Search

This paper investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on income, poverty and inequality in Vietnam. We use the Vietnam Household Living Standards Survey 2018 in combination with the Labor Force Surveys for 2018, 2019 and 2020 to simulate the impact of COVID-19 shocks in 2020. We use the difference-in-differences method, which is used little in the COVID-19 literature, to document that the income of workers in the production, construction, trade, transport, restaurant and hotel, real estate, support services, education and recreation sectors was heavily affected, especially in the fourth quarter of 2020. The developed simulator helps in estimating the impacts. Specifically, the simulation results show that per capita expenditures decrease in all eight regions, however the poverty rate or number of poor people increases only in the Southeast and Mekong River Delta regions. Poverty rate of female-headed households increased more than that of male-headed households. The COVID-19 pandemic's effect on the poverty rate is very small and therefore does not affect inequality much. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The correlation between poverty and air pollution in the contiguous United States is a widely debated issue, often suggesting that impoverished areas suffer higher pollution levels due to socioeconomic disparities. However, existing studies frequently lack the integration of advanced analytical techniques and fail to account for a comprehensive range of variables. This research paper addresses these gaps by employing sophisticated machine learning models to analyze an extensive dataset encompassing various socioeconomic and environmental metrics. Utilizing linear regression, decision trees, and neural networks, we rigorously examined the data. While the variables were able to predict county-wide poverty rates to reasonably low RMSE and MAE values, our results indicate no significant correlation between poverty levels alone with air pollution indices. The latter finding challenges conventional understanding and highlights the complexity of the relationship between socioeconomic status and environmental quality. By offering a data-driven perspective, our study encourages policymakers to reconsider the factors influencing environmental justice and to look beyond economic status alone. Our work underscores the necessity for further investigation into other potential determinants of pollution, contributing to the discourse on environmental equity. This research provides a fresh, nuanced view that questions established beliefs and underscores the multifaceted nature of socioeconomic-environmental interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alleviating poverty remains a significant global challenge necessitating effective interventions. While Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is widely acknowledged as a contemporary solution for addressing socioeconomic issues, the impact of supply-side factors, notably mobile broadband expansion, remains uncertain. Our study bridges this gap by analyzing the effects of 3G and 4G coverage on poverty rates and gaps in 109 underdeveloped regions in Indonesia from 2017–2021. Through quantitative analysis and map charts, we ascertain that increased 3G and 4G coverage is associated with decreased poverty rates and gaps. Specifically, a 1 percent rise in 3G coverage corresponds to a 0.019 percent decrease in poverty rates and a 0.011 point reduction in the poverty gap. Similarly, a 1 percent increase in 4G coverage reduces poverty rates by 0.009 percent and the poverty gap by 0.004 points. These findings offer valuable theoretical and practical insights to inform future research and policy initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Substantial local variation and instability is present in early care and education. • Public early care and education programs play an important role in rural areas. • Private early care and education provision is most prevalent in urban counties. • Early care and education programs are less available in high-poverty areas. • Provision of private programs is more volatile than public programs. Given the importance of early care and education (ECE) programs for children's development and parents' labor force participation, it is critical to ensure communities — particularly those home to historically marginalized populations — have predictable and equitable access to programming and services. Yet, there are few useful data resources and thus relatively little research examining variation in local access to ECE programs. In this article, we examine county-level disparities in participation in and availability of ECE centers by child poverty rate, racial and ethnic composition, and urban-rural geography using a unique national dataset of county-level ECE program enrollment and expenditures from 2000 to 2019. Measures of ECE access in these data reflect a mix of publicly provided and funded programs, as well as privately-run programs that may be operated by nonprofit or for-profit entities. Findings suggest that public ECE per capita enrollment is higher in rural than urban counties, whereas private ECE program enrollment appears more highly concentrated in urban counties. Counties with higher child poverty rates also have lower enrollment rates at private ECE centers compared to counties with lower child poverty rates. We find mixed results when comparing public (e.g., public preschool, Head Start) and private ECE enrollment across counties by racial and ethnic composition. Finally, we examine year-over-year volatility in ECE enrollment and expenditures and find that public ECE programs are more stable compared to private ECE programming, which may promote equity in ECE stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hunger relief organizations often estimate food demand using food distribution data. Leveraging Visual Analytics (VA) and historical data, we examine how underlying factors like unemployment, poverty rate, and median household income affect forecasts for aid recipients' food demand. Our study reveals that incorporating these factors enhances forecast accuracy. Visual Analytics empowers decision-makers to integrate field knowledge with computational insights, enabling more informed decisions. This innovative approach presents a valuable tool for charitable organizations to strategically improve forecasting precision in the dynamic landscape of hunger relief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the historical review of a series of indicators of energy poverty in Bulgaria, including the recently adopted official definition, and the existing and planned policy instruments to reduce energy poverty in the field of energy efficiency, heating appliances and systems, and renewable energy sources. Targeted heating support and temporary direct support in the form of targeted heating grants and compensation under Operation Support for Vulnerable Households -- SAFE are not analysed. The official definition of energy poverty is used to assess both the level and the effectiveness of the definition and its ability to reflect national specifics and trends, its potential shortcomings in the programme scope, targeted groups and results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uneven access to water and wastewater infrastructure is shaped by local governance. A substantial number of U.S. households lack adequate access and the U.S. is one of the few countries with large populations living outside of city bounds, in unincorporated areas. Few studies address how infrastructure services and local governance are intertwined at a regional scale. We examine the connection between incorporation status and access to centralized infrastructure, using negative binomial regression. A novel dataset informs this analysis, comprised of 31,383 Census block groups located in nine states representing over 25% of the national population. We find evidence that inequities in access are associated with unincorporated status and poverty rates. Sewer coverage rates are significantly lower for unincorporated communities in close proximity to municipal boundaries. Infrastructure equity could be improved by targeting high-poverty unincorporated communities, addressing challenges with noncontiguous service areas, and strengthening regional water planning and participatory governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to establish a thorough comprehension of the interaction of population dynamics, poverty rates, minimum wage levels, and regional GDP in relation to household electricity consumption. The main objective is to improve the precision of electricity demand predictions and prevent planning mistakes, such as the considerable surplus of 6-7 GW in the Java Bali system between 2020 and 2023, resulting in major financial losses. We evaluate and compare the models by employing several approaches, such as ordinary least square (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) with fixed and adaptive bandwidths. We use modified R-squared and corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc) values for this assessment. The GWR with adaptive bandwidth is shown to be the most resilient method and is subsequently chosen for modeling. The results indicate that there is a strong correlation between the number of impoverished individuals and electricity use, with a coefficient range of 0.35-0.55. Furthermore, the correlation between poverty rates and power usage is defined by a coefficient that varies between -0.0010 and -0.0030. There is a direct relationship between regional GDP and power growth, as indicated by coefficients ranging from 1,000,000 to 5,000,000. Moreover, the impact of minimum wage levels differs among different locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil palm plantations have become a strategic sector in the Indonesian economy, especially in the Kalimantan region. Although its contribution to economic growth is undeniable, its impact on poverty alleviation is still debatable. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between oil palm plantation area and production on economic growth and poverty levels in Kalimantan. The research methodology uses multiple linear regression analysis with secondary data obtained from official statistical reports during the period 2021 to 2022. The independent variables in this study are land area and oil palm production, while the dependent variables include economic growth rates and poverty rates. The results of the study show that the area of oil palm plantations has a significant positive effect on economic growth in Kalimantan, while oil palm production does not show a significant relationship with the decline in poverty rates. This finding indicates that economic growth resulting from the expansion of plantation land does not directly improve the socio-economic conditions of local communities. The implications of this study highlight the importance of more inclusive development policies, with a focus on a more equitable distribution of economic benefits and investment in social infrastructure such as education and health. This is necessary to ensure that the economic benefits of the palm oil sector can be felt by all levels of society, thus supporting sustainable development in Kalimantan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the impact of urban renewal programs (PRU) on creating a safe environment. People's perceptions of PRU and its impact on security were collected through questionnaires and sketch maps. This study applies a space syntax approach to analyse the spatial and structural properties of successive urban space evolutions and compare them with people's perceptions of security. The findings reveal a strong correlation between areas with high levels of social housing concentration, poverty rates and insecurity. Surprisingly, visually controlled areas are vulnerable and attractive locations for drug trafficking. Density indicators have a minor influence on the perception of insecurity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, people acknowledge poverty as the greatest tragedy in human history, a serious threat to sustainable living, and a barrier to the development of human capital. Realising the importance of lowering global poverty, the United Nations incorporated 'End poverty in all its forms everywhere' as the first of the 17 SDGs for Sustainable Development. This background motivates us to look into how different lower-middle- or lower-income countries are achieving the first SDG goal. Consequently, the study primarily investigates the efficiency of 43 lower middle- or lower-income countries in Asia, Africa, and America in reaching the SDG goal of 'No poverty' by using the Stochastic Production Frontier from 2019 to 2020. Concurrently, the analysis pinpoints the causes of the nation's inefficiency in accomplishing that objective. According to the study's findings the Korea Republic is the most efficient nation at reaching the objective of 'No poverty.' Guinea is the least efficient. In conjunction with inefficiency issues, the analysis demonstrates that rising CO2 emissions paradoxically promote efficiency in the battle against poverty; conversely, rising corruption increases inefficiency. Conflict significantly impedes any constructive goal, such as poverty reduction. Corruption and intentional homicides serve as proxy indicators of conflict in this context. A rise in conflict variables reduces the nation's efficacy in lowering poverty rates. The article ends by outlining future research goals and making pertinent policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research investigates the Islamic banks' intermediation role (e.g. branches and deposits) in financing. It also examines how financing contributes to the regions' economic growth and poverty alleviation as a predictor and mediator variable. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 297 observations were extracted from 33 Indonesian districts and 14 Islamic banks during the period 2012-2020. Fixed-effect regression analysis was used to examine variable's interactions. Findings: The empirical results indicate that Islamic banks have adopted a channelling role towards redistributing capital from lender to borrower. Besides, there are crucial roles in developing economies and reducing poverty at the district level. This study also reinforces the critical role of financing in mediating the relationship between branches and deposits as predictor variables and GDP and poverty as outcome variables. Research limitations/implications: The current study was limited to Indonesian Islamic banks and the district's perspective. Future research needs to cover sub-districts and other poverty measurements (e.g. human education and development perspectives), including conventional and Islamic banks. It can help practitioners, regulators and researchers observe the dynamic behaviour of the banking sector to understand its role in the economic and social fields. Practical implications - Bank managers and regulators should promote branches, deposits and financing. It also enlightens people about the essential role of Islamic banks and their fundamental operations in business and economics. Originality/value: This study contributes to economic literature, bank managers and local governments' decision-making processes by developing and testing an economic growth and poverty model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty is considered a serious global issue that must be immediately eradicated by Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, namely ending poverty anywhere and in any form. As a developing country, poverty is a complex issue faced by Indonesia. Tackling poverty in Indonesia has become a key focus of the government's strategic priorities. This issue of poverty is experienced by all provinces in Indonesia, including Central Java. The poverty rate in Central Java stands at 10.77% or 3.79 million people. The causes of poverty are explained by several factors. Using these various factors, a mapping model can be conducted to determine the number of poor populations in Central Java. This research employs Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) and Mixed Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) approaches to compare the effectiveness of these models in analyzing the number of poor populations in Central Java in 2023. The kernel function weighting used in this study is Fixed Gaussian. The results showed that the MGWR model outperformed both the OLS regression and GWR models, achieving an Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) of 62.766, an R² of 82.3%, and a Mean Squared Error (MSE) of 0.177. Consequently, it can be inferred that the MGWR model was more suitable for explaining the poverty levels in Central Java. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being a world-class tourist destination, the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI--St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John) face significant challenges related to diversified crop production, food distribution, and food security. High poverty rates among islanders perpetuated by historical iniquities, frequent hurricane damage, drought, poor soil quality, high food production costs, and limited food distribution networks are just a few of the challenges residents face. Consequently, 97% of the food consumed in the USVI is imported. Frequent hurricane damage, such as the recent damage from Irma and Maria (back-to-back Category 5 storms that hit the islands in 2017) complicated these challenges even more and disrupted food import processes. This manuscript focuses on a case study involving a literature review, participant observation, and a series of semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with key informants about issues related to food insecurity, resilience, and farmer needs regarding business sustainability. The results highlight how the political, economic, and cultural complexities of the USVI stymie efforts to lower barriers related to food accessibility and affordability. The results also reveal a new and vibrant entrepreneurial spirit among native islanders and transplants alike, providing novel entryways into food system change and development. Finally, we share policy implications and next steps toward building agriculture and food system resiliency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equity market liquidity can prevent the outflow of large capital and enhance economic growth by transforming it into investment in productive projects, resulting in increased production, employment, and wage growth, ultimately reducing income inequality in developing countries, such as Iran. Lack of sufficient capital is considered one of the effective factors contributing to low economic growth and, consequently, poverty and income inequality. In a world where some people live in poverty and income disparity is evident, investigating poverty and human welfare in the context of global development holds a crucial position. Alongside the significance of the stock market as part of the capital market and its potential impact on these issues, especially in less developed countries like Iran, this study investigates the effect of value of transactions on poverty and income inequality in Iranian provinces from 2011 to 2022 using panel data and Generalized Least Square (GLS) estimator. The validity and sensitivity of the results are also examined using Panel System Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) estimator. The results of the poverty model show a significant inverse relationship between equity market liquidity and the poverty index in all provinces, including both developed and less developed provinces. In other words, an increase in equity market liquidity has led to a decrease in the poverty rate. However, in developed provinces, the liquidity of the equity market has contributed to an increase in poverty. On the other hand, equity market liquidity has not shown any significant impact on income inequality in the three groups of total provinces, developed provinces, and less developed provinces. it is suggested that measures such as market transparency, increased market access, reduced transaction costs, improved market infrastructure, financial support for firms from the capital market, and increased involvement of low-income individuals and the poor in the stock market should be taken to enhance the role of equity market liquidity in reducing poverty and promoting more equitable income distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Social Policy Studies / Sosyal Politika Çalismalari Dergisi is the property of Journal of Social Policy Studies / Sosyal Politika Calismalari Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Climate change and the ongoing energy transition can increase energy poverty rates. To date, the main tool employed to alleviate energy poverty has involved income transfers to vulnerable households. However, measures that seek to improve a home's energy efficiency have recently gained increasing relevance. In this study we assess the effectiveness of these two types of policy, assuming universal coverage and optimal behaviour. Results points that income transfers and energy efficiency measures have the potential to decrease the proportion of households in energy poverty; however, the magnitude of their respective effects differs greatly. The average impact of energy efficiency measures provides for a greater reduction in energy poverty rates than income transfer policies. Although the greatest reduction in energy poverty is obtained by combining both measures, this combination of tools leads to overlapping effects with income transfers making only a marginal contribution once total retrofit have been implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generous social benefit systems reduce work incentives, which has prompted more than half of the EU countries to introduce some sort of make work pay policies. Previous research for Croatia has shown that certain types of households have very low work incentives. Therefore, this paper aims to analyse the impact of in-work benefits on work incentives of non-employed persons and the poverty rate in Croatia. Using the tax-benefit microsimulation model EUROMOD, which is based on the EU-SILC 2020 data, three hypothetical types of in-work benefits are simulated. The results show that the characteristics and the design of in-work benefits are essential, and the choice of the appropriate type of benefit depends on the policy objectives. This paper is the first to analyze the impact of in-work benefits on the work incentives of all non-employed persons in Croatia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change can impact farmers' incomes as agricultural production still depends on the weather. Currently, the majority of the impoverished rely primarily on agriculture for their income. The connection between poverty and climate change has been extensively studied, but further research is needed in this area. This research was conducted to provide empirical evidence regarding the impact of climate change on poverty using time series data, which has never been done. This research wants to examine the impact of socio-economics (economic growth, agricultural sector growth, inequality, inflation) and climate change on poverty. This research uses time series data from 2007 to 2022. The Central Bureau of Statistics and Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) reports are the sources of research data. The study results suggest that the government's performance index in combating inflation, agricultural sector growth, and climate change has a positive impact on poverty. Poverty is negatively affected by the Gini index and economic growth. Government efforts to adaptively address climate change are necessary to prevent worsening impacts on poverty rates. To reduce the risk of crop failure, farmers must also practice practical agricultural management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in poverty rates among families and individuals in Italy over the past two decades can be attributed largely to repeated periods of economic crisis. Growing concern over the problem has driven interest in the role of policy in supporting household welfare. Responding to the currently limited access to (or provision of) public aid and assistance, private institutions and philanthropic foundations have stepped up their efforts to create new initiatives for alleviating poverty. In this paper, we use a randomized control trial (RCT) to evaluate the impact of a new Italian program aimed at supporting vulnerable individuals in four separate but related areas of household welfare: employment, financial circumstances, family responsibilities and housing conditions. The program, known as Integro, was introduced by the Compagnia di San Paolo, one of Italy's largest philanthropic institutions. Our findings indicate a positive and statistically significant impact of Integro on three of the four target outcomes considered, with only the fourth (housing conditions) not being affected. We also sought to identify any initial conditions potentially influencing the extent to which participants benefit from the program. Is Integro equally effective for everyone? According to our data, the program provides the best outcomes for males reporting lower human capital and greater socio‐emotional stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify the influence of education quality, labor absorption, and poverty level on the unemployment rate. The method used in this study is quantitative descriptive, utilizing secondary data in the form of a cross-section from the Central Statistics Agency (CSA) website. The population in this study was 34 provinces in Indonesia. The sampling technique applied was saturated sampling, where the entire population of 34 provinces was sampled. The data analysis used multiple linear regression for data testing. The study's findings indicate that individual testing shows a more diverse picture; education quality and poverty level do not affect the unemployment rate, and labor absorption positively affects the unemployment rate. This study has implications for the complexity of the unemployment issue and the importance of a holistic approach in formulating policies to address these problems. These results can be a reference for related parties to develop more effective policies and programs in dealing with unemployment problems.

Tying public school funding to property taxes has prevented low-income school districts in the United States from garnering adequate financial and social resources. As a result of this regressive funding system, millions of children find themselves trapped in underfunded schools and neighborhoods that perpetuate intergenerational trauma, tenuous employment, poor health, and poverty. However, in many underserved neighborhoods, including in cities like Philadelphia and Chicago, where poverty rates have been as high as 25 and 40%, respectively, many of the most under-resourced schools border or are adjacent to wealthy universities. Given this proximity of many universities and their wealth of resources spanning medical centers, community organizations, faculty, and students, the potential for mutual benefit, long-term structural change, and the ability to fulfill shared missions is significant, and partnerships that breakdown historical siloes must be encouraged. Therefore, this policy brief advocates for a tax credit at the federal level to incentivize and catalyze scaling of successful university-community partnership models that have been transformative in their respective communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to improve the measurement of multidimensional poverty for the purpose of analyzing gender differences while considering the limitations of household surveys. To effectively analyze gender disparities, it addresses three issues that are often overlooked in the literature: disregard for within-household inequalities in household-level indicators; disregard for ineligible populations in indicators that represent only a specific group; and disregard for intermediate deprivation situations in cutoff-based poverty estimations. Using data from the Brazilian Consumer Expenditure Survey 2017–2018, we create two indexes with indicators that are key aspects in gender and feminist analyses. Applying a fuzzy approach and the Alkire–Foster method, we estimate multidimensional poverty and gender differences from three perspectives: intrahousehold, interhousehold, and intracouple. We also calculate inequality among the poor and intracouple gender gaps proposing fuzzy versions for these analyses. The main findings suggest that women are disadvantaged in terms of work and time quality, economic security, and access to resources—all of which are crucial components of agency or degree of empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Techno.com is the property of Universitas Dian Nuswantoro, Fakultas Ilmu Komputer and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the 21th century, one of the indicators that show urban progress is the low level of poverty in these areas. One of the ways to achieve this goal is to increase educational expenses. Which is investigated in this study. Therefore, this study seeks to spatially evaluate the effect of the variables of education costs, growth rate and unemployment rate on the reduction of poverty among urban families in the provinces of Iran and in the period of 2006-2021. In this study, the SGMM-DPD-SAR generalized moment dynamic panel model will be used to investigate the statistical tests using two-stage Arellano-Bover / Blundell-Bond coefficients. The obtained results confirm that, according to the phenomenon of the vicious circle of poverty, the first interval of the dependent variable has a positive effect on poverty with a coefficient of 0.91. The first spatial interval of SAR is also positive and significant 0.06, which shows that there is a positive spatial dependence between the provinces of Iran, that is, the effects of the explanatory variables on the dependent variable have spatial and regional effects. According to the human capital theory of Baker and Schultz, the development of human resources through programs such as education and health emphasizes the reduction of poverty, where the cost of education leads to the reduction of poverty in households with a factor of 0.04, economic growth with The coefficient of 0.01 has a negative and significant effect on the severity of poverty in Iran; And there is also a negative relationship between economic growth and the Amartyasen index, that is, economic growth has positive effects on the rate of poverty reduction in Iran. Unemployment rate also increases poverty with a factor of 0.06. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of institutional quality, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and human capital development on Indonesia's poverty rate. Design/methodology/approach: The quantile regression on data ranging from 1984 to 2019 was used to capture the relationship between the impact of the independent variables (FDI inflows, institutional quality and human capital development) on Indonesia's poverty rate at different quantiles of the conditional distribution. Findings: The empirical results reveal that low-quantile institutional quality is detrimental to poverty eradication, whereas FDI inflows and human capital development are significant at higher quantiles of distribution. This implies that higher-value FDI and advanced human capital development are critical to lifting Indonesians out of poverty. Practical implications: Policymakers should prioritise strategies that advance human capital development, create an enticing investment climate that attracts high-value investments and improve institutional quality levels. Originality/value: This study contributes to the existing literature because, compared to previous studies that focussed on estimating the conditional mean of the explanatory variable on the poverty rate. It rather provides a more comprehensive understanding of the quantiles of interest of FDI inflows and institutional quality on the Indonesian poverty rate, allowing for more targeted policies. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-09-2023-0733 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Despite a reduction in poverty the global population in 2015, the incidence of poverty remains very high in Sub-Saharan African countries. Most of the countries in the region are agrarian, with most of their population residing in rural areas, and a majority of the poor in the region are found in Nigeria. This study examined the nexus between participation in nonfarm enterprises (NFEs) and poverty among rural farm households in Nigeria and across the six geopolitical zones. Design/methodology/approach: The Nigerian Living Standard Survey (NLSS) conducted in 2018–2019 by the National Bureau of Statistics was used. We made use of 13,440 farm households with useful information for the purpose of this study. The sample comprises 6,885 households that participated in NFEs and 6,555 nonparticipating households. The data were analyzed with Foster, Greer, and Thorbecke (FGT) (1984) metrics, probit, and fractional probit models at p = 0.05. Findings: The incidence of poverty was lower among the participating households than in the nonparticipating households. Participation in NFEs had a mitigating effect on poverty. We also established that zonal differentials in poverty rates exist among households in all the analyses. Participation in NFEs was influenced by individual, household, and institutional factors and was also able to explain the depth of poverty among the respondents. Practical implications: It is suggested that poverty alleviation policies should be targeted at improving access to nonfarm economic activities by rural farm households residing in vulnerable geopolitical zones. Originality/value: This study is the first attempt to profile household poverty based on the type of NFEs they are involved in. The study also provides an insight into the effect of the state of residence on zonal poverty models, which is expedient if the country must achieve Sustainable Development Goal 1 on the eradication of poverty everywhere. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-06-2023-0493 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socio-natural disasters pose a significant risk to healthcare systems, particularly in areas with high volcanic and seismic activity, combined with high poverty rates, reflecting vulnerable communities facing severe impacts on societal well-being and the economy. This is the case in the territories of Coquimbo and La Serena in Chile, which are constantly affected by natural phenomena, such as wildfires. Between 2020 and 2021, a total of 58 wildfires were recorded. This study presents a quantitative risk analysis of the healthcare network in response to the recurrence of wildfires in Coquimbo and La Serena cities, employing mixed-integer programming models for optimal location, relating fixed costs to the increased demand for care from the affected population. The methodology applied was quantitative, where the first phase involved identifying the areas affected by wildfires in La Serena and Coquimbo. Subsequently, we have formulated the mathematical model, including the objective function, definition of variables and parameters, definition of constraints, and finally, the implementation of the mathematical model's code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Credit cooperatives not only promote the rural economy but also play an important role in providing effective and green financing. This paper aims to study the role of financial sustainability in the relationship between credit cooperation and income growth. The scale of the credit cooperatives and the financial sustainability were selected as two instrumental variables to mitigate the endogeneity of credit cooperative loans. Based on the data from 74 village‐level surveys collected from Inner Mongolia, the credit effect and income increase impact of the credit cooperative scale and financial sustainability were analyzed by two‐stage least‐squares (2SLS) analysis. The study found that the scale of the credit cooperatives can positively affect credit cooperative loans to increase farmer income, with financial sustainability playing as a moderator; credit cooperatives will have a more significant income‐increasing effect on villages with a better economic foundation or lower poverty rate but will have no significant effect on villages with a poor economic foundation or high poverty rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indonesian government, including local governments, has spent large sums of money and many programs to reduce poverty. However, in several regions in Indonesia, the number of poor people has increased, as in Central Kalimantan, where the poverty rate has increased in the last three years. The number of poor people in Central Kalimantan in 2020 is 132 thousand people; this number increased to 140 thousand people in 2021, then increased again to 145 thousand in 2022. Research on poverty has been carried out in Indonesia. However, research analyzing poverty caused by natural factors and mismanaged government policies has not been carried out. This research was conducted to analyze poverty in Central Kalimantan between state policy governance factors and natural factors. The research uses analytical qualitative methods and case study designs. The analysis uses the new institutional theory and the natural resource curse theory. The research finds that mistakes in managing government policies (structural dimension) and nature (natural dimension) are factors that both play a role in increasing poverty in Central Kalimantan. As a practical suggestion, the government needs to make more intense and detailed efforts to alleviate poverty in Central Kalimantan that are adapted to natural conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Chicago UPK expansion increased access to free, full-day pre-K for 4-year-olds. • There was no negative effect on 3-year-old enrollment in free, full-day pre-K. • Most of the full-day expansion was offset by declines in half-day seats. • An earlier, targeted system had increased access in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. • All communities across the city had increases in access through the UPK expansion. In 2019, Chicago began transitioning from a targeted pre-K program to free, full-day universal pre-K (UPK). By design, the transition intended to expand capacity over a few years, prioritizing access in more disadvantaged areas before moving on to more advantaged areas. We analyzed the transition path, showing capacity and enrollment over time across neighborhoods categorized by poverty rates, racial and ethnic composition, and economic resources. We also used a difference-in-differences approach to examine the causal impact of the expansion on access and explore implications for equity. We found that Chicago's UPK increased 4-year-old enrollment in free, full-day pre-K programs in Chicago Public Schools, largely through replacing half-day seats with full-day seats, with no negative effect on 3-year-old enrollment. We also found that capacity and enrollment generally were expanded earlier in neighborhoods with higher levels of disadvantage. Importantly, all communities across the city experienced increases in capacity and enrollment through the UPK expansion, suggesting it is possible to expand access across sociodemographic groups without compromising access for children living in historically underinvested neighborhoods. As local efforts across the nation expand to increase access to publicly funded programs, the Chicago UPK expansion can serve as a model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trapping refers to the event when a household falls into the area of poverty. Households that live or fall into the area of poverty are said to be in a poverty trap, where a poverty trap is a state of poverty from which it is difficult to escape without external help. Similarly, extreme poverty is considered as the most severe type of poverty, in which households experience severe deprivation of basic human needs. In this article, we consider an Omega risk process with deterministic growth and a multiplicative jump (collapse) structure to model the capital of a household. It is assumed that, when a household's capital level is above a certain capital barrier level that determines a household's eligibility for a capital cash transfer programme, its capital grows exponentially. As soon as its capital falls below the capital barrier level, the capital dynamics incorporate external support in the form of direct transfers (capital cash transfers) provided by donors or governments. Otherwise, once trapped, the capital grows only due to the capital cash transfers. Under this model, we first derive closed-form expressions for the trapping probability and then do the same for the probability of extreme poverty, which only depends on the current value of the capital given by some extreme poverty rate function. Numerical examples illustrate the role of capital cash transfers on poverty and extreme poverty dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Latinos/as/xs continue to face many barriers as they pursue engineering degrees, including remedial placement, lack of access to well‐funded schools, and high poverty rates. We use the concept of arrebatos to describe the internal reckoning that Latino/a/x engineering students experience through their journeys, particularly focusing on the impact of socioeconomic inequalities. Purpose: To bring counternarratives in engineering education research focusing on the experiences and lived realities of low‐income Latino/a/x engineering students. These counternarratives are an important step in interrogating systemic biases and exclusionary cultures, practices, and policies at HSIs and emerging HSIs and within engineering programs. Methods: Pláticas were conducted with 22 Latino/a/x engineering undergraduates from four different universities in the US Southwest. These pláticas were coded and analyzed drawing from Anzaldúa's theoretical concept of el arrebato. Special attention was given to participants' arrebatos triggered by their college experiences as low‐income individuals. Results: Analysis indicates that Latino/a/x engineering students' arrebatos arise from events that shake up the foundation of their own identity, including an institutional lack of sociopolitical consciousness. This lack of consciousness becomes evident not only in individuals' attitudes toward these students but also in institutional policies that put them at a further disadvantage. Conclusions: Findings have implications for engineering programs, particularly at HSIs and emerging HSIs regarding the creation of policies and practices that aim to secure the retention of low‐income Latino/a/x engineering students and alleviate the systemic barrier they face by affirming the practice of servingness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurement of poverty using the material deprivation scale has become widespread throughout the world. One of the technical challenges in constructing the material deprivation scale is the identification of socially perceived necessities. Researchers have used methods ranging from focus groups to separate public opinion surveys to develop a list of socially perceived necessities. However, material deprivation is a relative concept. As society undergoes economic, demographic and political change, the list needs to be reviewed for relevance. The aim of this study was to examine the stability of perceptions of children's necessities in Japan at a time when public awareness of child poverty in Japan has risen sharply. The results of the analysis show that, using the 50% criterion, the list of socially perceived necessities for children has been surprisingly stable over 20 years. However, there has been a statistically significant change in the public's perception of necessity for 16 of the 25 items, even after controlling for age, gender, income and whether they have children. Furthermore, the analysis shows that although the consensus between genders and between income quintile groups is fairly stable or converging, there is a greater divergence in the consensus between age groups and between respondents with and without children. In a society with increasing numbers of elderly and childless people, we need to be increasingly careful that the items selected for the deprivation scale not only meet the 50% criteria, but are also agreed by different segments of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Smoking households in Indonesia diverted a significant share of their budget to tobacco. Tobacco expenditure is deemed unproductive, as it crowds out resources from essential commodities and increases health care expenditure driven by tobacco-induced diseases. Therefore, despite having adequate resources, some smoking families in Indonesia may spend less on basic needs, which inadvertently puts their standard of living below the poverty line. Aims and Methods Employing data from 2021 (March) Indonesia's Socioeconomic Survey (SUSENAS), this research aims to quantify the impoverishing effect of tobacco consumption in Indonesia, considering spending on tobacco and tobacco-attributable health care costs as unproductive expenditure. The de facto headcount poverty rate and poverty gap index are calculated by removing tobacco expenditures and tobacco-attributable health care expenditures from the household's total spending. Results Accounting for unproductive spending related to tobacco use, Indonesia's headcount poverty ratio in March 2021 would rise by 3.22 percentage points, equivalent to an additional 8.75 million people living below the poverty line. In addition, the poverty gap index would increase by 0.77 percentage points. The impoverishment effect of tobacco is larger among rural populations than their urban counterparts. Moreover, the impoverishment is mainly driven by direct tobacco spending rather than tobacco-attributable health care expenditure. Conclusions Significant portions of Indonesia's population are exposed to secondary poverty because of tobacco use. A high level of cigarette spending among smoking households is the major source of the impoverishing effect of tobacco use. Implications The study provides quantitative evidence of the true cost of smoking in Indonesia, where the de facto number of the poor population after accounting for tobacco-related spending is higher than what is published in the official statistics. The findings of this study support tobacco control policies in Indonesia, particularly to effectively reduce tobacco use and mitigate the impoverishing impact of tobacco use on low-income households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is limited access to Justice system services in rural communities of Namibia, stemming from inadequate infrastructure and resources which contributes to a concerning escalation in poverty and crime rates within these communities. The study examines the factors that influence the Namibian Ministry of Justice's services to rural areas. The qualitative methods were employed, and actor-network theory (ANT) was applied as a lens for analysis. The study reveals that a mobile-enabled platform can be used to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Ministry of Justice service delivery. It highlights the factors that can influence the development of the platform. The findings have significant implications for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Justice system services, from both technology and the Ministry of Justice's perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Pakistan, due to low per capita income and weak socio-economic policies the poverty has remained core problem in every era. Thus, as per sensitivity of the issue, the present study key objectives are to empirically address the dilemma of multidimensional poverty among agrarian and non-agrarian communities of Agro-environmental Regions of Pakistan. For assessment of comprehensive outcomes, one decade survey data (2010/11 to 2019/20) of Pakistan social and living standard measurement and globally acknowledged Alkire and Foster (Counting and multidimensional poverty measurement, 2007) indexing methodology has been adopted. Stepwise outcomes under dual cut-off K = 2 logically reveal that multidimensional poverty is purely an agrarian phenomenon at the national level and across all the nine agro-environmental regions of Pakistan. Further, at the national level in each study year, residents of the agrarian community with poverty estimates 46.40, 39.00, 34.90, and 31.90% are harshly victimized by precise menace compared to their non-agrarian counterparts with poverty measures 23.00, 20.60, 19.10, and 17.70%, respectively. Like national measure, similar trend has also been observed across each agro-environmental region where agrarian community is severely victimized of multiple attributes poverty menace compared to non-agrarian counterpart. Moreover, a comparative analysis of current valuations highlights that over time, especially in the short run, 2010/11 to 2012/13; 2012/13 to 2014/15, and 2014/15 to 2019/20, multiple aspect poverty at national level and across each zone in Pakistan presents fluctuating trend for both communities. However, in the long run, with the time gap of complete decade since to 2010–11 to 2019–20, multidimensional poverty reveals a declining trend at the national level as well as across each study zone in Pakistan. These valuations indicate a noteworthy improvement in all three attributes; education, health, and housing services specifically in longer span of time. Precise improvements are appreciable but still a strong policy like adoption of modern technology as per advance countries in all three aspect is essentially needed to achieve the UNDP agenda within the prescribed time limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the effect of natural resource dependence on employment quality in Africa, analysing data from 2002 to 2020. Our findings indicate that resource dependence is positively and significantly linked to poor employment quality. Specifically, a one‐percentage‐point increase in resource rent dependence results in a 0.026‐percentage‐point rise in vulnerable employment and a 0.282‐percentage‐point increase in working poverty rates. However, this effect of resource rents on employment quality occurs only when institutional quality is low. Once institutional quality surpasses a certain threshold, this adverse effect is reversed. These results highlight the need for policies that diversify economic structures to reduce African economies' overreliance on natural resource rents and enhance institutional quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: This study uses the care poverty framework, focusing on both individuals and structures. In this context, structures are represented by 2 welfare states: Taiwan, an East Asian welfare system and Finland, a Nordic welfare state. This study explores multidimensional care poverty rates and examines 3 realms of individual factors (health status, sociodemographic factors, and care support availability) among older adults in these long-term care (LTC) models. Research Design and Methods: We analyzed data from the 2019 Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Ageing Survey and the 2020 Daily Life and Care in Old Age Survey in Finland to compare the rates and factors of care poverty in these 2 culturally and structurally different countries. Results: Our analysis revealed different rates of care poverty in personal, practical, and socioemotional care needs in the 2 countries. Under a familistic welfare regime, Taiwanese older adults had higher personal care poverty rates than their Finnish counterparts. Those living alone faced more personal and practical care poverty. Conversely, Finnish older adults, under the Nordic welfare model, experienced more practical and socioemotional care poverty. Those with high care needs and disadvantaged social status and support were more likely to experience personal and practical care poverty. Socioemotional care poverty varied with the availability of support and health status in both countries. Discussion and Implications: The study highlights the impact of 2 LTC policies and cultures on older adults' multidimensional care poverty, identifying disadvantaged older adults under different welfare-transforming LTC models. Taiwan's budget-constrained LTC policies and high family reliance contrast with Finland's inadequate attention to the practical and socioemotional needs of its aging population. This study suggests that holistic LTC policies are needed in both countries to improve the well-being of older adults with limited support and health issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty mapping is a powerful tool to study the geography of poverty. The choice of the spatial resolution is central as poverty measures defined at a coarser level may mask their heterogeneity at finer levels. We introduce a small area multi-scale approach integrating survey and remote sensing data that leverages information at different spatial resolutions and accounts for hierarchical dependencies, preserving estimates coherence. We map poverty rates by proposing a Bayesian Beta-based model equipped with a new benchmarking algorithm accounting for the double-bounded support. A simulation study shows the effectiveness of our proposal and an application on Bangladesh is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the combined and individual effects of gross domestic product (GDP), microfinance loan disbursement, per capita power consumption, and total energy consumption on poverty rate in Bangladesh by using annual time series data over the period of 1995–2022. This study determines the direction of causality by applying the Toda–Yamamoto (T–Y) procedure of the Granger causality test in the vector auto regression (VAR) model given the presence of a mixed order of integration of I(1) and I(2). The results of the stationary tests show that all variables except poverty rate are stationary at the I(1) order of integration, according to both the augmented Dicky–Fuller (ADF) and Phillips–Perron (PP) methods, while the poverty rate shows stationarity at the I(2) order in both methods. The T–Y empirical test result shows that the four independent variables combined affect the poverty rate significantly. Power consumption affects both GDP and microfinance and they have bi-directional causality relationship with each other. Our study shows that GDP and total energy consumption individually contribute to poverty reduction. Based on the findings, it is imperative that national policy makers place a greater emphasis on increased domestic production and the proper utilization of power and energy to reduce poverty rates. Policy implications may include strategies to promote sustainable energy development, improve energy efficiency, and provide equitable access to energy services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines poverty and inequality in Pakistan's mountains, using nationally representative data. Our analysis reveals that, despite a slight decline in poverty rates, overall rates remain alarmingly high, with significant variations across provinces and regions. Rural and mountain areas exhibit higher poverty rates (31% in rural areas, 13% in urban areas in 2015/16) compared to urban centers. The national incidence of multidimensional poverty in 2014/15 was 41%, surpassing monetary poverty rates. Notably, rural areas (47%) experienced significantly higher multidimensional poverty than urban centers (12%), with Balochistan's mountainous province recording the highest rates (63%). The four provinces display significant heterogeneity in multidimensional poverty, with district-level variations ranging from 10 to 90% in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The majority of districts with high poverty incidence are situated in mountainous regions, where people face multidimensional challenges in accessing basic facilities such as health and education, cooking fuel, and housing. To address this issue, Pakistan needs to prioritize mountain areas and implement targeted programs aimed at improving access to basic services, addressing gender inequalities, and promoting sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: Donors allocate huge sums for assistance intended for poverty reduction to countries that arguably do not need it. For example, the United States spends more in Jordan—with no extreme poverty—than it does in the six countries with the highest poverty rates in the world combined, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia. Prior studies have suggested that if global aid were allocated according to need, it could roughly double its impact on poverty reduction. Purpose: Country need can be broken down into the magnitude of the development challenge and the domestic resources available. This study examines these two components of development need to determine which countries have the greatest need for foreign assistance. Approach and methods: I produce a set of data‐driven observations documenting the magnitude of the challenge and the resources available. I first explore which countries have the highest rates of absolute and multidimensional poverty. I then examine which countries have the ability to redistribute by comparing their poverty gaps with the potential domestic resources available. This produces the marginal tax rate (MTR) required for a country to finance its own poverty eradication. Findings: There is a clear trend in the magnitude of the challenge: low‐income countries (LICs) have the highest poverty rates by far; lower middle‐income countries (LMICs) are more mixed; and upper middle‐income countries (UMICs) have comparatively little extreme poverty, except in a small handful of countries. The implied MTRs required to close a country's extreme poverty gap are excessively high for LICs and most LMICs but easily manageable for most UMICs. This strongly suggests that both the magnitude of the challenge is much greater and the resources available much lower in LICs and LMICs. Policy implications: The policy implication is that LICs and LMICs should be strongly favoured in terms of aid allocation. The two different components of country need point in the same direction and both suggest a strong focus on allocating assistance towards the poorest countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human race has been confronting the issue of poverty which is threatening its continued existence for a long time. Poor access to finance can lead to poverty this breeds health issues, lack of access to social and recreational facilities, social delinquencies, reduced living standard, malnutrition and economic difficulties. The goal of defeating poverty in its various ramification remains a cardinal concern for policy formulators in the Nigerian state and international bodies such as the World Bank and United Nations. Following the thriving emergence of financial technology (fintech) in Nigeria, there exist a dearth in academic researches to examine how fintech can be a driver in the reduction of poverty. This study examined the impact of financial technology on poverty reduction in Nigeria. Data on poverty rate, financial technology, mortality rate, literacy rate and gross domestic products were obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in Nigeria and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) statistical bulletin for the period of 1991 - 2021. This study employed the multiple linear regression estimation technique to analyse collected data as it examines a cross-section of major key independent variables across a time series data, on the premise of a common effect model. Data analysed indicates a negative and significant nexus between poverty rate and financial technology innovation. The result also suggest that literacy rate and poverty rate have a negative and insignificant relationship. The poverty rate was also found to be positively and insignificantly related to mortality rate and gross domestic products respectively. The study findings have several significant policy implications. Firstly, infrastructures that support internet and mobile telephony should be expanded by providing incentives for investment since technology is the backbone of the operations of fintech. Secondly, education on fintech, information communication technology and finance should be increased to fill the gap among citizens who are not technological inclined especially in the rural areas to increase the use of fintech. Lastly, there should be further regulatory interventions through reforms to remove the barriers to credit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aims to analyze and learn from the unanticipated economic shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We examine the ramifications of the pandemic on household well-being in Ethiopia, uncovering the layers of socio-economic impact through a rigorous microsimulation exercise. Drawing on robust data from the 2018/19 Living Standards Measurement Study – Integrated Surveys on Agriculture, we assess the significant disruptions caused by the pandemic. Our findings reveal a 2 to 4 percentage point increase in the poverty rate within the first three months, driven largely by shifts in direct incomes and food prices. The analysis highlights differential impacts across rural and urban areas, as well as between male- and female-headed households. Moreover, the study underscores the vital role of social protection programs in mitigating the effects of such shocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the evolution of poverty and well-being indicators in Spain between 2008 and 2023 using the EPDS method. The limitations and difficulties encountered in the application of the method in Spain are mentioned, as well as the need to update it. Poverty thresholds and lack of well-being are established for different autonomous communities, finding significant differences among them. There is a downward trend in the risk of income poverty until 2020, with a slight increase due to the COVID-19 crisis. Poverty and well-being rates in different autonomous communities are also mentioned, highlighting the concentration of poverty in Andalusia, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, and the Community of Madrid. Additionally, poverty and hidden precarity in Spain are analyzed, focusing on the young population. There is an increase in the proportion of non-independent individuals with incomes below the poverty threshold, especially in the 18 to 34 age group. [Extracted from the article]

Poverty measurement using durable ownership data is an attempt to infer income constraints by observing consumption choices. But what drives household spending choices on durable goods? How do these choices relate to poverty and class? What does it mean to be 'relatively' poor and why should we care to measure it? In this paper, we propose an economic theory of household decision-making that links these questions using a novel wealth-begets-wealth mechanism. We show that the steady state distribution of total (accumulated) household durable expenditures in this model exhibits natural clusters (classes). Furthermore, certain households may be vulnerable to a long run 'poverty of opportunities', being unable to access any of the channels of income generation available in society. Our model shows that relative poverty can be understood as the endogenous outcome of an intergenerational process that perpetuates unequal access to opportunities. This finding has novel implications for the measurement of poverty, which has traditionally hinged on definitions that assume exogenous (often arbitrary) cutoffs. The contribution of this paper also lies in its novel methodology, viz., formulating a theoretical model as the foundation of a data-generating process for synthetic observations, using patterns observed therein to inform the process of poverty measurement. The methodology delivers a framework for generating testable hypotheses around the long-run effect of policy changes (such as income transfers or education subsidies) on relative poverty – an approach that can be applied generally to understand the observed behaviour of economic agents in complex dynamic settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Studies examining profit suggest that former tobacco farmers do as well or better than current tobacco farmers. Research has yet to examine the relationship among current and former tobacco farmers, poverty, and receipt of government social assistance. This type of research is critical to understanding the direct and indirect subsidization of tobacco growing. This study analyzed tobacco farmers' poverty levels and receipt of government social assistance programs. Aims and Methods We designed and conducted an original four-wave economic survey of current and former tobacco farming households in Indonesia between 2016 and 2022. We then used descriptive analysis and probit regression for panel data to estimate the relationship between tobacco farming and poverty status. Results Tobacco farmers' per capita income and poverty rates vary across years. The poverty rate was significantly higher in the year with a higher-than-normal rainfall as it negatively affected farming outcomes. During this year, the poverty rate among current tobacco farmers was also higher than that of former tobacco farmers. Regression estimates from the panel data confirm the association between tobacco farming and the likelihood of being poor. We also found a high share of current tobacco farmers who receive government social assistance programs, such as cash transfer programs and a universal healthcare program. Conclusions Our findings show high poverty rates—particularly during bad farming years—and high rates of government social assistance among tobacco farmers. The high rates of government assistance among tobacco farmers living in poverty show that the government is indirectly subsidizing the tobacco industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant poverty levels raise critical questions about the impact of poverty eradication programs. Literature reviews play a critical role in highlighting impactful and ineffective socio-economic approaches. This article presents a review of nine qualitative studies that were reported between 2006 and 2013 in poor urban, semi-rural, and rural communities in South Africa. The main goal of this paper is to describe how low-income communities were impacted by programs to reduce poverty. Themes on strength-based interventions, participation, and holistic-multidimensional approaches, emerge from the content analysis as the best account of the impact of community-based poverty eradication programs. Due to the qualitative nature of the small sample of studies under review, a thematic synthesis of the qualitative data provides baseline evidence for further research to assess progress in the provision of development programs, and to generate more insight to strengthen evidence-informed approaches to address persistently high rates of poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]