Showing papers on "Developing country published in 2006"
01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: This first edition provides information on disease control interventions for the most common diseases and injuries in developing countries to help them define essential health service packages and offers preventive and case management guidelines critical to improving the quality of care.
Abstract: This first edition provides information on disease control interventions for the most common diseases and injuries in developing countries to help them define essential health service packages. Life expectancy in developing countries increased from forty to sixty-three years between 1950 and 1990 with a concommitant rise in the incidence of noncommunicable diseases of adults and the elderly. It is still necessary to deal with under nutrition and communicable childhood diseases. Also, new epidemic diseases like AIDS are emerging, and the health of the poor during economic crisis is a growing concern. These health developments intensify the need for better information on the effectiveness and cost of health interventions. The information is intended for health practitioners at every level. Individual chapters offer preventive and case management guidelines critical to improving the quality of care. The need for health sector reform is global. Both developed and developing countries, and centrally planned and market oriented health systems share basic dissatisfaction with the present organization and financing of health care delivery and a conviction that there are better ways to obtain results with the available resources. This book attempts to assist health sector reformers to review existing services and adapt them to provide the most cost effective interventions available.
2,381 citations
TL;DR: In half the larger low-income and lower-middle income countries (mainly in Africa), contraceptive practice remains low and fertility, population growth, and unmet need for family planning are high, and greater investment in family planning in these countries compelling.
1,095 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed the characteristics of leading state economic structures in 35 developing countries in the period of 1970-1990 as well as the growth rates in these countries and found that these Weber indicators considerably increase the likelihood of economic development even though we control the GDP per capita and the amount of human capital.
Abstract: Since Weber’s classical works, that were published more than a hundred years ago, sociologist still pay a lot of attention to the investigation of role of bureaucratic authorities in the development of economic growth. Basing on new original data we analyzed the characteristics of leading state economic structures in 35 developing countries in the period of 1970-1990 as well as the growth rates in these countries. We suggest the Weberianness scale which has a simple way of estimating of the meritocratic hiring of the employees and predictable long-term waged career growth. We find out that these Weber indicators considerably increase the likelihood of economic development even though we control the GDP per capita and the amount of human capital. Our results prove that Weberianness should be included in the models of economic development as one of the main factors. Moreover the politicians should more focus on establishing qualitative bureaucratic structures while sociologists should pay more attention to the studies of state bureaucracies differences.
1,006 citations
TL;DR: The authors empirically analyzes economic and noneconomic determinants of individual attitudes toward immigrants, within and across countries, and finds that the correlation between pro-immigration attitudes and individual skill should be related to the skill composition of natives relative to immigrants in the destination country.
Abstract: This paper empirically analyzes economic and noneconomic determinants of individual attitudes toward immigrants, within and across countries. The two 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. In particular, theory predicts that the correlation between pro-immigration attitudes and individual skill should be related to the skill composition of natives relative to immigrants in the destination country. Skilled individuals should favor immigration in countries where natives are more skilled than immigrants and oppose it otherwise. Results based on direct and indirect measures of the relative skill composition are consistent with these predictions. Noneconomic variables also are correlated with immigration attitudes, but they don't alter significantly the labor-market results.
924 citations
TL;DR: A critical review of studies carried out in low- and middle-income countries focusing on the economic consequences for households of illness and health care use highlights that health care financing strategies that place considerable emphasis on out-of-pocket payments can impoverish households.
739 citations
01 Apr 2006
TL;DR: In 2000, the United Nations millennium summit called on all countries to work toward a quantified, time-bound set of development targets, which became the millennium development goals (MDG), and the idea of working toward specific goals has evolved into a general strategy of managing for development results as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The developing world has made remarkable progress. The number of people living in extreme poverty on less than $1 a day has fallen by about 400 million in the last 25 years. Many more children, particularly girls, are completing primary school. Illiteracy rates have fallen by half in 30 years. And life expectancy is nearly 15 years longer, on average, than it was 40 years ago. The demand for statistics to measure progress and demonstrate the effectiveness of development programs has stimulated growing interest in the production and dissemination of statistics. And not just in the traditional domains of debt, demographics, and national accounts, but in new areas such as biodiversity, information, communications, technology, and measures of government and business performance. In response World Development Indicators (WDI) has continued to grow and change. In 1999 members of the statistical community, recognizing that the production of sound statistics for measuring progress is a global responsibility, established the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the twenty-first century (PARIS21) to strengthen statistical capacity at all levels. In 2000 the United Nations millennium summit called on all countries to work toward a quantified, time-bound set of development targets, which became the millennium development goals (MDG). In the five years since the millennium summit, the idea of working toward specific goals has evolved into a general strategy of managing for development results. Countries are reporting on progress toward the MDG and monitoring their own results using a variety of economic and social indicators. Bilateral and multilateral development agencies are incorporating results into their own management planning and evaluation systems and using new indicators to set targets for harmonizing their joint work programs. All of these efforts depend on statistics.
