Poor people often do not make investments, even when returns are high. One possible explanation is that they have low aspirations and form mental models of their future opportunities which ignore some options for investment. This paper reports on a field experiment to test this hypothesis in...

This article assesses the importance of social interactions in determining an individual’s choice to connect to an electrical grid, using an original data set on a new rural electrification program in Ethiopia. Combining global positioning system information with random allocation of discount...

This paper relates the Agence Française de Développement?s experience in the area of impact evaluations. Our purpose is to assess to what extent such studies, when designed before actual programme implementation, can provide the type of summative evidence that donors still seek when promoting...

This paper relates the Agence Française de Développement's experience with respect to impact evaluations. Our purpose is to assess the extent to which such studies, when designed before an actual programme implementation, can provide the type of summative evidence that donors often seek for...

This paper examines the notion of inclusiveness in rural producer organizations (RPOs) and the extent to which such RPOs can be used to reach the rural poor in sub-Saharan Africa. Using farmer cooperatives in Ethiopia as a case in point, the paper examines the role of RPOs in supporting...

Summary Quantitative and qualitative analyses are used to assess the existence of village organizations (VOs), their performance, and members' participation in benefits in Senegal and Burkina Faso. VOs are classified into market-oriented (MOs) and community-oriented (COs). Results show that...

Summary Like many other African countries in the early 1990s, Burkina Faso was urged to engage in a far-reaching liberalization of its state-led cotton sector. Instead it engaged in more gradual and sequenced reforms characterized by institutional innovations and partial privatization. But while...

The author reviews trends in rural electrification over the past 30 years in Sub-Saharan Africa. In particular, it is shown that motivations for rural electrification programs have evolved significantly over the years, following changes in development paradigms. The author finds, however, that...