Understanding urban chronic poverty: crossing the qualitative and quantitative divide

Abstract

This paper reviews the recent quantitative and qualitative evidence on urban poverty in Ethiopia. It attempts to synthesize the little evidence that exists on urban chronic poverty in some detail, and discusses the consistency of findings in the context of different methodological approaches. The review covers the discussion of key correlates/dimensions of poverty, such as livelihood insecurity, gender, household income, prices and HIV/AIDS. Most of the studies reviewed present a static picture of urban poverty rather than focusing on the dynamics of poverty over time. The paper suggests that future research should focus on a more dynamic analysis of household welfare. The studies reviewed here are heterogeneous in terms of their sources, and include academia, NGOs, independent research institutions and the World Bank. Despite differences in methodological approach, it is encouraging to see an overlap in the research agenda, and a consistency of findings on key correlates of urban poverty and its trends.