Household Responses Research Articles

China’s Grain for Green policy and farm dynamics: simulating household land-use responses

Analyzing the interaction between environmental policies and farmers’ responses to them is an important dimension to understand regional agro-ecosystem sustainability. We examine land-use outcomes of perhaps the largest government-planned rural reforestation program in the history of humankind, China’s “Grain for Green” (GFG) policy from 1999 to 2006. Specifically, we simulate household responses to the GFG policy in Western China’s Shaanxi Province, a region experiencing acute climate and land change-related environmental degradation. We develop a “farmer group decision-making model” to simulate the probability of land-use change. Elevation, slope, and farm household characteristics emerge as key factors influencing farmers’ land-use decisions and subsequent land-use patterns. Land reversion and abandonment in the study area have been significantly affected by the GFG program. Policy recommendations suggest potential avenues to enhance the effectiveness of the GFG program and to improve the efficient use of under-used farmland. Results may help inform the Chinese government as it crafts policy guiding a coupled rural migration and reforestation program of unprecedented scale.

The effect of a land titling programme on households’ access to credit

This paper assesses the effects of property titling on households’ access to and use of credit by focusing on household responses to an exogenous change in their formal ownership status. We isolate the credit effect on legal ownership by comparing households from communities in Osasco, Brazil. Our statistical estimates suggest that land titling increases credit use, decreases reliance on credit borrowed from relatives, and increases credit borrowed from commercial banks. We also find that treated households increased their consumption of time-saving durable goods, which explains an observed reallocation of time among household members, with adults working more and children less.

Household responses to climate-related hazards in four Latin American cities: A conceptual framework and exploratory analysis

Vulnerability has been considered as a focal topic in various fields of study relating to human–environmental interactions, including climate change impacts, disaster and risk, and sustainable development. As hotspots for both the causes and consequences of climate change, urban areas have become increasingly visible in recent vulnerability and adaptation research. The influencing factors of local populations’ responses to climate change hazards have been relatively understudied in recent literature on vulnerability to global environmental change. In this study, we developed a synthetic conceptual framework of urban households’ responses to climate-related hazards, and conducted a preliminary analysis of its applicability using household survey data from four major Latin American cities (Bogotá, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mexico City, Mexico; and Santiago, Chile). The analysis revealed that variables measuring perceived impacts and the sensitivity and social asset aspects of social vulnerability were particularly related with household response to the safety and health risks of climate hazards. These results provide general support for our conceptual approach to vulnerability focusing on human response actions.

Balance-Sheet Households and Fiscal Stimulus: Lessons from the Payroll Tax Cut and its Expiration

Balance-sheet repair drove the response of a significant fraction of households to fiscal stimulus following the Great Recession. By combining survey, behavioral, and time-series evidence on the 2011 payroll tax cut and its expiration in 2013, this papers identifies and analyzes households who smooth debt repayment. These “balance-sheet households” are as prevalent as “permanent-income households,” who smooth consumption in response to the temporary tax cut, and outnumber “constrained households,” who temporarily boost spending. The asymmetric spending response of balance-sheet households poses challenges to standard models, but nonetheless appears important for understanding individual and aggregate responses to fiscal stimulus.

Balance-Sheet Households and Fiscal Stimulus: Lessons from the Payroll Tax Cut and Its Expiration

Balance-sheet repair drove the response of a significant fraction of households to fiscal stimulus following the Great Recession. By combining survey, behavioral, and time-series evidence on the 2011 payroll tax cut and its expiration in 2013, this papers identifies and analyzes households who smooth debt repayment. These "balance-sheet households" are as prevalent as "permanent income households," who smooth consumption in response to the temporary tax cut, and outnumber "constrained households," who temporarily boost spending. The asymmetric spending response of balance-sheet households poses challenges to standard models, but nonetheless appears important for understanding individual and aggregate responses to fiscal stimulus.

