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Households, Families and Prospective Economic Mobility in Mexico

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Abstract

The study analyzed poverty as a function of households’ demographic composition using a longitudinal random sample of 4268 urban and rural households that were followed-up from 2005/6 to 2009/12 in Mexico to estimate short-term changes in living conditions. Well-being was measured as the dwelling unit’s number of rooms, water source, sanitary services, garbage disposal, and fuel. Mobility paths included not poor–not poor, poor–poor, not poor–poor, and poor–not poor. Independent variables included household composition, family characteristics, residential changes, schooling, and occupation. Female headship and older adults negatively impacted poverty, whereas economic dependents may be negatively or positively associated. Fertility incentives for low-income populations are not advisable. Working-age adults contribute only if income-generating opportunities exist locally.

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Notes

  1. This premise has analytical value because it is possible that other household members participate in family decisions. However, this possibility renders the analysis more complex since there is not a sufficient basis for weighting the degree of participation of each member of the home in the final decisions.

  2. Very importantly, Becker (1979) proposed that “the behavior maximizer and the stable preferences are not only primitive assumptions, but that they can be derived from arguments about natural selection or appropriate behavior to the extent that humans are evolving through time … indeed, the economic approach and the modern biological theory of natural selection are closely related … and are probably different aspects of the same basic theory.” (Becker 1979, p. 9)

  3. Intergenerational co-residence in this study was defined as a living arrangement in which adult children lived with their aging parents.

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    Carlos Brambila-Paz

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Brambila-Paz, C. Households, Families and Prospective Economic Mobility in Mexico. J Fam Econ Iss 38, 582–595 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-017-9523-x

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