Structural transformation, poverty and income inequality

A special issue of Economies (ISSN 2227-7099).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2019) | Viewed by 30668

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Economics, Bryant University, Smithfield, RI, USA
Interests: economic development; poverty; discrimination; social issues

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The traditional structural transformation is associated with the transition from a labor-intensive and low-productivity economy to a capital and knowledge-intensive production structure in which manufacturing and the service sectors expand while the primary sector shrinks. In addition, capital intensification and enhanced knowledge of farming practices unleash increases in agricultural labor and land productivity, which is turn displace rural workers who usually migrate to peri-urban areas or cities to find employment in manufacturing or service sectors.

The digital revolution (digital computing technologies and solutions applied to agriculture, manufacturing, and service sectors), together with endogenous economic forces, however, are disrupting the process of structural transformation for both lagging and incomplete transformers, impacting markets in unpredictable ways, and affecting how economic outcomes are distributed among economic agents.

The impact of the digitally-caused disruption of the structural transformation requires further research, particularly work focusing on examining its impact on rural spaces. This Special Issue of the Economies invites the submission of articles that explore the impact of the digital economy on the structural transformation and its spinoff on sectoral structures and socio-economic outcomes in rural and urban spaces. Theoretical research and country-specific or cross-country empirical submissions focusing on the following areas are encouraged:

  • The process of structural transformation in the digital era;
  • The impact of digital technologies on rural/urban household livelihoods, poverty, income distribution, and rural-urban migration;
  • Digital technologies and the transformation of the primary sector;
  • Digital technologies, skill-biased transformation, and income inequality and poverty;
  • Public policies for promoting shared prosperity in rural and urban spaces in the digital era.

Prof. Dr. Edinaldo Tebaldi
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • digital
  • technological change
  • ICT
  • structural transformation
  • poverty
  • income inequality
  • livelihoods