696 citations
[...]
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors determine how time delays affect international trade using newly collected World Bank data on the days it takes to move standard cargo from the factory gate to the ship in 126 countries.
Abstract: The authors determine how time delays affect international trade using newly collected World Bank data on the days it takes to move standard cargo from the factory gate to the ship in 126 countries. They estimate a modified gravity equation, controlling for endogeneity and remoteness. On average, each additional day that a product is delayed prior to being shipped reduces trade by at least 1 percent. Put differently, each day is equivalent to a country distancing itself from its trade partners by 70 kilometers on average. Delays have an even greater impact on developing country exports and exports of time-sensitive goods, such as perishable agricultural products. In particular, a day's delay reduces a country's relative exports of time-sensitive to time-insensitive agricultural goods by 6 percent.
459 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors summarized the recent trends in the epidemiology and survival of cancers in the developing and developed world, and explored potential causes and policy responses to the disproportionate and growing cancer burden in less developed countries.
436 citations
TL;DR: The authors used detailed data on all insurance networks within a village in Tanzania and found evidence consistent with at least partial insurance of non-food consumption via networks, while full risk-sharing occurs within these networks.
431 citations
Posted Content•
[...]
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors determined how time delays affect international trade, using newly-collected World Bank data on the days it takes to move standard cargo from the factory gate to the ship in 126 countries.
Abstract: We determine how time delays affect international trade, using newly-collected World Bank data on the days it takes to move standard cargo from the factory gate to the ship in 126 countries. We estimate a modified gravity equation, controlling for endogeneity and remoteness. On average, each additional day that a product is delayed prior to being shipped reduces trade by at least 1 percent. Put differently, each day is equivalent to a country distancing itself from its trade partners by 70 km on average. Delays have an even greater impact on developing country exports and exports of time-sensitive goods, such as perishable agricultural products. In particular, a day's delay reduces a country's relative exports of time-sensitive to time-insensitive agricultural goods by 6 percent.
395 citations
Posted Content•
01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: The authors reviewed the impact of education and other policies on the quantity and quality of education obtained by children in developing countries, including provision of basic inputs and change in the way that schools are organized.
Abstract: About 80% of the world's children live in developing countries. Their well-being as adults depends heavily on the education they receive. School enrollment rates have increased dramatically in developing counties since 1960, but many children still leave school at a young age and often learn little while in school. This chapter reviews recent research on the impact of education and other policies on the quantity and quality of education obtained by children in developing countries. The policies considered include not only provision of basic inputs but also policies that change the way that schools are organized. While much has been learned about how to raise enrollment rates, less is known about how to increase learning. Randomized studies offer the most promise for understanding the impact of policies on learning.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined how, when and to what extent HR practices affect performance at the employee level in Eritrea and found that the Eritrean economic and political environment within which HR practices operate has not conducive in maximizing the impact of HR practices on performance.
Abstract: In this article, the authors examine how, when and to what extent HR practices affect performance at the employee level. As performance is a multi-faceted and complicated concept, HRM outcomes were used as mediating factors between HR practices and employee performance. The data were collected among civil servants in Eritrea, Africa's youngest and poorest country. Although the results generally are in line with previous studies using Western data, their implications in this particular country may be different. Therefore, the challenges and prospects of HR practices in Eritrean civil service organizations are critically analysed and discussed. In the authors' opinion, that the Eritrean economic and political environment within which HR practices operate has not been conducive in maximizing the impact of HR practices on performance. These findings highlight the situation of most developing countries.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors estimated the rate and numbers of hospital admissions resulting from unsafe abortions in developing countries to help quantify the problem and highlight the need for improved access to post-abortion care.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify the factors that could explain the adoption of international accounting standards by developing countries, including economic growth, education level, the degree of external economic openness, cultural membership in a group of countries, and the existence of a capital market.
TL;DR: Differences between developed/developing countries is summarized and key factors for a successful e-government implementation are identified and an implementation framework is proposed.
