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  • 2010-2014  (2)
  • 1995-1999  (74)
  • Washington, D.C : The World Bank  (76)
  • Social Protections and Labor  (54)
  • Income  (40)
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  • 1
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    ISBN: 9780821396346
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource
    Series Statement: World Bank Latin American and Caribbean studies
    DDC: 305.5/5098
    Keywords: Households Economic aspects ; Income ; Middle class ; Occupational mobility ; Social mobility
    Note: Includes bibliographical references , IntroductionEconomic mobility and the middle class: concepts and measurement -- Mobility across generations -- Mobility within generations -- The rising Latin American and Caribbean middle class -- The middle class and the social contract in Latin America
    URL: Volltext  (URL des Erstveröffentlichers)
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    URL: Volltext  (URL des Erstveröffentlichers)
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  • 2
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource
    Series Statement: Country Economic Memorandum
    Keywords: Energy ; Investment Climate ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Oil and Gas ; Public Investment ; Public Sector Development ; Social Protections and Assistance ; Social Protections and Labor
    Abstract: This report - the first phase of a programmatic Iraq country economic memorandum (CEM) is structured around the themes of revenue management and economic diversification. These themes accord with the economic challenges faced by Iraq in the medium term but contrast with the short-termism of current Iraqi decision making, which is pushing for a rapid ramp-up of oil production - reducing diversification to finance a large up-front spending program which is detached from a vision of how to diversify the economy. Iraq's oil revenue boom will not be able to meet the expectations placed upon it without a range of supporting policies. Iraq should aim towards adapting its economy to strong weight of oil, as opposed to complete insulation of the non-oil economy from it or dependence on it. To address the myriad links between Iraq's economic challenges, the report takes a sequential approach to the analysis. Chapter one presents an overview of the fiscal aspects of prospective developments in the energy sector, and an outline of major obstacles to growth in the non-oil economy. Chapter two, a relatively high-level and abstract economic model is developed to study the impact of various options for spending the oil revenue windfall on the non-oil economy. Chapter three, the opportunities for the development of the non-oil economy are set out in more detail along with recommended next steps in the World Bank support to the government of Iraq
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  • 3
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (21 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Gautam, Madhur Reconsidering the Evidence on Returns to T&V Extension in Kenya
    Keywords: Agencies ; Agricultural ; Agricultural Extension ; Agricultural Production ; Agriculture ; Agriculture ; Banks and Banking Reform ; Crops ; Crops and Crop Management Systems ; E-Business ; Econometrics ; Economic Theory and Research ; Education ; Education ; Extension ; Extension Services ; Family ; Farmers ; Farms ; Information ; Investment ; Labor Policies ; Land ; Livestock ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Management ; Private Sector Development ; Research ; Rural Development ; Rural Development Knowledge and Information Systems ; Science Education ; Science and Technology Development ; Scientific Research and Science Parks ; Social Protections and Labor ; Statistical and Mathematical Sciences ; Training ; Agencies ; Agricultural ; Agricultural Extension ; Agricultural Production ; Agriculture ; Agriculture ; Banks and Banking Reform ; Crops ; Crops and Crop Management Systems ; E-Business ; Econometrics ; Economic Theory and Research ; Education ; Education ; Extension ; Extension Services ; Family ; Farmers ; Farms ; Information ; Investment ; Labor Policies ; Land ; Livestock ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Management ; Private Sector Development ; Research ; Rural Development ; Rural Development Knowledge and Information Systems ; Science Education ; Science and Technology Development ; Scientific Research and Science Parks ; Social Protections and Labor ; Statistical and Mathematical Sciences ; Training
    Abstract: April 1999 - The sensitivity of empirical results to potential data errors and model misspecification can yield misleading policy implications and investment signals. A widely disseminated study of the impact of the training and visit (T&V) system of management for extension services in Kenya is a striking example of how innocuous data errors and alternative specifications lead to strikingly different results. Gautam and Anderson revisit the widely disseminated results of a study (Bindlish and Evenson 1993, 1997) of the impact of the training and visit (T&V) system of management for public extension services in Kenya. T&V was introduced in Kenya by the World Bank and has since been supported through two successive projects. The impact of the projects continues to be the subject of much debate. Gautam and Anderson's paper suggests the need for greater vigilance in empirical analysis, especially about the quality of data used to support Bank policy and the need to validate potentially influential findings. Using household data from 1990, Bindlish and Evenson found the returns from extension to be very high. But Gautam and Anderson find that the returns estimated by Bindlish and Evenson suffer from data errors, and limitations imposed by cross-sectional data. After correcting for several data processing and measurement errors, the authors show the results to be less robust than reported by Bindlish and Evenson and highly sensitive to regional effects. When region-specific effects are included, a positive return to extension cannot be established, using Bindlish and Evenson's data set and cross-sectional model specifications. After testing the robustness of results using a number of tests, Gautam and Anderson could not definitively establish the factors underlying strong regional effects, largely because of the limitations imposed by the cross-sectional framework. Household panel data methods would have allowed greater control for regional effects and would have yielded better insight into the impact of extension. The impact on agricultural productivity in Kenya expected from T&V extension services is not discernible from the available data, and the impact may vary across districts. The hypothesis that T&V had no impact in Kenya between 1982 and 1990 cannot be rejected. The sample data fail to support a positive rate of return on the investment in T&V. This paper-a product of the Sector and Thematic Evaluation Division, Operations Evaluation Department-is part of a larger exploration by the department of the effects of the investment in agricultural extension in Kenya. The authors may be contacted at mgautamworldbank.org or janderson@worldbank.org
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  • 4
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (31 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Hoekman, Bernard Developing Country Agriculture and the New Trade Agenda
    Keywords: Agribusiness ; Agricultural Production ; Agricultural Protection ; Agriculture ; Competition ; Debt Markets ; Economic Development ; Economic Theory and Research ; Economics ; Emerging Markets ; Environment ; Environmental ; Environmental Economics and Policies ; Environmental Regulations ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Free Trade ; Income ; International Economics & Trade ; Investment ; Labor Policies ; Law and Development ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets ; Policies ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Development ; Quotas ; Resources ; Rural Communities ; Social Protections and Labor ; Standards ; Subsidies ; Tariffs ; Taxation ; Trade ; Trade Law ; Trade Policy ; Welfare Gains ; World Trade Organization ; Agribusiness ; Agricultural Production ; Agricultural Protection ; Agriculture ; Competition ; Debt Markets ; Economic Development ; Economic Theory and Research ; Economics ; Emerging Markets ; Environment ; Environmental ; Environmental Economics and Policies ; Environmental Regulations ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Free Trade ; Income ; International Economics & Trade ; Investment ; Labor Policies ; Law and Development ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets ; Policies ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Development ; Quotas ; Resources ; Rural Communities ; Social Protections and Labor ; Standards ; Subsidies ; Tariffs ; Taxation ; Trade ; Trade Law ; Trade Policy ; Welfare Gains ; World Trade Organization
    Abstract: May 1999 - In the new round of World Trade Organization talks expected in late 1999, negotiations about access to agricultural and services markets should be given top priority, but new trade agenda issues should also be discussed. Including new trade agenda issues would increase market discipline's role in the allocation of resources in agriculture and would encourage nonagricultural groups with interests in the new issues to take part in the round, counterbalancing forces favoring agricultural protection. A new round of World Trade Organization negotiations on agriculture, services, and perhaps other issues is expected in late 1999. To what extent should those negotiations include new trade agenda items aimed at ensuring that domestic regulatory policies do not discriminate against foreign suppliers? Hoekman and Anderson argue that negotiations about market access should be given priority, as the potential welfare gains from liberalizing access to agricultural (and services) markets are still huge, but new issues should be included too. Including new trade agenda issues would increase the role of market discipline in the allocation of resources in agriculture and would encourage nonagricultural groups with interests in the new issues to take part in the round, counterbalancing forces in favor of agricultural protection. They also argue, however, that rule-making efforts to accommodate the new issues should be de-linked from negotiations about access to agricultural markets, because the issues affect activity in all sectors. This paper-a product of the Development Research Group-is part of a larger effort in the group to analyze options and priorities for developing countries in the run-up to a new round of WTO negotiations. Bernard Hoekman may be contacted at bhoekmanworldbank.org or kanderson@economics.adelaide.edu.au
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  • 5
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (27 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Wallsten, Scott An Empirical Analysis of Competition, Privatization, and Regulation in Telecommunications Markets in Africa and Latin America
    Keywords: Telekommunikation ; Telekommunikationspolitik ; Privatisierung ; Deregulierung ; Afrika ; Lateinamerika ; Banks and Banking Reform ; Business ; Business Services ; Data ; E-Business ; Economic Theory and Research ; Education ; Emerging Markets ; ICT Policy and Strategies ; Information and Communication Technologies ; Infrastructure Economics and Finance ; Infrastructure Regulation ; Institutions ; Knowledge Economy ; Knowledge for Development ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Performance ; Price ; Prices ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Regulation ; Reliability ; Results ; Social Protections and Labor ; Technology ; Telecom ; Telecommunication ; Telecommunication Reforms ; Telecommunications ; Telephone ; Telephone Connections ; Telephone Service ; Telephones ; User ; Users ; Banks and Banking Reform ; Business ; Business Services ; Data ; E-Business ; Economic Theory and Research ; Education ; Emerging Markets ; ICT Policy and Strategies ; Information and Communication Technologies ; Infrastructure Economics and Finance ; Infrastructure Regulation ; Institutions ; Knowledge Economy ; Knowledge for Development ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Performance ; Price ; Prices ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Regulation ; Reliability ; Results ; Social Protections and Labor ; Technology ; Telecom ; Telecommunication ; Telecommunication Reforms ; Telecommunications ; Telephone ; Telephone Connections ; Telephone Service ; Telephones ; User ; Users
    Abstract: June 1999 - Empirical analysis of telecommunications reforms in 30 African and Latin American countries yields results largely consistent with conventional wisdom. Competition seems to be the most successful change agent, so granting even temporary monopolies may delay the arrival of better services to consumers. Reformers are correct to emphasize that regulatory reform accompany privatization, as privatization without regulation reform may be costly to consumers. Wallsten explores the effects of privatization, competition, and regulation on telecommunications performance in 30 African and Latin American countries from 1984 through 1997. Competition is associated with tangible benefits in terms of mainline penetration, number of pay phones, connection capacity, and reduced prices. Fixed-effects regressions reveal that competition-measured by mobile operators not owned by the incumbent telecommunications provider-is correlated with increases in the per capita number of mainlines, pay phones, and connection capacity, and with decreases in the price of local calls. Privatizing an incumbent is negatively correlated with mainline penetration and connection capacity. Privatization combined with regulation by an independent regulator, however, is positively correlated with connection capacity and substantially mitigates privatization's negative correlation with mainline penetration. Reformers are right to emphasize a combination of privatization, competition, and regulation. But researchers must explore the permutations of regulation: What type of regulation do countries adopt (price caps versus cost-of-service, for example)? How does the regulatory agency work? What is its annual budget? How many employees does it have? Where do the regulators come from? What sort of training and experience do they have? What enforcement powers does the regulatory agency have? In addition, researchers must deal with endogeneity of privatization, competition, and regulation to deal with issues of causality. This paper-a product of Regulation and Competition Policy, Development Research Group-is part of a larger research effort to analyze the role of competition in telecommunications with special emphasis on Africa. The author may be contacted at wallstenstanford.edu
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  • 6
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (54 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Zaman, Hassan Assessing the Impact of Micro-credit on Poverty and Vulnerability in Bangladesh
    Keywords: Access To Cred Bank ; Banks and Banking Reform ; Borrowers ; Borrowing ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Cred Household Expenditure ; Debt Markets ; Economic Theory and Research ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Intermediation ; Financial Literacy ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Income ; Housing and Human Habitats ; Illiteracy ; Income ; Income Sources ; Investing ; Knowledge ; Loan ; Loan Period ; Loans ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Population Policies ; Poverty Reduction ; Risk Reduction ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Senior ; Student ; Supply ; Welfare ; Access To Cred Bank ; Banks and Banking Reform ; Borrowers ; Borrowing ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Cred Household Expenditure ; Debt Markets ; Economic Theory and Research ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Intermediation ; Financial Literacy ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Income ; Housing and Human Habitats ; Illiteracy ; Income ; Income Sources ; Investing ; Knowledge ; Loan ; Loan Period ; Loans ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Population Policies ; Poverty Reduction ; Risk Reduction ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Senior ; Student ; Supply ; Welfare
    Abstract: July 1999 - While micro-credit interventions can play an important role in reducing vulnerability through a number of channels, a significant impact on poverty reduction is achieved under more restrictive conditions. These conditions revolve around whether the borrower has crossed a cumulative loan threshold and on how poor the household is to start with. Zaman examines the extent to which micro-credit reduces poverty and vulnerability through a case study of BRAC, one of the largest providers of micro-credit to the poor in Bangladesh. Household consumption data collected from 1,072 households is used to show that the largest effect on poverty arises when a moderate-poor BRAC loanee borrows more that 10,000 taka (US
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  • 7
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (31 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Estache, Antonio Comparing the Performance of Public and Private Water Companies in the Asia and Pacific Region
    Keywords: E-Business ; Economic Theory and Research ; Education ; Ground Water ; Industry ; Infrastructure Economics and Finance ; Infrastructure Regulation ; Knowledge for Development ; Labor Policies ; Litres Per Day ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Number Of Connections ; Operational Costs ; Operational Expenses ; Performance Indicators ; Private Operators ; Private Sector Development ; Private Water Companies ; Public Utilities ; Raw Water ; Social Protections and Labor ; Surface Sources ; Surface Water ; Town ; Town Water Supply and Sanitation ; Urban Water Supply and Sanitation ; Utilities ; Water ; Water Conservation ; Water Distribution ; Water Production ; Water Resources ; Water Sector ; Water Services ; Water Supply and Sanitation ; Water Supply and Sanitation Governance and Institutions ; Water and Industry ; Wells ; E-Business ; Economic Theory and Research ; Education ; Ground Water ; Industry ; Infrastructure Economics and Finance ; Infrastructure Regulation ; Knowledge for Development ; Labor Policies ; Litres Per Day ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Number Of Connections ; Operational Costs ; Operational Expenses ; Performance Indicators ; Private Operators ; Private Sector Development ; Private Water Companies ; Public Utilities ; Raw Water ; Social Protections and Labor ; Surface Sources ; Surface Water ; Town ; Town Water Supply and Sanitation ; Urban Water Supply and Sanitation ; Utilities ; Water ; Water Conservation ; Water Distribution ; Water Production ; Water Resources ; Water Sector ; Water Services ; Water Supply and Sanitation ; Water Supply and Sanitation Governance and Institutions ; Water and Industry ; Wells
    Abstract: July 1999 - Efficiency indicators can be useful to regulators assessing the efficiency of an operation and the wedge between tariff and minimum costs. They allow regulators to control for factors over which the operators have no control (such as diversity of water sources, or water quality or user characteristics). Estache and Rossi estimate a stochastic costs frontier for a sample of Asian and Pacific water companies, comparing the performance of public and privatized companies based on detailed firm-specific information published by the Asian Development Bank in 1997. They find private operators of water companies to be more efficient than public operators. Costs in concessioned companies tend to be significantly lower than those in public companies. Estache and Rossi compare the ranking of these companies by efficiency performance (obtained from econometric estimates) with rankings by more standard qualitative and productivity indicators typically used to assess performance. They show that rankings based on standard indicators are not always very consistent. Productivity indicators recognize simple input-output relations, such as the number of workers per client or connection. Frontiers recognize the more complex nature of interactions between inputs and outputs. Cost frontiers show the costs as a function of the level of output (or outputs) and the prices of inputs, and are generally more useful to regulators assessing the wedge between tariff and minimum costs. Production frontiers reveal technical relations between firms' inputs and outputs and provide a useful backup when cost frontiers are difficult to assess for lack of data. This paper - a product of Governance, Regulation and Finance, World Bank Institute - is part of a larger effort in the institute to increase understanding of infrastructure regulation. Antonio Estache may be contacted at aestacheworldbank.org
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  • 8
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (64 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Melo, Martha The Russian City in Transition
    Keywords: Autonomy ; Capitals ; Cities ; City Development Strategies ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Debt Markets ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Employment ; Enterprises ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Fiscal Policy ; Housing ; ICT Policy and Strategies ; Industry ; Information and Communication Technologies ; Labor ; Labor Policies ; Large Cities ; Local Governments ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Municipal ; Municipal Financial Management ; Natural Resources ; Pricing ; Private Sector Development ; Privatization ; Public Sector Management and Reform ; Public Transport ; Services ; Social Protections and Labor ; Subnational Governance ; Subsidies ; Transport ; Urban Development ; Wages ; Autonomy ; Capitals ; Cities ; City Development Strategies ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Debt Markets ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Employment ; Enterprises ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Fiscal Policy ; Housing ; ICT Policy and Strategies ; Industry ; Information and Communication Technologies ; Labor ; Labor Policies ; Large Cities ; Local Governments ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Municipal ; Municipal Financial Management ; Natural Resources ; Pricing ; Private Sector Development ; Privatization ; Public Sector Management and Reform ; Public Transport ; Services ; Social Protections and Labor ; Subnational Governance ; Subsidies ; Transport ; Urban Development ; Wages
    Abstract: August 1999 - Reform in 10 regional capitals along the Volga River is associated with favorable initial conditions. And both reform and favorable initial conditions are associated with relatively successful economic outcomes - except where access to extra resources improves outcomes or where weak government undermines success. After studying the nature and variety of transition in 10 regional capitals of Russia, de Melo and Ofer observe that: ° All cities have experienced radical changes in their institutions and economies - changes associated on the one hand with the abolition of central planning and the introduction of freer markets, and on the other hand with political decentralization and the introduction of local elections. ° These changes have led to a wide diversity in economic and social outcomes, reflecting differences in the central government's (inequitable) economic relations with regions as well as differing local and regional policies. Most northern cities adopted policies more consistent with the central government's support of free market reforms; most southern (Red Belt) cities pursued more cautious, protective policies. ° City governments are using more proactive economic policies, including interventions to save local industries. Such efforts highlight the dual nature of the Russian transition, characterized by a shift in power from central to local government as well as from public to private enterprises. ° A major difficulty facing Russian cities is the cost of subsidies to housing and utilities. Real estate in general constitutes a major expenditure category for local government rather than, as in most western cities, a major source of revenue. A transition in this area alone could revolutionize the finances and independence of Russian cities. ° The jury is still out on what the right social and industrial policies were during the first years of reform. Ulyanovsk clearly lagged on market reforms, and Saratov represents a model of liberalization without institutional support. Both extremes have failed, but so far the social consequences of the Saratov model appear to be worse than those of the Ulyanovsk model. ° With the credibility of Russia's federal government at an all-time low, foreign investors have no choice but to rely on the competence and reliability of local leaders, especially mayors and governors. They will be looking for evidence of accountability in the form of the rule of law, and transparency in the form of reliable public information. Information at the city level - often unavailable and not easily accessible - would be very useful in attracting local researchers to monitor progress (as a basis for accountability) and diagnose problems (as a basis for public policy debate and political decisions). This paper - a product of Public Economics, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study the causes and effects of fiscal decentralization. The project was carried out in cooperation with the New Economic School (NES) in Moscow. This is the first of two papers on the Volga cities. The authors may be contacted at rhanrotterols.com or gur.ofer@yale.edu
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  • 9
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (20 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Canning, David Infrastructure's Contribution to Aggregate Output
    Keywords: Capital ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Externalities ; Externality ; Human Capital ; Income ; Income Levels ; Inputs ; Investment ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Marginal Productivity ; Marginal Products ; Outcomes ; Prices ; Production ; Production Function ; Productivity ; Social Protections and Labor ; Taxation ; Telecommunications ; Theory ; Total Factor Productivity ; Transport ; Transport Economics, Policy and Planning ; Variables ; Capital ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Externalities ; Externality ; Human Capital ; Income ; Income Levels ; Inputs ; Investment ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Marginal Productivity ; Marginal Products ; Outcomes ; Prices ; Production ; Production Function ; Productivity ; Social Protections and Labor ; Taxation ; Telecommunications ; Theory ; Total Factor Productivity ; Transport ; Transport Economics, Policy and Planning ; Variables
    Abstract: Of the major kinds of physical infrastructure, electricity generating capacity has roughly the same marginal productivity as physical capital as a whole. So have roads-plus-rail, globally and in lower-income countries. Telephones, however, and transport routes in higher-income countries, have higher marginal productivity than other kinds of capital. - Using panel data for a cross-section of countries, Canning estimates an aggregate production function that includes infrastructure capital. He finds that: · The productivity of physical and human capital is close to the levels suggested by microeconomic evidence on their private returns. · Electricity generating capacity and transportation networks have roughly the same marginal productivity as capital as a whole. · Telephone networks appear to show higher marginal productivity than other types of capital. Panel data cointegration methods used in estimation take account of the nonstationary nature of the data, are robust to reverse causation, and allow for different levels of productivity and different short-run business-cycle and multiplier relationships across countries. This paper - a product of Public Economics, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study the impact of public expenditures. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project Infrastructure and Growth: A Multicountry Panel Study (RPO 680-89). The author may be contacted at d.canningqub.ac.uk
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  • 10
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (32 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Estache, Antonio Universal Service Obligations in Utility Concession Contracts and the Needs of the Poor in Argentina's Privatizations
    Keywords: Bank ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Consumer ; Consumers ; Customers ; Debt Markets ; Demand ; Disabilities ; E-Business ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Energy ; Energy Production and Transportation ; Expenses ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Housing and Human Habitats ; Income ; Income Level ; Industry ; Investment ; Lack Of Interest ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets and Market Access ; Pensioners ; Population ; Private Sector Development ; Profits ; Public Sector Economics and Finance ; Savings ; Subsidies ; Supply ; Technology Industry ; Valuable ; Valuation ; Worth ; Bank ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Consumer ; Consumers ; Customers ; Debt Markets ; Demand ; Disabilities ; E-Business ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Energy ; Energy Production and Transportation ; Expenses ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Housing and Human Habitats ; Income ; Income Level ; Industry ; Investment ; Lack Of Interest ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets and Market Access ; Pensioners ; Population ; Private Sector Development ; Profits ; Public Sector Economics and Finance ; Savings ; Subsidies ; Supply ; Technology Industry ; Valuable ; Valuation ; Worth
    Abstract: The structural changes that come with privatization may induce a reconsideration of the regulations defined during the early stages of privatization. - Chisari and Estache summarize the main lessons emerging from Argentina's experience, including universal service obligations in concession contracts. They discuss free-riding risks, moral hazard problems, and other issues that arise when social concerns are delegated to private operators. After reporting on Argentina's experience, Chisari and Estache suggest some guidelines: · Anticipate interjurisdictional externalities. Users' mobility makes targeting service obligations difficult. · Minimize the risks imposed by elusive demand. In providing new services, a gradual policy may work better than a shock. · Realize that unemployment leads to delinquency and lower expected tariffs. Elasticity of fixed and usage charges is important. · Deal with the fact that the poor have limited access to credit. Ultimately, plans that included credit for the payment of infrastructure charges were not that successful. · Coordinate regulatory, employment, and social policy. One successful plan to provide universal service involved employing workers from poor families in infrastructure extension works. · Beware of the latent opportunism of users who benefit from special programs. Special treatment of a sector may encourage free-riding (for example, pensioners overused the telephone until a limit was placed on the number of subsidized phone calls they could make). · Fixed allocations for payment of services do not ensure that universal service obligations will be met. How do you deal with the problem that many pensioners do not pay their bills? · Anticipate that operators will have more information than regulators do. If companies exaggerate supply costs in remote areas, direct interaction with poor users there may lead to the selection of more cost-effective technologies. · Tailored programs are often much more effective than standardized programs. They are clearly more expensive but, when demand-driven, are also more effective. This paper - a product of Governance, Regulation, and Finance, World Bank Institute - is part of a larger effort in the institute to increase understanding of infrastructure regulation. The authors may be contacted at ochisariuade.edu or aestache@worldbank.org
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  • 11
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (38 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Venables, Anthony Geographical Disadvantage
    Keywords: Benchmark ; Economic Structures ; Elasticities ; Elasticity ; Exports ; Goods ; High Transport ; Income ; Infrastructure ; Outcomes ; Price Changes ; Prices ; Production ; Theory ; Trade ; Trade Liberalization ; Transport ; Transport ; Transport Costs ; Transport Economics, Policy and Planning ; Variables ; Welfare ; Benchmark ; Economic Structures ; Elasticities ; Elasticity ; Exports ; Goods ; High Transport ; Income ; Infrastructure ; Outcomes ; Price Changes ; Prices ; Production ; Theory ; Trade ; Trade Liberalization ; Transport ; Transport ; Transport Costs ; Transport Economics, Policy and Planning ; Variables ; Welfare
    Abstract: What effect does distance have on costs for economies at different locations? Exports and imports of final and intermediate goods bear transport costs that increase with distance. Production and trade depend on factor endowments and factor intensities as well as on distance and the transport intensities of different goods. - The combination of distance, poor infrastructure, and being landlocked by neighbors with poor infrastructure can make transport costs many times higher for some developing countries than for most others. Drawing on two traditions of economic modeling - Heckscher-Ohlin trade theory and von Thunen's work on the isolated state - Venables and Limão analyze the trade and production patterns of countries located at varying distances from an economic center. Predicting a country's production and trade pattern requires knowledge of the country's location, its factor endowment, and the factor intensities and transport intensities of goods. Venables and Limão define transport intensity and show how location and transport intensity should be combined with factor abundance and factor intensity in determining trade flows. A theory based on only one set of those variables, such as factor abundance, will systematically make incorrect predictions. They report that geography and endowments interact in such a way that the world divides up into economic zones with different trade patterns. Countries close to the economic center may specialize in transport-intensive activities; countries further out become diversified, producing and sometimes trading more goods; countries still further out may become import-substituting (replacing some of their imports from the center with local production); in the extreme, regions become autarkic. More remote locations have lower real incomes. Globalization changes the terms of trade, improving the welfare of regions further out from economic centers, though reducing the welfare of closer regions. Where will a new activity, such as assembly of a new product, locate? Remote locations are disadvantaged if the product has high transport intensity (perhaps because of heavy requirements for intermediate inputs). But the costs of remoteness are already incorporated into the factor prices of those regions, which makes them more attractive. Which location is chosen depends, therefore, on how existing activities compare with the new activity in transport intensity and factor intensity. This paper - a product of Trade, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study the location of economic activity. The authors may be contacted at avenablesworldbank.org or ngl4@columbia.edu
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  • 12
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (32 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Reinikka, Ritva How Inadequate Provision of Public Infrastructure and Services Affects Private Investment
    Keywords: Bottlenecks ; Capital Stock ; Debt Markets ; Emerging Markets ; Employment ; Equipment ; Finance ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; IRU ; Infrastructure ; Interest ; Interest Rates ; International Economics & Trade ; Investment ; Investment Rate ; Investment Rates ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Labor Policies ; M1 ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Non Bank Financial Institutions ; Prices ; Private Sector Development ; Prof Standard Errors ; Roads and Highways ; Social Protections and Labor ; Statistics ; Tax ; Taxes ; Trade and Regional Integration ; Transport ; Vdu ; Bottlenecks ; Capital Stock ; Debt Markets ; Emerging Markets ; Employment ; Equipment ; Finance ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; IRU ; Infrastructure ; Interest ; Interest Rates ; International Economics & Trade ; Investment ; Investment Rate ; Investment Rates ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Labor Policies ; M1 ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Non Bank Financial Institutions ; Prices ; Private Sector Development ; Prof Standard Errors ; Roads and Highways ; Social Protections and Labor ; Statistics ; Tax ; Taxes ; Trade and Regional Integration ; Transport ; Vdu
