Shantana Halder | University of Dhaka, Bangladesh (original) (raw)
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Papers by Shantana Halder
Bangladesh Journal of Agricultural Economics, Dec 31, 1999
Sericulture is a part of BRAC's Employment and Income Generation (EIG) programme started in 1978.... more Sericulture is a part of BRAC's Employment and Income Generation (EIG) programme started in 1978. Major components of the programme are: a) nursery; b) mulberry plantation; c) rearing of the silkworms; d) reeling and e) weaving. The study aimed to measure the efficiency of the programme from the participants' as well as the organizer's point of view. Results showed that the programme involved a significant proportion of full-time housewives and created employment opportunity for them. All the participants earned accounting profit from the activities they were involved in. The net economic gain was also found positive for most of them although the amount was negligible. For BRAC the cost of services provided to the programme participants was higher than the amount it received as service charge which has even increased over time.
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Oct 1, 2007
To assess the effectiveness and draw lessons from the targeting strategy used in a new BRAC progr... more To assess the effectiveness and draw lessons from the targeting strategy used in a new BRAC programme called Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction-Targeting the Ultra Poor (CFPR/TUP) that aims to experiment with a different type of approach to address extreme rural poverty. The underlying theme of both the CFPR/TUP programme and the targeting methodology used is an acknowledgement of the strength of combining different methods and approaches for greater effectiveness. This paper uses programme data emerging out of its targeting exercise to assess questions of effectiveness of the approach used. [CFPR-TUP Working Paper Series No. 2].
This paper is based on the experience and evolution of a large microfinance provider BRAC – which... more This paper is based on the experience and evolution of a large microfinance provider BRAC – which is working in Bangladesh. The paper stresses that poverty is not homogeneous, but is manifested in different ways and in different contexts. It considers BRAC’s response to this broader understanding of poverty in Bangladesh, referring particularly to the ways in which specific programmes were tailored and adapted to embrace new information about client needs and behaviour. The study goes on to discuss impact assessment studies conducted on BRAC’s main poverty alleviation programme in rural areas – Rural Development Programme – that provided significant data to substantiate BRAC’s positive effect on poverty alleviation, as well as providing information that led to subsequent programmatic shifts in emphasis. 1.
and Sustainability Shantana R. Halder Abstract This paper is based on the experience and evolutio... more and Sustainability Shantana R. Halder Abstract This paper is based on the experience and evolution of a large microfinance provider BRAC which is working in Bangladesh. The paper stresses that poverty is not homogeneous, but is manifested in different ways and in different contexts. It considers BRAC's response to this broader understanding of poverty in Bangladesh, referring particularly to the ways in which specific programmes were tailored and adapted to embrace new information about client needs and behaviour. The study goes on to discuss impact assessment studies conducted on BRAC's main poverty alleviation programme in rural areas Rural Development Programme that provided signi ticant data to substantiate BRAC's positive effect on poverty alleviation, as well as providing information that led to subsequent programmatic shills in emphasis.
![Research paper thumbnail of [Reservoirs of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the intensive care unit. The role of tap water as a source of infection]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/110980157/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz, 2009
In spite of significant changes in the spectrum of organisms causing nocosomial infections in int... more In spite of significant changes in the spectrum of organisms causing nocosomial infections in intensive care units (ICUs), Pseudomonas aeruginosa has held a nearly unchanged position as an important pathogen. Today, the organism is isolated as the second most frequent organism causing ventilator-associated pneumonia, and the third or fourth most frequent pathogen causing septicemia, urinary tract infections, and surgical wound infections. In the past, horizontal transmissions were regarded as the most relevant route of strain acquisition. However, during the last 10 years, a significant proportion of P. aeruginosa isolates were demonstrated to stem from ICU water sites. Studies using molecular typing techniques have shown that up to 50% (in one study 92%) of nosocomial P. aeruginosa acquisitions may result from transmission through tap water. Additional proof of concept of waterborne infection comes from the reports of three recent studies that infection rates may be lowered signifi...