Relationship between child abuse exposure and reported contact with child protection organizations: Results from the Canadian Community Health Survey

Much of what is known about child abuse in Canada has come from reported cases of child abuse and at-risk samples, which likely represent the most severe cases of child abuse in the country. The objective of the current study is to examine the prevalence of a broad range of child abuse experiences (physical abuse, sexual abuse, and exposure to IPV) and investigate how such experiences and sociodemographic variables are related to contact with child protection organizations in Canada using a representative general population sample. Data were drawn from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health collected from the 10 provinces using a multistage stratified cluster design (n=23,395; household response rate=79.8%; aged 18 years and older). Physical abuse only (16.8%) was the most prevalent child abuse experience reported with the exposure to specific combinations of two or more types of child abuse ranging from 0.4% to 3.7%. Only 7.6% of the adult population with a history of child abuse reported having had contact with child protection organizations. Experiencing all three types of child abuse was associated with the greatest odds of contact with child protection organizations (AOR=15.8; 95% CI=10.1 to 24.6). Physical abuse only was associated with one of the lowest odds of contact with child protection organizations. Preventing child abuse is widely acknowledged as an important, but challenging public health goal. Strategies to increase reporting of child abuse may help to protect children and to connect families with necessary services. One obvious priority would be physical abuse.

Are we overestimating the negative impact of higher food prices? Evidence from Ghana

AbstractMost studies of the welfare impact of higher food prices adopt Deaton's approach, based on the first‐order effect of prices changes using income and expenditure survey data. This paper explores the impact of higher maize and food prices in Ghana and considers the sensitivity of results to changes in several assumptions. If second‐order effects are included, incorporating household response to price changes, the welfare impact of food price increases is more positive, but only modestly so. However, if we assume that marketing margins are constant in real terms rather than proportional to prices, the welfare impact is substantially more positive. These findings highlight the need for more research on the behavior of marketing margins under volatile prices.

Recession, Austerity and the ‘Great Risk Shift’: Local Government and Household Impacts and Responses in Bristol and Liverpool

A key feature of the rise of neoliberal politics and policy has been the progressive shift of risk from corporations and national states to the local government, individuals and households. In this article, we argue that, in the UK, ‘great risk shift’ has not only been intensified by recession and austerity but has also been marked by the unevenness of the redistribution of risk and insecurity across scales and places, and between different types of household. In order to capture the differentiated nature of experiences and impacts of recession, risk and insecurity, this article first considers the spatial and temporal dynamics of recession and the great risk shift. It then goes on to localise and embed these dynamics within the city regions and local authorities of Bristol and Liverpool, drawing on a quantitative survey of 1,013 households, across a range of different household types. The survey was segmented geographically and by ten different household types using Ipsos-MORI’s (ACORN) classification of residential neighbourhoods. Whilst the evolving crisis and subsequent austerity measure have been a ‘moving target’ for cities, the local government and households, the household survey was undertaken in the two city regions in the winter of 2011 and explored experiences and impacts since 2008. It will seek to demonstrate the nature, impact and ‘lived experience’ of the ‘risk shift’ during this period and consider the ongoing and broader implications for households, and national and local policymakers.

How do Intra-household Gender Relations Affect Child Nutrition? Findings from Two Rural Districts in Tanzania

This article explores intra-household gender relations and how they affect children's nutritional status, focusing on children below five years old and their families in two distinct rural societies in Tanzania. The ethnic groups are the Luguru in the Mvomero District and the Bena in the Njombe District. In both societies, milk-based interventions involving the introduction of dairy goats and cattle have been implemented. The underlying assumption guiding these interventions is that with increased milk production there would be increased milk consumption at the household level, leading to an improvement in children's health and nutritional status. Our study questions these assumptions. Methods used for data collection included semi-structured interviews, participant observation, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. In our analysis, recognising the multiple realities and diverse social practices of different actors has been central to understanding household responses to milk-based interventions and their effects. We find that women – as mothers – in both societies have the major responsibility to provide food for children. In both societies, social norms and household needs also oblige mothers to allocate part of their time to performing productive activities that generate income for their households. Despite their contribution to income generation, women's decision-making power regarding the spending of household income is limited. Men usually control the sale of marketable agricultural products, including the milk produced, and the income is used to cover the expenses for which men are responsible. As a result, neither the milk itself nor the incomes generated by the sale of milk are used in ways that significantly improve the nutritional status of under-fives in dairy-keeping households.

