Showing papers on "Poverty published in 1993"
Book•
01 Jan 1993
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose an extension of the standard theory: land, labour, savings and credit households and credit constraints poverty and the environmental resource base net national product in a dynamic economy food, care and work, the household as an allocation mechanism axiomatic bargaining theory fertility and resources.
Abstract: Part 1 Well-being - theory and realization: the commodity basis of well-being political morality and the state the object of social contracts well-being - from theory to measurement appendix - political and civil rights indices. Part 2 Allocation of resources among households - the standard theory: resource allocation mechanisms public goods and common property resources decentralization and central guidance real national income as a measure of general well-being uncertainty, insurance and social norms. Part 3 The household and its setting - extensions of the standard theory: land, labour, savings and credit households and credit constraints poverty and the environmental resource base net national product in a dynamic economy food, care and work - the household as an allocation mechanism axiomatic bargaining theory fertility and resources - the household as a reproductive unit strategic complementarities in fertility decisions population and savings - normative considerations classical utilitarianism in a limited world food needs and work capacity adaptation to nourishment inequality, malnutrition and the disenfranchised analysis of allocation mechanisms when nutrition affects productivity incentives and development policies. Subject index: agrarian reform food subsidies employment guarantee schemes and rural infrastructure community participation and credit facilities health and education envoi.
1,488 citations
TL;DR: A conceptual underpinning for this approach can be found in the work of Amartya Sen as discussed by the authors, who argued that human development is the overriding purpose of economic development, rather than income growth of one sort or another is what development is all about.
Abstract: Development is often taken to mean rising incomes. Discussions of the "goals of development" now often emphasize the reduction of poverty, rather than raising average incomes per se. The role of social services—particularly basic health and education—has also received greater emphasis in the 1980s, viewed mainly as instruments for raising the incomes of the poor. But, in all these approaches, income growth of one sort or another is what development is all about. A rather different view of the meaning of development has recently found expression in the 1990 Human Development Report (HRD) produced by the United Nations Development Programme. A conceptual underpinning for this approach can be found in the work of Amartya Sen. The essence of this view is that human development—what people can actually do and be—is the overriding purpose of economic development. Underdevelopment is viewed as the lack of certain basic capabilities, rather than lack of income per se. We do not aim here to advocate one of these approaches over the other, but rather to explore their implications for development policy. For instance, what does the human development approach imply about the role of economic growth and, in particular, about reducing income poverty? Should development priorities shift toward the provision of public services in poor countries, even if such a shift is at the expense of income growth?
956 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1993
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that racial segregation is crucial to explaining the emergence of the urban underclass during the 1970s and that a strong interaction between rising rates of poverty and high levels of residential segregation explains where, why and in which groups the underclass arose.
Abstract: This article argues that racial segregation is crucial to explaining the emergence of the urban underclass during the 1970s. A strong interaction between rising rates of poverty and high levels of residential segregation explains where, why and in which groups the underclass arose. This argument is developed with simulations that replicate the economic conditions observed among blacks and whites in metropolitan areas during the 1970s but assume different conditions of racial and class segregation. These data show how a simple increase in the rate of minority poverty leads to a dramatic rise in the concentration of poverty when it occurs within a racially segregated city. Increases in poverty concentration are, in turn, associated with other changes in the socioeconomic character of neighborhoods, transforming them into physically deteriorated areas of high crime, poor schools, and excessive mortality where welfare-dependent, female-headed families are the norm. Thus, policies to solve the socioeconomic pr...
817 citations
TL;DR: The authors explored the relationship among current poverty, length of time spent in poverty, maternal parenting behaviors, and children's mental health using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) data set.
