Browsing by Author "Kirama, Stephen Luke"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Determinants of poverty in Tanzania: household budget survey analysis 2000/2001.
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2004) Kirama, Stephen Luke
    This study has attempted to analyse the determinants of poverty in Tanzania. Strategies aimed at reducing poverty need to identify factors that are strongly correlated with poverty. To identify those factors, this study uses HBS 2000/01 data set, employing log linear regression, logistic regression and ordered logit regression. The main objective of the study is to empirically estimate the determinants of poverty in Tanzania. These determinants are household size, level of education of the household head, location of the household, type of occupational activities, ability to read and write, and demographic characteristics of the household head such as age, sex and marital status. The study shows that poverty status is highly correlated with the level of education, household size, location of the household and type of occupational activity. The household size variable proved to be a very important variable in explaining both the household net expenditure and poverty status. Poverty falls as the level of education increases. It rises with household size and engagement in agricultural occupational activities. In addition, proximity to health facilities has significant effect on both net expenditure of the household and the likelihood of being poor. The findings indicate that the variables analysed give us the determinants of poverty in Tanzania. In that regard, this study will be useful guideline to policy makers when deciding on expenditure allocated towards poverty reduction initiatives. For poverty eradication emphasis should be on the household size, education of the household head and proximity to health facilities to mention but a few. If these factors are fully adhered to, then the fight against poverty will bear fruits within the duration stipulated in the National Development Vision (NDV) 2025.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The impact of growth and public spending on poverty in Tanzania: a household budget surveys’ analysis
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2014) Kirama, Stephen Luke
    This study assesses the mismatch impact of economic growth and public spending on poverty reduction in Tanzania. It covers indepth analysis of poverty status; the impact of growth on poverty and public spending on poverty. The findings on poverty status show that poverty in Tanzania is not only a rural phenomenon but is also sensitive to the choice of the poverty line and the indicator of wellbeing. Three decomposition approaches namely the Datt-Ravallion; the Huppi-Ravallion and the Shapley were adopted to assess the impact of economic growth on poverty. The findings show that if inequality remained constant as official statistics indicate, poverty change would have been much greater than what is currently stipulated. The Benefit Incidence Approach was adopted to analyse the impact of public spending on poverty. The findings show that there is a marked difference in accessibility between the location, gender and income. The poorest share a significant percent of the public spending on primary education while the richest have the largest share in the tertiary education. This shows spending on education and health sectors are not pro-poor in absolute sense. The marginal Benefit Incidence Analysis shows that the poorest quintiles can benefit more from extra spending on primary education which currently is highly accessible to them. The main policy implications of this study are threefold: First, policies on poverty reduction should consider the fact that poverty in Tanzania is not only a rural phenomenon, but also sensitive to the choice of the poverty line. Second, though decomposition analysis reveals that inequality plays a key role in poverty reduction; the observed poverty changes are not reflected by the constant inequality estimates. Finally, the public spending on poverty reduction should give priority to the sectors in which the poor people benefit most.