Showing papers on "Developing country published in 2004"

Ethnic Diversity and Economic Performance

Abstract: We survey and assess the literature on the positive and negative effects of ethnic diversity on economic policies and outcomes. Our focus is on both focus both cities in developed countries (the US) and villages in developing countries. We also consider the endogenous formation of political jurisdictions and we highlight several open issues in need of further research.

Who is Against Immigration? A Cross-Country Investigation of Individual Attitudes Toward Immigrants

Abstract: This paper empirically analyzes both economic and non-economic determinants of attitudes toward immigrants, within and across countries. The two individual-level survey data sets used, covering a wide range of developed and developing countries, make it possible to test for interactive effects between individual characteristics and country-level attributes. The paper identifies and investigates a strong empirical regularity concerning the relationship between individual skill and attitudes toward immigrants. I find that individuals with higher levels of skill are more likely to be pro-immigration in high per capita GDP countries and less likely in low per capita GDP countries. Additional results, based on a smaller sample of countries, suggest a labor-market explanation for this cross-country pattern. The variation across countries in the correlation between skill and preferences appears to be related to differences in the skill composition of natives relative to immigrants across destination economies. This finding is consistent with the predictions of the Heckscher-Ohlin model, in the absence of factor-price-insensitivity, and of the factor-proportions-analysis model. Finally, non-economic variables also appear to be correlated with immigration attitudes but they do not seem to alter significantly the results on the economic explanations.

World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention.

Abstract: M Peden, R Scurfield, D Sleet, D Mohan, A A Hyder, E Jarawan, C Mathers. (Swiss Fr 30/US $27; in developing countries Swiss Fr 15.) Geneva: World Health Organization, 2004. ISBN 92-4-156260-9. This impressive report aims to raise awareness about the extent of road traffic collisions globally, to draw attention to their preventability, and to call for a coordinated partnership approach to addressing the problem. In its five chapters it gives in turn a comprehensive catalogue of the fundamentals of road safety, the impact of road trauma across the world, the key factors contributing to crashes and consequential injuries, successful interventions which have been applied (mainly in high income countries) to reduce the problem, with the final chapter containing conclusions and recommendations. The report points out that over 3000 lives are lost daily to road traffic collisions. While a decrease in road deaths of some 30% is forecast in high income countries (HICs), projected trends in low and middle income countries (LMICs) foreshadow a huge increase in road crash mortality between 2000 and 2020. Hence the report quickly identifies that the priority globally should be effective interventions in LMICs. In chapter 1 on fundamentals there is a recognition that “technology transfer from high-income to low-income countries needs to fit local conditions and should address research-based local needs”. However chapter 4 on interventions, …

Socioeconomic status and obesity in adult populations of developing countries: a review.

Abstract: A landmark review of studies published prior to 1989 on socioeconomic status (SES) and obesity supported the view that obesity in the developing world would be essentially a disease of the socioeconomic elite. The present review, on studies conducted in adult populations from developing countries, published between 1989 and 2003, shows a different scenario for the relationship between SES and obesity. Although more studies are necessary to clarify the exact nature of this relationship, particularly among men, three main conclusions emerge from the studies reviewed: 1. Obesity in the developing world can no longer be considered solely a disease of groups with higher SES. 2. The burden of obesity in each developing country tends to shift towards the groups with lower SES as the country's gross national product (GNP) increases. 3. The shift of obesity towards women with low SES apparently occurs at an earlier stage of economic development than it does for men. The crossover to higher rates of obesity among women of low SES is found at a GNP per capita of about US$ 2500, the mid-point value for lower-middle-income economies. The results of this review reinforce the urgent need to: include obesity prevention as a relevant topic on the public health agenda in developing countries; improve the access of all social classes in these countries to reliable information on the determinants and consequences of obesity; and design and implement consistent public actions on the physical, economic, and sociocultural environment that make healthier choices concerning diet and physical activity feasible for all. A significant step in this direction was taken with the approval of the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health by the World Health Assembly in May 2004.

