The dynamics of household poverty in Indonesia are influenced by consumption patterns that often differ between men and women, especially in the socio-economic context of regions such as East Aceh which still face inequality in the role of household resource management. This study aims to explore how gender-based consumption priorities affect household economic vulnerability and resilience, as well as analyze the relationship between spending decisions, basic needs allocation, and poverty risk. Using a mixed-methods approach with an explanatory design, this study collected survey data from 60 household respondents as well as in-depth interviews with 12 key informants, including heads of households, housewives, and community leaders, which were then analyzed using descriptive statistics, linear regression, and thematic analysis. The results showed that households that prioritized consumption more on health, education, and children's needs, which were generally influenced by women's preferences, had a lower level of poverty vulnerability than households whose consumption was dominated by non-essential needs, lifestyle, or personal expenses that were more determined by men. These findings confirm that strengthening the role of women in household economic decision-making contributes significantly to welfare stability and poverty risk reduction. This research makes an important contribution to the development of gender theory and household economics, while offering practical implications for the design of more gender-responsive poverty alleviation policies.

The eradication of poverty and the alleviation of income inequality are key issues in economic development and the UN’s SDGs place particular emphasis on addressing these fundamental global challenges. This paper examines the impact of energy use, along with other key macroeconomic factors, on income inequality (measured by the Gini index) in a global panel of 170 countries from 1974 to 2023. The use of renewable energy is a particular focus of this research, since we explore whether income inequality can be reduced in an environmentally sustainable way. We find that general access to electricity, renewable energy consumption, energy use, GDP per capita, trade, and R&D spending all contribute to alleviating income inequality. Alternative and nuclear energy use, as well as fossil fuel energy consumption, also lower the Gini index. On the other hand, energy imports, the share of electricity generated by renewable power plants, population growth, unemployment, and inflation tend to worsen income inequality. FDI, as well as household savings, do not appear to have a statistically significant impact.

Background: Smoking is completely banned in various public places and workplaces by the prevalent law, but it still has not been enforced appropriately in these places. This poses serious health concerns, particularly for children and other vulnerable populations, arising out of the ill-effects of smoking and also the tendency to become victims of smoking. Objectives: This project made an attempt to assess the outcome of episodic drives against smoking (tobacco cessation intervention) in public places executed by different stakeholders empowered by the prevailing laws to reduce the incidence of smoking in public places and also identified the factors associated with smoking and smoking cessation. Material and Methods: It was a quasi-experimental study carried out over a period of 1 year in the urban and rural population of District Una, Himachal Pradesh. A total of 620 smokers (308 in urban and 312 in rural) were enrolled in the study, and a baseline and end-line survey using pre-tested, standardized, and semi-quantitative questionnaires were administered by the trained staff during house-to-house visits made for the identification of smokers, wherein the information on desired variables was collected. Special anti-smoking awareness and implementation drives involving the use of banners and audio messages were conducted, initially on monthly basis for 6 months followed by bimonthly programs during the next 6 months by various agencies such as scouts and guides; National Cadet Corps; Civil Defense; Panchayat members and Non-government Organizations along with one representative from among the project staff. Results: The majority of the participants in both the groups (rural and urban) belonged to the age group of 30– 45 years. The rural smokers were found to initiate smoking at a younger age as compared to urban ones. Before the start of the intervention, around half of both urban and rural smokers never considered quitting as an option. It was observed that the knowledge and attitude toward quitting smoking improved after these drives were conducted, which was better among urban participants. Smoking cessation was observed among 14.5% of smokers, with 83.3% of these in urban areas. The higher reduction observed in urban subjects could be attributed to higher literacy levels. Conclusion: Integration of such anti-smoking/tobacco control activities with developmental programs such as poverty alleviation, rural development schemes, women and child development, and tribal welfare programs can lead to extensive and widespread presence of these activities at the grassroots level.

