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Our study aims to analyze and learn from the unanticipated economic shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We examine the ramifications of the pandemic on household well-being in Ethiopia, uncovering the layers of socio-economic impact through a rigorous microsimulation exercise. Drawing on robust data from the 2018/19 Living Standards Measurement Study – Integrated Surveys on Agriculture, we assess the significant disruptions caused by the pandemic. Our findings reveal a 2 to 4 percentage point increase in the poverty rate within the first three months, driven largely by shifts in direct incomes and food prices. The analysis highlights differential impacts across rural and urban areas, as well as between male- and female-headed households. Moreover, the study underscores the vital role of social protection programs in mitigating the effects of such shocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the balance between social and financial sustainability goals in the European microfinance sector using an original dataset obtained from a survey conducted in 2016–2017 on 159 microfinance institutions (MFIs) operating in 38 European countries. Overall, our results show that MFIs that are more likely to comply with their social sustainability objectives are also doing well financially. The only aspect on which social sustainability does not seem to have a positive effect on financial sustainability is the financing of the poorest through the provision of small-scale loans. A phenomenon that seems peculiar to the European context is that larger MFIs operating in countries with stringent financial regulation tend to show a comparative advantage and better withstand competition from the traditional banking sector. However, a separate issue that deserves attention is the specific regulation on interest rates, which seems to penalize the MFIs operating in countries imposing interest rate caps due to the impossibility to pass on the high unit costs of microlending to borrowers. Our results are robust to alternative measures of financial sustainability and to the use of the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and Instrumental Variable (IV) estimation techniques to overcome the problem of endogeneity. Plain English Summary: European Microfinance Institutions that more tightly pursue social objectives are also more likely to be financially sustainable but are penalized by regulatory restrictions on interest rates. The microfinance sector underwent a significant global expansion in recent years, creating chances for underprivileged and vulnerable groups, particularly women entrepreneurs, to start their businesses. The balance between social and financial sustainability is one of the most hotly debated themes in a growing number of studies, although there is little empirical evidence on the European microfinance sector. In this paper, we provide one of the first pieces of evidence of this relationship in the European context. Our findings have important implications for researchers, policymakers, and society as a whole. The research reveals that European Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) that more tightly pursue social objectives are also more likely to be financially sustainable. Furthermore, smaller MFIs appear to achieve a double bottom line more easily, especially targeting higher shares of women borrowers. The critical aspect of European MFIs appears to be their greater reliance on subsidies, as well as a regulation that is ill-suited to the microfinance sector, especially regarding interest rate caps. Thus, a more structured regulatory framework focused on social sustainability variables could improve microfinance effectiveness in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how climate change and poverty affect child health inequality across 63 provinces in Vietnam from 2006 to 2023. By examining deaths and economic losses from storms and floods, we assess climate change’s impact; while, infant mortality rate (IMR) and under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) serve as indicators of child health inequality. Findings reveal that climate change directly worsens child health inequality and exacerbates it indirectly by increasing poverty. Notably, the effects on U5MR are more pronounced than on IMR. Additionally, child vaccinations, healthcare infrastructure, and access to clean water are vital in reducing health disparities and mitigating climate change’s harmful effects on child health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Historia Económica / Journal of Iberian & Latin American Economic History is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: This study aims to contribute to the extant literature by assessing how microfinance institutions (MFIs) affect female entrepreneurship, contingent on female unemployment levels. Design/methodology/approach: The study focuses on 44 countries in sub-Saharan Africa for the period 2004–2018. The empirical evidence is based on interactive quantile regressions, which put emphasis on nations with high, low and intermediate levels of business constraints. The analysis is tailored to provide avoidable female unemployment levels in the implementation of policies designed for MFIs to promote female business ownership. Findings: The hypotheses that MFIs are favorable for female business owners and some critical rates of female unemployment should be avoided in order for the favorable incidence to be maintained is exclusively valid in the 10th quantiles of the cost of business by females and time to start-up a business by females. Policy implications are discussed. Originality/value: This study has complemented the extant literature by providing actionable female unemployment critical masses that governments can act upon in tailoring the relevance of MFIs in the doing of business by females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study empirically examines whether economic globalization reduces (enhances) the level of poverty in the top (bottom) globalized region by controlling economic growth, urbanization, government expenditure, and public expenditure on education. This issue has taken Europe and Central Asia (ECA) as the top (16) and South Asia (SA) as the bottom (7) economic globalized developing region for the empirical analysis for the period of 1991-2020. Two empirical models, non-linear ARDL and PMG-ARDL, estimate the impact of globalization (trade and financial openness) and education on poverty. This study also segregates economic globalization into de jure and de facto to critically analyze the impact on poverty reduction. The long-run results suggest that economic globalization has a negative (positive) effect on poverty in the top (bottom) globalized region. Apart from globalization, primary education is insufficient for reducing poverty in the ECA region, while primary education is enough to reduce poverty in the SA region. After replacing economic globalization with trade and financial openness, the results reveal that more trade openness is difficult for reducing poverty in top globalized developing countries. On the contrary, financial openness reduces (enhances) poverty in the top (bottom) globalized region. Additionally, the impact of de jure and de facto economic globalization are similar throughout the regions. The effects of control variables are mixed in nature. From a policy perspective, the government of these two regions should use education as a weapon to lower poverty vulnerability by improving its quality and giving extensive focus on trade and financial openness to find out the leakage of the financial flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject-matter and aim of this paper is to present the extent of poverty and economic and social exclusion in the countries of the European Union (EU-27). The specific aim is the comparative assessment and reduction of these processes between 2011 and 2022.

Housing deprivation is a multidimensional concept that can be measured using various indicators. This study focuses on severe housing deprivation and its components – overcrowding and housing conditions problems. Severe housing deprivation means the failure to meet basic housing needs. Eurostat defines it as the simultaneous occurrence of overcrowding and housing conditions problems. All analyzed indicators of housing deprivation are based on European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EUSILC) 2019 survey data. The study covers households in Poland – a country facing serious problems of housing deprivation. In fact, three dimensions of housing deprivation are examined: experiencing only housing conditions problems, experiencing only overcrowding, and being severely housing deprived. The study aims to investigate the prevalence of three-dimensional housing deprivation and reveal which socioeconomic features of the household are associated with the analyzed phenomenon. To achieve these purposes, the multinomial logit model was used to assess the average marginal effects for explanatory variables. It was found that the significant factors associated with housing deprivation are tenure status, dwelling type, household income, average age of household members, their level of educational achievement, presence of disabled and unemployed people, and household type.

Previous literature has established that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people are at least as likely to be poor as heterosexual people, standing in contrast to myths of “gay affluence.” These findings have used datasets limited by either sample size or using partnership status to infer sexual orientation. Using U.S. data from the Household Pulse Survey, which allows us to identify large samples of individuals who self-identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, we find that bisexuals have lower incomes and are more likely to experience poverty, and bisexual individuals, gay men, and lesbian women are more likely to report financial hardship. Additionally, we find that LGB people utilize government assistance at higher rates than heterosexual people, even when allowing for selection into poverty status. We propose several explanations for these differentials, drawing on the program non-participation literature, and suggest that social network effects, lessened stigma, and increased reliance on public programs may explain these differences. Finally, we examine receipt of the enhanced child tax credit and find evidence that gay men and lesbian women with children were less likely to receive it than heterosexual men and women with children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overall objective of the Sustainable Development Goals is to end poverty in all its manifestations by 2030. To achieve this, international remittance inflows have been identified as crucial external financing, especially for developing countries, to secure the resources needed to improve the living conditions of the poor in these countries. It is on this premise that this study investigates the nexus between remittances and poverty in selected countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, given that these regions receive the highest amount of remittances globally. The study uses annual data on 38 top recipients of remittances between 1990 and 2021. To ensure the robustness of the results, the study employs two indicators of poverty: household consumption expenditure and poverty headcount. On the methodological front, the study addresses the issue of cross-sectional dependence in a panel study and also corrects for endogeneity, using both static and dynamic methods of analysis, respectively. Empirical findings from the cross-sectional dependence test confirm the interdependence of countries in the study. Interestingly, the study confirms the optimistic view that remittance reduces poverty in the selected countries. This finding is consistent for the two poverty indicators regardless of the methodology adopted. The study concludes that remittance inflows play a pivotal role in alleviating poverty in the selected countries. Based on the findings, governments in the three regions are advised to devise appropriate policies and structures that can support and channel the proceeds from remittances to productive ventures to reduce the incidence of poverty in their respective countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to examine how the starting of business by females can be promoted by assessing critical levels of microfinance institutions (MFIs) penetration that policymakers must endeavor to maintain and/or attain in order for female unemployment not to represent a constraint in the doing of business. A constraint in doing business is understood in terms of the procedure that a woman has to go through to start a business. Design/methodology/approach: The focus of the study is on 44 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa for the period 2004–2018, while the empirical evidence is based on interactive quantile regressions. Findings: The following findings are established. The validity of tested hypotheses is exclusively apparent in the lowest and highest quantiles of the conditional distribution of the procedure women have to go through to start a business. MFI penetration levels needed to reverse the unfavorable incidence of female unemployment in doing business are provided. These are minimum MFIs penetration thresholds that are required in order for female unemployment not to negatively affect the procedure that a woman should go through to start a business. Originality/value: The study complements the extant literature by assessing critical microfinance penetration levels that are needed to promote female doing of business, contingent on existing levels of female doing of business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sozialer Fortschritt is the property of Duncker & Humblot GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Sozialer Fortschritt is the property of Duncker & Humblot GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Targeted Poverty Alleviation (TPA) is an important leverage for China to overcome poverty. While its economic effects are well studied, less is known about the social impact of TPA. Based on trial documents data from the China Judgments Online, we use DID method and find the growth rate of criminal offenses reduced by over 20% after the implementation of TPA. The income growth effect from TPA is the primary mechanism for suppressing criminal crimes. Improved employment plays a role as well. Our work not only reveals the relationship between TPA and the enhancement of societal security, characterized by fewer criminal offenses, in the background of completing the first Centenary Goal, but also sheds light on how to fulfil the Peaceful China Initiative in the second Centenary Goal.