Abstract: Poor children experience greater psychological distress than do nonpoor children. However, evidence for the relationship between poverty and children's distress is limited by the use of measures of poverty at a single point in time, by a failure to examine race or ethnic differences, and by a lack of concern with explanations for poverty's effects. Using data from the 1986 Children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) data set, we explored the relationships among current poverty, length of time spent in poverty, maternal parenting behaviors, and children's mental health. Persistent poverty significantly predicts children's internalizing symptoms above and beyond the effect of current poverty, whereas only current poverty predicts externalizing symptoms. Mother's weak emotional responsiveness and frequent use of physical punishment explain the effect of current poverty on mental health, but not the effect of persistent poverty. The relationships among poverty, parenting behaviors, and children's mental health do not vary by race/ethnicity. These findings support theoretical developments calling for greater emphasis on family processes in studies of children's poverty. They also argue for greater attention to trajectories of socioeconomic status in analyses of the effects of status on mental health.
808 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors applied the procedures of meta-analysis to 34 aggregate data studies reporting on violent crime, poverty, and income inequality, finding that nearly 80 percent of the positive coefficients were of at least moderate strength.
Abstract: In the late 1970s and early 1980s, several important reviews of the literature failed to establish a clear consensus on the relationship between economic conditions and violent crime. The research presented here applies the procedures of meta-analysis to 34 aggregate data studies reporting on violent crime, poverty, and income inequality. These studies reported a total of 76 zero-order correlation coefficients for all measures of violent crime with either poverty or income inequality. Of the 76 coefficients, all but 2, or 97 percent, were positive. Of the positive coefficients, nearly 80 percent were of at least moderate strength (>.25). It is concluded that poverty and income inequality are each associated with violent crime. The analysis, however, shows considerable variation in the estimated size of the relationships and suggests that homicide and assault may be more closely associated with poverty or income inequality than are rape and robbery.
583 citations
Book•
29 Apr 1993
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore how growth can become environmentally sustainable and show that a balance between economic growth and care of the environment is needed in all nations, especially poor ones, to prevent environmental degradation.
Abstract: If world poverty is to be reduced, businesses and governments must continue to pursue economic growth. But growth cannot continue without attention to the environment. This book explores how growth can become environmentally sustainable. It shows that a balance between economic growth and care of the environment is needed in all nations -- especially poor ones -- to prevent environmental degradation, which results in lost economic output and endangers people's health. For example, erosion of soil depletes resources for fuel and fodder and causes food output to decline. The authors address a wide variety of subjects ranging from how to measure sustainable development, to the relation between population and environment, to market paradigms and pollution, to terms of trade and the environment. They use a great deal of material, such as background papers and research conducted for the World Bank, that has not been readily available to the public. And they present a more complete synthesis of the literature relevant for policymaking than has been given in any other book.
533 citations
Posted Content•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the impacts of reform on the social dimensions of poverty, employment and earnings, migrations, human resources efforts in education and health, fertility, women and smallholders.
Abstract: This study is a collection of papers which discuss the social effects of policy reform. Each author covers a specific structural area of adjustment, and provides a model for planning and analyses. Policy reform entails major adjustments in all sectors of society. The 1980s found many countries in Latin America and Africa beginning structural adjustment policies in response to slumping economies. As these macroeconomic reforms were implemented, poverty and social conditions continued to deteriorate in many countries. This trend showed the importance of integrating social dimensions into the design of adjustment programs. These studies discuss the impacts of reform on the social dimensions of poverty, employment and earnings, migrations, human resources efforts in education and health, fertility, women and smallholders. An extensive bibliography is included
474 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the relation between economic growth and poverty, and developed the methodology to measure separately the impact of changes in average inccome and income inequality on poverty.
Abstract: This paper explores the relation between economic growth and poverty, and develops the methodology to measure separately the impact of changes in average inccome and income inequality on poverty. This decomposition provides a link between macro economic adjustment policies and poverty which is discussed in the context of the adjustment experience of Cote d'Ivoire. The issue of targeting a poverty alleviation budget is shown to be related to the poverty decomposition proposed in the paper. The methodology proposed is applied to the data taken from the 1985 Living Standards Survey in Cote d'Ivoire.
414 citations
TL;DR: The authors examines early school from an educational stratification perspective and finds that life-stage and developmental considerations heighten young children's sensitivity to school influences generally, while pressures associated with social role transitions (i.e. from home child to school child) challenge them.
