RIGA
 
Status
reviewed & published
Title
Patterns of rural development: A cross-country comparison using microeconomic data
Author(s)
P. Winters, T. Essam, B. Davis, A. Zezza, G. Carletto, and K. Stamoulis
Publication year
11/08/2008
Abstract

This paper proposes a general pattern of rural development in which rises in per capita income are associated with a decline in the importance of agricultural production and a rise in the importance of non-agricultural income sources. Following the approach to examining Engel's Law, we use data from 15 developing countries and a merged data set to test whether such a pattern emerges. The analysis shows a strong, positive relationship between rising per capita income and the share of income earned from rural non-agricultural activities and a negative relationship between per capita income and agricultural production.

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