Voter coercion is a recurrent threat to pro-poor redistribution in young democracies. In this study we focus on Mexico’s paradigmatic Progresa-Oportunidades-Prospera (POP) programme. We investigate whether local mayors exploited POP coerce voters, and if so, what effect these actions had the municipal incumbent’s vote. For identification of vote coercion, exploit fact that so-called ‘enlaces mu...

BACKGROUND Health inequality has been recognized as a problem all over the world. In China, the poor usually have less access to healthcare than the better-off, despite having higher levels of need. Since the proportion of the Chinese population living in urban areas increased tremendously with the urbanization movements, attention has been paid to the association between urban/rural residence ...

BACKGROUND Antenatal Care (ANC) is universally considered important for women and children. This study aims to identify factors, demographic, social and economic, possibly associated with three ANC indicators: number of visits, timing of visits and content of services. The aim is also to compare the patterns of association of such factors between one rural and one urban context in northern Viet...

Energy poverty affects poor communities and poor nations far more severely, and more directly, than in developed nations. Poor rural communities are particularly vulnerable, and the poor globally spend by far the largest percentage of income on energy. To make matters worse, record-high oil prices combined with sharp decline in foreign exchange earnings are key processes influencing the energy ...

BACKGROUND This paper examines socio-economic and geographic differences in payment and payment coping mechanisms for health services in southeast Nigeria. It shows the extent to which the poor and rural dwellers disproportionally bear the burden of health care costs and offers policy recommendations for improvements. METHODS Questionnaires were used to collect data from 3071 randomly selecte...

BACKGROUND Sierra Leone has faced a shortage and maldistribution of staff in its post-conflict period. This long-standing challenge is now exacerbated by the systemic shock and damage wrought by Ebola. This study aimed to investigate the importance of different motivation factors in rural areas in Sierra Leone and thus to contribute to better decisions on financial and non-financial incentive p...

The word ‘ganyu’ is widely used in Malawi to describe a range of short-term rural labour relationships, the most common of which is piecework weeding or ridging on the fields of other smallholders, or on agricultural estates. Ganyu is a crucial poverty issue in Malawi because: • After own-farm production, ganyu is the most important source of livelihood for most poor households – for some it is...

There have been few epidemiological surveys to establish prevalence and associated risk factors of psychosis in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper reports a population-based epidemiological survey in rural Kenya of the prevalence of psychotic symptoms and their relationship with demographic, socio-economic and other risk factors. A random sample of 2% of all adults living in Maseno, Kisumu District...