Showing papers in "Journal of International Development in 2022"
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors provided new evidence on how risk spillovers occur from the United States to developing economies in Africa during the COVID•19 pandemic, and showed that the nature and magnitude of negative risk exposures of African financial markets were similar to those of the USA.
Abstract: Abstract This study provides new evidence on how risk spillovers occur from the United States to developing economies in Africa during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The results show that downside risk exposures of African markets, financial firms and banks particularly increased during Phase I (30 January to 30 April 2020). The nature and magnitude of downside risk exposures of African financial markets were similar to those of the United States. Our results also reveal that the United States is a net transmitter of risk spillovers while Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Morocco are net recipients. Our conclusions offer guidance to risk managers, policymakers and investors.
14 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors investigate the relationship between the prevalence of the shadow economy and fiscal policy responses to the economic crisis induced by the pandemic and find that countries with a relatively larger shadow economy have adopted a smaller fiscal policy package, which reinforces the wider literature that countries (especially those with larger shadow economies) generally follow a procyclical policy as opposed to the optimal and countercyclical one.
Abstract: Abstract In this paper, we use a novel cross‐country dataset to investigate the relationship between the prevalence of the shadow economy and fiscal policy responses to the economic crisis induced by the pandemic. The finding is that countries with a relatively larger shadow economy before the pandemic have adopted a smaller fiscal policy package. The results are robust to different econometric specifications, including an instrumental variable estimation. This reinforces the wider literature that countries (especially those with larger shadow economies) generally follow a procyclical policy as opposed to the optimal and countercyclical one.
8 citations
TL;DR: The results show that Covid‐19 led to 23% and 25% reductions, respectively, in the likelihood of facility delivery and four or more ANC visits during pregnancy, which highlights the need to build more resilient health systems in low‐income settings.
Abstract: Abstract The Covid‐19 pandemic is widely speculated to have disrupted the delivery of primary health care in low‐income countries. Yet, there is little rigorous empirical research identifying this effect. This paper estimates the impact of Covid‐19 on facility and skilled delivery and utilisation of antenatal care (ANC) services by comparing these outcomes for women who were pregnant/delivered before and during the Covid‐19 period. The results show that Covid‐19 led to 23% and 25% reductions, respectively, in the likelihood of facility delivery and four or more ANC visits during pregnancy. These findings highlight the need to build more resilient health systems in low‐income settings.
8 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors assess the impact of COVID-19 on household consumption poverty and find that consumption decreased by 7.1-14.4% and poverty increased by 4.3-9.9 percentage points in 2020.
Abstract: This study assesses the impact of COVID-19 on household consumption poverty. To predict changes in income and the associated effects on poverty, we rely on existing estimated macroeconomic impacts. We assume two main impact channels: direct income/wage and employment losses. Our simulations suggest that consumption decreased by 7.1%-14.4% and that poverty increased by 4.3-9.9 percentage points in 2020. This points to a reversal of the positive poverty reduction trend observed in previous years. Poverty most certainly increased in the pre-COVID period due to other shocks, so Mozambique finds itself in a deepening struggle against poverty.
7 citations
TL;DR: The authors assesses and evaluates how local, national and international NGOs help communities address their grievances, finding that rights-based activism characterises only a small portion of NGOs working on land conflicts, as a more common strategy revolves around political brokerage.
Abstract: The rapid expansion of oil palm plantations in Indonesia has generated a large and growing number of conflicts between rural communities and palm oil companies over, mainly, access to land. Employing a detailed documentation of 150 such conflicts in four Indonesian provinces, this paper assesses and evaluates how local, national and international NGOs help communities address their grievances. We find that rights-based activism characterises only a small portion of NGOs working on land conflicts, as a more common strategy revolves around political brokerage. NGOs generally fail to achieve significant impact, with the partial exception of (those connected with) international NGOs.
