Purpose Informal dwellings describe makeshift lodgings made from temporary materials, such as plastic, corrugated iron, sheeting, packing cases, or wood. These units allow low-income groups to informally occupy land and create their habitable space in a phased manner. This article focuses on...

This paper is based on a randomised social experiment conducted in order to understand the low take-up rate of a Complementary health-insurance voucher program for the poorest in France (the Aide Complémentaire Santé: ACS). We explore two of the main hypotheses put forward to explain low...

We study the three-year impact of a private tuition-free middle school on the academic outcomes of poor students. Several features of the treatment school fit with innovative paradigms that have delivered successful outcomes in poor urban areas. Our research design exploits the excess of...

This paper assesses the impact of a free complementary health insurance plan introduced in 2000 in France on healthcare utilisation and healthcare expenditures. This free plan pays off most of out-of-pocket expenses and is entitled to the 10% poorest households in France. In order to tackle the...

This document presents the Opportunity for the Majority Development Initiative, which was launched in June 2006. Under the Initiative, the IDB is working with the private sector and civil society to support innovative, practical, market based solutions to persistent problems for the poor in...

In order to improve financial access to complementary health insurance (CHI) in France, a CHI voucher program, called Aide Complémentaire Santé (ACS) was introduced in 2005. Four years later, the program covered only 18% of the eligible population. Two main hypotheses are put forward to...