Evaluating the impact of PRSP on Child Poverty: The case of Bolivia

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), a relatively new approach by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to channel donor assistance to heavily indebted low-income countries, on child poverty. Bolivia was chosen as a case study since it is one of the two countries that have been implementing the PRSP for the longest period of time (since 2001). The study establishes a methodological framework for future evaluations of PRSPs’ impact on poverty, and it identifies policies and programs in the Bolivia PRSP that affect children the most - health and education --and evaluates their impact on some of the major child poverty indicators.