IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/povpop/v13y2021i2p155-183.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The livelihood of urban poor households: A sustainable livelihood approach in urbanizing Ethiopia. The case of Gondar City, Amhara National State

Author

Listed:
  • Bosena Yirga

Abstract

Studies show that many poverty and food security‐related research studies in Ethiopia have overlooked urban settings. While urban poverty may be more difficult to curb than rural poverty, more attention needs to be focused on understanding urban livelihood. This study examines the livelihoods of the urban poor through the lens of a sustainable livelihood approach. Specifically, it examines the livelihood assets, vulnerability context, and various factors that mediate asset and vulnerability of the urban poor. Quantitative and qualitative research design was employed to obtain and analyze data. The study revealed that the urban poor have very limited access to livelihood assets and are vulnerable to different shocks that create a situation of livelihood insecurity. There is a gap between government policies and their implementation. For instance, NGO policies did not consider the situation and realities of urban poor. Also, capacity constraints of the local government and NGOs led to perpetual livelihood vulnerability. Findings of this study suggest the need to start an urban productive safety net program that targets urban areas to provide long‐term empowerment of poor households; introduce school feeding programs; create collaboration between government sectors, NGOs, community‐based and civil society associations; and revisit and improve supportive and regulatory policy frameworks for the poor to build sustainable livelihoods. This study confirms the usefulness of a sustainable livelihood framework to understand and explain various dimensions of poverty, policies, institutions, and processes, and how all these affect the livelihoods of the poor. Insights from this analysis can contribute to the improvement of policy and to reflections on the interventions needed to positively influence the livelihoods of the poor. 研究表明,许多关于埃塞俄比亚贫困和粮食安全的研究都忽视了城市背景。虽然城市贫困可能比农村贫困更难以遏制,但更多关注需聚焦于理解城市生计。本研究透过可持续生计措施视角,分析了城市穷人的生计情况。具体地,本文分析了生计资产、脆弱性情境、以及在城市穷人的资产和脆弱性之间发挥中介作用的各因素。使用定量和定性研究设计以获取和分析数据。研究显示,城市穷人在获取生计资产方面十分受限,并且易受那些能引起生计不安全情况的不同冲击的影响。政府政策和执行之间存在差距。比如,非政府组织政策未曾考量城市穷人的生存现状。并且,地方政府和非政府组织的能力限制导致了持续的生计脆弱性。本文的研究发现暗示,需要发起一项以城市地区为目标的城市高效安全网计划,以期:为贫困家庭提供长期赋权;引入学校供餐计划;在政府部门、非政府组织、社区机构和公民社会机构之间创造协作;重审并改进支持性和监管性政策框架,为穷人打造可持续生计。本研究证实了可持续生计框架的有用性,该框架能用于理解和解释贫困、政策、制度和过程的不同维度,以及其如何影响穷人的生计。本研究得出的见解有助于政策改进,以及关于积极影响穷人生计所需的干预手段的相关反思。 Los estudios muestran que muchas investigaciones relacionadas con la pobreza y la seguridad alimentaria en Etiopía han pasado por alto los entornos urbanos. Si bien la pobreza urbana puede ser más difícil de controlar que la pobreza rural, se debe prestar más atención a comprender los medios de vida urbanos. Este estudio examina los medios de vida de los pobres de las zonas urbanas a través de la lente de un enfoque de medios de vida sostenibles. Específicamente, examina los activos de los medios de vida, el contexto de vulnerabilidad y varios factores que median los activos y la vulnerabilidad de los pobres urbanos. Se empleó un diseño de investigación cuantitativa y cualitativa para obtener y analizar los datos. El estudio reveló que los pobres de las zonas urbanas tienen un acceso muy limitado a los medios de subsistencia y son vulnerables a diferentes crisis que crean una situación de inseguridad en los medios de subsistencia. Existe una brecha entre las políticas gubernamentales y su implementación. Por ejemplo, las políticas de las ONG no consideraron la situación y las realidades de los pobres de las zonas urbanas. Además, las limitaciones de capacidad del gobierno local y las ONG llevaron a una vulnerabilidad perpetua de los medios de vida. Los hallazgos de este estudio sugieren la necesidad de iniciar un programa de red de seguridad productiva urbana que se dirija a las áreas urbanas con el fin de: proporcionar empoderamiento a largo plazo de los hogares pobres; introducir programas de alimentación escolar; crear colaboración entre sectores gubernamentales, ONG, asociaciones comunitarias y de la sociedad civil; y revisar y mejorar los marcos de políticas reguladoras y de apoyo para los pobres a fin de construir medios de vida sostenibles. Este estudio confirma la utilidad de un marco de medios de vida sostenibles para comprender y explicar las diversas dimensiones de la pobreza, las políticas, las instituciones y los procesos, y cómo todos estos afectan los medios de vida de los pobres. Las ideas de este análisis pueden contribuir a la mejora de las políticas y a las reflexiones sobre las intervenciones necesarias para influir positivamente en los medios de vida de los pobres.

