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Front Cover -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- About the Editors and Contributors -- Abbreviations -- Key Messages -- Overview -- Poverty Reduction in Africa: A Global Agenda -- Poverty in Africa: Stylized Facts -- Africa's Slower Poverty Reduction -- Growth Fundamentals and Poverty Financing -- Earning More on the Farm -- Moving Off the Farm: Household Enterprises -- Managing Risks and Conflict -- Mobilizing Resources for the Poor -- Way Forward: Four Primary Policy Areas -- Notes -- References -- Introduction -- Notes -- References -- 1. Poverty in Africa -- Poverty Today and Tomorrow -- Africa's Poverty in Profile -- Lessons from Recent Experience -- Notes -- References -- 2. Africa's Demography and Socioeconomic Structure -- High Fertility Holds Back Poverty Reduction -- Poor Initial Conditions -- More and Better Income-Earning Opportunities for the Poor -- A Way Forward -- Notes -- References -- Fundamentals 1 Africa's Human Development Trap -- The Health Poverty Trap -- The Education Poverty Trap -- Escaping the Human Development Poverty Trap -- Notes -- References -- 3. Earning More on the Farm -- Largely Favorable Conditions for Agricultural Development -- Not All Agricultural Growth Is Equally Poverty Reducing -- An Integrated Approach Is Needed -- Inclusive Value Chain Development as Response -- The Need for Complementary Public Goods, Especially for Staples -- Notes -- References -- Fundamentals 2 The Nexus of Gender Inequality and Poverty -- Gender Gaps in Human Endowments -- Glaring Differences in the Time Use of Men and Women -- Differences in Asset Ownership and Control between Women and Men -- Gender Gaps Exacerbated by Formal and Informal Institutions and Norms -- Mobility and Safety Challenges for Women -- Policy Levers to Address Gender Gaps and Reduce Poverty -- Notes -- References -- 4. Moving to Jobs Off the Farm.

Sub-Saharan Africa's turnaround over the past couple of decades has been dramatic. After many years in decline, the continent's economy picked up in the mid-1990s. Along with this macroeconomic growth, people became healthier, many more youngsters attended schools, and the rate of extreme poverty declined from 54 percent in 1990 to 41 percent in 2015. Political and social freedoms expanded, and gender equality advanced. Conflict in the region also subsided, although it still claims thousands of civilian lives in some countries and still drives pressing numbers of displaced persons. Despite Africa's widespread economic and social welfare accomplishments, the region's challenges remain daunting: Economic growth has slowed in recent years. Poverty rates in many countries are the highest in the world. And notably, the number of poor in Africa is rising because of population growth. From a global perspective, the biggest concentration of poverty has shifted from South Asia to Africa. Accelerating Poverty Reduction in Africa explores critical policy entry points to address the demographic, societal, and political drivers of poverty; improve income-earning opportunities both on and off the farm; and better mobilize resources for the poor. It looks beyond macroeconomic stability and growth—critical yet insufficient components of these objectives—to ask what more could be done and where policy makers should focus their attention to speed up poverty reduction. The pro-poor policy agenda advanced in this volume requires not only economic growth where the poor work and live, but also mitigation of the many risks to which African households are exposed. As such, this report takes a "jobs" lens to its task. It focuses squarely on the productivity and livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable—that is, what it will take to increase their earnings. Finally, it presents a road map for financing the poverty and development agenda.

This article investigates the relationship among major life events, household characteristics, and migration among adolescents and young adults in contemporary Malawi. Two main questions are investigated: What are the socioeconomic and demographic determinants of migration? and How do schooling, first marriage, and work relate to migration patterns? The study uses panel data collected from a survey designed specifically to explore socioeconomic and demographic aspects of youths' transitions to adulthood. Respondents were tracked when they moved. Moves are not uncommon, and the predominant reasons for moves are noneconomic. Although historically ethnic traditions in this area have held that girls and women usually do not move upon marrying, young women are now more likely to move than young men, with marriage being a main reason for doing so. Closer ties to the head of the household are associated with less movement for both women and men.

Although age discrimination laws boost employment of older workers, some are exempt from age‐law protection and may be better protected by disability discrimination laws. Disability laws may raise the costs of employing the disabled, however, generating mixed predictions regarding employment effects of protection by both types of laws. This study finds that employment of older disabled workers with the coupled laws is lower than those with age‐law protection only; employment of the younger disabled is higher with the coupled laws. For older disabled workers, earnings of those with the coupled laws are lower than their counterparts with only age‐law protection. (JEL J78, K31, J00)