Why Has Poverty Increased in Zimbabwe?

Poverty in Zimbabwe increased
significantly during the 1990s, and it increased in all
sectors of the economy. In the middle of the decade, more
than 60 percent of Zimbabwean households fell below the
national poverty line. There are competing reasons for this:
some say it was the result of the government instituting the
Economic Structural Adjustment Program (ESAP), and others
say that ESAP's effectiveness was hampered by recurring
drought. This document sheds light on the sources of the
increase in Zimbabwean poverty, with the use of
non-parametric, and parametric statistical methods. These
techniques support the conclusion that the drought, though
harmful, does not entirely explain the increase in poverty.
The deteriorating economic environment, reducing the returns
to both human, and physical assets, also had profound
effects on household well-being. What are the prospects for
improvement in the near future? Only serious structural
changes to the economy can create labor market conditions,
conducive to long-term, broad-based growth.