Balance-Sheet Households and Fiscal Stimulus: Lessons from the Payroll Tax Cut and its Expiration

Balance-sheet repair drove the response of a significant fraction of households to fiscal stimulus following the Great Recession. By combining survey, behavioral, and time-series evidence on the 2011 payroll tax cut and its expiration in 2013, this papers identifies and analyzes households who smooth debt repayment. These “balance-sheet households” are as prevalent as “permanent-income households,” who smooth consumption in response to the temporary tax cut, and outnumber “constrained households,” who temporarily boost spending. The asymmetric spending response of balance-sheet households poses challenges to standard models, but nonetheless appears important for understanding individual and aggregate responses to fiscal stimulus.

Poverty in African Households: the Limits of Survey and Census Representations

African poverty statistics depend on household-level measurements from survey data, making the definition of household of critical importance. Detailed case studies from Tanzania and Burkina Faso explore (1) understandings of household membership and ambiguities, and (2) how well survey definitions capture households as economic units, and the implications for household size and responses to and mitigation of poverty. We develop an analytic framework of ‘open’ and ‘closed’ households. ‘Open’ households cope with poverty using flexibility, movement and extra-household networks, but are poorly represented by survey data. Closed households are likely to be better described by survey data.

Switching off or switching source: energy consumption and household response to higher energy prices in the Kyrgyz Republic

The Energy Poverty Action Initiative of the World Economic Forum suggests that ‘access to energy is fundamental to improving quality of life and is a key imperative for economic development’. This is particularly true in Central Asia, where winters are harsh and long. Changes in energy prices affect the purchasing power of households, hitting the poor in particular. The impact very much depends on a household's energy basket and the available strategies for switching to alternative energy sources. Using data from the 2011 Kyrgyz Integrated Household Survey, this article analyses the profile of household energy consumption and the impact of electricity tariff increases on the probability that households would switch to alternative energy sources. The results suggest that households would respond to an electricity price increase by increasing consumption of fuels; households would be likely to move away from electricity-only heating and towards stove-only heating.

“Certain Death” from Storm Surge: A Comparative Study of Household Responses to Warnings about Hurricanes Rita and Ike

AbstractThis study examines the effect of an unusual “certain death” warning message on Galveston, Harris, and Jefferson County, Texas, residents’ expectations of storm surge damage and evacuation decisions during Hurricane Ike. The effect of this message was tested by comparing questionnaire data collected after Hurricane Ike to similar data collected 3 yr earlier after Hurricane Rita. If the certain death message had an effect, one would expect nonsignificant differences in perceptions of the two storms’ surge threats because the category 2 storm (Ike) had a surge that was more characteristic of a category 5 storm (Rita). However, the ratings of the storm surge threat for Ike were significantly lower than those for Rita in Galveston County—the point of landfall. Moreover, evacuation rates for Ike were consistently lower than those for Rita in all three counties, and there were no statistically significant differences between storms in the correlations of expected storm surge damage with evacuation decisions. In summary, these data fail to show evidence that the dramatic certain death warning increased expectations of surge threat and evacuation decisions. These findings underscore the need for those disseminating weather warnings to better understand how hurricane warnings flow from an initial source through intermediate links to the ultimate receivers as well as how these ultimate receivers receive, heed, interpret, and decide how to act upon those warnings.

Having a Family Doctor is Associated with Some Better Patient-Reported Outcomes of Primary Care Consultations.

