The overall objective of this discussion paper is to advance the knowledge on rural livelihoods in Stung Treng, Cambodia. In a cluster analysis, five clusters with very different livelihood strategies are identified based on a sample of 600 rural households. Despite the fact that nearly all households are engaged in some form of subsistence farming, especially by growing rice, the richer clusters build on self-employment and higher-skilled wage employment. In contrast the middle income cluster mainly depends on natural resources […]

This paper examines public spending on education, health and infrastructure in Cambodia. Using benefit incidence analysis (BIA), marginal benefit incidence analysis (MBIA) and the nationally representative household survey data from the Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey (CSES) in 2004, 2009 and 2011, the paper examines whether government spending in each sector is equally distributed across household income groups or geographical zones, and to what extent changes in public spending affect different population groups. Broadly speaking, public spending in Cambodia is not pro-poor except for the spending on primary […]

This paper explores labour market structure and employment links to poverty in Cambodia. Employment elasticity of growth, labour productivity and real wage growth are the main indicators of the labour market situation, while probit models estimate the connection between household employment and poverty likelihood. The paper combines macro and micro data to perform a descriptive analysis. For probit estimation, it uses the Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey (CSES) 2007-11. The results show that agriculture, albeit with a slow growth rate, absorbed a […]

The study examines the characteristics, root causes, and challenges of irregular migration from Cambodia and then discusses the regulatory approaches and policy options to manage it. It employed mixed approaches, including a survey of 507 households in six high-migration villages, focus group discussions with returned and intending migrant workers, and in-depth interviews with government officers, migration experts, and local community chiefs.Irregular migration has been the most popular form among Cambodian workers seeking jobs abroad. This method is widely regarded as […]

 Households in Cambodia derive their income mainly from non-farm self-employment, salaries and wages, agricultural crops and other activities. On average, non-farm self-employment income amounts to 29 percent of total income, but its share was largest during the oil and food price increases and the global financial crisis that occurred in 2008 and 2009. However, household participation rates in non-farm self-employment during the crisis were exactly the same as in 2007 and two percentage points lower than in 2010. This suggests […]

Since the dawn of the industrial revolution, and the ushering in of an era of global economic relations, the United States and Europe have been the core poles of economic power. However, China along with India is increasingly challenging the traditional economic hegemony. An issue of great importance is how this shift in the global economic balance of power will affect developing economies and the transition economies of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), which are located in China’s backyard and […]