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The power of the family: kinship and intra-household decision making in rural Burundi

Author

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  • Rama Lionel Ngenzebuke

    (Université Libre de Bruxelles
    Université Libre de Bruxelles)

  • Bram De Rock

    (Université Libre de Bruxelles
    KU Leuven)

  • Philip Verwimp

    (Université Libre de Bruxelles)

Abstract

In this paper we show that in rural Burundi the characteristics of the female’s kinship are highly correlated with her decision-making power. First, a female whose own immediate family is at least as rich as her husband’s counterpart enjoys a greater say over children- and asset-related decision-making. Second, the size, relative wealth and proximity of the extended family also matter. Third, kinship characteristics prove to be more important than (standard) individual and household characteristics. Finally, we also show that the female’s say over asset-related decision-making is positively associated with males’ education, more than with female’s education per se. All these correlation patterns can inform policies aiming at empowering women or targeting children through women’s empowerment.

Suggested Citation

  • Rama Lionel Ngenzebuke & Bram De Rock & Philip Verwimp, 2018. "The power of the family: kinship and intra-household decision making in rural Burundi," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 323-346, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:reveho:v:16:y:2018:i:2:d:10.1007_s11150-016-9340-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11150-016-9340-2
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    Cited by:

    1. Rama Lionel Ngenzebuke & Bram De Rock & Philip Verwimp, 2018. "The power of the family: kinship and intra-household decision making in rural Burundi," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 323-346, June.
    2. Rama Lionel Ngenzebuke, 2016. "Female say on income and child outcomes: Evidence from Nigeria," WIDER Working Paper Series 134, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. Selamah Yusof, 2015. "Household Decision-Making in Malaysia: The Ethnic Dimension," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 124(1), pages 283-293, October.
    4. Nagler,Paula & Naude, Wim & Nagler,Paula & Naude, Wim, 2014. "Non-farm enterprises in rural Africa : new empirical evidence," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7066, The World Bank.
    5. Pratistha Joshi Rajkarnikar, 2020. "Male migration and women’s decision-making in Nepal," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 959-982, December.
    6. Sariyev, O., 2018. "A new index for gendered decision-making, considering all family members, its determinants, and effects on food security," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277479, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    7. Nagler, Paula & Naudé, Wim, 2017. "Non-farm entrepreneurship in rural sub-Saharan Africa: New empirical evidence," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 175-191.
    8. Zicheng Wang & Yun Lou & Yi Zhou, 2020. "Bargaining Power or Specialization? Determinants of Household Decision Making in Chinese Rural Migrant Families," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, December.
    9. Sojin Yu & Feinian Chen & Sonalde Desai, 2023. "Aligning household decision-making with work and education: A comparative analysis of women’s empowerment," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 48(19), pages 513-548.
    10. Rama Lionel Ngenzebuke, 2016. "Female say on income and child outcomes: Evidence from Nigeria," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2016-134, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Female decision-making; Children; Assets; Kinship; Rural Burundi;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D19 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Other
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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