Gender, Networks and Mexico-U.S. Migration

In this paper, we examine whether the causes and patterns of Mexican rural female migration differ significantly from rural male migration. A number of hypotheses are discussed to explain why female migration may differ from male migration, with a particular emphasis on the role of migrant networks. Using data from a national survey of rural Mexican households in the ejido sector, significant differences between the determinants of male and female migration are found. While evidence suggests that networks play an important role in female migration, we find that, contrary to case study evidence, female networks are not more influential than male networks in female migration. In fact, female and male networks are found to be substitutes, suggesting they serve similar functions in female migration. Although female migrant networks do not play a special role in the female migration decision, the destination of female migrants is strongly influenced by the location of female network migrants.migration, networks, gender, Mexico, Labor and Human Capital,

Why do the poor leave the safety net in Mexico? A study of the effects of conditionality on dropouts

This paper analyzes the characteristics of beneficiaries that drop out of the Mexican conditional cash transfer program Oportunidades to determine if dropping out of the program is a result of selftargeting by the non-poor, the exclusion of the target poor population or a combination of both. The analysis, which uses a duration model, indicates that it is the wealthier beneficiaries that have greater odds of dropping out suggesting that conditionality acts as a screening device. Results also indicate that administrative factors and the particular provider of health services to beneficiaries have an important influence on dropouts.Cash transfer programs, conditionality, Oportunidades, Latin America, Mexico, hazard models

Food Insecurity and Vulnerability in Latin America and the Caribbean

This paper examines how Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) nations have proceeded in addressing the issues of food insecurity and vulnerability in response to the 1996 Rome Declaration on World Food Security. The data suggests that while the food insecurity situation has improved in LAC over the past few years, many nations are worse off in terms of food insecurity than they were at the beginning of the 1990s. Nations that reduced food insecurity tend to be those who have effectively reduced poverty and have increased social spending. While some regional initiatives have occurred to address regional food insecurity issues, additional national and international policy responses are required in the Latin American Region.food insecurity, vulnerability, Latin America and the Caribbean, World Food Summit, Food Security and Poverty,

Evaluation of a Hybrid Seed Contract Between Smallholders and an MNC in East Java, Indonesia

Three hundred smallholders near Malang in East Java were surveyed of whom 150 were participating in a hybrid seed contract with Pioneer Hybrid International Inc, an American MNC that has been contracting in the area since 1986. The objectives of the study were to determine whether the contract improved the welfare of those who participated and, if participation did improve welfare, to evaluate why this contract, in contrast to many other farm contracts in developing countries, is successful. A transaction cost framework was used to specify a framework for probit analysis of contract participation and regression analysis used to measure the contribution made by contract participation to gross margins. The empirical results suggest (i) contract selection was by Pioneer and not through self-selection, (ii) the contract is likely to favour larger farmers and (iii) the Pioneer contract improved returns to farm capital and hence was likely to be welfare improving for contractors. The success of the contract over many years was attributed to the nature of the contracting process which was between Pioneer and grower groups and not at the individual smallholder level.Farm Management,

Assets, Activities and Income Generation in Rural Mexico: Factoring in Social and Public Capital

In recent years, there has been increasing emphasis in the rural development literature on the multiple income-generating activities undertaken by rural households and the importance of assets in determining the capacity to undertake these activities. Controlling for endogeneity choice and applying Lee's generalization of Amemiya's two-step estimator to a simultaneous equation model, household returns to assets from multiple activities are explored for the Mexico ejido sector. To incorporate the multiple variables representing social and public capital into the analysis, factor analysis is used. The results indicate that the asset position of the household has a significant effect on household participation in income generating activities and returns to those activities. Furthermore, the inclusion of measures of social and public capital into the analysis show that these assets play an important role in income-generating activities and that the influence is dependent on the type of social and public capital as well as the particular activity.livelihoods, Mexico, social capital, public capital, agricultural households, censored regression, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Consumer/Household Economics, Labor and Human Capital,

Rural Livelihood Strategies and Social Capital in Latin America: Implications for Rural Development Projects

Evidence from studies across Latin America show that rural households in the region are increasingly employing a diverse set of activities to maintain and improve livelihoods suggesting that households use multiple paths to get out of poverty. Of particular importance in household livelihood strategies are the assets households own and the context in which they operate. Recent development literature has highlighted the important role of social capital in development and particular emphasis is place on the role of this asset in this paper. The objective of this paper is to examine these trends in order to inform project design and implementation in the region. Based on the conceptual framework and evidence from Latin America, the paper offers a number of suggestions for improving project design and implementation in Latin America.rural livelihoods, social capital, Latin America, rural development projects, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Labor and Human Capital,

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY NETWORKS IN MEXICO-U.S. MIGRATION

A household's decision to send migrants is based on information the household has on the expected returns and the costs of migration. Information on migration flows from both family migrant networks and community migrant networks. Direct assistance - in the form of money, housing, transportation, and food - is often provided to migrants by these networks, thus reducing the costs of migration. Using data from a national survey of rural Mexican households, we show the importance of networks in both the decision to migrate and the level of migration. We find that community and family networks are substitutes in the production of information and assistance suggesting that, once migration is well established in a community, family networks become less important. In addition, the development of strong community networks erases the role of household characteristics in migration, allowing those initially least favored to also participate in migration. Results suggest that policies designed to reduce Mexico-U.S. migration should focus on regions where migrant networks are yet weakly developed since, once strong community networks become established, reducing migration would require much higher levels of public investment.Migration, networks, Mexico, Consumer/Household Economics, Labor and Human Capital,

Non-traditional crops, traditional constraints : the adoption and diffusion of export crops among guatemalan smallholders

This paper uses a duration analysis based on adoption data spanning more than 25 years from six communities in the Central Highlands of Guatemala. The analysis explores how household characteristics and external trends play into both the adoption and diffusion processes of non-traditional exports among smallholders. Adoption was initially widespread and rapid, which led nontraditional exports to be hailed as a pro-poor success, reaching all but the smallest landholders. However, over time more than two-thirds of adopters eventually dropped out of production of nontraditional exports. Based on the analysis, production of nontraditional exports appears to have delivered less prosperity to adopters than initially promised. Although smallholders may be enticed into entering into nontraditional exports markets when conditions are favorable, they may lack the capacity to overcome the difficulties that inevitably arise in complex types of cultivations and in highly variable global agricultural markets. Governmental and non-governmental organizations can attempt to mitigate these difficulties, but market forces may overwhelm their efforts, with some adopters still unable to compete in global markets.Access to Finance,Rural Development Knowledge&Information Systems,Economic Theory&Research,Markets and Market Access,Rural Poverty Reduction