Targeting Assistance to the Poor and Food Insecure: A Review of the Literature

Targeting involves the identification and selection of certain groups or households or even individuals, and the distribution of benefits (or costs) to them. Targeting is required because governments face resource constraints, and because households have different needs: some are poorer and more food insecure than others. In general, the managerial costs of targeting increase with its narrowness or intended accuracy, and these costs may exceed the savings achieved by targeting. The benefits of targeting arise precisely because it reduces the size of the target population, and the cost of narrower targeting includes the unintentional exclusion of some of the target population. The literature highlights several factors common to successful public works programs, such as the need for flexibility in design and the need to pay attention to the local cultural, geographic, and economic environment in which the projects are to be implemented.