The origins of a general trend in Europe of rising prices between 1520 and 1640, labeled the Price Revolution, have been deeply contested by economic historians since the 1920s. The debate is divided between two major camps, stressing the importance of monetary and ‘real’ factors respectively. My paper provides a general overview of the literature since the 1920s. I identify the influence of parallel developments in economic thought on the debate. Further, using the same qualitative primary sources employed by previous works on the topic I construct a novel explanation for these rising prices, avoiding constraints presented by flawed/restricted data.

People Anil Menon Professor Paul Monod

Related Links My experience at the Spring Symposium

Downloads The Price Revolution

Brazil’s Bolsa Família program is a conditional cash transfer scheme that has been hailed for dramatically reducing poverty and inequality since its launch in 2003. Under the scheme, qualifying families receive a monthly stipend on the condition that they fulfill certain requirements in health and education. Although the Bolsa Família is a federal program, each of Brazil’s 5, 564 municipalities play an important role in its local implementation. Using a combination of regression analysis and four case studies from the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, this study evaluates the impact of local government capacity on beneficiaries’ health and education. I find that municipalities with higher administrative capacity – more developed collaboration across sectors and more competent staff – are likely to be more effective in implementing the BFP, as observed by higher monitoring rates. As a result, the percentage of beneficiaries who comply with the program’s health and education requirements is likely to be higher in these municipalities. The paper concludes that local governments are critical actors in the success of this program and calls for policymakers to build administrative capacity through a combination of incentives and regulations.

 

People Researcher: Pui Shen Yoong Advisors: Professor Jessica Teets (Political Science), Professor John Maluccio (Economics)

Related Links Bolsa Familia (in Portuguese) The Nuts and Bolts of Brazil’s Bolsa Familia Program: Implementing Conditional Cash Transfers in a Decentralized Context  Avoiding Governors: The Success of Bolsa Familia Buying Out the Poor? Bolsa Familia & the 2010 Elections in Brazil

Downloads Full Report Presentation Slides

Hailed for reducing poverty and inequality in Brazil, the Bolsa Familia program (PBF) is the largest conditional cash transfer program in the world. Critics, however, have accused President Lula and his party of indirectly ‘buying’ the poor vote through the PBF. This research investigates the relationship between the PBF and the voting patterns of its recipients in the recent elections. Is the PBF an apolitical poverty reduction strategy? Does it influence the formation of political preferences? Based on interviews conducted in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, I focus on the beneficiaries’ own perception of the program, exploring the concepts of “ownership” and “clientelism” in social welfare.

People Pui Shen Yoong Researcher Svea Closser Sponsor & Assistant Professor of Sociology & Anthropology

Related Links Bolsa Familia Study Finds Bolsa Familia Children Healthier, Doing Better in School Choosing Clientelism: Political Competition, Poverty and Social Welfare Policy in Argentina Cash Transfers and Voting Behavior: Electoral Impacts of Brazil’s Bolsa Familia Program Conditional Cash Transfers and Voting Behaviour: Redistribution and Clientelism in Developing Democracies

Downloads Symposium Presentation Slides Full Report

Despite unbelievable economic growth rates averaging between 8-10% in 2009 and bright economic prospects, China and India have become two of the largest contributors to world poverty. However, China has been able to alleviate more poverty than India. I believe that there are lessons to be learnt from China’s success. Thus, I will compare both nations and examine the impact of provincial politics (decentralization) on poverty alleviation to determine why China has been able to alleviate more poverty than India. Since China and India are populous, large countries, there is a strong presence of state-level political institutions, which guide policy implementation. I will, thus, examine the cases of Sichuan and Anhui in China and Kerala andBihar in India. The contrast between the success of Sichuan and Kerala and failures of Anhui and Bihar will provide insight on the impact of decentralization and effectiveness of policy implementation towards poverty alleviation.

People Ruchi Singh Researcher Jessica Teets Sponsor & Assistant Professor of Political Science

Related Links Undergraduate Research Office

Downloads Symposium Presentation Slides

In a January 2011 Winter Term Class, “Twenty-First Century Global Challenges,”  21 Middlebury students studied great challenges of our time – including wide-scale poverty, climate change, and the struggle for human rights. They then analyzed how social entrepreneurs – individuals and groups who are developing new ways to attack systematic problems – are taking on these challenges.  For example, Nina Cameron ’12 studied how the Global Network is trying to reduce the prevalence of neglected tropical diseases; Erin Kelly ’13 studied how the University of the Peopleis providing tuition-free higher-education throughout the developing world.  The students also spend much of the course developing a vision for a new center for social entrepreneurship based at Middlebury College.  On this MiddLab, we report the ongoing results of this work.

People Jonathan Isham, Jr. Professor of Economics Wahid Ahmed Catherine Brown Nina Cameron Brian Clow Thomas Crocker Matthew Engel Stuart Fram Allison Grant Mark Hannah Paul Hildebrand Aaron Kelly Claire McIlvennie Olivia Noble Bradley Osborn Devin Perkins Hilary Platt Jeronimo Riefkohl Martin Sweeney Rhidaya Trivedi Kenneth Williams Nicole Williams

The Ripple Effect in India

Related Links Social Entrepreneurship in the Liberal Arts – Jonathan Isham (The Middlebury Campus, January 20, 2011) The Development Project Management Institute (DPMI) at MIIS Careers in the Common Good Old Stone Mill The Alliance for Civic Engagement Fred Kropp’s course on social entrepreneurship at MIIS

