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Assessing the nonlinearity of the calorie-income relationship: an estimation strategy – with new insights on nutritional transition in Vietnam

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  • Huong Thi Trinh

    (TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, Thuongmai University - Partenaires INRAE)

  • Michel Simioni

    (UMR MOISA - Marchés, Organisations, Institutions et Stratégies d'Acteurs - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - Montpellier SupAgro - Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques - CIHEAM-IAMM - Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier - CIHEAM - Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Montpellier SupAgro - Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier, IREEDS - Institute of Research in Economics, Environment and Data Science)

  • Christine Thomas-Agnan

    (TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

Abstract

Assessing the nonlinearity of the calorie-income relationship is a crucial issue when evaluating policies aimed at fighting against malnutrition. A natural choice would be to adopt a fully nonparametric specification of the relationship in order to let the data reveal its nonlinearity. But, we would be faced with the problem of the curse of dimensionality due to the presence of many control variables in addition to income. Here, we first propose to estimate generalized additive models where only income is supposed to enter nonlinearly in the specification. Second, we use a recent cross-validation procedure in order to choose among various competing specifications including the parametric double-log specification widely used in the literature in addition to GAM specifications. This methodology is implemented for each of the six waves of the Vietnam Household Living Standard Survey from 2004 to 2014. The calorie-income relationship is nonlinear whatever the wave. A strong response of calorie intake to an increase in income for poorest households is highlighted, showing that there is still room for income-based policies to fight against malnutrition. A byproduct of this methodology is the decomposition of the evolution of average calorie intake between the two waves in the part due to population change and that coming from the change in calorie-income relationship, shedding new light on the nutritional transition in Vietnam.

Suggested Citation

  • Huong Thi Trinh & Michel Simioni & Christine Thomas-Agnan, 2018. "Assessing the nonlinearity of the calorie-income relationship: an estimation strategy – with new insights on nutritional transition in Vietnam," Post-Print hal-02628994, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02628994
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.05.030
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02628994
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    2. Hamed Sambo, 2020. "Effect of migration on the food security of households left behind: Evidence from Ethiopia," CEPN Working Papers hal-02881695, HAL.
    3. Hamed Sambo, 2020. "Effect of migration on the food security of households left behind: Evidence from Ethiopia," Working Papers hal-02881695, HAL.
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    7. Trinh Thi, Huong & Simioni, Michel & Thomas-Agnan, Christine, 2018. "Assessing the nonlinearity of the calorie-income relationship: An estimation strategy – With new insights on nutritional transition in Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 192-204.
    8. Qiyan Zeng & Zhipeng He & Yuting Wang, 2022. "The Direct and Structure Effect of Income on Nutrition Demand of Chinese Rural Residents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-13, October.
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    13. Vu, Khoa & Vuong, Nguyen Dinh Tuan & Vu-Thanh, Tu-Anh & Nguyen, Anh Ngoc, 2022. "Income shock and food insecurity prediction Vietnam under the pandemic," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).

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