Background: Hong Kong (HK) has pluralistic primary care that is provided by a variety of doctors. The aim of our study was to assess patient-reported outcomes of primary care consultations in HK and whether having a family doctor (FD) made any difference.Methods: We interviewed by telephone 3148 subjects from 5174 contacted households (response rate 60.8%) randomly selected from the general population of HK about the experience of their last primary care consultations in September 2007 and April 2008. We compared the patient-reported outcomes (PRO) and patient-centered process of care in those with a FD, those with other types of regular primary care doctors (ORD) and those without any regular primary care doctor (NRD). PRO included patient enablement, global improvement in health, overall satisfaction, and likelihood of recommending their doctors to family and friends. Patient-centered process of care indicators was explanations about the illness, and address of patient’s concerns.Results: One thousand one hundred fifty, 746, and 1157 reported to have FD, ORD, and NRD, respectively. Over 80% of those with FD consulted their usual primary care doctors in the last consultation compared with 27% of those with NRD. Compared with subjects having ORD or NRD, subjects with FD reported being more enabled after the consultation and were more likely to recommend their doctors to family and friends. Subjects with FD and ORD were more likely than those having NRD to report a global improvement in health and satisfaction. FD group was more likely than the other two groups to report receiving an explanation on the diagnosis, nature, and expected course of the illness, and having their concerns addressed. Patient enablement was associated with explanation of diagnosis, nature, and expected course of illness, and address of patient’s concerns.Conclusion: People with a regular FD were more likely to feel being enabled and to experience patient-centered care in consultations.

Household responses to malaria: illness perception, cost implications and treatment-seeking behavior of mothers in Calabar, Nigeria

Malaria contributes substantially to the poor health situation in sub-Saharan Africa accounting for over 2.5 million deaths annually. About 50% of malaria cases present as outpatient visits and 20% as hospital admissions, while 30% of the suspected malaria cases are managed at home using traditional remedies and drugs bought from the local chemist. Malaria, as a serious public health problem, has severe consequences on people of all ages with the greatest burden on the world's poorest communities by affecting productivity and household income. Vulnerability to the consequences of malaria has a lot to do with problems of poverty, access to and cost of treatment and prevention. These are strongly correlated with household income and socio-economic status. There is limited information on the household cost implications and treatment-seeking behavior especially among the urban poor. There is also a need for a better understanding of the malaria infection and disease process to guide the design of effective policies and tools, acceptable and affordable to the people in an attempt the reduce the malaria problem. This paper will examine and determine the factors that influence the perception of malaria, cost implications for treatment and treatment-seeking behavior and preventive measures among the urban poor mothers in Calabar, Nigeria.

Autonomous household responses and urban governance capacity building for climate change adaptation: Georgetown, Guyana

Governance dynamics and the interplay between inadequate infrastructural investment and institutional inertia undermine the potential of low-income cities in low-elevation coastal zones to become climate change resilient. This paper explores the influence of these factors as well as household socio-economic characteristics on autonomous household adaptation to climate change. Georgetown, Guyana is used as a case study. Empirical analysis revealed that state inability to solve socio-economic, infrastructural and environmental problems led urban households to independently adopt measures aimed at reducing climate change impacts. Spontaneous maladaptation by all households in response to state failure and weak urban governance, however, exacerbated vulnerability to flooding. The paper has global applicability in that it cautions policymakers and practitioners on the shortcomings of spontaneous maladaptation, and provides prescriptions for improved urban governance and spatial planning to facilitate the climate proofing of cities. Furthermore, it highlights the importance and complexities of financing climate change adaptation, and concludes these will continue to constrain the adaptive capacity of vulnerable city populations in the less developed countries of the South, unless developed global partners cooperate.

Vulnerability Concepts and its Application in Various Fields: A Review on Geographical Perspective

