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Conflicting Measures of Poverty and Inadequate Saving by the Poor

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  • Sugata Marjit

Abstract

In the presence of inequality a status-driven utility function reconciles the conflict between income-based and nutrition-based measures of poverty. Moreover, it can explain why the poor tend to save less, an established empirical fact in the developing countries. The result is independent of the assumption of imperfect capital market. The paper attempts to integrate various strands of literature on status effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Sugata Marjit, 2012. "Conflicting Measures of Poverty and Inadequate Saving by the Poor," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2012-058, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2012-058
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    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/wp2012-058.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fafchamps, Marcel & Shilpi, Forhad, 2008. "Subjective welfare, isolation, and relative consumption," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(1), pages 43-60, April.
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    3. Oded Galor & Joseph Zeira, 1993. "Income Distribution and Macroeconomics," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 60(1), pages 35-52.
    4. Ravi Kanbur & Matti Tuomala, 2013. "Relativity, Inequality, And Optimal Nonlinear Income Taxation," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 54(4), pages 1199-1217, November.
    5. Corneo, Giacomo & Jeanne, Olivier, 1998. "Social organization, status, and savings behavior," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 37-51, October.
    6. Ed Hopkins & Tatiana Kornienko, 2010. "Which Inequality? The Inequality of Endowments versus the Inequality of Rewards," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(3), pages 106-137, August.
    7. Omer Moav & Zvika Neeman, 2010. "Status and Poverty," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 8(2-3), pages 413-420, 04-05.
    8. Cole, Harold L & Mailath, George J & Postlewaite, Andrew, 1992. "Social Norms, Savings Behavior, and Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 100(6), pages 1092-1125, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Chandana Maitra, 2014. "Going Beyond Calories – Looking At Experiential Food Insecurity In Urban Slum Households In Kolkata," Discussion Papers Series 523, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    2. Sugata Marjit & Punarjit Roychowdhury, 2015. "Inequality and Trade: A Behavioral-Economics Perspective," Discussion Papers 2015-08, University of Nottingham, GEP.
    3. Marjit, Sugata & Santra, Sattwik & Hati, Koushik Kumar, 2014. "Does inequality affect the consumption patterns of the poor? – The role of “status seeking” behaviour," MPRA Paper 54118, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Sugata Marjit & Lei Yang, 2015. "Accumulation with Malnutrition - The Role of Status Seeking Behavior," Discussion Papers Series 544, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    5. Hamid Beladi & Sugata Marjit & Reza Oladi & Lei Yang, 2021. "Malnutrition in the shadow of economic growth," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 500-514, February.

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    Keywords

    Consumption; Equality and inequality; Poverty;
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