    Abstract: Evidence from Uganda shows that poor public provision of infrastructure services - proxied by an unreliable and inadequate power supply - significantly reduces productive private investment. - Lack of private investment is a serious policy problem in many developing countries, especially in Africa. Despite recent structural reform and stabilization, the investment response to date has been mixed, even among the strongest reformers. The role of poor infrastructure and deficient public services has received little attention in the economic literature, where the effect of public spending and investment on growth is shown to be at best ambiguous. Reinikka and Svensson use unique microeconomic evidence to show the effects of poor infrastructure services on private investment in Uganda. They find that poor public capital, proxied by an unreliable and inadequate power supply, significantly reduces productive private investment. Firms can substitute for inadequate provision of public capital by investing in it themselves. This comes at a cost, however: the installation of less productive capital. These results have clear policy implications. Although macroeconomic reforms and stabilization are necessary conditions for sustained growth and private investment, without an accompanying improvement in the public sector's performance, the private supply response to macroeconomic policy reform is likely to remain limited. This paper - a product of Public Economics and Macroeconomics and Growth, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study public service delivery and economic growth. The authors may be contacted at rreinikkaworldbank.org or jsvensson@worldbank.org
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  • 13
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (32 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Wang, Hua Willingness to Pay for Air Quality Improvements in Sofia, Bulgaria
    Keywords: Air Pollution ; Air Quality and Clean Air ; Biodiversity ; Choice ; Contingent Valuation ; Debt Markets ; Distribution ; E-Business ; Econometric Analyses ; Econometric Analysis ; Econometric Models ; Economic Theory and Research ; Economic Value ; Elasticity ; Emerging Markets ; Environment ; Environmental Economics and Policies ; Exogenous Variables ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Future Studies ; Goods ; Income ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets and Market Access ; Payments ; Positive Effects ; Prices ; Private Sector Development ; Public Good ; Utility ; Utility Function ; Variables ; Air Pollution ; Air Quality and Clean Air ; Biodiversity ; Choice ; Contingent Valuation ; Debt Markets ; Distribution ; E-Business ; Econometric Analyses ; Econometric Analysis ; Econometric Models ; Economic Theory and Research ; Economic Value ; Elasticity ; Emerging Markets ; Environment ; Environmental Economics and Policies ; Exogenous Variables ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Future Studies ; Goods ; Income ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets and Market Access ; Payments ; Positive Effects ; Prices ; Private Sector Development ; Public Good ; Utility ; Utility Function ; Variables
    Abstract: January 2000 - People in Sofia are willing to pay 4.2 percent of their income or more for a program to improve air quality. Through a survey, Wang and Whittington study willingness to pay for improvements in air quality in Sofia, Bulgaria. Using a stochastic payment card approach - asking respondents the likelihood that they would agree to pay a series of prices - they estimate the distribution of willingness to pay various prices. They find that people in Sofia are willing to pay up to about 4.2 percent of their income for a program to improve air quality. The income elasticity of willingness to pay for air quality improvements is about 27 percent. For comparison, they also used the referendum contingent valuation approach. Results from that approach yielded a higher estimate of willingness to pay. This paper - a product of Infrastructure and Environment, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the economics of pollution control in developing countries. Copies of the paper are available from Hua Wang may be contacted at hwang1worldbank.org
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  • 14
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (38 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Walle, devan Dominique Sources of Ethnic Inequality in Vietnam
    Keywords: Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems ; Agriculture ; Basic Infrastructure ; Cash Crops ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Debt Markets ; Development Policies ; Disability ; Discrimination ; Ethnic Groups ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Health Care ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Housing and Human Habitats ; Ill-Health ; Income Inequality ; Indigenous Practices ; Knowledge ; Land Tenure ; Large Population ; Living Standards ; Minority ; Policies ; Policy ; Population Policies ; Poverty ; Poverty Reduction ; Public Services ; Rural Areas ; Rural Development ; Rural Development ; Rural Development Knowledge and Information Systems ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Social Protections and Labor ; Urban Development ; Urban Housing ; Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems ; Agriculture ; Basic Infrastructure ; Cash Crops ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Debt Markets ; Development Policies ; Disability ; Discrimination ; Ethnic Groups ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Health Care ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Housing and Human Habitats ; Ill-Health ; Income Inequality ; Indigenous Practices ; Knowledge ; Land Tenure ; Large Population ; Living Standards ; Minority ; Policies ; Policy ; Population Policies ; Poverty ; Poverty Reduction ; Public Services ; Rural Areas ; Rural Development ; Rural Development ; Rural Development Knowledge and Information Systems ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Social Protections and Labor ; Urban Development ; Urban Housing
    Abstract: March 2000 - To redress ethnic inequality in Vietnam, it is not enough to target poor areas. Policies must be designed to reach minority households in poor areas, to open up options by ensuring that minority groups are not disadvantaged (in labor markets, for example), to change the conditions that have caused their isolation and social exclusion, and to explicitly recognize behavior patterns (including compensating behavior) that have served the minorities well but intensify ethnic inequalities in the longer term. Vietnam's ethnic minorities, who tend to live mostly in remote rural areas, typically have lower living standards than the ethnic majority. How much is this because of differences in economic characteristics (such as education levels and land) rather than low returns to characteristics? Is there a self-reinforcing culture of poverty in the minority groups, reflecting patterns of past discrimination? Van de Walle and Gunewardena find that differences in levels of living are due in part to the fact that the minorities live in less productive areas characterized by difficult terrain, poor infrastructure, less access to off-farm work and the market economy, and inferior access to education. Geographic disparities tend to persist because of immobility and regional differences in living standards. But the authors also find large differences within geographical areas even after controlling for household characteristics. They find differences in returns to productive characteristics to be the most important explanation for ethnic inequality. But the minorities do not obtain lower returns to all characteristics. There is evidence of compensating behavior. For example, pure returns to location - even in remote, inhospitable areas - tend to be higher for minorities, though not high enough to overcome the large consumption difference with the majority. The majority ethnic group's model of income generation is a poor guide on how to fight poverty among ethnic minority groups. Nor is it enough to target poor areas to redress ethnic inequality. Policies must be designed to reach minority households in poor areas and to explicitly recognize behavior patterns (including compensating behavior) that have served the minorities well in the short term but intensify ethnic inequalities in the longer term. It will be important to open up options for minority groups both by ensuring that they are not disadvantaged (in labor markets, for example), and by changing the conditions that have caused their isolation and social exclusion. This paper - a product of Public Economics and Rural Development, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the determinants of poverty and the policy implications. Dominique van de Walle may be contacted at dvandewalleworldbank.org
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  • 15
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (42 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Ravallion, Martin Identifying Welfare Effects from Subjective Questions
    Keywords: Bank ; Current Income ; Economic Theory and Research ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Financial Support ; Future Incomes ; Household Income ; Household Incomes ; Income ; Incomes ; Inequality ; Information ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Money ; Monthly Income ; Personality Tra Personality Traits ; Population ; Poverty Diagnostics ; Poverty Impact Evaluation ; Poverty Monitoring and Analysis ; Poverty Reduction ; Psychological Traits ; Questionnaire ; Savings ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Social Protections and Labor ; Unemployed ; Unemployment ; Welfare ; Bank ; Current Income ; Economic Theory and Research ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Financial Support ; Future Incomes ; Household Income ; Household Incomes ; Income ; Incomes ; Inequality ; Information ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Money ; Monthly Income ; Personality Tra Personality Traits ; Population ; Poverty Diagnostics ; Poverty Impact Evaluation ; Poverty Monitoring and Analysis ; Poverty Reduction ; Psychological Traits ; Questionnaire ; Savings ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Social Protections and Labor ; Unemployed ; Unemployment ; Welfare
    Abstract: March 2000 - In subjective surveys, people who become ill or lose their jobs report reduced well-being, even if they later get a job. Perhaps their exposure to uninsured risk outside the formal employment sector reduces their expectations about future income. Do potential biases cloud the inferences that can be drawn from subjective surveys? Ravallion and Lokshin argue that the welfare inferences drawn from subjective answers to questions on qualitative surveys are clouded by concerns about the structure of measurement errors and how latent psychological factors influence observed respondent characteristics. They propose a panel data model that allows more robust tests. In applying the model to high-quality panel data for Russia for 1994-96, they find that some results widely reported in past studies of subjective well-being appear to be robust but others do not. Household income, for example, is a highly significant predictor of self-rated economic welfare; per capita income is a weaker predictor. Ill health and loss of a job reduce self-reported economic welfare, but demographic effects are weak at a given current income. And the effect of unemployment is not robust. Returning to work does not restore a sense of welfare unless there is an income gain. The results imply that even transient unemployment brings the feeling of a permanent welfare loss, suggesting that high unemployment benefits do not attract people out of work but do discourage a return to work. This paper - a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the relationship between subjective and objective economic welfare. The authors may be contacted at mravallionworldbank.org and mlokshin@worldbank.org
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  • 16
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (46 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Pritchett, Lant The Tyranny of Concepts
    Keywords: Accumulation ; Assets ; Capital ; Commodity Prices ; Cost Of Capital ; Debt Markets ; Disclosure ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Expected Value ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Investment ; Investment Flows ; Investment Spending ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Investments ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Non Bank Financial Institutions ; Ownership ; Private Capital ; Private Investors ; Private Sector Development ; Productive Capital ; Profitability ; Public Investment ; Public Sector Economics and Finance ; Share ; Shareholder Value ; Social Protections and Labor ; Value ; Accumulation ; Assets ; Capital ; Commodity Prices ; Cost Of Capital ; Debt Markets ; Disclosure ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Expected Value ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Investment ; Investment Flows ; Investment Spending ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Investments ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Non Bank Financial Institutions ; Ownership ; Private Capital ; Private Investors ; Private Sector Development ; Productive Capital ; Profitability ; Public Investment ; Public Sector Economics and Finance ; Share ; Shareholder Value ; Social Protections and Labor ; Value
    Abstract: May 2000 - Using the word capital to represent two different concepts is not such a problem when government is responsible for only a small fraction of national investment and is reasonably effective (as in the United States). But when government is a major investor and is ineffective, the gap between capital and cumulative, depreciated investment effort (CUDIE) may be enormous. A public sector steel mill may absorb billions as an investment, but if it cannot produce steel it has zero value as capital. The cost of public investment is not the value of public capital. Unlike for private investors, there is no remotely plausible behavioral model of the government as investor that suggests that every dollar the public sector spends as investment creates capital in an economic sense. This seemingly obvious point has so far been uniformly ignored in the voluminous empirical literature on economic growth, which uses, at best, cumulated, depreciated investment effort (CUDIE) to estimate capital stocks. But in developing countries especially, the difference between investment cumulated at cost and capital value is of primary empirical importance: government investment is half or more of total investment. And perhaps as much as half or more of government investment spending has not created equivalent capital. This suggests that nearly everything empirical written in three broad areas is misguided. First, none of the estimates of the impact of public spending identify the productivity of public capital. Even where public capital could be very productive, regressions and evaluations may suggest that public investment spending has little impact. Second, everything currently said about total factor productivity in developing countries is deeply suspect, as there is no way empirically to distinguish between low output (or growth) attributable to investments that created no factors and low output (or growth) attributable to low (or slow growth in) productivity in using accumulated factors. Third, multivariate growth regressions to date have not, in fact, controlled for the growth of capital stock, so spurious interpretations have emerged. This paper - a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the importance of public sector actions for economic growth
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  • 17
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (38 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Dailami, Mansoor Financial Openness, Democracy, and Redistributive Policy
    Keywords: Banks and Banking Reform ; Bonds ; Capital Flows ; Capital Movements ; Currencies and Exchange Rates ; Debt Markets ; Developing Countries ; Economic Efficiency ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Financial Openness ; Free Capital ; Future ; Governance ; Governance Indicators ; Government Policies ; Information Technologies ; Insurance ; International Capital ; International Capital Mobility ; International Financial Markets ; International Financial System ; International Lending ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomic Management ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Market ; Market Integration ; Moral Hazard ; Political Economy ; Political Economy ; Private Sector Development ; Social Protections and Labor ; Banks and Banking Reform ; Bonds ; Capital Flows ; Capital Movements ; Currencies and Exchange Rates ; Debt Markets ; Developing Countries ; Economic Efficiency ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Financial Openness ; Free Capital ; Future ; Governance ; Governance Indicators ; Government Policies ; Information Technologies ; Insurance ; International Capital ; International Capital Mobility ; International Financial Markets ; International Financial System ; International Lending ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomic Management ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Market ; Market Integration ; Moral Hazard ; Political Economy ; Political Economy ; Private Sector Development ; Social Protections and Labor
    Abstract: June 2000 - What explains the spread of both democracy and financial openness at this time in history, given the constraining impact of financial market integration on national policy autonomy? International policy coordination is part of the answer, but not all. Also important is the presence of cost-effective redistributive schemes that provide insurance against the risk of financial instability. The debate about the relationship between democratic forms of government and the free movement of capital across borders dates to the 18th century. It has regained prominence as capital on a massive scale has become increasingly mobile and as free economies experience continuous pressure from rapidly changing technology, market integration, changing consumer preferences, and intensified competition. These changes imply greater uncertainty about citizens' future income positions, which could prompt them to seek insurance through the marketplace or through constitutionally arranged income redistribution. As more countries move toward democracy, the availability of such insurance mechanisms to citizens is key if political pressure for capital controls is to be averted and if public support for an open, liberal international financial order is to be maintained. Dailami briefly reviews how today's international financial system evolved from one of mostly closed capital accounts immediately after World War II to today's enormous, largely free-flowing market. Drawing on insights from the literature on public choice and constitutional political economy, Dailami develops an analytical framework for a welfare cost-benefit analysis of financial openness to international capital flows. The main welfare benefits of financial openness derive from greater economic efficiency and increased opportunities for risk diversification. The welfare costs relate to the cost of insurance used as a mechanism for coping with the risks of financial volatility. These insurance costs are the economic losses associated with redistribution, including moral hazard, rent-seeking, and rent-avoidance. A cross-sectional analysis of a large sample of developed and developing countries shows the positive correlation between democracy (as defined by political and civil liberty) and financial openness. More rigorous econometric investigation using logit analysis and controlling for level of income also shows that redistributive social policies are key in determining the likelihood that countries can successfully combine an openness to international capital mobility with democratic forms of government. This paper - a product of Governance, Regulation, and Finance, World Bank Institute- is part of a broader research effort on The Quality of Growth. The author may be contacted at mdailamiworldbank.org
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  • 18
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (40 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Belser, Patrick Vietnam
    Keywords: Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Employment ; Employment Growth ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Household Survey ; Human Resources ; International Economics & Trade ; Jobs ; Labor ; Labor Market ; Labor Market Reforms ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Labor Productivity ; Labor Regulations ; Labor-Intensive Growth ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Minimum Wages ; Private Companies ; Private Sector ; Private Sector Development ; Productivity Gap ; Productivity Growth ; Public Sector Development ; Social Protections and Labor ; Total Employment ; Total Labor Force ; Trade Policy ; Worker ; Workers ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Employment ; Employment Growth ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Household Survey ; Human Resources ; International Economics & Trade ; Jobs ; Labor ; Labor Market ; Labor Market Reforms ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Labor Productivity ; Labor Regulations ; Labor-Intensive Growth ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Minimum Wages ; Private Companies ; Private Sector ; Private Sector Development ; Productivity Gap ; Productivity Growth ; Public Sector Development ; Social Protections and Labor ; Total Employment ; Total Labor Force ; Trade Policy ; Worker ; Workers
    Abstract: July 2000 - Between 1993 and 1997, Vietnam was one of the fastest growing economies, with GDP increasing almost 9 percent a year and the industrial sector expanding roughly 13 percent a year. But did employment also grow at a fast pace? And is Vietnam due for labor-intensive growth? Since Vietnam's adoption of the doi moi or renovation policy in 1986, the country has been undergoing the transition from central planning to a socialist market-oriented economy. This has translated into strong economic growth, led by the industrial sector, which expanded more than 13 percent a year from 1993 to 1997. Vietnamese policymakers are concerned, however, that employment growth has lagged. To address this concern, Belser compares new employment data from the Vietnam Living Standards Survey (VLSS 2), completed in 1997-98, with data from the first household survey undertaken in 1992-93. He shows that in 1993-97, industrial employment grew an average of about 4 percent a year, which is low compared with industrial GDP growth. This slower growth was attributable to the capital-intensive, import-substituting nature of the state sector and foreign investment, which dominate industry. The more labor-intensive, export-oriented domestic private sector is still small, although growing quickly. In the future, growth promises to become more labor-intensive. Before the Asian crisis there were signs of an emerging export-oriented sector. Using previous statistical analysis (Wood and Mayer 1998) as well as factor content calculations, Belser estimates that given Vietnam's endowment of natural and human resources, Vietnam could triple its manufacturing exports and create about 1.6 million manufacturing jobs in export sectors in the near future. After examining Vietnam's labor regulations, Belser concludes that there is no need for basic reform of the labor market. At current levels, minimum wages and nonwage regulations (even if better enforced) are unlikely to inhibit development of the private sector or hurt export competitiveness. But a restrictive interpretation of the Labor Code's provisions on terminating employment could hurt foreign investment, reduce the speed of reform in the state sector, and slow the reallocation of resources to the domestic private sector. This paper - a product of the Vietnam Country Office, East Asia and Pacific Region - was prepared as a background paper for the Vietnam Development Report 2000, Vietnam: Attacking Poverty, a joint report of the Government of Vietnam-Donor-NGO Poverty Working Group. The author may be contacted at pbelserworldbank.org
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  • 19
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (44 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Knack, Stephen Aid Dependence and the Quality of Governance
    Keywords: Accountability ; Aid Dependence ; Bureaucracy ; Bureaucratic Quality ; Corruption ; Country Data ; Development Economics and Aid Effectiveness ; Disability ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Education ; Emerging Markets ; Foreign Aid ; Gender ; Gender and Health ; Good Governance ; Governance ; Governance ; Governance Indicators ; Growth ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Income ; Income Growth ; Institutional Quality ; Institutions ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; National Governance ; Natural Resources ; Per Capita Incomes ; Policy Implications ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Corruption and Anticorruption Measures ; Reverse Causality ; Rule Of Law ; School Health ; Social Protections and Labor ; Accountability ; Aid Dependence ; Bureaucracy ; Bureaucratic Quality ; Corruption ; Country Data ; Development Economics and Aid Effectiveness ; Disability ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Education ; Emerging Markets ; Foreign Aid ; Gender ; Gender and Health ; Good Governance ; Governance ; Governance ; Governance Indicators ; Growth ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Income ; Income Growth ; Institutional Quality ; Institutions ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; National Governance ; Natural Resources ; Per Capita Incomes ; Policy Implications ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Corruption and Anticorruption Measures ; Reverse Causality ; Rule Of Law ; School Health ; Social Protections and Labor
    Abstract: July 2000 - Do higher levels of aid erode the very quality of governance poor countries need for sustained and rapid income growth? Good governance-in the form of institutions that establish predictable, impartial, and consistently enforced rules for investors-is crucial for the sustained and rapid growth of per capita incomes in poor countries. Aid dependence can undermine institutional quality by weakening accountability, encouraging rent seeking and corruption, fomenting conflict over control of aid funds, siphoning off scarce talent from the bureaucracy, and alleviating pressures to reform inefficient policies and institutions. Knack's analyses of cross-country data provide evidence that higher aid levels erode the quality of governance, as measured by indexes of bureaucratic quality, corruption, and the rule of law. This negative relationship strengthens when instruments for aid are used to correct for potential reverse causality. It is robust to changes in the sample and to several alternative forms of estimation. Recent studies have concluded that aid's impact on economic growth and infant mortality is conditional on policy and institutional gaps. Knack's results indicate that the size of the institutional gap itself increases with aid levels. This paper-a product of Regulation and Competition Policy, Development Research Group-is part of a larger effort in the group to identify the determinants of good governance and institutions conducive to long-run economic development. The author may be contacted at sknackworldbank.org
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  • 20
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (34 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Hoekman, Bernard Multilateral Disciplines for Investment-Related Policies
    Keywords: Costs ; Debt Markets ; Economic Theory and Research ; Economics ; Economy ; Emerging Markets ; Expectations ; Exports ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Foreign Direct Investment ; Free Trade ; Goods ; Incentives ; International Economics & Trade ; Investment ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets ; Multilateral Trade ; Non Bank Financial Institutions ; Payments ; Positive Externalities ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Corruption and Anticorruption Measures ; Risk Averse ; Social Protections and Labor ; Subsidy ; Trade Negotiations ; Trade and Regional Integration ; Transactions Costs ; Value ; Value Added ; WTO ; Welfare ; Costs ; Debt Markets ; Economic Theory and Research ; Economics ; Economy ; Emerging Markets ; Expectations ; Exports ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Foreign Direct Investment ; Free Trade ; Goods ; Incentives ; International Economics & Trade ; Investment ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets ; Multilateral Trade ; Non Bank Financial Institutions ; Payments ; Positive Externalities ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Corruption and Anticorruption Measures ; Risk Averse ; Social Protections and Labor ; Subsidy ; Trade Negotiations ; Trade and Regional Integration ; Transactions Costs ; Value ; Value Added ; WTO ; Welfare
    Abstract: June 1999 - Is there a strong case for developing countries to support the creation of a multilateral agreement on investment? Probably not. Existing agreements offer ample scope for liberalizing foreign direct investment in the area that matters most to developing countries: services. Hoekman and Saggi evaluate the potential benefits of international disciplines on policies toward foreign direct investment for developing countries. They conclude that the case for initiating negotiations on investment policies is weak, at present. Negotiating efforts that center on further liberalizing market access on a nondiscriminatory basis-especially for services-are likely to be more fruitful in terms of economic welfare and growth. Existing multilateral instruments, although imperfect, are far from fully exploited and provide significant opportunities for governments opening further access to markets. Hoekman and Saggi conclude that priority should be given to expanding coverage of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) before seeking to negotiate general disciplines on investment policies. This paper-a product of Trade, Development Research Group-is part of a larger effort in the group to prepare for the next round of WTO negotiations. The authors may be contacted at bhoekmanworldbank.org or ksaggi @mail.smu.edu
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  • 21
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (54 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Verner, Dorte Wage and Productivity Gaps
    Keywords: Access and Equity in Basic Education ; Demand ; Earnings ; Economic Theory and Research ; Education ; Education ; Education for All ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Information ; Investing ; Investment ; Labor Force ; Labor Market ; Labor Markets ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Large Enterprises ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Population ; Primary Education ; Productivity ; Questionnaire ; Regression Analyses ; Research Assistance ; Sales ; Social Protections and Labor ; Supply ; Tertiary Education ; Training ; Wage ; Wages ; Access and Equity in Basic Education ; Demand ; Earnings ; Economic Theory and Research ; Education ; Education ; Education for All ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Information ; Investing ; Investment ; Labor Force ; Labor Market ; Labor Markets ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Large Enterprises ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Population ; Primary Education ; Productivity ; Questionnaire ; Regression Analyses ; Research Assistance ; Sales ; Social Protections and Labor ; Supply ; Tertiary Education ; Training ; Wage ; Wages
    Abstract: August 1999 - This paper studies labor market outcomes in Ghana. The analysis focuses on the formal manufacturing wage sector and, more specifically, on the determinants of wages and productivity for various groups of workers. It tests hypotheses that relate to the impacts of individual and enterprise characteristics on wages. Furthermore, it compares the marginal impact of each of these characteristics on wages with their respective impact on labor productivity. The results may indicate whether, for example, there exists a spot labor market, discrimination, and/or structural differences among sectors and groups of workers. The paper analyzes whether experience, training, and education impact wages and productivity. In recent years, analysts have paid a lot of attention to the impacts of education and labor force training. The rationale for investing in human capital is that a more skilled and educated labor force is more productive than a less educated one. Therefore, policymakers emphasize investment in human capital because they believe that, in general, it increases labor productivity. However, there is not have much evidence of this relationship in the Africa region.11 Glewwe (1996) finds that there is no return to human capital in Ghana. This paper aims partially at filling this void by presenting evidence on the direct impact of education, training, and experience on productivity for different groups of workers using econometric regression analyses. It looks at whether Ghanaian labor markets are characterized by gender discrimination. It analyzes whether the labor markets are competitive. And it looks at whether union membership, manufacturing sector, and firm location affect labor market outcomes. This paper-a product of Human Development 3, Africa Technical Families-is part of a larger effort in the region to understand how labor markets work in Africa. The author may be contacted at dvernerworldbank.org
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  • 22
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (78 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Barros, de Paes Ricardo The Slippery Slope
    Keywords: Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Extreme Poverty ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Formal Safety Nets ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Composition ; Household Income ; Household Per Capita Income ; Income ; Income Distribution ; Income Inequality ; Inequality ; Inequality ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Measures ; Poor ; Poor Households ; Population Policies ; Poverty Incidence ; Poverty Indices ; Poverty Line ; Poverty Lines ; Poverty Measures ; Poverty Reduction ; Pro-Poor Growth ; Rural ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Social Protections and Labor ; Unemployment ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Extreme Poverty ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Formal Safety Nets ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Composition ; Household Income ; Household Per Capita Income ; Income ; Income Distribution ; Income Inequality ; Inequality ; Inequality ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Measures ; Poor ; Poor Households ; Population Policies ; Poverty Incidence ; Poverty Indices ; Poverty Line ; Poverty Lines ; Poverty Measures ; Poverty Reduction ; Pro-Poor Growth ; Rural ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Social Protections and Labor ; Unemployment
    Abstract: October 1999 - During the turbulent years 1976-96, aggregate data for Brazil appear to show only small changes in mean income, inequality, and incidence of poverty - suggesting little change in the distribution of income. But a small group of urban households - excluded from formal labor markets and safety nets - was trapped in indigence. Based on welfare measured in terms of income alone, the poorest part of urban Brazil has experienced two lost decades. Despite tremendous macroeconomic instability in Brazil, the country's distributions of urban income in 1976 and 1996 appear, at first glance, deceptively similar. Mean household income per capita was stagnant, with minute accumulated growth (4.3 percent) over the two decades. The Gini coefficient hovered just above 0.59 in both years, and the incidence of poverty (relative to a poverty line of R
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  • 23
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (60 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Okrasa, Wlodzimierz Who Avoids and Who Escapes from Poverty during the Transition?