Background Mitigating vulnerability to poverty among rural older adult households remains a critical challenge for developing countries striving to achieve poverty reduction goals. While the role of formal social support in alleviating rural poverty is recognized, the specific mechanisms through which it mitigates vulnerability among rural older adult households have not been sufficiently explored. Methods Using longitudinal data from the 2018–2022 waves of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study examines how formal social support affects the vulnerability to poverty among rural older adult households from a risk “shock-response” perspective. We categorize formal social support into preventive social support (PSS), risk mitigation social support (MSS), and safety net social support (SSS), while further investigating its spillover effects and regional heterogeneity. Results (1) formal social support significantly reduces vulnerability to poverty among rural older adult households; (2) a positive spillover effect exists, wherein formal social support fosters non-economic support provided by adult children and neighbors; and (3) this spillover effect exhibits significant regional heterogeneity, being notably weaker in Northeast China compared to other regions. Conclusion These findings underscore the criticality of understanding formal support mechanisms to optimize social support systems and refine poverty reduction governance. Particularly in the context of population mobility, these insights are vital for alleviating vulnerability to poverty among rural older adult households in China and addressing broader challenges of rural poverty in developing countries.

Poverty remains a structural challenge in Brebes Regency despite improvements in several socio-economic indicators, while empirical evidence on the roles of education and unemployment in shaping poverty at the local level remains mixed. This study aims to examine the effects of average years of schooling and the open unemployment rate on poverty levels in Brebes Regency during the 2014–2024 period. Using a quantitative approach, this study employs multiple linear regression analysis based on time-series data obtained from official publications of Statistics Indonesia. The results indicate that average years of schooling have a significant and negative effect on poverty levels, suggesting that improvements in educational attainment contribute to poverty reduction, whereas the open unemployment rate does not show a statistically significant effect despite exhibiting a positive relationship. Simultaneously, both variables explain a substantial proportion of the variation in poverty levels over the study period, highlighting the more consistent role of education compared to unemployment in explaining poverty dynamics in Brebes Regency. The study concludes that poverty alleviation policies should prioritize improving access to and the quality of education, particularly at the primary and secondary levels, while policy implications and future research directions emphasize the need to incorporate informal employment and other structural factors to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of poverty.

This research employs a quantitative approach using panel data regression analysis across selected Indonesian provinces during the period 2014 to 2024. The dependent variable is structural poverty, measured through composite indicators reflecting chronic poverty, exclusion from basic services, and intergenerational deprivation. Independent variables include corruption in public procurement, effectiveness of supervisory institutions, and inequality in social budget allocation. Data are obtained from secondary sources, including Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), and Transparency International. The results are expected to demonstrate that corruption in public procurement and unequal social budget allocation significantly increase structural poverty, while weak effectiveness of supervisory institutions exacerbates governance failures that sustain poverty traps. This study contributes empirically to the literature by integrating governance and poverty indicators within a panel data framework. The findings are expected to provide policy relevant insights for strengthening institutional oversight, improving transparency in public spending, and designing more equitable and effective poverty reduction strategies in Indonesia

This study examines the implementation of good governance in encouraging the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Village Fund utilization in Janti Village, Waru District, Sidoarjo Regency. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed, using in-depth interviews, direct observation, and document analysis of RPJMDes, RKPDes, APBDes, and accountability reports. The findings indicate that village fund management has complied with regulatory procedures and applied core principles of good governance, particularly transparency, accountability, and community participation. These practices have contributed to the achievement of several SDGs indicators, including poverty reduction, improved public health, quality education, gender equality, economic growth, infrastructure development, environmental resilience, and institutional strengthening at the village level. However, the overall achievement of SDGs Village remains suboptimal due to limited human resource capacity, insufficient technical understanding of SDGs indicators, and budgetary constraints. This study concludes that while good governance provides a strong institutional foundation, the effectiveness of SDGs achievement depends on the availability of competent human resources, adequate funding, and strategic prioritization aligned with SDGs indicators. Strengthening village capacity and targeted policy support are therefore essential to ensure sustainable and inclusive rural development.

This study aims to analyze the economic potential of cash waqf as a social finance instrument for poverty reduction in Indonesia, with particular attention to governance structures and integration into economic empowerment strategies. The research employs a qualitative library research approach by reviewing peer-reviewed journal articles, academic books, and institutional reports related to cash waqf, Islamic social finance, and poverty alleviation. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to synthesize conceptual and empirical insights from both Indonesian and comparative international contexts. The findings indicate that cash waqf in Indonesia has a large untapped economic potential, estimated at approximately IDR 180 trillion annually, with realization remaining below 10 percent. Effective implementation is closely associated with transparent governance, professional management, and institutional credibility. Furthermore, cash waqf demonstrates stronger and more sustainable poverty reduction outcomes when integrated into productive economic activities such as entrepreneurship development, microfinance, and social enterprises. The study discusses these findings through the lenses of social finance theory, institutional economics, and inclusive development. It argues that reframing cash waqf as a structured social finance instrument enhances its relevance for business-oriented policy discourse and strengthens its role in sustainable and inclusive economic development.

Abstract This study proposes the use of the Window Slack-Based Measure Data Envelopment Analysis model to create a composite index for evaluating material living conditions (MLCs). Findings reveal that reducing poverty has a greater effect on MLCs for women compared to men. The necessary poverty reduction increased between 2010 and 2012 and decreased between 2014 and 2016 for both genders. The adjustment for overcrowded housing showed no gender difference. Women consistently faced higher required reductions in severe material deprivation, while men had higher required reductions in the S80/S20 ratio. Women also required greater income increases to achieve an efficient level of MLCs, indicating a gender gap in income improvements. Furthermore, men consistently outperformed women in terms of MLCs across all windows. The study’s beta convergence model suggests that countries with lower initial MLC levels tend to experience faster growth rates, offering the potential to narrow the gap with countries initially having higher MLCs.

Pesantren not only function as religious educational institutions, but also develop as centers for economic empowerment and entrepreneurship based on Islamic values. This research aims to map the development of global research related to the theme of Islamic Boarding School & Entrepreneurship, identify the main thematic clusters, and formulate future research and development directions. The method used is a descriptive qualitative approach through meta-analysis and bibliometrics-based literature studies on 51 Scopus indexed journal articles. The analysis was performed using the VOSviewer software to visualize the keyword, author, and research cluster maps. The results of the study showed six main clusters, namely character education and social entrepreneurship, governance and effectiveness of pesantren management, the role of pesantren in poverty alleviation, pesantren entrepreneurship orientation, productive waqf for the sustainability of pesantren, and leadership and integrated learning system. These findings confirm that pesantren entrepreneurship plays a strategic role in building economic independence, strengthening the character of students, and empowering the community, as well as contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This research provides a conceptual contribution in the form of a comprehensive research map that can be a reference for academics, pesantren managers, and policy makers.

The research aims to examine the economic struggles faced by Muslims residing in non-Islamic countries using the case of Indian Muslims as an example. In these contexts, Muslims encounter difficulties in adhering to both national tax laws and Islamic Sharia principles. These economic conditions not only make it challenging to fulfill their religious obligations but also place the Muslim community at a disadvantage. The study primarily focuses on analyzing the treatment of the third pillar of Islam, "Zakah," and how its significance diminishes due to various factors present in non-Islamic societies. The research deeply probes the reasons why investment in precious metals (especially Gold) is comparatively less beneficial for Muslims than for non-Muslims, owing to Zakah obligations. It further explores the challenges faced by the community in identifying Sharia-compliant investment opportunities amid inflation, as well as their refusal to accept bank interest as compensation for inflation - factors that have a macroeconomic impact on their financial growth. The study also explores the inefficiencies in Zakah fund distribution caused by the absence of a centralized regulatory authority. Without an institutionalized framework for collection and allocation, the fund’s potential impact on poverty alleviation remains significantly constrained. The findings advocate for a harmonized mechanism to optimize Zakah deployment, ensuring measurable improvements in socio-economic conditions in non-Islamic countries where similar challenges persist.

This study investigates the contributions of smallholder wheat farming to rural livelihoods in Nigeria’s Sudan Savannah agroecological zone, focusing on food security, income generation, and poverty. The study was conducted across Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina States. We employ descriptive statistics, Endogenous Switching Probit Regression, and Instrumental Variable Quantile Treatment Effects to analyze data from 360 wheat farming households. Results reveal that wheat farming is profitable, and significantly enhances food security and income, particularly at moderate-to-high quantiles (30th–75th). However, 85% of households remain food insecure, with 71–85% facing mild-to-moderate access issues and 19–31% severe conditions, highlighting a disconnect between profitability and food access. Benefits skew toward wealthier farmers, with the most vulnerable (15th quantile) seeing limited gains. Wheat farming shows no significant impact on poverty at the 15th (0.0801, p > 0.05) and 30th (0.027, p > 0.05) quantiles, suggesting that the poorest farmers derive minimal benefits. However, significant positive effects emerge at the 45th (0.3491, p < 0.01), 60th (0.1909, p < 0.01), and 75th (0.6430, p < 0.01) quantiles, with the largest gains observed among wealthier households. These findings indicate that while wheat farming contributes to poverty reduction, its benefits are regressive, disproportionately favoring middle- and upper-income farmers. Our findings suggests improving credit access, irrigation, extension services, and market stability to ensure equitable and sustainable impacts. These findings underscore wheat farming’s potential to bolster livelihoods while emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to address systemic barriers and reduce Nigeria’s wheat import dependency.

Purpose The study aims to investigate the barriers limiting the adoption of digital wallets, particularly among the unbanked and examine how addressing these challenges can advance financial inclusion. Drawing on a structured analysis of personal, societal and technological factors, supported by cross-generational interviews, it identifies diverse user needs. The findings inform strategies to foster adoption, reduce financial inequalities, and promote sustainable digital finance, consistent with environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles and global sustainability objectives. Design/methodology/approach The study uses qualitative cross-generational interviews to examine the limited adoption of digital wallets particularly among the unbanked. It analyses internal, external and technological barriers, with the aim of advancing sustainable digital finance and supporting ESG integration and global sustainability goals through greater financial inclusion. Findings The study identifies key barriers to digital wallet adoption among the unbanked, including lack of trust, limited technology access and security concerns, and highlights opportunities such as improved financial literacy, targeted incentives and user-friendly solutions. Addressing these issues can advance financial inclusion, reduce inequality and support sustainable economic development. Practical implications Building trust through financial education, improving accessibility, designing user-centred interfaces, offering incentives and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration are vital to leveraging digital wallets for sustainable digital finance. These strategies can promote financial inclusion, support ESG integration and advance global sustainability goals by reducing disparities and strengthening financial resilience. Social implications Limited adoption of digital wallets constrains poverty alleviation and economic equality by excluding the unbanked from digital finance. This study highlights the need for inclusive design, targeted interventions and digital literacy to bridge the digital divide. Addressing social barriers can enable digital wallets to advance financial empowerment, resilience and equitable, sustainable development. Originality/value The study examines the distinct challenges faced by the unbanked in adopting digital wallets, focusing on poverty alleviation and age-specific interventions. By integrating generational perspectives and adoption barriers, it advances understanding of digital wallets' role in financial inclusion. The research provides original insights and targeted strategies to support sustainable digital finance and global sustainability goals.

ABSTRACT Climate change poses serious threats to rural welfare, particularly in agrarian economies like India, yet limited evidence exists on its long-term, subnational impacts. This study addresses that gap by examining how climatic variability, rising temperature, and fluctuating precipitation affect household consumption using district-level panel data spanning four decades across rural India. Employing a fixed-effects regression model, the analysis reveals that a 1°C increase in temperature leads to a 4.6% decline in consumption expenditure, while precipitation has a modest positive effect. The adverse effects are more severe in historically hotter and structurally disadvantaged districts lacking adequate infrastructure, financial access, and energy connectivity. Conversely, better-developed regions exhibit greater resilience. These findings highlight how climate exposure interacts with socioeconomic and infrastructural deficits to shape vulnerability. The study underscores the need for targeted adaptation policies and structural investments to build climate resilience and support sustainable development goals related to poverty and inequality reduction.

This article examines the implementation of Indonesia’s extreme-poverty alleviation policy in South Bolaang Mongondow Regency, North Sulawesi, focusing on centrally funded programs that provide housing construction and residential land for households classified as extremely poor. Guided by Dunn’s policy-implementation lens covering policy action, regulative, allocation, agencies, program, and project the study adopts a qualitative descriptive design. Primary data were gathered through non-participant observation and in-depth interviews with key informants; secondary data consist of village and district policy documents. Findings indicate that, while the policy is associated with a downward trajectory in extreme-poverty incidence, program execution remains uneven. Targeting errors persist: benefits are frequently captured by kin networks of village elites and diverted to poor households that do not meet the “extreme” threshold. Across Dunn’s dimensions, the most salient gaps include ambiguous regulatory criteria, weak allocation procedures, fragmented inter-agency coordination, and limited project-level transparency and accountability. We conclude that effectiveness is constrained less by policy design than by implementation failures. Strengthening beneficiary identification, instituting public verification and transparent quotas, improving cross-agency data sharing, and embedding social audit and grievance-redress mechanisms are recommended to close the policy practice gap.

ABSTRACT Poverty reduction remains a significant challenge globally, despite extensive efforts at both national and international levels. Past studies have observed that households are not only poor but also vulnerable to poverty and have suggested enhancing their coping capacity to end poverty. Recently, women's empowerment (WE) has gained attention among policymakers because of its effectiveness in increasing household coping capacity and reducing poverty. However, there have been limited studies that empirically examined the impact of WE on household vulnerability to poverty (VtP). This study aims to analyse the impact of WE on household VtP. Studies have also observed that financial inclusion (FI) removes barriers and strengthens WE; thus, the study also examined the moderating role of FI. Using cross‐sectional data from 467 rural households in the eastern Indian state, Odisha, the study used the Alkire‐Foster counting technique to measure both WE and FI, whereas a feasible generalised least squares (FGLS) approach was used to measure household VtP and an Instrumental Variable (IV) technique was employed to address potential endogeneity and assess the causal relationship. Findings from the IV estimates reveal that WE significantly reduces VtP, with the impact being stronger in households that have access to formal financial services. These findings underscore the importance of FI in rural areas and to maximise the benefit of WE, the study suggests that the government should emphasise WE and FI in rural areas.

ABSTRACT This study investigates whether political uncertainty (PU) motivates firms to voluntarily participate in the poverty alleviation campaign (PAC), a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative embedded with political natures, launched by the Chinese government. By leveraging a unique dataset of provincial officials’ turnover from 2016 to 2020 as a proxy for PU, we uncover that heightened uncertainty significantly boosts firms’ contributions to the PAC. This behavior suggests that firms strategically navigate political transitions by utilizing the PAC to strengthen their ties with government stakeholders. Notably, firms with a pronounced need for political connections exhibit an even greater propensity to engage in the PAC. Beyond the political dimension, our findings highlight substantial economic rewards for participating firms. Moreover, our results reveal that firms’ contributions to the PAC crowd out other forms of CSR, indicating that politically salient CSR becomes an important channel for maintaining government alignment under uncertainty. These findings provide novel evidence on politically embedded CSR by showing that PAC serves as a strategic and effective mechanism for firms to cultivate political legitimacy. This study also enriches the understanding of how business—government interactions unfold in the context of short cadre rotations.

Rubber plantations in Northeastern Thailand play a central role in poverty reduction, income generation, and rural livelihoods. Farmers in these areas face diverse risks that threaten production and income stability, making effective risk management essential. This study aims to identify key risks, examine the strategies used by farmers to manage them, and analyze the relationships between risk factors and management responses. Data were collected through structured household interviews with 260 farmers selected purposively from Ubon Ratchathani and Bueng Kan provinces. Factor analysis was employed to identify the dimensions of risk and management strategies, while path analysis was used to examine their interrelationships. The results revealed seven categories of risk: technical and management, production, price and market, natural disaster, income, middleman, and farm skill and competency. These factors together explained 63.63 percent of the total variance. Farmers adopted eight main categories of management strategies: participation in government programs, improvement of farm skills and workforces, sale of high-quality rubber through auction markets, flexible tapping systems, updated market and production information, engagement in farmer groups, household financial and debt management, and production diversification. These strategies explained 60.64 percent of the variance. Price and market risks were perceived at the highest level. They were positively associated with reliance on updated production and market information, and negatively associated with participation in government programs, auction market sales, and structured debt management. The findings suggest that most farmers are risk averse and rely primarily on reactive coping strategies rather than proactive approaches. To strengthen resilience, government support should move beyond short term assistance toward proactive strategies that include price stabilization mechanisms, forward contracts, income diversification, and climate adaptive practices.

ABSTRACT Against the backdrop of liberal capitalist democracies, the welfare state has emerged as a crucial institution that aims to reconcile market‐driven economic growth with social justice imperatives. The introduction of MGNREGA in 2005 exemplifies welfare intervention with the objectives of poverty alleviation, livelihood security and the empowerment of marginalised communities. Drawing on concepts such as decommodification and the state‐in‐society approach, this study evaluates the efficiency of the MGNREGA across India's diverse sociocultural landscape. By employing a combined approach that integrates data envelopment analysis (DEA) and machine learning (ML) models, such as random forest, this study reveals efficient decision‐making units. This study identifies key efficiency drivers for exploring the relationships among resource allocation, workforce participation and various development outcomes achieved through MGNREGA across all 726 districts of India. By weaving together the threads of regional disparities, state capabilities and implementation outcomes, this study sheds light on the enigma of MGNREGA's uneven success across diverse states in India. Notably, nationally, 36.09% of the districts are efficient, 22.59% are moderately efficient, and 41.32% are inefficient. In essence, while financial factors are necessary for MGNREGA implementation, socio‐economic factors, rural infrastructure development and targeted interventions play pivotal roles in determining efficiency.

Ethnic minority women in China occupy a unique social position shaped by the combined forces of gender, ethnicity and regional development disparities. Although national efforts in poverty alleviation, ethnic education reform and labour market expansion have improved overall conditions, minority women continue to face unequal access to educational resources, limited employment mobility and deeply embedded cultural expectations that restrict their life choices. This study examines these challenges through the analytical perspectives of Gender Role Theory and Connells gender and power framework, with the aim of identifying the structural mechanisms that shape womens opportunities and constrain their social mobility. Drawing on secondary data and two illustrative case studies, Huaping Girls High School in Yunnan and the employment experiences of Mongolian women in Inner Mongolia, the study explores how educational interventions, community perceptions, local labour markets and cultural norms interact to influence womens trajectories. The findings show that targeted educational support can significantly enhance minority girls access to higher education and long-term development, while rapid socio-economic transitions may intensify tensions between modern labour demands and traditional gender expectations. The study concludes that meaningful progress in promoting gender equality among ethnic minority women requires coordinated policy interventions, community engagement and culturally informed strategies that address both structural inequities and local social norms.