Food aid and child nutrition in rural Ethiopia

"Food aid programs have become increasingly important for disaster relief in many developing countries. In Ethiopia, a drought-stricken economy with one of the lowest per capita incomes in the world, food aid has amounted to almost 10 million metric tons (mt) from 1984 to 1998, almost 10 percent of annual cereal production. Because of the importance of food aid in Ethiopia, much effort has been devoted to evaluation of its effectiveness.....Many evaluations of food aid have examined its impact on household calorie availability. This paper focuses on the effects of food aid on individual nutritional status, as measured by indicators of child nutrition." from Author's Abstract

Methods in Consumption Analysis: Consumer Theory, Econometric Issues and Philippine Estimates

This article has been presented at the Workshop on Methods for Agricultural Policy Analysis held at the UP Los Baños on August 13-14, 1985. It reviews the consumer theory and demand system and the econometric issues in utilizing household level data. It also reviews the Philippine estimates and its significance in nutrition policy simulation.agriculture sector, econometric modeling

Investments in Adolescent Girl's Physical and Financial Assets: Issues and Review of Evidence

This issues paper focuses on strengthening poor adolescent girls' ability to invest in and accumulate physical (including land) and financial assets. The paper begins by presenting a conceptual framework showing the relationship between the gendered distribution of assets, empowerment, and well-being. It then discusses why assets are important for adolescent girls, and then moves on to elucidating the ways through which girls acquire assets across the life course. It continues by reviewing the existing evidence on programs and interventions that have attempted to increase girls' physical and financial assets, emphasizing "bundled" interventions or integrated programs that combine efforts to build stocks of physical and financial assets with education, training, or programming to attain other development objectives, such as delayed marriage or prevention of risky sexual behavior. We end by summarizing "lessons learned," identifying new opportunities, and suggesting steps for future research and implementation. This paper is accompanied by a mapping document which contains the results in more detail

Assets at Marriage in Rural Ethiopia

This paper examines the determinants of assets at marriage in rural Ethiopia. We identify and test three separate processes that determine assets brought to marriage: assortative matching; compensating parental transfers at marriage; and strategic behavior by parents. We find ample evidence for the first, none for the second, and some evidence of the third for brides. We also find no evidence of competition for parental assets among siblings. Results suggests that parents do not transfer wealth to children in ways that compensate for marriage market outcomes. Certain parents, however, give more assets to daughters whenever doing so increases the chances of marrying a wealthy groom.

Marriage and Assortative Matching in Rural Ethiopia

This paper examines the determinants of human and physical capital at marriage. Using detailed data from rural Ethiopia, we Þnd ample evidence of assortative matching at marriage. Assets brought to marriage are distributed in a highly unequal manner. Sorting operates at a variety of levels . wealth, schooling, and work experience . that cannot be summarized into a single additive index. For Þrst unions, assets brought to marriage are positively associated with parents. wealth, indicating that a bequest motive affects assets at marriage. Unlike most brides, grooms appear to accumulate individual assets over time and over marriages. The marriage market is a major conduit for rural and gender inequality.

Migration and the Rural-Urban Continuum: Evidence from Bukidnon, Philippines

This paper explores the heterogeneity of the migrant experience using the Bukidnon Panel Survey, which follows up 448 families in rural Mindanao who were first interviewed in 1984-85, as well as their offspring. Migration patterns are examined using the full listing of children of the original respondents as well as a special survey including 257 of the migrant offspring who were tracked down and interviewed in 2004. The migrant survey focuses on differences in the migration experience of males and females who migrated to rural, poblacion, and urban areas. The study finds that rural areas, poblaciones, and urban areas systematically attract different types of migrants. It also finds that the most important determinants of an individual`s location decision are life-cycle effects, specifically marriage and educational attainment.migration, Bukidnon, migration decision, migration pattern