Abstract: Though critically important for children's long-term well being, the beginning school transition generally has been neglected by sociologists interested in issues of schooling and social inequality. This chapter examines early school from an educational stratification perspective. Life-stage and developmental considerations heighten young children's sensitivity to school influences generally, while pressures associated with social role transitions (i.e. from “home child” to “school child”) challenge them. We review how out-of-school social structural influences associated with poverty, ethnicity, and family type complicate early school adjustment. Reviewed too are various structural arrangements in the social organization of early schooling (e.g. access to preschools, the restricted socioeconomic variability of elementary schools, and various kinds of educational “tracking”) that can either reinforce or offset out-of-school influences. We conclude with a call for more work on mechanisms of educational str...
369 citations
Book•
01 Oct 1993
TL;DR: The origins of urbanization and the characteristics of cities urbanization in the United States the metropolitan period in United States -1920 to 1960 the restructuring of settlement space - 1960 to 1990 the rise of urban sociology contemporary urban sociology - the socio-spatial perspective people, lifestyles and the metropolis neighbourhoods, the public environment and theories of urban life metropolitan problems - poverty, racism, crime, housing and fiscal crisis local politics - city and suburban governments third world urbanization urbanization.
Abstract: The new urban sociology the origins of urbanization and the characteristics of cities urbanization in the United States the metropolitan period in the United States - 1920 to 1960 the restructuring of settlement space - 1960 to 1990 the rise of urban sociology contemporary urban sociology - the socio-spatial perspective people, lifestyles and the metropolis neighbourhoods, the public environment and theories of urban life metropolitan problems - poverty, racism, crime, housing and fiscal crisis local politics - city and suburban governments third world urbanization urbanization in the industrialized world - Western and Eastern Europe and Japan environmental issues and metropolitan planning metropolitan social policy.
338 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors summarize the impact of non-cash income, including health and education benefits, and imputed rent on living standards, income distribution and poverty in seven nations at the beginning of the 1980s using the Luxembourg Income Study database.
Abstract: The main aim of this paper has been to summarize the impact of noncash income–health and health education benefits, and imputed rent-on living standards, income distribution and poverty in seven nations at the beginning of the 1980s using the Luxembourg Income Study database. Our results do not give rise to a pattern of national differences in poverty rates or income inequality which are markedly different from that which emerges from previous LIS research based on cash income alone. While these results may be sensitive to the techniques used to measure and value noncash benefits in this paper, it appears that noncash income reinforces the redistributive impact or conventional (cash) tax-transfer mechanisms rather than acting to offset them in any major way.
TL;DR: Analysis of data from all U.S. cities with a population of 50,000, at least 10 percent of which is black indicates substantial geographic variation in black-white infant mortality rates.
Abstract: Cities in the United States have undergone major social transitions during the past two decades. Three notable factors in these shifts have been the development of a black political elite sustained rates of black poverty, and intensified racial segregation. Indications of the effect of these social forces on black-white differentials in health status have begun to surface in the research literature. This article reports analyses of data from all U.S. cities with a population of 50,000, at least 10 percent of which is black. These results indicate substantial geographic variation in black-white infant mortality rates. Racial residential segregation, black political empowerment, and black and white poverty are the characteristics that distinguish cities that have a high degree of disparity in black-white infant mortality from cities that do not. Language: en
TL;DR: The authors used tract level data from the 1970, 1980, and 1990 censuses of population to identify poverty neighborhoods, extreme poverty neighbourhoods, distressed neighborhoods, and severely distressed neighborhoods within the nation's 100 largest central cities.
Abstract: Tract‐level data from the 1970, 1980, and 1990 censuses of population are used to identify poverty neighborhoods, extreme poverty neighborhoods, distressed neighborhoods, and severely distressed neighborhoods within the nation's 100 largest central cities. Changes in demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of these neighborhoods are documented, including racial/ethnic composition; poverty population concentration; school dropout rates; and rates of joblessness, single‐parent households, and welfare receipt. Results show that despite some encouraging individual city turnarounds in the Northeast (especially in New York, Newark, and Philadelphia), urban poverty concentration and neighborhood distress worsened nationwide between 1980 and 1990. The greatest deterioration occurred in midwestern cities, particularly in Detroit. Southern cities, whose neighborhoods and cities typically improved during the 1970s, slipped during the 1980s; conditions in western cities also deteriorated. Blacks fared ...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluate the level of poverty using expenditure data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey and find that consumption-based poverty rates are much lower than those based on income, and that the trend in the poverty rate in the United States is sensitive to the price index and equivalence scales used to adjust the poverty thresholds.
