Poverty and Vulnerability in Southeast Asia

The World Bank put the concept of vulnerability in the spotlight of poverty research by presenting it in the World Development Report 2000/01 as an important component of combating poverty. The reason for assigning such a prominent position to vulnerability is threefold: It decreases current well-being, it determines future levels of poverty and it may be at the root of long-term hardship. Building on panel data from rural households in Thailand and Vietnam this book contributes to our knowledge and understanding of vulnerability in the following ways: First, it establishes that subjective expectations of respondents in developing countries help substantially to quantify risk exposure. This insight strengthens the case for using risk perception in economic research and to better target vulnerability reducing policies. Second, the book introduces a measure of vulnerability to downside risk which is complementary to comparable indices. According to this measure, households in Vietnam are more vulnerable than in Thailand. However, the vulnerability of Thai households increased while the one of Vietnamese households decreased between 2007 and 2008. Third, it represents a first step towards a more complete picture of vulnerability of female-headed households in the developing world. More precisely, results suggest that widows and single women in Vietnam are not well protected against uncertainties. On the other hand, in Thailand and Vietnam de facto female-headed households are richer and less vulnerable than households headed by men.

Details

• Title: Poverty and Vulnerability in Southeast Asia
• Author: Dr. Felix Povel
• ISBN: 978-3-86376-011-3
• Cover photo: © Dr. Felix Povel
• University: Georg-August University of Göttingen
• Reviewers: Prof. Stephan Klasen, Ph.D., Junior‐Prof. dr Jann Lay
• Edition: 1st edition
• Published: 1st edition 05/19/2012
• Subject: Economics
• Product Type: Book (Hardcover)
• Product type: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Binding: Softcover (paperback)
• Dimensions: 21.0 x 14.8 cm (DIN A5)
• Scope: 152 pages
• Condition: New (shrink-wrapped in foil)
• Keywords: Downside Risk, Female Headship, Financial services, Poverty, Poverty Dynamics, Risk, Risk Perception, Shocks, vulnerability

Author

Felix Povel holds a Ph.D. from the University of Goettingen, Germany, and studied, conducted research and taught at Universities in Germany, Spain, France, Ethiopia and the USA. His research focuses on poverty dynamics, vulnerability, insurance and technology adoption in agriculture, as well as regional integration among developing countries. He gained field experience in Africa, Asia and Latin America covering a wide range of topics such as the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, regional integration in Southern Africa, capacity building, private sector development and national poverty reduction strategies. Felix Povel is currently working for the German Development Bank (KfW).

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