Living Standards Measurement Survey Research Articles

Does digital finance improve welfare effects of maize farmers’ productivity gains?

PurposeIn Burkina Faso, maize is a key component in farm households’ food security and welfare. However, maize productivity in the country is low and productivity improvements do not necessarily result in better living conditions. This paper aims to establish linkages between maize productivity and welfare by considering the context of digital finance adoption for farmers in Burkina Faso.Design/methodology/approachFor this purpose, we use an endogenous switching regression approach on the Burkina Faso’s Living Standard Measurement Survey of 2018.FindingsOur estimates show that digital finance adoption enhances the transmission of productivity gains to farm households’ welfare, with the welfare elasticity of maize productivity almost twice higher for digital finance adopters.Social implicationsOur findings highlight the importance of increasing the access to digital finance to improve farm household welfare.Originality/valueThis manuscript makes the valuable contribution of analysing the heterogeneity of the transmission of agricultural productivity to welfare, with a focus on the identification of the role of digital finance.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-01-2024-0077

Clean Energy Adoption in Developing Countries: New Evidence of the Relevance of Risk Aversion and Education

Cooking with relatively clean fuel has numerous benefits, including reducing pollution and improving health and socioeconomic outcomes. Hence, some developing countries have implemented policies to promote LPG use. However, risks of accidents and explosions may prevent risk-averse households from adopting LPG. This study examines the causal effect of risk aversion on the adoption and expenditure of LPG using the seventh round of the Ghana Living Standards Measurement Survey and a double hurdle approach. We find that risk-averse households are four per cent less likely to adopt LPG and, if adopted, spend significantly less on LPG. The result holds even after endogeneity has been addressed with diverse econometric strategies. However, the effect disappears in households where the primary decision-makers have no formal education, while it is systematically stronger when they are educated. The results imply measures that reduce the actual and perceived dangers of LPG usage could effectively increase adoption rates.

Effect of Non-Farm Income on Income Inequality in Pakistan

The portion of farm households' income outside the farm, such as non-farm salaries and wages, pensions, and interest income, is referred to as non-farm income. In Pakistan, non-farm profit is an essential source of income. "income inequality" describes the inequitable income distribution between people or families in a community or economy. Income inequality is a significant issue worldwide, including in Pakistan. This research estimated the effect of non-farm income on rural and urban areas and analyzed the relationship between non-farm income and income inequality within households. Secondary data from the Pakistan Social and Living Standard Measurement Survey Household data (2019-20) was used. Multinomial Logistic Regression was applied to the data, and income inequality was calculated using the Gini coefficient. The population was divided into quartiles to measure income distribution. The research found that non-farm income raises income inequality, while farm income is an income equalizer among the population. The reason behind this is that a major portion of income or wealth is accessed by the upper society, with only a minor portion reaching the lower levels of the population. Specifically, the Gini coefficient for non-farm income was 0.65, indicating higher inequality, compared to 0.45 for farm income. In urban areas, non-farm income provides large opportunities, while rural areas predominantly depend on the farm sector. There is a need to raise awareness about the non-farm sector in rural sector. The study's policy implications include the following: In order to improve agricultural households' income and low-income disparity, non-farm income activities have to be promoted. The study also suggests that Inequalities within rural communities should be addressed as part of an equal development strategy, in addition to the rural-urban gap.

Migrant remittances and the adoption of information and communication technology

In this study, we demonstrate that migrant families adopt ICT more than non-migrant households, the diffusion is higher among the recipients of remittances resulting from the long-duration, long-distance international migration than the short-duration, short-distance migration, and that foreign remittance recipients adopt advanced technologies to a greater extent compared to domestic remittance-recipients. We empirically test these hypotheses by using data on 160,624 households from the 2019 to 20 round of the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey and employing an instrumental-variable strategy as well as generalized two-step Heckman and Augmented Inverse Probability Weighting estimators. We come up with evidence of the significant effects of remittances on ICT adoption. Households with at least one domestic or international migrant, on average have 0.27 per capita mobile ownership and 0.12 higher probability of having internet at home compared to non-recipient households. This effect is visible more among international-remittance than domestic-remittance-receiving households. ICT adoption also increases with the amount received. We find that remittances accelerate the adoption of smartphones and social media apps. Besides, while international remittances substantially increase the use of smartphones, internet and social media apps, domestic remittances mainly improve basic phone adoption. Remittances also help reduce the rural-urban and male-female digital divide.

Electrification or deforestation? Evidence from household practices in Côte d’Ivoire

This paper investigates the impact of electrification on household practices related to deforestation in Côte d’Ivoire, specifically focusing on the expansion of arable farms and the use of biomass fuels. A theoretical framework inspired by the heterogeneous agricultural households model proposed by Angelsen (1999) is employed to theoretically elucidate the relationship between electrification and the expansion of arable farms. Using data from the latest four waves of the household Living Standards Measurement Surveys (1998, 2002, 2008, and 2015) and a pseudo-panel fixed effects regression model, we find that increased access to electricity significantly reduces both the average size of arable farms and the collection of firewood from forests. These results are robust across various alternative specifications and estimation methods. Moreover, an electrification threshold of approximately 80% has been identified, beyond which the beneficial impacts of electrification on forest loss would disappear.

Post-Flood Challenges to Polio Eradication in Pakistan

This study aims to investigate the effect of flood on polio vaccination coverage among children aged 0-2 years in Pakistan, with a particular emphasis on the impact of floods on vaccination rates in both urban and rural areas, male and female, families of varying sizes, families with educated and uneducated heads, and the socio-economic status of households. The study utilized household-level data from the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement surveys conducted between 2004-05 and 2014-15. Difference-in-Differences (DID) analysis and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were employed, treating the flood as a quasi-natural experiment. The flood in 2010 in Pakistan disrupted polio vaccination coverage significantly; particularly in rural areas and among households led by uneducated parents. During the flood, 135 out of 1000 children aged 0-2 years were not fully vaccinated against poliovirus, and this number varied across different regions and family sizes with 171 fewer children per 1000 fully vaccinated during the flood in rural flooded areas. The adverse effects persisted for several years, with disparities observed based on parental education, gender, and household assets. Despite some recovery, the decline in polio immunization coverage remained significant in the years following the flood, especially in large families and impoverished households. Disparities based on gender, socioeconomic status, parental education, and family size were evident. Regardless of global efforts to combat polio, natural disasters like floods pose significant challenges to immunization programs, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions and improved disaster preparedness in vulnerable regions.

Improved drinking water, healthier children? Evidence from Pakistan

Purpose One of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals is to ensure the availability of improved drinking water for everyone. In this study, we examine the association between access to improved drinking water at the district level and child nutritional outcomes in Pakistan.Design/methodology/approach We employ district-level unbalanced panel data from Pakistan from various rounds of Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Surveys and Multiple Indicators Cluster Surveys compiled by the Data4Pakistan, Pakistan District Development Portal. We examine the impact of the percentage of the population in a given district with access to clean drinking water on the percentage of stunted, underweight and wasted children in the district. The analysis proceeds in two steps. In the first step, we explore the spatial distribution of improved drinking water coverage and child development outcomes across districts. In the second step, we study their relationship by employing standard panel estimation methods and controlling for district characteristics.Findings The spatial analysis reveals the large disparity among districts and provinces in terms of improved drinking water coverage and child nutrition. The estimation results indicate that there is a significant association between the accessibility of improved drinking water and child development outcomes. The effect is significant for child stunting and underweight but not for child wasting. The impact appears to be stronger in rural districts. These findings are robust to alternate empirical strategies.Originality/value This is the first such study to examine the provision of improved drinking water at the district level in relation to child developmental outcomes in a developing country context.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-09-2023-0739

Unveiling the Dynamics of Household Poverty: Empirical Insights from a Developing Country

ABSTRACT This study examines the determinants of poverty across all provinces using 2019–20 data from the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) survey. The results from binary logistic regression analysis reveal several significant findings; household size, the square of the household head’s age, marital status and province-specific factors are positively associated with a household head’s classification as poor. Conversely, the age and gender of the household head, educational levels of the household head, household characteristics, and assets exhibit negative correlations with poverty. The findings will offer valuable insights for policymakers to formulate targeted poverty reduction strategies toward potential solutions.

