Abstract: This study uses randomized field experiments conducted in Indonesia, Colombia and Ethiopia to evaluate the efficacy of the combination of goal-setting, self-help groups, and incentives as a poverty alleviation strategy. The experiment in each country had subjects randomly assigned to one of the five groups: 1) goal setting “goal”, 2) goal setting and group “group”, 3) goal setting and incentives “incentives”, 4) goal setting, group and incentives “FII” and 5) control group. Results show that the “goal” treatment has a positive and significant effect on income in Indonesia, the “incentives” treatment resulted in a positive and significant effect on income improvement in Ethiopia and Indonesia, the “FII” treatment is the only treatment that achieves economic outcome improvement in all the countries considered for this study. On the other hand, I detect no significant impact of the “group” treatment on the economic outcome variable in Ethiopia, Indonesia and Colombia. The overall analysis of the study revealed strong evidence in the findings to suggest that the FII treatment could be a powerful tool for poverty alleviation in the developing countries.
","abstract_html":"<p>Abstract: This study uses randomized field experiments conducted in Indonesia, Colombia and Ethiopia to evaluate the efficacy of the combination of goal-setting, self-help groups, and incentives as a poverty alleviation strategy. The experiment in each country had subjects randomly assigned to one of the five groups: 1) goal setting “goal”, 2) goal setting and group “group”, 3) goal setting and incentives “incentives”, 4) goal setting, group and incentives “FII” and 5) control group. Results show that the “goal” treatment has a positive and significant effect on income in Indonesia, the “incentives” treatment resulted in a positive and significant effect on income improvement in Ethiopia and Indonesia, the “FII” treatment is the only treatment that achieves economic outcome improvement in all the countries considered for this study. On the other hand, I detect no significant impact of the “group” treatment on the economic outcome variable in Ethiopia, Indonesia and Colombia. The overall analysis of the study revealed strong evidence in the findings to suggest that the FII treatment could be a powerful tool for poverty alleviation in the developing countries.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Nuri, Sherefedin K"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in International and Development Economics (MSIDEC)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Economics","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Bruce Wydick"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-05-23T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-05-23T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:43:04Z","subjects":["Family Independence Initivative","Goal-setting","Self-help groups","Incentive","Poverty and Field Experment","Social and Behavioral Sciences"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/148","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Bruce Wydick"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Nuri, Sherefedin K"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2015-06-22T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Economics"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in International and Development Economics (MSIDEC)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Family Independence Initivative","Goal-setting","Self-help groups","Incentive","Poverty and Field Experment","Social and Behavioral Sciences"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/148"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Abstract: This study uses randomized field experiments conducted in Indonesia, Colombia and Ethiopia to evaluate the efficacy of the combination of goal-setting, self-help groups, and incentives as a poverty alleviation strategy. The experiment in each country had subjects randomly assigned to one of the five groups: 1) goal setting “goal”, 2) goal setting and group “group”, 3) goal setting and incentives “incentives”, 4) goal setting, group and incentives “FII” and 5) control group. Results show that the “goal” treatment has a positive and significant effect on income in Indonesia, the “incentives” treatment resulted in a positive and significant effect on income improvement in Ethiopia and Indonesia, the “FII” treatment is the only treatment that achieves economic outcome improvement in all the countries considered for this study. On the other hand, I detect no significant impact of the “group” treatment on the economic outcome variable in Ethiopia, Indonesia and Colombia. The overall analysis of the study revealed strong evidence in the findings to suggest that the FII treatment could be a powerful tool for poverty alleviation in the developing countries.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Goal Setting, Self-help Groups, and Incentives as a Poverty Alleviation Strategy: Evidence from Field Experiments in Indonesia, Colombia and Ethiopia"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Bruce Wydick"],"dc:creator":["Nuri, Sherefedin K"],"dc:date.available":["2015-06-22T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Abstract: This study uses randomized field experiments conducted in Indonesia, Colombia and Ethiopia to evaluate the efficacy of the combination of goal-setting, self-help groups, and incentives as a poverty alleviation strategy. The experiment in each country had subjects randomly assigned to one of the five groups: 1) goal setting “goal”, 2) goal setting and group “group”, 3) goal setting and incentives “incentives”, 4) goal setting, group and incentives “FII” and 5) control group. Results show that the “goal” treatment has a positive and significant effect on income in Indonesia, the “incentives” treatment resulted in a positive and significant effect on income improvement in Ethiopia and Indonesia, the “FII” treatment is the only treatment that achieves economic outcome improvement in all the countries considered for this study. On the other hand, I detect no significant impact of the “group” treatment on the economic outcome variable in Ethiopia, Indonesia and Colombia. The overall analysis of the study revealed strong evidence in the findings to suggest that the FII treatment could be a powerful tool for poverty alleviation in the developing countries.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/148"],"dc:subject":["Family Independence Initivative","Goal-setting","Self-help groups","Incentive","Poverty and Field Experment","Social and Behavioral Sciences"],"dc:title":["Goal Setting, Self-help Groups, and Incentives as a Poverty Alleviation Strategy: Evidence from Field Experiments in Indonesia, Colombia and Ethiopia"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Economics"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in International and Development Economics (MSIDEC)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:43:04Z"}