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Inequality, Poverty, and the Intra-Household Allocation of Consumption in Senegal

Author

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  • Philippe De Vreyer
  • Sylvie Lambert

Abstract

Intra-household inequalities have long been a source of concern for policy design, but there is very little evidence about their effects. The current practice of ignoring inequality within households could lead to an underestimation of both overall inequality and poverty levels, as well as to the misclassification of some individuals with regard to their poverty status. Using a novel survey for Senegal in which consumption data were collected at a disaggregated level, this paper quantifies these various effects. In total, two opposing effects, one on mean and one on inequality, compensate each other in terms of the overall poverty rate, but individual poverty statuses are affected. Intra-household consumption inequalities account for 14 percent of inequality in Senegal. This study has also uncovered the fact that household structure and organization are key correlates of intra-household inequality and individual risk of poverty.

Suggested Citation

  • Philippe De Vreyer & Sylvie Lambert, 2021. "Inequality, Poverty, and the Intra-Household Allocation of Consumption in Senegal," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 35(2), pages 414-435.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:wbecrv:v:35:y:2021:i:2:p:414-435.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/wber/lhz052
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    Cited by:

    1. Bargain, Olivier B. & Lacroix, Guy & Tiberti, Luca, 2021. "Intrahousehold Resource Allocation and Individual Poverty: Assessing Collective Model Predictions against Direct Evidence on Sharing," IZA Discussion Papers 14406, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Malghan, Deepak & Swaminathan, Hema, 2021. "Global trends in intra-household gender inequality," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 515-546.
    3. Zetianyu Wang & Anna Josephson & Felipe Dizon, 2025. "Intra-household inequality in food expenditures and diet quality in the Philippines," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 17(1), pages 293-330, February.
    4. Hanrui Jia & Peng Zhan, 2021. "Intra‐family Income Redistribution and Its Dynamic Changes among the Elderly in China: 2002–2018," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 29(5), pages 84-104, September.
    5. Olivier Bargain, 2022. "Income Sources, Intra-Household Allocation And Individual Poverty," Commitment to Equity (CEQ) Working Paper Series 121, Tulane University, Department of Economics.
    6. Djuikom, Marie Albertine & van de Walle, Dominique, 2022. "Marital status and women’s nutrition in Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    7. Martin Ravallion, 2020. "On the Origins of the Idea of Ending Poverty," NBER Working Papers 27808, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Almås, Ingvild & Ringdal, Charlotte & Hoem Sjursen, Ingrid, 2021. "Understanding inequality within households," GLO Discussion Paper Series 961, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    9. Chancel, Lucas & Cogneau, Denis & Gethin, Amory & Myczkowski, Alix & Robilliard, Anne-Sophie, 2023. "Income inequality in Africa, 1990–2019: Measurement, patterns, determinants," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    10. Miriam Rehm & Alyssa Schneebaum & Barbara Schuster, 2022. "Intra-Couple Wealth Inequality: What’s Socio-Demographics Got to Do with it?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(4), pages 681-720, October.
    11. Coleman, Fiona M. & Ahmed, Akhter U. & Roy, Shalini & Hoddinott, John, 2026. "Understanding social safety nets and intra-household food allocation: Experimental evidence from Bangladesh," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    12. Hasanbasri,Ardina Roosiany & Kilic,Talip & Koolwal,Gayatri B. & Moylan,Heather G., 2022. "Individual Wealth Inequality : Measurement and Evidence from Low- and Middle-Income Countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9987, The World Bank.
    13. Servaas van der Berg & Linda Zuze & Grace Bridgman, 2020. "The impact of the Coronavirus and lockdown on children's welfare in South Africa: Evidence from NIDS-CRAM Wave 1," Working Papers 24/2020, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    14. Richard Blundell & Heidi Karjalainen & Valérie Lechene & Krishna Pendakur, 2025. "Gender inequality in expenditure: Great Britain 1978 to 2019," IFS Working Papers W25/26, Institute for Fiscal Studies.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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