    Keywords: Chronic Poverty ; Employment Income ; Farm Self-Employment ; Food Consumption ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Budget ; Household Income ; Household Welfare ; Human Capital ; Human Development ; Idiosyncratic Shocks ; Income ; Income Inequality ; Measures ; Poor ; Population Policies ; Poverty ; Poverty Line ; Poverty Reduction ; Poverty Reduction ; Poverty Reduction Strategy ; Rural ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Unemployment ; Chronic Poverty ; Employment Income ; Farm Self-Employment ; Food Consumption ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Budget ; Household Income ; Household Welfare ; Human Capital ; Human Development ; Idiosyncratic Shocks ; Income ; Income Inequality ; Measures ; Poor ; Population Policies ; Poverty ; Poverty Line ; Poverty Reduction ; Poverty Reduction ; Poverty Reduction Strategy ; Rural ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Unemployment
    Abstract: November 1999 - There is a tendency toward chronic, long-term poverty in Poland. Most at risk: larger households, farm households, and households dependent on social welfare. Least at risk: households of employees or the self-employed, educated households, households headed by pensioners, households that are part of kinship networks, and households with liquid assets, durables, or access to financial resources. Among those who missed out on the benefits of the first phase of economic prosperity, children are overrepresented. Okrasa uses four-year panel data from Poland's Household Budget Survey to explore the distinction between transitory and long-term poverty, a crucial distinction in designing and evaluating poverty reduction strategies. Okrasa analyzes household welfare trajectories during the period 1993-96, to identify the long-term poor and to determine how relevant household asset endowments are as determinants of household poverty and vulnerability over time. He concludes that the chronically poor constitute a distinct and separate segment of the population, with low turnover. Among specific observations about factors that affect Poland's long-term poverty: · Variables in human capital significantly affected the pattern of repeated poverty and vulnerability. Larger households tended to experience poverty and vulnerability, mostly because they contained more children or other dependents. Households with elderly members and those headed by older people, by women rather than men, and by educated people of either gender were least likely to be poor. Poverty was unaffected by the presence of a disabled person in the household. · Households with liquid assets or durables, or with access to financial resources, were less likely to be poor and vulnerable. Households appeared to take advantage of credit and loans to maintain their current level of consumption rather than to augment their stock of assets. · Households that were part of kinship networks were less at risk of falling into chronic poverty or vulnerability. · Households headed by pensioners were least in danger of impoverishment. Those most in danger were farm households (including mixed households headed by workers with an agricultural holding) and households heavily dependent on social welfare. · Households of employees were better off than self-employed households when income-based measures of poverty were used but not when consumption-based measures were used. Neither group was significantly vulnerable. This paper - a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study the dynamics of poverty and the effectiveness of the safety net. The author may be contacted at wokrasaworldbank.org
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  • 24
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (52 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Rama, Martin The Sri Lankan Unemployment Problem Revisited
    Keywords: Educational Attainment ; Export Processing Zones ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; High Unemployment ; High Unemployment Rate ; Job ; Job Security ; Labor ; Labor Force ; Labor Market ; Labor Market Participants ; Labor Market Policies ; Labor Markets ; Labor Study ; Management ; Private Sector ; Private Sector Activities ; Public Sector Jobs ; Social Protections and Labor ; Unemployed ; Unemployment ; Unemployment Problem ; Unemployment Rates ; Educational Attainment ; Export Processing Zones ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; High Unemployment ; High Unemployment Rate ; Job ; Job Security ; Labor ; Labor Force ; Labor Market ; Labor Market Participants ; Labor Market Policies ; Labor Markets ; Labor Study ; Management ; Private Sector ; Private Sector Activities ; Public Sector Jobs ; Social Protections and Labor ; Unemployed ; Unemployment ; Unemployment Problem ; Unemployment Rates
    Abstract: November 1999 - Unemployment in Sri Lanka is largely voluntary. The underlying problem is not a shortage of jobs but the artificial gap between good jobs and bad ones. Policy efforts should be aimed at reducing the gap between good and bad jobs by making product markets more competitive, reducing excessive job security, and reforming government policies on pay and employment. Sri Lanka's high unemployment rate has been attributed to a mismatch of skills, to queuing for public sector jobs, and to stringent job security regulations. But the empirical evidence supporting these explanations is weak. Rama takes a fresh look at the country's unemployment problem, using individual records from the 1995 Labor Force Survey and time series for wages in the economy's formal and informal sectors. He assesses, and rejects, the skills mismatch hypothesis by comparing the impact of educational attainment on the actual wages of those who have a job with the effect on the lowest acceptable wages of the unemployed. However, he finds substantial rents associated with jobs in the public sector and in private sector activities protected by high tariffs or covered by job security regulations. A time-series analysis of the impact of unemployment on wage increases across sectors supports the hypothesis that most of the unemployed are waiting for good job openings but are not interested in readily available bad jobs. In short, unemployment in Sri Lanka is largely voluntary. The problem is not a shortage of jobs but the artificial gap between good and bad jobs. Policy efforts should be aimed at reducing the gap between good and bad jobs by making product markets more competitive, by reducing excessive job security, and by reforming government policies on pay and employment. This paper was written as part of a broader labor study undertaken by the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Sector Unit, South Asia Region. The study was also supported by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project The Impact of Labor Market Policies and Institutions on Economic Performance (RPO 680-96). The author may be contacted at mramaworldbank.org
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  • 25
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (40 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Schady, Norbert Do School Facilities Matter?
    Keywords: Access To Schooling ; Attendance Rate ; Attendance Rates ; Classrooms ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Disability ; Education ; Education ; Education for All ; Educational Infrastructure ; Educational Inputs ; Educational Outcomes ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Gender ; Gender and Education ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Housing and Human Habitats ; Illiteracy ; Investments In Education ; Population Policies ; Poverty Monitoring and Analysis ; Poverty Reduction ; Primary Education ; Public School ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Sanitation ; School ; School Attendance ; School Breakfast ; School Facilities ; School Level ; Schoolchildren ; Social Protections and Labor ; Tertiary Education ; Textbooks ; Values ; Access To Schooling ; Attendance Rate ; Attendance Rates ; Classrooms ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Disability ; Education ; Education ; Education for All ; Educational Infrastructure ; Educational Inputs ; Educational Outcomes ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Gender ; Gender and Education ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Housing and Human Habitats ; Illiteracy ; Investments In Education ; Population Policies ; Poverty Monitoring and Analysis ; Poverty Reduction ; Primary Education ; Public School ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Sanitation ; School ; School Attendance ; School Breakfast ; School Facilities ; School Level ; Schoolchildren ; Social Protections and Labor ; Tertiary Education ; Textbooks ; Values
    Abstract: A revised version was published as The Allocation and Impact of Social Funds: Spending on School Infrastructure in Peru (with Christina Paxson). World Bank Economic Review 16 (2): 297-319, 2002. - Education projects of the Peruvian Social Fund (FONCODES) have reached poor districts and, to the extent they live in those districts, poor households. FONCODES has had a positive effect on school attendance rates for young children, but not on the likelihood that children will be at an appropriate school level for their age. Since its creation in 1991, the Peruvian Social Fund (FONCODES) has spent about US
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  • 26
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (86 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Peria, Maria The Impact of Banking Crises on Money Demand and Price Stability
    Keywords: Central Banks ; Currencies and Exchange Rates ; Debt Markets ; Demand ; Demand For Money ; Deregulation ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Equations ; Exchange ; Exchange Rates ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Intermediation ; Financial Literacy ; Fiscal and Monetary Policy ; Government Bonds ; Inflation ; Interest ; Interest Rates ; Labor Policies ; M2 ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets and Market Access ; Monetary Policy ; Money ; Multipliers ; Prices ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Development ; Social Protections and Labor ; Stock ; Stock Prices ; T-Bills ; Variables ; Central Banks ; Currencies and Exchange Rates ; Debt Markets ; Demand ; Demand For Money ; Deregulation ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Equations ; Exchange ; Exchange Rates ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Intermediation ; Financial Literacy ; Fiscal and Monetary Policy ; Government Bonds ; Inflation ; Interest ; Interest Rates ; Labor Policies ; M2 ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets and Market Access ; Monetary Policy ; Money ; Multipliers ; Prices ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Development ; Social Protections and Labor ; Stock ; Stock Prices ; T-Bills ; Variables
    Abstract: March 2000 - Policymakers in countries undergoing banking crises should not worry about the structural stability of money demand functions; the behavior of money demand during crises can be modeled by the same function used during periods of tranquility. But policymakers should be aware that in some instances crises can give rise to variance instability in the price or inflation equations. Martinez Peria empirically investigates the monetary impact of banking crises in Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, and Uruguay. She uses cointegration analysis and error correction modeling to research: · Whether money demand stability is threatened by banking crises. · Whether crises bring about structural breaks in the relationship between monetary indicators and prices. Overall, she finds no systematic evidence that banking crises cause money demand instability. Nor do the results consistently support the notion that the relationship between monetary indicators and prices undergoes structural breaks during crises. However, although individual coefficients in price equations do not seem to be severely affected by crises, crises can sometimes give rise to variance instability in price or inflation equations. This paper - a product of Finance, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study banking crises. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project Monetary Policy and Monetary Indicators during Banking Crises (RPO 683-24). The author may be contacted at mmartinezperiaworldbank.org
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  • 27
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (38 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Loayza, Norman What Drives Private Saving around the World?
    Keywords: Capital Gains ; Central Bank ; Currencies and Exchange Rates ; Debt Markets ; Demographic ; Developing Countries ; Developing Country ; Disposable Income ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Fiscal Policy ; Housing Lending ; Income ; Inequality ; Inflation Episodes ; Interest ; Interest Rate ; Interest Rates ; Liberalization ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Pension ; Pension System ; Poverty Reduction ; Prices ; Private Saving ; Private Sector Development ; Pro-Poor Growth ; Public Policies ; Trade ; Capital Gains ; Central Bank ; Currencies and Exchange Rates ; Debt Markets ; Demographic ; Developing Countries ; Developing Country ; Disposable Income ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Fiscal Policy ; Housing Lending ; Income ; Inequality ; Inflation Episodes ; Interest ; Interest Rate ; Interest Rates ; Liberalization ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Pension ; Pension System ; Poverty Reduction ; Prices ; Private Saving ; Private Sector Development ; Pro-Poor Growth ; Public Policies ; Trade
    Abstract: March 2000 - Saving rates vary considerably across countries and over time. Policies that spur development are an indirect but effective way to raise private saving rates - which rise with the level and growth rate of real per capita income. Loayza, Schmidt-Hebbel, and Servén investigate the policy and nonpolicy factors behind saving disparities, using a large panel data set and an encompassing approach including several relevant determinants of private saving. They extend the literature in several dimensions by: · Using the largest data set on aggregate saving assembled to date. · Using panel instrumental variable techniques to correct for endogeneity and heterogeneity. · Performing robustness checks on changes in estimation procedures, data samples, and model specification. Their main empirical findings: · Private saving rates show considerable inertia (are highly serially correlated even after controlling for other relevant factors). · Private saving rates rise with the level and growth rate of real per capita income. So policies that spur development are an indirect but effective way to raise private saving rates. · Predictions of the life-cycle hypothesis are supported in that dependency ratios generally have a negative effect on private saving rates. · The precautionary motive for saving is supported by the finding that inflation - conventionally taken as a summary measure of macroeconomic volatility - has a positive impact on private saving, holding other facts constant. · Fiscal policy is a moderately effective tool for raising national saving. · The direct effects of financial liberalization are largely detrimental to private saving rates. Greater availability of credit reduces the private saving rate; financial depth and higher real interest rates do not increase saving. This paper - a product of Macroeconomics and Growth, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the determinants of saving in developing countries. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project Saving in the World: Puzzles and Policies (RPO 681-36). The authors may be contacted at nloayzaworldbank.org or lserven@worldbank.org
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  • 28
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (32 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Dutz, A. Mark Does More Intense Competition Lead to Higher Growth?