Abstract: Given the fact that more and more governments invest heavily in e-government design and implementation, e-government has become an evolving and important research area in the IS field. Most, if not all, currently published e-government strategies are based on successful experiences from developed countries, which may not be directly applicable to developing countries. Based on a literature review, this study summarizes differences between developed/developing countries. It identifies key factors for a successful e-government implementation and proposes an implementation framework. As a demonstration, we follow the guidance of the proposed framework in conducting a case study to analyze the implementation strategies of e-government in developed and developing countries.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore and analyse the factors influencing the relative success and failure of new public management (NPM) initiatives in the developing world, with particular reference to Singapore and Bangladesh.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyse the factors influencing the relative success and failure of new public management (NPM) initiatives in the developing world, with particular reference to Singapore and Bangladesh.Design/methodology/approach – Secondary materials have been extensively used, interpreted and reinterpreted to substantiate the arguments. The analysis has been confined to two countries. However, the experiences of NPM initiatives of other countries have also been analysed to strengthen the arguments.Findings – There are some critical factors such as the advanced level of economic development, the existence of a formal market economy, the rule of law, the advanced level of administrative infrastructure and state efficiency for the success of NPM‐oriented reforms. To a large extent, Singapore fulfills these conditions. Bangladesh is lagging behind these conditions, and has achieved very little in NPM initiatives. The findings also indicate that there is still a greater...
TL;DR: Social inequalities in the two Latin American countries display a pattern emerging in other research on developing countries: namely that those in the higher educated groups are more likely to consume alcohol in a risky manner.
Abstract: AIMS: We investigated the presence of social inequalities of alcohol use and misuse using educational attainment as an indicator of socio-economic status in 15 countries: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Israel, Brazil, and Mexico. METHODS: Study surveys were independently conducted and the data centrally analysed. Most samples were national. Survey modes and sample sizes varied. The age range was restricted to between 25 and 59 years of age. Socio-economic status was measured by educational level. Multiple logistic regressions were employed to calculate age-adjusted odds ratios for men and women in each country by educational level for current drinking status, heavy drinking (>/=20 g ethanol per day for women, >/=30 g a day for men), heavy episodic (binge) drinking, and alcohol-related problems (using AUDIT). RESULTS: Men and women demonstrated similar patterns in inequalities with regard to current drinking status within a country. In Germany, The Netherlands, France, Switzerland, and Austria higher educated women were most likely to drink heavily, while among men the lower educated were more at risk in most countries. For heavy episodic drinking, almost no significant differences were evident among women, but for men a social gradient was observable with lower educated being more at risk in several countries. Among five countries with data from the AUDIT, men of lower education in Finland, Czech Republic, and Hungary had higher risks to report problems. Nordic countries shared a common pattern in social inequalities as did two Latin American countries, while a mixed picture was observed for middle European countries. Social inequalities in the two Latin American countries display a pattern emerging in other research on developing countries: namely that those in the higher educated groups are more likely to consume alcohol in a risky manner. CONCLUSIONS: Patterns in the distribution of social inequalities are not universal. Social inequalities in alcohol use differ by gender according to alcohol measure used and differ also across groups of countries. These variations should be taken into account when formulating international and cross-cultural alcohol policies. Language: en
TL;DR: Wide disparities exist in the quality, availability, and delivery of infertility services between the developed and developing nations of the world.
Posted Content•
TL;DR: Workers' remittances to developing countries have become the second largest type of flows after foreign direct investment as mentioned in this paper, and they contribute to increasing the aggregate level of deposits and credit intermediated by the local banking sector.
Abstract: Workers' remittances to developing countries have become the second largest type of flows after foreign direct investment. The authors use data on workers' remittance flows to 99 developing countries from 1975-2003 to study the impact of remittances on financial sector development. In particular, they examine whether remittances contribute to increasing the aggregate level of deposits and credit intermediated by the local banking sector. This is an important question considering the extensive literature that has documented the growth-enhancing and poverty-reducing effects of financial development. The findings provide strong support for the notion that remittances promote financial development in developing countries.
TL;DR: In this article, Haggard et al. claim that while increased exposure to the global economy is associated with increased welfare effort in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the opposite holds in the developing world.
