Implications For Poverty Research Articles

IMPLICATIONS OF ADOPTING WATER POLICY AND CASTE ON MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY: EVIDENCE FROM HOUSEHOLD-LEVEL DATA IN INDIA

This paper attempts to unravel the influence of caste on water poverty while examining the relationship between the multidimensional poverty index (MPI) and the modified water poverty index (MWPI). Additionally, considering the inevitable role of policies in combatting water woes, this paper analyses the impact of drinking water policies. The empirical results show that MWPI significantly impacts MPI, and caste significantly determines both MWPI and MPI. This study also found that drinking water policies significantly influence MWPI and indirectly impact MPI through MWPI.

Diabetes, life course and childhood socioeconomic conditions: an empirical assessment for Mexico

BackgroundDemographic and epidemiological dynamics characterized by lower fertility rates and longer life expectancy, as well as higher prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, represent important challenges for policy makers around the World. We investigate the risk factors that influence the diagnosis of diabetes in the Mexican population aged 50 years and over, including childhood poverty.ResultsThis work employs a probabilistic regression model with information from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) of 2012 and 2018. Our results are consistent with the existing literature and should raise strong concerns. The findings suggest that risk factors that favor the diagnosis of diabetes in adulthood are: age, family antecedents of diabetes, obesity, and socioeconomic conditions during both adulthood and childhood.ConclusionsPoverty conditions before the age 10, with inter-temporal poverty implications, are associated with a higher probability of being diagnosed with diabetes when older and pose extraordinary policy challenges.

The Impact of COVID‐19 on Education in Latin America: Long‐Run Implications for Poverty and Inequality

AbstractThe shock of the COVID‐19 pandemic affected the human capital formation of children and youths. As a consequence of this disruption, the pandemic is likely to imply permanent lower levels of human capital. This paper provides new evidence on the impact of COVID‐19 and school closures on education in Latin America by exploiting harmonized microdata from a large set of national household surveys carried out in 2020, during the pandemic. In addition, the paper uses microsimulations to assess the potential effect of changes in human capital due to the COVID‐19 crisis on future income distributions. The findings show that the pandemic is likely to have significant long‐run consequences in terms of incomes and poverty if strong compensatory measures are not taken soon.

Smallholder farmers' vulnerability to climate change and variability: Evidence from three agroecologies in the Upper Blue Nile, Ethiopia

This study delves into the profound impact of climate change on agriculture in Ethiopia, particularly the vulnerabilities faced by smallholder farmers and the resulting implications for poverty. Focusing on three distinct agroecologies, namely: highland, midland, and lowland zones. The study employed a robust methodology, combining a cross-sectional survey, spatial-temporal trend analysis using GIS, and the development of an overall vulnerability index through the balanced weighted average method. The study, encompassing 646 households, combines data from a variety of sources and analytical tools like the vulnerability index, ArcGIS 10.8, and ERDA's IMAGINE 2015. Utilizing the LVI-IPCC scale, the study shows that climate change is an immediate vulnerability in all agroecological zones. It identifies highland areas as the most sensitive and exposed regions, while lowland households are found to be the most vulnerable in terms of overall vulnerabilities. The research reveals specific challenges faced by communities, such as inadequate health facilities and insufficient food and water supplies in both highland and lowland agroecosystems. Additionally, our investigation has observed a significant alteration in land use practices, specifically the shift from communal grazing land to private cultivation and plantations, emphasizing eucalyptus. This alteration enhances the ecosystem's vulnerability to climate disturbances. The study suggests targeted interventions, such as advocating for sustainable land-use practices, afforestation, and adopting climate-smart agriculture practices. It is important to implement policy measures that prioritize conserving and restoring shrubland, grazing land, and natural forests to ensure both long-term socio-economic and ecosystem resilience. The study's nuanced insights are instrumental in understanding the diverse challenges posed by climate change in Ethiopian agriculture, supporting informed policymaking and sustainable interventions.

Implications of Transport Poverty and Social Exclusion in Lagos State Transportation System

The link between transportation and social inclusion is well-established. Poor access to transportation services makes goods and services inaccessible, further marginalizing those who do not own motor vehicles. Sociologists look at social exclusion from these dimensions - poverty, inequality, lack of decent and accessible public services, inadequate public transport, the welfare and benefits system, and lack of good housing. These inequalities existed in our transportation system before the introduction of new technologies and business models, and they are exacerbated by present-day social disadvantages. This study examined the transport poverty metrics and housing quality index in some selected parts of Lagos Nigeria. The sample for the study was taken from six (6) locations with four hundred and eighty (480) questionnaires i.e., eighty (80) for each location. There were one hundred and sixty-eight (168) female respondents and three hundred and twelve (312) male respondents with four stated objectives and data for the study was collected through questionnaires. The research hypothesis and questions were tested using the Mann Whitney-U Test Analysis and Analysis of Variance ANOVA to compare differences between the Suburban neighborhood group and the Central neighborhood group. The findings show that households in the Central neighborhood group tend to live closer to convenient transportation options and don't have to drive/travel far to obtain basic services like hospitals, grocery stores, and places of work, but they pay higher housing rentage even when the transport externalities are minimal while the Suburban neighborhood group spend an average of more than 34.7% of their income on transportation and tend to travel farther and lack access to good transportation alternatives. However, one of the recommendations is that waterways transportation around the Suburban group must be revamped with realistic fares to attract people and reduce stress on road transport.

Revisão sistemática: concepções e estratégias de mensuração da pobreza subjetiva

Abstract Objective The study analyzes the theoretical and practical perspectives that have been developed concerning the concepts and measurement strategies of subjective poverty. Method Thus, a systematic review was conducted, considering a temporal scope of ten years (2011-2021), on peer-reviewed articles in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Following the analysis, the corpus consisted of 17 articles. Results It was identified that the concept of subjective poverty is affected by sociodemographic and analytical characteristics. This has an impact on different approaches, which can be more or less inclusive. The less inclusive ones are defined by exclusively monetary perspectives, while others consider the macrostructural issues of the analyzed realities: the effects of other socioeconomic markers and the psychosocial implications of poverty. Conclusion Thus, subjective poverty points out that, in the background of the subjects’ discourse, there are psychosocial intersections that impact their ways of life.

Gender equality, economic growth, and poverty in Côte d’Ivoire: A quantitative analysis

In this paper, we develop a three-period gender-based Overlapping Generations (OLG) model of economic growth for Côte d’Ivoire in which life expectancy is endogenized and the rate of change of the poverty rate is linked to the growth rate of output per capita. We then calibrate the model using the country-specific calibration data to illustrate the role of public policies in the model, and its implications for long-term growth, gender equality, and poverty in Côte d’Ivoire. To this end, we discuss three sets of quantitative experiments: broad-based development policies (increase in education spending and infrastructure investment, and governance reform), gender-based policies (reduction in gender bias in the market place, increase in women’s bargaining power, and reduction in family bias against girls’ education), and a composite reform program (combination of pro-growth, pro-gender policies). Overall, our findings suggest that Côte d’Ivoire could achieve better growth and poverty outcomes if the country could implement a composite reform program that includes comprehensive development and gender-based policies.

Unveiling the Implications of Energy Poverty for Educational Attainments in Pakistan: A Multidimensional Analysis

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognize energy poverty as a significant issue affecting developing and developed countries. Goal 7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 7) focuses on energy poverty (EP) and aims to achieve universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy services by 2030. This study examines the relationship between energy poverty and educational attainments in Pakistan using time series data from 1990 to 2020. A multidimensional energy development index (EDI) is constructed to measure energy poverty. By employing robust econometric techniques such as the Johansen cointegration test, fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS), canonical cointegration regression, and the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation, this research uncovers empirical findings that offer valuable insights into the crucial role of energy poverty as a determinant of educational attainments. The findings of this study reveal that improvements in energy development (characterized by a decline in energy poverty) and real GDP per capita, significantly enhance school enrollments in Pakistan. Moreover, it is also observed that general poverty and a high pupil-teacher ratio negatively influence educational attainments. These results emphasize that inadequate access to and affordability of energy act as formidable barriers, impeding the educational journey of children and adolescents. These findings also highlight the urgent need to address energy poverty as a paramount policy concern to enhance development outcomes. Policies aimed at improving energy infrastructure and providing reliable and affordable energy sources are crucial to unlocking educational opportunities for more children and enabling them to embark on their educational journeys.

Modeling inequality in access to agricultural productive resources and socioeconomic determinants of household food security in Ghana: a cross-sectional study

Women in rural communities remain the most vulnerable population in accessing agricultural productive resources with dire implications for food security, malnutrition, and poverty. Effective agricultural and food-related policies should be based on a better understanding of the complex inter-relationship of how socioeconomic, demographic, gender, women empowerment, and geographical location indicators simultaneously affect access to agricultural productive resources and food security. The study quantified the level of inequality in access to agricultural productive resources and explored the mechanism through which socioeconomic status mediates the effect of geographic location on food security. This is a community-based cross-sectional study using a multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling design to generate a representative sample of the target population who live in coastal and non-coastal communities. The Gini inequality index, generalized structural equation models, multivariable modified Poisson and Negative binomial regression models were used. The inequality in access to agricultural productive resources was marginally higher among women than in men, higher in the coastal areas than in the non-coastal areas, and higher among women with low empowerment in agricultural production decision-making. The empowerment of women in agricultural decision-making was found to increase with age, as older women were more empowered to make decisions in agriculture. Approximately 17% [95% CI 15.6–18.6] of the population were food-secured (coastal = 13.9%, non-coastal communities = 20.7%). Socioeconomic status mediates the effect of living in coastal versus non-coastal rural communities on food security. To improve food security, the government should prioritize interventions geared toward improving women's access to productive agricultural resources. These interventions must consider gender-specific constraints, poverty alleviation schemes, legal framework, sociocultural factors, and decision-making power.

Turning the tide on energy poverty in sub-Saharan Africa: Does public debt matter?

A popular theme in the literature is the examination of a variety of factors that contribute to energy poverty, but little is known about the connection between public debt and energy poverty, particularly for developing regions of the world. This study clearly illustrates the nexus between public debt and energy poverty, focusing on thirty SSA nations from the years 2007–2018. In conjunction with disaggregated energy poverty variables such as urban electrification, national electricity access, rural electrification, access to clean cooking fuels, renewable energy utilization and output, a composite energy poverty index was developed using the principal component analysis and estimated in relation to public debt via the Instrumental Variable Generalized Method of Moments approach. Additionally, the effects of a debt threshold are taken into account and their implications for the region's energy poverty are assessed. The main finding of the study reveals that public debt has a positive and significant linear effect on the energy poverty index, national electricity access, urban electrification, rural electrification and access to clean cooking fuels while it reduces renewable energy production and utilization. Thus, our research contributes to the body of knowledge and offers policy recommendations for SSA's targeted reduction in energy poverty through sustainable public debt management.

Implications of energy poverty and climate change in Italian regions

Energy poverty is one of the main challenges that governments must address. This aspect acquires great relevance if it is combined with the expected climatic evolution trends. These climatic changes can have a major impact in countries with a significant variety of climates, such as Italy. For this reason, in this study, an analysis of the risk of energy poverty disaggregated by the regions of Italy with different climate change scenarios was carried out. For this, statistical data available from the different regions were used, and the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) climate change scenarios were considered. The analysis found that the Lombardy region could be one of the regions most affected by energy poverty. This aspect is due to the combination of factors such as the old building stock, energy demand, and the remarkable presence of vulnerable families, which causes a higher risk in the region compared to other Italian regions. On the other side, the study revealed an important risk of energy poverty in the Southern regions, which are characterized by the lowest incomes of the country and are particularly affected by the change in cooling degree days in future scenarios.

Summaries of Articles

Summaries of Articles

Income Guarantee Policy Design: Implications for Poverty, Income Distribution, and Tax Rates

A guaranteed income could greatly reduce poverty, yet the impact and feasibility depend on several key policy design choices. We empirically compare guarantee designs financed by income taxation and estimate potential labor supply responses to transfer benefits as well as financing or targeting mechanisms. The analysis features a fundamental tax reform converting personal deductions and credits into an income guarantee along with higher marginal tax rates. Additional results consider policies with a flat surtax, benefit phaseout, or welfare reform. We use microsimulation analysis based on the Current Population Survey, and we adjust for underreported income.

Public support for decarbonisation policies: Between self-interest and social need for alleviating energy and transport poverty in the United Kingdom

Policies for transitions to decarbonised energy and transport systems have implications for social welfare. Here we firstly investigate, via focus groups, public support for policies that have implications for energy and transport poverty in a country with a sizeable incidence of both, the United Kingdom (UK). We then examine which of the publics’ policy preferences concur with those of a wider group of expert stakeholders (n = 47), observing concurrence in the top choices of both for: (i) better public transport; mandating improved energy efficiency in (ii) rental housing and (iii) new homes; and (iv) expanding an income supplement scheme (such as the Warm Home Discount). While the public are relatively supportive of policy for electric vehicles, expert stakeholders see the shift to convergent electrification and digitalisation in domestic contexts as carrying risks for lower income households and those less digitally literate. We highlight that many of the public questioned view themselves as likely to be worthy of assistance, given the level of price inflation in the UK. We conclude that decarbonisation policies require careful attention not only to infrastructure, but to social welfare policy if they are to carry public support.

Indebtedness and Poverty: The Case of Pakistan

Since the advent of Neolibralism, debt has been construed as means of policy reforms to achieve stability, liberalisation and recovery from shocks. However, the other side of the picture has been either ignored or underappreciated. That is the human cost of indebtedness. Whether internal or external, indebtedness may have significant implications for the living conditions of the masses, as it leads to substantial deviation of resources towards debt management. This paper attempts to assess the impact of indebtedness on poverty for Pakistan. The impact of total, internal and external debt on poverty has been evaluated separately. Using the data from 1973 to 2013, Johansen Co-nintegration test reveals long run relationship between debt and poverty. The results remain consistent when domestic and external debt is taken separately. The long run impact of total, internal and external debt on poverty is positive. Which means that for Pakistan debt leads to increase in poverty. Further, it is evident that domestic debt has more severe poverty implications as compared to external debt. These results have two important policy implications; firstly, the overall levels of debt have to be reduced and secondly, the issue of domestic debt reduction takes priority. JEL Classification: I30, I38, F34, H36 Keywords: External Debt, Domestic Debt, Poverty, Johanson Cointegration

Localisation of links between sanitation and the Sustainable Development Goals to inform municipal policy in eThekwini Municipality, South Africa

Significant strides have been made in eThekwini Municipality, Durban, towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) but with 27% of households lacking access to basic sanitation in 2020, challenges remain. While there is global evidence of sanitation linking to all 17 SDGs, similar localised linkages between sanitation and the SDGs in the context of Durban have not yet been verified. Evidencing these linkages and related co-benefits across SDGs could galvanise efforts towards mutually achieving SDG6 and other SDGs by highlighting potential funding efficiencies across multiple benefiting sectors and providing data for longer-term cross-departmental collaboration.This study bridges a persistent gap between research and policy through a collaborative process facilitating the localisation of links between sanitation and SDGs to aid reporting needs and optimise resource use based on evidence of multiple benefits across SDGs. A structured evidence appraisal process identifies linkages between sanitation and all 17 SDGs, including 83 synergies, 49 risks and 4 trade-offs.Our review reveals that lack of adequate sanitation in public spaces has implications for poverty, inequality, informality and dignity. Despite supportive policies, there is a need to enhance participation in decision-making to develop more appropriate sanitation solutions and enhance community acceptance. Findings demonstrate how local policies on sanitation contribute to reducing inequality and poverty but to achieve synergistic outcomes requires addressing existing risk, e.g. in relation to differentiated provision of sanitation solutions or policies that are not always well targeted.There are further opportunities in eThekwini to promote circularity through wastewater reuse and using faecal sludge for energy and fertilizer production. A key consideration for eThekwini's Water and Sanitation unit is to avoid negative environmental impacts whilst developing solutions for areas that lack infrastructure. The research also identified data gaps, particularly between sanitation interventions and climate action and sanitation data for vulnerable groups.

The Poverty Impacts of Labor Heat Stress in West Africa Under a Warming Climate

AbstractThis paper assesses the poverty implications of heat stress‐related labor capacity losses based on simulations using a global general equilibrium economic model. Compared with past studies, we use a more precise measurement of heat stress, assign labor capacity losses to specific labor types by sector, and employ an economic model that contains highly disaggregated economic sectors and regions. This model allows us to determine global and regional economic impacts that account for international dependencies. We focus attention on seven West African countries for which we determine the implied changes in real incomes of households near the poverty line. For these countries, we use household microsimulations to determine potential impacts on the poverty headcount. In our results, poverty impacts are heterogeneous across countries and earning sources‐based household strata. A key channel behind this heterogeneity is how loss of labor productivity affects the relative returns to factors of production. We find that unskilled agricultural wages could increase, as loss of productivity in the face of inelastic food demand induces increased labor demand in order to dampen agricultural output losses. In our experiments, even neglecting potential increases in mortality and morbidity, poverty increases range from 2.3% in Cameroon to up to 7.2%–9.2% in Ghana and Nigeria. In one of the seven countries considered, Guinea, poverty sees little change due to the mitigating effects of rising labor wages.

Poverty Implications of COVID-19 and Government Social Protection Programmes in Nigeria

The sole objective of this paper was to investigate the poverty implications of COVID-19 on Nigerians, relative to the effectiveness of the government’s social protection programs in mitigating the socioeconomic strain caused by the pandemic. The paper used documentary analysis to assess the impact of COVID-19 on Nigerians’ socioeconomic lives and the government’s policy response to the situation. The review found that COVID-19 exacerbated the existing poverty in Nigeria, and most of the government policy programs were not effective in mitigating the effects. We concluded that government policy responses to the socioeconomic strain caused by the pandemic were ineffective due to the pre-existing poor performance of social protection programs in Nigeria before the onset of COVID-19. As the world prepares for future pandemics, we recommend that the Nigerian government overhaul the existing social protection programs on poverty alleviation in Nigeria by addressing all gaps and looking for effective and strategic ways such programs can achieve desirable results.

Deadly tornadoes and racial disparities in energy consumption: Implications for energy poverty

Although tornadoes are considered to be one of the deadliest natural disasters in the United States, there exists limited evidence on how such economic shocks may induce disparities in energy-related expenditures across socioeconomic groups and geographical locations. This article shows that a 10 percent increase in tornado-induced fatalities in the same county where a household resides causes a 1.5 percent decrease in annual expenditures allocated to electricity and a 1.1 percent decline in annual expenditures allocated to home heating fuel. Findings indicate that the low income-high cost (LIHC) measure of energy poverty induced by tornadoes is strong, negative and statistically significant among US households. Results further demonstrate that the severity of tornadoes exacerbates disparities in energy consumption between (i) whites and non-whites, and (ii) English speaking and non-English speaking households. Among 22 states where tornadoes caused at least one fatality, white households in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Arkansas and Iowa experience decreases in home heating fuel expenditures. Declines in electricity expenditures induced by tornadoes are pronounced among non-white households in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Missouri, Louisiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma and New Hampshire. These findings can help policymakers determine which socioeconomic groups to target, and design policies to address energy-related needs in areas affected by natural disasters.

The impact of climate change on agricultural labour productivity: implications for human mobility and poverty

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Working in hot or cold environments causes discomfort, fatigue, and cognitive impairment, raising the risk for health complications. The present study developed a new model to estimate the impact of ambient conditions on labour productivity based on field data and applied this model to predict the welfare implications of climate change by estimating the labour productivity change between the years 2000 and 2040. METHODS: In total, we monitored 1,260 hours of work performed by 194 (men=123; women=71) experienced and acclimatized agriculture workers from 10 nationalities. Time-motion analysis using video recordings was used to extract detailed information on each worker’s activities during their work shift. Sine orthogonal distance regression was used to generate the labor loss functions for WBGT and air temperature. Using this model, we projected the welfare implications across the globe of climate change by estimating the labour productivity change between the years 2000 and 2040, using an extended unified general equilibrium framework combining labour mobility and trade interactions between locations. RESULTS: Our findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship with the highest labour productivity observed at 15 °C WBGT or ambient temperature (R2 0.95-0.98). By applying this model to project global welfare implications, we found that the ongoing climate change is expected to impair agricultural labour productivity, promoting significant labour mobility and wealth redistribution across the globe. In contrast to cold regions, which are projected to have average gains up to 6.3%, regions located close to the equator, where poverty is widespread, will face average losses up to 1.2% in productivity and wealth. CONCLUSIONS: Our projections show larger labour productivity losses in countries where poverty is widespread and the economy is heavily dependent on the agricultural sector. This creates concerns over whether the 1st Sustainable Development Goal involving eradication of poverty can be achieved by 2030.