Nonfarm Employment and Rural Welfare

Nonfarm Employment and Rural Welfare PDF Author: Maja Micevska Scharf
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The potential importance of nonfarm employment for the welfare of rural households has long been recognized, but whether the nonfarm sector offers prospects for improving the welfare of the rural poor remains a contentious issue. We examine distributional and well-being effects of nonfarm employment of rural households in the Himalayas. We account for heterogeneity of nonfarm employment, and estimate a system of structural equations to better understand the causal linkages between nonfarm employment and household well-being. The results confirm that disaggregating nonfarm employment activities matters for understanding the relationship between nonfarm employment and rural welfare. While low-return nonfarm employment is associated with lower income inequality, high-return nonfarm activities have a disequalizing effect on the distribution of household incomes. We also find that the ability to engage in high-return nonfarm activities is associated with higher economic well-being. Poor households, on the other hand, tend to rely on low-return activities that do not contribute to improved well-being.

Nonfarm Employment and Rural Welfare

Nonfarm Employment and Rural Welfare PDF Author: Maja Micevska Scharf
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The potential importance of nonfarm employment for the welfare of rural households has long been recognized, but whether the nonfarm sector offers prospects for improving the welfare of the rural poor remains a contentious issue. We examine distributional and well-being effects of nonfarm employment of rural households in the Himalayas. We account for heterogeneity of nonfarm employment, and estimate a system of structural equations to better understand the causal linkages between nonfarm employment and household well-being. The results confirm that disaggregating nonfarm employment activities matters for understanding the relationship between nonfarm employment and rural welfare. While low-return nonfarm employment is associated with lower income inequality, high-return nonfarm activities have a disequalizing effect on the distribution of household incomes. We also find that the ability to engage in high-return nonfarm activities is associated with higher economic well-being. Poor households, on the other hand, tend to rely on low-return activities that do not contribute to improved well-being.

The Nonfarm Sector and Rural Development

The Nonfarm Sector and Rural Development PDF Author: Nurul Islam
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN: 0896296059
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 60

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Book Description
In most developing countries, the rural labor force is growing rapidly, but rural employment opportunities are dwindling. This paper brings together empirical evidence on the nonfarm sector and analyzes policies for its future development. It examines the linkages between the farm and nonfarm sectors and between the nonfarm sector and urban enterprises, and considers ways the government can promote rural employment.

Rural Nonfarm Employment

Rural Nonfarm Employment PDF Author: O. Jean Lanjouw
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic books
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
May 1995 Although governments in some countries are implementing projects to support small-scale and rural enterprises, more commonly the rural nonfarm sector operates in a policy environment that is biased against it. This survey highlights the positive roles that the rural nonfarm sector can play in promoting growth and welfare by slowing rural-urban migration, using more appropriate technologies, providing seasonal or alternative employment for those left out of agriculture, and improving household security through diversification. The apparent neglect of this sector does not seem warranted on the basis of available information. So little is known about the rural nonfarm sector that those making policy to assist rural small-scale enterprises have done so largely unencumbered by evidence. The Lanjouw survey of nonfarm data and policy experience attempts to correct this. Until recently, the commonly held view was that rural nonfarm employment was relatively nonproductive, producing goods and services of low quality. The rural off-farm sector was expected to wither away with development and rising incomes, and this was viewed as a positive, rather than a negative, event. A corollary of this view was that the government need not actively worry about the sector -- or be concerned about how policies elsewhere might harm it. More recently, opinion has swung the other way, and it is increasingly argued that neglect of the sector would be mistaken. The survey highlights the positive roles that the rural nonfarm sector can play in promoting both growth and welfare. In the widespread situation of a rural workforce growing faster than the employment potential in agriculture, the nonfarm rural sector can lower unemployment and slow rural-urban migration. It is particularly useful in employing women and providing off-season incomes. The technologies used in small-scale rural manufacturing may be more appropriate and thus generate greater income from available productive inputs. What role could government play in promoting the nonfarm sector? The emphasis of government policy has been on large-scale urban industry as the main engine of growth. More recently, there has been a move toward a more broad-based growth approach, with greater emphasis on the development of agriculture and the rural economy. Increasingly countries have targeted project assistance schemes, for example to provide training, infrastructure, and technology to support small-scale and rural enterprises. Nonetheless, in most countries it remains true that projects to support the nonfarm rural sector are undertaken in a policy environment which is biased against this sector. This paper -- a product of the Office of the Vice President, Development Economics -- was prepared as a background paper for World Development Report 1995 on labor.

Rural Nonfarm Employment

Rural Nonfarm Employment PDF Author: Jean Olson Lanjouw
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 6101911020
Category : Empleo rural
Languages : en
Pages : 84

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Book Description


Rural Non-Farm Employment and Household Welfare

Rural Non-Farm Employment and Household Welfare PDF Author: Guigonan Serge Adjognon
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cost and standard of living
Languages : en
Pages : 66

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Book Description
This paper uses nationally representative panel data and a combination of econometric approaches, to explore linkages between rural non-farm activities (wage and self-employment) and household welfare in rural Malawi. The paper analyzes the average treatment effects and distributional effects on participants' welfare indicators, such as households' per capita consumption expenditures. Then it investigates the effects of non-farm activities on the use of agricultural inputs, one channel through which non-farm employment might improve the welfare of rural households. Although participation in non-farm activities is not randomly assigned in the data, the identification strategy relies on fixed effects and correlated random effects estimation methods, dealing effectively with time invariant heterogeneity, coupled with geographical covariate adjustments, controlling for time varying differences in local market conditions and employment opportunities. The results suggest that non-farm wage employment and non-farm self-employment are welfare improving and poverty reducing. However, households at the lower tail of the wealth distribution benefit significantly less from participation than the wealthiest. Although the results support the promotion of the rural non-farm economy for poverty reduction purposes, they indicate that targeted interventions that improve poor households' access to high-return non-farm opportunities are likely to lead to bigger successes in curbing rural poverty.