E-Government for Developing Countries: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract: 1. INTRODUCTION The explosion of digital connectivity, the significant improvements in communication and information technologies and the enforced global competition are revolutionizing the way business is performed and the way organizations compete. A new, complex and rapidly changing economic order has emerged based on disruptive innovation, discontinuities, abrupt and seditious change. In this new landscape, knowledge constitutes the most important factor, while learning, which emerges through cooperation, together with the increased reliability and trust, is the most important process (Lundvall and Johnson, 1994). The competitive survival and ongoing sustenance of an organisation primarily depend on its ability to redefine and adopt continuously goals, purposes and its way of doing things (Malhotra, 2001). These trends suggest that private and public organizations have to reinvent themselves through 'continuous non-linear innovation' in order to sustain themselves and achieve strategic competitive advantage. The extant literature highlights the great potential of ICT tools for operational efficiency, cost reduction, quality of services, convenience, innovation and learning in private and public sectors. However, scholarly investigations have focused primarily on the effects and outcomes of ICTs (Information & Communication Technology) for the private sector. The public sector has been sidelined because it tends to lag behind in the process of technology adoption and business reinvention. Only recently has the public sector come to recognize the potential importance of ICT and e-business models as a means of improving the quality and responsiveness of the services they provide to their citizens, expanding the reach and accessibility of their services and public infrastructure and allowing citizens to experience a faster and more transparent form of access to government services. The initiatives of government agencies and departments to use ICT tools and applications, Internet and mobile devices to support good governance, strengthen existing relationships and build new partnerships within civil society, are known as eGovernment initiatives. As with e-commerce, eGovernment represents the introduction of a great wave of technological innovation as well as government reinvention. It represents a tremendous impetus to move forward in the 21 st century with higher quality, cost effective government services and a better relationship between citizens and government (Fang, 2002). Many government agencies in developed countries have taken progressive steps toward the web and ICT use, adding coherence to all local activities on the Internet, widening local access and skills, opening up interactive services for local debates, and increasing the participation of citizens on promotion and management …

Maternal mortality in 2000: estimates developed by WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA.

Abstract: Reduction of maternal mortality has been endorsed as a key development goal by countries and is included in consensus documents emanating from international conferences such as the World Summit for Children in 1990 the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994 and the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 and their respective five-year follow-up evaluations of progress in 1999 and 2000 the Millennium Declaration in 2000 and the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children in 2002. In order to monitor progress efforts have to be made to address the lack of reliable data particularly in settings where maternal mortality is thought to be most serious. The inclusion of maternal mortality reduction in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) stimulates increased attention to the issue and creates additional demands for information.1The first set of global and national estimates for 1990 was developed in order to strengthen the information base2. WHO UNICEF and UNFPA undertook a second effort to produce global and national estimates for the year 1995.3 Given that a substantial amount of new data has become available since then it was decided to repeat the exercise. This document presents estimates of maternal mortality by country and region for the year 2000. It describes the background rationale and history of estimates of maternal mortality and the methodology used in 2000 compared with the approaches used in previous exercises in 1990 and 1995. The document opens by summarising the complexity involved in measuring maternal mortality and the reasons why such measurement is subject to uncertainty particularly when it comes to monitoring progress. Subsequently the rationale for the development of estimates of maternal mortality is presented along with a description of the process through which this was accomplished for the year 2000. This is followed by an analysis and interpretation of the results pointing out some of the pitfalls that may be encountered in attempting to use the estimates to draw conclusions about trends.23 The final part of the document presents a summary of the kind of information needed to build a fuller understanding of both the levels and trends in maternal mortality and the interventions needed to achieve sustained reductions in the coming few years. (excerpt)

Financial structure and economic growth : a cross-country comparison of banks, markets, and development

