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Climbing up the Ladder and Watching Out for the Fall: Poverty Dynamics in Rural Bangladesh

Author

Listed:
  • Akhter U. Ahmed

    (International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI))

  • Salauddin Tauseef

    (University of Manchester)

Abstract

This paper analyses poverty dynamics in rural Bangladesh using a nationally representative panel dataset of 5,020 rural households interviewed in 2011/12, 2015, and 2019. Findings show that education, savings, assets, international remittance, non-farm employment, substantial safety net transfers, and women’s empowerment are key factors in breaking chronic and transient poverty. Rural infrastructure development and market access through improved connectivity are also critical for sustained poverty alleviation. On the other hand, woman-headed households (widowed, divorced or abandoned) are found to be particularly vulnerable to impoverishments. The results are consistent across multinomial logit, simultaneous quantile regression, and panel fixed effects models. Thus, policies and programs that address the determinants of chronic and transient poverty identified in this study hold promise for sustained poverty reduction in rural Bangladesh.

Suggested Citation

  • Akhter U. Ahmed & Salauddin Tauseef, 2022. "Climbing up the Ladder and Watching Out for the Fall: Poverty Dynamics in Rural Bangladesh," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 160(1), pages 309-340, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:160:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s11205-021-02808-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-021-02808-2
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    Cited by:

    1. Masanori Matsuura‐Kannari & Yir‐Hueih Luh & Abu Hayat Md. Saiful Islam, 2023. "Weather shocks, livelihood diversification, and household food security: Empirical evidence from rural Bangladesh," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 54(4), pages 455-470, July.
    2. Homma, Kirara & Islam, Abu Hayat Md. Saiful & Matsuura, Masanori & Legesse Debela, Bethelhem, 2024. "Weather shocks and child nutritional status in rural Bangladesh: Does labor allocation have a role to play?," DARE Discussion Papers 2401, Georg-August University of Göttingen, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development (DARE).
    3. Matsuura,Masanori & Md Saiful Islam,Abu Hayat & Tauseef,Salauddin, 2023. "Mobile phone ownership, income diversification, and household welfare in rural Bangladesh," IDE Discussion Papers 875, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    4. Rishi Kumar, 2022. "Household poverty dynamics in tribal Madhya Pradesh, India: A case study of 54 villages," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 14(2), pages 184-203, June.
    5. Islam, Masanori Matsuura Yir-Huieh Luh Abu Hayat Md. Saiful, 2021. "Climate Variability, Livelihood Diversification, and Household Food Security in Bangladesh," 2021 ASAE 10th International Conference (Virtual), January 11-13, Beijing, China 329402, Asian Society of Agricultural Economists (ASAE).
    6. Archana Dang & Mausumi Das & Indrani Gupta, 2023. "COVID-19 And The Unequal Distribution Of Poverty Risks: Evidence From Urban India," IEG Working Papers 458, Institute of Economic Growth.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Rural poverty; Panel data; Poverty dynamics; Non-farm employment; Social safety net; Women’s empowerment; Bangladesh;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets

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