Multidimensional poverty in urban Brazil: income, assets and expenses

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre Golgher

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present deprivation in urban Brazil in a multidimensional perspective with dimensions related to household’s objective information, assets in the household, subjective evaluation concerning the dwelling and expenses. Design/methodology/approach – The author used factorial analysis applied to the Brazilian Household Budget Survey. Most dimensions showed a positive correlation with income, while for others it was not observed any significant difference between income ranges. Some types of deprivation specially touched low-income households, while other dimensions differentiated middle-income households, or even higher income households. The author applied a fuzzy perspective to define deprivation membership in each dimension with the use of a modified logistic function. The author observed that households with similar income faced different levels of deprivation in many dimensions. Findings – The author showed that there were significant differences in household’s expense preferences and profiles linked to these findings. Households with high levels of food deprivation relatively spend more on household’s rent, taxes and services, indicating that shelter and then food in the household are the very basic goods. Larger relative expenses with food in the household indicated higher levels of deprivation in all other dimensions, indicating that due to these higher food expenditures, the households could not overcome the deprivation in other dimensions. Households that spend more on smoke and gambling faced higher deprivation in most dimensions, suggesting different expenses priorities, less household oriented. Originality/value – To the best of the knowledge, this is the first attempt to link multidimensional deprivation and expenses profile for Brazilian data.

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 931-943
Author(s):  
Samir Garbaya ◽  
Daniela M. Romano ◽  
Gunjeet Hattar

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of the gamification of virtual assembly planning on the user performance, user experience and engagement. Design/methodology/approach A multi-touch table was used to manipulate virtual parts and gamification features were integrated into the virtual assembly environment. An experiment was conducted in two conditions: a gamified and a non-gamified virtual environment. Subjects had to assemble a virtual pump. The user performance was evaluated in terms of the number of errors, the feasibility of the generated assembly sequence and the user feedback. Findings The gamification reduced the number of errors and increased the score representing the number of right decisions. The results of the subjective and objective analysis showed that the number of errors decreased with engagement in the gamified assembly. The increase in the overall user experience reduced the number of errors. The subjective evaluation showed a significant difference between the gamified and the non-gamified assembly in terms of the level of engagement, the learning usability and the overall experience. Research limitations/implications The effective learning retention after training has not been tested, and longitudinal studies are necessary. The effect of the used gamification elements has been evaluated as a whole; further work could isolate the most beneficial features and add other elements that might be more beneficial for learning. Originality/value The research reported in this paper provides valuable insights into the gamification of virtual assembly using a low-cost multi-touch interface. The results are promising for training operators to assemble a product at the design stage.


Subject Reforming the multilateral development banks. Significance The multilateral development bank (MDB) system has resisted pressure on the international order from US nationalism, but the multiplication of MDBs has considerably reduced their collective effectiveness. This fragmentation is preventing them from adapting to global challenges and harnessing private capital for development. The World Bank spring meeting will consider the proposals that the G20 is exploring. Most do not entail institutional change, but others could pave the way for significant reforms. Impacts The ongoing debate about the World Bank’s need for a capital increase will be peripheral to the larger discussion on MDB system reform. If implemented, a cross-MDB risk insurance platform would create a one-stop shop for investors and opportunities for private reinsurers. System-wide securitisation would create new asset classes and expand opportunities for institutional investors. In-country MDB coordination platforms would boost host government ownership of projects in middle-income and stable low-income countries. Estimates suggest that one dollar of capital paid into MDBs can translate into 50 dollars of public investment if allocated effectively.


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-176
Author(s):  
Claudia Bueno Rocha Vidigal

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to estimate the impact of racial and low-income quotas on academic performance of students from public and private universities in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach Using propensity score matching applied to student-level data from the National Examination of Student Performance conducted in 2012; this paper identifies the impact of the quota policy on academic performance considering all Brazilian universities. Findings The results indicate that there is no statistically significant difference in academic performance between students admitted under the racial quota and those who had the regular admission (non-quota students). The impact is positive, however, for students from the North region of Brazil and among those with very low family income, whereas a negative impact is observed for those from the Central-West region. In regard to the low-income quota, quota students perform worse than eligible non-quota students as their scores are, on average, 14 percent lower. Similar findings are observed when different subsamples are considered. Originality/value This paper’s main contribution is to provide a broader and more rigorous empirical approach than that presented by the existing literature in order to evaluate the impact of quota policies on academic achievement. Moreover, this study considers all Brazilian institutions whereas previous studies are limited to only one or a few universities.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simplice Asongu ◽  
Rexon Nting

