| December 2007 - The aim of the study is to understand what combination of individual, family, community and country-wide factors help people move out of and stay out of poverty. The study adopted the methodology developed for the global comparative study of mobility in 15 countries: Moving out of Poverty: Understanding Freedom, Democracy and Growth from the Bottom Up. Fieldwork was carried out by a Moroccan research team. Those researchers used a combination of key informant interviews, focus group discussions with men, women and young people, and individual life stories. Key findings from the study Poor households fare best in larger, urban and/or prosperous communities. Larger and more urban communities offer more opportunities and services. The ability of households to diversify their sources of income depended in large part on the range of economic opportunities in their community, and this appeared linked to the size of the communities as well as to their relatively better infrastructure and services.
Economic diversification is essential to mobility, given the volatility and of basic livelihoods such as agriculture and the absence of formal safety nets. Opportunities to combine stable seasonal or salaried employment with other sources of income correlated with greater mobility, while dependence on agricultural incomes correlated with low mobility. Households receiving a steady income through at least one family member were least likely to experience downward mobility.
Foreign and domestic migration remains key to household mobility and community welfare. Prosperous communities have invested in migration abroad and benefited in turn from the increased demand for goods and services from households enriched by remittances.
Access to capital, through banks, micro-credit associations, or inheritance assisted household welfare and mobility. While obtaining a loan or windfall was not always sufficient by itself to hoist a household out of poverty, access to credit did allow families to invest in productive activities, or acquire assets such as homes for psychological as well as economic security.
Corruption and clientelism in the public and social sectors. Corruption and clientelism represent the dark side of social capital – ties among the wealthy and/or powerful that particularly harm the poor.
Infrastructure and social services are important for household and community well-being.
Expansion of the drinking water and electricity networks even in poor communities has markedly improved perceived well-being.
Education is central to finding a good job, starting a successful business, and achieving personal autonomy. Education is still seen as a critical step for upward mobility; although parents concurred that the quality of education and motivation of instructors had declined precipitously.
The economic role women play in their households can decisively affect family fortunes
Interview data makes it clear that households are not homogenous economic units. Rather, their fortunes vary depending on whether female members play an independent economic role.
Without formal social safety nets, few households are immune to the risk of downward mobility. The lack of formal social safety nets, in the form of social insurance and assistance and affordable health care, can be a disaster for households. They have no recourse in cases of illness or unemployment.
Poverty is multidimensional. A strong finding of this study is that poverty entails multiple forms of exclusion - from services, from important social networks, and from power, while well-being depends not only on income but feelings of inclusion and dignity.
|
RSS