Shanir Adda with Marup Hossain

Shanir Adda with Marup Hossain
3:30 – 5:00 pm, Saturday, 29 March, 2014
Marup Hossain, Senior Research Associate, RED, BRAC will share his recent research works at ERG Seminar Room,1st Floor, House 342, Road 25, New DOHS, Mohakhali.

Brief on Marup’s presentation:

Title of the Paper: “Does asset transfer help reduce household food insecurity? Evidence from a targeted poverty reduction program in Bangladesh”

Abstract: Using panel data spanning 2002-2011, we study the impact of an anti-poverty scheme on household food insecurity amongst the extreme poor in Bangladesh. Program participants received productive livestock assets to move out of low-wage agricultural work. Difference-in-difference estimation on control- and target-group-data before and after the intervention indicates significant program impact irrespective of whether we use self-reported or objective measures of food security. However, the long-term (2002-2011) impact of the program is smaller when compared to short (2002-2005) and medium (2002-2008) term impact. These findings are unchanged after controlling for pre-intervention household characteristics, village effects and aggregate food price. Measures of food security are negatively correlated with village level average food price even after controlling for village fixed effects and program participation status. However higher food price level does not explain the decline in program effect in the long run. Presenter Biography.

Personal Profile: Marup Hossain is a senior Research Associate at Research and Evaluation Division (RED) in BRAC. He obtained his BSS (hons) and MSS degree in Economics from the University of Dhaka. His research interest includes among other Agriculture and Development. He is currently engaged in a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) based impact assessment of a package of credit and agricultural extension services to the landless and marginal farmers of the rural Bangladesh which is funded by Global Development Network (GDN). He is also working in the research project entitled “Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (LANSA)” funded by DFID.