Vulnerability has no universal definition. Experts from various disciplines use the concept and define vulnerability, which leads diverse measuring methods to serve their own purpose and interests. Approaches to define vulnerability vary among the disciplines because of the various components of risk, household response and welfare outcomes. The objective of this paper is to present an overview based on available scientific literature from various disciplines to examine the origin, evolution and use of the vulnerability concept across different field of studies. Vulnerability is exclusively used in various disciplines such as geography, anthropology, economics, ecology, public health, poverty and development, sustainable livelihoods, famine and food security, sustainability science, land management, disaster management and climate change. Therefore, different disciplines have their own reasons for defining, measuring and developing conceptual models of vulnerability; hence there is no reason to presume that concepts, measures and methods will be universal across the disciplines. Lessons learned from one area may not be equally suitable for all. Hence, differences between various fields need to be bridged by a holistic approach and multidisciplinary research cooperation, and geography as a unique multidisciplinary field of study has the major disciplinary legitimacy to fill up the gaps and to create a common platform to work together in vulnerability research among the various research traditions. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jles.v8i0.20150 J. Life Earth Sci., Vol. 8: 63-81, 2013

Gender perspectives on agricultural adaptation to climate change in drought-prone Nguru Local Government Area in the semiarid zone of northeastern Nigeria

Purpose – This paper aims at understanding how smallholder farmers are adapting to drought and what shapes their vulnerabilities and ability to adapt. Considering that their capacity to adapt to climate change has been undermined not only by the natural vulnerabilities due to their geographic location but also by the social context, gender and institution that interact to influence and determine household and individual vulnerability and responses to drought. Design/methodology/approach – Both primary and secondary data were used. Primary data were collected by use of structured questionnaires from 128 male-headed households and 122 female-headed households in eight villages in the Nguru Local Government Area, as well as from key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Findings – Climate change is not a concept recognized by most farmers and does not have standard translation in the local language; farmers believe the term refers to change in weather. Drought and crop failure are causing despair and frustration, and farmers reported that they are struggling to adapt. The resources and support inputs required for responding to climate change and variability are socially differentiated by gender, women’s and men’s responses to drought impacts as well as their access to adaptation resources and support differ significantly. Women are in particular unable to access the favored adaptation strategies promoted by Yobe State Agricultural Development Programme as a government support institution assigned with the responsibility of helping farm households adapt to climate change in ways that will increase their adaptive capacity. Originality/value – These findings are essential for informing policy decisions by ensuring that the experiences of both women and men and the context in which they operate are embedded into policy design.

Farm diversity, resource use efficiency and sustainable land management in the western highlands of Kenya

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces further population growth in the coming decades and it is essential to increase food production in rural areas. However, development programs to enhance agricultural productivity have achieved mixed results. This study investigates farm household responses to a changing agro-environment in one of the most densely populated rural districts in SSA and examines practical implications for the promotion of sustainable land management (SLM) practices. The specific objective is to analyze farm diversity and resource use efficiency and their implications for promoting SLM in the highlands of Western Kenya. We carried out an elaborate survey of 236 households, and applied multivariate analysis to analyze farm efficiency and livelihood strategies. We found major differences in responses to a changing agro-environment between five farm types in terms of resource endowment, income strategies and farm practices. Across farm types, efficiency was low indicating poor land productivity. Our study shows that there has been a lack of intensification in land use and that households are increasingly depending on off-farm income. Our findings have a number of implications to programs aiming to promote sustainable land management in SSA. We propose that successful implementation of such programs requires targeting areas highly reliant on agriculture and within these areas focus on households mostly dependent on farming to sustain their welfare.

Livelihood Change and Household Strategies: Social Divergence of the Working Class in Dhading

How do households, in an agrarian setting under transition, reposition themselves amidst the increasing opportunities and constraints posed by expansive capitalist market? Do household responses exhibit any pattern that helps us understand long term social change? If so, what theoretical significance does such a pattern instigate in the wider political economic context of shifting class formations? This article mainly discusses recent dynamics in the organisation of production in Mahesh Khola, the research site in the South-East Dhading, from the perspective of intra-class divergence and social differentiation. It argues that the working class in Mahesh Khola is undergoing a process of internal differentiation that is reflected in two main, rather opposite, trends: on the one hand, part of the rural workforce is migrating to the capital city of Kathmandu in search of urban jobs, while on the other hand, and in contrary, an important segment of the same has intensified its engagement in agriculture. As a matter of fact, one can notice a weakening up of the working class in the rural setting.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v8i0.10721Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 8, 2014; 29-54