Search results

1 – 10 of over 12000
Article
Publication date: 15 November 2018

Rami B.H. Kacem

The analysis of poverty is fundamentally focused on examining the well-being condition of the poor. We usually neglect the information provided by the rich. Nevertheless, perhaps…

Abstract

Purpose

The analysis of poverty is fundamentally focused on examining the well-being condition of the poor. We usually neglect the information provided by the rich. Nevertheless, perhaps the non-considered information indicating the determinants of non-poverty is also useful for fighting against poverty. The purpose of this paper is to analyze poverty under a new angle i.e. focusing on the information provided by the non-poor instead of the poor. For that a richness index is calculated in order to estimate econometric models regressing both indices i.e. poverty and richness indices on same selected characteristics. Thus, the comparison of the determinants of poverty and non-poverty for Tunisian case have allowed the classification of the selected explanatory variables with significant effect into four categories: the variables having significant effect on both sides (permanent effect), the variables having significant effect on the poor but not on the non-poor (transitory effect), the variables having significant effect on the non-poor but not on the poor (insurance effect) and the variables without any effect on both cases (neutral effect). This procedure is thus important given that it provides additional information and new way to enhance the targeting efficiency of the poor and fighting against poverty.

Design/methodology/approach

Using Tunisian data, an original procedure is proposed for calculating a richness index, defined based on the common formula of calculating the poverty index. Next econometric models are estimated regressing both the indices i.e. poverty and richness index on same selected characteristics.

Findings

The comparison of the determinants of poverty and non-poverty have allowed the classification of the selected explanatory variables with significant effect into four categories: the variables having significant effect on both sides (permanent effect), the variables having significant effect on the poor but not on the non-poor (transitory effect), the variables having significant effect on the non-poor but not on the poor (insurance effect) and the variables without any effect on both cases (neutral effect).

Originality/value

The analysis and the classification of the determinants of poverty according to the determinants of non-poverty is never made before in the litterature. This procedure is important given that it provides additional information and a new way to enhance the efficiency of targeting the poor and fighting against poverty.

Details

African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-0705

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 November 2022

Alemayehu Elda Ergo, Deirdre O’ Connor and Tekle Leza Mega

Micro-businesses contribute to economic development by improving individual welfare. Women are the primary drivers and owners of such businesses in urban Ethiopia. The purpose of…

Abstract

Purpose

Micro-businesses contribute to economic development by improving individual welfare. Women are the primary drivers and owners of such businesses in urban Ethiopia. The purpose of this study is to investigate the poverty status and determinants among women-owned micro-businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

The basic study units were women who owned micro-businesses. A sample of 384 women-owned micro-business was chosen using a stratified and systematic random sampling technique. Thirty-six participants were purposely chosen for in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data. The poverty head count, poverty gap and poverty severity indices were computed to estimate poverty status. The major determinants of women’s poverty were investigated using a logistic regression model.

Findings

The overall poverty incidence, gap and severity were estimated to be 24.27%, 3.85%, and 1.11% respectively, among the women who owned micro-businesses. Eight of the 14 poverty determinants, including age, dependents, savings, remittance and the number of days and hours women work in their businesses, were found to have a significant effect on women’s poverty. The results suggest that local governments, technical and vocational training institutions should work together to reduce the impact of poverty-aggravating factors on women and increase the contribution of women-owned micro-businesses to poverty reduction.

Originality/value

This study addressed the poverty status of women who run micro-businesses, which is a crucial issue in Ethiopia’s urban context. It adds new knowledge to the issue of gendered economic participation, poverty reduction and poverty determinants in the Ethiopian context.

Details

Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, vol. 17 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6204

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 May 2009

Xiuqing Wang, Juan Liu, Shujie Yao and Xian Xin

The purpose of this paper is to yield more plausible rural poverty lines for China and then assess the determinants of rural poverty using these newly revised rural poverty lines.

