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Determinants Of Poverty In Mozambique: 1996-97

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  • Datt, Gaurav
  • Simler, Kenneth R.
  • Mukherjee, Sanjukta
  • Dava, Gabriel

Abstract

This report presents an analysis of the structural determinants of living standards and poverty in Mozambique, which is based on nationally-representative data from the first national household living standards survey since the end of the civil war: the Mozambique Inquérito Nacional aos Agregados Familiares Sobre As Condições de Vida (MIAF), or National Household Survey on Living Conditions. Poverty in Mozambique is predominantly a rural phenomenon and is pervasive, with over two-thirds of the population falling below the poverty line. The degree of regional variation of poverty within the country is striking. Poverty levels are highest in Sofala, Tete, and Inhambane Provinces, where over 80 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, and lowest in Maputo City (although, with a headcount of 48 percent, poverty is still high in the capital city). The poverty estimates indicate that even though Mozambique is recovering from the emergency situation of the civil war, and becoming more self-reliant for its basic needs, there remains a great deal of structural poverty in the country. Areas that stand out in particular are low levels of human capital, including low educational levels and the poor health of most of the population; low productivity in the agricultural sector, where most Mozambicans are employed; a weak physical infrastructure and poor access to basic services, including potable water, health facilities, transportation, communications, and markets; and high rates of fertility and corresponding high dependency ratios. The policy simulations that illustrate the impact that changes in the levels of determinants of poverty have on poverty levels allow us to identify six possible elements of a prospective poverty alleviation strategy for Mozambique. These include (1) increased investment in education, (2) sustained economic growth, (3) a sectoral pattern of growth favoring faster growth in the industrial and services sectors, (4) measures to raise agricultural productivity, (5) improved rural infrastructure, and (6) reducing fertility and dependency load within households. In conclusion, any meaningful poverty reduction strategy in Mozambique must give the highest priority to rural areas and must address these macro-level and household-level determinants of poverty in its policy formulations.

Suggested Citation

  • Datt, Gaurav & Simler, Kenneth R. & Mukherjee, Sanjukta & Dava, Gabriel, 2000. "Determinants Of Poverty In Mozambique: 1996-97," FCND Discussion Papers 16427, CGIAR, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:fcnddp:16427
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.16427
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    1. Elbers, Chris & Lanjouw, Peter & Mistiaen, Johan A. & Ozler, Berk & Simler, Kenneth R., 2003. "Are Neighbors Equal? Estimating Local Inequality In Three Developing Countries," FCND Discussion Papers 16411, CGIAR, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    2. Magnus Lindelow, 2008. "Health as a Family Matter: Do Intra-household Education Externalities Matter for Maternal and Child Health?," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(4), pages 562-585, April.
    3. McClafferty, Bonnie & Quisumbing, Agnes R., 2006. "Using gender research in development: food security in practice," Food security in practice technical guide series 2, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    4. Aragon, Catherine & Breisinger, Clemens & Ecker, Olivier & Minot, Nicholas & Nin Pratt, Alejandro & Ringler, Claudia & Yu, Bingxin & Zhu, Tingju & van Rheenen, Teunis, 2010. "Food security and economic development in the Middle East and North Africa," IFPRI discussion papers 985, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    5. Arthur, Maria de Fatima S.R. & Zahran, Sammy & Bucini, Gabriela, 2010. "On the adoption of electricity as a domestic source by Mozambican households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 7235-7249, November.
    6. Rasmus Heltberg & Kenneth Simler & Finn Tarp, 2001. "Public Spending and Poverty in Mozambique," WIDER Working Paper Series DP2001-63, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    7. Tony Addison & Léonce Ndikumana, 2001. "Overcoming the Fiscal Crisis of the African State," WIDER Working Paper Series DP2001-12, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    8. L. Cuna, 2004. "Assessing Household Vulnerability to Employment Shocks: A Simulation Methodology Applied to Bosnia and Herzegovina," Working Papers 528, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    9. Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Haddad, Lawrence James & Pena, Christine, 2001. "Are Women Overrepresented Among The Poor? An Analysis Of Poverty In Ten Developing Countries," Discussion Paper Briefs 16006, CGIAR, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    10. Walker, Thomas S. & Boughton, Duncan & Tschirley, David L. & Pitoro, Raul & Tomo, Alda, 2006. "Using Rural Household Income Survey Data to Inform Poverty Analysis: An Example from Mozambique," 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12-18, 2006, Queensland, Australia 25676, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    11. Tarp, Finn & Simler, Kenneth & Matusse, Cristina & Heltberg, Rasmus & Dava, Gabriel, 2002. "The Robustness of Poverty Profiles Reconsidered," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 51(1), pages 77-108, October.
    12. Jindal, Rohit & Kerr, John M. & Carter, Sarah, 2012. "Reducing Poverty Through Carbon Forestry? Impacts of the N’hambita Community Carbon Project in Mozambique," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(10), pages 2123-2135.
    13. Magnus Lindelow, 2003. "The Utilization of Curative Health Care in Mozambique: Does Income Matter?," Economics Series Working Papers WPS/2004-11, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    14. Simler, Kenneth R. & Nhate, Virgulino, 2005. "Poverty, inequality, and geographic targeting: evidence from small-area estimates in Mozambique," FCND briefs 192, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    15. Magnus Lindelow, 2002. "Sometimes More Equal than Others How the choice of welfare indicator can affect the measurement of health inequalities and the incidence of public spending," Economics Series Working Papers WPS/2002-15, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    16. Nguyen, Thao Phuong, 2020. "The determinants impact on poverty reduction in Vietnam," OSF Preprints 3f9xc, Center for Open Science.
    17. Hoddinott, John & Yohannes, Yisehac, 2002. "Dietary diversity as a food security indicator," FCND briefs 136, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    18. Datt, Gaurav & Jolliffe, Dean, 1999. "Determinants of poverty in Egypt, 1997," FCND discussion papers 75, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

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