PurposeThe study has investigated the comparative importance of financial access in promoting gender inclusion in African countries.Design/methodology/approachGender inclusion is proxied by the female labour participation rate while financial channels include: financial system deposits and private domestic credit. The empirical evidence is based on non-contemporary fixed effects regressions.FindingsIn order to provide more implications on comparative relevance, the dataset is categorised into income levels (middle income versus (vs.) low income); legal origins (French civil law vs. English common law); religious domination (Islam vs. Christianity); openness to sea (coastal vs. landlocked); resource-wealth (oil-poor vs. oil-rich) and political stability (stable vs. unstable). Six main hypotheses are tested, notably, that middle income, English common law, Christianity, coastal, oil-rich and stable countries enjoy better levels of “financial access”-induced gender inclusion compared to respectively, low income, French civil law, Islam, landlocked, oil-poor and unstable countries. All six tested hypotheses are validated.Originality/valueThis is the first study on the comparative importance of financial access in gender economic participation.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas M. Odhiambo

PurposeThis study examines the causal relationship between exports and economic growth in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries during the period 1980 to 2017. The study also examines whether the causality between these two macroeconomic variables depends on the countries' stage of development as proxied by their per capita income.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a panel cointegration test and panel Granger-causality model to examine the link between exports and growth. The study also incorporates external debt as an intermittent variable in a bivariate setting between exports and economic growth, thereby creating a dynamic multivariate panel Granger-causality model.FindingsAlthough the study found the existence of a long-run relationship between exports and economic growth, the study failed to find any export-led growth response in both low-income and middle-income countries. Instead, the study found evidence of a bidirectional causality and a neutrality response in middle-income and low-income countries, respectively. The study, therefore, concludes that the benefits of an export-led growth hypothesis may have been oversold, and that the strategy may not be desirable to some low-income developing countries.Practical implicationsThese findings have important policy implications as they indicate that the causality between exports and economic growth in SSA countries varies with the countries' stage of development. Consistent with the contemporary literature, the study cautions low-income SSA countries against over-relying on an export-led growth strategy to achieve a sustained growth path as no causality between exports and economic growth has been found to exist in those countries. Instead, such countries should consider pursuing new growth strategies by building the domestic demand side of their economies alongside their export promotion strategies in order to expand the real sector of their economies. For middle-income countries, the study recommends that both export promotion strategies and pro-growth policies should be intensified as economic growth and exports have been found to reinforce each other in those countries.Originality/valueUnlike the previous studies, the current study disaggregated the full sample of SSA countries into two subsets – one comprising of low-income countries and the other consisting of middle-income countries. In addition, the study uses a multivariate Granger-causality model in order to address the emission-of-variable bias. To our knowledge, this may be the first study of its kind in recent years to examine in detail the causal relationship between exports and economic growth in SSA countries using an ECM-based multivariate panel Granger-causality model.


Subject Income tax reform in China. Significance As promised by Prime Minister Li Keqiang in his 2018 Government Work Report, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress has passed on August 31 an amendment to China's individual income tax. It slashes tax for low-income and middle-income earners, in an effort to keep up with the rapid increase in living costs and better redistribute wealth in one of the most unequal countries in the world, with a Gini coefficient for income of about 0.40. Impacts Recent comments by the Constitution and Law Committee signal that the law may soon be amended again. Important changes to residency rules will have an impact on foreign nationals living in China. New tax residence and anti-avoidance rules will eliminate loopholes and allow for a more efficient tax collection.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yinxing Hong