Abstract: While increased exposure to the global economy is associated with increased welfare effort in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the opposite holds in the developing world. These differences are typically explained with reference to domestic politics. Tradables, unions, and the like in the developing world are assumed to have less power or interests divergent to those in the OECD—interests that militate against social spending. I claim that such arguments can be complemented with a recognition that developed and developing nations have distinct patterns of integration into global markets. While income shocks associated with international markets are quite modest in the OECD, they are profound in developing nations. In the OECD, governments can respond to those shocks by borrowing on capital markets and spending countercyclically on social programs. No such opportunity exists for most governments in the developing world, most of which have limited access to capital markets in tough times, more significant incentives to balance budgets, and as a result cut social spending at the times it is most needed. Thus, while internationally inspired volatility and income shocks seem not to threaten the underpinnings of the welfare state in rich nations, it undercuts the capacity of governments in the developing world to smooth consumption (and particularly consumption by the poor) across the business cycle.The author would like to thank Steph Haggard, Kristin Bakke, Wongi Choe, Tim Jones, and seminar participants at Duke University, Penn State University, Washington University, MIT, and the University of New Mexico for their helpful comments. Nancy Brune, Mark Hallerberg and Rolf Strauch, and Nita Rudra were very generous in providing their capital account, OECD fiscal, and potential labor power data, respectively.
Posted Content•
TL;DR: The authors considers "radically economic policies" such as auctioning immigration visas or charging sizeable fees and spending the funds on current residents to increase the economic incentive for advanced countries to accept greater immigration.
Abstract: People flows refers to the movement of people across international borders in the form of immigration, international student flows, business travel, and tourism. Despite its peripheral status in debates over globalization, the movement of people from low income to high income countries is fundamental in global economic development, with consequences for factor endowments, trade patterns, and transfer of technology. In part because people flows are smaller than trade and capital flows, the dispersion of pay for similarly skilled workers around the world exceeds the dispersion of the prices of goods and cost of capital. This suggests that policies that give workers in developing countries greater access to advanced country labor markets could raise global economic well-being considerably. The economic problem is that immigrants rather than citizens of immigrant-receiving countries benefit most from immigration. The paper considers "radically economic policies" such as auctioning immigration visas or charging sizeable fees and spending the funds on current residents to increase the economic incentive for advanced countries to accept greater immigration.
01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used Yitzhaki's Gini decomposition to decompose total income inequality between individuals in the world, by continents and regions, and found that Asia is the most heterogeneous continent; between-country inequality there is more important than inequality in incomes within-countries.
Abstract: Using the national income/expenditure distribution data from 119 countries, the paper decomposes total income inequality between the individuals in the world, by continents and regions. We use Yitzhaki's Gini decomposition which allows for an exact breakdown (without a residual term) of the overall Gini by recipients. We find that Asia is by far the most heterogeneous continent; between-country inequality there is more important than inequality in incomes within-countries. Africa, Latin America, and Western Europe/North America are quite homogeneous continents with small differences between the countries (so that most of their inequality is explained by within-country inequality). If we divide the world into three groups: the rich G7 (and its equivalents), the less developed countries (all those with income per capita less than, or equal to, Brazil's), and the middle-income countries (all those with income level between Brazil and Italy), we find that there is very little overlap between such groupings, i.e. very few people from the LDCs have incomes which are in the range of the rich countries.
TL;DR: The authors empirically examined the impact of corruption on the structure of government spending by sector using the three-stage least squares method on 64 countries between 1996 and 2001, and showed that public corruption distorts the public spending by reducing the portion of social expenditure (education, health and social protection) and increasing the part dedicated to public services and order, fuel and energy, culture, and defense.
Abstract: This paper empirically examines the impact of corruption on the structure of government spending by sector. Using the three-stage least squares method on 64 countries between 1996 and 2001, we show that public corruption distorts the structure of public spending by reducing the portion of social expenditure (education, health and social protection) and increasing the part dedicated to public services and order, fuel and energy, culture, and defense. However, civil and political rights seem to be a stronger determinant of expense on defense than corruption. Our results are robust to instrumentation by the latitude of the country.
TL;DR: There are inextricable links among different strategies for improving child health and that policy planners, associating benefits with these strategies, must take into account the strong moderating impact of national context.
TL;DR: It is suggested that raising life expectancy by one year increases gross FDI inflows by 9%, after controlling for other relevant variables, consistent with the view that health is an integral component of human capital for developing countries.
01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: It is shown that, despite this complexity, only a few strategic choices need to be made to reduce maternal mortality, and logic suggests that implementation of an effective intrapartum-care strategy is an overwhelming priority.