Abstract: Official measures of poverty in the United States are compiled by the Bureau of the Census by comparing a household's income level to a prespecified threshold. From a theoretical perspective it is more appropriate to evaluate the level of poverty using a consumption-based measure of household welfare. In this paper I evaluate the level of poverty using expenditure data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey. I find that consumption-based poverty rates are much lower than those based on income. The trend in the poverty rate in the United States is sensitive to the price index and equivalence scales used to adjust the poverty thresholds.
TL;DR: The authors found that under no scarcity, liberals tend to help all claimants for assistance, whereas conservatives withhold assistance from people who are personally responsible for their predicament (Skitka & Tetlock, 1992) and found that liberals are not mindlessly egalitarian, but try to avoid socially awkward value trade-offs that require placing monetary values on lives.
Abstract: Previous research in a wide variety of policy domains (e.g., azidothymidine for AIDS patients, lowincome housing) has indicated that under no scarcity, liberals tend to help all claimants for assistance, whereas conservatives withhold assistance from people who are personally responsible for their predicament (Skitka & Tetlock, 1992). Three studies explore 6 explanations for this robust finding: deterrence, self-interest, punitiveness, mindlessness, value orientation, and avoidance of trade-off reasoning. The findings shed light on both the cognitive strategies and motivational priorities of liberals and conservatives. It was discovered that liberals are not mindlessly egalitarian, but try to avoid socially awkward value trade-offs that require placing monetary values on lives. By contrast, conservatives are motivated to punish violators of social norms (e.g., deviations from traditional norms of sexuality or responsible behavior) and to deter free riders. The United States is still one of the most prosperous countries in the world. However, millions of people are destitute and rely on the generosity of the community for their survival. What obligations does the community have to these people? What responsibilities do these people have to the community? Answers to these basic questions depend largely on one's political point of view. In the 1960s, the Johnson administration declared war on poverty and the welfare state proliferated. In the 1980s and early 1990s, many political leaders concluded that the welfare state was a failure, and stressed the virtues of self-reliance and free markets. The political pendulum appears to swing between individualism and egalitarianism (albeit not with the clocklike regularity some suppose; cf. Schlesinger, 1986). Survey research reveals that attitudes toward social welfare are consistently correlated with ideologically patterned attributions for poverty (Sniderman, Hagen, Tetlock, & Brady, 1986). Conservatives blame poverty on self-indulgen ce and lack of moral standards and intelligence. Liberals see the poor as victims of unjust social practices and structures. These ideological differences in attributions for poverty predict a willingness to expand social programs. Liberals generally favor increased spending on social programs, whereas conservatives oppose such spending (Feather, 1985; Kluegel, 1990; Kluegel & Smith, 1986; Sniderman & Tetlock, 1986; Williams, 1984).
TL;DR: The rate of tuberculosis was correlated with all measures of poverty, the strongest correlation being with the Jarman index, and was independent of the high rates of tuberculosis seen in ethnic minorities.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE--To examine whether the historical link between tuberculosis and poverty still exists. DESIGN--Retrospective study examining the notifications of all forms of tuberculosis by council ward over a six year period and correlating this with four indices of poverty; council housing, free school meals, the Townsend overall deprivation index, and the Jarman index. SETTING--The 33 electoral wards of the city of Liverpool. SUBJECTS--344 residents of Liverpool with tuberculosis. RESULTS--The rate of tuberculosis was correlated with all measures of poverty, the strongest correlation being with the Jarman index (r = 0.73, p
TL;DR: This article showed that employing both income and deprivation criteria rather than income alone can make a substantial difference to both the extent and composition of measured poverty, highlighting the restrictive nature of poverty conceived in terms of exclusion rather than minimum rights to resources.
