This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Poverty trends since the transition: What we know

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Servaas van der Berg () (Department of Economics, University of Stellenbosch)
Megan Louw () (Department of Economics, University of Stellenbosch)
Leon du Toit () (Department of Economics, University of Stellenbosch)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

Using alternative data sources on income and poverty with a shorter time lag makes it possible to discern trends that can inform the policy debate. A strong decline in poverty rates was recorded since 2000. This has since been confirmed by General Household Survey data that showed that the proportion of households with children reporting that their children had gone hungry in the previous year had almost halved between 2002 and 2006. This policy success would not have been tracked using the less regular and more conventional data sources such as the Income and Expenditure Survey of 2000 (IES2000). One successful policy measure – the social grant system – can be clearly identified. Through the child support grants, much of the expansion of the grants system was targeted at children. In contrast, other areas of policy intervention, in particular social delivery in health and education, have been far less successful. This Working Paper is part of longer, ongoing research on poverty and social poverty in the Department of Economics at Stellenbosch University. It first appeared as a publication that attempted to make available some of these research results to a wider public in an accessible and non-technical format.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.ekon.sun.ac.za/wpapers/2009/wp192009/wp-19-2009.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function: First version, 2009
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number 19/2009.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: 2009
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:sza:wpaper:wpapers92

Contact details of provider:
Postal: Private Bag X1, 7602 Matieland
Phone: 021-8082247
Fax: +27 (0)21-808 2409
Email:
Web page: http://www.ekon.sun.ac.za
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Melt van Schoor).

Related research
Keywords: Poverty; Inequality; Redistribution; Fiscal incidence; Social delivery; South Africa;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
H22 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Incidence
H5 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? You can create your own reading lists on IDEAS.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-3.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.