    Keywords: Anti-Trust Laws ; Competition ; Competition Policy ; Competitiveness ; Consumer Protection ; Deregulation ; Development ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Economy ; Emerging Markets ; Growth Models ; Influence ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Monopoly ; Positive Effects ; Private Sector Development ; Productivity ; Productivity Growth ; Regulatory Framework ; Social Protections and Labor ; Telecommunications ; Trade ; Unfair Competition ; Variables ; Anti-Trust Laws ; Competition ; Competition Policy ; Competitiveness ; Consumer Protection ; Deregulation ; Development ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Economy ; Emerging Markets ; Growth Models ; Influence ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Monopoly ; Positive Effects ; Private Sector Development ; Productivity ; Productivity Growth ; Regulatory Framework ; Social Protections and Labor ; Telecommunications ; Trade ; Unfair Competition ; Variables
    Abstract: April 2000 - Empirical evidence indicates a strong correlation between long-run growth and effective enforcement of antitrust and competition policy. The relationship between the intensity of competition in an economy and its long-run growth is an open question in economics. Theoretically, there is no clear-cut answer. Empirical evidence exists, however, that in some sectors more competition leads to more innovation and accelerates productivity growth. To complement those findings and capture economywide effects, Dutz and Hayri conduct a cross-country study. They examine the impact on growth of various measures having to do with intensity of domestic competition - beyond the effects of trade liberalization. Their results indicate a strong correlation between long-run growth and effective enforcement of antitrust and competition policy. An earlier version of this paper - a product of Public Economics, Development Research Group - was presented at a conference, Industrial Reorganization and Development, in Toulouse, France (November 1998). The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project Does More Intense Competition Lead to Higher Growth? (RPO 682-47). The authors may be contacted at mdutzworldbank.org or ahayri@dttus.com
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  • 29
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (48 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Henderson, Vernon How Urban Concentration Affects Economic Growth
    Keywords: Capital ; Consumers ; Costs ; Development ; Economic Efficiency ; Economic Geography ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Economies Of Scale ; Economy ; Emerging Markets ; Externalities ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; GDP ; GDP Per Capita ; Goods ; Growth Rate ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Income ; Industrialization ; Inequality ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Marginal Benefits ; Markets ; Population Policies ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Pro-Poor Growth ; Social Protections and Labor ; Telecommunications ; Transactions Costs ; Transport ; Transport Economics, Policy and Planning ; Urban Development Policies and Strategies ; Urban Housing and Land ; Capital ; Consumers ; Costs ; Development ; Economic Efficiency ; Economic Geography ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Economies Of Scale ; Economy ; Emerging Markets ; Externalities ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; GDP ; GDP Per Capita ; Goods ; Growth Rate ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Income ; Industrialization ; Inequality ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Marginal Benefits ; Markets ; Population Policies ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Pro-Poor Growth ; Social Protections and Labor ; Telecommunications ; Transactions Costs ; Transport ; Transport Economics, Policy and Planning ; Urban Development Policies and Strategies ; Urban Housing and Land
    Abstract: April 2000 - If urban overconcentration really is an issue, it ought to affect economic growth rates in a robust, consistent fashion. And it does. Not only is there an optimal degree of urban concentration that varies with country income, but departures from optimal concentration result in substantial growth losses. Overconcentrated countries can reduce concentration by investing in interregional transport infrastructure - in particular, increasing the density of road networks. Henderson explores the issue of urban overconcentration econometrically, using data from a panel of 80 to 100 countries every 5 years from 1960 to 1995. He finds the following: · At any level of development there is indeed a best degree of national urban concentration. It increases sharply as income rises, up to a per capita income of about
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  • 30
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (36 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Milanovic, Branko Social Transfers and Social Assistance
    Keywords: Cash Transfers ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Household Budget ; Household Per Capita Income ; Household Survey ; Income ; Income Distribution ; Insurance ; Poor ; Poor Households ; Poor Individuals ; Poverty ; Poverty Alleviation ; Poverty Assessments ; Poverty Impact Evaluation ; Poverty Line ; Poverty Reduction ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Social Assistance ; Targeting ; Transfers ; Transfers In Kind ; Transition Economies ; Unemployment ; Cash Transfers ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Household Budget ; Household Per Capita Income ; Household Survey ; Income ; Income Distribution ; Insurance ; Poor ; Poor Households ; Poor Individuals ; Poverty ; Poverty Alleviation ; Poverty Assessments ; Poverty Impact Evaluation ; Poverty Line ; Poverty Reduction ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Social Assistance ; Targeting ; Transfers ; Transfers In Kind ; Transition Economies ; Unemployment
    Abstract: April 2000 - In Latvia, only 1.5 percent of households receive social assistance, which for those households represents 20 percent of income. The allocation of social assistance is unequal. Urban households outside the capital (Riga) and those headed by male adults are systematically discriminated against. Because social assistance is locally financed, poor households in different parts of the country are treated unequally. Milanovic assesses the performance of Latvia's system of social transfers, in three ways: First, he analyzes the incidence (who receives transfers) of pensions, family allowances, unemployment benefits, and social assistance. Per capita analysis shows pensions tending to be pro-rich and families allowances pro-poor (a finding typical in poverty analyses). Introducing an equivalence scale alters the results and shows all individual cash transfers performing about the same: mildly pro-poor. Next, he examines the performance of social assistance, which is, by definition, directed to the poor. He shows that Latvia's current system is concentrated - meaning that social assistance is disbursed to few households (only 1.5 percent of all households receive it) but among those that do receive it, it represents a relatively high share (20 percent) of income. Households that are systematically discriminated against in the allocation of social assistance are urban households living outside the capital (Riga) and those headed by male adults. Third, he looks at the regional allocation of social assistance. The results confirm earlier findings of large horizontal inequalities - that people with the same income from different parts of the country are treated unequally, because the existing system is based on local financing of social assistance. This paper - a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of the Latvia Poverty Assistance Report (February 2000). The author may be contacted at bmilanovicworldbank.org
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  • 31
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (32 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Wang, Hua Endogenous Enforcement and Effectiveness of China's Pollution Levy System
    Keywords: Abatement ; Air Pollution ; Economic Development ; Economists ; Emissions ; Environment ; Environmental ; Environmental Economics and Policies ; Environmental Performance ; Environmental Protection ; Environmental Quality ; Green Issues ; Income ; Industry ; Labor ; Labor Force ; Pollution ; Pollution Charges ; Poverty ; Production ; Public Sector Development ; Standards ; Sulfur Dioxide ; Water ; Water Pollution ; Water Resources ; Water and Industry ; Abatement ; Air Pollution ; Economic Development ; Economists ; Emissions ; Environment ; Environmental ; Environmental Economics and Policies ; Environmental Performance ; Environmental Protection ; Environmental Quality ; Green Issues ; Income ; Industry ; Labor ; Labor Force ; Pollution ; Pollution Charges ; Poverty ; Production ; Public Sector Development ; Standards ; Sulfur Dioxide ; Water ; Water Pollution ; Water Resources ; Water and Industry
    Abstract: May 2000 - How well air and water pollution regulation is implemented depends very much on both the level of economic development and actual environmental quality. Pollution pricing is closer to the dictates of environmental economics than China's formal regulatory statutes would suggest - and there is considerable scope for using economic instruments to reduce China's industrial pollution problems. Wang and Wheeler investigate two aspects of China's pollution levy system, which was first implemented about 20 years ago. First, they analyze what determines differences in enforcement of the pollution levy in various urban areas. They find that collection of the otherwise uniform pollution levy is sensitive to differences in economic development and environmental quality. Air and water pollution levies are higher in areas that are heavily polluted. Second, they analyze the impact of pollution charges on industry's environmental performance, in terms of the pollution intensity of process production and the degree of end-of-pipe abatement for both water pollution and air pollution. Econometric analysis shows that plants respond strongly to the levy by either abating air pollution in the production process or providing end-of-pipe treatment for water pollution. This paper - a product of Infrastructure and Environment, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study environmental regulation in developing countries. The authors may be contacted at hwang1worldbank.org or dwheeler1@worldbank.org
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  • 32
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (34 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Venables, Anthony The Geography of International Investment
    Keywords: Debt Markets ; Development ; Economic Geography ; Economic Size ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Exports ; Externalities ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Fixed Costs ; Foreign Direct Investment ; GDP ; Goods ; Income ; Industrial Economies ; Inputs ; International Economics & Trade ; Investment ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets ; Mergers ; Non Bank Financial Institutions ; Private Sector Development ; Production ; Social Protections and Labor ; Theory ; Trade ; Trade and Regional Integration ; Transition Economies ; Transport ; Transport Economics, Policy and Planning ; Value ; Variable Costs ; Debt Markets ; Development ; Economic Geography ; Economic Size ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Exports ; Externalities ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Fixed Costs ; Foreign Direct Investment ; GDP ; Goods ; Income ; Industrial Economies ; Inputs ; International Economics & Trade ; Investment ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets ; Mergers ; Non Bank Financial Institutions ; Private Sector Development ; Production ; Social Protections and Labor ; Theory ; Trade ; Trade and Regional Integration ; Transition Economies ; Transport ; Transport Economics, Policy and Planning ; Value ; Variable Costs
    Abstract: May 2000 - Multinationals have become increasingly important to the world economy. Overseas production by U.S. affiliates is three times U.S. exports, for example. Who is investing where, for sales where? Much foreign direct investment is between high-income countries, but investment in some developing and transition regions, while still modest, grew rapidly in the 1990s. Adjusting for market size, much investment stays close to home; adjusting for distance, much heads toward the countries with the biggest markets. Foreign direct investment is more geographically concentrated than either exports or production. Thus U.S. affiliate production in Europe is 7 times U.S. exports to Europe; that ratio drops to 4 for all industrial countries and to 1.6 for developing countries. Multinational activity in high-income countries is overwhelmingly horizontal, involving production for sale to the host country market. In developing countries, a greater proportion of multinational activity is vertical, involving manufacturing at intermediate stages of production. Thus only 4 percent of U.S. affiliate production in the European Union is sold back to the United States, whereas for developing countries the figure is 18 percent, rising to 40 percent for Mexico. Similarly, less than 10 percent of Japan's affiliate production in the EU is sold back to Japan, compared with more than 20 percent in developing countries. In models of horizontal activity, the decision to go multinational is a tradeoff between the additional fixed costs involved in setting up a new plant and the savings in variable costs (transport costs and tariffs) on exports. In models of vertical activity, direct investment is motivated by differences in factor costs. Tariffs and transport costs both encourage vertical multinational activity (by magnifying differences in factor prices) and discourage it (by making trade between headquarters and an affiliate more expensive). The major outward investors carry out much horizontal investment in large markets. For U.S. investors, this means Europe, especially the United Kingdom; for Japan and Europe, it means the United States. Most EU investments, however, stay within the EU. The major outward investors carry out much of their vertical investment closer to home: the United States, in Mexico; the EU, in Central and Eastern Europe; Japan, in Asia. This paper - a product of Trade, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study the location of economic activity. Anthony J. Venables may be contacted at a.j.venableslse.ac.uk
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  • 33
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (48 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Easterly, William The Middle Class Consensus and Economic Development
    Keywords: Class Polarization ; Cross-Country Data ; Cross-Country Differences ; Cross-Country Income ; Development Outcomes ; Development Successes ; Economic Development ; Economic Growth ; Emerging Markets ; Exogenous Country Characteristics ; Human Capital ; Income ; Income Differences ; Inequality ; Inequality ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Middle Class ; Middle Class Consensus ; Political Community ; Political Economy ; Political Economy ; Political Instability ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Resource Endowments ; Social Conflict ; Class Polarization ; Cross-Country Data ; Cross-Country Differences ; Cross-Country Income ; Development Outcomes ; Development Successes ; Economic Development ; Economic Growth ; Emerging Markets ; Exogenous Country Characteristics ; Human Capital ; Income ; Income Differences ; Inequality ; Inequality ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Middle Class ; Middle Class Consensus ; Political Community ; Political Economy ; Political Economy ; Political Instability ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Resource Endowments ; Social Conflict
    Abstract: May 2000 - A higher share of income for the middle class and lower ethnic polarization are empirically associated with higher income, higher growth, more education, better health, better infrastructure, better economic policies, less political instability, less civil war (putting ethnic minorities at risk), more social modernization, and more democracy. Modern political economy stresses society's polarization as a determinant of development outcomes. Among the most common forms of social conflict are class polarization and ethnic polarization. A middle class consensus is defined as a high share of income for the middle class and a low degree of ethnic polarization. A middle class consensus distinguishes development successes from failures. A theoretical model shows how groups- distinguished by class or ethnicity - will under-invest in human capital and infrastructure when there is leakage to another group. Easterly links the existence of a middle class consensus to exogenous country characteristics such as resource endowments, along the lines of the provocative thesis of Engerman and Sokoloff 1997 that tropical commodity exporters are more unequal than other societies. Easterly confirms this hypothesis with cross-country data. This makes it possible to use resource endowments as instruments for inequality. A higher share of income for the middle class and lower ethnic polarization are empirically associated with higher income, higher growth, more education, better health, better infrastructure, better economic policies, less political instability, less civil war (putting ethnic minorities at risk), more social modernization, and more democracy. This paper - a product of Macroeconomics and Growth, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study the determinants of growth. The author may be contacted at weasterlyworldbank.org
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  • 34
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (48 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Chen, Yi When the Bureaucrats Move out of Business
    Keywords: Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; High Wages ; Job ; Job Creation ; Jobs ; Labor ; Labor Force ; Labor Market ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Labor Productivity ; Labor Redeployment ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Municipal Financial Management ; Open Unemployment ; Previous Results ; Private Enterprise ; Private Sector ; Private Sector Activity ; Private Sectors ; Production Function ; Public Sector Economics and Finance ; Social Protections and Labor ; State Owned Enterprise Reform ; State-Owned Enterprises ; Unemployment ; Urban Development ; Worker ; Workers ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; High Wages ; Job ; Job Creation ; Jobs ; Labor ; Labor Force ; Labor Market ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Labor Productivity ; Labor Redeployment ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Municipal Financial Management ; Open Unemployment ; Previous Results ; Private Enterprise ; Private Sector ; Private Sector Activity ; Private Sectors ; Production Function ; Public Sector Economics and Finance ; Social Protections and Labor ; State Owned Enterprise Reform ; State-Owned Enterprises ; Unemployment ; Urban Development ; Worker ; Workers
    Abstract: May 2000 - Reformers of China's state enterprises should realize that more could be realized from capital transfer than is being gained from labor retrenchment. And more efficient capital allocation, by reducing the pressure on labor, would bring larger gains at a lower social cost. Chen and Diwan estimate the costs and benefits of labor retrenchment in state-owned industrial enterprises in China. Their results indicate the prevalence of low and stagnant labor productivity, low capital productivity, and excessively high wages in the state sector for the period reviewed (1994-97). The private sector exhibited consistently greater productivity. The authors' most striking finding: A greater gain could be realized from capital transfer than is being gained from labor retrenchment. Their simulation results for 1996 estimate that 43 percent of the workers in state enterprises and 70 percent of the capital are redundant. By itself, a transfer of labor from the public to the private sector at the current magnitude (20 percent of the labor force) would secure only 2 percent gains in output. A transfer of 10 percent of both capital and labor would achieve a greater efficiency gain than transferring the full 43 percent of redundant workers. This is partly because the private sector uses capital more efficiently than the public sector and partly because it needs capital to hire workers transferred from the public sector. Their results suggest that reform in state enterprises should concentrate more on the efficiency of capital allocation, not just on labor retrenchment. More efficient capital allocation would reduce the pressure on labor and would bring larger gains at a lower social cost. This paper - a product of the Economic Policy and Poverty Reduction Division, World Bank Institute - is part of a larger effort in the institute to study the architecture of reform. The authors may be contacted at ychendol.eta.gov or idiwan@worldbank.org
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  • 35
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (54 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Porta, Rafael The Regulation of Entry
    Keywords: Barriers To Entry ; Economic Theories ; Economic Theory and Research ; Economies ; Efficiency ; Environment ; Environmental Economics and Policies ; Equity ; Externalities ; Information ; Interest ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Market Power ; Markets ; Need ; Outcomes ; Policies ; Public Sector Economics and Finance ; Public Sector Regulation ; Regulatory Regimes ; Social Protections and Labor ; Barriers To Entry ; Economic Theories ; Economic Theory and Research ; Economies ; Efficiency ; Environment ; Environmental Economics and Policies ; Equity ; Externalities ; Information ; Interest ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Market Power ; Markets ; Need ; Outcomes ; Policies ; Public Sector Economics and Finance ; Public Sector Regulation ; Regulatory Regimes ; Social Protections and Labor
    Abstract: August 2001 - New data show that countries that regulate the entry of new firms more heavily have greater corruption and larger unofficial economies, but not better quality goods. The evidence supports the view that regulating entry benefits politicians and bureaucrats. Djankov and his coauthors present new data on the regulation of the entry of start-up firms in 85 countries. The data cover the number of procedures, official time, and official costs that a start-up firm must bear before it can operate legally. The official costs of entry are extremely high in most countries. Countries that regulate entry more heavily have greater corruption and larger unofficial economies, but not better quality goods (public or private). Countries with more democratic and limited governments regulate entry more lightly. The evidence is inconsistent with public interest theories of regulation, but supports the public choice view that regulating entry benefits politicians and bureaucrats. This paper—a product of the Financial Sector Strategy and Policy Department—is part of a larger effort in the department to educate policymakers on the costs of regulation. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project "The Regulation of Small Businesses
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  • 36
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (88 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Lehmann, Hartmut Active Labor Market Policies in the OECD and in Selected Transition Economies
    Keywords: Active Labor ; Active Labor Market ; Active Labor Market Policies ; Active Labor Policies ; Employment Programs ; Finding Work ; Jobs ; Labor Demand ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Labor Policies ; Labor Supply ; Labour ; Labour Market ; Labour Market Policy ; Open Unemployment ; Private Sector ; Public Employment ; Rising Unemployment ; Social Protections and Labor ; Unemployed ; Unemployed Workers ; Workers ; Active Labor ; Active Labor Market ; Active Labor Market Policies ; Active Labor Policies ; Employment Programs ; Finding Work ; Jobs ; Labor Demand ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Labor Policies ; Labor Supply ; Labour ; Labour Market ; Labour Market Policy ; Open Unemployment ; Private Sector ; Public Employment ; Rising Unemployment ; Social Protections and Labor ; Unemployed ; Unemployed Workers ; Workers
    Abstract: August 1995 - Applying mechanically active OECD labor policies in Hungary, Poland, and Russia makes no sense because the economies are so different. Which labor policies are realistic there? Training able workers in scarce, needed skills; easing credit for (and thereby encouraging) the self-employed; giving public jobs to problem workers and the long-term unemployed; and improving consultation services for the unemployed. Transition economies have introduced a range of OECD active labor market policies to combat unemployment - albeit often on paper only, as with rising unemployment passive policies have crowded out active ones. But even in the Czech Republic, active labor market policies have contributed only marginally to reducing unemployment. One task for policymakers in Central and Eastern Europe must be to convey the message that, even under the best circumstances, active labor policies can play only a marginal role in reducing unemployment. OECD labor policies cannot be applied mechanically in Central and Eastern Europe because the situation there is different. Severe and persistent shortages in capital and managerial ability are sure to keep labor demand weak in the medium term, while labor supply will be abundant. As enterprises are restructured and liquidated, the newly unemployed workers cannot be absorbed by the weak private sector and must compete for scarce jobs. Women and older, less educated men have particular trouble finding work. Which active labor policies does Lehmann suggest might be effective? Limited funds for active labor policies might best be spent retraining the most able unemployed workers to develop skills needed in the private sector. Public employment programs might be targeted especially to problem groups of workers and to the long-term unemployed - more for reasons of equity than of efficiency. The point is to have a clear idea whether both aims of efficiency and equity can be pursued and, if efficiency gains are unrealistic, whether equity considerations are politically indispensable. Because nontradable services are underdeveloped, Central and Eastern European countries might eliminate credit rationing that discourages self-employment (the self-employed have trouble getting financing). Improving consulting services for the unemployed in Hungary, Poland, and Russia makes more sense than applying a broad menu of OECD programs. The labor market in the Russian Federation appears to be more dynamic than in Hungary and Poland, but this is probably because of massive labor hoarding in Russian enterprises. Once they start shedding labor in earnest, their employment figures will look more like those in the other Central and Eastern European countries. This paper - a product of the Office of the Vice President, Development Economics - was prepared as a background paper for World Development Report 1995 on labor
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  • 37
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (156 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Palacios, J. Robert Averting the Old-Age Crisis
    Keywords: Administrative Costs ; Bank ; Debt Markets ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Income ; Information ; Investment ; Investment Returns ; Labor Force ; Pension ; Pension Fund ; Pension Fund Investment ; Pension Schemes ; Pension Spending ; Pensions and Retirement Systems ; Private Sector Development ; Public Pension ; Public Pension Schemes ; Rates Of Return ; Retirement ; Revenues ; Security ; Social Protections and Labor ; Wage ; Wage Growth ; Administrative Costs ; Bank ; Debt Markets ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Income ; Information ; Investment ; Investment Returns ; Labor Force ; Pension ; Pension Fund ; Pension Fund Investment ; Pension Schemes ; Pension Spending ; Pensions and Retirement Systems ; Private Sector Development ; Public Pension ; Public Pension Schemes ; Rates Of Return ; Retirement ; Revenues ; Security ; Social Protections and Labor ; Wage ; Wage Growth
    Abstract: February 1996 - Supporting documentation for the World Bank publication Averting the Old Age Crisis: Policies to Protect the Old and Promote Growth (1994). Averting the Old Age Crisis: Policies to Protect the Old and Promote Growth, the publication for which this technical annex provides supporting documentation, is the third in a series of major World Bank Policy Research Reports. Unlike its predecessors, The East Asian Miracle and Adjustment in Africa, it does not concentrate on a specific region but focuses rather on the general topic of income security for old age. More than two years of research were required to gather data, review the theoretical literature, examine empirical evidence, and write the book that represents the Bank's most important study of the issue to date. This annex explains in detail the data sources, concepts, and definitions used in the book and provides additional information. It describes the demographic data used in the report and discusses data about public and privately managed pension schemes around the world (giving specific sources for individual countries). An attempt has been made to cross-reference the data available on ]STARS] diskettes, which can be downloaded and analyzed in most database or statistical software packages. This paper - a product of the Poverty and Human Resources Division, Policy Research Department - provides supporting documentation for the World Bank publication Averting the Old-Age Crisis: Policies to Protect the Old and Promote Growth (1994), available from the World Bank bookstore
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  • 38
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (36 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Ravallion, Martin Income Gains to the Poor from Workfare
    Keywords: Communities & Human Settlements ; Counterfactual ; Economic Theory and Research ; Evaluation ; Experimental Design ; Experimental Methods ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Health Systems Development and Reform ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Income ; Housing and Human Habitats ; Impact Evaluation ; Income ; Income ; Inequality ; Intervention ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Matching Methods ; Outcomes ; Participation ; Poverty ; Poverty Impact Evaluation ; Poverty Measures ; Poverty Monitoring and Analysis ; Poverty Reduction ; Programs ; Projects ; Reflexive Comparisons ; Research ; Sampling ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Social Protections and Labor ; Surveys ; Targeting ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Counterfactual ; Economic Theory and Research ; Evaluation ; Experimental Design ; Experimental Methods ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Health Systems Development and Reform ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Income ; Housing and Human Habitats ; Impact Evaluation ; Income ; Income ; Inequality ; Intervention ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Matching Methods ; Outcomes ; Participation ; Poverty ; Poverty Impact Evaluation ; Poverty Measures ; Poverty Monitoring and Analysis ; Poverty Reduction ; Programs ; Projects ; Reflexive Comparisons ; Research ; Sampling ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Social Protections and Labor ; Surveys ; Targeting
    Abstract: July 1999 - A workfare program was introduced in response to high unemployment in Argentina. An ex-post evaluation using matching methods indicates that the program generated sizable net income gains to generally poor participants. Jalan and Ravallion use propensity-score matching methods to estimate the net income gains to families of workers participating in an Argentinian workfare program. The methods they propose are feasible for evaluating safety net interventions in settings in which many other methods are not feasible. The average gain is about half the gross wage. Even allowing for forgone income, the distribution of gains is decidedly pro-poor. More than half the beneficiaries are in the poorest decile nationally and 80 percent of them are in the poorest quintile - reflecting the self-targeting feature of the program design. Average gains for men and women are similar, but gains are higher for younger workers. Women's greater participation would not enhance average income gains, and the distribution of gains would worsen. Greater participation by the young would raise average gains but would also worsen the distribution. This paper - a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to improve methods for evaluating the poverty impact of Bank-supported programs. The authors may be contacted at jjalanisid.ac.in or mravallion@worldbank.org
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  • 39
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (28 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Ravallion, Martin Protecting the Poor from Macroeconomic Shocks
    Keywords: Banks and Banking Reform ; Debt Markets ; Drought ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Fiscal Deficits ; Household Income ; Individual Welfare ; Labor Demand ; Labor Policies ; Living Standards ; Macroeconomic Crisis ; Macroeconomic Shocks ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Poor ; Poverty ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Public Transfers ; Recessions ; Resource Allocation ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Safety Net ; Safety Nets ; Safety Nets and Transfers ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Shock ; Social Protections and Labor ; Structural Reforms ; Unemployment ; Wage Earners ; Welfare ; Banks and Banking Reform ; Debt Markets ; Drought ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Fiscal Deficits ; Household Income ; Individual Welfare ; Labor Demand ; Labor Policies ; Living Standards ; Macroeconomic Crisis ; Macroeconomic Shocks ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Poor ; Poverty ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Public Transfers ; Recessions ; Resource Allocation ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Safety Net ; Safety Nets ; Safety Nets and Transfers ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Shock ; Social Protections and Labor ; Structural Reforms ; Unemployment ; Wage Earners ; Welfare
    Abstract: August 1999 - To minimize the harmful impact on poor people of macroeconomic shocks, sound policies for dealing with crises - and an adequate public safety net - should be in place before a crisis starts. Many developing countries faced macroeconomic shocks in the 1980s and 1990s. The impact of the shocks on welfare depended on the nature of the shock, on initial household and community conditions, and on policy responses. To avoid severe and lasting losses to poor and vulnerable groups, governments and civil society need to be prepared for a flexible response well ahead of the crisis. A key component of a flexibly responsive system is an effective permanent safety net, which will typically combine a workfare program with targeted transfers and credit. Once a crisis has happened, several things should be done: ° Macroeconomic policies should aim to achieve stabilization goals at the least cost to the poor. Typically, a temporary reduction in aggregate demand is inevitable but as soon as a sustainable external balance has been reached and inflationary pressures have been contained, macroeconomic policy should be eased (interest rates reduced and efficient public spending restored, to help offset the worst effects of the recession on the poor). A fiscal stimulus directed at labor-intensive activities (such as building rural roads) can combine the benefits of growth with those of income support for poor groups, for example. ° Key areas of public spending should be protected, especially investments in health care, education, rural infrastructure, urban sanitation, and microfinance. ° Efforts should be made to preserve the social fabric and build social capital. ° Sound information should be generated on the welfare impacts of the crisis. This paper - a joint product of the Poverty Group, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network, and Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the Bank to inform policy choices aimed at minimizing the social costs of macroeconomic shocks. The authors may be contacted at fferreiraecon.puc-rio.br, gprennushi@worldbank.org, or mravallion@worldbank.org
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  • 40
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (86 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Okrasa, Wlodzimierz The Dynamics of Poverty and the Effectiveness of Poland's Safety Net (1993 96)
    Keywords: Chronically Poor ; Economic Growth ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Budget ; Household Income ; Human Development ; Income ; Measures ; Poor ; Poor Households ; Population Policies ; Poverty ; Poverty Dynamics ; Poverty Index ; Poverty Profile ; Poverty Reduction ; Rural ; Rural Areas ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Safety Nets and Transfers ; Savings ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Social Policies ; Social Programs ; Social Protections and Labor ; Temporarily Poor ; Unemployment ; Chronically Poor ; Economic Growth ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Budget ; Household Income ; Human Development ; Income ; Measures ; Poor ; Poor Households ; Population Policies ; Poverty ; Poverty Dynamics ; Poverty Index ; Poverty Profile ; Poverty Reduction ; Rural ; Rural Areas ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Safety Nets and Transfers ; Savings ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Social Policies ; Social Programs ; Social Protections and Labor ; Temporarily Poor ; Unemployment
    Abstract: November 1999 - Changes in Poland's family allowances and unemployment benefits have significant but different effects on different groups of households. In deciding on strategies to address long-term poverty, policymakers must take such differences into account. Okrasa analyzes how the incidence of household endowments and the allocation of social benefits affect families' transitions into and out of poverty. Using panel data for 1993-96 from Poland's Household Budget Survey, and a framework based on sample survival analysis techniques, Okrasa evaluates how various policies will affect households with specific characteristics that make them likely to become poor or to move out of poverty under different scenarios (including whether or not they receive a given amount of a particular type of social transfer). He also discusses how nonincome sources of welfare, such as savings, credits, and loans, affect the likelihood that families will become or stop being poor. He concludes that family allowances and unemployment benefits, the two major social programs analyzed, have significant but different effects on different groups of households (characterized in terms of the age, gender, marital status, and educational attainment of the head of household; the size, type, location, and sector of employment of the family or household; and the year in which the household fell into poverty). If the share of family allowances in total household income were reduced by 1 percent, for example, the average length of poverty would be increased by roughly 2 percent. But a 1 percent change in unemployment benefits would yield a 3 percent change in the average duration of poverty. Differences in hazard rates for various subgroups would be even greater. Households in villages were much more likely to fall into poverty than households in cities and large towns, but the poor in towns and cities had more difficulty exiting poverty. There was generally less poverty mobility among households headed by public sector employees than among those headed by employees in the private sector. Families with three or more children and one-parent families (and grandparents with children) faced the greatest risk of being poor; single-person households and childless married couples were the least endangered. Small nuclear families with one or two children and families without children fell between these two extremes. This paper - a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to analyze the dynamics of poverty and the effectiveness of the safety net. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project Household Welfare Change during the Transition (RPO 681-21). The author may be contacted at wokrasaworldbank.org
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  • 41
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (40 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Reinikka, Ritva Confronting Competition Investment Response and Constraints in Uganda
    Keywords: Banks and Banking Reform ; Capital Investment ; Debt Markets ; Economic Liberalization ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Finance ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Financial Support ; Future ; Good ; Infrastructure Economics and Finance ; Investing ; Investment ; Investment Rates ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Labor Policies ; Liquidity ; Liquidity Constraint ; Macroeconomic Management ; Macroeconomic Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Microfinance ; Non Bank Financial Institutions ; Private Investment ; Private Participation in Infrastructure ; Private Sector Development ; Prof Profits ; Public Investment ; Return ; Share ; Social Protections and Labor ; Tax ; Banks and Banking Reform ; Capital Investment ; Debt Markets ; Economic Liberalization ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Finance ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Financial Support ; Future ; Good ; Infrastructure Economics and Finance ; Investing ; Investment ; Investment Rates ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Labor Policies ; Liquidity ; Liquidity Constraint ; Macroeconomic Management ; Macroeconomic Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Microfinance ; Non Bank Financial Institutions ; Private Investment ; Private Participation in Infrastructure ; Private Sector Development ; Prof Profits ; Public Investment ; Return ; Share ; Social Protections and Labor ; Tax
    Abstract: November 1999 - While macroeconomic reforms are necessary, firms' investment response is likely to remain limited without an accompanying improvement in public sector performance. Investment rates in Uganda are similar to others in Africa - averaging slightly more than 10 percent annually, with a median value of just under 1 percent. But the country's profit rates are considerably lower. These results are consistent with the view that Ugandan firms display more confidence in the economy than their counterparts in other African countries. Thus, for given profit rates, Ugandan firms invest more. At the same time, increased competition (because of economic liberalization) has exerted pressure on firms to cut costs. Many of those costs are not under the firms' control, however, so their profits have suffered. Using firm-level data, Reinikka and Svensson identify and quantify a number of cost factors, including those associated with transport, corruption, and utility services. Several factors - including crime, erratic infrastructure services, and arbitrary tax administration - not only increase firms' operating costs but affect their perceptions of the risks of investing in (partly) irreversible capital. The empirical analysis suggests that firms - especially small firms - are liquidity-constrained in the sense that they invest only when sufficient internal funds are available. But given the firms' profit-capital ratio, it is hard to argue that the liquidity constraint is binding in most cases, even though the cost of capital is perceived as a problem. This paper - a joint product of Macroeconomics 2, Africa Region, and Public Economics and Macroeconomics and Growth, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the Bank to study economic policy, public service delivery, and growth. The authors may be contacted at rreinikkaworldbank.org or jsvensson@worldbank.org
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  • 42
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (26 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Ghani, Ejaz Productivity Growth, Capital Accumulation, and the Banking Sector
    Keywords: Accounting ; Accounting Framework ; Bank ; Banking ; Banking Sector ; Banking System ; Banks ; Banks and Banking Reform ; Capital ; Capital Employed ; Cred Debt ; Debt Markets ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Foreign Exchange ; Labor ; Labor Policies ; Lending ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Pro-Poor Growth ; Productivity ; Projects ; Risk ; Risk Management ; Savings ; Social Protections and Labor ; Wages ; Accounting ; Accounting Framework ; Bank ; Banking ; Banking Sector ; Banking System ; Banks ; Banks and Banking Reform ; Capital ; Capital Employed ; Cred Debt ; Debt Markets ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Foreign Exchange ; Labor ; Labor Policies ; Lending ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Pro-Poor Growth ; Productivity ; Projects ; Risk ; Risk Management ; Savings ; Social Protections and Labor ; Wages
    Abstract: How did the East Asian miracle turn into one of the worst financial crises of the century? A case study of Malaysia provides some answers. - How did the East Asian miracle turn into one of the worst financial crises of the century? Ghani and Suri address the question using Malaysia as a case study. Many discussions of the East Asian crisis address proximate and short-run causes of the crisis, such as the current account deficit, exchange rate misalignment, and disproportionate short-run external debt relative to foreign exchange reserves. These indicators of vulnerability are themselves endogenous outcomes of deeper institutional features. Ghani and Suri argue that some long-term features of the development strategy that helped sustain high growth in the first place also contributed to the economy's increasing vulnerability. High output growth was driven by rapid growth in capital stock, for example. The banking sector played a critical role in transforming (and accelerating the transformation of) large savings into capital accumulation. But the banking sector may not have been allocating capital efficiently. Ghani and Suri find that the rapid growth in bank lending in Malaysia is negatively associated with total factor productivity growth. On the other hand, the economy's other structural strengths, such as openness to foreign direct investment and technology, helped improve productivity growth. Malaysia's exceptional growth record over the past quarter century was driven largely by the growth in physical capital stock. Total factor productivity growth may have slowed in the late 1990s, and sustaining high output growth will require greater emphasis on productivity improvements. Policies that encouraged the flow of foreign direct investment and better access to imported capital goods contributed to productivity growth. But rapid growth in bank lending relative to GDP may have slowed it. How policymakers can best slow the growth of credit is a question that remains unanswered. This paper - a product of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Sector Unit, East Asia and Pacific Region - is part of a larger effort in the region to better understand past and future sources of growth. The authors may be contacted at eghaniworldbank.org or vsuri@worldbank.org
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  • 43
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (32 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Ravallion, Martin Is Knowledge Shared within Households?
    Keywords: Access and Equity in Basic Education ; Bank ; Brochure ; Budget ; Conflict of Interest ; Earnings ; Education ; Education for All ; Family Member ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Gender ; Gender and Law ; Household Expenditure ; Income ; Incomes ; Information ; Interest ; Interests ; Knowledge ; Law and Development ; Literacy ; Pamphlets ; Primary Education ; Public Goods ; Unemployment ; Wage ; Welfare ; Access and Equity in Basic Education ; Bank ; Brochure ; Budget ; Conflict of Interest ; Earnings ; Education ; Education for All ; Family Member ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Gender ; Gender and Law ; Household Expenditure ; Income ; Incomes ; Information ; Interest ; Interests ; Knowledge ; Law and Development ; Literacy ; Pamphlets ; Primary Education ; Public Goods ; Unemployment ; Wage ; Welfare
    Abstract: December 1999: Yes - and more efficiently by women than by men, according to this analysis of household survey data for Bangladesh. An illiterate adult earns significantly more in the nonfarm economy when living in a household with at least one literate member. According to theory, a member of a collective-action household may or may not share knowledge with others in that household. Shared income gains from shared knowledge may well be offset by a shift in the balance of power within the family. But do literate members of the household share the benefits of literacy with other members of the household in practice? Using household survey data for Bangladesh, Basu, Narayan, and Ravallion find that education has strong external effects on individual earnings. When a range of personal attributes is held constant, an illiterate adult earns significantly more in the nonfarm economy when living in a household with at least one literate member. That is, a literate person is likely to share some of the benefits of his or her literacy with other members of the household. It is better to be an illiterate in a household where someone is literate than in a household of illiterates only. It is widely noted that a literate mother confers greater benefits on her children than a literate father does. But what about differences between male and female recipients of knowledge? The empirical results suggest that women are more efficient recipients, too. This paper - a joint product of the Office of the Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, Development Economics, and Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the Bank to understand the relationship between literacy and balance of power in the household. This paper was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project Intrahousehold Decisionmaking, Literacy, and Child Labor (RPO 683-07). The authors may be contacted at kb40cornell.edu, anarayan@worldbank.org, or mravallion@worldbank.org
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  • 44
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (56 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Milanovic, Branko Do More Unequal Countries Redistribute More?
    Keywords: Consumption ; Disposable Income ; Economic Mechanism ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Endogenous Growth ; Factor Income ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Fiscal and Monetary Policy ; Growth Rate ; Growth Theories ; Income ; Income ; Income Distribution ; Income Groups ; Income Inequality ; Inequality ; Inequality ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Mean Income ; Median Voter ; Median Voter Hypothesis ; Personal Income ; Personal Income Taxes ; Political Mechanism ; Poverty Impact Evaluation ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Public Choice ; Public Sector Development ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Significant Relationship ; Social Protections and Labor ; Consumption ; Disposable Income ; Economic Mechanism ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Endogenous Growth ; Factor Income ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Fiscal and Monetary Policy ; Growth Rate ; Growth Theories ; Income ; Income ; Income Distribution ; Income Groups ; Income Inequality ; Inequality ; Inequality ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Mean Income ; Median Voter ; Median Voter Hypothesis ; Personal Income ; Personal Income Taxes ; Political Mechanism ; Poverty Impact Evaluation ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Public Choice ; Public Sector Development ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Significant Relationship ; Social Protections and Labor
    Abstract: December 1999 - The data strongly support the hypothesis that countries with more unequal distribution of factor income redistribute more in favor of the poor - even when the analysis controls for older people's share in total population (that is, for pension transfers). But the evidence on the median voter hypothesis is inconclusive even if middle-income groups gain more (or lose less) through redistribution in countries where initial (factor) income distribution is more unequal. The median voter hypothesis is important to endogenous growth theories because it provides the political mechanism through which voters in more unequal countries redistribute a greater proportion of income and thus (it is argued), by blunting incentives, reduce the country's growth rate. But the hypothesis was never properly tested because of lack of data on the distribution of (pre-tax and transfer) factor income across households, and hence on the exact amount of gain by the poorest quintile or poorest half. Milanovic tests the hypothesis using 79 observations drawn from household budget surveys from 24 democracies. The data strongly support the hypothesis that countries with more unequal distribution of factor income redistribute more in favor of the poor - even when the analysis controls for the older people's share in total population (that is, for pension transfers). The evidence on the median voter hypothesis is much weaker. Milanovic does find that middle-income groups gain more (or lose less) through redistribution in countries where initial (factor) income distribution is more unequal. This regularity evaporates, however, when pensions are dropped from social transfers and the focus is strictly on the more redistributive social transfers. This paper - a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study the relationship between democracy and inequality. The study was funded in part by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project Democracy, Redistribution, and Inequality (RPO 683-01). Also published as “The median voter hypothesis, income inequality and income redistribution: An empirical test with the required data”, European Journal of Political Economy , vol. 16, No. 3, September 2000, pp. 367-410. The author may be contacted at bmilanovicworldbank.org
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  • 45
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (50 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Xu, Lixin Surveying Surveys and Questioning Questions
    Keywords: Accounting ; Bankruptcy ; Banks and Banking Reform ; Capital Stock ; Corporate Governance ; Debt Markets ; Developing Countries ; E-Business ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Entry Barriers ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Firm Performance ; Future ; Goods ; Human Capital ; ICT Policy and Strategies ; Information and Communication Technologies ; Investment ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Market ; Market Environment ; Market Structure ; Micro Data ; Microfinance ; Political Economy ; Private Sector Development ; Share ; Social Protections and Labor ; Stock ; Transaction ; Transition Countries ; Transition Economies ; Accounting ; Bankruptcy ; Banks and Banking Reform ; Capital Stock ; Corporate Governance ; Debt Markets ; Developing Countries ; E-Business ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Entry Barriers ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Firm Performance ; Future ; Goods ; Human Capital ; ICT Policy and Strategies ; Information and Communication Technologies ; Investment ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Market ; Market Environment ; Market Structure ; Micro Data ; Microfinance ; Political Economy ; Private Sector Development ; Share ; Social Protections and Labor ; Stock ; Transaction ; Transition Countries ; Transition Economies
    Abstract: March 2000 - How to make firm-level surveys more consistent, yielding data more relevant to policy analysis. The World Bank has increasingly focused on firm-level surveys to build the data foundation needed for accurate policy analysis in developing and transition economies. Recanatini, Wallsten, and Xu take stock of some recent Bank surveys and discuss how to improve their results. Lessons on data issues and hypothesis testing: · Use panel data, if possible. · Have enough information about productivity to estimate a production function. · Avoid the paradigm of list the severity of the obstacle/problem on a scale of 1 to 5. Instead, ask for data on specific dimensions of the problem that will shed light on alternative hypotheses and policy recommendations. · Pick particular disaggregated industries and sample those industries in each survey. · Identify the most important policy interventions of interest and consider how you will empirically identify specific changes by picking instruments useful for doing so. Lessons on questionnaire design: · Incorporate only one idea or dimension in each question. Do not ask, in one question, about the quality, integrity, and efficiency of services, for example. · Consider the costs and benefits of numeric scales compared with adjectival scales. Scales in which each point is labeled may be more precise than numeric scales in which only the endpoints are labeled. But responses are very sensitive to the exact adjective chosen and it may be impossible to translate adjectives precisely across languages, making it impossible to compare responses across countries. · Recognize that the share of respondents expressing opinions will be biased upward if the survey does not include a middle (indifferent or don't know) category and downward if it does include the middle category. · When asking degree-of-concern and how-great-an-obstacle questions, consider first asking a filter question (such as Do you believe this regulation is an obstacle or not?). If the answer is yes, then ask how severe the obstacle is. · Be aware of the effects of context. The act of asking questions can affect the answers given on subsequent, related questions. · Think carefully about how to ask sensitive questions. Consider using a self-administered module for sensitive questions. Alternatively, a randomized response mechanism may be a useful, truth-revealing mechanism. This paper - a product of Regulation and Competition Policy, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to develop consistent cross-country firm level surveys. The authors may be contacted at frecanatiniworldbank.org, wallsten@leland.stanford.edu, or lxu1@worldbank.org
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  • 46
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (80 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Orenstein, A. Mitchell How Politics and Institutions Affect Pension Reform in Three Postcommunist Countries
    Keywords: Bank ; Bank Involvement ; Children and Youth ; Contributions ; Debt Markets ; Emerging Markets ; Expense ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Interest ; Investment ; Investment Returns ; Pension ; Pension Accounts ; Pension Reform ; Pension Reforms ; Pension System ; Pensioners ; Pensions and Retirement Systems ; Private Pension ; Private Pension Funds ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Corruption and Anticorruption Measures ; Purchase ; Retirement ; Social Protections and Labor ; State Pension ; Trade Unions ; Working Life ; Bank ; Bank Involvement ; Children and Youth ; Contributions ; Debt Markets ; Emerging Markets ; Expense ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Interest ; Investment ; Investment Returns ; Pension ; Pension Accounts ; Pension Reform ; Pension Reforms ; Pension System ; Pensioners ; Pensions and Retirement Systems ; Private Pension ; Private Pension Funds ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Corruption and Anticorruption Measures ; Purchase ; Retirement ; Social Protections and Labor ; State Pension ; Trade Unions ; Working Life
    Abstract: March 2000 - During reform's three phases - commitment-building, coalition-building, and implementation - there are tradeoffs among inclusiveness (of process), radicalism (of reform), and participation in, and compliance with, the new system. Including more, and more various, veto and proposal actors early in the deliberative process may increase buy-in and compliance when pension reform is implemented, but at the expense of faster and greater change. Orenstein examines the political and institutional processes that produced fundamental pension reform in three postcommunist countries: Hungary, Kazakhstan, and Poland. He tests various hypotheses about the relationship between deliberative process and outcomes through detailed case studies of pension reform. The outcomes of reform were similar: each country implemented a mandatory funded pension system as part of reform, but the extent and configuration of changes differed greatly. Countries with more veto actors - social and institutional actors with an effective veto over reform - engaged in less radical reform, as theory predicted. Poland and Hungary generated less radical change than Kazakhstan, partly because they have more representative political systems, to which more associations, interest groups, and proposal actors have access. Proposal actors shape the reform agenda and influence the positions of key veto actors. Pension reform takes longer in countries with more veto and proposal actors, such as Poland and Hungary. Legacies of policy, the development of civil society, and international organizations also profoundly affect the shape and progress of reform. Orenstein sees pension reform as happening in three phases: commitment-building, coalition-building, and implementation. He presents hypotheses about tradeoffs among inclusiveness (of process), radicalism (of reform), and participation in, and compliance with, the new system. One hypothesis: Including more, and more various, veto and proposal actors early in the deliberative process increases buy-in and compliance when reform is implemented, but at the expense of faster and greater change. Early challenges in implementation in all three countries, but especially in Kazakhstan, suggest the importance of improving buy-in through inclusive deliberative processes, where possible. This paper - a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study the political economy of pension reform. This study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project The Political Economy of Pension Reform (RPO 682-17). The author may be contacted at morenstmaxwell.syr.edu
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  • 47
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (56 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Drebentsov, Vladimir Improving Russia's Policy on Foreign Direct Investment
    Keywords: Barriers ; Corporate Governance ; Debt Markets ; Developing Countries ; Domestic Market ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Economies ; Emerging Markets ; Enforcement ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Foreign Direct Investment ; Foreign Direct Investment ; Foreign Investment ; Foreign Investor ; Foreign Investors ; Global Market ; International Economics & Trade ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Investor ; Labor Policies ; Law and Development ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Natural Resources ; Outputs ; Price ; Private Sector Development ; Property Rights ; Public Sector Corruption and Anticorruption Measures ; Social Protections and Labor ; Tax ; Technology Transfers ; Trade ; Trade Law ; Trade and Regional Integration ; Transition Countries ; Barriers ; Corporate Governance ; Debt Markets ; Developing Countries ; Domestic Market ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Economies ; Emerging Markets ; Enforcement ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Foreign Direct Investment ; Foreign Direct Investment ; Foreign Investment ; Foreign Investor ; Foreign Investors ; Global Market ; International Economics & Trade ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Investor ; Labor Policies ; Law and Development ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Natural Resources ; Outputs ; Price ; Private Sector Development ; Property Rights ; Public Sector Corruption and Anticorruption Measures ; Social Protections and Labor ; Tax ; Technology Transfers ; Trade ; Trade Law ; Trade and Regional Integration ; Transition Countries
    Abstract: May 2000 - Russia gets relatively little foreign direct investment and almost none of the newer, more efficient kind, involving state-of-the-art technology and world-class competitive production linked to dynamic global or regional markets. Why? And what should be done about it? Foreign direct investment brings host countries capital, productive facilities, and technology transfers as well as employment, new job skills, and management expertise. It is important to the Russian Federation, where incentives for competition are limited and incentives to becoming efficient are blunted by interregional barriers to trade, weak creditor rights, and administrative barriers to new entrants. Bergsman, Broadman, and Drebentsov argue that the old policy paradigm of foreign direct investment (established before World War II and prevalent in the 1950s and 1960s) still governs Russia. In this paradigm there are only two reasons for foreign direct investment: access to inputs for production and access to markets for outputs. Such kinds of foreign direct investment, although beneficial, are often based on generating exports that exploit cheap labor or natural resources or are aimed at penetrating protected local markets, not necessarily at world standards for price and quality. They contend that Russia should phase out high tariffs and nontariff protection for the domestic market, most tax preferences for foreign investors (which don't increase foreign direct investment but do reduce fiscal revenues), and many restrictions on foreign direct investment. They recommend that Russia switch to a modern approach to foreign direct investment by: · Amending the newly enacted foreign direct investment law so that it will grant nondiscriminatory national treatment to foreign investors for both right of establishment and post-establishment operations, abolish conditions (such as local content restrictions) inconsistent with the World Trade Organization agreement on trade-related investment measures (TRIMs), and make investor-state dispute resolution mechanisms more efficient (giving foreign investors the chance to seek neutral binding international arbitration, for example). · Strengthening enforcement of property rights. · Simplifying registration procedures for foreign investors, to make them transparent and rules-based. · Extending guarantee schemes covering basic noncommercial risks. This paper - a product of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Sector Unit, Europe and Central Asia Regional Office - is part of a larger effort in the region to assist the Russian authorities in preparing for accession to the World Trade Organization. The authors may be contacted at hbroadmanworldbank.org or vdrebentsov@worldbank.org
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  • 48
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (46 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Halpern, Jonathan Information and Modeling Issues in Designing Water and Sanitation Subsidy Schemes
    Keywords: Administrative Procedures ; Consumption ; Consumption ; Consumption Patterns ; Cred Demand ; E-Business ; Economic Theory and Research ; Empirical Analysis ; Environment ; Environmental Economics and Policies ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Incentives ; Income ; Information ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Need ; Options ; Poverty ; Private Sector Development ; Revenue ; Standards ; Subsidies ; Tariffs ; Town Water Supply and Sanitation ; Values ; Water ; Water Conservation ; Water Resources ; Water Supply and Sanitation ; Water Supply and Sanitation Governance and Institutions ; Water Use ; Willingness To Pay ; Wtp ; Administrative Procedures ; Consumption ; Consumption ; Consumption Patterns ; Cred Demand ; E-Business ; Economic Theory and Research ; Empirical Analysis ; Environment ; Environmental Economics and Policies ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Incentives ; Income ; Information ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Need ; Options ; Poverty ; Private Sector Development ; Revenue ; Standards ; Subsidies ; Tariffs ; Town Water Supply and Sanitation ; Values ; Water ; Water Conservation ; Water Resources ; Water Supply and Sanitation ; Water Supply and Sanitation Governance and Institutions ; Water Use ; Willingness To Pay ; Wtp
    Abstract: May 2000 - Evaluating design alternatives is a first step in introducing optimal water subsidy schemes. The definition of appropriate targeting criteria and subsidy levels needs to be supported by empirical analysis, generally an informationally demanding exercise. An assessment carried out in Panama revealed that targeting individual households would be preferable to geographically based targeting. Empirical analysis also showed that only a small group of very poor households needed a subsidy to pay their water bill. In designing a rational scheme for subsidizing water services, it is important to support the choice of design parameters with empirical analysis that simulates the impact of subsidy options on the target population. Otherwise, there is little guarantee that the subsidy program will meet its objectives. But such analysis is informationally demanding. Ideally, researchers should have access to a single, consistent data set containing household-level information on consumption, willingness to pay, and a range of socioeconomic characteristics. Such a comprehensive data set will rarely exist. G-mez-Lobo, Foster, and Halpern suggest overcoming this data deficiency by collating and imaginatively manipulating different sources of data to generate estimates of the missing variables. The most valuable sources of information, they explain, are likely to be the following: · Customer databases of the water company, which provide robust information on the measured consumption of formal customers but little information on unmeasured consumption, informal customers, willingness to pay, or socioeconomic variables. · General socioeconomic household surveys, which are an excellent source of socioeconomic information but tend to record water expenditure rather than physical consumption. · Willingness-to-pay surveys, which are generally tailored to a specific project, are very flexible, and may be the only source of willingness-to-pay data. However, they are expensive to undertake and the information collected is based on hypothetical rather than real behavior. Where such surveys are unavailable, international benchmark values on willingness to pay may be used. Combining data sets requires some effort and creativity, and creates difficulties of its own. But once a suitable data set has been constructed, a simulation model can be created using simple spreadsheet software. The model used to design Panama's water subsidy proposal addressed these questions: · What are the targeting properties of different eligibility criteria for the subsidy? · How large should the subsidy be? · How much will the subsidy scheme cost, including administrative costs? Armed with the above information, policymakers should be in a position to design a subsidy program that reaches the intended beneficiaries, provides them with the level of financial support that is strictly necessary, meets the overall budget restrictions, and does not waste an excessive amount of funding on administrative costs. This paper - a product of the Finance, Private Sector, and Infrastructure Sector Unit, Latin America and the Caribbean Region - is part of a larger effort in the region to evaluate and disseminate lessons of experience in designing policies to improve the quality and sustainability of infrastructure services and to enhance the access of the poor to these basic services. The authors may be contacted at vfosterworldbank.org or jhalpern@worldbank.org
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  • 49
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (34 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Deininger, Klaus Asset Distribution, Inequality, and Growth
    Keywords: Asset Distribution ; Asset Inequality ; Consumption ; Economic Growth ; Economic Policy ; Economic Theory and Research ; Empirical Evidence ; Equity and Development ; Exogenous Shocks ; Factor Endowments ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Growth Literature ; Growth Regressions ; Human Capital ; Income ; Income Inequality ; Inequality ; Inequality ; Inequality-Growth Relationship ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Labor Policies ; Long-Term Growth ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Negative Impact ; Negative Relationship ; Policy Level ; Political Economy ; Poverty Impact Evaluation ; Poverty Reduction ; Pro-Poor Growth ; Property Rights ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Social Protections and Labor ; Asset Distribution ; Asset Inequality ; Consumption ; Economic Growth ; Economic Policy ; Economic Theory and Research ; Empirical Evidence ; Equity and Development ; Exogenous Shocks ; Factor Endowments ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Growth Literature ; Growth Regressions ; Human Capital ; Income ; Income Inequality ; Inequality ; Inequality ; Inequality-Growth Relationship ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Labor Policies ; Long-Term Growth ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Negative Impact ; Negative Relationship ; Policy Level ; Political Economy ; Poverty Impact Evaluation ; Poverty Reduction ; Pro-Poor Growth ; Property Rights ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Social Protections and Labor
    Abstract: June 2000 - Policymakers addressing the impact of inequality on growth should be more concerned about households' access to assets - and to the opportunities associated with them - than about the distribution of income. Asset inequality - but not income inequality - has a relatively great negative impact on growth and also reduces the effectiveness of educational interventions. With the recent resurgence of interest in equity, inequality, and growth, the possibility of a negative relationship between inequality and economic growth has received renewed interest in the literature. Faced with the prospect that high levels of inequality may persist and give rise to poverty traps, policymakers are paying more attention to the distributional implications of macroeconomic policies. Because high levels of inequality may hurt overall growth, policymakers are exploring measures to promote growth and equity at the same time. How the consequences of inequality are analyzed, along with the possible cures, depends partly on how inequality is measured. Deininger and Olinto use assets (land) rather than income - and a GMM estimator - to examine the robustness of the relationship between inequality and growth that has been observed in the cross-sectional literature but has been drawn into question by recent studies using panel techniques. They find evidence that asset inequality - but not income inequality - has a relatively large negative impact on growth. They also find that a highly unequal distribution of assets reduces the effectiveness of educational interventions. This means that policymakers should be more concerned about households' access to assets, and to the opportunities associated with them, than about the distribution of income. Long-term growth might be improved by measures to prevent large jumps in asset inequality - possibly irreversible asset loss because of exogenous shocks - and by policies to facilitate asset accumulation by the poor. This paper - a product of Rural Development, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to examine the determinants and impact of inequality. The authors may be contacted at kdeiningerworldbank.org or polinto@worldbank.org
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  • 50
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (38 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Salinas, Angel How Mexico's Financial Crisis Affected Income Distribution
    Keywords: Bank ; Calculations ; Contribution ; Current Account ; Current Income ; Earnings ; Economic Theory and Research ; Education ; Emerging Markets ; Equity ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Crisis ; Financial Literacy ; Household Income ; Income ; Income ; Income Groups ; Income Sources ; Inequality ; Information ; Investment ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Low-Income ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Population ; Poverty Impact Evaluation ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Salaries ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Severe Financial Crisis ; Social Protections and Labor ; Wages ; Bank ; Calculations ; Contribution ; Current Account ; Current Income ; Earnings ; Economic Theory and Research ; Education ; Emerging Markets ; Equity ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Crisis ; Financial Literacy ; Household Income ; Income ; Income ; Income Groups ; Income Sources ; Inequality ; Information ; Investment ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Low-Income ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Population ; Poverty Impact Evaluation ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Salaries ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Severe Financial Crisis ; Social Protections and Labor ; Wages
    Abstract: July 2000 - After Mexico's financial crisis in 1994, the distribution of income and labor earnings improved. But financial income and rising labor earnings in higher-income brackets are growing sources of inequality in Mexico. After Mexico's financial crisis in 1994, the distribution of income and labor earnings improved. Did inequality increase during the recession, as one would expect, since the rich have more ways to protect their assets than the poor do? After all, labor is poor people's only asset (the labor-hoarding hypothesis). In principle, one could argue that the richest deciles experienced severe capital losses because of the crisis in 1994-96, and were hurt proportionately more than the poor were. But the facts don't support this hypothesis. As a share of total income, both monetary income (other than wages and salaries) and financial income increased during that period, especially in urban areas. Financial income is a growing source of inequality in Mexico. Mexico's economy had a strong performance in 1997. The aggregate growth rate was about 7 percent, real investment grew 24 percent and exports 17 percent, industrial production increased 9.7 percent, and growth in civil construction (which makes intensive use of less skilled labor) was close to 11 percent. Given those figures, it is not surprising that the distribution of income and labor earnings improved, but the magnitude and quickness of the recovery prompted a close inspection of the mechanisms responsible for it. Lopez-Acevedo and Salinas analyze the decline in income inequality after the crisis, examine income sources that affect the level of inequality, and investigate the forces that drive inequality in Mexico. They find that in 1997 the crisis had hurt the income share of the top decile of the population mainly by reducing its share of labor earnings. Especially affected were highly skilled workers in financial services and nontradables. Results from 1998 suggest that the labor earnings of those workers recovered and in fact increased. Indeed, labor earnings are a growing source of income inequality. This paper-a product of the Economic Policy Sector Unit and Mexico Country Office, Latin America and the Caribbean Region-is part of the Bank's study of earnings inequality after Mexico's economic and educational reforms. The authors may be contacted at gacevedoworldbank.org or asalinas@worldbank.org
