Are African Households Heterogeneous Agents?: Stylized Facts on Patterns of Consumption, Employment, Income and Earnings for Macroeconomic Modelers

Louise Fox

No 2015/102, IMF Working Papers from International Monetary Fund

Abstract: This paper reviews the evidence on how households in Sub-Saharan Africa segment along consumption, income and earning dimensions relevant for quantitative macroeconomic policy models which incorporate heterogeneity. Key findings include the importance of home-grown food in the income and consumption of house-holds well up the income distribution, the lack of formal financial inclusion for all but the richest households, and the importance of non-wage income. These stylized facts suggest that an externally-generated macroeconomic shock and the short-term policy response would mainly affect the behavior and welfare of these richer urban households, who are also more likely to have the means to cope. Middle class and poor households, especially in rural areas, should be insulated from these external shocks but vulnerable to a wide range of structural factors in the economy as well as idiosyncratic shocks.

Keywords: WP; wage employment; wage income; labor market; union wage effect; wage job; Sub-Saharan Africa; Inequality; macroeconomics; household heterogeneity; Macro Models; Macroeconomic Stabalization; Labor Economics; Informal Labor Market; Mobility; off season; wage earnings variation; low income; wage sector; Income; Personal income; Wages; Employment; Africa; West Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 36
Date: 2015-05-06
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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