Abstract: The concept of knowing what works in terms of reducing maternal mortality is complicated by a huge diversity of country contexts and of determinants of maternal health. Here we aim to show that, despite this complexity, only a few strategic choices need to be made to reduce maternal mortality. We begin by presenting the logic that informs our strategic choices. This logic suggests that implementation of an eff ective intrapartum-care strategy is an overwhelming priority. We also discuss the alternative confi gurations of such a strategy and, using the best available evidence, prioritise one strategy based on delivery in primary-level institutions (health centres), backed up by access to referral-level facilities. We then go on to discuss strategies that complement intrapartum care. We conclude by discussing the inexplicable hesitation in decision-making after nearly 20 years of safe motherhood programming: if the fi fth Millennium Development Goal is to be achieved, then what needs to be prioritised is obvious. Further delays in getting on with what works begs questions about the commitment of decision-makers to this goal. is a deceptively simple phrase, often used in international advocacy aiming to reduce the burden of maternal mortality in developing countries. Strategies that aff ect this burden have proved to be among the most successful eff orts to address a specifi c cluster of causes of death, with developed and some developing countries having reduced the risk of maternal death by 90–99%. The 1000 deaths per 100 000 livebirths or greater risk of maternal mortality seen in the past in developed countries and now in the poorest developing countries, has been reduced to as low as 10 per 100 000. Although falling short of eradication of maternal death, these impressive reductions are similar to the eff ectiveness of such undisputed public-health interventions as polio immunisation (95%) or oral contraception (97%). At the same time, however, the substantial obstacles in poor countries to achievement of the maternal mortality target of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 are well acknowledged, 2,3
TL;DR: In this article, the role of MNEs in community development initiatives in developing countries, using the Nigeria oil industry and the South African mining industry as case study, is examined.
Abstract: Multinational enterprises (MNEs) have long had a reputation of not doing enough for their host communities in developing countries. This study critically examines the role of MNEs in community development initiatives in developing countries, using the Nigeria oil industry and the South African mining industry as case study. Specifically, the study assessed the usefulness of MNE-supported community development projects as a means of demonstrating corporate social responsibility. The findings suggest that expectations for community development projects are greater in developing countries. This study introduced new information on MNEs'local development programs that were drawn from interviews with MNEs'managers, government officials, and local communities.
TL;DR: In lower income countries a rise in traffic-related crashes, injuries, and deaths accompanies economic growth, and at a threshold of around 1,500 dollars-8,000 dollars per capita economic growth no longer leads to additional traffic deaths, although crashes and traffic injuries continue to increase with growth.
Abstract: Objective: This paper explores why traffic fatalities increase with GDP per capita in lower income countries and decrease with GDP per capita in wealthy countries.Methods: Data from 41 countries for the period 1992-1996 were obtained on road transport crashes, injuries, and fatalities as well as numbers of vehicles, kilometers of roadway, oil consumption, population, and GDP. Fixed effects regression was used to control for unobservable heterogeneity among countries.Results: A 10% increase in GDP in a lower income country (GDP/Capita <1600) is expected to raise the number of crashes by 7.9%, the number of traffic injuries by 4.7%, and the number of deaths by 3.1% through a mechanism that is independent of population size, vehicle counts, oil use, and roadway availability. Increases in GDP in richer countries appear to reduce the number of traffic deaths, but do not reduce the number of crashes or injuries, all else equal. Greater petrol use and alcohol use are related to more traffic fatalities in rich countries, all else equal.Conclusion: In lower income countries a rise in traffic-related crashes, injuries, and deaths accompanies economic growth. At a threshold of around $1500-$8000 per capita economic growth no longer leads to additional traffic deaths, although crashes and traffic injuries continue to increase with growth. The negative association between GDP and traffic deaths in rich countries may be mediated by lower injury severity and post-injury ambulance transport and medical care.
TL;DR: This article showed that financial development is an equilibrium outcome that depends strongly on a country's trade pattern and that financial systems are more developed in countries with large, financially intensive sectors than countries that do not rely on external finance.
Abstract: The differences in the levels of financial development between industrial and developing countries are large and persistent. Theoretical and empirical literature has argued that these differences are the source of comparative advantage and could therefore shape tradepatterns. This paper points out the reverse link: financial development is influenced by comparative advantage. The authors illustrate this idea using a model in which a country's financial development is an equilibrium outcome of the economy's productive structure: financial systems are more developed in countries with large financially intensive sectors. After trade opening demand for external finance, and therefore financial development, are higher in a country that specializes in financially intensive goods. By contrast, financial development is lower in countries that primarily export goods which do not rely on external finance. The authors demonstrate this effect empirically using data on financial development and export patterns in a panel of 96 countries over the period 1970-99. Using trade data, they construct a summary measure of a country's external finance need of exports and relate it to the level of financial development. In order to overcome the simultaneity problem, they adopt a strategy in the spirit of Frankel and Romer (1999). The authors exploit sector-level bilateral trade data to construct, for each country and time period, a predicted value of external finance need of exports based on the estimated effect of geography variables on trade volumes across sectors. Their results indicate that financial development is an equilibrium outcome that depends strongly on a country's trade pattern.