Gendered livelihoods and the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices in Nigeria

Feminist research maintains that livelihood activities are socially differentiated. While gendered unevenness in livelihood opportunities may condition the agricultural adaptive capacities of male-headed households (MHHs) and female-headed households (FHHs) to climate change, the gendered dimensions of livelihood activities have not been addressed in much of the climate-smart agriculture practices (CSAPs) adoption literature. This paper expands feminist livelihood research by analysing gendered dimensions of livelihood activities and their relation to the adoption and intensity of the use of CSAPs. The analysis draws on a nationally representative Living Standards Measurement Survey - Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) panel dataset from Nigeria. The research findings show that a significantly higher percentage of FHHs (51%) are involved in on-farm activities compared to their MHHs (38%) counterparts (p < 0.01). The results further show that gendered household headship (HH) is significantly associated with the adoption of CSAPs. Moreover, based on a feminist approach to livelihoods, we find that livelihood diversification moderates the relationship between gendered HH and CSAP adoption intensity. This suggests that FHHs with more livelihood opportunities have a greater probability of adopting a greater number of CSAPs than MHHs. The paper concludes with policy recommendations for the promotion of CSAPs and sheds light on how the Nigerian government can formulate gender-sensitive policies to promote the adoption of CSAPs.

Household resilience and mitigating strategies to conflicts and shocks: evidence from household data in Uganda and Malawi

ABSTRACT We examine household food security resilience to conflict and shock in Uganda and Malawi using data from the Household Living Standards Measurement Survey. We collect data on resilience components such as education, asset ownership, dwelling characteristics, water access, and sanitation facilities. Principal component analysis is used to generate factor weights for constructing the Resilience Capacity Index, which measures overall household resilience capacity and individual resilience components. The resilience capacity is then used in regression models to assess its mitigating effects on food security during conflicts and shocks. Our results indicate that resilience capacity significantly reduces the adverse effects of conflict and shock on food security. In Malawi, household head education contributes most to food security, while in Uganda, water access is the most critical component. In Malawi, water access resilience diminishes the impact of conflict, sanitation resilience reduces the impacts of flooding, and dwelling characteristics lessen the effects of drought, although the effect size is small. In Uganda, asset ownership resilience mitigates the impacts of drought, while sanitation resilience reduces the adverse effects of conflict. These findings highlight the importance of different resilience components in enhancing food security under various adverse conditions.

Understanding the determinants of household cooking-fuel choice in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from Nigeria

Abstract Overreliance on traditional cooking fuels by agricultural households poses a significant obstacle to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 by 2030 in Nigeria. Despite the emerging recognition of remittances as a crucial factor influencing cooking-fuel choices in the energy-transition literature, there is a paucity of studies examining this influence in Nigeria. Using data from 4400 agricultural households sourced from the fourth wave of the Nigerian Living Standard Measurement Survey data sets, this study examined the influence of remittances on cooking-fuel choices, among other factors in Nigeria. Employing descriptive statistics and the multinomial logit regression model, the analysis reveals that traditional cooking fuels, including wood, crop residue and animal dung, continue to dominate the cooking-fuel landscape. The empirical result of the multinomial logit model showed that households that receive remittances are more likely to use modern cooking fuels. Furthermore, wealthier, more educated households with access to electricity are more likely to use modern and transitional cooking fuels than traditional cooking fuels. Based on the findings, the study suggests the incentivization of remittances into the country through the reduction in associated transaction costs and accelerated public infrastructural investment in affordable electricity and good road networks to connect rural areas to gas-supply networks to drive the transition to modern cooking energy. Additionally, educational and awareness campaigns about the health risks associated with traditional cooking energy, particularly indoor air pollution, should be encouraged, especially in rural areas.

Does shifting from subsistence to commercial farming improve household nutrition and poverty? evidence from Malawi, Tanzania and Nigeria

The current study sought to assess the effect of smallholder crop commercialization on household nutrition security and poverty status. Recent government efforts have gone beyond investing in agricultural production, thereby establishing markets for smallholder farmers in order to commercialize the agricultural sector. As such, developing countries like Malawi, Tanzania, and Nigeria are slowly transitioning to a market economy in order to improve the livelihoods of their people. To that effect, the study used country-wide representative data from Malawi, Tanzania, and Nigeria collected under the World Bank Living Standards Measurement Surveys (LSMS) and employed an instrumented-censored (probit and tobit) model to solve for endogeneity bias. The results show that poverty and nutrition insecurity were higher among subsistence farmers, emphasizing the need for a shift towards commercialization of the country's agricultural sector. Furthermore, farmer social and institutional context significantly influenced market participation. The study hence recommends a tailor-made extension delivery system, cutting across gender divides and other social barriers among smallholder farm households, in order to improve crop production among subsistence farmers, ensure household food security, and increase income from the sale of surplus crop output.

Does the small business programme benefit self-employed workers? Evidence from Nicaragua

ABSTRACT Business and skills training programmes have been a popular social policy intervention to increase productivity of the self-employed in developing countries. We study the Small Business of the Family Economy programme, a government business training programme designed to assist Nicaraguan self-employed workers. Using data from three rounds of the Nicaragua Living Standards Measurement Survey, we employ a difference-in-differences strategy to exploit variation in eligibility for the programme across time and economic activity. Our estimates indicate that the programme does not increase self-employed workers’ earnings overall. However, we find heterogeneous treatment effects for female self-employed workers with low educational attainment, which could be explained by increased working months and having a second job.

Demand for secondary schooling in Pakistan: A cross income group analysis

Secondary education for all is one of the UN’s attainable goals. Many countries, including Pakistan, are struggling to achieve this target. Earlier research has attempted to analyze the determinants of secondary schooling by taking the total income of households. However, households of different income groups respond differently to varying socio-economic factors. This study attempts to identify the household-level socio-economic determinants of secondary schooling across different income groups in Pakistan. It utilizes national survey data from the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) Survey 2019-20. We selected households from the dataset that had at least one member of secondary school age (13-20 years). Households that enrolled a secondary school-age member in school or whose member achieved secondary schooling were categorized as having demand for secondary schooling. Furthermore, instead of taking the total income of households, study takes six categories of income. The results of logit estimation show that demand for secondary schooling increases across successive income groups, indicating secondary schooling is a normal commodity. The proportion of male school-going age members and having a female head increase the likelihood of demand for secondary schooling. The study recommends that policies to increase enrollment at the secondary level may focus more on lower-income groups and on the education of females.

Unraveling the Gender Gap: A Comparative Analysis of School Enrollment and Secondary Education Completion in Pakistan's Provinces

This study examines the gender gap in school enrollment and secondary school completion in Pakistan using secondary data from the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey (PSLM) and Pakistan Education Statistics reports. A comparative analysis of the four provinces and their districts is conducted to identify regional dynamics contributing to gender disparities in education. The research investigates the relationship between students who ever attended school, those who passed secondary school, and the gender gap in enrollment. Descriptive statistics analyze school enrollment rates and dropouts across different regions. Data from the official governmental reports, including the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and PSLM (2019-20), and education statistics reports from 2017 for Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan, serve as the foundation for this analysis. The study offers valuable insights into the complex web of causality and influence shaping the persistence of gender disparities in education in Pakistan.

Understanding poverty dimensions and transitions in Malawi: A panel data approach

Poverty alleviation remains one of the ancient goals of Malawi as the country has since 1994 adopted a poverty alleviation strategy throughout its developmental programs. Through the support of the World Bank, a poverty monitoring system was put in place whose data are collected through the Living Standards Measurement Surveys (LSMS). However, since the establishment of the LSMS, findings of different assessments and eras have revealed instabilities in the country’s poverty levels overtime. What remains unclear is whether households have been able to move out of poverty or not. The current study employed a two wave LSMS panel of 2016 and 2019 and assessed poverty dimensions including poverty incidence, depth and severity. The study further assessed the determinants of poverty transitions in order to understand movements in and out of poverty. Household size, gender of household head, education level of the household head, agricultural land holding sizes, access to credit, residence (urban or rural) and expected shocks significantly influenced the poverty dimensions and poverty transition. It is hence imperative that proper strategies that embrace robust and sustainable credit systems, improvement in literacy levels of the Malawian population, and further improving agricultural land productivity can help reduce poverty and further move households out of poverty. Such initiatives should take into consideration the gender divide and the rapid population growth faced by the country.

Spatial Distribution And Clustering Of The Proportion Of Disabled Individuals By Districts In Punjab.

