On the Empirical Finding of a Higher Risk of Poverty in Rural Areas: Is Rural Residence Endogenous to Poverty?

Includes: On the Empirical Finding of a Higher Risk of Poverty in Rural Areas: Is Rural Residence Endogenous to Poverty?:COMMENT, by Thomas A. Hirschl; On the Empirical Finding of a Higher Risk of Poverty in Rural Areas: Is Rural Residence Endogenous to Poverty?: REPLY, by Monica Fisher. Research shows people are more likely to be poor in rural versus urban America. Does this phenomenon partly reflect that people who choose rural residence have unmeasured attributes related to human impoverishment? To address this question, two models are estimated using Panel Study of Income Dynamics data. A single equation Probit model of individual poverty replicates the well-documented finding of higher poverty risk in rural places. However, an instrumental variables approach, accounting for correlation between rural residence and the poverty equation error term, finds no measured effect of rural location on poverty. Results suggest failure to correct for endogeneity or omitted variable bias may overestimate the "rural effect."endogeneity, instrumental variables, omitted variable bias, poverty, rural, Food Security and Poverty,

DO TROPICAL FORESTS PROVIDE A SAFETY NET? INCOME SHOCKS AND FOREST EXTRACTION IN MALAWI

We use seasonal household data on income shocks and forest extraction to study how households in Malawi use forests to cope with income shortfalls. In particular, we study household response to receipt of a positive income shock delivered in the form of a technology assistance package. We estimate a random-effects model of forest extraction to examine whether household forest use is responsive to income shocks received in a prior period. We also measure the extent to which households subsequently save out of transitory income. Findings indicate that forest extraction by asset-poor households was more responsive to income shocks than forest extraction by better-off households. Findings also suggest households save out of transitory income, and in the process accumulate physical assets that may reduce their dependence on forests for weathering subsequent income shocks. Results show how policies aimed at poverty alleviation among those living adjacent to tropical forests can also alleviate forest pressure.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

DOES ECONOMIC VULNERABILITY DEPEND ON PLACE OF RESIDENCE? ASSET POVERTY ACROSS THE RURAL-URBAN CONTINUUM

This paper uses Panel Study of Income Dynamics data for 1989, 1994, and 1999 to examine why some U.S. households are asset poor; that is, why households have insufficient resources to invest in their future or to sustain household members at a basic level during times of economic disruption. The study contributes to an improved understanding of asset poverty's correlates by examining the influence of place of residence; the extant literature has focused on individual-level explanations. We estimate a random-effects logistic model of the probability that an individual is asset poor at a given point in time as a function of household-level (e.g. age, gender, race of the household head and family structure) and place-level (regional and rural-urban continuum) variables. The central finding of the paper is that place of residence is an important determinant of asset poverty, above and beyond the influence of household characteristics. We find that living in a central metropolitan county and in a nonmetropolitan area is associated with a higher risk of being asset poor, all else being equal. Implications for future research are discussed.Food Security and Poverty,

Who Should be Interviewed in Surveys of Household Income?

This study tests the null hypothesis that it is sufficient to interview only the household head to obtain accurate information on household income. Results show that using a husband’s estimate of his wife’s income does not produce statistically reliable results for poverty analysis. Estimates of the wife’s income provided by the husband and wife are in agreement in only six percent of households. While limiting interviews to one person has the advantage of reducing the time and expense of household surveys, this appears detrimental in terms of accuracy, and may lead to incorrect conclusions on the determinants of poverty.Africa, gender, household dynamics, household surveys, Malawi, poverty, Agricultural Finance,

Can area measurement error explain the inverse farm size productivity relationship?

The existence of an inverse relationship (IR) between farm size and productivity in tropical agriculture remains a debated issue with policy relevance. Poor agricultural statistical data, including data on farm sizes and farm plot sizes that typically are self-reported by farmers, can lead to biased results and wrong policy conclusions. This study combines self-reported and GPSmeasured farm plot and farm sizes to assess how measurement error affects the IR using three rounds of farm plot and household data from Malawi. The results show that measurement error covers up more than 60% of the IR for the total sample but leads to an upward bias in the IR on farms less than one ha. Land and labor market imperfections in combination with food selfsufficiency motives appear to explain most of the IR and lead to a strong IR on farms below one ha

A Prediction Model for Chronic Kidney Disease Includes Periodontal Disease

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142173/1/jper0016.pd

Creating the infrastructure for a living laboratory at the Miller Ecological Park and other preparations

Course Code: ENR 2367Our goal is to connect the local children of Lebanon, Ohio with nature via the Miller Ecological Park. To do this, we are focusing on the addition of a Living Laboratory to the property that can be used by local schools and Boy/Girl scout groups. The Living Laboratory will consist of an interactive trail that connects Bowman Elementary School to a restored prairie and wetlands at the southeastern corner of the MEP. We also are suggesting infrastructure additions to supplement the educational experience of local children through proper integration with school curriculums.Academic Major: BiologyAcademic Major: Environment, Economy, Development, and SustainabilityAcademic Major: Environmental ScienceAcademic Major: Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlif

An economic and socio-cultural analysis of new farm technology : the case of stabling in Senegal

A study is conducted to provide information useful to the future development of agro-pastoralists in the Kolda Region through an economic and socio-cultural analysis of the practice of stabling. Two main issues are addressed: the generation and distribution of profits and the factors related to adoption of stabling. A partial budget analysis of three stable types determined that in each case stabling provides substantial net benefits for farm households. Analysis of the distribution of costs and benefits suggests that although Sons and wives provide substantial labor inputs for the practice, it is the household head who retains control of most of the benefits. Two logit models were used to determine the factors that contribute to or inhibit adoption of stabling. The variables that were found to be significant were: the household's herd size, the number of economically active household members, access to extension information, the education level of the household head, access to credit and farm size. Interviews with women farmers suggest that women, especially female heads of households, face considerable constraints to adoption of stabling due to lack of time, lack of resources and the cultural norms

Predictive Values of Self‐Reported Periodontal Need: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142204/1/jper1551.pd