Objectives: To identify groups within rural and urban Bangladesh demonstrating similar socio-econ... more Objectives: To identify groups within rural and urban Bangladesh demonstrating similar socio-economic characteristics and food consumption patterns. Design: A household survey was conducted in a variety of locations m Dhaka Division to collect inforn1ation from rural , and urban household. Cluster analysis was then used to group the households. Setting: Dhaka Division Results: The analysis highlighted 5 clusters. Cluster I is categorised as an urban lifestyle group, with a mixed poverty profile and a transforn1ing consumption pattern. Cluster 2 is the rural rich also experiencing a transforn1ing consumption pattern. Cluster 3 IS the poor with a traditional consumption pattern that appears to be deteriorating in balance. Cluster 6 is the rural less poor group with a traditional consumption pattern. Cluster 5 is comprised of poor female-headed households with a traditional consumption pattern, excluded by poverty and status from any dietary transition. Conclusions: Household exhibitin...
This paper looks into the issue of accessibility of the capital market for the ultra poor by anal... more This paper looks into the issue of accessibility of the capital market for the ultra poor by analyzing the extent of borrowing, their sources and uses of loan. One-fourth had access to any capital sources, and only about 5% received credit from any institutional sources. The landless, female-headed households, households depending only on female income, the wage-employed and the destitutes got less access to any kind of loan. On the other hand, access to loan had increased with increasing land. It was also higher for the households headed by male and for those depending only on male income. Endowment and personal networking with creditors were very important in getting access to any credit sources. Average interest rate paid for credit borrowed, irrespective of sources, was 17.92%. Nearly one-fifth of the total loan obtained from different sources was interest free. A maximum of 150% interest was also charged in Comilla and Jamalpur regions. Institutional loans were mostly used for ...
This study was a part of RED-Imperial College joint research, conducted in July 2003. The broad o... more This study was a part of RED-Imperial College joint research, conducted in July 2003. The broad objective of this study is to review the existing milk production, consumption and marketing situation in Bangladesh and to develop policy issues on improvement of milk marketing. It is revealed that milk production in the country has been increasing but not sufficiently to meet the large demand. Like production, per capita consumption has also increased but its level across the country is still very low. Worryingly milk is another product where consumption appears to be declining for the poor as middle/upper income urban markets capture the available milk supply. The increase in collection networks both NGO and private have encouraged increased production but this has not increased consumption at the local level. In this case remoteness from markets can be an advantage nutritionally for poor producers, as they are likely to produce for home and neighbourhood consumption. Yet producers with good market access fail to fully benefit from the high urban demand, as the intermediaries capture the high margins. The most vulnerable to declining milk consumption are market dependent poor groups, the landless rural poor and slum dwellers. The urban market for processed and packaged milk products, though still very small, is expanding rapidly. Collection and distribution networks, together with chilling centres and refrigerated transport infrastructure are developing under private sector and NGO control. These provide hygienic, high quality products, whilst also providing a range of employment opportunities throughout the sector. If development could proceed so that further employment was generated whilst expanding availability to a wider range of consumers this could be a positive development. Halder & Barua: Dairy Processing and Marketing 4
Bangladesh, with a population of 151 million people, is a country that is particularly prone to n... more Bangladesh, with a population of 151 million people, is a country that is particularly prone to natural disasters: 26% of the population are aff ected by cyclones and 70% live in fl ood-prone regions. Mortality and morbidity from these events have fallen substantially in the past 50 years, partly because of improvements in disaster management. Thousands of cyclone shelters have been built and government and civil society have mobilised strategies to provide early warning and respond quickly. Increasingly, fl ood and cyclone interventions have leveraged community resilience, and general activities for poverty reduction have integrated disaster management. Furthermore, overall population health has improved greatly on the basis of successful public health activities, which has helped to mitigate the eff ect of natural disasters. Challenges to the maintenance and reduction of the eff ect of cyclones and fl oods include rapid urbanisation and the growing eff ect of global warming. Altho...
This report aimed to understand the demographic, social and economic characteristics of the ultra... more This report aimed to understand the demographic, social and economic characteristics of the ultra poor. Analysis of data clearly showed that the ultra poor households were smaller in size than the rural average. One-third of them were female-headed households. Twenty-two percent were absolute landless, another 73% owned only homesteads. Average landholding was only 5.6 decimals. Majority of them depended on wage labouring and significant proportion on others' help. The study found some distinctive features of the female-headed households smaller household size, lower economic and demographic dependency, higher proportion of elderly population, who had to work for survival. It also gave a clear understanding that the characteristics of the ultra poor in Comilla were different from the rest of the country. Among other regions Rangpur and Bogra were in the worst-off condition where proportionately a higher percentage of destitute live. Fifteen percent of the ultra poor were homeles...
Bangladesh Journal of Agricultural Economics, Dec 31, 1999
Sericulture is a part of BRAC's Employment and Income Generation (EIG) programme started in 1978.... more Sericulture is a part of BRAC's Employment and Income Generation (EIG) programme started in 1978. Major components of the programme are: a) nursery; b) mulberry plantation; c) rearing of the silkworms; d) reeling and e) weaving. The study aimed to measure the efficiency of the programme from the participants' as well as the organizer's point of view. Results showed that the programme involved a significant proportion of full-time housewives and created employment opportunity for them. All the participants earned accounting profit from the activities they were involved in. The net economic gain was also found positive for most of them although the amount was negligible. For BRAC the cost of services provided to the programme participants was higher than the amount it received as service charge which has even increased over time.
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Oct 1, 2007
To assess the effectiveness and draw lessons from the targeting strategy used in a new BRAC progr... more To assess the effectiveness and draw lessons from the targeting strategy used in a new BRAC programme called Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction-Targeting the Ultra Poor (CFPR/TUP) that aims to experiment with a different type of approach to address extreme rural poverty. The underlying theme of both the CFPR/TUP programme and the targeting methodology used is an acknowledgement of the strength of combining different methods and approaches for greater effectiveness. This paper uses programme data emerging out of its targeting exercise to assess questions of effectiveness of the approach used. [CFPR-TUP Working Paper Series No. 2].
This paper is based on the experience and evolution of a large microfinance provider BRAC – which... more This paper is based on the experience and evolution of a large microfinance provider BRAC – which is working in Bangladesh. The paper stresses that poverty is not homogeneous, but is manifested in different ways and in different contexts. It considers BRAC’s response to this broader understanding of poverty in Bangladesh, referring particularly to the ways in which specific programmes were tailored and adapted to embrace new information about client needs and behaviour. The study goes on to discuss impact assessment studies conducted on BRAC’s main poverty alleviation programme in rural areas – Rural Development Programme – that provided significant data to substantiate BRAC’s positive effect on poverty alleviation, as well as providing information that led to subsequent programmatic shifts in emphasis. 1.
and Sustainability Shantana R. Halder Abstract This paper is based on the experience and evolutio... more and Sustainability Shantana R. Halder Abstract This paper is based on the experience and evolution of a large microfinance provider BRAC which is working in Bangladesh. The paper stresses that poverty is not homogeneous, but is manifested in different ways and in different contexts. It considers BRAC's response to this broader understanding of poverty in Bangladesh, referring particularly to the ways in which specific programmes were tailored and adapted to embrace new information about client needs and behaviour. The study goes on to discuss impact assessment studies conducted on BRAC's main poverty alleviation programme in rural areas Rural Development Programme that provided signi ticant data to substantiate BRAC's positive effect on poverty alleviation, as well as providing information that led to subsequent programmatic shills in emphasis.
Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz, 2009
In spite of significant changes in the spectrum of organisms causing nocosomial infections in int... more In spite of significant changes in the spectrum of organisms causing nocosomial infections in intensive care units (ICUs), Pseudomonas aeruginosa has held a nearly unchanged position as an important pathogen. Today, the organism is isolated as the second most frequent organism causing ventilator-associated pneumonia, and the third or fourth most frequent pathogen causing septicemia, urinary tract infections, and surgical wound infections. In the past, horizontal transmissions were regarded as the most relevant route of strain acquisition. However, during the last 10 years, a significant proportion of P. aeruginosa isolates were demonstrated to stem from ICU water sites. Studies using molecular typing techniques have shown that up to 50% (in one study 92%) of nosocomial P. aeruginosa acquisitions may result from transmission through tap water. Additional proof of concept of waterborne infection comes from the reports of three recent studies that infection rates may be lowered signifi...