7 citations
TL;DR: This paper conducted a scoping review of over one hundred sources, examining the pathways through which Chinese firms can affect economic transformation in Africa and found that Chinese firms are also found to support capacity building, spillovers and innovation in African countries.
Abstract: African countries face an economic transformation gap. Given the large and growing Chinese presence on the African continent, a fundamental question is whether Chinese firms contribute to, or hinder, economic transformation in Africa. This article conducts a scoping review of over one hundred sources, examining the pathways through which Chinese firms can affect economic transformation. On balance, the literature points to a positive role of Chinese firms. Africa–China trade leads to mixed results, while Chinese investment and infrastructure construction are found to contribute positively to transformation. Chinese firms are also found to support capacity building, spillovers and innovation in African countries.
5 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors explored the experiences of women with psychosocial disabilities in Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic and found that the pandemic worsened their experiences of work and employment, and they did not receive any social welfare or support from the government.
Abstract: Abstract In low‐income settings, the informal economy is a practical alternative to work and employment for persons with disabilities. However, the COVID‐19 pandemic negatively affected the informal economy. This study aimed to explore the experiences of women with psychosocial disabilities in Kenya during the pandemic. We found that the pandemic worsened their experiences of work and employment, and they did not receive any social welfare or support from the government. Our findings suggest that pandemic management must adopt inclusive and context‐sensitive approaches that support persons with psychosocial disabilities. Social welfare and protection for persons with disabilities are relevant for socio‐economic empowerment and inclusion.
5 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors investigate the relationship between formal, private property rights to agricultural land and agricultural investment, land valuation and access to credit in Tanzania and find that landownership documents are associated with substantial increases in the market value of land (more than 25%).
Abstract: We use household survey data to investigate the relationship between formal, private property rights to agricultural land and agricultural investment, land valuation and access to credit in Tanzania. Results show that landownership documents are associated with substantial increases in the market value of land (more than 25%). One reason appears to be that well-documented private property rights facilitate the use of land as collateral for loans and therefore ease access to credit. The findings suggest that there are potentially significant, economic returns to systematic land titling in Tanzania and other countries.
5 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors use a political economy analysis to understand the incentives, institutions and power dynamics that are enabling or constraining the potential for such off-grid sanitation models, including fragmented governance, sustainability of container-based sanitation enterprise models, service delivery planning in informal settlements, personal power rather than institutions in decision-making, vested local interests, and land tenure and political connection.
Abstract: Kenya has enshrined the right to sanitation in the 2010 constitution. Achieving this requires scaling up infrastructure and models of delivery beyond sewer networks that have previously been the focus. In Kenya, two enterprises, Sanergy and Sanivation, have been providing new forms of off-grid services with container-based sanitation (CBS). This paper uses a political economy analysis to understand the incentives, institutions and power dynamics that are enabling or constraining the potential for such off-grid sanitation models. The paper outlines six core problems to be addressed in the pursuit of scaling up: fragmented governance; sustainability of CBS enterprise models; service delivery planning in informal settlements; personal power rather than institutions in decision-making; vested local interests; and land tenure and political connection. It discusses how stakeholders might work collaboratively to progressively address or recognise these issues.
4 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors examined whether Chinese aid impacts citizens' trust in government by matching geocoded data on Chinese aid projects located in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) between 2000 and 2014 to respondents from rounds 3 to 6 of Afrobarometer survey.
Abstract: This paper examines whether Chinese aid impacts citizens' trust in government by matching geocoded data on Chinese aid projects located in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) between 2000 and 2014 to respondents from rounds 3 to 6 of Afrobarometer survey. Implementing an instrumental variable (IV) estimation to control for the potential endogeneity of aid, this paper finds robust evidence that Chinese aid reduces trust in government. The decline in trust seems to be because the aid projects stimulate poor assessments of government performance and perceptions that government officials are involved in corrupt activities. Replication analysis reveals that World Bank projects are no different and also reduce trust in government. Consequently, these findings reignite concerns about the unintended consequences of aid and the need to adopt implementation approaches that mitigate unintended adverse outcomes.