Abstract: Ringen has advocated the use of both income and deprivation criteria in identifying those excluded from society due to lack of resources, a widely accepted definition of poverty. We illustrate with Irish data how this might be done, paying particular attention to how appropriate indicators of deprivation are to be selected. The results show that employing both income and deprivation criteria rather than income alone can make a substantial difference to both the extent and composition of measured poverty. This highlights the restrictive nature of poverty conceived in terms of exclusion rather than minimum rights to resources.
Book•
27 Jun 1993
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the historical roots of the affordability problem to the early 1930s, and the Triumph and Illusions of housing policy and the economy, 1930-1970 5. Economic Crisis, Shelter Poverty, and Housing Programs, 1970 to the Early 1990s 6. The Instability of Housing Production and Finance Since the Late 1960s Part III: How Can Shelter Poverty Be Overcome? 7. Social Ownership 8. Financing and Implementing Social ownership 9. Housing Reform with a Vision: Ownership and Production 10. Housing Affordability and
Abstract: Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: What Is Shelter Poverty? 1. Human Needs and Housing Affordability 2. The Shelter-Poverty Concept of Affordability Part II: Why Does Shelter Poverty Exist and Persist? 3. The Historical Roots of the Affordability Problem to the Early 1930s 4. The Triumph and Illusions of Housing Policy and the Economy, 1930-1970 5. Economic Crisis, Shelter Poverty, and Housing Programs, 1970 to the Early 1990s 6. The Instability of Housing Production and Finance Since the Late 1960s Part III: How Can Shelter Poverty Be Overcome? 7. Social Ownership 8. Financing and Implementing Social Ownership 9. Housing Reform with a Vision: Ownership and Production 10. Housing Reform with a Vision: Financing and Other Elements 11. Housing Affordability and Social change 12. Conclusion: Shelter Poverty and the Right to Housing Appendix A: Methods and Issues in Deriving the Shelter-Poverty Affordability Standard Appendix B: Determining the Extent and Distribution of Housing Affordability Problems: Methodological Comments Appendix C: Tables of Shelter Poverty and Conventional Affordability Problems, 1970-1991 Notes References Index
TL;DR: Renwei et al. as discussed by the authors presented three features of the distribution of income during the transition to reform in China, and the determinants of household income in rural China in the context of the 1988 Household Sample Survey.
Abstract: Preface - Notes on the Contributors - Introduction K.Griffin & Z.Renwei - PART 1: THE DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME - Household Income and Its Distribution A.R.Khan, K.Griffin, C.Riskin & Z.Renwei - Three Features of the Distribution of Income During the Transition to Reform Z.Renwei - PART 2: INCOME AND WEALTH IN RURAL CHINA - The Determinants of Household Income in Rural China A.R.Khan - The Distribution of Wealth in Rural China T.McKinley - Income Distribution and Poverty in Rural China C.Riskin - PART 3: EMPLOYMENT AND HUMAN CAPITAL - Workers in China's Rural Industries J.Knight & S.Lina - Why Urban Wages Differ in China J.Knight & S.Lina - The Determinants of Educational Attainment J.Knight & L.Shi - Annex: The 1988 Household Sample Survey M.Eichen & Z.Ming - Index
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of mother-only families in reproducing poverty is discussed and a cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis of interventions for children in poverty is presented.
Abstract: Preface 1. Children in poverty: developmental and policy issues 2. The economic environment of childhood 3. The role of mother-only families in reproducing poverty 4. The association between adolescent parenting and childhood poverty 5. The strain of living poor: parenting, social support, and child mental health 6. The health of poor children: problems and programs 7. With a little help: children in poverty and child care 8. Poverty, early childhood education, and academic competence: the Abecedarian experiment 9. Educational acceleration for at-risk students 10. Cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses of interventions for children in poverty 11. Effective progras for children growing up in concentrated poverty 12. Antecedents, consequences, and possible solutions for poverty among children Author index Subject index.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show that differential mortality by economic status is strongly present in the United States today, and that this relationship is monotonic, with men's death rates being lower among the wealthier.
