Can the rural lending of an international development bank effectively increase food production, create jobs and raise the incomes of the rural poor? In response to the growing unemployment and poverty which accompanied foodgrain shortages in the early 1970s, the Asian Development Bank moved from its initial policy of modernizing agricultural production to a rural development policy combining growth, employment and income distribution. Despite the policy change, however, the bank's rural sector projects have continued to ...
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Can the rural lending of an international development bank effectively increase food production, create jobs and raise the incomes of the rural poor? In response to the growing unemployment and poverty which accompanied foodgrain shortages in the early 1970s, the Asian Development Bank moved from its initial policy of modernizing agricultural production to a rural development policy combining growth, employment and income distribution. Despite the policy change, however, the bank's rural sector projects have continued to focus on increasing production, with little impact on unemployment or poverty. This study examines the reasons - both political and organizational - for the gap between policy practice.
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