Downloads Reducing the prevalence of neglected tropical diseases – Nina Cameron ’12 Increasing access to tertiary education in the developing world – Aaron Kelly ’13 A vision for the Hassenfeld Center at Middlebury College – the students of ES380 A 2007 paper on social entrepreneurship at Middlebury – David Hopkins ’06.5 Social Entrepreneurship Collaboratories – Gordon Bloom (Harvard ’82) A recent talk from Bill Gates on Education for the Real World

People Samantha Marder Project Manager, Project Health  Providence Hannah Nichols Talent and Technology Coordinator, Project Health National Offices Yuan Lim Student Organizer Veronica Muoio Student Organizer Dan Murphy Student Organizer

Related Links To Learn More and Take Action, check out these links First Stop: Alliance for Civic Engagement (ACE) Fall 2010 Student Symposium: American Poverty in Context Project Health Unnatural Causes: Documentary on Poverty and Poor Health

Downloads Full Symposium Schedule Samantha Marder and Hannah Nichols

People Robert Prasch Professor of Economics Yuan Lim Student Organizer Veronica Muoio Student Organizer Dan Murphy Student Organizer

Related Links To Learn More and Take Action, check out these links First Stop: Alliance for Civic Engagement (ACE) Fall 2010 Student Symposium: American Poverty in Context

Downloads Robert Prasch’s CV Full Symposium Schedule Professor Robert Prasch

People Doug Sinclair Co-Founder of Middlebury Community Care Coalition Ingrid Pixley Property Manager for Addison County Community Trust Yuan Lim Student Organizer Veronica Muoio Student Organizer Dan Murphy Student Organizer

Related Links To Learn More and Take Action, check out these links First Stop: Alliance for Civic Engagement (ACE) Fall 2010 Student Symposium: American Poverty in Context Housing Issues: National Coalition for the Homeless Vermont Committee for Temporary Shelter (COTS) Middlebury Community Care Coalition (MCCC) Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects (HOPE)

Downloads Full Symposium Schedule Ingrid Pixley and Doug Sinclair

People Harlan Beckley Director of the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability at Washington and Lee University Yuan Lim Student Organizer Veronica Muoio Student Organizer Dan Murphy Student Organizer

Related Links To Learn More and Take Action, check out these links First Stop: Alliance for Civic Engagement (ACE) Fall 2010 Student Symposium: American Poverty in Context Shepherd Program

Downloads Full Symposium Schedule Harlan Beckley

Hal Colston is the founder and director of the Good News Garage. GNG was created to address transportation equity for people in poverty. Hal left the GNG in March 2004 to start a new nonprofit, NeighborKeepers – an inclusive community built that generate Circles of Support. Dr. Colston also teaches a community service course at Champlain College, and serves on the board of the HowardCenter, United Way Community Investment Committee, Vermont Health Foundation and the Visiting Nurse Association.

People Hal Colston Founder and Director of Good News Garage and Neighborskeepers Yuan Lim Student Organizer Veronica Muoio Student Organizer Dan Murphy Student Organizer

Related Links To Learn More and Take Action, check out these links First Stop: Alliance for Civic Engagement (ACE) Fall 2010 Student Symposium: American Poverty in Context Good News Garage NeighborKeepers Circles of Support

Downloads Hal Colston Full Symposium Schedule

Chinese household registration policy classifies each citizen as either an urban or rural dweller. As China’s coastal urban economies began to rapidly develop in the late 19070s and 1980s, many rural dwellers migrated to cities in search of higher wages. These migrant laborers were not able to receive the services provided to urban dwellers by local city governments. Preliminary results show that employers are more likely to offer these types of increased compensation when they are located in more mature job markets where the supply of jobs exceeds demand.

People Doug Shultz Researcher Anne Knowles Associate Professor of Geography and Advisor

Related Links Spring Student Symposium 2002 Chinese Household Income Survey

Downloads Watch the Presentation with the Slides (RealMedia) Presentation Slides

October 21st- 29th will be the Fall Student Symposium, “American Poverty in Context.” We aim to build awareness and encourage discussion of poverty-related issues on the local and national level. The symposium will tackle issues such as hunger and local foods, social determinants of health, labor legislation, community action, and homelessness. In addition to inspiring intellectual discourse on poverty, we hope to motivate more students to participate in volunteer activities and to consider pursuing careers in non-profits.

Please click on the posters below in the downloads section for more detailed information about each event!

People Joel Berg Executive Director of the New York Coalition Against Hunger Harlan Beckley Director of the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability at Washington and Lee University Robert Prasch Middlebury College Professor of Economics Samantha Marder Project Manager, Project Health  Providence Hannah Nichols Talent and Technology Coordinator, Project Health National Offices Hal Colston Founder and Director of Good News Garage and Neighborskeepers Doug Sinclair Co-Founder of Middlebury Community Care Coalition Ingrid Pixley Property Manager for Addison County Community Trust Jeanne Montross Executive Director of HOPE (Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects) Yuan Lim Student Organizer Veronica Muoio Student Organizer Dan Murphy Student Organizer

Related Links To Learn More and Take Action, check out these links First Stop: Alliance for Civic Engagement (ACE) ! Hunger and Food Justice Issues: VT FoodBank Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger New York City Coalition Against Hunger Health Equity: Project Health Unnatural Causes: Documentary on Poverty and Poor Health Housing Issues: National Coalition for the Homeless Vermont Committee for Temporary Shelter (COTS) Middlebury Community Care Coalition (MCCC) Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects (HOPE) Feel Free to Post your own links below as well.

Downloads Full Symposium Schedule Information about Individual Events: Harlan Beckley Joel Berg Hal Colston Ingrid Pixley and Doug Sinclair Professor Robert Prasch Samantha Marder and Hannah Nichols