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Public Social Spending in Africa: Do the Poor Benefit?

Public Social Spending in Africa: Do the Poor Benefit? Education and health care are basic services essential in any effort to combat poverty and are often subsidized with public funds to help achieve that purpose. This paper examines the effectiveness of public social spending on education and health care in several African countries and finds that these programs favor not the poor, but those who are better-off. It concludes that this targeting problem cannot be solved simply by adjusting the subsidy program. The constraints that prevent the poor from taking advantage of these services must also be addressed if the public subsidies are to be effective. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The World Bank Research Observer Oxford University Press

Public Social Spending in Africa: Do the Poor Benefit?

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Publisher
Oxford University Press
Copyright
© Published by Oxford University Press.
ISSN
0257-3032
eISSN
1564-6971
Publisher site
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Abstract

Education and health care are basic services essential in any effort to combat poverty and are often subsidized with public funds to help achieve that purpose. This paper examines the effectiveness of public social spending on education and health care in several African countries and finds that these programs favor not the poor, but those who are better-off. It concludes that this targeting problem cannot be solved simply by adjusting the subsidy program. The constraints that prevent the poor from taking advantage of these services must also be addressed if the public subsidies are to be effective.

Journal

The World Bank Research Observer – Oxford University Press

Published: Feb 1, 1999

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