Rural Enterprise and Nonfarm Employment

Rural Enterprise and Nonfarm Employment PDF Author: Dennis Anderson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Community development
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description


Evaluating the welfare effects of nonfarm enterprises on rural households in Papua New Guinea

Evaluating the welfare effects of nonfarm enterprises on rural households in Papua New Guinea PDF Author: Schmidt, Emily
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 8

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Book Description
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the country with the largest rural population share in the East Asia and Pacific region. In addition, PNG is affected by El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climatic events that in severe years cause significant food insecurity due to failed agricultural production. Shrinking land holdings for agricultural production due to the growing population together with climate risk motivates many rural households to explore off-farm income generating opportunities. The analysis reported on here evaluates the importance of nonfarm employment in rural areas in PNG in diversifying risk to household welfare (associated with weather shocks, crop pests and diseases, agricultural price fluctuations, etc.), in smoothing seasonal income fluctuations, and in absorbing excess labor in households with limited agricultural resources. Our study draws upon a wide-ranging literature focused on the role of nonfarm enterprises in the livelihood strategies of rural households globally, e.g., de Janvry and Sadoulet 2001; Lanjouw and Lanjouw 2001; Jayne et al. 2003; Barrett et al. 2005; Haggblade et al. 2007; Lay et al. 2008. We use data collected from rural households in PNG between May and July 2018 by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). The survey was administered to 1,026 households in 70 communities across specific districts in East Sepik, Madang, and West Sepik provinces and in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. Respondent households were asked detailed questions about any nonfarm enterprises (NFE) in which they were involved, including questions on ownership, labor characteristics, and income generation. We explore how engaging in an NFE affects household welfare. In doing so, we evaluate two questions: 1) What barriers to entry exist for male- versus female-owned NFEs? 2) Do the welfare effects of NFE ownership differ by the sex of the owner? Overall, we find that households with an NFE have significantly higher annual per capita consumption compared to matched households without an NFE, amounting to an average increase in the value of annual household consumption of 180 kina (PGK) per capita. In addition, households with an NFE consume approximately 9.5 grams more protein per person per day and achieve greater diversity in their diets compared to households without an NFE. We find that the positive effects of NFE ownership on welfare outcomes are largely driven by male-owned and jointly-owned (male and female) NFEs. The welfare outcomes attributable to female-owned NFEs are much smaller.

Rural Non-farm Employment

Rural Non-farm Employment PDF Author: Enyinna Chuta
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Developing countries
Languages : en
Pages : 116

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Book Description
Research paper on a literature survey of nonfarm employment activities and issues in developing countries - examines importance of non- farm rural employment, rural area income, labour productivity, rural industry size of enterprise, tariff policy, technical and management assistance for rural development projects. Bibliography pp. 85 to 96.

The Rural Non-farm Economy

The Rural Non-farm Economy PDF Author: Ashwani Saith
Publisher: International Labour Organization
ISBN: 9789221077503
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
This book provides an analytical framework for studying the rural non-farm economy (RNFE) in developing countries, as well as a detailed analysis of rural inequalities and agrarian differentiation, demand constraints in the RNFE, and successes and failures of targeted programmes.; The book uses examples - mainly from Asia - to challenge the received ideas and attempts to cast the discussion in a wider context.

Global Productivity

Global Productivity PDF Author: Alistair Dieppe
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464816093
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 552

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Book Description
The COVID-19 pandemic struck the global economy after a decade that featured a broad-based slowdown in productivity growth. Global Productivity: Trends, Drivers, and Policies presents the first comprehensive analysis of the evolution and drivers of productivity growth, examines the effects of COVID-19 on productivity, and discusses a wide range of policies needed to rekindle productivity growth. The book also provides a far-reaching data set of multiple measures of productivity for up to 164 advanced economies and emerging market and developing economies, and it introduces a new sectoral database of productivity. The World Bank has created an extraordinary book on productivity, covering a large group of countries and using a wide variety of data sources. There is an emphasis on emerging and developing economies, whereas the prior literature has concentrated on developed economies. The book seeks to understand growth patterns and quantify the role of (among other things) the reallocation of factors, technological change, and the impact of natural disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic. This book is must-reading for specialists in emerging economies but also provides deep insights for anyone interested in economic growth and productivity. Martin Neil Baily Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution Former Chair, U.S. President’s Council of Economic Advisers This is an important book at a critical time. As the book notes, global productivity growth had already been slowing prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and collapses with the pandemic. If we want an effective recovery, we have to understand what was driving these long-run trends. The book presents a novel global approach to examining the levels, growth rates, and drivers of productivity growth. For anyone wanting to understand or influence productivity growth, this is an essential read. Nicholas Bloom William D. Eberle Professor of Economics, Stanford University The COVID-19 pandemic hit a global economy that was already struggling with an adverse pre-existing condition—slow productivity growth. This extraordinarily valuable and timely book brings considerable new evidence that shows the broad-based, long-standing nature of the slowdown. It is comprehensive, with an exceptional focus on emerging market and developing economies. Importantly, it shows how severe disasters (of which COVID-19 is just the latest) typically harm productivity. There are no silver bullets, but the book suggests sensible strategies to improve growth prospects. John Fernald Schroders Chaired Professor of European Competitiveness and Reform and Professor of Economics, INSEAD