1932

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to yield more plausible rural poverty lines for China and then assess the determinants of rural poverty using these newly revised rural poverty lines.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper it is argued that the Chinese official poverty line substantially misestimates the actual rural poverty situations. The poverty lines are derived with Ravallion's method with a rural household survey data of China's two provinces, Hubei, and Inner Mongolia. Poverty determinants using the derived as well as the other rural poverty lines are compared.

Findings

The results indicate that the poverty lines derived from a pan‐country level food bundle cannot fully reflect the regional poverty situation. Merely adjusting rural poverty lines at the country‐level consumer price index without fully considering changes in the structure of food consumption and food prices with respect to different regions may also lead to wrong poverty estimates. The comparisons between the model regression results using the newly derived poverty lines with the alternative rural poverty lines suggest that the current literature uses the World Bank or the Chinese official rural poverty lines to assess how the rural poverty determinants might yield implausible policy implications.

Practical implications

China needs to adjust the rural poverty lines with full consideration to the structure of food consumption and food prices with respect to different regions.

Originality/value

It is indicated that the Chinese official poverty line substantially misestimates the actual rural poverty situations in China and this in turn affects the associated policy implications.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 1 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 June 2013

Cuong Nguyen, Vu Linh and Thang Nguyen

The objective of the paper is to examine the profile and determinants of urban poverty in the two largest cities in Vietnam – Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. The paper also investigates…

1590

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of the paper is to examine the profile and determinants of urban poverty in the two largest cities in Vietnam – Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. The paper also investigates the dynamic aspect of urban poverty in Vietnam.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use regression and data from the 2009 Urban Poverty Survey to examine the determinants of poverty in Vietnam. To analyse the poverty dynamics, an approach by Carter and May is used to decompose poverty into structural and stochastic poverty.

Findings

Using the poverty line of 12,000 thousand VND/person/year, the poverty incidence is estimated at 17.4 percent for Hanoi and 12.5 percent for Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City. There is a large proportion of the poor who are found stochastically poor. Hanoi has higher rates of structural poverty than HCM City. The proportion of structurally poor and stochastically non‐poor is rather small. Overall, the poor have fewer assets than the non‐poor. The poor also have poorer housing conditions, especially substantially lower access to tap water than the non‐poor. Heads of the poor households tend to have lower education and unskilled work than the heads of the non‐poor households.

Originality/value

In cities of Vietnam, a large proportion of the poor are found stochastically poor.

Details

International Journal of Development Issues, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1446-8956

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 August 2019

Asmaa Ezzat and Hanan Nazier

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the gender differences in time poverty in two Middle East North African (MENA) countries, particularly Egypt and Tunisia, as well as…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the gender differences in time poverty in two Middle East North African (MENA) countries, particularly Egypt and Tunisia, as well as examining its determinants across gender.

Design/methodology/approach

To this end, the authors make use of data provided by the Labor Market Panel Survey (LMPS) in Egypt (2012) and in Tunisia (2014) to estimate probit regressions to identify various determinants that explain time poverty.

Findings

The empirical findings show that the probability of time poverty, in both countries, is lower for women compared to men. In addition, the determinants of time poverty (individual, household and community variables) and their marginal effects differ across gender.

Originality/value

Research on the gender inequalities in time poverty and its determinants has been very limited. Additionally, the relationships between individuals’ time use and the conditions under which this might represent time poverty have not been fully studied in the literature. Moreover, most of the available studies have focused on developed countries; while studies tackling this issue in developing countries are very few. For the MENA region, in particular, this topic is totally missing in the available literature.

Details

International Journal of Development Issues, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1446-8956

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 September 2016

Didier Yelognisse Alia, Katia A.S.M. Jossa-Jouable Alia and Edwige Rose Fiamohe

The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of poverty and the persistence of poverty in Benin using a longitudinal data for the years 2006-2011. The paper also seeks…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of poverty and the persistence of poverty in Benin using a longitudinal data for the years 2006-2011. The paper also seeks to understand the dynamic of poverty and what factors explain households’ mobility across poverty status over time.

