The impact on the poor of USAID's private sector programs in the Dominican Republic : final report

This reorientation entailed a series of private sector employment-generating projects in four areas: free trade zones, agro-industry, microenterprises, and tourism. This report analyzes the impact of these projects on the ability of the poor to obtain basic human needs (i.e., adequate education, health care, housing, and nutrition). Overall, A.I.D.'s efforts directly contributed to the creation of 73,300 jobs and an increase in incomes by $9 million per month. The greatest improvement appears to have been in the area of education, with 40,000 additional young people aged 6-22 enrolled in school. Those who obtained jobs also shifted from public to private sources of medical care and all but hotel employees had medical check-ups for family members more frequently. In all sectors except tourism, workers appeared to improve their housing situation by buying or renting dwellings. Only nominal improvements, however, were seen in nutritional status, possibly as a result of inflation (80% on foodstuffs from late 1987 to late 1988 alone). In terms of spending patterns, no major differences were indicated between male and female employees except that women appear significantly more likely to use their income to enable young family members to attend school. According to the report, many of the benefits of job creation would have been difficult or impossible to accomplish through conventional public sector interventions.