Comparative Analysis of Five PL 480 Title 1 Impact Evaluation Studies

摘要

A comparative analysis of the findings of impact evaluations of P.L. 480 Title I programs in Bangladesh, Egypt, Jamaica, Peru, and Sri Lanka is presented. Initial sections describe changes in U.S. agriculture and policies since Title I's inception in 1954, and the resulting effect on P.L. 480 programming. Next discussed are the various host country contexts and their evolution, including two cases (Egypt and Peru) where Title I aid was interrupted. A review of socioeconomic development in the five countries highlights differing possibilities for program impact. Assessment of Title I's macroeconomic impact shows that the impact on balance of payments support, while positive in each case, was more apparent in countries with greater economic constraints (Bangladesh, Jamaica) and that the program tended to directly benefit the more affluent in Jamaica and Peru. Evaluation of microeconomic and development impacts reveals a production disincentive effect since the early 1960's for one or more food crops, although these disincentives may be offset by improvements in food import policy.