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POVERTY REDUCTION AND ECONOMIC LIVELIHOOD MOBILITY IN RURAL SUB‐SAHARAN AFRICA
Author(s) -
Dzanku Fred Mawunyo
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of international development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.533
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1099-1328
pISSN - 0954-1748
DOI - 10.1002/jid.3471
Subject(s) - livelihood , diversification (marketing strategy) , poverty reduction , poverty , welfare , economics , panel data , productivity , development economics , socioeconomics , economic mobility , rural poverty , economic growth , agriculture , agricultural economics , geography , business , market economy , marketing , econometrics , archaeology
This article uses household panel data for six countries in rural sub‐Saharan Africa to study the dynamics of off‐farm diversification rather than the ‘static’ analyses common in the related literature. It identifies drivers of economic livelihood mobility and implications for poverty reduction. The results show that on‐farm specialization imposes considerable welfare costs on rural households. In most of the countries, income poverty reduction was highest for households that became diversified and lowest for those that became specialized. Yet, off‐farm diversification entry is hampered by living in a female‐headed household, old age, low farm productivity and poor rural infrastructure. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.