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Social Science > Poverty and Homelessness

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 12 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
  • Macroeconomics: Consumption; Saving; Wealth x
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Cover Selected Issues Papers
Macroeconomic and Distributional Implications of Gender Gaps: The Gambia
Mamadou D Barry
,
Momodou Jallow
,
Glen Kwende
, and
Vivian Malta
We present the current status of labor market gender gaps in The Gambia and examine the macroeconomic and distributional gains from closing the gaps. We also study the impacts of high costs of living and the determinants of poverty. Closing labor market gender gaps, would significantly boost GDP, government revenues, women’s earnings, and reduce income inequality. High food costs adversely affect the levels of consumption in the bottom four quartiles of the income distribution. Lack of access to finance, living in rural areas, lack of employment, low levels of education, and exposure to climate shocks contribute to higher poverty levels.
Keywords:
Inflation; monetary policy rate; oil prices; food prices; fertilizer prices; exchange rates; labor market gender gaps; determinants of poverty; cost of food; women employment status; gender equality outcome; per-capita household consumption; Women; Gender inequality; Gender diversity; Consumption; Sub-Saharan Africa; Africa; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Inequality and Poverty in India: Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic and Policy Response
Ms. Elif C Arbatli Saxegaard
,
Mattia Coppo
,
Nasser Khalil
,
Shinya Kotera
, and
Ms. Filiz D Unsal
Using microdata from nationally representative household and labor force surveys, we study the impact and drivers of poverty and inequality in India during the pandemic. We have three main findings. First, India has made significant progress in reducing poverty in recent decades, but the economic downturn associated with the COVID-19 pandemic is estimated to have temporarily increased poverty and inequality. Second, education and employment status seem to be the main factors associated with poverty and income/consumption changes. Finally, the government’s expansion of food subsidies has likely played a significant role in mitigating the increase in poverty during the pandemic.
Keywords:
COVID-19; poverty; inequality; earnings; India; employment status; CPHS datum; poverty in India; consumption inequality; inequality in India; Annex II; Income; Income inequality; Consumption; Global; South Asia
Cover IMF Working Papers
Pandemic, Poverty, and Inequality: Evidence from India
Surjit Bhalla
,
Karan Bhasin
, and
Mr. Arvind Virmani
The paper presents estimates of poverty [extreme poverty PPP$1.9 and PPP$3.2] and consumption inequality in India for each of the years 2004-5 through the pandemic year 2020-21. These estimates include, for the first time, the effect of in-kind food subsides on poverty and inequality. Extreme poverty was as low as 0.8 percent in the pre-pandemic year 2019, and food transfers were instrumental in ensuring that it remained at that low level in pandemic year 2020. Post-food subsidy inequality at .294 is now very close to its lowest level 0.284 observed in 1993/94.
Keywords:
Poverty Measurement; Pandemic; food transfer; consumption inequality; consumption expenditure; poverty PPP; estimates of poverty; Consumption; Income inequality; Agricultural commodities; Household consumption; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Winning the War? New Evidence on the Measurement and the Determinants of Poverty in the United States
Katharina Bergant
,
Miss Anke Weber
, and
Andrea Medici
Using micro-data from household expenditure surveys, we document the evolution of consumption poverty in the United States over the last four decades. Employing a price index that appears appropriate for low income households, we show that poverty has not declined materially since the 1980s and even increased for the young. We then analyze which social and economic factors help explain the extent of poverty in the U.S. using probit, tobit, and machine learning techniques. Our results are threefold. First, we identify the poor as more likely to be minorities, without a college education, never married, and living in the Midwest. Second, the importance of some factors, such as race and ethnicity, for determining poverty has declined over the last decades but they remain significant. Third, we find that social and economic factors can only partially capture the likelihood of being poor, pointing to the possibility that random factors (“bad luck”) could play a significant role.
Keywords:
Poverty; Inequality; Consumption; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs; consumption poverty; determinants of poverty; poverty indicator; poverty threshold; CPI assumption; inflation inequality; adjusted CPI-U; Poverty measurement; Income; Machine learning; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Household Consumption Volatility and Poverty Risk: Case Studies from South Africa and Tanzania
Mr. Matthieu Bellon
,
Carlo Pizzinelli
, and
Mr. Roberto Perrelli
Economic volatility remains a fact of life in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). Household-level shocks create large consumption fluctuations, raising the incidence of poverty. Drawing on micro-level data from South Africa and Tanzania, we examine the vulnerability to shocks across household types (e.g. by education, ethnic group, and economic activity) and we quantify the impact that reducing consumption volatility would have on aggregate poverty. We then discuss coverage of consumption insurance mechanisms, including financial access and transfers. Country characteristics crucially determine which household-level shocks are most prevalent and which consumption-smoothing mechanisms are available. In Tanzania, agricultural shocks are an important source of consumption risk as two thirds of households are involved in some level of agricultural production. For South Africa, we focus on labor market risk proxied by transitions from formal employment to informal work or unemployment. We find that access to credit, when available, and government transfers can effectively mitigate labor market shocks.
Keywords:
WP; Tanzania; consumption volatility; food consumption; consumption fluctuation; consumption deviation; consumption level; counterfactual consumption allocation; consumption loss; Consumption; Income; Household consumption; Employment; Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa; Poverty; South Africa
Cover IMF Working Papers
India: Defining and Explaining Inclusive Growth and Poverty Reduction
Rahul Anand
,
Mr. Volodymyr Tulin
, and
Naresh Kumar
We document the evolution of poverty and inequality across Indian states during the recent period of rapid growth (2004-09), and examine the role of growth and distribution in reducing poverty. Robust economic growth has been a major driver of poverty reduction and inclusiveness in India. We explore the role of economic policies and macrofinancial conditions in explaining inclusive growth and its components, using a new measure of inclusive growth. Social expenditures, spending on education, and educational attainment rates are important for fostering inclusive growth. Macro-financial stability, with particular attention to inflation risks, is also criticial for promoting inclusive growth.
Keywords:
WP; economic growth; India; state level growth; poverty; inequality; inclusive growth; poverty reduction; poverty headcount; poverty incidence; consumption growth; household consumption expenditure survey; growth rate; consumption expenditure survey; poverty headcount ratio; poverty estimate; Poverty reduction; Income inequality; Consumption
Cover IMF Working Papers
Inclusive Growth and Inequality in Senegal
Mr. Alexei P Kireyev
The paper examines Senegal’s growth performance from the perspective of its povertyreducing and distributional characteristics, and discusses policies that might help make growth more inclusive. The main findings are that poverty has fallen in the last two decades, but poverty reduction has slowed in recent years. Although available indicators sometimes give conflicting signals on distributional shifts, people in the middle of the income distribution have received the most benefit, mainly in urban areas. Further progress in poverty reduction and inclusiveness would require sustained high growth and exploration of growth opportunities in the sectors with high earning potential for the poor. Better-targeted social policies and more attention to the regional distribution of spending would also help reduce poverty and improve inclusiveness.
Keywords:
WP; Senegal; decile; poverty line; growth; inclusiveness; low-income countries; poverty reduction; growth incidence curve; household survey; decile ratio; poverty incidence; bottom decile; Senegal's poverty; Income; Income inequality; Sub-Saharan Africa
Cover IMF Working Papers
Global Poverty Estimates: A Sensitivity Analysis
Ms. Camelia Minoiu
and
Ms. Shatakshee Dhongde
Current estimates of global poverty vary substantially across studies. In this paper we undertake a novel sensitivity analysis to highlight the importance of methodological choices in estimating global poverty. We measure global poverty using different data sources, parametric and nonparametric estimation methods, and multiple poverty lines. Our results indicate that estimates of global poverty vary significantly when they are based alternately on data from household surveys versus national accounts but are relatively consistent across different estimation methods. The decline in poverty over the past decade is found to be robust across methodological choices.
Keywords:
WP; poverty estimate; sensitivity analysis; global poverty; household surveys; national accounts; income distribution; international poverty line; consumption poverty; density function; day poverty line; kernel density estimation; nonparametric estimation method; estimate poverty; Personal income; Consumption; Estimation techniques; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Factor Immobility and Regional Impacts of Trade Liberalization Evidenceon Poverty From India
Petia Topalova
This paper uses the 1991 Indian trade liberalization to measure the impact of trade liberalization on poverty, and to examine the mechanisms underpinning this impact. Variation in sectoral composition across districts and liberalization intensity across production sectors allows a difference-in-difference approach. Rural districts, in which production sectors more exposed to liberalization were concentrated, experienced slower decline in poverty and lower consumption growth. The impact of liberalization was most pronounced among the least geographically mobile, at the bottom of the income distribution, and in Indian states where inflexible labor laws impeded factor reallocation across sectors.
Keywords:
WP; trade policy; dependent variable; labor market; Poverty; Trade Liberalization; India; Tariff; poverty rate; wage premia; post liberalization indicator; production sector; trade liberalization link; D. trade liberalization; trade liberalization Evidenceon poverty; liberalization dummy; poverty-tariff link; analysis of the trade liberalization-poverty link; trade reform; Tariffs; Consumption; Europe
Cover IMF Working Papers
India: Is the Rising Tide Lifting All Boats?
Petia Topalova
While many have celebrated India's accelerating economic growth, some have expressed concern about the distributional impacts of the growth process. Cognizant of the vulnerability of its large population below poverty, India's authorities have made faster and more inclusive economic growth the primary goal of their development strategy. This paper aims to document how the benefits of economic expansion were shared across the income distribution over the last two decades using disaggregate household level data. Experiences across Indian states suggest an important role for economic policy in shaping the inclusiveness of growth. States with higher financial development, more flexible labor markets, and higher average education experienced greater relative gains for the poor. Improving infrastructure may also lead to a growth process that is more inclusive of the poor.
Keywords:
WP; India; state