17 of Cote d'Ivoire, household data from the Living Standards Surveys show that the proportion of households living below the poverty line increased from 30 percent in 1985 to 46 percent in 1988, a period in which adjustment effort was abandoned and per capita incomes declined by 12 percent. A decomposition analysis separating the growth component from the distribution component, showed that the declines in GNP during this period were the most important determinants of poverty in Cote d'Ivoire. If mean household expenditure had remained constant during 1985-88, poverty would have fallen by 20 percent. But because GDP declined under an abandoned adjustment effort, the number of people living in extreme poverty increased by 57 percent.

A study<sup>8</sup> comparing the 1983 (a year of economic crisis) and 1991 (a year of adjustment) Household Surveys fbr Tanzania found that growth had benefitted the population in general and had shifted a significant proportion of the population from below the poverty line to above the poverty line. The incidence of poverty declined to 41.8 percent in 1991 compared to 53.8 percent in 1983. The absolute number of people living below the poverty line also declined from 8.9 million to 8 million in the same period despiw- a population growth rate of 3 percent annually Other studies carried out by independent researchers and aid agencies confirm the above finding.

In Kenya,<sup>9</sup> the decade of the 80s saw no change in the incidence of poverty in rural areas and the percentage of the population under the absolute poverty line remained virtualy constant at about 47 percent in 1981/82 and 1992. Overall, per capita real consumption expenditure in rural areas increased at 13 percent per year. However, the distribution of expenditures worsened with the gini coefficient increasing from _0.45_ percent to 0.49 percent. Kenya at the outset of the 1980s already had more fivorable social indicators than most countries in the regiona Infat and child mortality rates continued to fill and there was firther progress in life expectancy. Kenya had achieved nearly universal primary school enrollment by the early SOs, a situation experienced in the early 90s as well.

Ghana has completed surveys of the living standards for three different years during the period of adjustment.10 The results of these surveys show that at the national level, the average household welfare levels fell by 5.9 percent between 1987/88 and 1988/89 but increased by 10.9 percent between 1988/89 and 1991/92, the increase between the later period more than compensated for the earlier decline. The incidence of poverty therefore declined from 43 percent in 1987/88 to 40 percent in 1991/92. The depth of poverty, however, does not display such a strong trend and the magnitude of the decline is relatively small.

At a disaggregated level, average welfare has improved, and the incidence and depth of poverty have declined more significantly ir. the nrral coastal, and ural forest and urban areas other than Accra. There is hardly any change in the measure of incidence in the rural savannah areas but the depth of poverty has declined slightly while the incidence of poverty has increased in the ZFereira, L. 1994 "Poverty and Inequaliy during Structul Adjustment in Ruxal **Tavzamia' World Bank,** Policy **Research Departent** Tmnsition Economics Division, Research **Paper S.** 9Kenya: Povcrty **Assssmcnt** (World **Bank,** 1994, **Draft)**

**'**<sup>**0**</sup> **GhanE** Poverty **Assessment (under** prepamtion)