Why poor countries rely mostly on redistribution in-kind

Bearse, Peter; Glomm, Gerhard; Janeba, Eckhard

doi:10.1016/s0047-2727(99)00076-6

Cited by 46 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…49 A recent paper by deMello and Tiongson (2003) shows that countries with higher income or consumption inequality tend to spend less on government redistributive spending. This is not at odds with the findings in this paper, as government redistributive spending in deMello and Tiongson (2003) refers to cash transfers whereas BIA of social spending is based on in-kind transfers, and it is known that developing countries tend to rely more on in-kind transfers than cash transfers(Bearce et al 2000).…”

contrasting

confidence: 43%

Benefit Incidence of Public Education and Health Spending Worldwide: Evidence From A New Database

Davoodi

Tiongson

Asawanuchit³

2010

Poverty & Public Policy

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This paper compiles a new database on the benefit incidence of public education and health spending covering 56 countries over 1960-2000. The database represents a significant improvement in quality and coverage over existing compilations. First, it covers a broader set of industrial and developing countries. Second, it provides information on benefit incidence over time. Third, the database reports auxiliary identifiers of a benefit incidence analysis, allowing for consistent comparisons within and across countries. The database is used to ascertain which income groups tend to benefit more from social spending. We also explore the relationship between benefit incidence on the one hand and indicators of access to education and health services and social outcomes on the other, using simple measures of association. The paper explores policy implications of these findings. Researchers interested in analyzing the effectiveness of social spending and the role of government would find the database an invaluable tool for further analyses.

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contrasting

confidence: 43%

Benefit Incidence of Public Education and Health Spending Worldwide: Evidence From A New Database

Davoodi

Tiongson

Asawanuchit³

2010

Poverty & Public Policy

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“…The majority of studies argue that corruption represents ''sand in the wheel of growth'' and reduces economic efficiency and the provision of public goods and services (Mauro 1995). This appears to be corroborated in empirical studies showing that corruption adversely affects the quality of public services (Bearse, Glomm, and Janeba 2000), decreases their volume (Azfar and Gurgur 2008), and reduces spending in operation and maintenance (Tanzi and Davoodi 1998). Aday and Andersen (1974) describe the characteristics of the population at risk that influence access as representing the predisposing, enabling, and health care needs components of individuals.…”

Section: Health System Responsiveness and Its Potential Determinantsmentioning

confidence: 79%

Health Systems' Responsiveness and Its Characteristics: A Cross‐Country Comparative Analysis

Robone

Rice

Smith

2011

Health Services Research

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OBJECTIVES. Responsiveness has been identified as one of the intrinsic goals of health care systems. Little is known, however, about its determinants. Our objective is to investigate the potential country-level drivers of health system responsiveness. DATA SOURCE. Data on responsiveness are taken from the World Health Survey. Information on country-level characteristics is obtained from a variety of sources including the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). STUDY DESIGN. A two-step procedure. First, using survey data we derive a country-level measure of system responsiveness purged of differences in individual reporting behavior. Secondly, we run cross-sectional country-level regressions of responsiveness on potential drivers. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS. Health care expenditures per capita are positively associated with responsiveness, after controlling for the influence of potential confounding factors. Aspects of responsiveness are also associated with public sector spending (negatively) and educational development (positively). CONCLUSIONS. From a policy perspective, improvements in responsiveness may require higher spending levels. The expansion of nonpublic sector provision, perhaps in the form of increased patient choice, may also serve to improve responsiveness. However, these inferences are tentative and require further study.

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“…Peter M. Bearse, Gerhard Glomm, and Eckhard Janeba (2000) do attempt to show why poorer countries spend a larger fraction of their expenditures on in-kind rather than on cash transfers. Their argument is that in-kind transfers are of very poor quality in poorer countries because they do not have a good tax collection technology.…”

Section: In-kind Transfers As a Voting Equilibriummentioning

confidence: 99%

Transfers in Cash and In-Kind: Theory Meets the Data

Currie

Gahvari

2008

Journal of Economic Literature

293

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We review theoretical explanations for in-kind transfers in light of the limited empirical evidence. After reviewing the traditional paternalistic arguments, we consider explanations based on imperfect information and self-targeting. We then discuss the large literature on in-kind programs as a way of improving the efficiency of the tax system and a range of other possible explanations, including the "Samaritan's Dilemma," pecuniary effects, credit constraints, asymmetric information amongst agents, and political economy considerations. Our reading of the evidence suggests that paternalism and interdependent preferences are leading overall explanations for the existence of in-kind transfer programs but that some of the other arguments may apply to specific cases. Political economy considerations must also be part of the story.

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Why poor countries rely mostly on redistribution in-kind

Cited by 46 publications

References 15 publications

Benefit Incidence of Public Education and Health Spending Worldwide: Evidence From A New Database

Benefit Incidence of Public Education and Health Spending Worldwide: Evidence From A New Database

Health Systems' Responsiveness and Its Characteristics: A Cross‐Country Comparative Analysis

Transfers in Cash and In-Kind: Theory Meets the Data

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