Purpose At present, the Chinese economy has entered the “new normal” phase with the transformation of development stages from the low-income to the middle-income ones. Accordingly, there appear a series of innovations in development theories. Innovations involve creative destructions. Therefore, innovative development theories at the present stage either deny the prevailing principles of development economics, or deny the theories that once effectively guided development at the low-income stage, or even sublate some of the development polices which were propelled and proved effective at the beginning of the reform and opening-up. The fundamental reason is that, as the development stages evolve, there occur new development tasks, new periodical characteristics and new laws of development. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Any development theory from abroad will find it difficult to correctly guide and clarify development problems in a socialist country, such as the huge population and the extreme imbalance between the urban and the rural and among regional developments. Findings In conclusion, China, as a large world economy, has made innovations in its economic development theory, which indicates that it intends to perfect itself rather than seek hegemony. As the world’s second largest economy, China should adapt to the transformation and further free people’s minds instead of adhering to the old patterns of thinking. It should think over the path of development for a great world economy from the historical starting point of a large world economy and find development strategies to transform itself from a large economy to a great economy, so as to realize the dream of the Chinese nation to build a powerful country. Originality/value Only political economy studies both the relations of production and the productive forces, and only a theory combining both can correctly guide China’s economic development, which especially needs to be promoted by taking advantage of socialist economic system. Therefore, the first and foremost principle for a socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics is to insist on liberating and developing productive forces.


2020 ◽  
pp. 104420732091994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Pinilla-Roncancio ◽  
Sabina Alkire

People with disabilities and their families have been recognized as a high-risk population for poverty. Although the number of studies analyzing the levels of poverty of this group has increased, there is still a lack of empirical evidence that establishes whether and how people with disabilities are significantly poorer than families with no disabled members. This study analyses the levels of multidimensional poverty of people living in households with members with disabilities in 11 low- and middle-income countries in different regions of the world, using the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). The results reveal that in five of the 11 countries people living in households with disabled members face higher levels of multidimensional poverty compared with people without disabilities. In addition, we found that differences between the levels of poverty were larger in middle-income countries than in low-income countries, revealing the existence of a development disability gap.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Falilat Yetunde Olowu ◽  
Hafeez Idowu Agbabiaka ◽  
Emmanuel Babatunde Jaiyeoba ◽  
Abiola Aminat Adesanya

PurposeThe study had examined the dynamism in rental housing characteristic in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through questionnaire administration on 550 tenants selected across high, medium and low density areas, using systematic random sampling.FindingsFindings revealed that rented apartments in the traditional town are built with modern materials like sandcrete blocks, cement, corrugated roofing sheet and aluminium. Further findings revealed a statistical significant variation in the rental housing typologies across the residential densities (χ2 = 94.732a, df = 10 and p = 0.000). The dominant housing typology in the low income earners areas is rooming apartments known traditionally as (face-to-face), in the middle income earners areas detached and semi-detached bungalows (Mini, 2bedroms and 3 bedrooms flat); and lastly, bungalows and duplexes dominates the high income earners areas. Therefore, the study likened the variation across the income areas to deferential in socioeconomic characteristics of tenants, surroundings peculiarities and the landlord and tenant relationships.Originality/valueThe outcome of this study could strengthen policies in creating design standards for construction of housing for renters; this is step towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, creating an inclusive communities.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 356-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johnson Kampamba ◽  
Simon Kachepa ◽  
Boipuso Nkwae ◽  
Ntombi Godiraone Matlhogojane ◽  
Tuelo Outule

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the housing delivery to the low income through the Self Help Housing Agency (SHHA) in Gaborone, Botswana. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through the use of questionnaire, interviews, records searches and observations using the mixed-method approach to establish why people sale houses. Proportionate and simple random sampling was used to obtain a sample size of 93 plots for both new SHHA areas and old SHHA areas at 90 per cent confidence level. For each plot, data pertaining to plot allocation, plot ownership, exchange of ownership over the years were collected. Findings The findings revealed that the programme has been hit by challenges emanating from the low-income group selling their houses to middle-income group which is predominant in the area thus leading to gentrification. It was also established that the number of sales in SHHA areas were increasing as evidenced from the transfers that were taking place. This could be influenced by the increasing demand for housing due to a growing population in Gaborone. The findings also revealed that demand is one of the determinants of rising prices, thus an incentive to the low-income group to sell their houses at higher prices. Research limitations/implications The implication of these findings is that the low income will be displaced and might become homeless in future thus creating an opportunity for illegal settlements to develop. Originality/value The study has provided a context in which housing delivery to the low-income group can be safe guarded.


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