4 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors conceptualise contemporary understandings of "inclusive development" and map four contemporary inclusive development approaches (participation of stakeholders, representational politics, social protection, and economic redistribution) to provide context for how the singular word "inclusion" can be used to pursue multiple desired outcomes.
Abstract: This article aims to conceptualise contemporary understandings of ‘inclusive development’. The article draws upon two conceptual models: plural/universal rights (Mégret, 2008, 10.1353/hrq.0.0000) and social–relational inclusion (Gupta & Vegelin, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-016-9323-z) to demonstrate how ‘inclusion’ is understood concerning economic, social, and human development. The article then draws upon these disparate, yet interconnected understandings of inclusive development and maps four contemporary inclusive development approaches (participation of stakeholders, representational politics, social protection, and economic redistribution). The purpose of this mapping is to provide context for how the singular word ‘inclusion’ can be used to pursue multiple desired outcomes, some of which may conflict with one another.
TL;DR: In this article , the economic impacts of COVID-19 on firms' business activities and female workers in 10 developing economies around the world were empirically examined and found that female workers are facing worse situations in forms of higher probabilities of losing jobs and getting furloughed.
Abstract: Abstract This paper empirically examines the economic impacts of COVID‐19 on firms' business activities and female workers in 10 developing economies around the world. Based on a survey conducted by the World Bank, we constructed a firm‐level panel dataset and investigated how firms' production and finances have developed during COVID‐19. We also investigated female workers' employment situations and how they were affected by firm performance. COVID‐19 indeed casted seriously adverse impacts in the developing world. As time passes, firms' production has been recovering, but their finances are worsening, and the female workers are facing worse situations in forms of higher probabilities of losing jobs and getting furloughed. Other variables such as workforce, capacity utilisation, and exports also play important roles in this process.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors construct an alternative index of financial inclusion using the World Bank Findex, a microdata dataset with 451,372 observations, and analyse the socio-economic determinants of the financial inclusion.
Abstract: Financial inclusion is a central theme in development policy. While it involves changes at the individual level and comprises several interrelated financial activities, most existing measures rely on macroeconomic variables. We construct an alternative index of financial inclusion using the World Bank Findex—a microdata dataset with 451,372 observations. Applying it, we first analyse the socio-economic determinants of financial inclusion. Second, we propose a new country ranking of financial inclusion. Our findings comprise three features. First, we do not find evidence of a gender gap in low- and middle-income countries. Second, richer individuals display higher levels of financial inclusion. Third, countries with high self-employment rates exhibit lower levels of financial inclusion. Our results suggest that financial inclusion is more related to income and employment status than gender disparities, which could lead to a different approach from policymakers on promoting the inclusion of the poor into the formal financial system.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors used a discounted cash flow model to study the rent sharing and mining tax design in African gold-producing countries and showed that tax design depends essentially on the evolution of world prices and not on institutional variables.
Abstract: Based on the innovative database, we use a discounted cash flow model to study the rent sharing and the mining tax design in African gold-producing countries. Two main tax designs emerge: those that favour production-based taxes in order to secure government's revenues and those that favour profit-based taxes to support economic efficiency. From the estimation of a panel model regression, we show that tax design depends essentially on the evolution of world prices and not on institutional variables. The recent ‘innovations’ in mining taxation to introduce more progressivity have had mitigated results. In the best of cases, the regressivity of tax regimes has been reduced.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors examined how the internet and Covid-19 have affected the trade of African trading brokers in China and found that African customers can now find out the accurate prices of goods and computerized customs regimes make bribery difficult.
Abstract: Abstract African trading brokers in China buy knock‐off or copy goods and move them through customs via bribery to African ports; this trade, although illegal, brings desired global products to Africa. This paper, based on interviews with African trading brokers, examines how the internet and Covid‐19 have affected their trade. African customers can now find out the accurate prices of goods; computerized customs regimes make bribery difficult; and Covid‐19 has raised shipping costs. While the informal economic arrangements of these trading brokers will probably continue despite policymakers' efforts to eradicate them, China may no longer be the source of their goods.
