Providing a Local Perspective on the Poverty Impacts of the Global Financial Crisis and Appropriate Policy Responses in Developing Countries

In 2009, the PEP Network mobilized over 20 research teams in different countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America, in a collective effort to monitor and analyze the impacts of the global financial crisis on poverty in developing countries. This multi-country research project was initiated by PEP in collaboration with AUSAid, IDRC, IFPRI and UNICEF. The global initiative was broken down into three projects (follow the links for individual reports of each project): One using data collected from the PEP Community-Based Monitoring Systems (CBMS)

• Monitoring and Mitigating the Impact on Poverty of the Global Financial and Economic Crisis (8 country projects)

Two using macro-micro modeling and simulation techniques from our Modeling and Policy Impact Analysis (MPIA) program

• Analyzing the Impacts of the Current Economic and Financial Crisis and Appropriate Policy Responses (9 country projects)
• Simulating the Impacts of the Global Economic Crisis and Policy Responses on Children in West and Central Africa, commissioned by UNICEF (3 country projects, 1 regional study)

In all cases, results provided an evidence base for governments to design appropriate policy responses in order to mitigate the long-term, negative effects of the crisis on socioeconomic well-being of populations, and especially on the most vulnerable groups. The results were presented in several fora, including the international policy conference held in the midst of the 8th PEP General Meeting in Dakar (Senegal) on June 15, 2010.

The following report summarizes the overall outcomes and findings of this global research initiative:

Global Financial Crisis: A Local Perspective on the Poverty Impacts in Developing Countries

Another special report (link below) was also published regarding the more specific outcomes of the three country studies in Asia - Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Philippines - funded by AusAID:  Assessing the Impacts of the Global Financial Crisisand Appropriate Policy Responses in Asia; Case Studies of Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Philippines