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  • 51
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (32 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Kanbur, Ravi The Dynamics of Poverty
    Keywords: Chronically Poor ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Debt Markets ; Economic Policies ; Economic Theory and Research ; Farm Size ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Household Income ; Household Size ; Household Welfare ; Housing and Human Habitats ; Human Capital ; Incidence Of Poverty ; Income ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; New Poor ; Nonfarm Income ; Old Age ; Poor People ; Poverty ; Poverty Diagnostics ; Poverty Incidence ; Poverty Lines ; Poverty Monitoring and Analysis ; Poverty Reduction ; Rural ; Rural Areas ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Targeting ; Temporarily Poor ; Transfers ; Chronically Poor ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Debt Markets ; Economic Policies ; Economic Theory and Research ; Farm Size ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Household Income ; Household Size ; Household Welfare ; Housing and Human Habitats ; Human Capital ; Incidence Of Poverty ; Income ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; New Poor ; Nonfarm Income ; Old Age ; Poor People ; Poverty ; Poverty Diagnostics ; Poverty Incidence ; Poverty Lines ; Poverty Monitoring and Analysis ; Poverty Reduction ; Rural ; Rural Areas ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Targeting ; Temporarily Poor ; Transfers
    Abstract: August 1995 - In urban areas of Côte d'Ivoire, human capital is the endowment that best explains welfare changes over time. In rural areas, physical capital - especially the amount of land and farm equipment owned - matters most. Empirical investigations of poverty in developing countries tend to focus on the incidence of poverty at a particular point in time. If the incidence of poverty increases, however, there is no information about how many new poor have joined the existing poor and how many people have escaped poverty. Yet this distinction is of crucial policy importance. The chronically poor may need programs to enhance their human and physical capital endowments. Invalids and the very old may need permanent (targeted) transfers. The temporarily poor, on the other hand, may best be helped with programs that complement their own resources and help them bridge a difficult period. Results from analyses of panel surveys show significant mobility into and out of poverty and reveal a dynamism of the poor that policy should stimulate. Understanding what separates chronic from temporary poverty requires knowing which characteristics differentiate those who escape poverty from those who don't. In earlier work, Grootaert, Kanbur, and Oh found that region of residence and socioeconomic status were important factors. In this paper they investigate the role of other household characteristics, especially such asset endowments as human and physical capital, in the case of Côte d'Ivoire. In urban areas of Côte d'Ivoire, human capital is the most important endowment explaining welfare changes over time. Households with well-educated members suffered less loss of welfare than other households. What seems to have mattered, though, is the skills learned through education, not the diplomas obtained. Diplomas may even have worked against some households in having oriented workers too much toward a formal labor market in a time when employment growth came almost entirely from small enterprises. In rural areas, physical capital - especially the amount of land and farm equipment owned - mattered most. Smallholders were more likely to suffer welfare declines. Households with diversified sources of income managed better, especially if they had an important source of nonfarm income. In both rural and urban areas, larger households suffered greater declines in welfare and households that got larger were unable to increase income enough to maintain their former welfare level. Households whose heads worked in the public sector maintained welfare better than other households, a finding that confirms earlier observations. The results also suggest that government policies toward certain regions or types of household can outweigh the effects of household endownments. Surprisingly, migrant non-Ivorian households tended to be better at preventing welfare losses than Ivorian households, while households headed by women did better than those headed by men (after controlling for differences in or changes in endowment). The implications for policymakers? First, education is associated with higher welfare levels and helps people cope better with economic decline. Second, targeting the social safety net to larger households - possibly through the schools, to reach children - is justified in periods of decline. Third, smallholders might be targeted in rural areas, and ways found to encourage diversification of income there. This paper - a joint product of the Social Policy and Resettlement Division, Environment Department, and the Africa Regional Office, Office of the Chief Economist - is the result of a research project on The Dynamics of Poverty: Why Some People Escape Poverty and Others Don't, A Panel Analysis for Côte d'Ivoire (RPO 678-70)
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  • 52
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (34 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Ravallion, Martin Are the Poor Less Well-Insured?
    Keywords: 1997 ; China ; Consumption ; Consumption ; Current Consumption ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Intermediation ; Fiscal and Monetary Policy ; Health Systems Development and Reform ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Size ; Households ; Income ; Income ; Income Risk ; Income Shock ; Inequality ; Insurance ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Martin ; Poor ; Poor Areas ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Development ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Social Protections and Labor ; Vulnerability ; Wealth Groups ; 1997 ; China ; Consumption ; Consumption ; Current Consumption ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Intermediation ; Fiscal and Monetary Policy ; Health Systems Development and Reform ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Size ; Households ; Income ; Income ; Income Risk ; Income Shock ; Inequality ; Insurance ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Martin ; Poor ; Poor Areas ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Development ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Social Protections and Labor ; Vulnerability ; Wealth Groups
    Abstract: December 1997 - In rural China, those in the poorest wealth decile are the least well-insured, with 40 percent of an income shock being passed on to current consumption. By contrast, consumption by the richest third of households is protected from almost 90 percent of an income shock. Jalan and Ravallion test how well consumption is insured against income risk in a panel of sampled households in rural China. They estimate the risk insurance models by Generalized Method of Moments, treating income and household size as endogenous. Insurance exists for all wealth groups, although the hypothesis of perfect insurance is universally rejected. Those in the poorest wealth decile are the least well-insured, with 40 percent of an income shock being passed on to current consumption. By contrast, consumption by the richest third of households is protected from almost 90 percent of an income shock. The extent of insurance in a given wealth stratum varies little between poor and nonpoor areas. This paper-a product of the Development Research Group-is part of a larger effort in the group to understand private insurance arrangements in poor rural economies. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project Dynamics of Poverty in Rural China (RPO 678-69)
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  • 53
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (44 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Maloney, F. William Quitting and Labor Turnover
    Keywords: Adjustment Costs ; Economic Theory and Research ; Employment ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Informal Sector ; Involuntary Unemployment ; Job ; Job Separation ; Jobs ; Labor ; Labor Economics ; Labor Market ; Labor Markets ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Labor Turnover ; Long-Run Effects ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Management ; Minimum Wages ; Social Protections and Labor ; Training Costs ; Unemployment Benefits ; Wage Rate ; Worker ; Workers ; Adjustment Costs ; Economic Theory and Research ; Employment ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Informal Sector ; Involuntary Unemployment ; Job ; Job Separation ; Jobs ; Labor ; Labor Economics ; Labor Market ; Labor Markets ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Labor Turnover ; Long-Run Effects ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Management ; Minimum Wages ; Social Protections and Labor ; Training Costs ; Unemployment Benefits ; Wage Rate ; Worker ; Workers
    Abstract: To prevent trained workers from quitting to open their own businesses, firms pay higher than market efficiency wages to reduce turnover. What is the impact of macroeconomic shocks and policy innovations, such as labor market reform, in an economy where this is of central importance? - Combining microeconomic evidence with macroeconomic theory, Krebs and Maloney present an integrated approach to wage and employment determination in an economy where firms pay above market efficiency wages to prevent trained workers from quitting. The model offers predictions about the behavior of formal employment, labor turnover, and segmentation in response to formal sector productivity shocks (including economic growth and tax reductions), changes in the desirability of self-employment (formal sector tax rates), and the cost of training a new worker. They use panel data from Mexican labor surveys to estimate the quit function derived from the model and the results support their view that transitions from formal salaried work to informal self-employment are quits rather than fires. (Quitting is positively related to the mean self-employment income and the probability of being rehired and negatively related to the mean formal salaried wage.) They then use the parameters estimated from the quit function to calibrate the model economy and simulate the impacts of economic shocks and policy innovations and find the impact on employment, turnover, and segmentation to be substantial. This paper - a product of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Sector Unit, Latin America and Caribbean Region - is part of a larger effort in the region to understand the functioning of developing country labor markets. The authors may be contacted at tkrebsuiuc.edu or wmaloney@worldbank.org
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  • 54
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (49 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Mengistae, Taye The Relative Effects of Skill Formation and Job Matching on Wage Growth in Ethiopia
    Keywords: Earning ; Economic Theory and Research ; Employees ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Firm Level ; Human Capital ; Job ; Job Match ; Job Matches ; Job Separation ; Job Skill ; Jobs ; Labor Markets ; Labour ; Labour Market ; Labour Market Experience ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Older Workers ; Political Economy ; Productivity Increase ; Social Protections and Labor ; Wage Determination ; Wage Rate ; Wage Rates ; Worker ; Workers ; Earning ; Economic Theory and Research ; Employees ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Firm Level ; Human Capital ; Job ; Job Match ; Job Matches ; Job Separation ; Job Skill ; Jobs ; Labor Markets ; Labour ; Labour Market ; Labour Market Experience ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Older Workers ; Political Economy ; Productivity Increase ; Social Protections and Labor ; Wage Determination ; Wage Rate ; Wage Rates ; Worker ; Workers
    Abstract: April 1999 - Estimated age and job seniority profiles of wages and marginal productivity in Ethiopia suggest that both skill formation and job matching significantly affect growth of wages and productivity over time. However, job matching is by far the more important of the two sources of growth in wages and productivity. Mengistae analyzes production and labor market data for a random selection of small to medium-size firms in Ethiopia to answer two questions: ° Does a worker's marginal productivity increase with time in the labor market or with job seniority, as must be the case if on-the-job skill formation or job matching has anything to do with the dynamics of wages observed in the data? ° Assuming that marginal productivity grows with experience or seniority, is skill formation more or less important than job matching as a source of growth in productivity? The main feature of Mengistae's analysis is the joint regression of the log of the average product of hours in a firm and the log of average hourly earnings of a firm's employees on the shares of experience-seniority cells of workers in total annual hours in the firm. Marginal productivity falls as experience in the labor market passes the 15-year mark, but the expected marginal product of a mobile worker with 16 or more years of experience is still nearly 80 percent higher than that of the base group. The between-jobs growth of hourly wages with potential experience is also large, but not as large as growth in marginal productivity for workers with less than 15 years of experience. Mengistae concludes that job matching is far more important than skill formation as a source of growth in productivity. Net mobility gains account for at least twice the share of the return to skill formation in the observed between-jobs growth of wages with market experience. The rate of return to skills formation is higher in the United States than in Ethiopia. The relative return to skills formation is probably lower in Ethiopia partly because the flow of information about the labor market is more restricted there. This paper-a product of the Development Research Group-is part of a larger effort in the group to identify firm-level sources of growth in productivity. The author may be contacted at tmengistaeworldbank.org
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  • 55
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (43 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Ravallion, Martin Subjective Economic Welfare
    Keywords: Bank ; Calculation ; Consumer ; Consumers ; Demand ; Demands ; Economic Theory and Research ; Family Allowances ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Health Systems Development and Reform ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Income ; Household Incomes ; Income ; Incomes ; Inequality ; Inflation ; Information ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Money ; Pensioner ; Population Policies ; Poverty Diagnostics ; Poverty Lines ; Poverty Monitoring and Analysis ; Poverty Rate ; Poverty Reduction ; Property ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Spending ; Unemployment ; Welfare ; Bank ; Calculation ; Consumer ; Consumers ; Demand ; Demands ; Economic Theory and Research ; Family Allowances ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Health Systems Development and Reform ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Income ; Household Incomes ; Income ; Incomes ; Inequality ; Inflation ; Information ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Money ; Pensioner ; Population Policies ; Poverty Diagnostics ; Poverty Lines ; Poverty Monitoring and Analysis ; Poverty Rate ; Poverty Reduction ; Property ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Spending ; Unemployment ; Welfare
    Abstract: April 1999 - As conventionally measured, current household income relative to a poverty line can only partially explain how Russian adults perceive their economic welfare. Other factors include past incomes, individual incomes, household consumption, current unemployment, risk of unemployment, health status, education, and relative income in the area of residence. Paradoxically, when economists analyze a policy's impact on welfare they typically assume that people are the best judges of their own welfare, yet resist directly asking them if they are better off. Early ideas of utility were explicitly subjective, but modern economists generally ignore people's expressed views about their own welfare. Even using a broad set of conventional socioeconomic data may not reflect well people's subjective perceptions of their poverty. Ravallion and Lokshin examine the determinants of subjective economic welfare in Russia, including its relationship to conventional objective indicators. For data on subjective perceptions, they use survey responses in which respondents rate their level of welfare from poor to rich on a nine-point ladder. As an objective indicator of economic welfare, they use the most common poverty indicator in Russia today, in which household incomes are deflated by household-specific poverty lines. They find that Russian adults with higher family income per equivalent adult are less likely to place themselves on the lowest rungs of the subjective ladder and more likely to put themselves on the upper rungs. But current household income does not explain well self-reported assessments of whether someone is poor or rich. Expanding the set of variables to include incomes at different dates, expenditures, educational attainment, health status, employment, and average income in the area of residence doubles explanatory power. Healthier and better educated adults with jobs perceive themselves to be better off, controlling for income. The unemployed view their welfare as lower, even with full income replacement. Individual income matters independent of per capita household income. Relative income also matters. Living in a richer area lowers perceived economic welfare, controlling for income and other factors. This paper-a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group-is part of a larger effort in the group to better understand the relationship between objective and subjective economic welfare. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project Policies for Poor Areas (RPO 681-39). The authors may be contacted at mravallionworldbank.org or mlokshin@worldbank.org
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  • 56
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (83 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Mearns, Robin Social Exclusion and Land Administration in Orissa, India
    Keywords: Access To Land ; Charges ; Common Property Resource Development ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Contracts ; Fees ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Forestry ; Grants ; Income ; Institutional Analysis ; Institutional Reform ; Institutional Reforms ; Land ; Land Tenure ; Land Use ; Land Use and Policies ; Poverty Reduction ; Poverty Reduction ; Public ; Public Sector Management and Reform ; Public and Municipal Finance ; Revenue ; Revenue Collection ; Rural Development ; Rural Development Knowledge and Information Systems ; Rural Land Policies for Poverty Reduction ; Social Exclusion ; State Governments ; States ; Subnational Governance ; Urban Areas ; Urban Development ; Urban Economics ; Urban Governance and Management ; Access To Land ; Charges ; Common Property Resource Development ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Contracts ; Fees ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Forestry ; Grants ; Income ; Institutional Analysis ; Institutional Reform ; Institutional Reforms ; Land ; Land Tenure ; Land Use ; Land Use and Policies ; Poverty Reduction ; Poverty Reduction ; Public ; Public Sector Management and Reform ; Public and Municipal Finance ; Revenue ; Revenue Collection ; Rural Development ; Rural Development Knowledge and Information Systems ; Rural Land Policies for Poverty Reduction ; Social Exclusion ; State Governments ; States ; Subnational Governance ; Urban Areas ; Urban Development ; Urban Economics ; Urban Governance and Management
    Abstract: May 1999 - Which factors prevent the rural poor and other socially excluded groups from having access to land in Orissa, India? The authors report on the first empirical study of its kind to examine - from the perspective of transaction costs - factors that constrain access to land for the rural poor and other socially excluded groups in India. They find that: -Land reform has reduced large landholdings since the 1950s. Medium size farms have gained most. Formidable obstacles still prevent the poor from gaining access to land. -The complexity of land revenue administration in Orissa is partly the legacy of distinctly different systems, which produced more or less complete and accurate land records. These not-so-distant historical records can be important in resolving contemporary land disputes. -Orissa tried legally to abolish land-leasing. Concealed tenancy persisted, with tenants having little protection under the law. -Women's access to and control over land, and their bargaining power with their husbands about land, may be enhanced through joint land titling, a principle yet to be realized in Orissa. -Land administration is viewed as a burden on the state rather than a service, and land records and registration systems are not coordinated. Doing so will improve rights for the poor and reduce transaction costs - but only if the system is transparent and the powerful do not retain the leverage over settlement officers that has allowed land grabs. Land in Orissa may be purchased, inherited, rented (leased), or - in the case of public land and the commons - encroached upon. Each type of transaction - and the State's response, through land law and administration - has implications for poor people's access to land. The authors find that: -Land markets are thin and transaction costs are high, limiting the amount of agricultural land that changes hands. -The fragmentation of landholdings into tiny, scattered plots is a brake on agricultural productivity, but efforts to consolidate land may discriminate against the rural poor. Reducing transaction costs in land markets will help. - Protecting the rural poor's rights of access to common land requires raising public awareness and access to information. -Liberalizing land-lease markets for the rural poor will help, but only if the poor are ensured access to institutional credit. This paper - a product of the Rural Development Sector Unit, South Asia Region - is part of a larger effort in the region to promote access to land and to foster more demand-driven and socially inclusive institutions in rural development. Robin Mearns may be contacted at rmearnsworldbank.org
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  • 57
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (37 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Basu, Kaushik Interlinkage, Limited Liability, and Strategic Interaction
    Keywords: Amount Of Cred Borrower ; Contract Law ; Contracts ; Contractual Obligations ; Credit Contract ; Debt Markets ; Default ; Discount ; Discount Rates ; Economic Theory and Research ; Finance ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Instrument ; Instruments ; Labor Policies ; Law and Development ; Limited Liability ; Loan ; Loan Contracts ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Moneylender ; Moral Hazard ; Option ; Risk Aversion ; Risk Neutral ; Social Protections and Labor ; Unlimited Liability ; Amount Of Cred Borrower ; Contract Law ; Contracts ; Contractual Obligations ; Credit Contract ; Debt Markets ; Default ; Discount ; Discount Rates ; Economic Theory and Research ; Finance ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Instrument ; Instruments ; Labor Policies ; Law and Development ; Limited Liability ; Loan ; Loan Contracts ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Moneylender ; Moral Hazard ; Option ; Risk Aversion ; Risk Neutral ; Social Protections and Labor ; Unlimited Liability
    Abstract: June 1999 - When will a landlord prefer to supply both land and credit to a tenant rather than allow the lender to borrow from a separate moneylender? The paper shows that if tenancy contracts are obtained prior to contracting with the moneylender, and the tenant has limited liability, interlinked deals will predominate over the alternative situation where the landlord and the moneylender act as noncooperative principals. Basu, Bell, and Bose analyze the example of a landlord, a moneylender, and a tenant (the landlord having access to finance on the same terms as the moneylender). It is natural to assume that the landlord has first claim on the tenant's output (as a rule, if they live in the same village, he may have some say in when the crop is harvested). The moneylender is more of an outsider, not well placed to exercise such a claim. A landless, assetless tenant will typically not get a loan unless he has a tenancy. Without interlinkage, the landlord is likely to move first. In the noncooperative sequential game where the landlord is the first mover and also enjoys seniority of claims if the tenant defaults, interlinkage is superior, even if contracts are nonlinear - a result unchanged with the incorporation of moral hazard. The main result is that if a passive principal - one whose decisions are limited to exercising his property rights to determine his share of returns - is the first mover, allocative efficiency is impaired unless his equilibrium payoffs are uniform across states of nature. The limited liability of the tenant creates the strict superiority of interlinkage by making uniform rents nonoptimal when, with noncollusive principals, the landlord (the passive principal) is the first mover. A change in seniority of claims from the first to the second mover (the moneylender) further strengthens this result. But uniform payoffs for the first mover are not essential for allocative efficiency if he is the only principal with a continuously variable instrument of control. So, the main result is sensitive to changes in the order of play but not to changes in the priority of claims. This paper - a product of the Office of the Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, Development Economics - is part of a larger effort in the Bank to understand the institutional structure of rural markets and its welfare implications. The authors may be contacted at kbasuworldbank.org, clive.bell@urz.uni-heidelberg.de, or psbose@cc.memphis.edu
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  • 58
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (60 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Narayan, Deepa Social Capital and the State
    Keywords: Civil Society ; Civil Society Organizations ; Community ; Community Development and Empowerment ; Corruption ; Disability ; Economic Development ; Education ; Education and Society ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Full Participation ; Governance ; Governance ; Governance Indicators ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Human Development ; Income ; Indicators ; Institutions ; National Governance ; Participation ; Policy Implications ; Population Policies ; Poverty ; Service ; Service Delivery ; Social Activities ; Social Capital ; Social Cohesion ; Social Development ; Social Development ; Social Groups ; Social Inclusion and Institutions ; Social Justice ; Social Protections and Labor ; Civil Society ; Civil Society Organizations ; Community ; Community Development and Empowerment ; Corruption ; Disability ; Economic Development ; Education ; Education and Society ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Full Participation ; Governance ; Governance ; Governance Indicators ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Human Development ; Income ; Indicators ; Institutions ; National Governance ; Participation ; Policy Implications ; Population Policies ; Poverty ; Service ; Service Delivery ; Social Activities ; Social Capital ; Social Cohesion ; Social Development ; Social Development ; Social Groups ; Social Inclusion and Institutions ; Social Justice ; Social Protections and Labor
    Abstract: August 1999 - Whatever their nature, interventions to reduce poverty should be designed not only to have an immediate impact on poverty, but also to foster a rich network of cross-cutting ties within society and between society's formal and informal institutions. Using the lens of social capital - especially bridging or cross-cutting ties that cut across social groups and between social groups and government - provides new insights into policy design. Solidarity within social groups creates ties (bonding social capital) that bring people and resources together. In unequal societies, ties that cut across groups (bridging social capital) are essential for social cohesion and for poverty reduction. The nature of interaction between state and society is characterized as complementarity and substitution. When states are functional, the informal and formal work well together - for example, government support for community-based development. When states become dysfunctional, the informal institutions become a substitute and are reduced to serving a defensive or survival function. To move toward economic and social well-being, states must support inclusive development. Investments in the organizational capacity of the poor are critical. Interventions are also required to foster bridging ties across social groups - ethnic, religious, caste, or racial groups. Such interventions can stem from the state, private sector, or civil society and include: ° Changes in rules to include groups previously excluded from formal systems of finance, education, and governance, at all levels. ° Political pluralism and citizenship rights. ° Fairness before the law for all social groups. ° Availability of public spaces that bring social groups together. ° Infrastructure that eases communication. ° Education, media, and public information policies that reinforce norms and values of tolerance and diversity. This paper - a product of the Poverty Division, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network - is part of a larger effort in the network to understand the role of social capital. The author may be contacted at dnarayanworldbank.org
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  • 59
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (18 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Wei, Shang-Jin Does Corruption Relieve Foreign Investors of the Burden of Taxes and Capital Controls?
