Sources of income inequality in rural Pakistan : a decomposition analysis

Using panel data from a three-year study of 727 households, the authors identify the sources of income inequality in rural Pakistan. First, theydecompose total rural income among five sources: agricultural, livestock, rental, nonfarm, and transfer income. This decomposition shows that agricultural income contributes most to inequality in total rural income. Next, they decompose the sources of inequality in agricultural income. This leads to the surprising finding that inequitable ownership of land is not the main source of inequality in agricultural income. Income from returns to labor and crop profits contribute most to this area of inequality. One way to reduce rural income inequality might be to find more ways to narrow the disparities between abilities, perhaps by teaching more managerial and technical skills to agriculturists. According to the authors, policy makers concerned about inequality in rural Pakistan would also be well advised to pay more attention to livestock. Income from livestock apparently decreases the inequalities in income.Rural Poverty Reduction,Services&Transfers to Poor,Safety Nets and Transfers,Inequality,Poverty Impact Evaluation

Unitary versus collective models of the household: is it time to shift the burden of proof?

PRIFPRI3; ISIFCN

Economic and nutritional analyses offer substantial synergies for understanding human nutrition

PRISI; IFPRI3; Theme 8; Subtheme 8.1; GRP26; Sustainable poverty reduction and nutrition improvementFCN

Conducting ethical economic research: Complications from the field

Non-PRIFPRI4PHN

How much are multisectoral programs worth? A new method with an application to school meals

Social protection programs such as cash or food transfers support current poverty and inequality reduction goals, while at the same time enhance future productivity through human capital investments. Yet, the quantification of their overall productivity and equity benefits is challenging. We address this question utilizing a new methodology that quantifies productivity gains from learning as well as an approach for assessing social protection benefits. We do so by combining data on distributional benefits stemming from current poverty reduction in conjunction with future human capital gains in the context of a large-scale national school feeding program in Ghana. We develop a straightforward approach to map effect sizes from randomized controlled studies into broader economic analyses. In addition, we include the often recognized, but seldom quantified, distributional impacts of multi-sectoral investments. Our methodology is relevant to a broad range of social protection programs that have multidimensional benefits spanning both human capital improvements and equity gains.Non-PRIFPRI1; DCA; CRP4; 3 Building Inclusive and Efficient Markets, Trade Systems, and Food Industry; 4 Transforming Agricultural and Rural Economies; CRP2; GSSPPHND; A4NH; PIMCGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH); CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM

Public and private returns to investing in nutrition

PRIFPRI4; CRP2; E Building ResiliencePHND; PIMCGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM

Conducting ethical economic research: Complications from the field

Non-PRIFPRI5; B.1 Integrated Agriculture, Nutrition, and Health Programs and PoliciesPHN