Disabilities are globally endemic and will increase with population ageing and ubiquitous prevalence of non- communicable diseases. The Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement survey conducted in 2019-20 is the only district-level representative survey that provides proportion of disabled individuals. The survey used a standardized and validated six-questions from the 'Washington Group Questions' that identify functional disabilities pertaining to difficulty in the domains of sight, hearing, walking/climbing steps, remembering/ concentrating, self-care (washing/dressing), and communicating/being understood. Disabilities were more common in men in both urban and rural areas of districts. Clustering of highest percentage of disabled persons were found in the north-western districts, while lower percentages were seen on the north-eastern districts. Test for the spatial autocorrelation of cumulative disability in the entire study area of Punjab province was found to be statistically significant. Findings underscore the need for better targetted health and social services for the disabled individuals in the Punjab province.

The dynamics of traditions and women’s employment: Evidence from a developing country

&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 8pt; line-height: 14pt; text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Cambria',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: '等线 Light'; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"&gt;The workforce participation rate, and hence the level of employment, for women in Pakistan is among the lowest in South Asia &amp;ndash; standing at 25 percent in 2023. Conventional explanations attribute this to poor skills and cultural norms of families and society at large. Empirical work has established that low levels of education, and community attitudes regarding gender roles, hinder women's labor force participation. Ethnographic work suggests that household rules &amp;ndash; family culture &amp;ndash; on who makes decisions about opportunities for married women to work outside of the home for pay &amp;ndash; profoundly impact female employment. This is due to the limited availability of data pertaining to explicit assessments of familial traditions that are pertinent to women's participation in the workforce beyond their domestic sphere. Drawing on data from the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey (PSLM): 2005-2006 &amp;ndash; which provides information, from married women, on who in the family decides if they can work &amp;ndash; we address this shortcoming in the literature. We find that in families where the decision lies clearly, and exclusively, in the hands of males, married women are 18-19 percent less likely to be employed than if the family culture is for married women &amp;ndash; alone &amp;ndash; to make this decision. Moreover, this is a much larger deterrent to work than poor education and residential location.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Socioeconomic Determinants of Wage Differential at Workplace: A Case Study of Pakistan

This study examines three socioeconomic determinants of wage differentials at work among males and females, males only and females only. Secondary data from the Pakistan Living Standards Measurement Survey (PSLM) 2018-19 and binary logistic regression techniques were used to assess the wage differential in Pakistan's workplace. Female respondents are more likely to suffer from low wages at work than male respondents. As a result, the wage differential exists according to gender. High-educated respondents are less likely to fall into lower salaries than those with primary education. Based on the study results, a wage differential at work is more likely to occur for unmarried respondents than for married respondents. There is a wage differential between respondents in managerial-related occupations and those in other fields. Even though all determinants of wage differential have their impact, personal attributes like education play a significant role in determining wage differentials at the workplace. Men who are married earn lower wages at work than unmarried men, according to the results. Wage differentials are affected by marital status. The wage differential persists as male education increases, with higher-educated men earning lower wages. Men who do not work in managerial occupations are more likely to face wage differentials than managers. It is less likely that rural males will face wage differentials. In addition, male respondents in Punjab are less likely to fall into lower income levels at work than respondents in other regions. This suggests that wage differentials are affected by various factors, including region, marital status, and education. However, more research is needed to understand the exact causes of wage differentials between men and women. It is also essential to recognize that wage differentials are not always based on gender alone. Other factors like race or ethnicity may also affect wage disparities.

Mind the Gap: Schooling, Informality, and Fiscal Externalities in Nepal

Abstract While increasing years of schooling has been a long-standing development priority, the associated fiscal costs and benefits have been less studied, because of a lack of appropriate data. Recently, an UNESCO-funded project measured subsidies, by levels of schooling, from all levels of government, in eight developing countries including Nepal. The household-level Nepal Living Standards Measurement Survey provides information to estimate the degree of formality, tax payments, and benefit receipts as a function of schooling years. Using a simple Mincer-like model, this study estimates the fiscal externality of an additional year of school. It finds that within primary school, fiscal benefits and costs, on the margin, are quite balanced, with subsidies close to the present value of future taxes minus benefits. At higher levels of schooling, however, marginal fiscal benefits exceed costs by 5 percent of per capita consumption. This contrasts with previous literature on social returns and assumptions underlying multilateral development goals.