TL;DR: This paper identified key barriers to disability-inclusive employment collected through six focus groups made up of people with intellectual disabilities and their family members in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Bangladesh.
Abstract: Despite a growing focus on disability-inclusive employment and livelihoods, people with intellectual disabilities and their families remain underrepresented in both the literature and in employment programming. This paper identifies key barriers to inclusive employment collected through six (6) focus groups made up of people with intellectual disabilities (N:54) and their family members (N:45) in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Bangladesh. Self-advocates and families report stigma, denial of access to education, safety and security concerns, pressure to engage in self-employment, and discrimination as key barriers. Their experiences can contribute to more inclusive cross-disability perspectives on employment and provide guidance for practitioners aiming to design responsive disability-inclusive employment programmes.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors examined the risk preferences and management strategies of cereal and legume farmers of Ghana's savannah zones using both the exploratory factor analysis and the linear regression model.
Abstract: This paper examined the risk preferences and management strategies of cereal and legume farmers of Ghana's savannah zones using both the exploratory factor analysis and the linear regression model. Using primary cross-sectional data and employing the multistage sampling technique made up of purposive, cluster and random sampling techniques, the paper found that cereal farmers are more risk averse than legume farmers. Rainfall variability was ranked topmost by cereals and legumes farmers. Both cereal and legume farmers employ multiple but dissimilar risk management strategies to manage these sources of risk. The commonest sources of risk to cereal and legume farmers were climate and market risk, while off-farm activities are the commonest management strategy. Production risk faced by cereal farmers was managed by both off-farm and farm production strategies whereas human risk faced by legumes farmers was managed by both off-farm and financial management strategies. The importance of market risk implies that policy initiatives should aim at reducing market-related risks by focusing on increasing off-farm opportunities for rural households.
TL;DR: In this article , a qualitative analysis of interviews and focus group discussions with self-help group participants in West Bengal showed that current microcredit programming varies widely and there were different empowerment outcomes for women based on which approach to microcredit was implemented.
Abstract: The ability of microcredit programmes to empower women remains highly contested, with studies alternatively championing their worth or denouncing their ineffectiveness. This article examines why there are such differences of opinion as to the value of microcredit programming for women's empowerment. Through using a qualitative analysis of interviews and focus group discussions with self-help group participants in West Bengal, this article shows that current microcredit programming varies widely. Results from this study show that there were different empowerment outcomes for women based on which approach to microcredit was implemented. Results further indicate that regardless of the model of programming employed, microcredit is no substitution for welfare or for the creation of employment. This article therefore concludes that microcredit programming exists along a continuum, from ‘smart economics’ approaches to more holistic gender focused programming approaches.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors examine the discrepancies between the prominence of "South-South cooperation" terminology in globally dominant discourses and its limited usage by African stakeholders and argue that a focus on the usage and effects of frames, can clarify the assumptions based on which international cooperation unfolds.
Abstract: With reference to frames as socially determined definitions of reality, this paper examines the discrepancies between the prominence of ‘South-South cooperation’ terminology in globally dominant discourses and its limited usage by African stakeholders. Based on insights from the United Nations, (cross-)regional collaboration formats and bilateral cooperation, we find that African officials employ ‘South-South’ terminology mainly when ‘Northern’ partners are present but use other frames when engaging with developing countries. This limited resonance poses a challenge to multilateral organisations and traditional donors in their attempts to expand engagement with ‘South-South’ relations. A focus on the usage and effects of frames, we argue, can clarify the assumptions based on which international cooperation unfolds.
TL;DR: In this paper , the impact of anti-money laundering (AML) regulations on economic growth as well as how AML regulations influence the foreign direct investment (FDI) -growth nexus for 165 economies across the globe.
