I32 - Measurement and Analysis of PovertyReturn

This research investigates factors influencing domestic energy demand among rural households. Data were collected from 260 randomly sampled household heads in the study area. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and Tobit regression were used for the analysis. Tobit regression results revealed that gender, household size, income, occupation, farm size, and per capita expenditure were significant in influencing the use of fuelwood; age, gender, household size, occupation, education, and per capita expenditure for charcoal, while age, marital status, income, education and per capita expenditure were significant determinants in the use of kerosene. Also, income, occupation, and per capita expenditure were the factors influencing the use of electricity among rural households in the study area. The study concluded that apart from income, other household variables were significant in determining energy usage. The study, therefore, recommended that government and stakeholders should develop policies that will promote the use of safe, reliable, and clean energy sources in order to reduce the negative environmental consequences while also enhancing human life quality.

The paper is a comparison of living standards indicators as a measure of the prevailing situation for the citizens of selected EU countries. The indicators used for comparison were representative of economic, social and environmental influence factors. The indicators were compared by means of meta-analysis, comprising a selection of all 11 chosen indexes (with a set of calculated indicators) and living-standards focused studies. The selected methodology for the meta-analysis is a weighted multiple linear regression. The results of the meta-analysis point to those studies whose indexes show a positive effect and indexes which show a negative effect as regards living standards.