Abstract: This is the first broad cross-country assessment of the ties between financial structure -- the mix of financial instruments, institutions, and markets in a given economy -- and economic growth since Raymond Goldsmith's 1969 landmark study Most studies focus on developed countries and compare bank-based and market-based systems Debates over the relative merits of the two systems have relied on case studies of Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, countries with similar long-run growth rates The absence of data on developing countries limits the usefulness of such studies for policy makersThe book contains recently acquired cross-country data from almost 150 countries It includes information on the size, efficiency, and activity of banks, insurance companies, pension and mutual funds, finance companies, and stock and bond markets It also incorporates information on each country's political, economic, and social environment The chapters contain a mix of case studies, cross-country studies, macro- and micro-oriented approaches, and analytical and empirical work The conclusions point not to markets versus banks, but to markets and banks It is how well a financial system functions that is critical for long-run economic growth The research suggests that strong legal rights for outside investors and the overall efficiency of contract enforcement are effective tools for developing the financial sector and the economy The book includes a CD containing World Bank data

On the Empirics of Foreign Aid and Growth

Abstract: The present paper re-examines the effectiveness of foreign aid theoretically and empirically. Using a standard OLG model we show that aid inflows will in general affect long-run productivity. The size and direction of the impact may depend on policies, 'deep' structural characteristics and the size of the inflow. The empirical analysis investigates these possibilities. Overall we find that aid has been effective in spurring growth, but the magnitude of the effect depends on climate-related circumstances. Finally, we argue that the Collier-Dollar allocation rule should be seriously reconsidered by donor agencies if aid effectiveness is related to climate. The usefulness of foreign aid in promoting growth in developing countries has been an area of controversy ever since Rosenstein-Rodan in 1943 advocated for aid to Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. Browsing through successive editions of a leading textbook in development economics provides a telling illustration of how the confidence in aid effectiveness dwindled over the years. In the first edition of 'Leading Issues in Economic Development', Meier (1964) dedicated a full 18-page section to the issue of foreign aid. He started out asking: 'How much aid?'. By the time of the sixth edition (Meier, 1995), the treatment of foreign aid had been cut into half, and the questions in focus were 'Why official assistance?' and 'Does aid work?'. In the 2000 edition (Meier and Rauch, 2000), 'foreign aid' is not even listed in the index.

Global Capital Markets: Integration, Crisis, and Growth

Abstract: This book presents an economic survey of international capital mobility from the late nineteenth century to the present The authors examine the theory and empirical evidence surrounding the fall and rise of integration in the world market A discussion of institutional developments focuses on capital controls and the pursuit of macroeconomic policy objectives in shifting monetary regimes The Great Depression emerges as the key turning point in recent history of international capital markets, and offers important insights for contemporary policy debates Its principal legacy is that the return to a world of global capital is marked by great unevenness in outcomes regarding both risks and rewards of capital market integration More than in the past, foreign investment flows largely from rich countries to other rich countries Yet most financial crises afflict developing countries, with costs for everyone

The informal sector in developed and less developed countries: A literature survey *

Abstract: The main goal of this study is two-fold: (1) to provide ageneral overview of the contributions to the literature on theinformal sector, with a special focus on the public choiceapproach; and (2) to compare these contributions across twoinstitutionally different types of countries: developed andless developed (developing and transition) countries. Thepaper focuses on the criteria used to define the informalsector, the relationship between the formal and informaleconomy, tax evasion, and public choice analysis. It isstressed throughout this paper that the distinction betweenthe two types of countries is of key importance.

Remittances : the new development mantra?

