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Chronic and Transient Poverty: Measurement and Estimation, with Evidence from China

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  • John Giles
  • Abdelkrim Araar
  • Jean-Yves Duclos

Abstract

The paper contributes to the measurement of poverty and vulnerability in three ways. First, we propose a new approach to separating poverty into chronic and transient components. Second, we provide corrections for the statistical biases introduced when using a small number of periods to estimate the importance of vulnerability and transient poverty. Third, we apply these tools to the measurement of chronic and transient poverty in China using a rich panel data set that extends over approximately 17 years. We find that alternative measurement techniques yield significantly different estimates of the relative importance of chronic and transient poverty, and that precision of estimates is enhanced with simple statistical corrections.

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  • John Giles & Abdelkrim Araar & Jean-Yves Duclos, 2016. "Chronic and Transient Poverty: Measurement and Estimation, with Evidence from China," Working Papers id:11242, eSocialSciences.
    • Handle: RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:11242
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    poverty dynamics; transient poverty; chronic poverty; permanent poverty; China; measurement and estimation; economic policy; poverty; Jalan and Ravallion; EDE poverty gaps; Bootstrap bias;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C15 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Statistical Simulation Methods: General
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty

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