Intrahousehold determinants of welfare and wellbeing: Evidence from Ecuador, Ghana, India

Abstract

The idea of assets as a critical factor affecting the welfare of individuals has gained traction in the last decade. While income and consumption continue to dominate the discourse in defining and understanding poverty, inequality and other measures of vulnerability, researchers are now considering the role of assets in informing the wellbeing of individuals (Davies et. al., 2008; Moser, 2007). The notion that assets and income offer different insights about people’s lives, opportunities and constraints is not new (contrary to what several reviews of Piketty’s ground breaking book have claimed). The early works by scholars like Titmuss drew attention to the importance of using assets as an additional lens to uncovering inequality.