Impact of fertility on objective and subjective poverty in Malawi

Mussa, Richard

doi:10.1080/21665095.2014.948898

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Drawing on data from India, Rosenzweig and Wolpin () use the unexpected increase in the number of children per household that is caused by the birth of twins to identify a negative effect of larger family size on children's school enrolment. Mussa () finds that increased fertility raises the risk of consumption poverty in Malawi, even though households with more children are less likely to describe themselves as poor in subjective poverty assessments. This study uses son preferences as an instrument to deal with the possibility that fertility levels are endogenous to households’ poverty status.…”

Section: Theory and Existing Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Poverty, Inequality, and Fertility: The Contribution of Demographic Change to Global Poverty Reduction

Wietzke¹

2020

Population & Development Rev

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Global poverty has fallen dramatically over the past decades. In many developing countries, this transformation was accompanied by rapid improvements in demographic outcomes, such as falling child mortality and fertility. Yet, recent theorizing and empirical research into the causes of global poverty reduction has mostly omitted demographic factors. This paper aims to fill this gap by testing for effects of demographic variables on poverty. Using time series data for 140 countries, we document a strong effect of lagged fertility on country‐specific poverty rates. This effect is robust across several specifications and data sets. It appears to be stronger in countries with larger fertility differentials, in the early transition stages. The proposed mechanism behind this result is a “Kuznets curve‐type” expansion of fertility inequality at the onset of the demographic transition. We conclude by calling for a stronger inclusion of demographic variables in the distribution‐sensitive analysis of global poverty.

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Section: Theory and Existing Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Poverty, Inequality, and Fertility: The Contribution of Demographic Change to Global Poverty Reduction

Wietzke¹

2020

Population & Development Rev

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“…In the initial stage, households decide to own risky assets, hold a savings account, or access credit. In the second stage, they decide by choosing how much to spend on these activities (Mussa, 2008). The expenditure decision is observed through the “intensive margin”, where an optimal allocation of assets and liabilities within the household portfolio is derived.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

What factors influence household financial decisions in Malawi?

Kachepa,

Mumtaz

2023

AJEMS

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PurposeThis study investigates the factors influencing household financial choices in Malawi. The authors also compare how household financial decisions differ in urban and rural areas.Design/methodology/approachThe authors utilize the logit model to examine the factors that influence household financial decisions using the Malawi Integrated Household Survey 2019–20, while Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition is used to estimate the variations in household financial decisions between urban and rural areas.FindingsThe authors find that the likelihood of saving increases with income, secondary and tertiary education, and age. The likelihood of saving also decreases with household size and remittances. Additionally, the authors report that marriage reduces the likelihood of loans, whereas sex, age, and income raise the likelihood of loans. According to this study’s findings, income discrepancies between urban and rural samples account for most observed household financial variations. The authors also find that most of the observed variations in household financial decision-making between urban and rural households are reduced when income equality, participation in agriculture, university education, and household size are considered.Originality/valueUsing data from the Malawi Integrated Household Survey 2019–20, this research analyzes the components that affect household financial decisions. While most studies only look at one component of household finances, this study concurrently addresses debt and savings. The study also evaluates whether changes in the variables between urban and rural households impact those households' financing choices.

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“…I will be a joke of the century among my friends', which reminds us of Ocol in Okot p' Bitek's Song of Lawino. Significant low literacy levels are reportedly common among poor rural communities in Malawi, particularly among women (Watkins & Ashforth, 2019;Mussa, 2017;Kachiwanda, 2015;Watkins & Kaler, 2015).…”

Section: Maintaining Cultural Norms and Customsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Echoes from the motherland: Heritage language transmission within the Malawian community in South Africa

Sibanda

2023

PLING

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This paper explores heritage language transmission among immigrant families in South Africa. Such research is essential to maintaining language for educational purposes and family interactions. This is a very important topic in a multilingual and multicultural country such as South Africa, and it adds new knowledge to the current research on family language policies and heritage languages. Family interactions are central to language transmission. The available literature shows family units as central to language maintenance and sustenance among immigrant families. Research on immigrant language practices in South Africa is sparse, with available research mainly focusing on school experiences. No available research specifically addresses heritage language transmission within Malawian immigrant families in South Africa, which this study aimed to investigate. The research employed a sociolinguistic approach to explore the language transmission of Chichewa within Malawian immigrant families. The theoretical framework positions Chichewa as mainly used in family circles and less at religious and social gatherings. Data were collected through interviews and observations at family and social gatherings. The study finds that the family context is the main domain within which children are exposed to parental heritage language to a consequential degree, whereas social gatherings contribute to a lesser extent. The data show that parental efforts at transmitting heritage language are insufficient for sustainable levels. Although parents wish to preserve some elements of their identities and culture, a signifier of ethnic identity, their children seem not keen to do so. The study uncovered two major reasons for children’s disinterest: fear of anti-foreign sentiments and a lack of attachment to the parental home country. The paper concludes with the identification of an emerging ‘indelible’ heritage language speaker, a phenomenon that could motivate further research in this field.

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Impact of fertility on objective and subjective poverty in Malawi

Cited by 9 publications

References 27 publications

Poverty, Inequality, and Fertility: The Contribution of Demographic Change to Global Poverty Reduction

Poverty, Inequality, and Fertility: The Contribution of Demographic Change to Global Poverty Reduction

What factors influence household financial decisions in Malawi?

Echoes from the motherland: Heritage language transmission within the Malawian community in South Africa

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