There is no doubt that the role of economic growth in poverty reduction is very critical in the development process of Sub-Saharan African countries. Despite Sub-Saharan African countries achieving sterling growth in the last 15 years, the corresponding reduction in poverty has been minor with...

The paper investigates birth weight and its correlates in Kenya using nationally representative data collected by the government in the early 1990s. I find that immunisation of the mother against tetanus during pregnancy is strongly associated with improvements in birth weight. Other factors...

The paper argues that rural-based policies in Sub-Saharan Africa have the potential to stimulate overall growth and reduce poverty because poverty is mainly a rural phenomenon. Further, rural development is likely to have a salutary effect on the whole economy for several reasons. First,...

We investigate the question of whether firms in Africa's manufacturing sector are credit constrained. The fact that few firms obtain credit is not sufficient to prove constraints, since certain firms may not have a demand for credit while others may be refused credit as part of profit maximising...

In light of the importance of pro-poor growth strategies in reducing the especially high poverty rates in Africa, the present article provides an overview for three pertinent papers. First, it is proposed that an important pro-poor growth strategy would entail a greater focus on the rural...

Poor growth performance in Kenya is rooted in the ruling elite's coalition-building to stay in power. To obtain loyal followers the public sector is over-manned. Dishonesty and rule-bending are allowed to develop within an administrative culture where politicians and top bureaucrats acquire...

This paper uses nationally representative panel data to analyse the relationship between income diversification and incomes for Zambian smallholder households. We show that shifting to a higher degree of diversification is generally associated with higher incomes. We find that diversification is...