Using a capabilities-based perspective on socioenvironmental justice, this paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the interconnection between social equity and care for the earth in the case of the Matanza-Riachuelo – the most industrialized and contaminated river basin in Argentina. First, it uses a spatial regression model to analyse the correlation between multidimensional poverty and potential exposure to three types of environmental risks: environmental hazards of productive establishments, open-air waste dumps, and proximity to contaminated rivers and streams. Second, it analyses inequities in the processes of resettlement of households living in conditions of extreme environmental risk in informal settlements. It shows that higher poverty areas face greater risk of exposure to open-air waste dumps but lower risk of exposure to industrial and commercial environmental hazards. It also demonstrates how enhanced participation of households in decision-making on resettlement contributed to improved outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs a synthetic panel approach based on nationally-representative micro-level data to track poverty and income mobility in Malaysia in the period 2004–2016. On aggregate we observe large reductions in chronic poverty and increases in persistent economic security, but note that those who remain poor in 2016 are increasingly likely to be poor in a structural sense. Further, we find that poverty and income dynamics differ notably across geographic dimensions. Such disparities are most striking when we contrast affluent urban Peninsular Malaysia with poorer rural East Malaysia. Although there are important differences in welfare levels between the main ethnic groups in Malaysia, we observe that mobility trends generally point in the same direction. While our findings show that there is still scope for poverty reduction through the reduction of inter-ethnic inequalities, we underscore the importance of taking regional inequalities into greater account when it comes to ensuring a fairer distribution of socioeconomic opportunities for poor and vulnerable Malaysians. Hence, addressing chronic poverty is likely to require additional attention to less developed geographic areas, as a complement to the largely ethnicity-based policies that have historically played a dominant role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental injustice refers to the unequal burden of pollutants on groups with lower socioeconomic status. An increasing number of studies have identified associations between high levels of pollution and socioeconomic disadvantage. However, few studies have controlled adequately for spatio-temporal variations in pollution. This study uses a Bayesian approach to explore the association between socioeconomic disadvantage and pollution in Mexico City Metropolitan Area. We quantify the association of socioeconomic disadvantage with PM10 and ozone and evaluate the impact of accounting for spatio-temporal structure of the pollution data. We find a significant positive association between socio-economic disadvantage and pollution for levels of PM10, but not ozone. The inclusion of the spatio-temporal element in the modeling results in improved weaker estimates of this association but this does not alter results substantially. These findings confirm the robustness of previous studies that found signs of environmental injustice where spatio-temporal variations have not been explicitly considered, confirming that targeted policies to reduce pollution in socio-economically disadvantaged areas are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the increasing attention on energy poverty due to its health implications, the South African story is yet to be told, while pathways of influence have received little empirical investigation in the extant literature. This study examines how energy poverty affects mental distress in post-apartheid South Africa and explores gender and locational heterogeneities in outcomes as well as potential pathways. We use five years of longitudinal data extracted from the National Income Dynamics Survey (NIDS). We employ the Lewbel instrumental variable method to resolve endogeneity and apply causal mediation analysis to identify potential channels of effect. The findings suggest that energy poverty is associated with an increase in mental distress. This outcome is consistent across different estimation methods and conceptualisations of energy poverty. The deteriorating effect of energy poverty on mental distress is more pronounced among females and rural residents. We further establish that experiences of persistent cough and chest pains/tightness serve as potential pathways in the link between energy poverty and mental distress. We encourage the South African government to increase budgetary allocations to the free basic electricity policy and provide connection subsidies to poor households, which have the potential to alleviate energy poverty and reduce mental distress as a result.