Study: “Fertility Outcomes and the Roles of Children in Household Risk-Management Strategies in Rural West Africa: The Cases of Senegal and Benin
PI(s): Bøås, Morten
Co-PI(s): Kielland, Anne
Affiliation(s): FAFO
Institutional Partner(s): RCN
Project Dates:
Start: January 2010
End: December 2012
Data Source(s): Cross-Sectional Data
Methods: Adaptive Sampling Design; Surveys; Focus Groups; Descriptive Analysis; Propensity Score Matching
Geographic Location(s): Senegal; Benin
Description:
Fertility and the number of children in a household can influence the way that a vulnerable household deals with critical risks and shocks. The research aims to identify and document the various roles children play in the household risk-management efforts of poor rural families in West Africa. The hypothesis is that encouraging reduced fertility may render poor families more vulnerable to shocks. The study sampled 48 focus groups that include men, women, young girls, and young boys in both Benin and Senegal. Results show that the impact of poverty on child mobility practices is much smaller than expected; the mobility of children does not seem to be poverty-driven. In Senegal, mobility is more affected by the impact of shock: The households shocked by drought were more likely to have children leaving the parental household at an early age. However, in Benin, there is no direct impact of shocks on mobility, but mobility acted as a coping strategy. Policy implications could mean future changes in social protection measures for children.
Research Outputs:
Kielland, Anne. (2016). The Role of Risk Perception in Child Mobility Decisions in West Africa, Empirical Evidence From Benin. World Development, 83. 312-324.
Kielland, Anne & Gaye, Ibrahima. (2010). Child mobility and rural vulnerability in Senegal. Washington, DC: World Bank.
Kielland, Anne, Gaye, Ibrahima & Niang, Madické. (2009). Analyse de la situation des ménages ruraux de la région de Kolda en vue d’une opération – test de transfert monetaire (Cash transfer). Dakar, Senegal: UNICEF/Senegal.
Kielland, Anne. (2008). Risk and risk management: the theoretical approaches of different disciplines and their relevance to the empirical study of rural vulnerability in West Africa.