Correlates of Poverty: Evidence from the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Data

This study identified correlates of poverty for Pasay City and Mogpog, Marinduque representing an urban and a rural area in the Philippines, respectively, by utilizing the 2005 census data from its Community-Based Monitoring System. Regression models with the arcsine of the square root of barangay level poverty incidence as dependent variable were investigated which allowed the identification of the correlates of poverty at the barangay level. Results showed that the significant correlates of barangay poverty incidence were average household size, proportion of households whose housing units/lot are not owned and proportion of households who own telephone/cellphone. Furthermore, lower poverty incidences were observed in barangays located in an urban area.