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on Development |
| By: | Mutsami, Chrispinus; Parlasca, Martin C.; Qaim, Matin |
| Abstract: | Most households in rural Africa are involved in smallholder farming, but off-farm employment is an important additional income source for many. Previous research has analyzed links between off-farm employment and wellbeing, but mostly at the household level, not considering that household members may be affected differently. In particular, gender gaps in employment, nutrition, and other wellbeing dimensions are widely observed. Here, we use survey data collected in Tanzania and Zambia to examine how women’s off-farm employment influences their individual-level dietary quality. Regression estimates with instrumental variables show that women’s off-farm employment improves their dietary diversity, including more frequent consumption of nutritious foods such as meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables. We also explore potential mechanisms, including changes in household income, women’s agency, and time allocation. The main results hold across various robustness checks, suggesting that improving women’s access to off-farm employment can help increase household income and reduce widespread gender gaps in rural Africa. |
| Keywords: | Community/Rural/Urban Development, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety |
| Date: | 2025–03–24 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:ubzefd:355423 |
| By: | Haile, Kaleab K. |
| Abstract: | While previous empirical studies extensively examined the determinants of households health insurance (HI) uptake, little has been done to evaluate the accompanying impacts on household welfare and poverty incidence. This study bridges the existing gap in literature by examining the impact of HI on multidimensional household poverty. The data comes from the latest wave of the Ethiopia Socio-economic Survey (ESS) collected in 2018/19. The study uses propensity score matching and inverse probability weighted regression adjustment to even out the distribution of observed characteristics across purchasers and non-purchasers of HI. As these methods could not address simultaneity and self-selection biases, the study uses the endogenous switching analysis, which integrates HI uptake and multidimensional household poverty equations, considering the interdependencies among the equations and their relationships with relevant observed household characteristics. The results reveal that households uptake of HI significantly reduces their probability of being multidimensionally poor. Moreover, the heterogeneous impact assessments of this study show that the desired impact of HI is more pronounced among male-headed households, households with a majority of adult male members, and households in urban areas. This study sheds light on the role of universal health coverage through HI as a policy instrument in the fight against multidimensional deprivations in the context of sub-Saharan Africa. |
| Date: | 2024–04–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aer:wpaper:f9ed1181-dada-459d-8dcd-35c38532e99b |
| By: | Gafa, Dede; Hodey, Louis; Senadza, Bernardin |
| Abstract: | This article examines poverty dynamics in Ghana using the Ghana Socioeconomic Panel Surveys (GSPS) and a synthetic panel based on repeated cross-sectional data (the Ghana Living Standard Surveys (GLSS). It provides insight into the extent of poverty mobility and persistence in Ghana, and the factors that explain poverty transitions. The results show that upward mobility has been a key feature of Ghana's poverty transitions between 2006 and 2019. However, there are still high probabilities of poverty persistence and downward mobility among initially poor and non-poor households, respectively. Furthermore, notable heterogeneities exist in poverty transitions across socioeconomic groups. Poverty is more chronic in rural areas and the northern parts of Ghana compared with urban and southern regions, respectively, and among households headed by persons from opportunity-deprived backgrounds. Other characteristics such as the gender of the household head, his/her occupation, and level of education, as well as the number of dependents, are important correlates of poverty persistence and downward mobility in Ghana. Hence, addressing chronic poverty requires targeted policies that foster more inclusive and sustainable growth in rural areas and northern parts of Ghana, and improved access to opportunities for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, the unemployed, and those in vulnerable employment. Key words: Poverty dynamics; Synthetic panel; Africa. JEL classification codes: D63; I32. |
| Date: | 2024–04–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aer:wpaper:ecf949e8-a135-486c-b77a-cfb7936beec9 |
| By: | Fenella Carpena (Oslo Business School, Oslo Metropolitan University); Nury Bibian Bejarano1 (Econometría Consultores) |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the relationship between conflict and food security in Cauca, Colombia. We take advantage of a natural experiment generated by the 2014 ceasefire declared by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the largest rebel group in the country. The ceasefire resulted in a steep decline in FARC-related violence, which was further solidified when the Colombian government and FARC reached a peace agreement in 2016. We classify our study municipalities in Cauca into those highly exposed to FARC-related violence at baseline (treated) and those with low exposure (control). Using difference-in-differences, we find that in the short run, households in treated municipalities are more food secure than those in control municipalities: the treatment is associated with a 51% drop in the proportion of households experiencing hunger. The effects vary within members of the household, with children showing larger improvements in diet quality and quantity than adults. We also find suggestive evidence that the gains in food security persist seems to have persisted in the medium term, five years after the peace agreement. By conducting a case study of Cauca, this study fills an important gap in the literature, which has so far obscured local understandings of the food security-conflict nexus. |
| Keywords: | Hunger, Diet Quantity, Diet Quality, Violence |
| JEL: | O12 I30 |
| Date: | 2023–05–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oml:wpaper:202303 |
| By: | Amélie Allegre (School of Economics, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom); Oana Borcan (School of Economics, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom); Christa Brunnschweiler (Department of Economics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology) |
| Abstract: | We examine colonial-era primary education as a determinant of modern-day attainment and gender disparities in education. We construct a novel dataset from the French Protectorate in Morocco, combining archival data on colonial school locations in 1931 and 1954 with the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data in arbitrary grids. We analyse the influence of colonial schools on the probability of attaining primary and secondary education in 2004. Overall, schools dedicated to Moroccans in 1931 exhibit a persistent positive impact on education outcomes, but only in the absence of nearby schools reserved for Europeans. Stark gender gaps in access during the Protectorate were narrowed in places with schools for Jewish Moroccans. These had a positive impact on girls’ contemporary levels of education, but a negative impact on the enrolment for boys following the dismantling of Jewish communities after 1948. DHS measures of preferences for female education point to a social norms transmission mechanism between Jewish and Muslim Moroccan communities. |
