The increasing volume of remittances and public transfers in
rural areas of the developing world has raised hopes that these
cash inflows may serve as an effective mechanism for reducing
poverty in the long term by facilitating investments and raising
productivity, particularly in agriculture where market failures are
most manifest. This book systematically tests the empirical
relationship between cash transfers and productive spending in
agriculture amongst rural households in six different countries of
the developing world. Together, the studies point to little impact
of migration and public and private transfers on agricultural
productivity, instead facilitating a transition away from
agriculture or to a less labour intensive type of agriculture.
From a policy perspective the studies raise the question of how
to maintain rural economies, as migration and social assistance are
unlikely to provide a sustainable way to overcome rural poverty in
the long run for those that remain in rural areas. For the
foreseeable future, agriculture will play an important role in
alleviating poverty and sustaining growth in rural areas. Yet,
public and private transfers are not providing much of the impetus
needed to raise the sector's productivity. Whether the transfers
are invested in agriculture will ultimately depend on the
attractiveness of the sector, which is largely determined by the
policies of governments and donors.
This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of
Development Studies.
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