Title: Structural determinants of well being in rural West Bengal: Logit estimation of district effect
Abstract: The basic objective of the present study is not to deal with the problems of estimation of poverty as such, but to identify some of the key contributory factors of poverty in rural West Bengal. This study accounts for geographical spill overs of poverty and examines the probable effects of demographic and other household characteristics as well as some location specific factors on household poverty in West Bengal by utilising household level information taken from the 61st round on household consumer survey by National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO). We have applied discrete choice model with Logit specification to consider two alternative and mutually exclusive situations, a household being considered as poor or not. The major factors discriminating against household poverty include family size, highest education in the family, social and religious identity of the household, occupation type and some location specific variables like holding size, female literacy rate and so on. The empirical methodology developed in the present study allows us to find out district effect along with the effects of household characteristics on poverty with logistic model. The more important factors which enhance poverty reducing effect include higher education of the household members and landholding size. Muslim households suffer from more risk of poverty compared to other religious groups. The incidence of poverty varies across social groups in probabilistic sense. Scheduled tribes and scheduled castes are more vulnerable compared to the people within general castes. A female-headed household is associated significantly with a higher likelihood of poverty. The empirical results of this study have a range of policy issues relating to the determinants of poverty in West Bengal.
Publication Year: 2012
Publication Date: 2012-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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