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Socioeconomic determinants of poverty among urban households in South‐West Nigeria

Dare Akerele (Department of Agricultural Economics and Food Marketing, University of Reading, Reading, UK)
Siaka Momoh (Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria)
Samuel A. Adewuyi (Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria)
Biola B. Phillip (Institute of Food Security, Environmental Resources and Agricultural Research, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria)
Olumuyiwa F. Ashaolu (Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria)

International Journal of Social Economics

ISSN: 0306-8293

Article publication date: 10 February 2012

2104

Abstract

Purpose

The role of household socio‐economic factors towards achieving enduring poverty interventions especially among urban households of Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. Household socio‐economic factors, among others, have been identified by development practitioners in developing countries as variables which can easily be manipulated through policy levers to improve welfare of the poor. The purpose of this paper is to examine poverty situations among urban households in Ekiti State, Nigeria with emphasis on household socioeconomic characteristics and their associated influence on poverty.

Design/methodology/approach

A multistage sampling approach was used to select 80 households who were interviewed using a well structured questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed through Poverty index and Tobit regression model.

Findings

The study found that 41.0 percent of the households covered by the study were poor and would have to mobilize financial resources up to 45.0 percent of 1 US Dollar (N130) per day (for each household member) to be able to escape poverty. The incidence and depth of were higher among female headed households with values 0.26 and 0.43, respectively. The same pattern was also found among households with larger number of dependants with values ranging from 0.74 to 1.00 for incidence of poverty and from 0.70 to 0.77 for depth of poverty. Dependency ratio, household assets and educational status of household head, among others, are socio‐economic factors influencing the poverty.

Originality/value

The study recommends, among others, implementation of the new minimum wage scheme, encouragement of the universal basic education and adult education programmes, employment generations, family planning measures, and a well focused gender specific interventions for poverty reduction.

Keywords

Citation

Akerele, D., Momoh, S., Adewuyi, S.A., Phillip, B.B. and Ashaolu, O.F. (2012), "Socioeconomic determinants of poverty among urban households in South‐West Nigeria", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 39 No. 3, pp. 168-181. https://doi.org/10.1108/03068291211199341

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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