Understanding the Nature of Household Poverty in Botswana

Abstract

In Botswana, poverty is mainly a structural problem which arises from the pattern of economic growth. This paper is a contribution to the understanding of the nature of poverty in Botswana. The analysis is at two levels – the policy level and household level. While it is not wrong to base the success of poverty reduction initiatives on private sector development, the stark reality is that little has been achieved to date. In addition to the policy environment, this paper examined household characteristics that contribute to poverty in Botswana. A logistic regression model was estimated using urban food security baseline survey data from Gaborone to examine demographic, social and economic factors that determine household poverty. The estimation results showed a positive and significant relationship between household size, total household consumption expenditure and household poverty status. These results also carry significant information relating to the design of specific programmes targeted at addressing poverty at this level.

Keywords: poverty, structural problem, policy environment, food security, consumption.