Objectives: To identify groups within rural and urban Bangladesh demonstrating similar socio-econ... more Objectives: To identify groups within rural and urban Bangladesh demonstrating similar socio-economic characteristics and food consumption patterns. Design: A household survey was conducted in a variety of locations m Dhaka Division to collect inforn1ation from rural , and urban household. Cluster analysis was then used to group the households. Setting: Dhaka Division Results: The analysis highlighted 5 clusters. Cluster I is categorised as an urban lifestyle group, with a mixed poverty profile and a transforn1ing consumption pattern. Cluster 2 is the rural rich also experiencing a transforn1ing consumption pattern. Cluster 3 IS the poor with a traditional consumption pattern that appears to be deteriorating in balance. Cluster 6 is the rural less poor group with a traditional consumption pattern. Cluster 5 is comprised of poor female-headed households with a traditional consumption pattern, excluded by poverty and status from any dietary transition. Conclusions: Household exhibitin...
This paper looks into the issue of accessibility of the capital market for the ultra poor by anal... more This paper looks into the issue of accessibility of the capital market for the ultra poor by analyzing the extent of borrowing, their sources and uses of loan. One-fourth had access to any capital sources, and only about 5% received credit from any institutional sources. The landless, female-headed households, households depending only on female income, the wage-employed and the destitutes got less access to any kind of loan. On the other hand, access to loan had increased with increasing land. It was also higher for the households headed by male and for those depending only on male income. Endowment and personal networking with creditors were very important in getting access to any credit sources. Average interest rate paid for credit borrowed, irrespective of sources, was 17.92%. Nearly one-fifth of the total loan obtained from different sources was interest free. A maximum of 150% interest was also charged in Comilla and Jamalpur regions. Institutional loans were mostly used for ...
This study was a part of RED-Imperial College joint research, conducted in July 2003. The broad o... more This study was a part of RED-Imperial College joint research, conducted in July 2003. The broad objective of this study is to review the existing milk production, consumption and marketing situation in Bangladesh and to develop policy issues on improvement of milk marketing. It is revealed that milk production in the country has been increasing but not sufficiently to meet the large demand. Like production, per capita consumption has also increased but its level across the country is still very low. Worryingly milk is another product where consumption appears to be declining for the poor as middle/upper income urban markets capture the available milk supply. The increase in collection networks both NGO and private have encouraged increased production but this has not increased consumption at the local level. In this case remoteness from markets can be an advantage nutritionally for poor producers, as they are likely to produce for home and neighbourhood consumption. Yet producers with good market access fail to fully benefit from the high urban demand, as the intermediaries capture the high margins. The most vulnerable to declining milk consumption are market dependent poor groups, the landless rural poor and slum dwellers. The urban market for processed and packaged milk products, though still very small, is expanding rapidly. Collection and distribution networks, together with chilling centres and refrigerated transport infrastructure are developing under private sector and NGO control. These provide hygienic, high quality products, whilst also providing a range of employment opportunities throughout the sector. If development could proceed so that further employment was generated whilst expanding availability to a wider range of consumers this could be a positive development. Halder & Barua: Dairy Processing and Marketing 4
Bangladesh, with a population of 151 million people, is a country that is particularly prone to n... more Bangladesh, with a population of 151 million people, is a country that is particularly prone to natural disasters: 26% of the population are aff ected by cyclones and 70% live in fl ood-prone regions. Mortality and morbidity from these events have fallen substantially in the past 50 years, partly because of improvements in disaster management. Thousands of cyclone shelters have been built and government and civil society have mobilised strategies to provide early warning and respond quickly. Increasingly, fl ood and cyclone interventions have leveraged community resilience, and general activities for poverty reduction have integrated disaster management. Furthermore, overall population health has improved greatly on the basis of successful public health activities, which has helped to mitigate the eff ect of natural disasters. Challenges to the maintenance and reduction of the eff ect of cyclones and fl oods include rapid urbanisation and the growing eff ect of global warming. Altho...
This report aimed to understand the demographic, social and economic characteristics of the ultra... more This report aimed to understand the demographic, social and economic characteristics of the ultra poor. Analysis of data clearly showed that the ultra poor households were smaller in size than the rural average. One-third of them were female-headed households. Twenty-two percent were absolute landless, another 73% owned only homesteads. Average landholding was only 5.6 decimals. Majority of them depended on wage labouring and significant proportion on others' help. The study found some distinctive features of the female-headed households smaller household size, lower economic and demographic dependency, higher proportion of elderly population, who had to work for survival. It also gave a clear understanding that the characteristics of the ultra poor in Comilla were different from the rest of the country. Among other regions Rangpur and Bogra were in the worst-off condition where proportionately a higher percentage of destitute live. Fifteen percent of the ultra poor were homeles...