Abstract: This study seeks to establish the impact of anti-money laundering (AML) regulations on economic growth as well as how AML regulations influence the foreign direct investment (FDI)–growth nexus for 165 economies across the globe. We employ Prais–Winsten and the Hansen (2000) panel threshold regression estimation techniques to test the hypotheses of the study. We use data ranging from 2012 to 2018. We provide evidence that AML regulations generally stimulate growth; however, AML regulations only stimulate growth below the threshold value. Again, although we report that FDI stimulates growth, the growth-enhancing impact of FDI is more pronounced at higher levels of AML regulations.
TL;DR: This paper argued that the betrayal of brokers is facilitated by conditions of reduced demand and weak social ties in an unequal global order, when brokers' remit is largely dictated by their patron, brokers stand more to lose than to gain.
Abstract: Brokers have long been scrutinised for their purported disloyalty, but brokers' own attachments and expectations remain largely neglected. This article contributes to scholarship by shifting from the much-discussed betrayal by brokers, to betrayal of brokers. It maps three forms of betrayal—interpersonal, institutional and ideological—drawing on unique empirical material, including interviews with Afghan interpreters who worked for western armies. It argues that the betrayal of brokers is facilitated by conditions of reduced demand and weak social ties in an unequal global order. When brokers' remit is largely dictated by their patron, brokers stand more to lose than to gain.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors describe the bureaucratic processes required to establish and manage a single international capacity-development project that brought together a funding council (AHRC), UK University (SOAS University of London) and universities and other research organisations in Myanmar and Ethiopia.
Abstract: This article describes the bureaucratic processes required to establish and manage a single international capacity-development project that brought together a funding council (AHRC), UK University (SOAS University of London) and universities and other research organisations in Myanmar and Ethiopia. Drawing from ethnographic critiques of the planning and audit practices employed in international development and in the UK University sector, we track the formal certification of partnership as enacted through due diligence and contracts, budgets and timeframes, and reconciliations and reporting. These practices point to pervasive assumptions about capacity transfer and the unequal basis of international research coalitions spanning the Global North and Global South. In this article, we challenge these assumptions by documenting how the allocation of capacity is constrained in hierarchies of time and space. For equitable partnership arrangements to be achieved, we recommend that capacity development be considered a long-term exchange that flows from mutual reflection and learning from one another.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors trace the emergence of urban milícias through moments of political and economic rupture and reveal how they responded to the social dilemmas of marginalised populations.
Abstract: Examining Rio de Janeiro's milícias (‘militias’) through a ‘coercive brokerage’ concept can reveal how they are central to how states and markets function. By tracing their emergence through moments of political and economic rupture, this article reveals how milícias responded to the social dilemmas of marginalised populations. Drawing from archival documentation, interviews, and ethnographic fieldnotes, this article argues that by brokering solutions to collective action problems and attempting to level-up inequalities, milícias gained access to the political system and were able to shaped the urban political economy. However, their coercive force also stimulated fresh contradictions, leading to a new set of structural, symbolic, and physical violences.
TL;DR: In this paper , the effects of the government's input subsidy and output subsidy in a green supply chain with a manufacturer and a retailer were investigated, and the authors found that the input subsidy does not necessarily lead to a higher R&D input, while the output subsidy does also lead to higher output, depending on the externality of the production and consumers' environmental awareness.
Abstract: This paper investigates the effects of the government's input subsidy and output subsidy in a green supply chain with a manufacturer and a retailer. We find the input subsidy does not necessarily give rise to a higher R&D input, while the output subsidy does not necessarily lead to a higher output. The comparison is strongly dependent on the externality of the production and consumers' environmental awareness.
TL;DR: The demand side of social contracts is investigated in this paper , where the authors explore popular preferences for the three possible government deliverables in social contracts: provision of social and economic services, protection from physical harm and political participation.
