Migration history, remittances and poverty in rural mexico

During the last twenty years, Mexico experienced a big increase in the migration of rural labor force to the United States. This phenomenon has been accompanied by an increase in remittances; by 2002, remittances accounted on average for more than 10% of rural households' income. In this context, the present work analyses the way in which the migration history of the recipient village affects the impact that reductions in remittances have on rural poverty levels. The hypothesis is that for a given decrease in remittances the increase in poverty is bigger in villages with a higher migration history. The results show that impacts do vary according to the migration history of the villages.poverty, remittances, migration, Mexico, rural

Poverty and commercialization of non-timber forest products

While there is much interest by NGOs and environmental groups in the potential of non-timber forest products (NTFP) programs to si- multaneously achieve conservation and poverty alleviation, there is not a great deal of understanding of whether they work in practice, and how incentives and local management do, indeed affect poverty and local resource use. In this paper I propose a methodology to analyze the potential impacts that price increases can have on the income that extractors receive from NTFP extraction. The case study illustrates how one could evaluate the effectiveness of different price scenarios. It also shows the kind of biologic and socioeconomic information that is needed to apply the methodology suggested. The more accurate the information is the more confident one can be about the policy recommendations. This is an area of opportunity where applied research between economists and ecologists can lead to con- crete policy applications.Non-timber forest products; poverty; resource extraction

Natural Resource Dependence in Rural Mexico

The relationship between poverty and natural resources is complex and the empirical evidence to date, mostly from studies of forest activities and poverty, is inconclusive. The main purpose of this paper is to empirically identify the effects of household characteristics and of inequality at the village level on natural resource extraction and dependence. To do so we use data from the Mexico National Rural Household Survey (ENHRUM). Our results show that in rural Mexico natural resource extraction is predominantly an activity carried out by poor households. The same is true for dependence. We also show that there are important differences across Mexico in terms of both participation and dependence on resource income. These differences are most evident when one compares the south and north of the country. We also show that when relatively rich households participate in resource extraction their natural resource income is considerably higher than that of the poor.Resource extraction, Dependence, Poverty, Mexico, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Environmental Economics and Policy, International Development,

Deforestación en México: Un análisis preliminar

The present working paper includes a literature review of deforestation drivers both at the international level and especific to Mexico as well as a preliminary econometric analysis. The main objective is contibute to the understanding of the dynamics of land use change as well as to the understanding of the causes of deforestation in Mexico. The results provide information about general trends in Mexico and point towards the need for more dissagregated analysis using micro level data

Poverty and Commercialization of Non-Timber Forest Products

While there is much interest by NGOs and environmental groups in the potential of non-timber forest products (NTFP) programs to si- multaneously achieve conservation and poverty alleviation, there is not a great deal of understanding of whether they work in practice, and how incentives and local management do, indeed affect poverty and local resource use. In this paper I propose a methodology to analyze the potential impacts that price increases can have on the income that extractors receive from NTFP extraction. The case study illustrates how one could evaluate the effectiveness of different price scenarios. It also shows the kind of biologic and socioeconomic information that is needed to apply the methodology suggested. The more accurate the information is the more confident one can be about the policy recommendations. This is an area of opportunity where applied research between economists and ecologists can lead to con- crete policy applications

Poverty and commercialization of non-timber forest products

While there is much interest by NGOs and environmental groups in the potential of non-timber forest products (NTFP) programs to si- multaneously achieve conservation and poverty alleviation, there is not a great deal of understanding of whether they work in practice, and how incentives and local management do, indeed affect poverty and local resource use. In this paper I propose a methodology to analyze the potential impacts that price increases can have on the income that extractors receive from NTFP extraction. The case study illustrates how one could evaluate the effectiveness of different price scenarios. It also shows the kind of biologic and socioeconomic information that is needed to apply the methodology suggested. The more accurate the information is the more confident one can be about the policy recommendations. This is an area of opportunity where applied research between economists and ecologists can lead to con- crete policy applications

Introduction to contingent valuation using Stata

This document provides the reader with the basic tools to obtain estimates of willingness to pay from a contingent valuation survey using Stata. The use of the commands singleb and doubleb is illustrated

Natural resource dependence in rural Mexico

The relationship between poverty and natural resources is complex and the empirical evidence to date, mostly from studies of forest activities and poverty, is inconclusive. The main purpose of this paper is to empirically identify the effects of household characteristics and of inequality at the village level on natural resource extraction and dependence. To do so we use data from the Mexico National Rural Household Survey (ENHRUM). Our results show that in rural Mexico natural resource extraction is predominantly an activity carried out by poor households. The same is true for dependence. We also show that there are important differences across Mexico in terms of both participation and dependence on resource income. These differences are most evident when one compares the south and north of the country. We also show that when relatively rich households participate in resource extraction their natural resource income is considerably higher than that of the poor

Natural resource dependence in rural Mexico

The relationship between poverty and natural resources is complex and the empirical evidence to date, mostly from studies of forest activities and poverty, is inconclusive. The main purpose of this paper is to empirically identify the effects of household characteristics and of inequality at the village level on natural resource extraction and dependence. To do so we use data from the Mexico National Rural Household Survey (ENHRUM). Our results show that in rural Mexico natural resource extraction is predominantly an activity carried out by poor households. The same is true for dependence. We also show that there are important differences across Mexico in terms of both participation and dependence on resource income. These differences are most evident when one compares the south and north of the country. We also show that when relatively rich households participate in resource extraction their natural resource income is considerably higher than that of the poor

Association between long-term air pollution exposure and COVID-19 mortality in Latin America

Recent studies have shown a relationship between air pollution and increased vulnerability and mortality due to COVID-19. Most of these studies have looked at developed countries. This study examines the relationship between long-term exposure to air pollution and COVID-19-related deaths in four countries of Latin America that have been highly affected by the pandemic: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. Our results suggest that an increase in long-term exposure of 1 μg/m3 of fine particles is associated with a 2.7 percent increase in the COVID-19 mortality rate. This relationship is found primarily in municipalities of metropolitan areas, where urban air pollution sources dominate, and air quality guidelines are usually exceeded. By focusing the analysis on Latin America, we provide a first glimpse on the role of air pollution as a risk factor for COVID-19 mortality within a context characterized by weak environmental institutions, limited health care capacity and high levels of inequality