Abstract: Remittances have emerged as an important source of external development finance for developing countries in recent years This paper examines the causes and implications of remittance flows It first highlights the severe limitations in remittance data, in sharp contrast to other sources of external finance It then examines the key trends in remittance flows, and their importance relative to other sources of external finance The paper subsequently analyses the many complex economic and political effects of remittances It highlights the fact that remittances are the most stable source of external finance and play a critical social insurance role in many countries afflicted by economic and political crises While remittances are generally pro-poor, their effects are greatest on transient poverty However, the long-term effects on structural poverty are less clear, principally because the consequences of remittances on long-term economic development are not well understood The paper then concludes with some policy options It suggests a role for an international organization to intermediate these flows to lower transaction costs and increase transparency, which would both enhance these flows and maximize their benefits

Does country matter

Abstract: Previous studies have explored the predictors of business unit performance in multiple-business firms and investigated the extent of the effect of industry, corporate, and business unit on the performance of a business unit. These studies have focused almost exclusively on examining performance differences within a single country, thus treating country effects as external to business unit performance. In contrast, this study focuses on multinational corporations and examines the extent to which country effects explain the variation in the performance of foreign affiliates. Our findings show that country effects are as strong as industry effects, following affiliate effects and corporate effects. Our results also suggest that corporate and affiliate effects tend to be more critical in explaining the variation in foreign affiliate performance in developed countries, whereas country and industry effects are more salient in developing countries. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

E‐government and developing countries: an overview

Abstract: E‐governance is more than just a government website on the Internet. The strategic objective of e‐governance is to support and simplify governance for all parties; government, citizens and businesses. The use of ICTs can connect all three parties and support processes and activities. In other words, in e‐governance electronic means support and stimulate good governance. Therefore, the objectives of e‐governance are similar to the objectives of good governance. Good governance can be seen as an exercise of economic, political, and administrative authority to better manage affairs of a country at all levels. It is not difficult for people in developed countries to imagine a situation in which all interaction with government can be done through one counter 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without waiting in lines. However to achieve this same level of efficiency and flexibility for developing countries is going to be difficult. The experience in developed countries shows that this is possible if governments ar...

Obesity and inequities in health in the developing world.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To update the social distribution of women's obesity in the developing world and, in particular, to identify the specific level of economic development at which, if any, women's obesity in the developing world starts to fuel inequities in health. DESIGN: Multilevel logistic regression analyses applied to anthropometric and socioeconomic data collected by nationally representative cross-sectional surveys conducted from 1992 to 2000 in 37 developing countries within a wide range of world regions and stages of economic development (gross national product (GNP) from US$190 to 4440 per capita). SUBJECTS: In total, 148 579 nonpregnant women aged 20–49 y. MEASUREMENTS: Body mass index to assess obesity status; quartiles of years of education to assess woman's socioeconomic status (SES), and GNP per capita to assess country's stage of economic development. RESULTS: Belonging to the lower SES group confers strong protection against obesity in low-income economies, but it is a systematic risk factor for the disease in upper-middle income developing economies. A multilevel logistic model—including an interaction term between the country's GNP and each woman's SES—indicates that obesity starts to fuel health inequities in the developing world when the GNP reaches a value of about US$2500 per capita. CONCLUSIONS: For most upper-middle income economies and part of the lower-middle income economies, obesity among adult women is already a relevant booster of health inequities and, in the absence of concerted national public actions to prevent obesity, economic growth will greatly expand the list of developing countries where this situation occurs.

Migration of health-care workers from developing countries: strategic approaches to its management

Abstract: Of the 175 million people (2.9% of the world's population) living outside their country of birth in 2000, 65 million were economically active. The rise in the number of people migrating is significant for many developing countries because they are losing their better-educated nationals to richer countries. Medical practitioners and nurses represent a small proportion of the highly skilled workers who migrate, but the loss for developing countries of human resources in the health sector may mean that the capacity of the health system to deliver health care equitably is significantly compromised. It is unlikely that migration will stop given the advances in global communications and the development of global labour markets in some fields, which now include nursing. The aim of this paper is to examine some key issues related to the international migration of health workers and to discuss strategic approaches to managing migration.

