| PUBLICATIONS AND DOCUMENTS |
|
Forthcoming publication of studies on drivers of growth in Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras
Should public resources be invested in well-off areas in the hope that synergies and economies of concentration will generate conditions for self-sustaining rural growth? Or should the less privileged areas receive a larger share of public investment in order to compensate for years of neglect? Which regions and households are better able to take advantage of emerging opportunities? What needs to be done to support those that are not able to take advantage of them? RUTA will publish the Spanish version of a regional study that was conducted by the World Bank and other partner agencies, including FAO, IFPRI and DFID. The study is designed to address these fundamental questions and find ways to promote and sustain widespread economic growth in the rural sector of three Central American countries: Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras. The study identifies certain drivers of sustainable rural growth and poverty reduction. Drivers are defined as those assets and combinations of assets (cultural, educational, economic and others) that require different types of households in different geographic areas to take advantage of the economic opportunities and improve their wellbeing over the long term. The study examines the relative contribution of these assets and identifies the combination of social, productive and specific assets of a given location that are most likely to be conducive to increasing income and taking advantage of the possibilities for achieving growth and reducing poverty. This study challenges the external cooperation agencies and governments to close the gap between conceptual strategies and their effective and timely implementation, in order to obtain tangible and sustainable results. Thus, it is important to identify the right sequence and complementarity of investments in assets in order to promote growth and reduce poverty.
|
 |
|
In December 2005, IFPRI published a document based on the three case studies on Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. The report was written by Hans Jansen and Jeff Alwang, in collaboration with Paul Siegel and Francisco Pichón. It is available on the Internet at the IFPRI Web site: |