| Keywords: | education, colonial legacy, female education, Morocco, French Protectorate |
| JEL: | N37 O15 I21 |
| Date: | 2025–03–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nst:samfok:20225 |
| By: | Edeh, Henry C.; Ozor, Jane O. |
| Abstract: | Using updated Nigerias micro panel household surveys, we estimate the impact of human capital endowments on household economic well-being controlling for exogenous circumstance-related factors over which households have little or no control. We found that education and health endowments have significant causal impact on the well-being of the households. More so, education has significant causal impact on the income of households below the bottom 40% (specifically the households at the bottom 25%). Inequalities at the national level are mainly determined by rural-urban and northern-southern inequalities. These observed income inequalities in rural-urban sectors and northern-southern geopolitical zones are mainly propelled by differences in education and health endowments of the households. However, the equalization of human capital endowments in terms of education and health is indeed growth-enhancing. We suggest, therefore, that policies capable of eliminating inequalities in access to schooling and health will enable households at the bottom of the distribution to enjoy better economic well-being. |
| Date: | 2024–08–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aer:wpaper:df02ef8e-c17f-4eeb-b888-e05b882cc444 |
| By: | Rakotonirainy, Miora; Ramiandrisoa, Olivier; Razakamanana, Marilys |
| Abstract: | Implementing a school feeding programme to support education is common practice in most States, particularly in developing countries. One of the aims of the programme is to help improve educational outcomes for pupils. Although there is a relationship between the school feeding programme and educational outcomes, the programme does not necessarily lead to its effectiveness. This paper therefore aims to shed more light on the factors that explain the performance of the school feeding programme and its effects on pupils' learning outcomes at the end of primary school by studying the case of Madagascar. The results reveal the limited impact of the school canteen programme on pupils' and mathematics scores. Analyses revealed that while school feeding improves pupils' reading skills, it has no significant effect on their mathematical skills. It was also noted that although the impact of the programme was not palpable for public primary schools, a modest improvement in school results was observed for pupils in private schools. This research work concludes that the effectiveness of the school canteen programme also depends on multiple criteria linked to the environment of the target pupils. It will be difficult for the programme to achieve its full effectiveness in terms of school performance as long as the socio economic context of the pupils remains critical and the quality of teaching remains low. |
| Date: | 2024–08–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aer:wpaper:c09e6394-a1ab-4fa1-bb6b-c8340a95caff |
| By: | Ngepah, Nicholas |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the effect of economic growth on poverty reduction, given inequality in South Africa. It focuses on whether the poor suffer more losses of welfare during economic recessions and depressions than they gain during expansions, and the factors that can assist the poor to stay afloat during times of economic shocks. Individuals in micro data set are matches with municipality-level data and in binary, truncated, panel, instrumental variables, and quantile regression techniques to estimate poverty and welfare effects of positive and negative economic growth rates. The study finds that, while economic growth reduces poverty, it is not enough to compensate for the poverty-raising effects of inequality. Moreover, economic decline raises poverty, but economic prosperity more than compensates by a higher magnitude. The study also reveals that, social grants and free health care and education policies have limited effects on poverty reduction during economic downturns. The findings call for policy measures that reduce inequality and promote economic growth to help cushion the poor during times of significant economic decline. Additionally, programmes that provide good education up to tertiary level and access to the labour market are crucial for sustaining poverty reduction efforts in South Africa. |
| Date: | 2024–04–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aer:wpaper:f2fa3426-5fa8-498c-a921-edf8daa19435 |
| By: | Omotayo, Abiodun Olusola; Ogunniyi, Adebayo Isaiah |
| Abstract: | The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant income loss for many people, and deepened poverty for individuals and vulnerable populations who were adversely affected through job losses. In South Africa, income loss made it harder to acquire health care and a healthy food, which had a negative impact on health outcomes. This study hypothesized that the COVID-19 shocks disproportionately affects the poor's health, hence the need to know the impact of social protection programmes and interventions through the South Africa Social Security Grant (SASSG). Herewith, we employed the nationally represented, robust and reliable National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) data set which was conducted in 2017 (pre-COVID-19), with the 1st wave of the NIDS-Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (NIDS-CRAM) conducted in 2021 (during COVID-19). The household's per capita total income was used to generate poverty lines, while concentration curves and indices were employed to explain the income-health inequalities. The Difference-in-Difference with fixed effects model was used to estimate the impact of SASSG on the COVID-19 poverty stressors and self-reported health status. Given the significance and magnitude of institutional variables in determining the socioeconomic inequalities in poor health, addressing hunger, income inequality, and unemployment slightly helped to mitigate income-health inequalities during the COVID-19 shocks. We found that the social protection intervention in South Africa (SASSG) cushioned the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of poverty stressors and self-reported health status. Therefore, we advocate for programmes in South Africa that focus on reducing poverty and health disparities connected to income, as well as more proactive social protection programmes. Key words: COVID-19 shocks; Health capital; Income inequality; Redistribution relationships; Social security grant; South Africa. |
| Date: | 2024–04–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aer:wpaper:574d5dfe-1e61-4334-8b9e-bd1ba824d4b5 |