New Book from Nordiska Afrikainstitutet i Uppsala, Sweden
“Poverty, Income Distribution and Labour Markets in Ethiopia”
Bigsten Arne, Abebe Shimeles & Bereket Kebede (Eds.)
Pages: 200 pp, Published: December 2004
ISBN: 91-7106-526-1, SSN: Price: 220 SEK/ 16.95 GBP/ 22 EURO
Paperback, Size: 165 x 240 mm
Description
Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with a per capita income of just over 100 US dollar. Understanding the causes of the countrys widespread poverty is of the utmost importance. Until recently, however, very little household data was available.
This study deals with the many aspects of poverty and income distribution in Ethiopia. It analyses the determinants of poverty and how its conditions have changed in both rural and urban areas over time.
Rural and urban poverty profiles and the dynamics of poverty are examined, measurements taken of consumption poverty are compared with individual perceptions of poverty, and an analysis is made of the distribution of intra-household expenditure and the dynamics of income distribution.
In addition, the functioning of the urban labour market returns to education, and the effects of education on household welfare are investigated. Finally, there is extensive discussion of the wide range of policies that need to be coordinated for poverty reduction in Ethiopia.
Arne Bigsten is Professor of Development Economics at the Gothenburg University. His research concerns income distribution, poverty and growth, rural and industrial development, trade and aid, and economic policy in Eastern Africa and China
Bereket Kebede has a BA in economics from Addis Ababa University and MSc and DPhil degrees from Oxford University. He has worked as a lecturer at Addis Ababa University and as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Bath. He is currently lecturing at the School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia.
Abebe Shimeles received a BA from Addis Ababa University and an MA from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. He is currently working on a PhD thesis on poverty in Ethiopia at the Gothenburg University. Apart from his academic work, he has also worked for the Ethiopian government, NGOs, and for the Economic Commission for Africa.
Reviews
“The present study was produced under the auspices of the African Economic Research Consortium collaborative project on “Poverty, Income Distribution and Labour Markets in Sub Saharan Africa”.
It is a truly outstanding and highly professional account of the magnitude, causes and correlates of poverty in Ethiopia. It deserves to be read by anyone interested in poverty and income distribution issues in Africa”.
Erik Thorbecke, Professor in the Graduate School, Cornell University
Contents
Introduction
Overview of the economy
Theory and methods of poverty analysis
Rural and urban poverty profiles
Changes in welfare and Poverty
Perceptions of welfare and poverty
Intra-household distribution of expenditures in rural Ethiopia
Dynamics of income distribution in urban Ethiopia 1994-1997
The Urban labour market during structural adjustment 1990-1997
Household welfare and education in urban Ethiopia
Conclusions and policy implications
Nordiska Afrikainstitutet (c) 2000