    Keywords: Capital Account ; Capital Control ; Capital Controls ; Currencies and Exchange Rates ; Debt Markets ; Domestic Capital ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Exchange ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Institutions ; Foreign Direct Investment ; Foreign Direct Investment ; Foreign Firms ; Foreign Investment ; Foreign Investors ; Income ; International Economics & Trade ; International Investors ; Investment ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Price ; Private Sector Development ; Public Policy ; Share ; Tax ; Tax Rate ; Tax Rates ; Taxation and Subsidies ; Taxes ; Capital Account ; Capital Control ; Capital Controls ; Currencies and Exchange Rates ; Debt Markets ; Domestic Capital ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Exchange ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Institutions ; Foreign Direct Investment ; Foreign Direct Investment ; Foreign Firms ; Foreign Investment ; Foreign Investors ; Income ; International Economics & Trade ; International Investors ; Investment ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Price ; Private Sector Development ; Public Policy ; Share ; Tax ; Tax Rate ; Tax Rates ; Taxation and Subsidies ; Taxes
    Abstract: October 1999 - Other things being equal, countries with higher tax rates, more corruption, or more restrictions on capital account transactions attract less foreign investment. Taxes and capital controls hinder foreign investment, and bureaucratic corruption adds to those burdens rather than reducing them. In a sample of 14 source countries making bilateral investments in 45 host countries, Wei finds that taxes, capital controls, and corruption all have large, statistically significant negative effects on foreign investment. Moreover, there is no robust support in the data for the efficient grease hypothesis - that corruption helps attract foreign investment by reducing firms' tax burden and the irritant of capital controls. This paper - a product of Public Economics, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study effective anticorruption strategies. It will appear as a chapter in a book on taxation and foreign direct investment edited by James Hines Jr. and to be published by the University of Chicago Press for the National Bureau of Economic Research. The author may be contacted at sweiworldbank.org
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  • 60
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (34 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Hoekman, Bernard Competition Policy, Developing Countries, and the World Trade Organization
    Keywords: Access to Markets ; Barriers ; Competition ; Competition Policies ; Competition Policy ; Developing Countries ; Developing Country ; Domestic Competition ; Economic Development ; Economic Theory and Research ; Education ; Emerging Markets ; Export Markets ; Foreign Competition ; Free Trade ; ICT Policy and Strategies ; Information and Communication Technologies ; Interest ; Interests ; International Cooperation ; International Economics & Trade ; Investment ; Investment Policies ; Jurisdictions ; Knowledge for Development ; Labor Policies ; Law and Development ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Market Access ; Markets and Market Access ; Monopoly ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Development ; Social Protections and Labor ; Trade Law ; Trade Policy ; Traditional Market ; World Trade ; Access to Markets ; Barriers ; Competition ; Competition Policies ; Competition Policy ; Developing Countries ; Developing Country ; Domestic Competition ; Economic Development ; Economic Theory and Research ; Education ; Emerging Markets ; Export Markets ; Foreign Competition ; Free Trade ; ICT Policy and Strategies ; Information and Communication Technologies ; Interest ; Interests ; International Cooperation ; International Economics & Trade ; Investment ; Investment Policies ; Jurisdictions ; Knowledge for Development ; Labor Policies ; Law and Development ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Market Access ; Markets and Market Access ; Monopoly ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Development ; Social Protections and Labor ; Trade Law ; Trade Policy ; Traditional Market ; World Trade
    Abstract: October 1999 - Developing countries have a great interest in pursuing active domestic competition policy but should do so independent of the World Trade Organization - which they should use to improve market access through further reduction in direct barriers to trade in goods and services. Hoekman and Holmes discuss developing country interests in including competition law disciplines in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Developing countries have a great interest in pursuing active domestic competition policy, they conclude, but should do so independent of the WTO. Given the mercantilist basis of multilateral trade negotiations, the WTO is less likely to be a powerful instrument for encouraging adoption of welfare-enhancing competition rules than it is to be a forum for abolishing cross-border measures. Developing countries should therefore give priority to using the WTO to improve market access - to further reduce direct barriers to trade in goods and services. This paper - a product of Trade, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to analyze issues that may be the subject of WTO negotiations. The authors may be contacted at bhoekmanworldbank.org or p.holmes@sussex.ac.uk
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  • 61
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (32 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Schiff, Maurice Labor Market Integration in the Presence of Social Capital
    Keywords: Bonds ; Capital ; Cred Economic Performance ; Debt Markets ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Equilibrium ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Free Trade ; Goods ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Human Capital ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Liquidity ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets and Market Access ; Negative Externalities ; Population Policies ; Private Sector Development ; Production Function ; Production Functions ; Public Good ; Social Capital ; Social Development ; Social Protections and Labor ; Trade Barriers ; Transactions Costs ; Transport ; Transport Economics, Policy and Planning ; Unemployment ; Utility ; Utility Function ; Voters ; Welfare ; Bonds ; Capital ; Cred Economic Performance ; Debt Markets ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Equilibrium ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Free Trade ; Goods ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Human Capital ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Liquidity ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets and Market Access ; Negative Externalities ; Population Policies ; Private Sector Development ; Production Function ; Production Functions ; Public Good ; Social Capital ; Social Development ; Social Protections and Labor ; Trade Barriers ; Transactions Costs ; Transport ; Transport Economics, Policy and Planning ; Unemployment ; Utility ; Utility Function ; Voters ; Welfare
    Abstract: November 1999 - Social capital raises productivity and falls with labor mobility. Because labor mobility generates a negative externality, integration of labor markets results in too much mobility, too low a level of social capital, and an ambiguous effect on welfare. Trade liberalization is superior to labor market integration because it reduces mobility and the negative externality associated with it. Labor market integration is typically assumed to improve welfare in the absence of distortions, because it allows labor to move to where returns are highest. Schiff examines this result in a simple general equilibrium model in the presence of a common property resource: social capital. Drawing on evidence that social capital raises productivity and falls with labor mobility, Schiff's main findings are that: · Labor market integration imposes a negative externality and need not raise welfare. · The welfare impact is more beneficial (or less harmful) the greater the difference in endowments is between the integrating regions. · Whether positive or negative, the welfare impact is larger the more similar the levels of social capital of the integrating regions are and the lower the migration costs are. · Trade liberalization generates an additional benefit-over and above the standard gains from trade - by reducing labor mobility and the negative externality associated with it. Trade liberalization is superior to labor market integration. · The creation of new private or public institutions in response to labor market integration may reduce welfare. Schiff shows that the welfare implications depend on two parameters of the model, the curvature of the utility function and the cost of private migration. This paper - a product of Trade, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the link between market performance and welfare. The author may be contacted at mschiffworldbank.org
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  • 62
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (34 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Murgai, Rinku The Green Revolution and the Productivity Paradox
    Keywords: Agricultural Production ; Agricultural Research ; Agriculture ; Agriculture ; Cotton ; Crop ; Cropping ; Cropping Systems ; Crops ; Crops and Crop Management Systems ; Development Research ; Drought Management ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Farmers ; Green Revolution ; Hybrid Seed ; Infrastructure ; Investment ; Irrigation and Drainage ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Maize ; Markets ; Poverty Reduction ; Pro-Poor Growth ; Rice ; Seed Varieties ; Social Protections and Labor ; Technology ; Technology Adoption ; Water Resources ; Wheat ; Agricultural Production ; Agricultural Research ; Agriculture ; Agriculture ; Cotton ; Crop ; Cropping ; Cropping Systems ; Crops ; Crops and Crop Management Systems ; Development Research ; Drought Management ; Economic Growth ; Economic Theory and Research ; Farmers ; Green Revolution ; Hybrid Seed ; Infrastructure ; Investment ; Irrigation and Drainage ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Maize ; Markets ; Poverty Reduction ; Pro-Poor Growth ; Rice ; Seed Varieties ; Social Protections and Labor ; Technology ; Technology Adoption ; Water Resources ; Wheat
    Abstract: In assessing new technologies, policy-makers should allow time between the adoption of the technologies and the realization of productivity gains attributable to them. Productivity growth was much lower than might be expected during the green revolution in the Indian Punjab but improved as learning processes took effect and resource management and the use of inputs became more efficient.Murgai provides district-level estimates of the contribution of technical change to agricultural output growth in the Indian Punjab from 1960 to 1993. Contrary to widespread belief, productivity growth in the Punjab was surprisingly low during the green revolution (in the mid-1960s), when modern hybrid seed varieties were being adopted. It improved later, after adoption of the new varieties was essentially complete. Murgai proposes three reasons for this pattern: · The standard measure of total factor productivity overstates the contribution of capital to output growth at the expense of the productivity residual. High-yielding varieties introduced in the 1960s helped spur output growth by making crops responsive to water and fertilizer, which not only allowed but indeed encouraged far greater use of capital inputs. This increase in the elasticity of the output response to capital inputs is incorporated into the index of factor accumulation and therefore excluded from the measure of total factor productivity growth. As a result, the contribution of technical change to growth in Punjab's agriculture during the green revolution is probably underestimated. · The overstatement of the capital contribution during the green revolution is exacerbated by indivisibilities in capital inputs. · Productivity growth did not come from the adoption of modern varieties alone. Improved resource management and public investment in infrastructure also helped improve productivity. This paper - a product of Rural Development, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study the determinants and impact of technology adoption and productivity growth in agriculture. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project Productivity and Sustainability of Irrigated Systems in South Asia (RPO 680-34). The author may be contacted at rmurgaiworldbank.org
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  • 63
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (114 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Madani, Dorsati A Review of the Role and Impact of Export Processing Zones
    Keywords: Banks and Banking Reform ; Capital Goods ; Debt Markets ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Environment ; Environment ; Environmental ; Environmental Economics and Policies ; Environmental Issues ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Imports ; Incentives ; Income ; International Economics & Trade ; Investment ; Investments ; Knowledge ; Labor ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets ; Policy Instruments ; Private Sector Development ; Production ; Public Sector Development ; Revenue ; Social Protections and Labor ; Subsidies ; Technology ; Trade ; Trade Policy ; Unemployment ; Wages ; Banks and Banking Reform ; Capital Goods ; Debt Markets ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Environment ; Environment ; Environmental ; Environmental Economics and Policies ; Environmental Issues ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Imports ; Incentives ; Income ; International Economics & Trade ; Investment ; Investments ; Knowledge ; Labor ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets ; Policy Instruments ; Private Sector Development ; Production ; Public Sector Development ; Revenue ; Social Protections and Labor ; Subsidies ; Technology ; Trade ; Trade Policy ; Unemployment ; Wages
    Abstract: As instruments for encouraging economic development, export processing zones have only limited usefulness. A better policy choice is general liberalization of a country's economy. - Traditional export processing zones are fenced-in industrial estates specializing in manufacturing for exports. Modern ones have more flexible rules, such as permitting more liberal domestic sales. They provide a free-trade and liberal regulatory environment for the firms involved. Their primary goals: to provide foreign exchange earnings by promoting nontraditional exports, to provide jobs and create income, and to attract foreign direct investment and attendant technology transfer and knowledge spillover. Domestic, international, or joint venture firms operating in export processing zones typically benefit from reduced red tape, flexible labor laws, generous long-term tax holidays and concessions, above-average communications services and infrastructure (and often subsidized utilities and rental rates), and unlimited duty-free imports of raw and intermediate inputs and capital goods needed for production. In this review of experience, Madani concludes that export processing zones have limited applications; the better policy choice is to liberalize a country's entire economy. Under certain conditions - including appropriate setup and good management - export processing zones can play a dynamic role in a country's development, but only as a transitional step in an integrated movement toward general liberalization of the economy (with revisions as national economic conditions change). The World Bank, writes Madani, should be cautious about supporting export processing zone projects, doing so only on a case-by-case basis, only with expert guidance, and only as part of a general reform package. It should not support isolated export processing zone projects in unreformed or postreform economies (in the last case they might encourage backsliding on trade policy). In general, if a policy is good for the economy as a whole, it is likely to be good for an export processing zone. Sound policy will encourage: · Sound, stable monetary and fiscal policies, clear private property and investment laws, and a business-friendly economic environment. · Moderate, simplified (but not overfriendly) corporate tax schedules, and generally liberal tariffs and other trade taxes. · Private development and management of export processing zones and their infrastructure and unsubsidized utilities. · Labor laws that are business-friendly but do not abuse workers' safety and labor rights. · A better understanding of the impact of industrial refuse on the quality of air, soil, water, and human health. This paper - a product of Trade, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the impact of trade policy and trade policy tools on development. The author may be contacted at dmadaniworldbank.org
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  • 64
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (22 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Byamugisha, K.F. Frank The Effects of Land Registration on Financial Development and Economic Growth
    Keywords: Bank Policy ; Collateral ; Common Property Resource Development ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Contracts ; Debt Markets ; Depos Deposit Mobilization ; Economic Development ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Exchange ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Development ; Financial Literacy ; Investment ; Labor Policies ; Land Title ; Land Titling ; Land Use and Policies ; Land and Real Estate Development ; Liquidity ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets ; Municipal Housing and Land ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Property ; Private Sector Development ; Property Rights ; Rural Development ; Rural Land Policies for Poverty Reduction ; Security ; Seizure ; Social Protections and Labor ; Transaction ; Transaction Costs ; Transactions ; Bank Policy ; Collateral ; Common Property Resource Development ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Contracts ; Debt Markets ; Depos Deposit Mobilization ; Economic Development ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Exchange ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Development ; Financial Literacy ; Investment ; Labor Policies ; Land Title ; Land Titling ; Land Use and Policies ; Land and Real Estate Development ; Liquidity ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets ; Municipal Housing and Land ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Property ; Private Sector Development ; Property Rights ; Rural Development ; Rural Land Policies for Poverty Reduction ; Security ; Seizure ; Social Protections and Labor ; Transaction ; Transaction Costs ; Transactions
    Abstract: November 1999 - A theoretical framework to guide empirical analysis of how land registration affects financial development and economic growth. The author develops a theoretical framework to guide empirical analysis of how land registration affects financial development and economic growth. Most conceptual approaches investigate the effects of land registration on only one sector, nut land registration is commonly observed to affect not only other sectors but the economy as a whole The author builds on the well-tested link between secure land ownership and farm productivity, adding to the framework theory about positive information and transaction costs. To map the relationship between land registration and financial development and economic growth, the framework links: -Land tenure security and investment incentives. -Land title, collateral, and credit. -Land markets, transactions, and efficiency. -Labor mobility and efficiency. -Land liquidity, deposit mobilization, and investment. Empirical results from applying the framework to a single case study - of Thailand, described in a separate paper - suggest that the framework is sound. This paper - a product of the Rural Development and Natural Resources Sector Unit, East Asia and Pacific Region - is part of a larger effort in the region to increase the effectiveness of country assistance strategies in the area of property rights and economic development
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  • 65
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (70 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Milanovic, Branko True World Income Distribution, 1988 and 1993
    Keywords: Consumption ; Economic Theory ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Growth Models ; Health Systems Development and Reform ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Income ; Household Surveys ; Income ; Income ; Income Differences ; Income Distribution ; Income Distribution Data ; Income Inequality ; Increasing Inequality ; Inequality ; Inequality ; Macroeconomics ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Mean Incomes ; Median Voter ; Median Voter Hypothesis ; Personal Income ; Political Economy ; Poverty Diagnostics ; Poverty Impact Evaluation ; Poverty Reduction ; Power Parity ; Private Sector Development ; Rising Inequality ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Social Protections and Labor ; Consumption ; Economic Theory ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Growth Models ; Health Systems Development and Reform ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Income ; Household Surveys ; Income ; Income ; Income Differences ; Income Distribution ; Income Distribution Data ; Income Inequality ; Increasing Inequality ; Inequality ; Inequality ; Macroeconomics ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Mean Incomes ; Median Voter ; Median Voter Hypothesis ; Personal Income ; Political Economy ; Poverty Diagnostics ; Poverty Impact Evaluation ; Poverty Reduction ; Power Parity ; Private Sector Development ; Rising Inequality ; Rural Development ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Social Protections and Labor
    Abstract: Inequality in world income is very high, according to household surveys, more because of differences between mean country incomes than because of inequality within countries. World inequality increased between 1988 and 1993, driven by slower growth in rural per capita incomes in populous Asian countries (Bangladesh, China, and India) than in large, rich OECD countries, and by increasing income differences between urban China on the one hand and rural China and rural India on the other. - Milanovic derives the distribution of individuals' income or expenditures for two years, 1988 and 1993. His is the first paper to calculate world distribution for individuals based entirely on data from household surveys. The data, from 91 countries, are adjusted for differences in purchasing power parity between the countries. Measured by the Gini index, inequality increased from an already high 63 in 1988 to 66 in 1993. This increase was driven more by rising differences in mean incomes between countries than by rising inequalities within countries. Contributing most to the inequality were rising urban-rural differences in China and the slower growth of rural purchasing-power-adjusted incomes in South Asia than in several large developed market economies. This paper - a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study inequality and poverty in the world. Also published in The Economic Journal, January 2002 pp. 51-92 The author may be contacted at bmilanovicworldbank.org
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  • 66
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (36 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Venables, Anthony Regional Integration Agreements
    Keywords: Agriculture ; Comparative Advantage ; Consumers ; Country Strategy and Performance ; Development Economics ; Economic Integration ; Economic Performance ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Free Trade ; Free Trade ; Human Capital ; Income ; Income ; Income Levels ; Inequality ; International Economics & Trade ; Law and Development ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Outcomes ; Per Capita Income ; Per Capita Incomes ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Production ; Public Sector Development ; Real Income ; Social Protections and Labor ; Theory ; Trade Diversion ; Trade Law ; Trade Policy ; Trade and Regional Integration ; Value ; Value Added ; Welfare ; Agriculture ; Comparative Advantage ; Consumers ; Country Strategy and Performance ; Development Economics ; Economic Integration ; Economic Performance ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Free Trade ; Free Trade ; Human Capital ; Income ; Income ; Income Levels ; Inequality ; International Economics & Trade ; Law and Development ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Outcomes ; Per Capita Income ; Per Capita Incomes ; Poverty Reduction ; Private Sector Development ; Production ; Public Sector Development ; Real Income ; Social Protections and Labor ; Theory ; Trade Diversion ; Trade Law ; Trade Policy ; Trade and Regional Integration ; Value ; Value Added ; Welfare
    Abstract: December 1999 - Developing countries may be better served by north-south than by south-south free trade agreements. Free trade agreements between low-income countries tend to lead to divergence in member country incomes, while agreements between high-income countries tend to lead to convergence. Venables examines how benefits - and costs - of a free trade area are divided among member countries. Outcomes depend on the member countries' comparative advantage, relative to one another and to the rest of the world. Venables finds that free trade agreements between low-income countries tend to lead to divergence in member country incomes, while agreements between high-income countries tend to lead to convergence. Changes induced by comparative advantage may be amplified by the effects of agglomeration. The results suggest that developing countries may be better served by north-south than by south-south free trade agreements, because north-south agreements increase their prospects for convergence with high-income members of the free trade area. In north-south free trade agreements, additional forces are likely to operate. The agreement may be used, for example, as a commitment mechanism to lock in economic reforms (as happened in Mexico with the North American Free Trade Agreement and in Eastern European countries with the European Union). A free trade agreement may also - through its effect on trade and through foreign direct investment - promote technology transfer to lower-income members. This paper - a product of Trade, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study the effects of regional integration. The author may be contacted at avenablesworldbank.org
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  • 67
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (72 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Alcázar, Lorena The Buenos Aires Water Concession
    Keywords: Debt Markets ; Decision Making ; Economics ; Emerging Markets ; Environment ; Environmental Economics and Policies ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Incentives ; Income ; Industry ; Information ; Information Asymmetries ; Infrastructure Economics ; Infrastructure Economics and Finance ; Interest ; Investment ; Marginal Cost ; Outcomes ; Perverse Incentives ; Prices ; Private Sector Development ; Productivity ; Regulation ; Revenues ; Supply ; Taking ; Tariffs ; Town Water Supply and Sanitation ; Urban Water Supply and Sanitation ; Water ; Water Conservation ; Water Resources ; Water Supply and Sanitation ; Water Supply and Sanitation Governance and Institutions ; Water and Industry ; Welfare Effects ; Debt Markets ; Decision Making ; Economics ; Emerging Markets ; Environment ; Environmental Economics and Policies ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Incentives ; Income ; Industry ; Information ; Information Asymmetries ; Infrastructure Economics ; Infrastructure Economics and Finance ; Interest ; Investment ; Marginal Cost ; Outcomes ; Perverse Incentives ; Prices ; Private Sector Development ; Productivity ; Regulation ; Revenues ; Supply ; Taking ; Tariffs ; Town Water Supply and Sanitation ; Urban Water Supply and Sanitation ; Water ; Water Conservation ; Water Resources ; Water Supply and Sanitation ; Water Supply and Sanitation Governance and Institutions ; Water and Industry ; Welfare Effects
    Abstract: April 2000 - Transparent, rule-based decisionmaking is important to maintaining public trust in regulated infrastructure. The Buenos Aires water and sanitation concession led to remarkable improvements in delivery and coverage of services and to lower prices for consumers. But a poor information base, lack of transparency in regulatory decisions, and the ad hoc nature of executive branch interventions make it difficult to reassure consumers that their welfare is being protected and that the concession is sustainable. The signing of a concession contract for the Buenos Aires water and sanitation system in December 1992 attracted worldwide attention and caused considerable controversy in Argentina. It was one of the world's largest concessions, but the case was also interesting for other reasons. The concession was implemented rapidly, in contrast with slow implementation of privatization in Santiago, for example. And reform generated major improvements in the sector, including wider coverage, better service, more efficient company operations, and reduced waste. Moreover, the winning bid brought an immediate 26.9 percent reduction in water system tariffs. Consumers benefited from the system's expansion and from the immediate drop in real prices, which was only partly reversed by subsequent changes in tariffs and access charges. And these improvements would probably not have occurred under public administration of the system. Still, as Alcázar, Abdala, and Shirley show, information asymmetries, perverse incentives, and weak regulatory institutions could threaten the concession's sustainability. Opportunities for the company to act opportunistically - and the regulator, arbitrarily - exist because of politicized regulation, a poor information base, serious flaws in the concession contract, a lumpy and ad hoc tariff system, and a general lack of transparency in the regulatory process. Because of these circumstances, public confidence in the process has eroded. The Buenos Aires concession shows how important transparent, rule-based decisionmaking is to maintaining public trust in regulated infrastructure. This paper - a product of Regulation and Competition Policy, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to analyze institutional issues in regulated infrastructure. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project Institutions, Politics, and Contracts: Private Sector Participation in Urban Water Supply (RPO 681-87). Mary Shirley may be contacted at mshirleyworldbank.org
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  • 68
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (42 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Galasso, Emanuela Distributional Outcomes of a Decentralized Welfare Program
    Keywords: Anti-Poverty ; Community Groups ; Community Organizations ; Conflict ; Food-For-Education ; Income ; Irrigation ; Land Inequality ; Local Farmers ; Local Irrigation Facility ; Participatory Poverty Assessments ; Poor ; Poor Families ; Poor Farmers ; Poor Households ; Poverty Programs ; Poverty Reduction ; Public Spending ; Rural ; Rural Development ; Rural Families ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Targeting ; Anti-Poverty ; Community Groups ; Community Organizations ; Conflict ; Food-For-Education ; Income ; Irrigation ; Land Inequality ; Local Farmers ; Local Irrigation Facility ; Participatory Poverty Assessments ; Poor ; Poor Families ; Poor Farmers ; Poor Households ; Poverty Programs ; Poverty Reduction ; Public Spending ; Rural ; Rural Development ; Rural Families ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Services and Transfers to Poor ; Targeting
