World Bank

About: World Bank is a other organization based out in Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poverty. The organization has 7813 authors who have published 21594 publications receiving 1198361 citations. The organization is also known as: World Bank, WB & The World Bank.

Bank involvement with SMEs : beyond relationship lending

Abstract: The “conventional wisdom” in academic and policy circles argues that, while large and foreign banks are generally not interested in serving SMEs, small and niche banks have an advantage because they can overcome SME opaqueness through relationship lending. This paper shows that there is a gap between this view and what banks actually do. Banks perceive SMEs as a core and strategic business and seem well-positioned to expand their links with SMEs. The intensification of bank involvement with SMEs in various emerging markets is neither led by small or niche banks nor highly dependent on relationship lending. Moreover, it has not been derailed by the 2007–2009 crisis. Rather, all types of banks are catering to SMEs and large, multiple-service banks have a comparative advantage in offering a wide range of products and services on a large scale, through the use of new technologies, business models, and risk management systems.

Single-Equation Estimation of the Equilibrium Real Exchange Rate

Abstract: An econometric methodology for estimating both the equilibrium real exchange rate and the degree of exchange-rate misalignment. Estimating the degree of exchange-rate misalignment remains one of the most challenging empirical problems in an open economy. The basic problem is that the value of the real exchange rate is not observable. Standard theory tells us, however, that the equilibrium real exchange rate is a function of observable macroeconomic variables and that the actual real exchange rate approaches the equilibrium rate over time. A recent strand of the empirical literature exploits these observations to develop a single-equation approach to estimating the equilibrium real exchange rate. Drawing on that earlier work, Baffes, Elbadawi, and O'Connell outline an econometric methodology for estimating both the equilibrium real exchange rate and the degree of exchange-rate misalignment. They illustrate the methodology using annual data from Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso. This paper - a product of the Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to investigate the determinants of the real exchange rate.

Impacts of Land Certification on Tenure Security, Investment, and Land Market Participation: Evidence from Ethiopia

Abstract: This brief summarizes the results of a gender impact evaluation study, entitled Impacts of land certification on tenure security, investment, and land market participation : evidence from Ethiopia, conducted between 2006 and 2011 in Ethiopia. The study observed the impact of land registration on tenure security, land-related investment, and rental market participation using 900 randomly selected households and 4000 plots cultivated by the households on the household and land plots level. Certification resulted in significant reduction of tenure insecurity and an increase in land related investment. The propensity to invest in water conservation increased between 20 and 30 percent. From panel estimates, the increased investment appears to be sustained over the long-term. The propensity to rent land increases by 9 to 13 percent. The titling had significant positive impacts on the rate at which female headed households rented their land. Funding for the study derived from the Gender Action Plan, Global Land Tools Network, and Norwegian Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development (ESSD) Trust Fund.

Put Your Money Where Your Butt Is: A Commitment Contract for Smoking Cessation

Abstract: The authors designed and tested a voluntary commitment product to help smokers quit smoking. The product (CARES) offered smokers a savings account in which they deposit funds for six months, after which they take a urine test for nicotine and cotinine. If they pass, their money is returned; otherwise, their money is forfeited to charity. Eleven percent of smokers offered CARES tookup, and smokers randomly offered CARES were 3 percentage points more likely to pass the 6-month test than the control group. More importantly, this effect persisted in surprise tests at 12 months, indicating that CARES produced lasting smoking cessation.