The purpose of the project “A comparative analysis of poverty and inequality: Improving social policies in countryside” was to form a partnership of the Center for International Investments in Agro-Food Sector, Foundation for the Development of Polish Agriculture and Department of Agricultural Economics of Michigan State University to conduct a collaborative analysis of causes and patterns of rural poverty and produce and disseminate policy recommendations aimed at reducing poverty and inequality in the countryside. The partnership implemented a comparative, empirical, and theoretical analysis of rural poverty and inequality in Russia, Poland and USA with particular attention to following issues:• Building a typology of rural poverty and inequality in transition countries,
• Assessing the impact of economic restructuring in agriculture on poverty and inequality trends and patters
• Links between rural poverty and geography and patterns of rural settlements as well as social capital dynamics.
The project duration was August 1, 2003 – June 30, 2004 and it was financed by USAID.