Download or read book Evaluating the Impact of Reforming the Food Subsidy Program in Egypt written by Racha Ramadan and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Food subsidy is one of the policies considered to protect consumer welfare against food price increases, in particular when the insufficient local production has to be complemented by food imports with volatile prices. Egypt has experienced several ''food crises'' (the latest in 2008), which put an halt to attempts to reform in depth the system of food subsidies because of social unrest. In this paper, we use a Mixed Demand approach to analyze the consumption structure of Egyptian households. Our model specification takes into consideration the characteristics of the Egyptian food subsidy system, where some food items have predetermined quotas while others are associated with predetermined (subsidized) prices. Price, income and quota elasticities are estimated from the Egyptian family expenditure survey, and welfare change measures are derived by income class. Simulations of various options to eliminate subsidies on selected food items are conducted. We estimate the negative welfare impact of the reforms, especially in the context of increasing food prices, by comparing welfare effects of policy options by income quar- tiles and by household category (rural, urban).
Download or read book Food subsidies and cash transfers in Egypt Evaluating general equilibrium benefits and trade offs written by Breisinger, Clemens and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2021-06-02 with total page 23 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most Egyptians receive food subsidies, which are the cornerstone of the country’s social protection system. The government recently attempted to reduce subsidies, with limited success, and introduced a cash transfer program targeting the poor. We use a dynamic general equilibrium model of the Egyptian economy to evaluate the growth and distributional impacts of subsidy reforms and cash transfers. We find that the welfare of poor households would be enhanced by a smaller, but better targeted food subsidy program, and that, if the cost savings from reforms are channeled into investment, faster economic growth would eventually outweigh any short-term welfare losses. However, most of the gains from subsidy reforms accrue to nonpoor households. Combining subsidy reforms with cash transfers leads to the largest welfare gains for the poor, while leaving the welfare of nonpoor households largely intact. The latter is crucial to maintaining support for ongoing subsidy reform efforts.
Download or read book The Egyptian Food Subsidy System written by Akhter U. Ahmed and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2001 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Egyptian Food Subsidy System: Structure, Performance, and Options for Reform evaluates the economic, political, and technical feasibility of reducing costs while improving or maintaining the welfare of the poor. The report addresses five questions: (1) How well does the present system target the poor? (2) How much leakage- the pilferage of subsidized foods in the distribution channel-occurs? (3) At what cost does the government transfer income to the needy? (4) How can subsidies be better targeted to the needy? And (5) What are politically feasible options for reform?
Download or read book Self targeted Subsidies written by Richard H. Adams and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2000 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By gradually reducing the number of subsidized foods, and by focusing subsidies on foods consumed more by the poor than by the rich (like coarse baladi bread) Egyptian policymakers have found a way to self-target food subsidies to the urban poor. Yet because the rural poor do not consume as much baladi bread, this system is not as well-targeted to the rural poor.
Download or read book Phasing out energy subsidies as part of Egypt s economic reform program Impacts and policy implications written by Breisinger, Clemens and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2018-02-21 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In order to address long-standing economic challenges, in 2016 the Government of Egypt (GOE) put in place a major economic reform program to restore macroeconomic stability and to promote inclusive growth. As a result, there are early signs that the economy is rebounding and Egypt’s economic outlook is becoming more favorable. However, it is less clear how the ongoing reform program is affecting households, especially the poor. To shed light on this question, this paper uses an economy-wide model to estimate the distributional impacts of the energy subsidy cuts in 2014, 2016, and 2017, the currency devaluation at the end of 2016, and the expected complete phasing out of energy subsidies over the coming years.
