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The price is not always right : on the impacts of (commodity) prices on households (and countries)

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  • Lederman, Daniel
  • Porto, Guido

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the impact of once-and-for-all changes in commodity prices and other prices on household welfare. It begins with a collection of stylized facts related to commodities based on household survey data from Latin America and Africa. The data uncover strong commodity dependence in both continents: households typically allocate a large fraction of their budget to commodities and they often depend on commodities to earn their income. This income and expenditure dependency suggests sizable impacts and adjustments following commodity-price shocks. The paper explores these effects with a review of the literature. It studies consumption and income responses, labor-market responses, and spillovers across sectors. It ends up providing evidence on the relative magnitudes of various mechanisms through which commodity prices affect household (and national) welfare in developing economies.

Suggested Citation

  • Lederman, Daniel & Porto, Guido, 2014. "The price is not always right : on the impacts of (commodity) prices on households (and countries)," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6858, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:6858
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    Cited by:

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    2. Lugo, María Ana & Garriga, Santiago & Puig, Jorge, 2022. "Effects of food prices on poverty: The case of Paraguay, a food exporter and a non-fully urbanized country," Revista Latinoamericana de Desarrollo Economico, Carrera de Economía de la Universidad Católica Boliviana (UCB) "San Pablo", issue 37, pages 7-43, Mayo.
    3. Will Martin, 2017. "Agricultural Trade and Food Security," Research papers & Policy papers on Economic Trends and Policies 1727, Policy Center for the New South.
    4. Will Martin, 2017. "Agricultural Trade and Food Security," Policy briefs on Economic Trends and Policies 1727, Policy Center for the New South.
    5. Tadesse Kuma & Mekdim Dereje & Kalle Hirvonen & Bart Minten, 2019. "Cash Crops and Food Security: Evidence from Ethiopian Smallholder Coffee Producers," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(6), pages 1267-1284, June.
    6. Ulrik Beck & Saurabh Singhal & Finn Tarp, 2016. "Coffee price volatility and intra-household labour supply," WIDER Working Paper Series 016, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    7. Marianne Fay & Stephane Hallegatte & Adrien Vogt-Schilb & Julie Rozenberg & Ulf Narloch & Tom Kerr, 2015. "Decarbonizing Development," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 21842.
    8. Chauvin, Nicolas & Porto, Guido & Mulangu, Francis, 2015. "Agricultural Prices, Household Wellbeing and Poverty Alleviation in Tanzania: The Role of Agricultural Supply Chains and Household Constraints," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211569, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. Wang, Bei & Qian, Xuefeng & Li, Ying & Cao, Jia, 2024. "Pro-poor consumption effects of trade liberalization: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    10. Nicolas Depetris-Chauvin & Guido Porto, 2014. "Agricultural Supply Chains and Farmers Constraints: Welfare Impacts in ECOWAS Countries," Working Papers 2014-20, CEPII research center.
    11. Ulrik Beck & Saurabh Singhal & Finn Tarp, 2016. "Coffee price volatility and intra-household labour supply: Evidence from Vietnam," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2016-16, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

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    Markets and Market Access; Economic Theory&Research; Emerging Markets; Labor Policies; Access to Markets;
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