washington, DC: World Bank 2004
Subjects:	ACCESS TO SAFE WATER, ACCESS TO SERVICES, BENEFICIARIES, CAPACITY BUILDING, CASE STUDIES, CASE STUDY, CENTRAL GOVERNMENT, CHILD MORTALITY, CLINICS, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE, COST ANALYSIS, COST RECOVERY, COUNTERFACTUAL, DATA COLLECTION, DATA SOURCES, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPMENT NETWORK, DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, DIPHTHERIA, DISCRIMINATION, ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, EVALUATING POVERTY, EVALUATION RESULTS, FACILITY SURVEYS, FEASIBILITY STUDIES, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, GEOGRAPHIC TARGETING, GRANT FINANCING, GROUP INTERVIEWS, HEALTH CARE, HEALTH CENTER, HEALTH CENTERS, HEALTH EFFECTS, HEALTH OUTCOMES, HOUSEHOLD ACCESS, HOUSEHOLD DATA, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS, HOUSEHOLD WELFARE, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, IMPACT EVALUATION, IMPROVED HEALTH, INCOME, INCREASED ACCESS, INCREASED DEMAND, INFANTS, INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, LIVING STANDARDS, LIVING STANDARDS MEASUREMENT, LIVING STANDARDS MEASUREMENT STUDY, LOCAL AUTHORITIES, LOCAL INSTITUTIONS, LOCAL SERVICES, MAINTENANCE OF FACILITIES, MANAGERS, MEDICINES, MORTALITY, MORTALITY RATES, MUNICIPALITIES, NATIONAL POVERTY, NATIONAL POVERTY LINE, NATIONAL STATISTICS OFFICE, NGO, NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, NUTRITION, PATIENTS, PIPELINE, POLICY IMPLICATIONS, POOR AREAS, POOR HOUSEHOLDS, POPULATION GROWTH, PORTFOLIOS, POVERTY ANALYSIS, POVERTY LEVELS, POVERTY LINES, POVERTY REDUCTION, POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGIES, POVERTY TARGETING, PRIVATE SECTOR, PUBLIC SECTOR, QUALITY OF WATER, REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLES, RESEARCH DESIGN, RURAL AREAS, RURAL WATER, SAMPLE SIZE, SAMPLE SIZES, SANITARY FACILITIES, SANITATION SERVICES, SCHOOLS, SECTOR MINISTRIES, SEWERAGE SYSTEMS, SOCIAL ASSISTANCE, SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, SOCIAL EXPENDITURES, SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE, SOCIAL PROTECTION, TARGETING PERFORMANCE, TECHNICAL QUALITY, TIME FRAME, TRADEOFFS, URBAN AREAS, UTILITIES, WATER PROJECTS, WATER SUPPLY, WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS, WATER SYSTEMS, WILLINGNESS TO PAY, WORKERS SOCIAL FUNDS, COMMUNITY INVESTMENT, STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION, HOUSEHOLDS, METHODOLOGY, INFRASTRUCTURE, MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, HEALTH ISSUES, LATRINES, COMMUNITY PRIORITIES, MAINTENANCE, EDUCATION, SEWERAGE, COST EFFICIENCY, SANITATION, GENDER ISSUES, OWNERSHIP, SOCIAL PROGRAMS,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/11/2946755/evaluating-social-funds-cross-country-analysis-community-investments https://hdl.handle.net/10986/15057
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