Exploring Changes in Poverty in Zimbabwe between 1995 and 2001 using Parametric and Nonparametric Quantile Regression Decomposition Techniques

This paper applies and extends Machado and Mata's parametric quantile decomposition method and a similar nonparametric technique to explore changes in welfare in Zimbabwe between 1995 and 2001. These methods allow us to construct a counterfactual distribution in order to decompose the shift into the part due to changes in endowments and that due to changes in returns. We examine two subsets of a nationally representative dataset and find that endowments had a positive effect but that returns account for more of the difference. In communal farming areas, the effect of returns was positive while, in urban Harare, it was negative.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Agricultural and Applied Economics

Department dc:contributor.department

Agricultural and Applied Economics

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Eriksson, Katherine

Chairs dc:contributor.committeechair

• Parmeter, Christopher F.
• Alwang, Jeffrey R.

Committee member dc:contributor.committeemember

• Taylor, Daniel B.

• Zimbabwe
• poverty
• decomposition
• nonparametric quantile regression

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

etd-08282007-121603

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/34826