This paper departs from the usual format of a literature review because there is very little formal research on identity theft per se. Thus we have reached out to other fields to import into this review research and other studies that seem immediately relevant to our topic. Identity theft is a product of the new age of information technology and as such fits nicely into the literature of opportunity theory in criminology which examines how offenders take advantage of new (and old) ways of doing business and conducting the affairs of everyday life (Felson 1998; Felson and Clarke 1998). We have therefore drawn heavily on that approach and used it as an organizing principle for the paper.
The paper also differs from a typical literature review because it is in some places prescriptive, sometimes without adequate formal research to support such prescriptions. This applies particularly in regard to local police response. Much of the evidence in such matters lies in prescriptions and sometimes exhortations delivered by various associations and interest groups, sometimes emerging from various congressional hearings and on occasion emerging from federal or state legislation.
Scoring was once perceived as a complex decision tool, with little incremental predictive power. Nevertheless with the statistical validation of the predictive power of scorecards and with the ease of interpretation of score ranges, scoring models have gained wide acceptance. To evaluate loan applicants and manage existing accounts, financial organisations are increasingly using credit scoring models.
These models are effective portfolio and risk management tools if they are employed appropriately. The use of such models has increased tremendously as a tool for underwriting and administering all forms of retail credit, including credit cards, direct and indirect installment loans, residential mortgages, home equity loans, and small business credit.
High levels of poverty, characterized by a poor record of economic growth and high inequality in income and asset ownership, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa have become major development challenges. Kenya’s economic performance has been declining and poverty has increased. The country has not been able to generate the growth necessary to reduce the social and economic inequalities. The key challenges facing the country at the moment are deteriorating economic performance and high levels of poverty, with more than one half (56% by 2000) of the population living below the poverty line. Consequently, the twin objectives of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) are poverty reduction and economic growth. These are based on two broad objectives: to reduce poverty levels in half by the year 2015 and to achieve a ‘Newly Industrialized Country’ status by 2020 (GOK 2001). The PRSP is a short-term strategy that seeks to implement these objectives.
Since the idea of equity is central to the poverty reduction initiatives as indicated in the PRSP, gender equality should also be central to the PRSP. Without women’s empowerment and advancement through promotion of gender equality, poverty cannot be reduced (UNDP 1998). Similarly, it is difficult if not impossible to reduce poverty without addressing the gender imbalances reflected in the different dimensions of poverty. This calls for the incorporation of gender in the formulation of policies at the macro and sectoral levels, expenditure allocations as well as monitoring and evaluation.
