The devaluation of the CFA Franc in 1994 generated a public investment boom in Senegal. The increase in public investment was made possible thanks to an improved budgetary situation related to the reduction in real terms of the public wage bill which had been too large for some time. The rise in...

Charitable tax deductions are one of the largest tax expenditures at the state and federal levels, and they are also crucial for the sustainability of the charitable nonprofit sector. Understanding some of the factors that drive changes in charitable tax deductions over time is needed to inform...

This article analyzes the impact of the economic crisis (rising food and oil prices and financial crisis) on the situation of households in Senegal using both a quantitative analysis of household survey data and a qualitative analysis from focus groups. Before the crisis, Senegal had experienced...

This article analyses the evolution of poverty and living conditions in Senegal using household surveys conducted over 2005-2009 within the context of the country’s efforts to achieve by 2015 the targets set forth under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The article was prepared as part...

This paper proposes a simple methodology for measuring and analyzing the cost effectiveness of food pantries and other food distribution programs that transfer in-kind benefits to the poor. The methodology suggests that even if the administrative cost, management, and nonfood costs of running...

In recent years, nonprofits have started operating thrift stores to reinvest earnings from the stores’ sales in other programs for the poor. Martha’s Table, a nonprofit in Washington DC, has adopted such a strategy. It operates Martha’s Outfitters, a thrift store which provides clothing at...

This paper proposes a simple multiplicative decomposition that can help in comparing the levels of mortgage interest tax deductions observed in different states or areas, and some of the reasons leading to different levels of deductions. The key parameters in the decomposition are a state’s...

This paper provides comparable estimates of poverty in Senegal from 1994 to 20076 using household surveys (ESAM I, ESAM II, and ESPS). Nationally, the share of the population in poverty was reduced from 67.9% in 1994/95 to 57.1% in 2001/02, and finally 50.8% in 2005/06. Poverty was reduced more...

Higher incomes for women can have significant beneficial impacts for poverty reduction both in the short run by providing more resources to households and in the long run by increasing investments in the human capital of children. While substantial research has been done using microeconomic...