Suggested Citation

  • Bosena Yirga, 2021. "The livelihood of urban poor households: A sustainable livelihood approach in urbanizing Ethiopia. The case of Gondar City, Amhara National State," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(2), pages 155-183, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:povpop:v:13:y:2021:i:2:p:155-183
    DOI: 10.1002/pop4.306
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/pop4.306
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/pop4.306?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sabina Alkire, Maria Emma Santos, 2010. "Acute Multidimensional Poverty: A New Index for Developing Countries," OPHI Working Papers 38, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford.
    2. Foster, James & Greer, Joel & Thorbecke, Erik, 1984. "A Class of Decomposable Poverty Measures," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(3), pages 761-766, May.
    3. Sabina Alkire & James Foster, 2011. "Understandings and misunderstandings of multidimensional poverty measurement," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 9(2), pages 289-314, June.
    4. Maia Green & University of Manchester, 2006. "Reresenting Poverty and Attacking Representations: Some Anthroplogical Perspectives on Poverty in Development," Economics Series Working Papers GPRG-WPS-009, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    5. Paulette Meikle & Leslie Green-Pimentel & Hui Liew, 2018. "Asset accumulation among low-income rural families: Assessing financial capital as a component of community capitals," Community Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(2), pages 124-144, March.
    6. International Monetary Fund, 2015. "Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia: Selected Issues," IMF Staff Country Reports 2015/326, International Monetary Fund.
    7. Maia Green, 2006. "Representing poverty and attacking representations: Perspectives on poverty from social anthropology," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(7), pages 1108-1129.
    8. Makoka, Donald & Kaplan, Marcus, 2005. "Poverty and Vulnerability - An Interdisciplinary Approach," MPRA Paper 6964, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Tom Goodfellow, 2018. "Seeing Political Settlements through the City: A Framework for Comparative Analysis of Urban Transformation," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 49(1), pages 199-222, January.
    10. Udaya Wagle, 2005. "Multidimensional Poverty Measurement with Economic Well-being, Capability, and Social Inclusion: A Case from Kathmandu, Nepal," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(3), pages 301-328.
    11. Moser, Caroline O. N., 1998. "The asset vulnerability framework: Reassessing urban poverty reduction strategies," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 1-19, January.
    12. Schutte, Stefan, 2004. "Urban Vulnerability In Afghanistan: Case Studies From Three Cities," Case Studies 14632, Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alkire, Sabina & Meinzen-Dick, Ruth & Peterman, Amber & Quisumbing, Agnes & Seymour, Greg & Vaz, Ana, 2013. "The Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 71-91.
    2. John Ataguba & William M. Fonta & Hyacinth E. Ichoku, 2011. "The Determinants of Multidimensional Poverty in Nsukka, Nigeria," Working Papers PMMA 2011-13, PEP-PMMA.
    3. Shabana Mitra, 2016. "Synergies Among Monetary, Multidimensional and Subjective Poverty: Evidence from Nepal," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 125(1), pages 103-125, January.
    4. Espinoza-Delgado, José & Klasen, Stephan, 2018. "Gender and multidimensional poverty in Nicaragua: An individual based approach," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 466-491.
