Poverty and Inequality

Wodon, Quentin and Velez, Eduardo (2001): Poverty and Inequality. Published in: Mexico: A Comprehensive Development Agenda for the New Era (September 2001): pp. 85-116.

Abstract

While there are different estimates of poverty in Mexico, there is general agreement that poverty is widespread, and that the reduction of poverty should be a key area of focus for the new Administration. Beyond lack of income, poverty is a complex and multidimensional phenomena which affects many areas of the life of the poor. As a result, a wide range of public policies have been implemented in Mexico, as elsewhere, to reduce poverty and improve the well-being of the population. This paper has two objectives. First, it briefly presents a framework that could be used by the new Administration to prepare a coherent strategy for poverty reduction. Second, it provides a synthesis of eight background chapters devoted to government programs, social protection, education, health, urban labor markets, rural development, indigenous peoples, and gender that all relate to poverty in Mexico.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Mexico; poverty; inequality
• Subjects: H - Public Economics > H5 - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies > H53 - Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty > I32 - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty

References

Cord, C., and Q. Wodon, 2001, Do Mexico’s Agricultural Programs Alleviate Poverty? Evidence from the Ejido Sector, Cuadernos de Economía, 114: 239-56.

Hall, G., and A. M. Arriagada, Social Protection, in M. Giugale, O. Lafourcade, and V. Nguyen, editors, Mexico: A Comprehensive Development Agenda for the New Era, World Bank, Washington, DC, 479-509.

Siaens, C., and Q. Wodon, 2003, Food Subsidies and Consumption Inequality in Mexico, Estadística (Journal of the Inter-American Statistical Institute), 55(164-5): 283-302.

Wodon, Q., 2001, Government Programs and Poverty, in M. Giugale, O. Lafourcade, and V. Nguyen, editors, Mexico: A Comprehensive Development Agenda for the New Era, World Bank, Washington, DC, 569-618.

Wodon, Q., B. de la Brière, C. Siaens, and S. Yitzhaki, 2003, The Impact of Public Transfers on Inequality and Social Welfare: Comparing Mexico’s PROGRESA to Other Government Programs, in Y. Amiel and J. A Bishop, editors, Fiscal Policy, Inequality and Welfare, Research on Economic Inequality, Volume 10, Elsevier Science/JAI Press, Amsterdam, 147-171.

Wodon Q., and M. Minowa, 2001, Training for the Urban Unemployed: A Reevaluation of Mexico’s Probecat, in S. Devaradjan, F. Hasley, and L. Squire, editors, World Bank Economists' Forum, World Bank, Washington DC, 197-215.