Abstract: The evidence presented in this paper shows that differential mortality by economic status is strongly present in the United States today, and that this relationship is monotonic, with men's death rates being lower among the wealthier. Also, the greater the number of spells of poverty, the higher the death rate. These data suggest that differential mortality rates by economic status are being confused with the well-known ethnic differences in mortality. An implication of this paper, therefore, is that ethnic differences in mortality are, in large part, a consequence of poverty or permanent low income, as opposed to genotype. Consequently, it may be just as valid, or even more so, to publish mortality tables by income as by race. A policy implication of this paper is that the redistributive effects of longevity-based transfer systems, such as social security (public pensions), may be less ‘progressive’ than has been assumed, since would-be poorer recipients are either less likely to live long enough to coll...
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, a four-equation model is proposed to examine the premise that public housing represents an important cause of poverty concentration in U.S. cities, and the results show that public-housing projects were targeted to poor, black neighborhoods and that the presence of housing projects substantially increased the concentration of poverty in later years.
Abstract: To examine the premise that public housing represents an important cause of poverty concentration in U.S. cities, a four-equation model is estimated. The first equation predicts the likelihood that public housing projects were built within census tracts of the Chicago SMSA between 1950 and 1970, given socioeconomic and housing characteristics in 1950. Then the effect that project location had on tract poverty rates in 1970 is estimated, controlling for socioeconomic composition in 1950. The third equation estimates the effect of tract poverty rates and public housing location on the rate of net migration between 1970 and 1980. The results show that public housing projects were targeted to poor, black neigborhoods and that the presence of housing projects substantially increased the concentration of poverty in later years.
Book•
08 Apr 1993
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors use census and survey data for the period 1940-1990 to analyze changes affecting childhood in the United States over the past 50 years, showing how important revolutions in household composition and income parental education and employment child care and levels of poverty have affected childrens well-being.
Abstract: The authors use census and survey data for the period 1940-1990 to analyze changes affecting childhood in the United States over the past 50 years. They show "how important revolutions in household composition and income parental education and employment child care and levels of poverty have affected childrens well-being....[The study] explores the interaction of many trends in childrens lives and the fundamental social demographic and economic processes that lie at their core. The book concludes with a thoughtful analysis of the ability of families and government to provide for a new age of children with emphasis on reducing racial inequities and providing greater public support for families comparable to the family policies of other developed countries." (EXCERPT)
TL;DR: In this article, a distribution-free asymptotic confidence interval and statistical inference for additive poverty indices are provided for Cote d'Ivoire from the Living Standards Survey, 1985.
Abstract: Several poverty indices have been suggested to measure the intensity of poverty suffered by those below the poverty line. Because the indices are estimated on the basis of sample observations, we need to test whether the observed differences in their values are statistically significant. This paper provides distribution-free asymptotic confidence intervals and statistical inference for additive poverty indices. The methodology developed in the paper is applied to analyze poverty in Cote d'Ivoire from the data of the Living Standards Survey, 1985. Copyright 1993 by MIT Press.
TL;DR: In this paper, a method of measuring chronic and transitory poverty using an axiomatically sound, additively decomposable index of aggregate poverty has been proposed and compared with alternative methods of measuring poverty persistence.
Abstract: This paper proposes a method of measuring chronic and transitory poverty using an axiomatically sound, additively decomposable index of aggregate poverty. Our approach is contrasted with alternative methods of measuring poverty persistence. We use our method to measure chronic and transitory poverty in the United States during the 1980s and late 1970s and find that chronic poverty is a more serious problem than previously thought. Between the late 1970s and mid 1980s poverty not only increased, it became more chronic and less transitory in nature. This is true for the population as a whole and for some, but not all, of the subpopulations we considered. The latter were defined according to race, type of social unit, and educational qualifications of the head of the social unit. All empirical analyses are based on data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics.
TL;DR: There is a need to question the assumption that the extended family in Africa, in the culture under study, is able to provide adequate support for AIDS patients, this paper suggests.
