Gerry Rodgers

Demographic determinants of the distribution of income

Abstract This paper explores both theoretically and empirically the effects of fertility, mortality, migration, household structure and other demographic factors on income distribution. A conceptual framework for income distribution analysis is developed and the direct and indirect effects of demographic factors on this framework assessed. Both partial and systems approaches to empirical analysis are explored. The conclusion is that relationship are complex and the net outcome of demographic changes on distribution cannot be fully understood outside a systems framework.

Population, employment and poverty in the Philippines

Working paper on the application of the bachue demo-economic model (demographic model) relating to basic needs in the Philippines.

A comparison of two models for income distribution planning

The results from two models developed to explore the relationship between policy instruments and income distribution in developing countries are compared. The BACHUE model is a long run economic demographic model of the Philippines, and the Adelman-Robinson model is a medium-term computable general equilibrium model of Korea. In spite of the differences in focus and design, the two models yield similar conclusions. The size distribution of income is exceeding stable. The relative position of various socioeconomic groups is more sensitive to the choice of economic policy than is the overall distribution. The agricultural terms of trade are the most important single target for policy intervention to improve income distribution. Migration is the most important demographic variable for income. Appropriate trade strategy can lead to significant improvements in the share and absolute incomes of the poor. Balanced, across-the-board policies are needed for effective antipoverty policy even more than for economic growth. 16 references.

A conceptualisation of poverty in rural India

Abstract This paper investigates the different aspects of poverty in rural India. Based largely on data from a region of Bihar, the various characteristics and sources of poverty are enumerated and discussed, including food intake, other consumption, health, security, education and status as characteristics; and occupation, employment, wages, assets, organization and demographic factors as sources. It is argued that poverty must be seen as a multivariate phenomenon; policy to affect any one aspect of poverty is likely to be rendered ineffective by negative feedback from other variables in the poverty complex. Only a simultaneous attack on all aspects of poverty can be successful.

The Impact of Rural-Urban Migration on Income Distribution

ABSTRACT This article surveys interactions between migration and inequality, concentrating mainly on the impact on income inequality of rural to urban migration. To study the impact of migration requires a prior understanding of the processes determining income distribution, so the main theories of the latter are briefly surveyed, including subsistence, neoclassical, institutional, and structural models. In each case the main theme is labour market functioning. The impact of migration in each of these models is then discussed, partly in terms of the properties of the models themselves, partly in terms of plausible migration scenarios. The empirical literature is briefly surveyed, covering characteristics of migrants; integration of migrants in destination areas; urban-rural interactions in terms of remittances, terms of trade, and return-migration; and macro-economic issues. It is concluded that the impact of migration on inequality differs greatly according to the mode of production and the model used to...