Poverty transitions among older households in Brazil and South Africa

Using a panel data set of older people and their households in Brazil and South Africa, the article provides estimates of changes in the poverty status transitions of older people and their households over time, assessing the extent to which some panel households managed to escape from poverty, while others fell into poverty, and others remained persistently poor or persistently non-poor. It also provides an exploratory analysis of the factors associated with poverty transitions. The article finds that mean improvements in well-being among older households net out significant transitions into, and out of, poverty. © 2012 European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes.