Diversification, risk management and risk coping strategies: Evidence from rural households in three provinces in Vietnam

The paper analyzes the relationship between the allocation of labor and land, the number of crops grown and income sources of rural households in Vietnam and different types of shocks and risks. It uses the data from the first phase of the household survey in three provinces of Central of Vietnam, conducted within the scope of the DFG research project "Impact of shocks on the vulnerability to poverty: consequences for development of emerging Southeast Asian economies". The results suggest that the households diversify their portfolio (labor and land) into different income generating activities in order to cope with shocks. Among the different types of shocks and risks, agriculture and economic shocks and risks are the main factors to explain the (ex-post) risk-coping strategies and the (ex-ante) risk management of the households. The number of crops grown and the number of income sources from the households experienced with shocks are higher than others. In addition, the high-risk expectation households diversify their labor and land more than the low risk expectation households. The access to credit and market, the number of household labor, the education of the household head, and the wealth of the household are also very important factors that impact on the diversification level of the households. --Diversification,risk management,risk coping strategies,Vietnam

Diversification in land and labor allocation in response to shocks among small-scale farmers in central Vietnam

The paper analyzes the relationship between the allocation of labor and land of the households, the number of crops grown and the number of income sources of the households with different types of shocks and risks. It uses the data from the first phase of the household survey in three provinces of Central of Vietnam, conducted within the scope of the DFG research project “Impact of shocks on the vulnerability to poverty: consequences for development of emerging Southeast Asian economies”. The results suggest that the households diversify their portfolio (labor and land) into different income generating activities in order to cope with shocks. Among the different types of shocks and risks, agriculture and economic shocks and risks are the main factors to explain the (ex-post) risk-coping strategies and the (ex-ante) risk management of the households. The number of crops grown and the number of income sources from the households experienced with shocks are higher than others. In addition, the high-risk expectation households diversify their labor and land more than the low risk expectation households. The access to credit and market, the number of household labor, the education of the household head, and the wealth of the household are also very important factors that impact on the diversification level of the households.Diversification, risk management, risk coping strategies, Vietnam, Farm Management, Labor and Human Capital,

Vulnerability to poverty in rural Vietnam : data collection issues, coping strategies and crisis events

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Superstition, family planning, and human development

Are wanted and unwanted children treated equally by their parents? To address this question, the authors rely on the observation that, according to Vietnamese astrology, dates of birth are believed to be determinants of success, luck, character, and good match between individuals. They then examine fertility decisions made in Vietnam between 1976 and 1996. The authors find that birth cohorts in auspicious years are significantly larger than in other years. Children born in auspicious years moreover do better both in health and education. While parental characteristics seem to affect fertility choices and human development simultaneously, their analysis suggests that family planning is one key mechanism leading to the observed differences in outcomes: in a society in which superstition is widespread, children born in auspicious years are more likely to have been planned by their parents, thus benefiting from more favorable financial, psychological, or emotional conditions for better human development.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Youth and Governance,Adolescent Health,Population Policies,Gender and Social Development

Impact Assessment of Poverty Reduction Programs of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam

The main purpose of this report is to measure the impact of poverty reduction programs and policies of Ho Chi Minh City – the biggest city in Vietnam - in the period 2009-2013 using both quantitative and quality methods. In general, poverty reduction programs have positive impacts on living conditions of poor households. Having access to these programs enables poor/near-poor households to increase income and have better access to decent jobs. In addition, tuition-fee reduction and exemption and health insurance programs help households reduce education and medical expenses. However, there are a number of problems such as limited support fund and poor awareness of the poor/near-poor about the vocational training, unreasonable support mechanism and inconsistency in line departments’ coordination

Diversification in land and labor allocation in response to shocks among small-scale farmers in central Vietnam

The paper analyzes the relationship between the allocation of labor and land of the households, the number of crops grown and the number of income sources of the households with different types of shocks and risks. It uses the data from the first phase of the household survey in three provinces of Central of Vietnam, conducted within the scope of the DFG research project “Impact of shocks on the vulnerability to poverty: consequences for development of emerging Southeast Asian economies”. The results suggest that the households diversify their portfolio (labor and land) into different income generating activities in order to cope with shocks. Among the different types of shocks and risks, agriculture and economic shocks and risks are the main factors to explain the (ex-post) risk-coping strategies and the (ex-ante) risk management of the households. The number of crops grown and the number of income sources from the households experienced with shocks are higher than others. In addition, the high-risk expectation households diversify their labor and land more than the low risk expectation households. The access to credit and market, the number of household labor, the education of the household head, and the wealth of the household are also very important factors that impact on the diversification level of the households

The Importance of Being Wanted

We identify birth wantedness as a source of better child outcomes. In Vietnam, the year of birth is widely believed to determine success. As a result, cohorts born in auspicious years are 12 percent larger. Comparing siblings with one another, those of auspicious cohorts are found to have 2 extra months of schooling. The Vietnamese horoscope being gender-specific, this difference will be shown to be driven by birth planning; children born in auspicious years are more likely to have been planned, thus benefitting from a more favorable growth environment. [BREAD Working Paper No. 225]vietnam, gender-specific, cohorts, birth, auspicious, marriage, american, women, pregnancy, family, Vietnamese, fertility, crime, socioeconomic, health, height, age, parents, sex, Astrology, census, growth, environment, children, child, birth, planning,childwantedness,schooling,horoscope,superstition

Do Male CEOs Really Run Firms Better than Female Counterparts? New Evidence from Vietnam

Using firm fixed-effects regression and data from Vietnamʼs Enterprise Censuses, this study aims to test the female underperformance hypothesis. Our findings decisively undermine these hypotheses. Female-managed firms are smaller than male-managed ones. However, once observed variables and firm fixed-effects are controlled for, female-managed firms have higher revenues and return on assets and capital than male-managed firms. Female-managed firms are more likely to employ female workers and provide more jobs with social insurance. Compared with male-managed firms, moreover, female-managed firms have a higher tax payment rate as well as a higher tax payment amounts

Evaluating the Impacts of the Current Economic Slowdown on (Un)employment in Vietnam

This paper examines the impacts of the current economic slowdown on employment generation and unemployment in Vietnam. The study reports that as the country has experienced a slowdown, there would be an employment shortfall of around half million jobs in 2009. And if the growth prospect of 2010 is not improved compared to that of 2009, Vietnam would encounter a shortfall of more than one million jobs in 2010. As a consequence, our projected unemployment rates are higher than that of 2008 by nearly one and a half percentage point in 2009 and two percentage points in 2010. The findings are relatively robust under different assumptions of the economic growth. The study provides a somewhat different outlook from what has been suggested by the media - which has tended to highlight jobs losses taking place in certain parts of the country. The results of our analysis suggest that government efforts to stave off the effects of the crisis should have been focused more strongly on employment and job creationEconomic slowdown, employment, employment elasticity, Vietnam