A New Indicator of Technological Capabilities for Developed and Developing Countries (ArCo)

Abstract: This paper devises a new indicator (ArCo) of technological capabilities that aims at accounting for developed and developing countries. Building on similar attempts as those devised by UN Agencies, including the UNDP Human Development Report's Technology Achievement Index (TAI) and UNIDO's Industrial Performance Scoreboard, this index takes into account a number of other variables associated with technological change. Three main components are considered: the creation of technology, the technological infrastructures and the development of human skills. Eight sub-categories have also been included. ArCo also allows for comparisons between countries over time. A preliminary attempt to correlate ArCo to GDP is also presented.

State-Directed Development

Abstract: Why have some developing country states been more successful at facilitating industrialization than others? An answer to this question is developed by focusing both on patterns of state construction and intervention aimed at promoting industrialization. Four countries are analyzed in detail - South Korea, Brazil, India, and Nigeria - over the twentieth century. The states in these countries varied from cohesive-capitalist (mainly in Korea), through fragmented-multiclass (mainly in India), to neo-patrimonial (mainly in Nigeria). It is argued that cohesive-capitalist states have been most effective at promoting industrialization and neo-patrimonial states the least. The performance of fragmented-multiclass states falls somewhere in the middle. After explaining in detail as to why this should be so, the study traces the origins of these different state types historically, emphasizing the role of different types of colonialisms in the process of state construction in the developing world.

Consumer ethnocentrism and willingness to buy domestic products in a developing country setting: testing moderating effects

Abstract: Previous studies conducted in developed countries have demonstrated that ethnocentric consumers are more willing to buy domestic products. This study investigates the moderating roles of quality judgment of domestic products and conspicuous consumption (CC) in the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism and willingness to buy domestic products (WBD) in the context of a developing country, namely the People's Republic of China. The results support the hypothesis that the impact of ethnocentrism on consumer WBD tends to be weaker when consumers judge them as being of lower quality, or when consumers hold higher CC values. The conceptual and managerial implications for developing countries, including China, are discussed.

The millennium development goals for health - rising to the challenges

Abstract: The extent of premature death and ill health in the developing world is staggering. In 2000 almost 11 million children died before their fifth birthday, an estimated 140 million children under five are underweight, 3 million died from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis claimed another 2 million lives, and 515,000 women died during pregnancy or child birth in 1995, almost all of them in the developing world. Death and ill health on such a scale are matters of concern in their own right. They are also a brake on economic development. These concerns led the international community to put health at the center of the Millennium Development Goals when adopting them at the Millennium Summit in September 2000. This report focuses on the health and nutrition Millennium Development Goals agreed to by over 180 governments. It assesses progress to date and prospects of achieving the goals. The report identifies what developing country governments can do to accelerate the pace of progress while ensuring that benefits accrue to the poorest and most disadvantaged households. It also pulls together the lessons of development assistance and country initiatives and innovations to improve the effectiveness of aid, based on a number of country case studies. It highlights some of the principles of effective development assistance: country driven coordination; strategic coherence expressed in comprehensive poverty reduction strategies, which fully address the issues of health, nutrition, and population; financial coherence embodied in medium term expenditure framework; pooling of donor funds; and a common framework for reporting and assessing progress.

Finance and the Sources of Growth at Various Stages of Economic Development

Abstract: This article studies the effects of financial development on the sources of growth in different groups of countries. Recent theoretical work shows that financial development may affect productivity and capital accumulation in different ways in industrial versus developing countries. This hypothesis is tested with panel data from 74 countries using GMM dynamic panel techniques. Results are consistent with the hypothesis: finance has a strong positive influence on productivity growth primarily in more developed economies. In less developed economies, the effect of finance on output growth occurs primarily through capital accumulation.

