THE LUCKY FEW AMIDST ECONOMIC-DECLINE - DISTRIBUTIONAL CHANGE IN COTE-DIVOIRE AS SEEN THROUGH PANEL-DATA SETS, 1985-88

This article is an exploratory exercise in using panel data sets to investigate distributional change in Cote d'Ivoire during the second half of the 1980s. The panels made it possible to highlight and quantify mobility of the same households across poverty classes over time. We found that there were a lucky few who improved their standard of living amid general decline. Detailed investigations revealed that the lucky few were fairly numerous, and the probability of escaping poverty was quite high even for the very poorest. These lucky few were widespread regionally, although in some socio-economic groupings the poor had higher chances of escaping poverty.