Download or read book Symposium policy note 3 Cash transfers as an effective tool for social protection and shock response in Egypt written by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2020-12-01 with total page 6 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This policy note is one in a series of four notes that summarizes key findings and recommendations from 32 seminars that IFPRI organized between 2016 and 2020 under the Evaluating Impact and Building Capacity Project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and from related research done in collaboration with national and international partners in Egypt. The briefs have been prepared on the basis of a joint symposium and are intended to give policy makers and program designers in the areas of social protection, nutrition, agricultural policy, and the digitalization of agriculture a quick overview of research-based recommendations on key policy issues that will better enable Egypt achieve several of the goals outlined in the Sustainable Development Strategy 2030. Social protection programs are essential for supporting Egyptians who are economically the most vulnerable. This brief makes the argument for moving more decisively toward a cash-based social protection system in Egypt. Four areas of action are highlighted: Continue the well-functioning Takaful and Karama program and consider increasing its budget to adjust transfers to inflation. Consider improving the targeting for Tamween food subsidies and integrating Takaful and Karama with Tamween. Continue the use of transparent and independent impact evaluations to assess social protection programs in order to maximize their benefits for Egypt and its people. Maintain the ability to respond flexibly to future shocks as an important feature of solidifying the national social protection system.
Download or read book The Effects of Food Price and Subsidy Policies on Egyptian Agriculture written by Joachim Von Braun and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 1983 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Extract: The aim of this study is to determine how rapid growth in consumer subsidies has affected agriculture. Therefore, government spending on agriculture is examined, and the government's price policies on inputs and output and its interventions in allocation and marketing are evaluated.
Download or read book Is Subsidy Good Or Bad An Evaluation of the Energy Sector Subsidy Reform in Egypt written by Mona Alashaal and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 27 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Lifting or keeping the subsidy” has been a controversial issue, precisely in Egypt it has always been too “hot to touch” when it comes to the right of the unfortunate few. But this has proved for over 50 years to be a sheer myth. Billions of subsidized money has been landing in the pockets of the large industries and higher income sector members, only to increase poverty to over 40% of the population. Poorly implemented energy subsidies are economically costly to taxpayers and damage the environment by creating distorted price signals and result in higher energy consumption or production or barriers to entry for cleaner energy substitutes. In the wake of this the government has taken serious steps in 2004 towards reforming the subsidy on the entire energy sector to wean it gradually and return to full cost as of 2014, only one phase of this plan has been executed on removing 20% of the electricity subsidy, but the remaining phases where put on hold since 2009 due to the global crisis. Talks have been resumed on an implementation plan for the removal of nearly 50% of the subsidy on all energy sectors as of this year, and the return to full cost by 2013. No further details were officially announced regarding this plan. This paper illustrates the advantages and disadvantages of subsidies, and its applicable impact on some aspects of the Egyptian economy, the possible expected outcomes and social/economic implications, should it be abolished based on other countries experiences and the proposed mitigation procedures that the government must carry out to offset the ramifications and compensate the poor.We found that the benefits of subsidy removal by far outweigh the costs on the long run and after adjustment, there is no one-size fits all. The two major concerns are; first, will the government provide transparent and clear information about the detailed plan before, during and continuously share feedback on both levels; the impact on the economy and the people and how much has been saved and where will it go. Second, will the government be wise enough to closely monitor the progress of the reform plan and be able to quickly revert or halt and revisit the plan should the outcomes not meet the anticipated?
Download or read book Subsidy Reform in the Middle East and North Africa written by Mr.Carlo A. Sdralevich and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2014-07-09 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries price subsidies are common, especially on food and fuels. However, these are neither well targeted nor cost effective as a social protection tool, often benefiting mainly the better off instead of the poor and vulnerable. This paper explores the challenges of replacing generalized price subsidies with more equitable social safety net instruments, including the short-term inflationary effects, and describes the features of successful subsidy reforms.
Download or read book The Effects of the Egyptian Food Ration and Subsidy System on Income Distribution and Consumption written by Harold Alderman and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 1984 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research report on the effects of the Egyptian food rationing and food subsidy systems on income distribution and consumption - using household survey data explains distribution and food security; examines household expenditure, protein consumption, level of nutrition and percentage calorie deficiency; analyses system of income transfer and interaction with farm crop production and marketing; gives statistical analysis of choice between cooperatives and open market. Bibliography, graphs, statistical tables.
Download or read book Self Targeted Subsidies written by Adams, Jr. (Richard H.) and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 43 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By gradually reducing the ...
Download or read book Food Subsidies written by Karim Laraki and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper presents an analysis of the costs and benefits of food subsidies in Morocco. It focuses on ways to reduce the financial costs without adversely affecting the standard of living and nutritional status of the poor. It describes the organization of the food subsidy program in Morocco and presents descriptive statistics on food consumption patterns there. The paper also provides background material for the discussion of methodological issues involved in estimating the welfare and nutritional effects of price and tax reforms in developing countries. A model for estimating price elasticities from cross-sectional data is applied to results from the 1984-85 household consumption survey to quantify the effects of modifying the food subsidy program in Morocco. Both real income and nutritional effects are used to evaluate the Moroccan program and, by extension, similar ones elsewhere.
Download or read book The Egyptian Food Subsidy System written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Nutrition and economic development written by Ecker, Olivier and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-11-15 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book’s main hypothesis is that Egypt’s large food subsidy system has been ineffective in reducing undernutrition; in fact, it may have contributed to sustaining and even aggravating both nutrition challenges. For a long time, the subsidy system provided only calorie-rich foods, at very low and constant prices and with quotas much above dietary recommendations. This system has created incentives to consume calorie-overladen and unbalanced diets, increasing the risks of child and maternal overnutrition and, at high subsidy levels, the risk of inadequate child nutrition. Moreover, the large public budget allocated to the food subsidies is unavailable for possibly more nutrition-beneficial spending, such as for child and maternal nutrition-specific interventions. The authors’ findings consistently suggest that—in addition to the well-known economic rationale for reforming the Egyptian food subsidy system—there are strong reasons to reform food subsidies due to nutrition and public health concerns. A fundamental food subsidy reform process has been under way since June 2014. The already-implemented changes can be expected to have reduced some incentives for overconsumption and may have positive dietary effects. However, further major reform efforts are needed to transform the current subsidy system into a key policy instrument in the fight against malnutrition. The findings of this book should be valuable to policy makers, analysts, development partners, and others concerned with improving food security and promoting healthy nutrition in Egypt and other developing countries with large social protection programs.
Download or read book Egypt s Food Subsidy Policy written by and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 59 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Impact evaluation study for Egypt s Takaful and Karama cash transfer program Part 1 Quantitative report written by Breisinger, Clemens and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2018-10-19 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report of the evaluation study provides a greater focus on measuring the impact of the larger Takaful program and also attempts to measure the impact of the much smaller Karama program. In addition, IFPRI will conduct a qualitative assessment of the Takaful and Karama program focused on learning about the experience with the program among the poorest beneficiary households. This qualitative assessment will also draw lessons from the quantitative survey to provide another report on the experience of very poor households. The remainder of this report is organized as follows Chapter 2 provides an overview of the Takaful and Karama Program. Chapter 3 summarizes the impact evaluation design. Chapter 4 describes the evaluation survey and sample. Chapter 5 provides context for the program by using the survey data to summarize the characteristics of beneficiary and non-beneficiary households and describe beneficiaries’ experience with program implementation. Chapter 6 presents the impact estimates for Takaful and Chapter 7 the estimates for Karama. Chapter 8 uses data from a separate representative sample of households collected during the survey to assess the targeting performance of the program. Chapter 9 concludes and discusses implications for social policy in Egypt.
Download or read book Bread Subsidy Policies in Egypt written by Hossam El Din Fawzy Ahmed and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: Food subsidy programs are a key component of Egypt’s social policy. Recently, the Egyptian government introduced a number of reforms to address the targeting and quality of subsidized bread. These policies focused on addressing loss of subsidized flour through the different supply chain processes, compromised quality and the need for the rationalization of consumption. This thesis provides an analysis of these new reforms. The study relies on qualitative research methods through structured and semi-structured in-depth interviews with several ranks in the supply chain including those in the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade as well as various consumers of subsidized food products. The study applied the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis on the newly applied systemic reforms. Findings demonstrate that the new system improved and resolved most of the previous system’s problems; however, the new system has some weaknesses that should be dealt with rapidly. Most of these problems are pertaining to administrative and procedural issues. Thus, a set of recommendations have been suggested in order to deal with the current weaknesses of the new system.
