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Poverty, Income Inequality, and Growth in Pakistan: A Pooled Regression Analysis

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  • Ahmed Raza Cheema

    (Lecturer in Economics, Department of Economics, University of Sargodha, Pakistan.)

  • Ahmed Raza Cheema

    (Foreign Faculty Professor, Department of Economics, University of Sargodha, Pakistan.)

Abstract

This study estimates a set of fixed effects/random effects models to ascertain the long-run relationships between poverty, income inequality, and growth using pooled data from eight household income and expenditure surveys conducted between 1992/93 and 2007/08 in Pakistan. The results show that growth and inequality play significant roles in affecting poverty, and that the effect of the former is substantially larger than that of the latter. Furthermore, growth has a significant positive impact on inequality. The results also show that the absolute magnitude of net growth elasticity of poverty is smaller than that of gross growth elasticity of poverty, suggesting that some of the growth effect on poverty is offset by the rise in inequality. The analysis at a regional level shows that both the gross and net growth elasticity of poverty are higher in rural areas than in urban areas, whereas the inequality elasticity of poverty is higher in urban areas than in rural areas. At a policy level, we recommend that, in order to reduce poverty, the government should implement policies focusing on growth as well as adopting strategies geared toward improving income distribution.

Suggested Citation

  • Ahmed Raza Cheema & Ahmed Raza Cheema, 2012. "Poverty, Income Inequality, and Growth in Pakistan: A Pooled Regression Analysis," Lahore Journal of Economics, Department of Economics, The Lahore School of Economics, vol. 17(2), pages 137-157, July-Dec.
    • Handle: RePEc:lje:journl:v:17:y:2012:i:2:p:137-157
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    Cited by:

    1. Khadija Shams & Alexander Kadow, 2020. "Income inequality, remittances and economic wellbeing in rural Pakistan: linkages and empirical evidence," Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 499-519, June.
    2. Aneela Qadir & Muhammad Arshad & Waqar Ahmad & Muhammad Rafique & Wang Rongdang, 2023. "An Evaluation of Uni and Multidimensional Poverty Among Farming and Non-Farming Community," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 166(1), pages 175-199, February.
    3. Ali, Amjad, 2016. "Issue of Income Inequality under the perceptive of Macroeconomic Instability: An Empirical Analysis of Pakistan," MPRA Paper 74963, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Sun, Yang & Easaw, Joshy & Logothetis, Vassilis, 2023. "Assessing the Institutions-Innovation Channel within the Inequality-Growth Nexus," Cardiff Economics Working Papers E2023/21, Cardiff University, Cardiff Business School, Economics Section.
    5. Kifayat Ullah & Muhammad Zubair Chishti, 2023. "Spatial distribution of poverty in Pakistan: an asset-based approach," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 1-20, December.
    6. Atta Ullah Khan & Abdul Saboor & Aadil Hameed Shah, 2021. "Dynamics of Multidimensional Inequality Across Different Occupations in Pakistan," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 153(1), pages 93-109, January.
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    8. Egla Mansi & Eglantina Hysa & Mirela Panait & Marian Catalin Voica, 2020. "Poverty—A Challenge for Economic Development? Evidences from Western Balkan Countries and the European Union," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-24, September.
    9. Saqlain Latif Satti & Muhammad Shahid Hassan & Fozia Hayat & Sudharshan Reddy Paramati, 2016. "Economic Growth and Inflow of Remittances: Do They Combat Poverty in an Emerging Economy?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 127(3), pages 1119-1134, July.
    10. Zaman, Qamar uz & Zhao, Yuhuan & Zaman, Shah & Alenezi, Marim & Jehan, Noor, 2023. "Spatial evaluation of multidimensional energy poverty between farming and non-farming communities of agro-climatic zones of Pakistan," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    11. Fambeu, Ariel Herbert & Yomi, Patricia Tchawa, 2023. "Is democracy pro poor in Sub-Saharan Africa?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 10-30.
    12. Marc Audi & Chan Bibi & Khalil Ahmad, 2019. "Financial Inclusion, Economic Growth and Human Well-Being Nexus: Empirics from Pakistan, India, China, Sri-Lanka, Bangladesh and Malaysia," Bulletin of Business and Economics (BBE), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 8(4), pages 177-190, December.
    13. Nazeem ud din & Khalid Zaman & Shagufta Ashraf & Faiza Sajjad & Sundas Saleem & Uzma Raja, 2015. "Quality versus quantity in health care and educational reforms: combating poverty," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 267-293, January.
    14. Muhammad Aslam & Arslan Saeed & Saima Altaf, 2014. "Median Regression Analysis of Gender-wise Income Gap in Punjab, Pakistan," Economy, Asian Online Journal Publishing Group, vol. 1(1), pages 15-19.
    15. Sayeed, Asad. & Abbasi, Zubair Faisal., 2015. "The role of central banks in supporting economic growth and creation of productive employment : the case of Pakistan," ILO Working Papers 994874753402676, International Labour Organization.
    16. Abdul Aziz & Javed Ahmed Memon & Aleem Ahmed Qader, 2023. "Functional income distribution in Pakistan: Co‐integration and vector error correction model analysis," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(1), pages 1081-1091, January.
    17. Hasna Khemili & Mounir Belloumi, 2018. "Cointegration Relationship between Growth, Inequality and Poverty In Tunisia," International Journal of Applied Economics, Finance and Accounting, Online Academic Press, vol. 2(1), pages 8-18.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Poverty; inequality; growth; pooled data; Pakistan.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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