Journal•ISSN: 0258-6770
The World Bank Economic Review
Oxford University Press
About: The World Bank Economic Review is an academic journal published by Oxford University Press. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Free trade & Commercial policy. It has an ISSN identifier of 0258-6770. Over the lifetime, 1229 publications have been published receiving 115621 citations. The journal is also known as: WBER (Print) & WBER (Online).
Topics: Free trade, Commercial policy, Trade barrier, Poverty, Population
Papers published on a yearly basis
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TL;DR: The database of political institutions as discussed by the authors covers 177 countries over 21 years, 1975-95, and introduces several measures of checks and balances, tenure and stability, identification of party affiliation with government or opposition, and fragmentation of opposition and government parties in the legislature.
Abstract: This article introduces a large new cross-country database, the database of political institutions. It covers 177 countries over 21 years, 1975-95. The article presents the intuition, construction, and definitions of the different variables. Among the novel variables introduced are several measures of checks and balances, tenure and stability, identification of party affiliation with government or opposition, and fragmentation of opposition and government parties in the legislature.
2,842 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a new data set on inequality in the distribution of income is presented, and the authors explain the criteria they applied in selecting data on Gini coefficients and on individual quintile groups' income shares.
Abstract: This article presents a new data set on inequality in the distribution of income. The authors explain the criteria they applied in selecting data on Gini coefficients and on individual quintile groups' income shares. Comparison of the new data set with existing compilations reveals that the data assembled here represent an improvement in quality and a significant expansion in coverage, although differences in the definition of the underlying data might still affect inter temporal and international comparability. Based on this new data set, the authors do not find a systematic link between growth and changes in aggregate inequality. They do find a strong positive relationship between growth and reduction of poverty.
2,490 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors assess how much India's poor shared in the country's economic growth, taking into account its urban-rural and output composition, and find that output growth in the primary and tertiary sectors reduced poverty in both urban and rural areas but that secondary sector growth did not reduce poverty in either.
Abstract: Using a new series of consistent, consumption-based poverty measures spanning forty years, the author assess how much India's poor shared in the country's economic growth, taking into account its urban-rural and output composition. Rural consumption growth reduced poverty in both rural and urban areas. Urban growth brought some benefits to the urban poor, but had no impact on rural poverty. And rural-to-urban population shifts had no significant impact on poverty. Decomposing growth by output sectors, we found that output growth in the primary and tertiary sectors reduced poverty in both urban and rural areas but that secondary sector growth did not reduce poverty in either.
1,936 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the dependence of transport costs on geography and infrastructure and found that poor infrastructure is an important determinant of transportation costs, especially for landlocked countries.
Abstract: The authors use different data sets to investigate the dependence of transport costs on geography and infrastructure. Infrastructure is an important determinant of transport costs, especially for landlocked countries. Analysis of bilateral trade data confirms the importance of infrastructure and gives an estimate of the elasticity of trade flows with respect to the trade cost factor of around-3. A deterioration of infrastructure from the median to the 75th percentile raises transport costs by 12 percentage points and reduces trade volumes by 28 percent. Analysis of African trade flows indicates that their relatively low level is largely due to poor infrastructure.
1,707 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors introduce a new database of indicators of financial structure and financial development across countries and over time, which is unique in that it combines a wide variety of indicators that measure the size, activity, and efficiency of financial intermediaries and markets.
Abstract: This article introduces a new database of indicators of financial structure and financial development across countries and over time. The database is unique in that it combines a wide variety of indicators that measure the size, activity, and efficiency of financial intermediaries and markets. It improves on previous efforts by presenting data on the public share of commercial banks, introducing indicators of the size and activity of nonbank financial institutions, and constructing measures of the size of bond and primary equity markets. This article introduces a new database, the first to provide comprehensive measures of the development, structure, and performance of the financial sector. This database is the first to define and construct indicators of the size and activity of nonbank financial intermediaries, such as insurance companies, pension funds, and non-deposit money banks. It is also the first to include indicators of the size of primary equity markets and primary and secondary bond markets. In constructing the database, authors carefully deflate measures and match stock and flow variables.
1,644 citations