Remittances and household expenditure patterns in Tajikistan: A propensity score matching analysis

The object of this article is to assess the impact of remittances on household expenditure patterns in Tajikistan. More specifically, the paper applies propensity score matching methods to the 2003 Tajikistan Living Standards Measurement Survey. The results do not provide evidence of a productive use of remittances since neither internal nor external remittances have a positive effect on investment expenditures. Migration and remittances are therefore interpreted in terms of short-term coping strategies that help dependent households to achieve a basic level of consumptionremittances; expenditure patterns; propensity score matching; sensitivity analysis, Tajikistan.

Does social class affect nutrition knowledge and food preferences among Chinese urban adults?

International audienc

Economic Growth, inequality and environment quality: An empirical analysis applied to developing and transition countries

This article aims at examining the relationship between social inequalities and pollution. On the one hand, it proposes a survey which shows that from a theoretical point of view, a decrease in inequality has an undetermined effect on environment. On the other hand, on the basis of these theoretical considerations, we propose an econometric analysis based on panel data for developing and transition countries during the period 1988-2003. More precisely, we examine the effect of income inequalities on the degree of local pollution (sulphur dioxide emissions and organic water pollution) by integrating Gini index in the formulation of environmental Kuznets curve. Then, two effects may be tested: (i) a direct effect of inequalities on pollution; (ii) an indirect effect by which the degree of inequality influence pollution by his negative impact on political freedoms.pollution; inequality; environmental Kuznets curve; panel data

The relation between private transfers and household income on looking at altruism, exchange and risk-sharing hypotheses. An empirical analysis applied to Russia (In French)

The aim of this paper is to analyze the impact of household income on private transfers in Russia on the basis of altruism, exchange and risk sharing hypotheses. Econometrical investigations, with Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey data for 2002, show that private transfers can’t be explained by altruism but rather by reciprocity. More precisely, in poor households, the idea of risk sharing is central, whereas in richer households, individual interest (exchange hypothesis) is more appropriate to understand private transfers.Private transfers; well-being ; altruism; exchange; risk-sharing; bivariate Tobit; spline regression; Russia

The relation between private transfers and household income on looking at altruism, exchange and risk-sharing hypotheses. An empirical analysis applied to Russia (In French)

The aim of this paper is to analyze the impact of household income on private transfers in Russia on the basis of altruism, exchange and risk sharing hypotheses. Econometrical investigations, with Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey data for 2002, show that private transfers can’t be explained by altruism but rather by reciprocity. More precisely, in poor households, the idea of risk sharing is central, whereas in richer households, individual interest (exchange hypothesis) is more appropriate to understand private transfers.Private transfers, well-being, altruism, exchange, risk-sharing, bivariate Tobit, spline regression, Russia

An analysis of income polarization in rural and urban China

The purpose of this article is to contribute to the analysis of Chinese income inequality by focusing more specifically on income polarization, which captures both alienation (i.e. heterogeneity between income groups) and identification (i.e. homogeneity within groups). The empirical investigations conducted as part of this research are based on the China Health and Nutrition Survey data from 1989 to 2006 and indicate that Chinese household income is strongly polarized. After a period of stagnation between 1989 and 1997, the degree of polarization increased significantly between 1997 and 2006, indicating the constitution of identified groups in middle and upper income ranges. Although the level of income polarization is higher in rural areas, the increase in polarization is far more conspicuous in urban areas, suggesting that the risk of social tensions is more pregnant in Chinese cities. The analysis of the sources of income polarization in rural areas shows that the increase in polarization is closely linked to non agricultural opportunities. In urban areas, the emergence of identified groups in middle and upper income classes can be explained both by the sharp decline in subsidies and by the liberalization of the urban labor market and state enterprises.inequality, polarization, kernel density, China

Economic Growth, inequality and environment quality: An empirical analysis applied to developing and transition countries

This article aims at examining the relationship between social inequalities and pollution. On the one hand, it proposes a survey which shows that from a theoretical point of view, a decrease in inequality has an undetermined effect on environment. On the other hand, on the basis of these theoretical considerations, we propose an econometric analysis based on panel data for developing and transition countries during the period 1988-2003. More precisely, we examine the effect of income inequalities on the degree of local pollution (sulphur dioxide emissions and organic water pollution) by integrating Gini index in the formulation of environmental Kuznets curve. Then, two effects may be tested: (i) a direct effect of inequalities on pollution; (ii) an indirect effect by which the degree of inequality influence pollution by his negative impact on political freedoms.pollution; inequality; environmental Kuznets curve; panel data

Food Availability and Food Entitlements during the Chinese Great Leap Forward Famine: A dynamic panel data analysis (In French)

The article aims at identifying socioeconomic factors which explain the Chinese famine of 1959-1961. The main hypothesis of this paper is that the radicalism of Great Leap Forward policies generated both a decline of agricultural output (availability problems) and the implementation of an inadequate food distribution policy which penalised rural populations (accessibility problems). An econometrical analysis with provincial panel data for the period 1954-1966 points out the role of bad political choices on the occurrence of the famine and confirms the simultaneous influence of food availability decline and food distribution issues on mortality rates.Great Leap Froward; famine; food availability; entitlements; dynamic panel data models; generalized method of moments

Poverty and shortage economy: a reappraisal with the capability approach (In French)

The objective of this article is to propose a reappraisal of the phenomenon of poverty in Soviet Union by integrating the problems of shortage. With this intention, we refer to the capability approach developed by Amartya Sen in so far as it proposes a broader framework to evaluate wellbeing and poverty. The idea developed is that freedom of choice is an essential dimension of wellbeing, and that this is strongly constrained within the context of a shortage economy.Poverty, shortage economy, capabilities, functionnings, Soviet Union

Geography of Income and Education Inequalities in Mexico: Evidence from Small Area Estimation and Exploratory Spatial Analysis

Cet article analyse la distribution spatiale des inégalités de revenu et d’éducation ainsi que leur association à l’échelle des municipalités du Mexique. Nous mobilisons les méthodes de small area estimation afin de construire des mesures d’inégalité de revenu représentatives à l’échelle municipale. Nous construisons également une mesure d’inégalité d’éducation. A partir de ces variables et d’une analyse spatiale exploratoire, nous mettons en évidence une association négative entre les inégalités de revenu et d’éducation, particulièrement marquée dans les municipalités pauvres et ethniquement fragmentées des états du sud. De plus, l’estimation de modèles d’économétrie spatiale révèle l’existence d’une association en U-inversé entre ces deux types d’inégalités. Nos résultats sont discutés en relation avec les questions de rendements d’éducation, d’opportunités d’emploi et de migration.This article examines the spatial distribution of income and education inequalities and their association in Mexico, focusing on the municipal level. We rely on a small area estimation methodology to construct measures of income inequality that are representative at the municipal level. We also construct variables accounting for education inequality. Based on these variables and on an exploratory spatial analysis, we emphasize a negative association between income and education inequalities, particularly salient among the poor and ethnically diverse municipalities from the southern states such as Oaxaca. Moreover, results from spatial econometrics analyses reveal the existence a U-inverted association between these two types of inequalities. Our results are discussed in relation to education returns, employment opportunities and migration