Design/methodology/approach

To answer the research questions, the paper develops and estimates logit and probit models of poverty. In addition to households’ characteristics as explanatory variables, the models control for the previous years’ poverty status to test for the hypothesis of persistence in poverty. Next, the paper extends the analysis to compute poverty transition matrix and estimates a multinomial models of the determinants of these transitions.

Findings

The paper finds that households’ demographic and socio-economic characteristics are strongly correlated with their poverty status. It also finds a strong evidence of persistence of poverty: being poor in a year increases the likelihood of remaining poor in the following years. The analysis of the dynamic of poverty reveals that there is a large and rapid change in poverty with households moving in and out of poverty. Across all models, it appears that human capital accumulation through education and labor skills are the strongest forces lifting households out of poverty and persistence of poverty.

Practical implications

Taken together, the results suggest that public policies should not only seek to lift households out of poverty, but also seek to reduce re-entries into poverty by investing in education and improving employment skills.

Originality/value

A key contribution of the study is the characterization of the profile of poor and persistently poor households in Benin, and the analysis of the factors explaining the dynamic of poverty. It updates and complements previous studies on poverty in Benin using the most recent nationally representative longitudinal data. The findings stress the crucial importance of human capital as a key force to lift households out of poverty.

Details

Journal of Economic Studies, vol. 43 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3585

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 September 2019

Ifeoluwa Damilola Adeoye, Wayo Seini, Daniel Sarpong and Ditchfield Amegashie

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of the different components of off-farm income on multi-dimensional poverty. Furthermore, the study aims to measure…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of the different components of off-farm income on multi-dimensional poverty. Furthermore, the study aims to measure multi-dimensional poverty and also identify the determinants of multi-dimensional poverty in Nigeria. The paper reveals the different contributions of the dimensions of education, health and living standard.

Design/methodology/approach

The study focuses on rural farm households in Nigeria. Data are obtained from the Nigeria General Household Survey, 2013. The survey covers both urban and rural areas of the 36 states of Nigeria. Owing to the interest of this study in the rural farm household’s sub-sector, a nationally representative sample of 836 rural farm households are selected for the study after the data merging process. Rural farm households in this paper earn 50 percent of their total income from crop and livestock production. The paper employs the Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) to measure multi-dimensional poverty across the six different geographical zones of Nigeria. The probit regression model is used to estimate and analyze the effect of off-farm income components on multi-dimensional poverty and also to identify the determinants of multi-dimensional poverty.

Findings

The results of the study show that among the off-farm income components, the non-farm wage income and non-farm self-employment income have negative association with multi-dimensional poverty. Findings show that multi-dimensional poverty is high in Nigeria with deprivations in health contributing the most. Northern Regions have a higher estimate. Results reveal that sex, age, number of adults, formal credit access, access to extension services and location characteristics are key determinants of multi-dimensional poverty. The MPI for Nigeria averaged 47 percent. Across regions, deprivation in the health dimension contributes about 44 percent to multi-dimensional poverty. Deprivation in living standards contributes 40.5 percent, while deprivation in education contributes 15.5 percent to multi-dimensional poverty.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the nature of the data used, the health indicators (nutrition and child mortality) are absent but proxies are used instead. Future research could introduce gender dimensions.

Practical implications

Improving the involvement of rural farm households in non-farm self-employment sector could improve their livelihoods and prevent migration to urban centers, especially among the youths.

Social implications

Improving the quality of health, education and living standards will lead to lower poverty levels in Nigeria. Farmers can best reduce their multi-dimensional poverty by engaging in more off-farm jobs.

