This study aims at providing a positive contribution to the literature on the macroeconomic determinants of poverty which is particularly relevant since this type of analysis is rather scarce (e.g., Agénor, 2005). After a brief review on the macroeconomic mechanisms of poverty and deprivation,...

This paper examines the extent to which tax and benefit policy changes introduced in the period 2001-11 had a poverty- or inequality-reducing effect. We assess whether the period was indeed a “missed opportunity” for policy changes to make a difference to poverty reduction since the Lisbon...

Poverty indicators often disagree about whether a person is poor or not. Yet, when it comes to assessing whether a programme is successful in reaching the poor the dominant practice is to use an income poverty indicator. This paper investigates whether the choice of welfare indicator influences...

While there is widespread consensus that social capital contributes significantly to development outcomes - growth, equity and poverty alleviation - and that it represents a significant determinant of household well-being, the same cannot be said of its measurement criteria. Different strategies...

The present study re-examines the effects of remittances on growth of GDP per capita using annual panel data for 24 Asia and Pacific countries. The results generally confirm that remittance flows have been beneficial to economic growth. However, our analysis also shows that the volatility of...

In 2009 the European Council published its Europe 2020 Strategy in which it fixed a number of social, educational and economic targets to be achieved by 2020. However, given the current economic crisis, the majority of European countries are struggling to attain these goals. In this framework,...

Most recent studies on poverty and inequality in developed countries focus on income. In contrast, this paper presents trends in consumption-based poverty and inequality in nine member countries of the European Union. During the 1980s, both poverty and inequality increased in Italy, France, the...

This paper measures the impact of price changes on poverty using the Philippines as an example. The impact of price changes is captured by the price elasticity of poverty for three widely used poverty measures, namely, headcount ratio, poverty gap ratio, and severity of poverty. An empirically...

Understanding the reasons underlying income inequality has generated considerable interest in the last years and various theoretical analyses have been developed to explain international differences in income distribution between groups of countries at different stages of economic development....

The present study re-examines the effects of remittances on growth of GDP per capita using annual panel data for 24 Asia and Pacific countries. The results generally confirm that remittance flows have been beneficial to economic growth. However, our analysis also shows that the volatility of...