Multidimensional Child Poverty in Ghana: Measurements, Determinants, and Inequalities

Abstract

Early childhood deprivations and inequalities have social and economic implications in adulthood and thus, their elimination is essential for child development. However, child-level estimates of poverty are rare in low income countries. Using data from two recent rounds of the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, we measure the extent and sources of childhood deprivations in Ghana and examine subgroup differentials in child poverty. In addition, we examine the child quality-quantity by estimating the causal relationship between number of children and child poverty. Finally, we assess the sources of rural-urban inequalities in child poverty. We find that despite declining incidence and intensity of multidimensional child poverty, significant subgroup differentials persist in Ghana. The findings of the paper reveal that living standards is the main contributor to multidimensional poverty in early childhood in Ghana. Our findings also confirm a significant causal relationship between child quality and quantity in Ghana, there exist a positive relationship between the number of children and the intensity of child poverty in Ghana. Finally, we find that rural-urban inequalities in child multidimensional poverty in Ghana are attributable to differences in observed maternal and household characteristics between rural and urban areas. The persistence of subgroup disparities in child poverty may be detrimental to achieving equitable and inclusive growth in the country. There is the need for considerations of equity, fairness and social justice in the distribution and development of social services and economic infrastructure to ensure even distribution of social and economic opportunities and promote social mobility across groups.

Prevalence and correlates of multidimensional child poverty in India during 2015–2021: A multilevel analysis

“…Moreover, it is advisable to consider children’s age as the different stages of life associated with diverse levels of expenditure required by childcare. The Rural reside children reported higher poverty compared to urban reside children, which is in line with previous studies [ 29 , 30 , 53 , 56 , 57 ], where rural children experienced more poverty compared to urban mainly due to the information constraints in the rural area. Mother age, maternal education, and belonging to a wealthier quintile were significantly associated with child poverty.…”

“…The results imply that the government programme improved more standard of living indicators such as improved drinking water, toilet building under Swacch Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Movement) for improved sanitation, government aid for constructing pakka houses under different central and state government schemes, and promotion of clean cooking fuel through Ujjawala Yojana. One study finding from Ghana reveals that living standards are the most significant contributor to child poverty [53], coinciding with our study of NFHS-4, but not for NFHS-5. Different study settings, sample sizes, research designs, and survey times might explain the difference (S1 Fig).…”

“I always think about tomorrow what I'll eat” an exploration of the experiences of adolescents in poor urban contexts in Accra, Ghana

“…The situation of adolescents in such urban cities in Ghana is peculiar because of the high cost of living within urban areas arising from difficulties accessing amenities such as houses, quality health care, etc. (Agyire-Tettey et al, 2021). The increasing monetization of such services and resources coupled with the absence of agricultural activities that could provide easy access to food within such urban contexts exacerbates the conditions of adolescents in poor areas within the urban setup (Kharas et al, 2020).…”

“…Yet, studies that focus on child poverty in the Ghanaian context are limited and much so are studies that focus on the particular situation of adolescents in urban poor contexts (Agyire‐Tettey et al, 2021; Kofinti & Annim, 2016). Most studies tend to focus on adult poverty (Aboagye‐Attah, 2019; Regier et al, 2015), creating a gap on the subjective experiences of poverty among adolescents in urban areas.…”

Single Versus Multiple Deprivations Among Children in India

“…The study based on Demographic and Health Survey in Ghana found that standard of living is the main determinant of early childhood poverty. Further, if the number of children increases, it tends to increase the chances of child deprivation (Agyire-Tettey et al, 2020). Roelen (2017) found that overlap between monetary and multidimensional child poverty is least, which suggests both the measure capture types of poverty.…”