In this paper the links from measures of consumption to welfare and well-being are discussed drawing on a study of changes in consumption in Ghana in the 1990s. It is argued that household consumption can act as an opportunity measure of welfare. The widespread distrust of such a welfare measure...

Three issues are addressed in this paper. First, we use both household and macro data to establish how fast per capita consumption and incomes grew in Ghana in the 1990s. Second, we ask how much of the rise in incomes was due to rises in the level of human capital and how much reflected...