Income Elasticity Of Nutrients

C93 d12 d13 d14 o12 abstract we use a randomized controlled trial to study the effect of large income changes through.

Income elasticity of nutrients. In this paper we contribute to the ongoing debate on the nutrient income elasticity using a sample of ultra poor households with orphans and vulnerable children in kenya. In other words calories and nutrients tend to be income inelastic. 25711 march 2019 jel no. It shows that on average income elasticity ranges from 0 38 to 0 62 with an even lower median value between 0 27 and 0 63.

This article aims to systematically review the elasticity of calories macronutrients and micronutrients to income in developing and developed countries. The relationship between nutrient intake and wealth of poor households continues to be an issue of huge policy relevance. We consider a large set of estimates on income elasticity for calories protein fat zinc iron and vitamin a. The results indicate that consumption of all 13 food groups increases as food expenditures increase.

For instance the income elasticity of food demand describes by how much food demand changes when income increases or decreases by 1. In particular income elasticities of some key micronutrients such as iron calcium and vitamin b1 are significantly higher in a crisis year than in a normal year yet the income elasticities of others such as vitamin c remain close to zero. The sample displays a large heterogeneity in income elasticity. The coefficients of variation cv indicate that overall there is greater dispersion in the data for nutrient and calorie income elasticities 0 94 and 0 84 respectively than for food income elasticities 0 65.

Income elasticity of demand refers to the sensitivity of the quantity demanded for a certain good to a change in real income of consumers who buy this good keeping all other things constant. Shapiro nber working paper no. Evidence from unconditional cash transfers in kenya ingvild almås johannes haushofer and jeremy p. To estimate the nutrient income elasticity for these households we employ panel data techniques that.

For instance a value of 0 2 for rice in a particular country would imply that a 1 rise in income would increase rice consumption by 0 2. The average income elasticity for foods is 0 61 0 41 for nutrients and 0 42 for calories. These results suggest that cash transfer programs might be even more effective during. We build a meta sample consisting of 1523 food income elasticities 369 nutrient income elasticities and 123 calorie income elasticities extracted from 66 primary studies covering 48 african countries.

The income elasticity for staple food demand tends to be relatively small. The income elasticity for nutrition. We also used the estimated demand elasticities for low income households to measure nutrient income elasticities the percentage change in nutrient availability with respect to changes in household food expenditure. Different types of food nutrients and calories in africa by conducting a meta analysis of income elasticity estimates.