Poverty Reduction Research Articles

The impact of small scale fish farming on poverty reduction in South-East Zone of Nigeria

Over the years, successive administrations in Nigeria have embarked on numerous poverty reduction programmes aimed at reducing the poverty rate in Nigeria. These efforts have not yielded much result as poverty rate has continued to soar and pervade every geo-political zone in Nigeria. The poverty situation, coupled with the low uptake of fish farming technology in the south-east zone has prompted the need to examine the impact of small-scale fish farming on poverty reduction in the south-east zone of Nigeria. The dependent variable of the study is poverty reduction, which has household expenditure as its proxy. The independent variable is small-scale fish farming, proxy by income, employment, food security and consumption multiplier. Data collection was made through in-depth Interview (IDI) guide, while analysis was done using thematic analysis technique. A total of 40 participants, comprising of 30 fish-farm owners and 10 employees were selected purposively from the states of Anambra, Ebonyi and Imo for the interview. The study findings suggest that small-scale fish farmingin the study area impacts positively on poverty reduction, as increase in each of the independent variables tends to increase the dependent variable. The study recommended the establishment of fish farm settlements; granting of credit facilities to fish farmers; establishment of skill acquisition and training centers for farm employees; and improvement electricity supply and road network for lower energy cost and easy transportation of fish products. Keywords: Fish Farming, Small-Scale, Poverty Reduction.

A Statistical Analysis and Strategic Recommendations on Global Educational Investment and Poverty Reduction

Purpose: This study examines the relationship between educational funding and poverty alleviation worldwide. By analyzing data from 1960 to 2023, encompassing 71 countries, it aims to understand how increasing educational investment impacts poverty rates. Methodology: The analysis utilized data from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators. Data cleaning was performed using Excel, while statistical analyses were conducted using Python’s sci-kit-learn, SciPy, NumPy, Matplotlib, and IBM’s SPSS. The methodologies included a normal model setup, Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), linear regression, hypothesis testing, and confidence interval computation to establish correlations and predict outcomes. Findings: The study discovered a negative correlation between education funding and poverty rates. Specifically, a 1% increase in educational spending as a percentage of GDP correlates with a 3.09% reduction in poverty rates. The 95% confidence interval of [-4.979, -1.201] and the hypothesis test with a p value of 0.002 on the slope of the regression line further reinforce the observed negative trend. GPR predictions indicate that the decrease in poverty rate changes from about 5% to 10% of population as educational funding rises from 0% to 1.5% of GDP. The likelihood of annual poverty rate increase stands at 40.46%, with a potential 0.4052% rise in such cases. Unique contribution to theory, practice, and policy: This study recommends progressive educational funding reforms, targeted tax credits for educational investments, and strategic educational programs aligned with labor market needs. Policy implications suggest a multilateral approach involving governments, corporations, and citizens to foster substantial improvements in education and poverty reduction efforts. These findings advocate for data-driven policy reforms to optimize the socio-economic benefits of educational funding globally.

Analysis of some socio-economic factors affecting maternal health in Nigeria

This study examined socio-economic factors affecting maternal health in Nigeria. Mothers and children are at the highest risk of disease and death. Deaths of infants and children under-5 years are peculiar and closely related to maternal health, and the risk of death of children increases if their mothers die in childbirth. This study employed secondary data obtained from World Bank, CBN, and Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey from 1990 to 2022. Using the Error Correction Model (ECM), the data were subjected to regression analysis, where we estimated the relationship between dependent variable (maternal mortality) and independent variables (poverty rate, literacy rate, and level of government expenditure on health). The results show that poverty, literacy and government provision of healthcare facilities are major socio-economic factors affecting maternal health in Nigeria. This study therefore, recommended increase in budgetary allocation to the health sector, diversification of the economy aimed at poverty reduction, and the enforcement of free and compulsory basic education especially for the girl child, as the panacea for poor maternal health in Nigeria. Keywords: Mortality, Poverty, Literacy.

Climate, weather, and child health: quantifying health co-benefits

Climate change affects human health negatively in a number of complex ways, and children are particularly vulnerable. Quantifying the negative impacts of climate change on health, and identifying locations where children are at greater risk, can aid evidence-based policy making. We combine high-resolution climatic data with a dataset on infant and child mortality, wasting, and stunting, from more than a hundred countries, to estimate the effects of both gradual and acute climate change, focusing on drought and heatwaves, to plausibly attribute changing child health outcomes to historical climate change. Our results suggest a non-linear relationship between temperature and children’s health, adverse effects of increases in acute events, and a strong regional heterogeneity in these impacts. Our findings also highlight the importance of poverty reduction. Greater wealth is associated with better child health outcomes, and partially mitigates the negative impacts of climate change on child health. Finally, using updated warming scenarios, our projections show that there are substantial health co-benefits from achieving low emissions scenarios.

Pengaruh Tingkat Pengangguran Terbuka, Indeks Pembangunan Manusia, Laju Pertumbuhan PDRB Per Kapita dan Upah Minimum Provinsi Terhadap Persentase Penduduk Miskin di Indonesia pada Tahun 2021-2023

Poverty is a problem faced by Indonesia that affects social and economic welfare. This research aims to analyze the influence of the Open Unemployment Rate (TPT), Human Development Index (HDI), GDP Growth Rate per capita, and Provincial Minimum Wage (UMP) on the percentage poor population in Indonesia in 2021-2023. The data used is secondary data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) which covers 34 provinces in Indonesia. The research method uses the Common Effects Model (CEM), Fixed Effects Model (FEM), and Random Effects Model (REM) estimation models, with the Chow test and Hausman test to determine the best model. The research results show that TPT and UMP have a significant influence on the percentage of poor people, while HDI and GDP growth rate per capita are not significant. Rate and provincial minimum wages play an important role in poverty reduction efforts in Indonesia. The results of this research provide useful insights for policy makers in formulating effective strategies to improve community welfare

EFFECTIVENESS OF EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 70 OR THE NATIONAL TASK FORCE TO END LOCAL COMMUNIST ARMED CONFLICT: EXPERIENCES ON THE POVERTY REDUCTION, LIVELIHOOD, AND EMPLOYMENT CLUSTER OF THE SELECTED COMMUNITIES IN KIBAWE, BUKIDNON, PHILIPPINES

This study examines the experiences of the selected communities in the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF- ELCAC) Poverty Reduction, Livelihoods, and Employment Cluster of Executive Order No. 70. It utilized qualitative research through the phenomenology approach as it studied the experiences of the selected communities in Kibawe, Bukidnon. It employed thematic analysis in this investigation to assess the study’s focus group discussion. The study concludes that the whole-of-the-nation approach of the government was an effective tool for the government to uplift the living conditions of the selected communities by reducing poverty through livelihood and employment programs, penetrating the most insurgency-vulnerable areas in the municipality, and increasing the representation of the selected communities in the local government units through their representatives. These programs and projects under NTF-ELCAC PRLEC have had a political, social, and economic impact on the lives of the selected communities by reducing poverty, providing work opportunities for the communities, and helping them to become self-reliant without revolting against the government.

The Sustainable Development Model of China’s Tourism-Based Poverty Alleviation Industry: Analysis of the Configuration of an Active Government, an Efficient Market and a Caring Society

Tourism-based poverty alleviation strategies have played an important role in China’s efforts to eliminate poverty. In the post-poverty-alleviation era, the mechanism by which the government, market and society jointly promote the sustainable development of the tourism-based poverty alleviation industry requires further research. Based on data from 33 tourism-based poverty alleviation demonstration counties in China, this paper uses the fsQCA method to explore the role positioning and function of the three major entities of government, market and society. The results show that no single condition can promote the long-term development of tourism-based poverty alleviation. Four modes are proposed: government financial support, resource endowment, ecosystem tourism and multisubject coordination. The government provides a diverse and sustainable “haematopoietic” mechanism by focusing on different elements in each path. In addition, public tourism services are crucial to the long-term mechanism of tourism-based poverty alleviation.

Which freedoms benefit the poor? A two‐horse race between economic and political freedoms on health‐adjusted life expectancy and child mortality, 1990–2020

AbstractWe examine theoretically and empirically whether democratic rights might be superior to economic rights in a two‐horse race, utilizing indicators of poverty reduction, such as health‐adjusted life expectancy (HALE) and child mortality as outcomes. The results show robustly that economic freedoms associate positively with HALE and negatively with child mortality, while the effect of democracy is more mixed. Studies reporting a negative effect of political freedoms on child mortality without accounting for economic freedoms, thus, are potentially mis‐specified. These results are robust to a barrage of tests, alternative data, estimating method and formal tests of omitted variables bias.

Ecosystem restoration coupled with poverty alleviation in eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu‐Natal Province, South Africa

Ecosystem restoration is a necessity for addressing socio‐ecological challenges by improving ecosystem resilience and alleviating poverty through local community involvement. Here, we review a community‐based, large‐scale ecosystem restoration program, Working for Ecosystems, implemented by eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa, between 2007 and 2022. For this study, we interrogated monthly and annual reports generated by the program between 2011 and 2021 to describe how the program worked to suppress invasive alien plants (IAPs) and provided employment opportunities to marginalized groups (women, youth, military veterans, and people living with disabilities). Annual budget was positively correlated with the area cleared of IAPs and effort (person‐days in the field). The program successfully incorporated marginalized groups, but military veterans and people living with disabilities remained in smaller numbers and were not well quantified. Participants were encouraged to constitute companies—Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises—that were then subcontracted to the program or could progress to other endeavors, allowing other community members to enter the program. A steady increase in the implementation budget emphasized the need for a long‐term plan to ensure accountability and sustainability of restoration and socio‐ecological systems.

Digital Economy and Poverty Reduction in Africa: The Role of Governance Quality

Digital Economy and Poverty Reduction in Africa: The Role of Governance Quality

A statistical evaluation of the effectiveness of multidimensional relative poverty alleviation efforts in China

A statistical evaluation of the effectiveness of multidimensional relative poverty alleviation efforts in China

Achieving sustainable development in ECOWAS countries: the impact of trade openness, poverty and human capital

This study investigates the relationship among trade openness, poverty, and human capital development in the pursuit of sustainable development across a panel of ten ECOWAS economies over a 34-year period (1987–2020). Specifically, it examines the roles of trade openness, poverty, and human capital development in sustainable development, while also exploring the moderating role of trade openness on the poverty-sustainable development relationship within the ECOWAS region. To conduct this analysis, the study employs panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) using both the Pool Mean Group (PMG) estimator and Cross-Sectional Autoregressive Distributed Lag (CS-ARDL) techniques, taking into account cross-sectional dependence, cointegration, and other relevant diagnostic tests. The findings indicate that poverty has a consistent negative long-run impact on sustainable development, while human capital is positively associated with sustainability over the long term. Trade openness lacks a significant relationship with sustainability in both the short and long run. Inflation is insignificantly related to sustainability. Exchange rates demonstrate mixed effects. In terms of moderation, trade openness positively and significantly moderates the poverty-sustainability relationship in the long run but not the short run. Robustness testing using the AMG and P-OLS models further validates the significant positive impact of human capital and the insignificant effect of trade openness on sustainable development. Given poverty’s significant negative association and human capital’s positive link with sustainable development, the findings suggest the need for integrated policy mixes prioritizing multidimensional poverty reduction and human capability enhancement to promote sustainability objectives across both short- and long-term horizons in ECOWAS countries. Furthermore, prudent management of exchange rates and well-designed trade policies should complement these efforts to mitigate potential risks and harness any benefits for sustainability.

Unpacking rural-urban clientelist networks

ABSTRACT Despite the importance of public goods provisioning for poverty reduction, empirical evidence shows gross under-provision of state resources in developing countries. This results in the establishment of clientelist networks between people of unequal social status. However, clientelism is not homogenous. It varies based on the environment in which it is cultivated. Using household-level data from villages and urban slums in Pakistan, we provide a rare direct comparison of rural and urban clientelism. We find that the clientelist exchange bundle varies depending on geography and settlement structure (landholding patterns in villages and legal status in slums). While rural brokers include public goods provisioning in their exchange bundle, urban brokers have to rely on more personal services to maintain their network. Our main finding then is that rural clientelist networks are more pervasive, vary in nature, and perform more functions than their urban counterparts.

Building responsible and sustainable supply chain frameworks: limits of international investment law and the CSR initiatives taken by the EU and China

ABSTRACT Supply chains play a pivotal role in global economic relations, fostering growth, employment, and poverty alleviation. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are central actors in these chains, bearing responsibilities towards workers and the environment. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) standards guide MNEs in assessing the societal and environmental impacts of their activities, though these standards remain largely voluntary. Recent investment treaty practice shows a trend to incorporate CSR provisions in international investment agreements (IIAs), but such clauses fail to impose direct human rights, labour and environmental obligations on investors. Amidst this landscape, the EU and China, major players in global trade and investment, have established diverging legal and policy frameworks to build responsible and sustainable supply chains. Considering these developments, the objectives of this article are twofold. First, the article explores the integration of CSR in international investment law. Second, it evaluates the different CSR initiatives taken by the EU and China that frame their foreign direct investments. Focusing on EU–China FDI relations, the article delineates implications for global supply chain governance offering insights into the evolving landscape of CSR frameworks, and the plagued path in adopting mandatory corporate responsibility standards.

Research on the Assessment Method of College Students' Financial Difficulty Index in the Context of Big Data Based on AHP Algorithm

The emergence of big data has allowed researchers to study people's financial struggles in greater detail. Among various kinds of difficulties, the financial barriers preventing low-income children from enrolling in higher education have received significant attention. Therefore, this paper uses the AHP algorithm and proposes a college student poverty index assessment method, aiming to provide a reference basis for the normal enrollment of children from low-income families by comprehensively analyzing various factors. This paper first constructs a hierarchical model to decompose the college student poverty problem into multiple influencing factors. Then, the AHP algorithm was utilized to calculate each factor's weights and consistency test, and each factor's relative importance was derived. As a result, each college student's poverty index was calculated using the comprehensive score method. The results show that the assessment method can reflect the degree of economic and social difficulties of college students from low-income families with better accuracy, providing a reliable reference value for promoting them in regular college enrollment. At the same time, the method can also be used in the government's formulation of poverty alleviation policies and the school's educational assistance work.

Role of MGNREGA in poverty alleviation in Himachal Pradesh: A comprehensive analysis

Role of MGNREGA in poverty alleviation in Himachal Pradesh: A comprehensive analysis

A Study on Corporate Social Responsibility of Selected Public and Private Sector Banks in India

In the present times Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) plays a major role in banking and other sectors in achieving their objectives. In India the companies are adopting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices at a very fast rate due to their ethical standards as well as due to the requirements of the law. The companies are aware about their critical role in the society. The banking sector is no exception in this context. They are also adopting Corporate Social Responsibility practices. The public as well as private sector banks have already initiated many social and economic welfare programs which includes community welfare, education, environment protection, poverty eradication, health and medical care, rural area development etc. In the present study the Corporate Social Responsibility practices of banks has been studied. For this purpose, one bank from public and one from private sector has been selected. The public sector bank chosen for the study is State Bank of India and HDFC Bank has been selected from the private sector banks. The study analyzed and compared the total expenditure incurred by the banks on various Corporate Social Responsibility activities. The study found that both the banks have increased their spending on corporate social responsibility activities.

The political economy of mini-grid electricity development and innovation in Kenya

Accessible and affordable energy services are a prerequisite for socioeconomic growth and poverty reduction. Yet it is estimated that 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa will not have access to electricity in 2030. Recent research suggests that universal access to electricity will be achieved through a mix of centralized and decentralized systems and that the diffusion of these technologies is a socio-technical process involving multiple actors. These actors include firms, networks, energy users, and government agencies that interact within a political landscape to deliver innovation within energy service systems. Thus, factors related to the political economy can impact the process of innovation and warrant analysis. This study aims to provide an analysis of the political economy factors that can influence the emergence of mini grid electricity development in the African context exemplified in Kenya as a case study. The study uses the Technology Innovation Systems (TIS) lens as an analytical framework to provide a critical analysis of how political economy factors have influenced the development of mini grid electricity in Kenya. The result shows that despite the presence of some favorable conditions for innovation, political economy factors significantly impede the deployment of mini grids in Kenya. Power and vested interests have created negative competition between public and private developers, limiting knowledge and information diffusion between actors and stalling mini grid developments where they are most needed.

Targeted poverty alleviation promotes sustainable socio-economic and ecological development in China's poor areas

Ending extreme poverty and achieving sustainable development by 2030 poses a significant challenge for developing countries. In the past decade, China has pioneered the Targeted Poverty Alleviation (TPA) strategy and implemented a range of anti-poverty programs, aiming to reconcile poverty reduction with environmental restoration. However, the effectiveness of the TPA strategy in facilitating sustainable development in the poor areas of China (PAC) remains unclear. Drawing on a perspective of systems, this study compiles a panel dataset of 832 nationally designated poverty-stricken counties in China from 2013 to 2020 and employ the coupling coordination degree model to examine the coupling and coordination relationships among economic, social, and environmental systems in the PAC. We find that during the TPA period, the socioeconomic level developed rapidly, while the environmental quality was slightly improved in the PAC. The TPA strategy promotes the coordinated development of social, economic, and ecological systems in the PAC, shifting the relationship between human and environment from imbalance to coordination. Our findings underscore the necessity for the Chinese government to persist in its environmental restoration efforts in the PAC to guarantee a sustained development progress.

Targeted Poverty Alleviation for the Livelihood Improvement of Poverty-Stricken Households: A Case Study of Wuxi County, China

Targeted Poverty Alleviation for the Livelihood Improvement of Poverty-Stricken Households: A Case Study of Wuxi County, China