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 797 KiB  
Article
Public Spending, Income Inequality and Economic Growth in Asian Countries: A Panel GMM Approach
by Yobouet Thierry Bienvenu Gnangoin, Liangsheng Du, GuyRoland Assamoi, Akadje JeanRoland Edjoukou and Diby François Kassi
Economies 2019, 7(4), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/economies7040115 - 22 Nov 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 7910
Abstract
This paper offers an empirical examination of the relationship between government spending’s, income inequality, and economic growth by using the case of 19 Asian countries from 2002 to 2017. For this purpose, the paper uses robust difference-GMM estimation and panel granger causality test. [...] Read more.
This paper offers an empirical examination of the relationship between government spending’s, income inequality, and economic growth by using the case of 19 Asian countries from 2002 to 2017. For this purpose, the paper uses robust difference-GMM estimation and panel granger causality test. We found that gross domestic investment and regulatory quality are the main variables that contribute to these countries’ economic growth. While current government consumption reduces economic growth. Also, government expenditure on education and regulatory quality granger cause economic growth in these countries. However, the effect of government expenditure on education on economic growth is not significant. So, to increase their economic growth, this study recommends these countries’ governments to encourage gross domestic investment, maintain regulatory quality and reduce their current consumption. This study also concludes that income inequality has no impact on these countries’ economic growth for this period. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structural transformation, poverty and income inequality)
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16 pages, 275 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Labor Market Characteristics on Women’s Poverty in Korea
by Yhesaem Park and Almas Heshmati
Economies 2019, 7(4), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/economies7040110 - 5 Nov 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5662
Abstract
Background: Poverty in Korea is not gender neutral. Both male headed and female headed households experience poverty in distinct ways. This research discusses poverty and how it has evolved in Korea from a gender perspective. Methods: It describes the characteristics of poverty among [...] Read more.
Background: Poverty in Korea is not gender neutral. Both male headed and female headed households experience poverty in distinct ways. This research discusses poverty and how it has evolved in Korea from a gender perspective. Methods: It describes the characteristics of poverty among the working population based on gender and other household attributes. It measures poverty relative to the mean and median incomes of the population in three ways: headcount, poverty gap, and poverty severity. The study uses the probit model to estimate the incidence of poverty and the Heckman sample selection model to analyze poverty’s gap and severity. Our empirical results are based on an unbalanced household level panel covering the period 2006–2016. Results: Our results indicate that multiple factors including issues related to the labor market and demographic characteristics contribute to women’s poverty. Within the working population, women are less likely to be poor than men because they share their partners’ incomes. However, single female workers with children are the poorest demographic group. Conclusion: “Part-time jobs” are a critical factor in determining women’s poverty status, while “work years” and “the quality of occupation” have a crucial impact on the incidence and severity of poverty. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structural transformation, poverty and income inequality)
24 pages, 557 KiB  
Article
Migration, Labor Mobility and Household Poverty in Nigeria: A Gender Analysis
by Mistura Rufai, Adebayo Ogunniyi, Kabir Kayode Salman, Motunrayo Oyeyemi and Mutiat Salawu
Economies 2019, 7(4), 101; https://doi.org/10.3390/economies7040101 - 2 Oct 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 10906
Abstract
The increase in the geographical mobility of labour as a result of poverty, unemployment and unstable economic conditions, among other factors, especially among professionals, has been associated with a brain drain in Nigeria. Despite the high level of migration and subsequent remittances from [...] Read more.
The increase in the geographical mobility of labour as a result of poverty, unemployment and unstable economic conditions, among other factors, especially among professionals, has been associated with a brain drain in Nigeria. Despite the high level of migration and subsequent remittances from migrants, a large proportion of Nigerians still live in poverty. The increased participation of women in migration in the country also brings to the fore the existence of gender-specific migration experiences and how this has in turn affected their households. Based on gender, this study assesses the extent of labour mobility, its determinants and how it influences remittance inflows and household poverty using the logit regression model Propensity Score Matching and Linear Regression with Endogenous Treatment Effect Approach. Results reveal that while more males travelled for employment purposes, more females travelled due to marriage arrangements. More of the migrants that were working after migration had worked before migration and had the highest average amount of remittance sent to households. The study shows that labour mobility increases the amount of remittance sent to households. However, the increase was higher among male migrants than female migrants. More than half of the migrants had poor households; meanwhile, labour mobility was found to reduce the extent of poverty. The study recommended that policies that improve the welfare of labour and reduce the brain drain, unemployment and closures of enterprises in the country should be put in place. Also, effective policies and interventions that promote the use of remittances to achieve maximum reductions in poverty should be pursued. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structural transformation, poverty and income inequality)
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9 pages, 219 KiB  
Article
A Disaggregated Analysis of Wealth Status and Educational Attainment in Nigeria Using the Multinomial Logit Approach
by Chinedu Miracle Nevo and Stanley Egenti
Economies 2019, 7(2), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/economies7020039 - 7 May 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5314
Abstract
For most studies that have been carried out, a country’s level of income and aggregate wealth go a long way in shaping the overall welfare of citizens therein. This study seeks to investigate the relationship between wealth status and educational attainment, as a [...] Read more.
For most studies that have been carried out, a country’s level of income and aggregate wealth go a long way in shaping the overall welfare of citizens therein. This study seeks to investigate the relationship between wealth status and educational attainment, as a manifestation of income inequality, especially when the wealth status is disaggregated. With data obtained from the National Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) 2013 and the adoption of the multinomial logit model, this study captured exogenous variables such as wealth index, the core variable; household sex preference, a dummy variable that takes the value of 1 if a household prefers a male child and 0 otherwise; and place, another control variable. This study finds that there is a very significant relationship between wealth status and educational attainment, especially for the individual categories of wealth index, hence, educational inequality hinders the quest to achieve higher educational levels for individuals from low wealth families. This study therefore recommends that the government should engender state-based subsidized education cost programs that will be targeted at poor households, as well as intensify efforts in solidifying the overall educational framework in the country, especially in the rural areas bereft of facilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structural transformation, poverty and income inequality)
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