Abstract: This article investigates the demand side of social contracts. It asks what people expect from their governments. Drawing on original, nationally representative surveys in Egypt, Tunisia and Lebanon, it explores popular preferences for the three possible government deliverables in social contracts: provision of social and economic services, protection from physical harm and political participation. Findings reveal that citizens expect governments to deliver all three ‘Ps’ (even if this costs a price), yet preferring provision over protection and participation if they have to prioritize. Findings do not show robust preferences among social groups identified by economic, gender, educational and communal differences.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors used a unique survey data collected from 7124 households in Uttar Pradesh, India, during 2014 and 2015 to estimate poverty, wealth inequality and financial inclusion, for the first time, at the sub-caste level in both Hindus and Muslims.
Abstract: This study estimates poverty, wealth inequality and financial inclusion, for the first time, at the sub-caste level in both Hindus and Muslims using a unique survey data collected from 7124 households in Uttar Pradesh, India, during 2014–2015. The results confirm the existing hypothesis that Brahmins, Thakurs and other Hindu general castes have higher wealth accumulation, lower poverty and lesser exclusion from formal financial services than Dalits. Exclusion from formal financial services forces Dalits to depend primarily on informal financial sources for borrowing—which leads to financial misfortune and further dragging them into a vicious cycle of poverty.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors examined the strengths and challenges of the Egyptian micro-finance laws and regulations that protect impoverished women from overindebtedness and found that these protections do not extend far enough, and some critical protections are absent.
Abstract: This paper examines the strengths and challenges of the Egyptian microfinance laws and regulations that protect impoverished women from overindebtedness. The focus of the analysis is on the regulation of microfinance in the nonbanking sector, that is, microfinance primarily provided by non-governmental organizations. Although a number of significant laws and regulations have been enacted that provide some protection from overindebtedness, it was found that these protections do not extend far enough, and some critical protections are absent. This leaves the most impoverished Egyptian women using microfinance, vulnerable to overindebtedness.
TL;DR: The authors examined the dynamics of brokerage surrounding two moments of rupture (the tsunami and the end of the war) in Hambantota, a district in southern Sri Lanka and a key site of frontier development.
Abstract: This article examines the dynamics of brokerage surrounding two moments of rupture (the tsunami and the end of the war) in Hambantota, a district in southern Sri Lanka and a key site of frontier development. We contrast the two development assemblages that emerged from these moments, examining how structural transformations shape the dynamics of brokerage, and how brokers mediate the effects of these transformations. By tracing the shifting fortunes of a local government broker, we reveal the changing power dynamics within these two assemblages, whilst highlighting how moments of rupture both open and shut down brokerage spaces.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors explore some key relevant disability concepts and then interrogate evidence from the ‘Inclusion Works’ programme working in four middle and low-income countries, considering some intractable barriers underlying the slow movement towards disability inclusion.
Abstract: Diverse approaches to promoting disability inclusive employment aim to transform workplaces into truly inclusive environments, usually with intervention strategies targeting two main groups: employers and jobseekers with disabilities. However, they do not always consider other relevant stakeholders or address the relationships and interactions between diverse actors in the wider social ecosystem. These approaches often neglect deeper ‘vexing’ difficulties which block progress towards disability inclusive work environments. Most interventions rightly embrace hegemonic ‘social models of disability’ and use human rights arguments but may neglect entrenched structural factors. Disability inclusive employment is complex, with unaddressed invisible aspects that continue to limit progress. We explore some key relevant disability concepts and then interrogate evidence from the ‘Inclusion Works’ programme working in four middle- and low-income countries, considering some intractable barriers underlying the slow movement towards inclusive employment. Finally, we propose that a more participatory action orientated approach involving disabled people and others is needed to both generate deeper understanding and provide pathways towards new solutions to obstinate problems through progressive action learning processes in context. Programmatic interventions that work across the levels of the ecosystem and address power relations and interactions between stakeholders could lead to more substantial forms of disability inclusive employment.