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Unanticipated events, perceptions, and household labor allocation in Zimbabwe

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  • Josephson, Anna
  • Shively, Gerald E.

Abstract

This paper investigates labor allocation as a strategy for coping with unanticipated events. We evaluate household responses to unforeseen death and rainfall shocks in Zimbabwe, during a period in which many households were already stressed due to the country’s long-term economic crisis. In this context, shocks compound existing stresses. Different types of shocks disparately affect household labor allocation. Household perceptions about the shocks experienced also shift labor use. Perceived rainfall shocks positively affect the share of labor allocated to migration-related activities and negatively affect the share of labor allocated to non-participation.

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  • Josephson, Anna & Shively, Gerald E., 2021. "Unanticipated events, perceptions, and household labor allocation in Zimbabwe," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:141:y:2021:i:c:s0305750x20305052
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105377
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    Cited by:

    1. Mishra, Khushbu & Kondratjeva, Olga & Shively, Gerald E., 2022. "Do remittances reshape household expenditures? Evidence from Nepal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    2. Lucia Mandongwe & Stanley Murairwa & Phamela Dube, 2022. "A Theoretical Assessment of the Operational Budgets in Hyperinflation Countries, Lessons from Boarding Schools in Zimbabwe: Effects and Survival Strategies," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 6(6), pages 669-677, June.
    3. Amina Ika Micah, 2022. "Three essays on access to credit and financial shock in Nigeria," Economics PhD Theses 0422, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    4. Josephson, Anna & Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob, 2020. "Preferences and crop choice during Zimbabwe’s macroeconomic crisis," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 15(3), September.
    5. Mulungu, Kelvin & Kilimani, Nicholas, 2023. "Does forest access reduce reliance on costly shock-coping strategies? Evidence from Malawi," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    6. Kundu, Debadrita & Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob, 2022. "Shocks, Social Protection and Resilience for Food and Nutrition Security: Panel Data Evidence from Semi-Arid-Tropics and Eastern India," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322380, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labor allocation; Hyperinflation; Migration; Idiosyncratic and covariate shocks; Africa; Zimbabwe;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General
    • J43 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Agricultural Labor Markets
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers

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