World Institute for Development Economics Research

About: World Institute for Development Economics Research is a facility organization based out in Helsinki, Finland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Poverty & Population. The organization has 110 authors who have published 525 publications receiving 17316 citations.

Are Biofuels Good for African Development? An Analytical Framework with Evidence from Mozambique and Tanzania

Abstract: Many low income countries in Africa are optimistic that producing biofuels domestically will not only reduce their dependence on imported fossil fuels, but also stimulate economic development, particularly in poorer rural areas. Skeptics, on the other hand, view biofuels as a threat to food security in the region and as a landgrabbing opportunity for foreign investors. As a result of this ongoing debate, national biofuels task forces have been asked to evaluate both the viability of domestic biofuels production and its broader implications for economic development. To guide these complex evaluations, this paper presents an analytical framework that prioritizes different aspects of a comprehensive national assessment and identifies suitable evaluation methods. The findings from recent assessments for Mozambique and Tanzania are used to illustrate the framework. While these two country studies found that biofuels investments could enhance development, their experiences highlight potential tradeoffs, especially at the macroeconomic and environmental levels, where further research is needed.

US Free Trade Agreements and Policy Flexibility: Will New Rules Hinder Industrialisation?

Abstract: Free trade agreements have become a central feature of many developing countries' growth strategies, encouraged by an evaluation literature that quantifies their positive impact on trade. However, trade gains come at the cost of policy space, particularly when the partner is a developed country, and though this cost has been acknowledged, its impact has not been explored. This article seeks to address this oversight by detailing changes to the domestic policy environment from the participation of a developing country in a US-anchored FTA and evaluating whether the resulting policy regime is flexible enough to enable a developmental government to pursue activities associated with industrialisation.

Geography of tropical deforestation.

Abstract: The article takes a preliminary look at tropical deforestation in light of the latest data provided in the Forest Resources Assessment 1990, Tropical countries, by FAO. The phenomenon of deforestation is studied from the spatial point of view by discussing different land use options and their requirements and consequences. The variables included are forest cover, relative annual rate of deforestation, population density, and per capita GNP, as well as GNP per km2. The meaning of population density as the main variable in explaining the rate of deforestation is expanded with a classification of deforestation into three types: natural deforestation, subsistence deforestation and deforestation caused by profit maximization. These three types of deforestation each have their own causes and they vary both in time and space. The present state (1990) of deforestation and the above mentioned variables in the tropical countries are described in thematic maps in order to give a global view to the problematics of deforestations a glance. Finally a few conclusions on Africa, Asia and Latin America are drawn. As this is a preliminary look at the phenomena, no statistical analysis has been included.

Entrepreneurship in the field of development economics

Abstract: This chapter aims to explore the role of entrepreneurship in the field of development economics. This is done in a twofold manner. First, the chapter asks how the concept of entrepreneurship relates to the study field of development economics. Second, the relationship between entrepreneurial activity and economic development is explored by providing a short overview of how entrepreneurship differs between advanced and developing economies, and by discussing a number of theoretical considerations in formalising the role of the entrepreneur in the economic development process.

Microcredit, Labor, and Poverty Impacts in Urban Mexico

Abstract: Improved household accessibility to credit is a significant determinant of intra-household allocation of labor resources with important implications for productivity, income, and poverty status. However, credit accessibility could also have wider impacts on poverty if it leads to new hires outside the household. This paper contributes to the existing literature on microcredit in two important ways. First, it investigates the routes through which microcredit reaches those in poverty outside the household. We test whether by lending to the vulnerable non-poor microcredit can indirectly benefit poor laborers through increased employment. Second, we conduct the study in the context of urban poverty Mexico. This is relevant when considering that labor often represents the only source of livelihoods to the extreme urban poor. Our findings point to significant trickle-down effects of microcredit that benefit poor laborers; however, these effects are only observed after loan-supported enterprising households achieve earnings well above the poverty line.