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Antipoverty policies in developing countries often assume that targeting poor households will be reasonably effective in reaching poor individuals. This paper questions this assumption, using nutritional status as a proxy for individual poverty. The comprehensive assessment for Sub-Saharan Africa reveals that undernourished women and children are spread widely across the distribution of household wealth and consumption. Roughly three-quarters of underweight women and undernourished children are not found in the poorest 20 percent of households, and around half are not found in the poorest 40 percent. The mean joint probability of being an underweight woman and living in the poorest wealth quintile is only 0.03. Countries with higher overall rates of undernutrition tend to have a higher share of undernourished individuals in nonpoor households. The results are consistent with evidence of substantial intrahousehold inequality.

Health --- Poverty --- Targeting --- Undernutrition

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Growth in the developing East Asia and Pacific region slowed sharply in 2020Q1 because of the negative impact of the Covid-19 on economic activity. The decline has been broad-based reflecting the interconnectedness of the EAP economies and reverberations from the global economy as the virus turned into a pandemic. The Covid-19 outbreak followed an extended period of subdued growth in the region amid multiple external headwinds and heightened trade policy uncertainty. China and other regional economies have implemented monetary and fiscal policy measures to mitigate the negative impact of the outbreak. Growth in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region is projected to slow from 5.8 percent in 2019 to lower-than-expected [5.2 percent in 2020], reflecting the expected negative effects of the COVID-19. In this baseline scenario, which is subject to significant uncertainty, growth in the region is expected to recover to [5.6 percent in 2021], as the impact of Covid-19 gradually dissipates. In the medium-term regional growth is expected to continue its downward trend reflecting multiple structural headwinds. Policymakers should focus on designing economically efficient transmission control policies that consider both the marginal costs and the marginal benefits of preventive measures. Such policies would ideally be based on countries' preparedness and exposure as well as economic circumstances. Targeted fiscal and monetary polices can help reduce the economic disruption caused by COVID-19 in the short term. In the medium-term, there is need to restore depleted buffers, address sources of financial instability, and invest in preventing and coping with infectious disease. Given the growing interdependence between EAP countries, coordinated policies and investments could increase resilience to shocks.

Digital Finance --- Fiscal Buffer --- Growth --- Inrastructure --- Undernutrition

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A year after the first case was confirmed in Wuhan COVID-19 is proving hard to suppress even, while the emergence of more transmissible variants of the variant poses new challenges to the containment of the disease globally. The economies of the region began to bounce back in the second half of 2020. However, only China and Vietnam have followed a V-shape recovery path with output surpassing pre-COVID-19 levels. Most of the other countries have not seen a full-fledged recovery in terms of either output or growth momentum. Economic performance across countries continues to depend on (i) the efficiency with which the virus is contained; (ii) the ability to take advantage of the revival in international goods trade; and (iii) the capacity of governments to provide fiscal and monetary support. China and Vietnam are expected to enjoy strong growth in 2021, whereas other economies in the region will grow more gradually. Many economies, especially in the Pacific islands are not expected to reach pre-COVID-19 levels of output until 2022 or later. Governments in the region need to work cooperatively to address three key issues: (i) a regional and global distribution of vaccines that minimizes the risk of a continued spread of COVID-19 and its variants; (ii) continue to provide economic support to their economies while carefully evaluating the trade-offs between the need for further stimulus and debt sustainability; and (iii) enact policies and prioritize investments that protect against climate risk to ensure sustainable economic growth.

Debt --- Digital Finance --- Fiscal Buffer --- Growth --- Inrastructure --- Undernutrition

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Despite some financial turbulence, growth in developing East Asia and Pacific (EAP) was resilientduring the first half of 2018. The growth outlook for the region remains positive. After peaking in2017, growth in developing EAP is expected to slow modestly in 2018, as China's economicexpansion continues to moderate. However, downside risks have significantly intensified. Anescalation in trade tensions and heightened financial market turbulence, either due to an accelerationin U.S. monetary policy normalization or contagion from other emerging markets could threaten theregion's growth prospects. To navigate uncertainty, developing EAP economies should reduceshort-term vulnerabilities and enhance buffers, redouble their commitment to an open, rules-basedinternational trade and investment framework, including through deeper regional economicintegration, and deepen structural reforms. The intensification of risks underscores the need tocontinue to enhance economic security by investing in human capital and strengthen socialassistance and insurance programs to increase households' resilience to systemic shocks.

Debt --- Digital Finance --- Fiscal Buffer --- Growth --- Inrastructure --- Undernutrition

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This study uses novel household survey data that are representative of Bangladesh's large cities, and of slum and nonslum areas within the cities, to investigate the effects of demographic and socioeconomic factors on early child growth in 2013. The study also decomposes the difference in mean child growth between slum and nonslum areas in 2013, and the increase in mean child growth in slum and nonslum areas from 2006 to 2013. Mother's education attainment and household wealth largely explain the cross-sectional difference and intertemporal change in child growth. Although positive in some cases, the effects of maternal and child health services, and potential health-protective household amenities, differ by the type of health facility, household amenity, and urban area. The results suggest that a focus on nutrition-sensitive programs for slum residents and the urban poor is appropriate.

Children --- Height --- Linear Growth --- Slum --- Stunting --- Undernutrition --- Urban