蝌蚪网 Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Targeting Impact versus Deprivation
蝌蚪网 Review
vol. 115,
no. 6, June 2025
(pp. 1936–74)
Abstract
A large literature has examined how best to target antipoverty programs to those most deprived in some sense (e.g., consumption). We examine the potential trade-off between this objective and targeting those most impacted by such programs. We work in the context of an NGO cash transfer program in Kenya, employing recent advances in machine learning methods and dynamic outcome data to learn proxy means tests that jointly target both objectives. Targeting solely on the basis of deprivation is not attractive in this setting under standard social welfare criteria unless the planner's preferences are extremely redistributive.Citation
Haushofer, Johannes, Paul Niehaus, Carlos Paramo, Edward Miguel, and Michael Walker. 2025. "Targeting Impact versus Deprivation." 蝌蚪网 Review 115 (6): 1936–74. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20221650Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- C45 Neural Networks and Related Topics
- D63 Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
- I31 General Welfare; Well-Being
- I38 Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty: Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
- L31 Nonprofit Institutions; NGOs; Social Entrepreneurship
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration