122 research outputs found
Seasonal bias in household vulnerability to poverty stimates: insights from a natural experiment
Get PDFUsing data from 260 households from the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands, the paper shows that vulnerability to poverty estimates are biased if the data used is seasonal. The seasonal bias in the consumption expenditure is less pronounced than in its variance. The paper further shows that the relative sizes of the seasonal bias in expected consumption expenditure and its variance determines the final magnitude of the bias. However, the bias in the expected consumption expenditure is sufficiently corrected by including seasonal dummy variables. We therefore encourage researchers to consider seasonality when they are modelling consumption expenditure with the aim of estimating vulnerability.Seasonal bias; vulnerability to poverty; natural experiment; Nigeria
Does seasonal vulnerability to poverty matter? A case study from the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands in Nigeria
Get PDFApplying research on vulnerability to seasonal data, we assess seasonal vulnerability to poverty using panel data from the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands in Nigeria involving 260. We find that both observed poverty and vulnerability to poverty vary seasonally and that these variations are related to household livelihood strategies. Basing on our findings policy interventions should aim at increasing crop productivity (both food and cash crops) and returns to crop sales as well as promoting income diversification to off-farm activities. Safety net programs should be implemented only after productivity-enhancing interventions have been implemented. Further research is proposed to particularly assess the influence of seasonal variation on household livelihood choices. --Vulnerability to poverty,Seasonality,Social protection,Nigeria
A transdisciplinary methodology for introducing SODIS to rural communities in Malawi - formative research findings.
Get PDFDespite the increasing volume of evidence demonstrating the efficacy of solar water disinfection (SODIS) as a household water treatment technology, there still appear to be significant barriers to uptake in developing countries. The potential of SODIS is often treated with scepticism in terms of effective treatment, volume, and safety, and is dismissed in preference for more accepted technologies such as ceramic filters and dose chlorination. As part of WATERSPOUTT (EU H2020 688928), our study used a transdisciplinary methodology to co-create an innovative SODIS system in rural Malawi. The formative work focussed on the design of (1) an appropriate and acceptable system, and (2) a context specific intervention delivery programme using a behaviour centred design. Initial research identified specific water needs and challenges, which were discussed along with a co-creation process with potential end-users, through a series of shared dialogue workshops. Specifications from end-users outlined a desire for higher volume systems (20 litres), which were 'familiar' and could be manufactured locally. Development of the 'SODIS bucket' was then undertaken by design experts and local manufacturers, with input from end users, and subject to controlled testing to ensure efficacy and safety. Concurrent data was collated using questionnaires (n=777 households), water point mapping (n=121), water quality testing (n=46) and behaviour change modelling (n=100 households). These identified specific contextual issues (hydrogeology, water access, gender roles, social capital, and socio-economic status), and behavioural determinants (normative, ability and self-regulation factors) which informed the development and delivery mechanism for the implementation toolkit. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. [Abstract copyright: This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Profitability of improved fish processing technologies in Malawi
Get PDFThe study assesses the level of profitability of using improved smoking kilns and solar tent dryers in processing fish. As well it assesses the marketability of fish from improved fish processing technologies, and develops investment profiles associated with the adoption of the new technologies. The profitability analysis can help demonstrate the level of profits to lenders, as well as the ability of the borrowers to service their investment loans in new technology. There is need for financing mechanisms that are flexible and which consider the characteristics of the fishing and fish processing industry
Exploring social justice within a high school classroom
Get PDFThe purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain insight into how social justice is defined and engaged within a school and classroom’s culture while understanding the discussion and decisions of teachers and students made within a high school history class with an embedded service-learning component. The researcher used data from participant observations, site visits, and interviews that revealed multiple realities of the social justice exploration course and the interactions amongst the participants, student critical self-reflection of their socialization into unequal relationships and its implications, analysis of the mechanisms of oppression, and the ability to challenge these hierarchies. The case (a class in a high school) is a bounded social system (Stake, 1978) and to understand the system the researcher had to explore all the interacting parts including the school, meetings, as well as the service-learning trip in Mississippi. Although students in the history class engaged in aspects of social justice and discussed the challenges that were present, it did not reflect in the culture of the total school population. Beyond race or cultural issues, a lack of socioeconomic diversity affected the school culture in a negative manner. The silent minority developed as being significant as it relates to students’ class and access to resources of participants that were explored. Participants criticized gender and sexuality, as they discussed their experiences in the school and classrooms. The findings led to recommendations for school administration to focus on addressing social justice issues within classroom and school culture through professional development for staff, diversifying school faculty and students, and creating a safe space for students of color, like a Black Student Union to create a more inclusive and equal opportunity atmosphere for all students.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2023-08-01The student, Shaunita Levison, accepted the attached license on 2021-07-13 at 14:09.The student, Shaunita Levison, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2021-07-13 at 14:28.This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2021-07-16 at 09:13.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16912 on 2022-01-12 at 12:54:54Made available in DSpace on 2022-01-12T22:35:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3
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An Asset-Based Approach to Vulnerability: The Case of Small-Scale Fishing Areas in Cameroon and Nigeria
No full textThis paper analyses vulnerability to poverty of rural small-scale fishing communities using cross-section data from 295 households in Cameroon and 267 in Nigeria. We propose a vulnerability measure that incorporates the idea of asset poverty into the concept of expected poverty, which allows decomposing expected poverty into expected structural-chronic, structural-transient, and stochastic-transient poverty. The findings show that most households in our study areas are expected to be structurally-chronic and structurally-transient poor. This underlines the importance of asset formation for long-term poverty reduction strategies. Further refinements are possible with longitudinal data and information about future states of nature.
Seasonal bias in household vulnerability to poverty stimates: insights from a natural experiment
Get PDFUsing data from 260 households from the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands, the paper shows that vulnerability to poverty estimates are biased if the data used is seasonal. The seasonal bias in the consumption expenditure is less pronounced than in its variance. The paper further shows that the relative sizes of the seasonal bias in expected consumption expenditure and its variance determines the final magnitude of the bias. However, the bias in the expected consumption expenditure is sufficiently corrected by including seasonal dummy variables. We therefore encourage researchers to consider seasonality when they are modelling consumption expenditure with the aim of estimating vulnerability
Child labour and poverty linkages: A micro analysis from rural Malawian data
Get PDFThis study assesses the impact of income and asset poverty on child work using the rural sub-sample of the 2004 Malawi Integrated Household Survey. Instrumenting consumption expenditure with a location dummy variable and interacting consumption expenditure with household land-holding size in probit models, the likelihood of child labour is found to relate negatively with household consumption. On the other hand child labour relates positively with household land-holding size for consumption poor households only and when labour markets are imperfect. These findings do not discourage asset accumulation policies as a remedy against child labour but support policies that aim at increasing returns on the assets.Child labour, Poverty, Assets, Malawi
The role of shocks and risks for the livelihoods of small scale fishing communities of Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands in Nigeria
Get PDFThis paper assesses the impact of risks and shocks on household welfare in the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands in Nigeria. We use estimated income loss in consumption equations to assess the impact. Our findings identify death of an adult member, drought, and social conflict as important shocks in the area. These shocks are more significant in reducing household food consumption than non-food consumption. Additionally, we find that farming dependent households suffer more from social conflicts; fishing households suffer more from drought; while the impact of death of an adult member does not depend on household livelihood strategies. Since the shocks that significantly reduce household consumption are not specific to such communities, we conclude that fishing communities do not need special social protection policies but these should not be left out in these programs. Further research should consider understanding the roles of off farm activities as ex-ante risk mitigation strategies or ex-post coping strategies. --
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