    Abstract: April 2000 - Community-level targeting of antipoverty programs is now common. Do local community organizations target the poor better than the central government? In one program in Bangladesh, the answer tends to be yes, but performance varies from village to village. The authors try to explain why. It is common for central governments to delegate authority over the targeting of welfare programs to local community organizations - which may be better informed about who is poor, though possibly less accountable for getting the money to the local poor - while the center retains control over how much goes to each local region. Galasso and Ravallion outline a theoretical model of the interconnected behavior of the various actors in such a setting. The model's information structure provides scope for econometric identification. Applying data for a specific program in Bangladesh, they find that overall targeting was mildly pro-poor, mostly because of successful targeting within villages. But this varied across villages. Although some village characteristics promoted better targeting, these were generally not the same characteristics that attracted resources from the center. Galasso and Ravallion observe that the center's desire for broad geographic coverage appears to have severely constrained the scope for pro-poor village targeting. However, poor villages tended not to be better at reaching their poor. They find some evidence that local institutions matter. The presence of cooperatives for farmers and the landless appears to be associated with more pro-poor program targeting. The presence of recreational clubs has the opposite effect. Sometimes the benefits of decentralized social programs are captured by local elites, depending on the type of spending being decentralized. When public spending is on a private (excludable) good, and there is no self-targeting mechanism to ensure that only the poor participate, there is ample scope for local mistargeting. This paper - a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to assess the performance of alternative means of reaching the poor through public programs. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project Policies for Poor Areas (RPO 681-39). The authors may be contacted at egalassoworldbank.org or mravallion@worldbank.org
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  • 69
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (28 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Broadman, G. Harry Competition, Corporate Governance, and Regulation in Central Asia
    Keywords: Business Performance ; Competition ; Competition Policy ; Corporate Governance ; Corporate Law ; Corporate Performance ; Debt Markets ; E-Business ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Enforcement ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Governance ; Investment ; Labor Policies ; Law and Development ; Legal Frameworks ; Macroeconomic Policy ; Macroeconomic Stability ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Market Economy ; Market Share ; Market Structure ; Markets and Market Access ; Microfinance ; Monopoly ; National Governance ; Output ; Price ; Prices ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Corruption and Anticorruption Measures ; Reform Program ; Social Protections and Labor ; Trade ; Trade Associations ; Business Performance ; Competition ; Competition Policy ; Corporate Governance ; Corporate Law ; Corporate Performance ; Debt Markets ; E-Business ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Enforcement ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Governance ; Investment ; Labor Policies ; Law and Development ; Legal Frameworks ; Macroeconomic Policy ; Macroeconomic Stability ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Market Economy ; Market Share ; Market Structure ; Markets and Market Access ; Microfinance ; Monopoly ; National Governance ; Output ; Price ; Prices ; Private Sector Development ; Public Sector Corruption and Anticorruption Measures ; Reform Program ; Social Protections and Labor ; Trade ; Trade Associations
    Abstract: May 2000 - Like many Central Asian republics, Uzbekistan has adopted a gradual, cautious approach in its transition to a market economy. It has had some success attaining macroeconomic stability, but microeconomic reforms have lagged behind. It is time to accelerate structural reform. In Uzbekistan state enterprises are being changed into shareholding companies, and private enterprises account for 45 percent of all registered firms. But business decisions to set prices, output, and investment are often not market-based, nor wholly within the purview of businesses, especially those in commercial manufacturing and services. Lines of authority for corporate governance - from state enterprises to private enterprises - are ill-defined, so there is little discipline on corporate performance and little separation between government and business. Nascent frameworks have been created for competition policy (for firms in the commercial sector) and regulatory policy (governing utilities in the infrastructure monopoly sector). But implementation and enforcement have been hampered by old-style instruments (such as price controls) rooted in central planning, by lack of a strong independent regulatory rule-making authority, by the limited understanding of the basic concepts of competition and regulatory reform, and by weak institutional capabilities for analyzing market structure and business performance. Based on fieldwork in Uzbekistan, Broadman recommends: · Deepening senior policy officials' understanding of, and appreciation of the benefits from, enterprise competition and how it affects economic growth. · Reforming competition policy institutions and legal frameworks in line with the country's goal of strengthening structural reforms and improving macroeconomic policy. · Improving the ability of government and associated institutions to assess Uzbekistan's industrial market structure and the determinants of enterprise conduct and performance. · Making the authority responsible for competition and regulatory policymaking into an independent agency - a champion of competition - answerable directly to the prime minister. · Strengthening incentives and institutions for corporate governance and bringing them in line with international practice. · Subjecting infrastructure monopolies to systemic competitive restructuring and unbundling, where appropriate. For other utilities, depoliticize tariff setting and implementation of regulations; ensure that price, output, and investment decisions by service suppliers are procompetitive (creating a level playing field among users); and increase transparency and accountability to the public. This paper - a product of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Sector Unit, Europe and Central Asia Regional Office - is part of a larger effort in the region to assess structural reform in Central Asia. The author may be contacted at hbroadmanworldbank.org
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  • 70
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (36 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Easterly, William Inflation and the Poor
    Keywords: Access to Markets ; Bank ; Bonds ; Checks ; Cred Education ; Currencies and Exchange Rates ; Debt Markets ; Economic Theory and Research ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Instruments ; Financial Literacy ; Health Indicators ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; ICT Applications ; ICT for Health ; Income ; Incomes ; Inflation ; Inflation ; Information and Communication Technologies ; International Economics & Trade ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets and Market Access ; Minimum Wage ; Money ; Pensions ; Poverty Rate ; Poverty Rates ; Probabilities ; Research Assistance ; Stocks ; Subsidies ; Unemployment ; Wages ; Access to Markets ; Bank ; Bonds ; Checks ; Cred Education ; Currencies and Exchange Rates ; Debt Markets ; Economic Theory and Research ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Instruments ; Financial Literacy ; Health Indicators ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; ICT Applications ; ICT for Health ; Income ; Incomes ; Inflation ; Inflation ; Information and Communication Technologies ; International Economics & Trade ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Markets and Market Access ; Minimum Wage ; Money ; Pensions ; Poverty Rate ; Poverty Rates ; Probabilities ; Research Assistance ; Stocks ; Subsidies ; Unemployment ; Wages
    Abstract: May 2000 - The poor suffer more from inflation than the rich do, reveals this survey of poor people in 38 countries. Using polling data for 31,869 households in 38 countries and allowing for country effects, Easterly and Fischer show that the poor are more likely than the rich to mention inflation as a top national concern. This result survives several robustness checks. Also, direct measures of improvements in well-being for the poor - the change in their share of national income, the percentage decline in poverty, and the percentage change in the real minimum wage - are negatively correlated with inflation in pooled cross-country samples. High inflation tends to lower the share of the bottom quintile and the real minimum wage - and tends to increase poverty. This paper - a joint product of Macroeconomics and Growth, Development Research Group, and the International Monetary Fund - is part of a larger effort to study the effects of macroeconomic policies on growth and poverty
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  • 71
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (50 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Saggi, Kamal Trade, Foreign Direct Investment, and International Technology Transfer
    Keywords: Attributes ; Basic ; E-Business ; E-Mail ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Foreign Direct Investment ; High Technology ; ICT Policy and Strategies ; Industry ; Information ; Information and Communication Technologies ; International Economics & Trade ; Inventors ; Know-How ; Knowledge Economy ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Microfinance ; New Technologies ; Outsourcing ; Private Sector Development ; Semiconductor ; Semiconductor Industry ; Social Protections and Labor ; Systems ; Technological Change ; Technologies ; Technology ; Technology Industry ; Technology Licensing ; Technology Spillovers ; Technology Transfer ; Trade and Regional Integration ; Attributes ; Basic ; E-Business ; E-Mail ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Foreign Direct Investment ; High Technology ; ICT Policy and Strategies ; Industry ; Information ; Information and Communication Technologies ; International Economics & Trade ; Inventors ; Know-How ; Knowledge Economy ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Microfinance ; New Technologies ; Outsourcing ; Private Sector Development ; Semiconductor ; Semiconductor Industry ; Social Protections and Labor ; Systems ; Technological Change ; Technologies ; Technology ; Technology Industry ; Technology Licensing ; Technology Spillovers ; Technology Transfer ; Trade and Regional Integration
    Abstract: May 2000 - How much a developing country can take advantage of technology transfer from foreign direct investment depends partly on how well educated and well trained its workforce is, how much it is willing to invest in research and development, and how much protection it offers for intellectual property rights. Saggi surveys the literature on trade and foreign direct investment - especially wholly owned subsidiaries of multinational firms and international joint ventures - as channels for technology transfer. He also discusses licensing and other arm's-length channels of technology transfer. He concludes: How trade encourages growth depends on whether knowledge spillover is national or international. Spillover is more likely to be national for developing countries than for industrial countries. · Local policy often makes pure foreign direct investment infeasible, so foreign firms choose licensing or joint ventures. The jury is still out on whether licensing or joint ventures lead to more learning by local firms. · Policies designed to attract foreign direct investment are proliferating. Several plant-level studies have failed to find positive spillover from foreign direct investment to firms competing directly with subsidiaries of multinationals. (However, these studies treat foreign direct investment as exogenous and assume spillover to be horizontal - when it may be vertical.) All such studies do find the subsidiaries of multinationals to be more productive than domestic firms, so foreign direct investment does result in host countries using resources more effectively. · Absorptive capacity in the host country is essential for getting significant benefits from foreign direct investment. Without adequate human capital or investments in research and development, spillover fails to materialize. · A country's policy on protection of intellectual property rights affects the type of industry it attracts. Firms for which such rights are crucial (such as pharmaceutical firms) are unlikely to invest directly in countries where such protections are weak, or will not invest in manufacturing and research and development activities. Policy on intellectual property rights also influences whether technology transfer comes through licensing, joint ventures, or the establishment of wholly owned subsidiaries. This paper - a product of Trade, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study microfoundations of international technology diffusion. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project Microfoundations of International Technology Diffusion. The author may be contacted at ksaggimail.smu.edu
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  • 72
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (48 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Newman, Constance Gender, Poverty, and Nonfarm Employment in Ghana and Uganda
    Keywords: Agricultural Output ; Cash Crops ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Gender ; Gender and Development ; Gender and Health ; Gender and Law ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Income ; Household Income Diversification ; Housing and Human Habitats ; Human Capital ; Human Development ; Income ; Income Shares ; Income-Generating Activities ; Inequality ; Law and Development ; Poor ; Population Policies ; Poverty ; Poverty Levels ; Poverty Monitoring and Analysis ; Poverty Reduction ; Poverty Reduction ; Rural ; Rural Areas ; Rural Development ; Rural Development ; Rural Development Knowledge and Information Systems ; Rural Economy ; Rural Poverty ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Rural Residents ; Agricultural Output ; Cash Crops ; Communities & Human Settlements ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Gender ; Gender and Development ; Gender and Health ; Gender and Law ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Income ; Household Income Diversification ; Housing and Human Habitats ; Human Capital ; Human Development ; Income ; Income Shares ; Income-Generating Activities ; Inequality ; Law and Development ; Poor ; Population Policies ; Poverty ; Poverty Levels ; Poverty Monitoring and Analysis ; Poverty Reduction ; Poverty Reduction ; Rural ; Rural Areas ; Rural Development ; Rural Development ; Rural Development Knowledge and Information Systems ; Rural Economy ; Rural Poverty ; Rural Poverty Reduction ; Rural Residents
    Abstract: June 2000 - For women in Ghana and Uganda, nonfarm activities play an important role in yielding the lowest - and the most rapidly declining - rural poverty rates. In both countries rural poverty declined fastest for female heads of household engaged in nonfarm work (which tended to be a secondary activity). But patterns vary between the two countries. Newman and Canagarajah provide evidence that women's nonfarm activities help reduce poverty in two economically and culturally different countries, Ghana and Uganda. In both countries rural poverty rates were lowest - and fell most rapidly - for female heads of household engaged in nonfarm activities. Participation in nonfarm activities increased more rapidly for women, especially married women and female heads of household, than for men. Women were more likely than men to combine agriculture and nonfarm activities. In Ghana it was nonfarm activities (for which income data are available) that provided the highest average incomes and the highest shares of income. Bivariate probit analysis of participation shows that in Uganda female heads of household and in Ghana women in general are significantly more likely than men to participate in nonfarm activities and less likely to participate in agriculture. This paper - a joint product of Rural Development, Development Research Group, and the Social Protection Team, Human Development Network- is part of a larger effort in the Bank to discuss gender, employment, and poverty linkages. The authors may be contacted at cnewman1worldbank.orgor scanagarajah@worldbank.org
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  • 73
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (44 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Agénor, Pierre-Richard Savings and the Terms of Trade under Borrowing Constraints
    Keywords: Arbitrage ; Capital Markets ; Consumers ; Consumption ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Exports ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Income ; Liquidity ; Macroeconomic Shocks ; Macroeconomics ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Marginal Utility ; Open Economy ; Permanent Income ; Political Economy ; Prices ; Private Sector Development ; Real GDP ; Real Interest Rate ; Savings ; Trade ; Utility ; Variables ; Welfare ; Arbitrage ; Capital Markets ; Consumers ; Consumption ; Economic Theory and Research ; Emerging Markets ; Exports ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Income ; Liquidity ; Macroeconomic Shocks ; Macroeconomics ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Marginal Utility ; Open Economy ; Permanent Income ; Political Economy ; Prices ; Private Sector Development ; Real GDP ; Real Interest Rate ; Savings ; Trade ; Utility ; Variables ; Welfare
    Abstract: June 2000 - When households face the possibility of borrowing constraints in bad times, favorable movements in the permanent component of the terms of trade may lead to higher rates of private savings. Agénor and Aizenman examine the extent to which permanent terms-of-trade shocks have an asymmetric effect on private savings. Using a simple three-period model, they show that if households expect to face binding constraints on borrowing in bad states of nature (when the economy is in a long trough rather than a sharp peak), savings rates will respond asymmetrically to favorable movements in the permanent component of the terms of trade-in contrast with the predictions of conventional consumption-smoothing models. They test for asymmetric effects of terms-of-trade disturbances using an econometric model that controls for various standard determinants of private savings. The results-based on panel data for nonoil commodity exporters of Sub-Saharan Africa for 1980-96 (a group of countries for which movements in the terms of trade have traditionally represented a key source of macroeconomic shocks)-indicate that increases in the permanent component of the terms of trade (measured using three alternative filtering techniques) indeed tend to be associated with higher rates of private savings. This paper is a product of Economic Policy and Poverty Reduction, World Bank Institute. Pierre-Richard Agénor may be contacted at pagenorworldbank.org
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  • 74
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (36 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Lokshin, Michael Child Care and Women's Labor Force Participation in Romania
    Keywords: Age ; Child Care ; Child Development ; Children ; Children and Youth ; Early Childhood ; Education ; Employment Of Women ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Gender ; Gender and Law ; Health Systems Development and Reform ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Income ; Human Capital ; Labor Force ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Labor Supply ; Law and Development ; Mother ; Nutrition ; Physical Health ; Policy ; Population Policies ; Poverty ; Primary Education ; Respect ; Social Protections and Labor ; Street Children ; Urban Development ; Wages ; Workforce ; Working Mothers ; Young Women ; Youth and Government ; Age ; Child Care ; Child Development ; Children ; Children and Youth ; Early Childhood ; Education ; Employment Of Women ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Gender ; Gender and Law ; Health Systems Development and Reform ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Income ; Human Capital ; Labor Force ; Labor Markets ; Labor Policies ; Labor Supply ; Law and Development ; Mother ; Nutrition ; Physical Health ; Policy ; Population Policies ; Poverty ; Primary Education ; Respect ; Social Protections and Labor ; Street Children ; Urban Development ; Wages ; Workforce ; Working Mothers ; Young Women ; Youth and Government
    Abstract: July 2000 - In Romania both the maternal decision to take a job and the decision to use out-of-home care are sensitive to the price of child care as well as to the potential market wage of the mother. A decrease in the price of child care can increase the number of mothers in the labor force and thus reduce poverty in some households. Fong and Lokshin model the household demand for child care, the mother's participation in the labor force, and her working hours in Romania. Their model estimates the effects of the price of child care, the mother's wage, and household income on household behavior relating to child care and mothers working outside the home. They find that: · Both the maternal decision to take a job and the decision to use out-of-home care are sensitive to the price of child care. A decrease in the price of child care can increase the number of mothers who work and thus reduce poverty in some households. · The potential market wage of the mother has a significant positive effect on the decision to purchase market care and the decision to engage in paid employment. · The level of household nonwage income has little effect on maternal employment and the demand for child care. In addition to facilitating women's work, kindergartens and crèches appear to provide educational and social benefits for children. Close to half the children in these facilities have mothers who do not work. Further research is needed to assess the cost and nature of these benefits and to determine the appropriate roles for the private and public sectors in providing, financing, and regulating such services for working and nonworking mothers. This paper-a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group-is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the role of gender in the context of the household, institutions, and society. Michael Lokshin may be contacted at mlokshinworldbank.org
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  • 75
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Washington, D.C : The World Bank
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (20 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Salinas, Angel The Distribution of Mexico's Public Spending on Education
    Keywords: Access and Equity in Basic Education ; Cred Earnings ; Debt Markets ; Education ; Education ; Education for All ; Effective Schools and Teachers ; Finance ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Financial Sector ; Gender ; Gender and Education ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Expenditure ; Income ; Income Groups ; Information ; Investments ; Level Of Education ; Loan Programs ; Population Policies ; Primary Education ; Primary Education ; Public Expenditures ; Public Sector Expenditure Analysis and Management ; Spending ; Student ; Student Loan ; Students ; Subsidies ; Subsidy ; Tertiary Education ; Access and Equity in Basic Education ; Cred Earnings ; Debt Markets ; Education ; Education ; Education for All ; Effective Schools and Teachers ; Finance ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Financial Sector ; Gender ; Gender and Education ; Health, Nutrition and Population ; Household Expenditure ; Income ; Income Groups ; Information ; Investments ; Level Of Education ; Loan Programs ; Population Policies ; Primary Education ; Primary Education ; Public Expenditures ; Public Sector Expenditure Analysis and Management ; Spending ; Student ; Student Loan ; Students ; Subsidies ; Subsidy ; Tertiary Education
    Abstract: July 2000 - Public spending on tertiary education in Mexico is strongly regressive, benefiting mainly the nonpoor in urban areas. To give the poor a chance at higher education, student loan programs or means-tested financial aid and scholarship programs (though rarely devoid of subsidy) are preferable to free education services, because loan and aid programs target the students who suffer from the financial market's failure to provide long-term loans for higher education. Research shows that education has played a crucial role in raising levels of earnings and that returns to education in Mexico have increased, particularly in higher education and in the upper tail of the conditional earnings distribution. Lopez-Acevedo and Salinas examine patterns of public spending on education in the face of further increases in earnings inequality. They analyze the incidence of benefits using two sets of data: data on unit costs per student by state and by education level, and data from surveys on household income and spending. Among their findings: · Nationally, the poorest income groups get most of the national and state subsidy for primary education. At higher education levels the poor get progressively smaller subsidies. · For all Mexico, government spending on primary education is very progressive. In lower secondary education it is neutral. And in upper secondary education it benefits mainly the middle and upper classes. Tertiary education is strongly regressive, benefiting mainly the richest deciles and mainly in urban areas. · But those government patterns vary by region. In the central region average total spending is more uniformly distributed than the national pattern. In the northern region the subsidy is progressive. Primary education is neutral and higher levels of instruction are moderately regressive. In the central region primary schooling is very progressive, while lower secondary schooling is almost neutral. Upper secondary and tertiary instruction strongly benefit the richest income deciles. In the southern region basic (primary and lower secondary) education is very progressive, upper secondary education is neutral, and tertiary education is highly regressive. In Mexico City all levels of education except primary are strongly regressive. Lopez-Acevedo and Salinas show that public spending at the tertiary level is more regressive than household spending. So much of public spending on tertiary education favors nonpoor families in urban areas that to reallocate the spending so that poor students have a chance to participate would require developing credit markets for higher education. The government's role should be to help overcome market failures in the financial sector, which limit the availability of long-term financing for higher education. These failures can be corrected through student loan programs or means-tested financial aid and scholarship programs. Such programs are rarely devoid of subsidy but are preferable to the direct, cost-free provision of services because the subsidy is targeted more closely to the source of market failure. This paper-a product of the Economic Policy Sector Unit and Mexico Country Office, Latin America and the Caribbean Region-is part of a strategy to reduce poverty and inequality in Mexico. The study was part of the research project Earnings Inequality after Mexico's Economic Reforms. The authors may be contacted at gacevedoworldbank.org or asalinas@worldbank.org
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  • 76
    Language: English
    Pages: Online-Ressource (1 online resource (35 p.))
    Edition: Online-Ausg. World Bank E-Library Archive
    Parallel Title: Fan, H.P.Joseph Diversification and Efficiency of Investment by East Asian Corporations
    Keywords: Business Segment ; Business Segments ; Capital Market ; Capital Markets ; Companies ; Company ; Corporate Control ; Corporate Growth ; Corporation ; Corporations ; Debt Markets ; Diversification ; Economic Theory and Research ; Enterprises ; Expansion ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Firm ; Firm Size ; Firms ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Manufacturer ; Microfinance ; Poverty Reduction ; Pro-Poor Growth ; See ; Shop ; Small Firms ; Small Scale Enterprises ; Social Protections and Labor ; Business Segment ; Business Segments ; Capital Market ; Capital Markets ; Companies ; Company ; Corporate Control ; Corporate Growth ; Corporation ; Corporations ; Debt Markets ; Diversification ; Economic Theory and Research ; Enterprises ; Expansion ; Finance and Financial Sector Development ; Financial Literacy ; Firm ; Firm Size ; Firms ; Investment and Investment Climate ; Labor Policies ; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth ; Manufacturer ; Microfinance ; Poverty Reduction ; Pro-Poor Growth ; See ; Shop ; Small Firms ; Small Scale Enterprises ; Social Protections and Labor
    Abstract: Firms in industrial countries are more likely to benefit from vertical integration and corporate diversification-learning faster and hence improving performance. Corporate diversification in less developed countries is more likely to lead to misallocation of capital. - The East Asian financial crisis has been attributed in part to the corporate diversification associated with the misallocation of capital investment toward less profitable and more risky business segments. Much anecdotal evidence to support this view has surfaced since the crisis but there was little discussion of it before the crisis. Quite the contrary: The rapid expansion of East Asian firms by entering new business segments was viewed as contributing to the East Asian miracle. Claessens, Djankov, Fan, and Lang examine the efficiency of investment by diversified corporations in nine East Asian countries, using unique panel data from more than 10,000 corporations for the pre-crisis period, 1991-96. They: ° Document the degree of diversification in the corporate sector in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan (China), and Thailand, countries that have achieved enviable rates of economic growth over the past three decades. ° Distinguish between vertical and complementary diversification and study the differences across nine countries. ° Investigate whether diversification in East Asia has hurt economic efficiency. Their study tests the learning-by-doing and misallocation-of-capital hypotheses related to the types and degrees of diversification in East Asian countries. Firms in Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand appear to have suffered significant negative effects of vertical integration on short-term performance; the same countries gained significant short-term benefits from complementary expansion. The results suggest that the misallocation-of-capital hypothesis is appropriate for Korea and Malaysia; the learning-by-doinghypothesis for Indonesia, Taiwan, and Thailand. Firms in more developed countries succeed in vertically integrating and improve both short-term profitability and market valuation. Firms in more developed countries are ultimately more likely to benefit from such diversification (learn faster, to improve their performance). And diversification by firms in less developed countries is subject to more misallocation of capital. This paperis a product of the Economic Policy Unit, Finance, Private Sector, and Infrastructure Network
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