Lessons from Asia’s
experience on Pro-Poor
Growth
AADC Workshop, India
March, 2012
Siriporn Wajjwalku
Thammasat University
Thailand
Outline of the presentation
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Pro-Poor Growth
Experiences: GGP in Thailand
Pro-Poor Growth and donor
Pro-Poor Growth and recipient
Next Step: Growth and distribution OR
inequality and policy instrument?
Pro-Poor Growth (1)
“A pace and pattern of growth that enhances the
ability of poor women and men to participate in,
contribute to and benefit from growth” (OECD,
2007)
Pro-Poor Growth (2)
“Pro-Poor Growth is measured by changes in the
incomes of the households in which poor women
and men live and the assets they and their
children acquire to earn higher incomes in the
future” (Manning, 2007)
Pro-Poor Growth (3)
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Key issues
1. To decrease inequality
2. To reduce poverty
1. To decrease inequality  country level :
reform of socio-economic structure  the
internal affairs of the recipient the role of
donor(?)
2. To reduce poverty
 household level :
development project supported by donor
Experiences: Japanese GGP in
Thailand (1)
• Japanese GGP in Thailand
Sector : Agriculture and rural development
Amount of projects : 26 projects
Period : 1990-2005
Locations : Central, North, and Northeast
Experiences: Japanese GGP in
Thailand (2)
• Japanese GGP: Objectives
1. To promote sustainable development at the
grassroots level
2. To strengthen and promote active
participation of local authority, local
community, and NGOs in aid process,
including aid delivery and utilization
Experiences: Japanese GGP in
Thailand (3)
• Approach and Modality
1. Request based (demand driven)
2. Bilateral
3. Small scale project
• Process
1. Project formulation application form and field
visit
2. Project implementation progress report and
field visit (optional)
3. Project evaluation final report and field visit
Experiences: Japanese GGP in
Thailand (4)
• Distribution of projects
Central : 2 projects in 2 provinces
North
: 13 projects in 6 provinces
Northeast : 11 projects in 6 provinces
• Types of received institutions
Local authority : 2 projects
Local community : 5 projects
NGOs
: 19 projects
Experiences: Japanese GGP in
Thailand (5)
• Types of NGOs
Domestic – national NGOs :
Domestic – local NGOs
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International NGOs
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8 projects
10 projects
1 project
• Observation
Representation of local people and community
Experiences: Japanese GGP in
Thailand (6)
• Success
1. Income generation at the household level
(Vegetable Bank, Organic Farm, etc.)
2. Knowledge generation and accumulation both
at household and community levels
• Challenges
1. Long term sustainability  aid for trade
2. Level and degree of local participation
Pro-Poor Growth and donor
Experience from GGP
• Success
1. Efficient delivery process
2. Promotion of in-country process
• Challenges
1. Organizational capacity in the recipient
country
2. Dialogue design and selection process (to
promote partnership and ownership)
Pro-Poor Growth and recipient
Experience from GGP
• Success
1. Higher income (farm and off farm activities)
2. Higher standard of living (welfare and
education for children)
3. Strong local community
• Challenges
1. Limited capacity of local authority, local
community, and local people
2. NGOs and their representation for local
community and people
Next Step: Growth and distribution OR
inequality and policy instrument?
• 1. Restructuring socio-economic systems
Institutional redesign  political will +
mature civil society (donor’s role = capacity
building/ democratization)
• 2. The compatibility of country-level policy or
direction and household-level project design
• 3. As an emerging donor, what should be our
focus – poverty reduction or inequality decrease,
and how to design the development cooperation
program/project?