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    An economic analysis of poverty in the agricultural sector : a case study of Indonesia : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Economics at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2015) Probokawuryan, Mutiara
    Poverty is a multidimensional aspect which involves different types of deprivation in human capabilities such as income, education, health, food and nutrition, shelter, power and human rights. Despite Indonesia being categorized as a newly industrialized country, poverty is still a major concern, especially to the large group of people engaged in the agricultural sector. This study examines the characteristics of the poor households and the essential strategies to tackle the causes of poverty and notes policies for poverty reduction. As access to credit helps the poor to escape from poverty, this study also indicates that the characteristics can affect the households’ access to credit. Furthermore, this study evaluates the impact of food-based and health care safety nets on the households’ consumption expenditure. The two factors, educational level and area of employment of the household head play an important role in reducing poverty and accessing credit. A household head working in the service sector increases the household’s chance to be non-poor. Meanwhile, engaging in the agricultural sector may increase the households’ possibility to fall into chronic poverty and also lower the probability to get credit from formal institutions. The household heads with primary, secondary or tertiary level of education are most likely to escape from chronic poverty. Increase in years of schooling of the household heads reflects an increase in the households’ creditworthiness and ability to achieve a higher income and avoid falling into poverty. Owning assets also increases the households’ probability to move out from poverty and to secure formal and business credit. The food-based (Raskin) and health care (Askeskin) safety nets in Indonesia assist the households in poverty which supplements these households’ consumption expenditure. This result shows that the Raskin programme increases the households’ consumption of rice. Although there is not enough evidence to conclude that Askeskin programme affects the household’s consumption expenditure, a weak effect is found where it decreases the expenditure for medical services and increases the expenditure for non-medical items. The empirical findings suggest that agricultural development is important to reduce poverty levels in Indonesia. The government should ensure the poor households’ access to education and credit availability. Moreover, stabilizing food prices will be helpful to guarantee the nutrient intake of the poor, and thus can reduce poverty. These strategies should be supported by proper execution of the programmes such as targeting and integration.
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    The role of Nepali carpet manufacturing industries in alleviating rural poverty : a case study of rural women workers : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Science in Agricultural Systems and Management at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1998) Karki, Sindhu
    In 1996 Nepal had a per capita gross national product of $US200, the fourth lowest in the world. Nepalese rural women, like those in many developing countries, are even poorer than men. Further, their contribution towards household activities remain unrecognised and unmeasured. It is because of poverty that rural women have started to move from subsistence farming to the formal sector in order to better meet their economic needs. Regardless of how much labour women put into the agricultural sector, it has yielded very little cash income. The Nepali carpet manufacturing industry has provided employment for rural women. It is also a significant user of New Zealand crossbred wools. Wages earnt by rural women through the carpet industry contribute to the alleviation of rural poverty by increasing the total annual income of the households in which they reside. The purpose of this study was to determine the socio-economic impact of the carpet manufacturing industries on the well-being of rural women workers. In addition, the benefits of, and limitations to, rural women workers becoming involved in the carpet industries were accessed. Four levels of respondents were interviewed for the study: 5 key informants, 5 focusgroups (n=10) of rural women workers, 36 carpet manufacturers, and 144 rural women workers. The survey data were evaluated relative to a conceptual model developed to explain total annual household income, a proxy variable for rural poverty alleviation. The model included non-economic (social and demographic) and economic characteristics of households. Variables included in a multiple regression (reduced) model collectively explained 50% of the variation in total annual household income. Among all the non-economic and economic characteristics outlined in the conceptual framework, the number of working adults per household was most important in influencing household income. One person increased total annual household income by Rs 15,228 per annum and a 5% increase in total annual income was associated with additional savings by Rs 67.08 per month. It was concluded that the Nepali carpet industries have assisted in alleviating rural poverty amongst rural women through income generation. New Zealand wool exports to Nepal therefore appear to have an indirect positive benefit on rural households by enabling carpet industry expansion. Keywords: Nepal, carpet industries, rural women workers, total annual household income, and rural poverty alleviation. Title: The role of Nepali carpet manufacturing industries in alleviating rural poverty: a case study of rural women workers. Author: Sindhu Karki, 1997. Degree: Master of Applied Science.
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    Coping with floods : the experience of rural women in Bangladesh : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1995) Begum, Mahbuba; Begum, Mahbuba
    This study focuses on how rural women in Bangladesh, who live in the poorest sector of one of the poorest countries in the world, cope with floods. It seeks to explain the principal factors structuring their responses. It addresses several related questions: how do women perceive and experience floods? What problems do they face and how do they respond to them? Arc they merely the passive victims of floods or do they play an active role in protecting their households? Do all women use the same coping strategies? Are the major parameters of rural society changed as a consequence of the way in which women cope with floods? In responding to these questions a sociological perspective is adopted but not to the exclusion of other approaches. However, it is the social and sociological aspects of the phenomena being explored which are of most concern to the author. The occurrence of floods in Bangladesh is as old as its history but over the last 40 years (1954-1995) the problem has become greatly aggravated and is now one of the main concerns of most rural households, life in which is precarious even in non-flood conditions. These problems affect women more severely than men because of the wider range of responsibilities that they have for their households and the fact that those responsibilities keep them tied to their households more strictly and more effectively than those of male members. Those responsibilities include food processing and cooking, cleaning, collecting water and fuel, bearing and rearing children, looking after livestock and income generation, all of which become much more difficult to perform under flood conditions. Despite this heavy burden, which women bear in extremely difficult circumstances, they demonstrate considerable fortitude and ingenuity in their attempts to maintain the livelihoods of their households. Explanation of these phenomena is sought in the economic, cultural and political structure of the country. Factors stressed in this study are the male-dominated structures of a predominantly conservative and Muslim society; the dominance of parda in the sub-culture of women and the position of women within the socio-economic context of their households.