Abstract: It is commonly assumed that the extended family in Africa provides a safety net for individuals in times of need. This paper examines this assumption using data on the care of people with AIDS in a rural population in South West Uganda. Over a six month period data were collected' by counsellors on the care given to 30 (17 women, 13 men) AIDS patients by their families. In 27 of the 30 cases there was evidence of limited care. Various reasons were given for this by the carers, including lack of food and money for medications and the carer's other family responsibilities. For 17 clients who died during the study period, records of seven cases show that other relatives were asked to help with care but refused on the grounds of poverty or other commitments. However, in all but one of these cases extended families did provide assistance for the funeral. The findings suggest that there is a need to question the assumption that the extended family, in the culture under study, is able to provide adequat...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used nine years of panel data on 170 rural households in southern India to calculate intertemporal measures of poverty, including expected poverty, innate poverty and persistent poverty, and estimated the poverty rates for the sample with the three measures are 61 percent, 48 percent, and 22 percent, respectively.
Abstract: This paper uses nine years of panel data on 170 rural households in southern India to calculate intertemporal measures of poverty. These include measures of (1) expected poverty that identify households likely to remain poor on average during any year; (2) innate poverty that identify households that are poor owning to deep-rooted characteristics that cannot easily be changed in the short run; and (3) persistent poverty that identify households whose incomes fall below a fixed poverty line over a number of years. The poverty rates estimated for the sample with the three measures are 61 percent, 48 percent, and 22 percent, respectively. (c) 1993 Academic Press, Inc. Copyright 1993 by Oxford University Press.
01 Jan 1993
TL;DR: This article found that the economic expansion from 1983 to 1989 led to a more than four percentage point decline in unemployment, but only a modest decline in aggregate poverty, and family income inequality increased steadily throughout the decade.
Abstract: MACROECONOMIC GROWTH has long been viewed as one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty. Historically, the rising tide of labor market opportunities that accompanies an economic expansion has helped the poor more than the rich, leading to a narrowing of the income distribution and a fall in poverty.' Using data from the 1950s through the 1970s, for example, Rebecca M. Blank and Alan S. Blinder estimate that a one percentage point reduction in unemployment lowers the poverty rate by one point.2 Economic growth in the 1980s, however, seems to have had far weaker redistributive effects.3 The economic expansion from 1983 to 1989 led to a more than four percentage point decline in unemployment, but only a modest decline in aggregate poverty. Furthermore, family income inequality increased steadily throughout the decade. As shown in figure 1, the income shares of the three lowest quintiles
Book•
01 Nov 1993
TL;DR: Alderman et al. as discussed by the authors studied the food security and nutrition for the poor in rural Pakistan by looking at longitudinal data for a three-year period, 1986-89, and analyzing fluctuations in incomes, consumption, savings, nutrition and health-seeking behavior of 800 households.
Abstract: The pathways from economic and social policies to improved food security and nutrition for the poor often are not well understood. Yet each day governments decide on policies that ultimately affect their well-being. How households increase their incomes, acquire food, improve health, or cope with insecurity are important concerns that need to be examined in order to devise policies to help eradicate poverty. Nearly all attempts to study these issues have used snapshot approaches those that look at one point in time. These approaches are limited in that they do not reveal anything about the actual dynamics of poverty, food security, and their consequences for nutrition and health. In this report Harold Alderman and Marito Garcia address these concerns by looking at longitudinal data for a three-year period, 1986-89, and analyzing fluctuations in incomes, consumption, savings, nutrition and health-seeking behavior of 800 households in five districts in rural Pakistan (Faisalabad and Attock in Punjab province, Badin in Sind, Dir in North-West Frontier Province, and Mastung/Kalat in Baluchistan). The report examines income sources and wage formation in rural Pakistan and investigates the level and distribution of income in poor households. It contributes to analysis of the temporal dimensions of poverty and thus adds to the literature on coping strategies of households. Although the three-year panel of data analyzed is too short to model fully the dynamics of poverty, it is sufficient to indicate the fluidity of the economic environment that households in Pakistan face. The report also traces the efficiency by which household incomes are converted to better nutritional well-being and the influence of other intervening factors such as health and education.