"The Poor Stay Poor": Household Asset Poverty Traps in Rural Semi-Arid India

Although identifying household-level poverty dynamics would have important implications for poverty reduction policies empirical evidence is still scant. This paper employs a novel semiparametric panel data estimator that combines the advantages of estimation methods in the existing literature and applies it to a uniquely long panel data set to examine poverty dynamics in three villages in rural semi-arid India. Structural immobility is pervasive. The currently poor are likely to remain poor, suggesting a structural poverty trap. While all households face static asset holdings, higher castes, larger landholders, and more educated households are significantly less likely to be poor. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.