Originality/value

This paper provides information to policy makers on the effect of different components of income from the off-farm sector on multi-dimensional poverty alongside with the determinants of multi-dimensional poverty at a national level for the rural farm households. By using MPI, the contribution of the different dimensions used in computing the MPI across the six geographical regions within the country is revealed. This provides policy makers with more information for development purposes.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 46 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 February 2020

Asim Iqbal, Anjum Siddiqui and Maryam Zafar

The study seeks to examine the extent and the causes of multidimensional poverty as opposed to the traditional unidimensional headcount poverty measures to understand the true

Abstract

Purpose

The study seeks to examine the extent and the causes of multidimensional poverty as opposed to the traditional unidimensional headcount poverty measures to understand the true face of economic deprivation in Punjab, Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

Poverty is measured through the Alkire–Foster index at the geographically disaggregated levels of divisions and districts, and the causes of pervasive poverty are analyzed through a logit model using the Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS) comprising of 95,238 households in 9 geographical divisions and their 36 districts.

Findings

It was found that poverty in Punjab is associated with larger household size, inadequate wealth, and low levels of educational attainment, and that both matric as well as post-matric education reduced the chances of poverty of household heads by approximately 19 percent. In addition to rural poverty, the study finds evidence of urban poverty across the geographical districts of Punjab. Contrary to common belief that chances of poverty are higher in females, it was found to be more likely in males. However, the statistical significance of gender as a determinant of poverty was not observed in the majority of divisions.

Practical implications

Practical implications were for focused policy interventions in poverty alleviation.

Originality/value

The analysis of determinants of multidimensional poverty at the geographically disaggregated level of divisions is an original contribution.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-01-2019-0037

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 47 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 May 2013

Nuno Crespo, Sandrina B. Moreira and Nádia Simões

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main determinants of the probability of a household being poor, middle class, or rich.

409

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main determinants of the probability of a household being poor, middle class, or rich.

Design/methodology/approach

A new and integrated approach to the measurement of inequality in income distribution, poverty, and richness was recently proposed. Based on that approach and considering data for the Portuguese economy, the authors estimate a multinomial model in order to identify the main determinants of the probability of a household being poor, middle class, or rich using a set of characteristics of the households and the household's individual of reference as explanatory variables.

Findings

The evidence obtained indicates that: the determinants of poverty and richness are similar in qualitative terms; and household type, main source of income, education, and labor market state are the most important factors explaining these phenomena.

Originality/value

Following a methodology recently proposed by Crespo et al. toward an integrated measurement of inequality, poverty, and richness, the present study contributes to this line of research by using a micro‐econometric model applied to the Portuguese economy in order to identify the determinants of poverty and richness.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 40 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 19 April 2022

Faharuddin Faharuddin and Darma Endrawati

The study’s first aim is to estimate the scale of working poverty using a nationwide household survey. The second aim is to answer the following research questions: is working…

3662

Abstract

Purpose

The study’s first aim is to estimate the scale of working poverty using a nationwide household survey. The second aim is to answer the following research questions: is working enough to escape poverty, and what are the determinants of working poverty?

Design/methodology/approach

The focus is on working people in Indonesia who have per capita household expenditure below the provincial poverty line. The determinant analysis used logistic regression on the first quarter of 2013 Susenas microdata.

Findings

The study found that the scale of the working poverty problem is equivalent to the scale of the poverty, although the in-work poverty rate is lower than the poverty rate in all provinces. The logistic regression results conclude that the three factors, namely individual-level, employment-related and household-level variables, have significant contributions to the incidence of the working poor in Indonesia.

Practical implications

Some practical implications for reducing the incidence of working poverty are increasing labor earnings through productivity growth and improving workers' skills, encouraging the labor participation of the poor and reducing precarious work. This study also suggests the need to continue assisting the working poor, particularly by increasing access to financial credit.

Originality/value

Research aimed at studying working poverty in Indonesia in the peer-reviewed literature is rare until now based on the authors' search. This study will fill the gap and provoke further research on working poverty in Indonesia.

Details

Journal of Economics and Development, vol. 24 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1859-0020

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 12000