Demographic patterns and poverty among households in rural Bihar
Rodgers, G.; Gupta, S.; Sharma, A.N.; Sharma, B.
Population growth and poverty in rural South Asia: 27-37
1989
Document Number: 511616
The chapter examines a number of relationships between demographic patterns and poverty, using data from a survey of 12 villages during 1981-83. It considers micro-level or household interactions, and determines whether they are present in rural Bihar and, if so, their degree of importance. These relationships take many forms. First, there are aspects of poverty which are themselves demographic in nature. High mortality is an obvious example. Second, there are demographic features which appear to result from poverty, directly or indirectly. For instance, poverty might affect fertility positively (a 'replacement' effect in response or high child mortality) or negatively (inability to support a large family, or physiological effects on childbearing capacity). Third, there are ways in which poverty can be affected by demographic behaviour and outcomes, migration or childbearing might help alleviate poverty, or high levels of dependency may aggravate it. Finally, there may be aspects of poverty and demographic behaviour which are so closely associated that no distinct pattern of causation can be discerned. Household structure and patterns of dependency can be both responses to poverty and factors tending to alleviate or offset poverty. An unambiguous direction of causation is very difficult to establish.