These inequalities were exacerbated by the structural adjustment programmes of the 1980s, the liberalisation of the economy in the 1990s, and the rapid growth of financial services after the liberalisation of financial markets in 1991. On the advice of the international financial institutions, governments have opted to offer targeted assistance to poor households rather than generalised subsidies on basic goods (e.g. staple foods) and services (e.g. water and electricity). Towards this end, the government has tracked the incidence and prevalence of poverty, and conducted poverty mapping to be able to identify the vulnerable households.