Here’s what economic inclusion experts are reading this month

One of the most stubborn challenges in development is transforming the economic lives of people in extreme poverty and vulnerability. As part of a wider jobs perspective, the agenda around economic inclusion is quickly evolving. Country programs are looking for solutions that connect household and community interventions with the local economy, best practices to scale up economic inclusion programs, and strategies to tackle the political realities that surround scaling up.

This month’s reading list, curated with the Partnership for Economic Inclusion, takes stock of recent literature and country experiences looking at the global landscape of economic inclusion programs, and in particular how this is being shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic.

An overview of the world’s economic inclusion programs

• The Partnership for Economic Inclusion’s preview of the forthcoming "State of Economic Inclusion Report 2020” reflects the dramatically evolving global landscape for economic inclusion programs. The report presents data from 219 programs, with over 90 million beneficiaries globally, and incorporates a new framework for governments to strengthen opportunities for the extremely poor and vulnerable.

• And PEI’s new open access data portal dashboard contains high quality data from the surveys conducted as part of the SEI 2020 report. The open-access platform allows users to explore country-specific information, and the PEI Quick Costing Tool can be used as a starting point to unpack debates around cost optimization and efficiency.

Essential readings

• What can we learn from emerging markets entrepreneurs during COVID-19? NextBillion explores.

• After testing alternative views on poverty traps, the authors of this working paper find that large, one-off asset transfers that enable people to take on more productive occupations can help alleviate persistent poverty.

• An article from CARE draws on experiences such as conflict, natural disasters, and Ebola to identify how to best support savings groups and their members during COVID-19.

• A new book, The Informal Economy Revisited, explores the informal economy through several cross-cutting areas of policy research, including economic development, urban planning, and social protection.

• This report investigates the potential for graduation programs to ensure women’s empowerment.

• Can a multifaceted economic inclusion project reduce poverty in Afghanistan?

• PEI’s three-part webinar series shares country experiences on moving economic inclusion programs to scale.

The broader jobs agenda

• A working paper explores interventions that work best for women microentrepreneurs, comparing effects across intervention types from skills training to mentorship.

• Revisiting evidence for whether small business training works to improve profits.

• A report aims to help policy makers find ways to improve job programs in Ghana.

• Assessing the Paycheck Protection Program’s (PPP) effectiveness in sustaining small-firm employment.

COVID-19 related articles

• A resource for policymakers facing the dual challenge of adapting existing programs to respond to the pandemic, and ensuring the readiness of recovery efforts.

• UNHCR presents a global snapshot of emerging practices on livelihoods and economic inclusion to respond to the pandemic.

• This working paper reviews government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic at a national and local level.

• An ILO analysis reveals a “massive” drop in labor income and a fiscal stimulus gap that threatens to increase inequality between richer and poorer countries.

• Were changes in unemployment benefits associated with decreased employment, both at the onset of benefits expansion due to COVID-19 and as business began to reopen?

• Tracking changes in time allocation patterns of couples, before and during lockdown in Argentina.

This list is based on the Knowledge4Jobs newsletter that is curated by the Jobs Group and the Labor and Skills Global Solutions Group of the World Bank. To find out more about PEI, sign up for the PEI newsletter.