    5. Srinivas Goli & Nagendra Kumar Maurya & Moradhvaj & Prem Bhandari, 2019. "Regional Differentials in Multidimensional Poverty in Nepal: Rethinking Dimensions and Method of Computation," SAGE Open, , vol. 9(1), pages 21582440198, March.
    6. Udaya Wagle, 2014. "The Counting-Based Measurement of Multidimensional Poverty: The Focus on Economic Resources, Inner Capabilities, and Relational Resources in the United States," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 115(1), pages 223-240, January.
    7. Jifei Zhang & Chunyan Liu & Craig Hutton & Hriday Lal Koirala, 2018. "Geographical Dynamics of Poverty in Nepal between 2005 and 2011: Where and How?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-24, June.
    8. Malokele Nanivazo, 2015. "First Order Dominance Analysis: Child Wellbeing in the Democratic Republic of Congo," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 122(1), pages 235-255, May.
    9. Roberto Angulo & Yadira Díaz & Renata Pardo, 2016. "The Colombian Multidimensional Poverty Index: Measuring Poverty in a Public Policy Context," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 127(1), pages 1-38, May.
    10. José Roche, 2013. "Monitoring Progress in Child Poverty Reduction: Methodological Insights and Illustration to the Case Study of Bangladesh," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 112(2), pages 363-390, June.
    11. Robano, Virginia & Smith, Stephen C., 2013. "Multidimensional Targeting and Evaluation: A General Framework with an Application to a Poverty Program in Bangladesh," IZA Discussion Papers 7593, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Shaffer, Paul, 2013. "Ten Years of “Q-Squared”: Implications for Understanding and Explaining Poverty," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 269-285.
    13. Jiantuo Yu, 2013. "Multidimensional Poverty in China: Findings Based on the CHNS," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 112(2), pages 315-336, June.
    14. Christoph Bader & Sabin Bieri & Urs Wiesmann & Andreas Heinimann, 2016. "A Different Perspective on Poverty in Lao PDR: Multidimensional Poverty in Lao PDR for the Years 2002/2003 and 2007/2008," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 126(2), pages 483-502, March.
    15. Bronfman, Javier, 2014. "Beyond Income: A Study of Multidimensional Poverty in Chile," MPRA Paper 63256, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. William M. Fonta & Sylvain F. Nkwenkeu & Mukesh Lath & Amelie Hollebecque & Boukari Ouedraogo & Seidi Sirajo, 2019. "Multidimensional Poverty Assessment among Adolescent Children in the Mouhoun Region of Burkina Faso, West Africa," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(4), pages 1287-1318, August.
    17. Salim Shah & Niranjan Debnath, 2022. "Determinants of Multidimensional Poverty in Rural Tripura, India," Journal of Quantitative Economics, Springer;The Indian Econometric Society (TIES), vol. 20(1), pages 69-95, March.
    18. Pinaki Das & Bibek Paria & Shama Firdaush, 2021. "Juxtaposing Consumption Poverty and Multidimensional Poverty: A Study in Indian Context," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 153(2), pages 469-501, January.
    19. Alkire, Sabina & Santos, Maria Emma, 2014. "Measuring Acute Poverty in the Developing World: Robustness and Scope of the Multidimensional Poverty Index," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 251-274.
    20. Sabina Alkire & James Foster, 2011. "Understandings and misunderstandings of multidimensional poverty measurement," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 9(2), pages 289-314, June.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:povpop:v:13:y:2021:i:2:p:155-183. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1002/(ISSN)1944-2858 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.