Effects of remittances on household food insecurity in Pakistan

Aftab Ahmad, Waqas Shair, Muhammad Tayyab, Rizwan ul Hassan

Abstract


This study examines the effect of remittances on household food insecurity in Pakistan. The household food insecurity measures using the food insecurity experience scale survey module (FIES-SM), consisting of eight yes/no questions about people’s access to adequate food. The study uses a sample of 24,809 households from the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurements (PSLM) (2018-19) for empirical results. The research applies the Ordered Logit model to estimate the impact of remittances and other covariates on food insecurity. The study’s findings show that the proportion of food insecurity in the remittance-receiving household is less than in non-receiving households. The remittance-receiving household has less probability of severe, moderate, and mild food insecurity than non-receiving households. Moreover, the study’s findings suggest that increased remittances lower the probability of severe, moderate, and mild food insecurity. The effect of remittances is more prominent in mild food-insecure households than in severe and moderate ones. The study makes some relevant recommendations based on the study’s findings to combat food insecurity in Pakistan.



Keywords


Remittances; Food insecurity; Poverty; Food Insecurity; Experience; Scale

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DOI: 10.33687/ijae.012.001.5167

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