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Can Africa Reduce Poverty by Half by 2015? The Case for a Pro-Poor Growth Strategy

Author

Listed:
  • Bigsten, Arne

    (Department of Economics, School of Economics and Commercial Law, Göteborg University)

  • Shimeles, Abebe

    (Department of Economics, School of Economics and Commercial Law, Göteborg University)

Abstract

This study uses simulations to explore the possibility of halving the percentage of people living in extreme poverty in Africa by 2015. A pro-poor growth-scenario and a constant-inequality scenario are compared. It is shown that initial levels of inequality and mean per capita income determine the cumulative growth and inequalityreduction required to achieve the target. The trade-off between growth and inequality varies greatly among countries and their policy-choices are thus quite different. In some cases small changes in income-distribution can have a large effect on poverty, while in others a strong focus on growth is the only viable option.

Suggested Citation

  • Bigsten, Arne & Shimeles, Abebe, 2005. "Can Africa Reduce Poverty by Half by 2015? The Case for a Pro-Poor Growth Strategy," Working Papers in Economics 177, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:gunwpe:0177
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2077/2743
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

    1. Parewangi, Andi M. Alfian & Iskandar, Azwar, 2020. "The Nexus of Islamic Finance and Poverty," Hitotsubashi Journal of Economics, Hitotsubashi University, vol. 61(2), pages 111-139, December.
    2. Enobong Udoh & Ndem Ayara, 2017. "An Investigation of (Non-) Inclusive Growth in Nigeria’s Sub-Nationals: Evidence from Elasticity Approach," Economies, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-17, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Poverty; pro-poor growth; millennium development goals; Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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