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Manufacturing has the potential to drive economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction, but African manufacturers face challenges in competing with global markets. Agricultural machinery manufacturing may be one niche where African manufacturers can succeed. This paper examines the challenges and opportunities facing local agricultural manufacturers in Africa based on a survey of 386 manufacturers in four countries and qualitative methods. Results show that small, dedicated entrepreneurs have created vibrant local machinery markets. These manufacturers have several comparative advantages, in particular, the ability to develop machinery adapted to local agroecological conditions but face challenges related to financing, human resources, utilities, raw materials, production equipment and the regulatory environment. The paper offers recommendations on how to support local manufacturers to make "Made in Africa" the first choice for African farmers and agro‐food processors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are crucial economic drivers, serving as strategic priorities for governments seeking to spur development and address poverty and unemployment. This study examines the impact of the Egyptian government's role in SME growth, focusing on impoverished governorates as well as areas with significant SME populations. The research explores both short-term and long-term considerations surrounding the government's policies and initiatives targeting the SME sector. By analyzing the dynamics between government interventions and SME performance across different regional contexts, the study aims to provide insights that can inform more effective policymaking and support mechanisms for this vital economic segment. The findings shed light on the complex interplay between government actions, regional disparities, and the development trajectory of small and medium enterprises in Egypt, offering valuable lessons for policymakers and SME stakeholders alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Targeted Poverty Alleviation (TPA) is an important leverage for China to overcome poverty. While its economic effects are well studied, less is known about the social impact of TPA. Based on trial documents data from the China Judgments Online, we use DID method and find the growth rate of criminal offenses reduced by over 20% after the implementation of TPA. The income growth effect from TPA is the primary mechanism for suppressing criminal crimes. Improved employment plays a role as well. Our work not only reveals the relationship between TPA and the enhancement of societal security, characterized by fewer criminal offenses, in the background of completing the first Centenary Goal, but also sheds light on how to fulfil the Peaceful China Initiative in the second Centenary Goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a lot of discussion on the shift from voluntary to mandatory corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its impacts in different countries across the globe. India is unique in this context as the reporting and expenditure of a certain amount under CSR has been mandated for companies. This article analyzes the changes and responses of Indian businesses post‐2014, when new CSR rules were enacted. The key objectives of this study are to assess the level of awareness and compliance, thematic and geographical focus areas for CSR projects, and drivers and barriers to the adoption of mandatory CSR. We performed a secondary analysis of the data from 60 companies, followed by extensive primary research through in‐person interviews and offline questionnaire responses with 100 key CSR professionals from different companies in India. A key finding from the study is that the awareness of CSR policy and the pool of CSR funds has increased. The policy mandates have been a good driver in improving transparency and reporting quality. However, there is a predominant focus on four thematic areas of education, healthcare, hunger, and poverty alleviation despite the government's efforts to expand in other areas. The geographical spread of expenditure is limited to a few key industrial states in India, limiting CSR's contribution towards national development. The study adds to the CSR literature associated with institutional and stakeholder theories by looking at the response of legally bound organizations toward society and the environment. Finally, the study provides valuable information for governments and regulatory authorities considering the mandatory implementation of CSR expenditure across the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive businesses (IBs) resonate with policymakers seeking to leverage private capital in support of poverty alleviation and sustainable development. In the agri‐food sector, which represents the largest segment of the base‐of‐the‐pyramid (BOP) market and a key source of livelihood for the rural poor, there is limited evidence on their diversity and social value creation mechanisms. This prevents practitioners from identifying impactful IB types and design features. A statistical analysis of 46 cases in Tanzania and Ghana identified four IB types: (1) self‐reliant agribusinesses, (2) domestic plantation companies, (3) social enterprises, and (4) locally‐embedded Small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). Our findings suggest that socially‐driven and localized IBs hold high impact potential but require significant external support, while more self‐sufficient IBs adopt less socially innovative designs. This study demonstrates the utility of a data‐driven approach to capture the complexity of real‐world IBs, which yielded practical insights for more effective poverty alleviation through business means. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether trade openness is one of the determinants of poverty in upper middle-income countries using panel data (1991-2020) analysis methods such as fixed effects, pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) and fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS). Models 2 and 3 consistently produced results which show that trade openness reduced poverty in upper middle-income countries. The complementarity variables (1) trade openness and financial development and (2) trade openness and human capital development had a poverty reduction influence in upper middle-income countries. The study therefore urges the authorities in selected upper middle-income countries to craft and implement policies which further opens trade with other countries and which also enhances both human capital and financial development to alleviate poverty. A future study on the threshold levels of trade openness, human capital and financial development that significantly reduces poverty will add value to the existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs a synthetic panel approach based on nationally-representative micro-level data to track poverty and income mobility in Malaysia in the period 2004–2016. On aggregate we observe large reductions in chronic poverty and increases in persistent economic security, but note that those who remain poor in 2016 are increasingly likely to be poor in a structural sense. Further, we find that poverty and income dynamics differ notably across geographic dimensions. Such disparities are most striking when we contrast affluent urban Peninsular Malaysia with poorer rural East Malaysia. Although there are important differences in welfare levels between the main ethnic groups in Malaysia, we observe that mobility trends generally point in the same direction. While our findings show that there is still scope for poverty reduction through the reduction of inter-ethnic inequalities, we underscore the importance of taking regional inequalities into greater account when it comes to ensuring a fairer distribution of socioeconomic opportunities for poor and vulnerable Malaysians. Hence, addressing chronic poverty is likely to require additional attention to less developed geographic areas, as a complement to the largely ethnicity-based policies that have historically played a dominant role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Poverty in Somalia is deeply rooted due to prolonged civil conflict, political instability, and environmental adversities. With approximately 70% of the population living in poverty, Somalia ranks sixth in Sub-Saharan Africa for poverty prevalence. The combination of widespread and severe poverty poses significant challenges to socioeconomic and economic progress unless appropriate policies are implemented. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that influence the sustainability of poverty alleviation in Somalia. In this paper, we examined the impact of four sustainability goals, namely, SDG 2 (no hunger), SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), and SDG 17(social protection) in relation to poverty alleviation in Somalia. A judgemental survey using 130 respondents was conducted using face-to-face (42%) and online (58%) techniques. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data and estimate the model parameters. The results found that SDG 2, SDG 4, SDG 8, and SDG 17 are all factors that contribute to poverty reduction in Somalia. Based on these findings, the study suggests that the government and policymakers should invest in sustainable agricultural practices (SDG 2) that not only ensure food security but also create job opportunities and income sources for impoverished communities. The government should also allocate resources to prioritize quality education (SDG 4) to equip individuals with the necessary skills for decent work and economic growth (SDG 8). Finally, the government should focus on social protection (SDG 17) in rural and urban areas, thereby reducing unemployment and providing pathways out of poverty, focusing on various dimensions of social protection interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to evaluate the impacts of village fund allocations on economic empowerment and poverty reduction among low-income populations in Klungkung Regency, Bali. Utilizing a mixed-method approach, the study engaged 259 participants across 37 villages. Methods included observations, interviews, and in-depth interviews for data gathering. Analytical techniques encompassed descriptive statistics, mean difference tests, and path analysis. Key findings reveal that: (1) village funds significantly bolster economic empowerment for low-income groups; (2) while village funds alone do not directly reduce poverty levels, economic empowerment contributes to a marked decrease in poverty; (3) economic empowerment serves as a complete mediator in the relationship between village funds and poverty reduction; (4) the program's implementation exhibits strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats which collectively influence its effectiveness; (5) post-program poverty levels show a notable decline compared to pre-program figures. This study underscores the scarcity of research measuring community empowerment and poverty in relation to village funds, highlighting its potential as a policy-making reference. Contributing to regional economic development literature, this study supports the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through an integrative analysis of village fund efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eradicating poverty and improving human well-being are pivotal objectives for achieving global sustainable development. Sustainable agriculture, as a key domain, plays a crucial role in addressing poverty. However, to date, there remains insufficient research on the specific impact of agricultural green development on poverty. To bridge this gap, we utilize panel data from 273 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2022 to explore how agricultural green development affects poverty based on constructing a regional multidimensional poverty index and an index of green agriculture. Our study reveals that agricultural green development effectively reduces poverty, particularly in regions of deep poverty and the eastern part of China. Further mediating analysis indicates the alleviation of poverty by agricultural green development through the infrastructure, the industrial structure, and the green technology innovation effect. Our findings offer valuable insights for informing policies on agricultural green development and poverty reduction, as well as for improving government resource allocation and strengthening resilience in impoverished areas. By deepening our understanding of the link between green agriculture and poverty, this research significantly contributes to global agricultural sustainability and expedites poverty eradication worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducts a Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis guided content analysis of 56 Chinese government-sponsored poverty reduction posters across three historical stages since the founding of the People’s Republic of China to understand visual strategies, represented participants, and thematic shifts. Initially, visual strategies focus on action-oriented, collective agricultural activities. Over time, they shift to highlighting technological advancements and individual achievements, using “offer” images and various perspectives to engage viewers. Early posters predominantly feature peasants and collective groups, later expanding to include individuals and technological symbols, reflecting China’s socio-economic reforms. The thematic shifts move from collective efforts to targeted, locally-tailored strategies and the principle of “teaching people to fish,” mirroring broader socio-political transformations. This evolution underscores the role of visual media in shaping public understanding and garnering support for national policies. By highlighting the dynamic interaction between visual elements and socio-political contexts, the study reveals how government-sponsored media has adapted to effectively communicate the progress and objectives of China’s poverty alleviation efforts.

Eliminating extreme poverty is the mandate of the Indonesian constitution. This study's methodology is qualitative, specializing in designing poverty eradication policy analysis as an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Indonesia's extreme poverty condition will be at 1.74% in 2023. The government has created a program to eliminate extreme poverty, which can meet needs from the health aspect in the form of a Healthy Indonesia card, the food aspect in the form of rice for low-income families, and the education aspect in the form of an intelligent Indonesia card. Of these three aspects, there needs to be an aspect so that low-income families continue to get income to meet their living needs and avoid falling into extreme poverty with an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the form of social entrepreneurship. According to the findings of this study, the government may use a Penta-helix partnership model with other stakeholders to tackle the issue of eradicating poverty by 2024 and meet the target of 0%-1% severe poverty elimination.

Previous studies have identified the importance of access to electricity and the socio-economic environment for poverty reduction, but the comprehensive interplay and synergistic relationships between them remain unclear. Using data collected from Myanmar, this study establishes and tests conceptual models to explore the paths from access to electricity and socio-economic environment to capability and income poverty reduction. The results of structural equation modeling show that capability poverty reduction acts as a complete mediator between access to electricity and income poverty reduction, and plays a partial mediating role between socio-economic environment and income poverty reduction. Analysis of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis demonstrates that lack of electricity is a key barrier impeding poverty alleviation efforts. Moreover, five effective configurations of poverty reduction factors are identified for Myanmar by considering the heterogeneity of different regions. This indicates that individual factors could not ensure a highly effective poverty reduction and different factors need to be appropriately configured for achieving the synergistic effects. These findings contribute to practical insights into poverty reduction policy making and sustainable development for developing countries.

Millions of households globally rely on uncultivated ecosystems for their livelihoods. However, much of the understanding about the broader contribution of uncultivated ecosystems to human wellbeing is still based on a series of small-scale studies due to limited availability of large-scale datasets. We pooled together 11 comparable datasets comprising 232 settlements and 10,971 households in ten low-and middle-income countries, representing forest, savanna and coastal ecosystems to analyse how uncultivated nature contributes to multi-dimensional wellbeing and how benefits from nature are distributed between households. The resulting dataset integrates secondary data on rural livelihoods, multidimensional human wellbeing, household demographics, resource tenure and social-ecological context, primarily drawing on nine existing household surveys and their associated contextual information together with selected variables, such as travel time to cities, population density, local area GDP and land use and land cover from existing global datasets. This integrated dataset has been archived with ReShare (UK Data Service) and will be useful for further analyses on nature-wellbeing relationships on its own or in combination with similar datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a multidimensional poverty index (MPI) evaluation system using multiple measures. We use the China Family Panel Study (CFPS) data to build balanced panel data from 2012 to 2018. Employing the probit model to analyze the impact of land transfer on relative poverty incidence, as well as utilizing the two-way fixed effects model and the logit model, we approach the issue from the perspective of multidimensional relative poverty identification. Our study indicates a decrease in relative poverty among rural households since 2012. Nonetheless, the overall incidence of relative poverty among rural households in China remains high at 20.6%, highlighting the severity of this issue in rural China. Moreover, we examine the heterogeneity of the poverty reduction effects of land transfer-in and land transfer-out. Land transfer can significantly reduce the incidence of relative poverty among rural households, with distinct mechanisms for land transfer-in and land transfer-out. Land transfer-in primarily reduces the relative poverty incidence of rural households through the education, housing, and land dimensions, while land transfer-out focuses on the quality-of-life dimension. Overall, land transfer-out has a more significant poverty reduction effect than land transfer-in. Furthermore, our study reveals that the reduction effect of land transfer on the incidence of relative poverty among rural households persists for at least two years, but by the fourth year, this effect disappears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although China has eliminated absolute poverty, the effects of sickness still pose a threat to the prospect of returning to poverty in western rural areas. However, poverty governance extends beyond solving absolute poverty, and should enhance the family's ability to resist risks, proactively identify the existence of risks, and facilitate preventive measures to reduce the probability of falling into poverty again. This study aimed to assess the health poverty vulnerability of rural households in western China and decompose its determinants. Methods: Based on survey data from 2022, the three-stage feasible generalized least squares method was used to calculate the health poverty vulnerability index. Then, Anderson's health behavior theory model was extended to analyse various influencing factors using binary logistic regression, and the contribution of each influencing factor was decomposed using the Shapley index. Finally, Tobit regression and the censored least absolute deviations estimation (clad) method were used to test the model's robustness. Results: A total of 5455 families in the rural Ningxia region of western China were included in the study. The health poverty vulnerability index of the sample population in 2022 was 0.3000 ± 0.2223, and families with vulnerability ≥0.5 accounted for 16.9% of the sample population. From the Anderson behavioral model, the three models including propensity, enabling, and demand factors had the best fit, and the AIC and BIC values were the smallest. The Shapley decomposition showed that the dimensions of the propensity factor, number of residents, age and educational level of the household head, and dependency ratio were the most important factors influencing vulnerability to health poverty. Tobit regression and the clad method proved the reliability of the constructed model through a robustness test. Conclusion: Rural areas still face the risk of becoming poor or falling into poverty owing to residents' health problems. Health poverty alleviation should gradually change from a focus on treatment to prevention, and formulate a set of accurate and efficient intervention policies from a forward-looking perspective to consolidate the results of health poverty alleviation and prevent widescale poverty return. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper used the micro panel data from 2016 to 2019 of 2031 registered poor households in B Town, W County, Lu'an City of Anhui Province in China to analyze the diversified patterns and poverty alleviation effect of paired assistance based on the PSM-DID model. The empirical results show that paired assistance provided by social forces can significantly contribute to the poverty alleviation of poor households, promoting the poverty alleviation rate by 7.8%, which can be concluded through sample matching and control of relevant variables. Furthermore, based on the subsample of poor households with social assistance, we found that external social assistance subject to paired assistance can significantly improve the poverty alleviation rate of poor households by 14.26%, mainly hung on their economic base and strength of poverty alleviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data-driven innovation (DDI) initiatives by microfinance institutes have transformed the global poverty alleviation landscape. Despite the fact that relationship building is one of the primary goals of DDI initiatives in microfinance operations, there has been little research on the dimensions of relationship quality. This study examines how DDI initiatives recognize and incorporate relational dimensions in their service offerings to alleviate poverty. Drawing on a systematic literature review, thematic analysis and interviews with 20 microfinance managers, this research explores the relationship quality parameters that need to be leveraged. Grounded in the resource-based theory, the findings of this study confirm trust and commitment as two key relationship capabilities. The findings contribute to a better understanding of how microfinance institutes can use DDI to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been known for a long time that (1) when graphs of income amount on income relative rank for two income distributions intersect twice, three "transfer groups" are generated, with the poorest and richest both gaining under the same alternative income distribution and the middle group losing; and (2) the linear income tax system satisfies three fundamental principles of tax justice, namely, that as pretax income increases, three quantities should also increase--posttax income, tax amount, and tax rate. This paper links those two ideas, suggesting that the linear income tax system may be the natural and most effective way to guard against poverty reduction policies which, while helping the poorest, as urged by Rawls, may harm the middle, contributing to the weakening of the middle class, thought at least since Aristotle to be the backbone of society. This paper illustrates the two approaches with one initial distribution and three alternative final distributions, contrasting their minimum, median, proportion below the mean, and inequality. It also shows how to guard the linear income tax system against violating the tax amount principle of tax fairness when there is an injection of resources (e.g., from deficit spending or oil revenues) and how to empirically estimate the parameters (e.g., the marginal tax rate) of the linear income system that the population will regard as fair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research investigated the idea of clean energy and how it affects food security utilizing panel data from selected African nations. The World Development Indicators (WDI) for the years 2005 to 2022, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), and the Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) were the sources of data. The study engaged the generalized method of moments (GMM), and the results showed that clean energy indicators have both beneficial and adverse effects on food security. This is crucial for policy toward the actualization of sustainable development goals of no poverty (SDG1), no hunger (SDG2), clean and affordable energy (SDG7), sustainable cities (SDG11), and climate action (SDG13). The findings of this study will benefit policymakers, governments, and organizations working toward promoting clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and food security in Africa. It will also benefit farmers and communities who rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. By implementing the recommendations of the study, these stakeholders can work toward a more sustainable and secure future for Africa. Additionally, the environment and global efforts to mitigate climate change will also benefit from the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examined the macro--economic variables obtained from the website of the central bank of Nigeria from 1980 to 2020 using Quantile regression (QR). It is an extension of Regression Analysis which gives a thorough investigation of the dataset compared to mean--based regression model. The findings modelled poverty reduction against money supply, government revenue, government expenditure and financial inclusion. The finding revealed that there is presence of outliers at the 75th quantile points and the 25th quantile regression model seems to have reduced outliers. QR is more robust to outliers since it focuses on estimating conditional quantile rather than the mean. By estimating many quantiles, QR offers a more thorough perspective and enables a more sophisticated comprehension of the response variable's conditional distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, factors associated with poverty among refugees were explored using a nationally representative sample in the United States. Relying on the social exclusion theory,) a refugee integration framework was selected as a conceptual framework of the study. Poverty was calculated based on households' income (income poverty) and deprivation in three domains of education, health, and housing (multidimensional poverty). Multivariate models of the study identified limited English language proficiency as the strongest predictor of both income and multidimensional poverty among refugees. The findings call for more attention to English language training among refugees in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of the study is to analyze the significance of the determinants of child poverty before and after social transfers and to assess how child poverty differs from adult poverty. In the empirical part of the study, the panel data analysis method is used for a total of 12 years and 31 European countries between 2006-2017. The main findings of the study show that GINI coefficient, per capita income, female employment, household size and property status of the dwelling are significant determinants of child poverty. The empirical finding reveals that in the selected countries, the impact of social transfers in reducing child poverty is more limited than the impact of social transfers in reducing adult poverty and that social protection programs should be designed and implemented more intensively to reduce child poverty. The study suggests that to combat child poverty in EU countries, it is necessary to review social programs that focus on child inequality programs in a multi-sectoral framework with a view to designing more effective public policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing literature has focused on the influence of organizational settings on volunteers' intention to remain but failed to explore the effects of external feedback. From an integrated perspective of task design and feedback, this study, based on the affective events theory, explored the influencing mechanism of illegitimate tasks, recipients' feedback, and emotional exhaustion on volunteers' intention to remain. This study collected 649 cases from poverty alleviation volunteers. Results showed that illegitimate tasks have had a negative impact on their intention to remain with emotional exhaustion taking a certain mediating effect. It has also been noted that the moderating effect of recipients' feedback is significant, which can alleviate the negative impact of emotional exhaustion on the intention to remain. This study indicated the positive effects of positive and negative feedback, enriched the research on the influencing factors of volunteers' intention to remain, and provided suggestions for organizations to retain volunteers from an integrated perspective of task design and feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to examine the impact of urbanization and civil conflicts on the severity of food insecurity for a panel of 43 African countries over the period 2000–2020. Subsequently, the heterogeneous choice models approach was used for the estimations. The results show that urbanization and civil conflict increase food insecurity. The parallel line probability hypothesis results specifically show that a one‐unit increase in urban growth rate increases the probability of belonging to a high‐risk food insecurity category by more than.6 times. Furthermore, the results show that the impacts of urbanization on food insecurity are modulated by civil conflicts in Africa leading to the net effect of.692. This corresponds to the policy threshold of 2.315 when the net positive effect is canceled out. Therefore, this study strongly recommends the need for African economies to develop urban agriculture while controlling the pace of urbanization in order to reduce food insecurity and avoid possible civil wars. Related Articles: Asare‐Nuamah, Peter, Anthony Amoah, and Simplice A. Asongu. 2023. "Achieving Food Security in Ghana: Does Governance Matter?" Politics & Policy 51(4): 614–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12540. Ayanoore, Ishmael, and Sam Hickey. 2022. "Reframing the Politics of Natural Resource Governance in Africa: Insights from the Local Content Legislation Process in Ghana." Politics & Policy 50(1): 119–36. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12449. Oehmke, James F., Sera L. Young, Godfrey Bahiigwa, Boaz Blackie Keizire, and Lori Ann Post. 2018. "The Behavioral‐Economics Basis of Mutual Accountability to Achieve Food Security." Politics & Policy 46(1): 32–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12244. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, financial well-being has received considerable attention from researchers and policymakers as an indicator of financial health in the aftermath of financial shocks. Additionally, financial inclusion has been a priority for developing countries in their efforts towards poverty alleviation and bringing vulnerable populations into the mainstream financial system. Moreover, the shift in digital technologies and financial services has overcome access and usage barriers through the acquisition of digital financial literacy. This paper develops novel multidimensional indices and investigates the relationship between financial well-being, financial inclusion, and digital financial literacy. The study utilizes data from InterMedia's Financial Inclusion Insight (FII) 2016 Survey conducted in India. The results indicate that both financial inclusion and digital financial literacy have a significant positive impact on financial well-being. However, considering the potential endogeneity bias, instrumental variable 2SLS regression reveals that financial inclusion plays the most crucial role in defining financial well-being. Our findings help policymakers recognize the importance of demand-side financial inclusion and digital financial literacy in promoting financial well-being, which may be achieved through robust financial and digital literacy programs. Additionally, the study contributes to the financial well-being literature by incorporating essential attributes of financial inclusion and digital financial literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent rise in global food prices threatens many countries worldwide, especially the vulnerable populations. Viable coping strategies can only be designed based on the important policy lessons learned from the experiences of these countries in confronting the similar shocks of 2007–2011. However, the disproportionate effects of these events and the impacts of policy responses remain largely unexplored. We examine the impact of a food price surge and the effectiveness of various mitigating policies in Bangladesh, one of the most populous, densely populated countries in the world that is plagued by poverty. Specifically, we combine individual‐level expenditure survey data with recent advances in consumer theory to examine the welfare consequences across income groups and geographic areas of the country over 2000–2016. Our empirical findings lend support to the hypothesis that the brunt of the price surge was borne by relatively less affluent and rural households, and government poverty alleviation programmes were largely ineffective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of rural construction land in Chinese poor counties, which is mainly used for urbanization development, construction for farmers' new housing, infrastructure development (transportation, water conservancy), industrial project, and tourist attraction development, is vital to poverty reduction efficiency (PRE), which could promote economic growth and control the urban sprawl of poor counties. In this paper, we investigated the dynamic influence mechanism of rural construction land (LAND) on poverty reduction efficiency by the panel threshold model based on the evidence from 832 poor counties in China from 2010 to 2017. The results show that construction land contributes positively to the increase in poverty reduction efficiency. Still, this effect is affected by the different development levels of advancement of industry structure (CSA). When CSA exceeds the threshold value, the LAND will promote the PRE. Otherwise, it will have an inhibitory effect. Regional heterogeneity suggests that the increase of LAND is conducive to improving PRE in the eastern region. The impact effect continues to increase after crossing the threshold variable value. However, the LAND has an inhibitory effect on PRE when the CSA is lower than the first threshold variable in the central and western region. When the CSA exceeds its first threshold value, it indicates a positive impact. Especially for the central region, the driving effect of LAND on PRE is also strengthened when the CSA exceeds its second threshold value. This research demonstrates the nonlinear impact of LAND on PRE, which is helpful for both theoretical and practical research into the impact of land-related policies on reducing poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing land productivity is a crucial strategy for addressing key sustainable development issues, such as poverty reduction and ensuring food security. Farmers' Internet use behavior offers the potential to improve land productivity. However, relatively little is known about the association between Internet use and land productivity. To fill this void, this study examines the impact of Internet use on land productivity and its mechanisms. The results indicate that farmers' use of the Internet has a positive impact on improving agricultural land productivity. Internet use increases land productivity by 12.3%, and the conclusion still holds after a series of robustness tests and endogeneity tests. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that Internet use significantly enhances land productivity in the central and northern parts of Jiangsu Province, while it does not have the same effect in the province's southern regions. Without the addition of county fixed effects, the central sample regression results show that the coefficient for Internet use is 0.165 and significant at the 10% confidence level. When county fixed effects are added, the coefficient decreases to 0.117 and is not significant. The coefficient on Internet use for the northern sample is 0.128 and is significant at the 5% confidence level. Mechanistic analyses demonstrate that Internet use also enhances land productivity primarily by expanding the cultivated land area, facilitating mechanized production, and strengthening farmers' social networks. The results of the study indicate that the positive effects of Internet use in improving land productivity should be fully released by strengthening the communication infrastructure, further enhancing farmers' Internet use capacity, improving the land transfer system, upgrading the socialized service level of agricultural machinery, and strengthening agricultural financial support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social-ecological interactions mediate water–energy–food security in small developing islands, but community-scale insights are underrepresented in nexus research. These interactions are dynamic in their response to environmental and anthropogenic pressures and need to be understood to inform sustainable land use planning into the future. This study centered on bringing together diverse stakeholders to explore water–energy–food futures using the "Kesho" (meaning "tomorrow" in Kiswahili) scenario tool for two of the largest islands that comprise the Zanzibar Archipelago. The methodology comprised four core stages: (1) exploration of how past drivers of change impacted water–energy–food security; (2) modeling of a Business as Usual Scenario for land cover change; (3) narrative development to describe alternative futures for 2030 based on themes developed at the community scale; and (4) predictions about how narratives would shape land cover and its implications for the nexus. These results were used to model alternate land cover scenarios in TerrSet IDRISI (v. 18.31) and produce visual representations of expected change. Findings demonstrated that deforestation, saltwater incursion, and a reduction in permanent waterbodies were projected by 2030 in a Business as Usual Scenario. Three alternative scenario narratives were developed, these included Adaptation, Ecosystem Management, and Settlement Planning. The results demonstrate that the effectiveness of actions under the scenario options differ between the islands, indicating the importance of understanding the suitability of national policies across considered scales. Synergies across the alternative scenario narratives also emerged, including integrated approaches for managing environmental change, community participation in decision making, effective protection of forests, cultural sensitivity to settlement planning, and poverty alleviation. These synergies could be used to plan strategic action towards effectively strengthening water–energy–food security in Zanzibar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The landscapes and, implicitly, the surfaces of secondary grasslands in the mountain areas have been intensively modified and transformed by humans. In this context, this paper analyses the spatial and temporal changes of grassland surfaces following the impact of human population reduction. Thus, the study proposes the implementation of the Grassland Anthropic Impact Index (GAII) as a "measurement tool" to functionally link the two components, grassland surface and human population. The spatiotemporal analyses are based on Corine Land Cover data and demographic data, processed via Geographic Information Systems (GIS) methods and the Land Change Modeler (LCM) tool. The research shows that over a period of 28 years, the population, which was continuously decreasing, caused a series of transformations to the grasslands over an area of 33343 ha. The influence of the reduction in the number of inhabitants was also demonstrated by the direction of the changes produced in the grassland surfaces: in the better populated areas, the grasslands expanded over lands with other uses, and in the sparsely populated areas, they were abandoned. GAII values generally increase with the decrease of the population in the target area, meaning that for an inhabitant (potential user) a greater grassland surface is reported, resulting in a greater responsibility for the management of this resource on a space and time scale. Following the evaluation of the trend of the last 28 years, it was observed that the depopulation of mountain areas can be seen as a threat to grassland ecosystems, either through the transition to other categories of use, or through abandonment. The implications of these phenomena are much broader: they produce chain reactions and affect other components of the regional geosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The de-agrarianisation of the labor force in the poverty alleviation resettlement (PAR) inevitably influences households' farmland management and farmland abandonment in the relocated areas. Drawing on survey data from 1079 households in Shaanxi, China, this study uses the Heckman two-stage model to empirically examine the relationship between non-farm employment and farmland abandonment in relocated areas. Additionally, it explores heterogeneity by considering the quantity and spatial distribution of non-farm employment, as well as the moderating effect of the withdrawal of rural homesteads (WRH). The results show that: (1) non-farm employment significantly promotes both behavioral and scale of farmland abandonment, with the magnitude of this impact varying based on the quantity of non-farm employment; (2) Heterogeneity analyses show that areas with non-farm employment exert a noteworthy positive effect on farmland abandonment. On average, farmers engaged in non-farm employment outside the county (NEO) exhibit a higher marginal effect on both behavioral and scale aspects of farmland abandonment compared to those engaged in non-farm employment within the county (NEI). Furthermore, only when the number of NEI reaches 3 does the probability and scale of farmland abandonment surpass those of NEO; (3) Mechanism analysis sheds light on the role of WRH, indicating that the cultivation of land in WRH weakens the promotion of farmland abandonment by non-farm employment, particularly in the NEI group. Conversely, the duration of WRH strengthens the contributions of non-farm employment to farmland abandonment, and this effect is concentrated in the NEO group. These findings underscore the importance of actively cultivating and introducing new types of agricultural management entities, promoting the moderate-scale operation of farmland, and encouraging the recultivation of withdrawn rural homesteads as strategies to curb farmland abandonment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to livelihoods, development, and poverty reduction among the rural population has garnered growing interest in recent years. As communities living near forest areas heavily depend on NTFPs for their livelihoods, efforts to protect these resources must begin with an understanding of how the host communities relate to them. The study was conducted in the state of Tripura, India, located in the northeastern part of the country. A representative sample of 120 households was selected through the multistage sampling method. Data collected from the primary survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Male and female participation in NTFP activities was found to be 59.17% and 40.83%, respectively, with 45.93% employment in NTFPs and an annual family income of 31.30%. Household size, the gender of the household head, and employment in NTFPs all had a substantial impact on tribal families' NTFP income. As expected, the distance from the homestead to the nearest metallic road had a negative impact on tribal households' NTFP revenue. Larger household size improves the likelihood of tribal homes obtaining NTFPs. Stakeholders should prioritize technical and financial support programs for agricultural value addition, as well as conservation and commercialization support, to improve forest resource quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing awareness that actions by policymakers and international organizations to reduce poverty, and those to mitigate and adapt to climate change, are inextricably linked and interwoven. This paper examines relevant academic and policy literature and evidence on this relationship and explores the potential for a new form of development that simultaneously mitigates climate change, manages its impacts , and improves the wellbeing of people in poverty. First, as a key foundation, it outlines the backdrop in basic moral philosophy, noting that climate action and poverty reduction can be motivated both by a core principle based on the right to development and by the conventional consequentialism that is standard in economics. Second, it reviews assessments of the current and potential future impacts of weakly managed climate change on the wellbeing of those in poverty, paying attention to unequal effects, including by gender. Third, it examines arguments and literature on the economic impacts of climate action and policies and how those affect the wellbeing of people in poverty, highlighting the importance of market failures, technological change, systemic dynamics of transition, and distributional effects of mitigation and adaptation. Finally, the paper surveys the current state of knowledge and understanding of how climate action and poverty reduction can be integrated in policy design, indicating where further research can contribute to a transition that succeeds in both objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty has always been a global concern that has restricted human development. The first goal (SDG 1) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to eliminate all forms of poverty all over the world. The establishment of a scientific and effective localized SDG 1 evaluation and monitoring method is the key to achieving SDG 1. This paper proposes SDG 1 China district and county-level localization evaluation method based on multi-source remote sensing data for the United Nations Sustainable Development Framework. The temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of China's poverty areas and their SDG 1 evaluation values in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 have been analyzed. Based on the SDGs global indicator framework, this paper first constructed SDG 1 China's district and county localization indicator system and then extracted multidimensional feature factors from nighttime light images, land cover data, and digital elevation model data. Secondly, we establish SDG 1 China's localized partial least squares estimation model and SDG 1 China's localized machine learning estimation model. Finally, we analyze and verify the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of China's poverty areas and counties and their SDG 1 evaluation values. The results show that SDG 1 China's district and county localization indicator system proposed in this study and SDG 1 China's localized partial least squares estimation model can better reflect the poverty level of China's districts and counties. The estimated model R2 is 0.65, which can identify 72.77% of China's national poverty counties. From 2012 to 2018, the spatial distribution pattern of SDG evaluation values in China's districts and counties is that the SDG evaluation values gradually increase from western China to eastern China. In addition, the average SDG 1 evaluation value of China's districts and counties increased by 23% from 2012 to 2018. This paper is oriented to the United Nations SDGs framework, explores the SDG 1 localized evaluation method of China's districts and counties based on multisource remote sensing data, and provides a scientific and rapid regional poverty monitoring and evaluation program for the implementation of the 2030 agenda poverty alleviation goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to analyze whether poverty alleviation in the Districts/Cities of Papua province can be influenced by Regional Original Income or still depends on central transfer funds. The research method is panel data analysis with Fixed Effect Model (FEM) approach using EViews12. The results showed that Regional Original Income did not have a significant effect on poverty in the Districts/Cities of Papua Province, while the Balancing Fund and Special Autonomy Fund had a significant effect on poverty in the Districts/Cities of Papua Province. This shows that in alleviating poverty in the Districts/Cities of Papua province still depends on central transfer funds, namely the balance fund and special autonomy funds [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the effectiveness of the pilot project on comprehensive control of rock desertification since its launch by China's government is of great significance for regional sustainable development. Jointly affected by the karst surface-underground geological structure and human activities, the natural ecological environment is fragile in southwest Guangxi, with frequent droughts and floods, severe soil erosion and rock desertification. Consequently, the socio-economic development in this region is relatively lagging behind. With the support of national policies, southwest Guangxi has been comprehensively carrying out projects of controlling rocky desertification, promoting the control of rocky desertification and poverty alleviation in a coordinated manner. According to "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan for Comprehensive Control of Rocky Desertification in Karst Areas of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region", southwest Guangxi is designated as an area for the control of cluster-peak depression, in which comprehensive control of rocky desertification has been carried out in terms of building ecological barriers, protecting biodiversity, and promoting the protection and the comprehensive utilization of water and soil resources. In order to further investigate the effectiveness of controlling rocky desertification in cluster-peak depression of southwest Guangxi, this study the physical exploration. Based on the correction of the data from the borehole, the parameter of geological radar, V, is taken to be 0.060 m•ns -1 which is applicable to the study area. The study results indicate that Biyun lake belongs to the oblique tectonic basin, where leakage points and underground river pipes are mainly developed close to the axis of the Babu compound oblique, along the lithological interface of three sections of greystone and the second section of the mudstone of Jialingjiang Group. The mudstone constitutes a water separating plate of the karst leakage zone. After lake water seeps along the zone, it flows northwest, and is discharged in the end at the outlet of the Babu underground river. In addition, the leakage of Biyun lake is mainly of the karst pipeline type. The karst leakage zone is located at the measuring point of 540 m, with a 40-meter- deep of karst pipeline; therefore, the leakage section is relatively narrow, and it is feasible to plug the leakage by grouting. The drilling test results confirm the reliability of the technical method used in karst areas, which is combined by hydrogeological investigation, tracer test and physical exploration, because this method can well determine the direction of the leakage channel and the location of the leakage zone, and thus providing guidance on the leakage control of lakes or reservoirs in karst areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The informal sector and inclusive growth have a very close relationship that fuels an extremely fertile literature. The objective of this paper is to determine the effects of the size of the informal sector on inclusive growth in Africa using data for 43 countries from Medina and Schneider (International Monetary Fund, 2018) and the World Bank (World Development Index, 2021). After constructing the inclusive growth index based on an appropriate methodology, we specified and estimated respectively a panel data, fixed effects Driscoll and Kraay model with robustness via Lewbel 2SLS and system generalized method of moments (S-GMM) over the period 1995–2019. Our results show that the informal sector significantly and statistically reduces inclusive growth in Africa. Furthermore, our results show the existence of a U-shaped relationship between the size of the informal sector and the level of growth inclusiveness. These results are robust to alternative specifications. We suggest that governments introduce less stringent forms of regulation to encourage firms operating on the edge of legality to evade taxes to better regulate themselves and thereby contribute to growth, poverty reduction and environmental sustainability, rather than encouraging (or discouraging) the informal sector per se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]