Research Series Issue 22 - Poverty reduction during the rural-urban transformation
Research Series Issue 22 - Poverty reduction during the rural-urban transformation
This paper analyses the relation between urbanization and poverty reduction, by exploring the role of secondary towns, mega cities and rural non-agricultural sector in relation to poverty reduction.
Results provided by cross-country panel datasets show that:
i) an increase in population share in agriculture is associated with poverty reduction, once the longer-term poverty change or dynamic is taken into account;
ii) the rural non-agricultural sector is poverty-reducing, in some cases;
iii) increased population in mega-cities has no role in poverty reduction: in a few cases, the growth of population in mega-cities increases poverty.
In this respect, findings suggest that more emphasis should be placed on policies enhancing support to rural agricultural and non-agricultural sectors.
![](https://www.ifad.org/documents/38714170/40275993/22_research_series.jpg/18b757cd-0dfc-445e-83c9-c3258b68ba1c?t=1524585791000)
Autores
Katsushi S. Imai, University of Manchester, Ragdav Gaiha, University of Manchester, and Alessandra Garbero, IFAD