Principles for National and Regional Guidelines on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention A Scientific Statement From the World Heart and Stroke Forum

Abstract: In the global effort to reduce suffering and death from CVD, the World Heart and Stroke Forum (WHSF) Guidelines Task Force of the World Heart Federation (WHF) recommends that every country develop a policy on CVD prevention. National policy should grow out of systematic and ongoing dialogue among governmental, public health, and professional clinical groups. National policy should set priorities for public health and clinical interventions appropriate to the country. It should also be the foundation for the development of national guidelines on CVD prevention, which are the focus of the present document. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of global mortality, accounting for almost 17 million deaths annually. Nearly 80% of this global mortality and disease burden occurs in developing countries. In 2001, CVD was the leading cause of mortality in 5 of the 6 World Health Organization (WHO) worldwide regions. Of concern in developing countries is the projected increase in both proportional and absolute CVD mortality. This can be related to an increase in life expectancy due to public health advances, which reduce perinatal infections and nutritional deficiencies in infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and in some countries to improved economic conditions. This increasing longevity provides longer periods of exposure to CVD risk factors and thus a greater probability of clinically manifest CVD. The concomitant decline of infections and nutritional disorders (competing causes of death) also increases the proportional burden due to CVD. Adverse lifestyle changes accompanying industrialization, urbanization, and increased discretionary income increase the degree of exposure to CVD risk factors. Altered diet with increased fat and total caloric consumption and increased tobacco use are prevalent lifestyle trends. Demographic changes coupled with adverse lifestyle changes will accelerate the number of deaths due to CVD worldwide, many of which will be premature in the developing countries. Although continuation of this adverse trend is not inevitable, the CVD disease patterns now present in the economically developed countries are, in fact, becoming established in developing countries, as noted in the World Health Report 2002 1 (Data Supplement Figure I). Whereas the causes of CVD are common to all parts of the world, the approaches to its prevention at a societal or individual level will differ between countries for cultural, social, medical, and economic reasons. Although national guidelines will embrace the principles of CVD prevention recommended in this report, they may differ in terms of the organization of preventive cardiology, risk factor treatment thresholds and goals, and the use of medical therapies. The recommendations in this report focus on clinical management of patients with established CVD and those at high risk; however, it is essential that each country include a societal approach to CVD prevention. As stated in the WHO publication Integrated Management of Cardiovascular Risk, 2 “Epidemiological theory indicates that, compared with intensive individual treatment of high-risk patients, small improvements in the overall distribution of risk in a population will yield larger gains in disease reduction, when the underlying conditions that confer risk are widespread in the population.” Each country should seek to implement national clinical guidelines directed toward high-risk individuals and give equal importance to developing low-risk population strategies.

Trends In International Nurse Migration

Abstract: Predicted shortages and recruitment targets for nurses in developed countries threaten to deplete nurse supply and undermine global health initiatives in developing countries. A twofold approach is required, involving greater diligence by developing countries in creating a largely sustainable domestic nurse workforce and their greater investment through international aid in building nursing education capacity in the less developed countries that supply them with nurses.

Transfer of Technology to Developing Countries: Unilateral and Multilateral Policy Options

Abstract: Hoekman, Maskus, and Saggi analyze national and international policy options to encourage the international transfer of technology, distinguishing between four major channels of such transfer: trade in products, trade in knowledge, foreign direct investment, and intra-national and international movement of people. They develop a typology of country types and appropriate policy rules of thumb as a guide to both national policymakers and rule making in the World Trade Organization, as policies should differentiate between countries. The authors also develop some rules of thumb for policy intervention. These include: - Liberal trade policies for all types of countries. - Temporary encouragement of foreign direct investment inflows for low-income countries. - Licensing for technical transformation and adaptive investments by local firms to apply technologies. - Policy options for source economies to encourage international tranfer of technology to poor countries, including fiscal incentives, improvement of flows of public-domain technologies with appropriate subsidies, and price differentiation for exports of intellectual property products. This paper - a product of the Trade Team, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to analyze issues related to the design of special and differential treatment of developing countries in the WTO.