Showing papers on "Developing country published in 2018"

Global economic cost of smoking-attributable diseases

Abstract: Background The detrimental impact of smoking on health has been widely documented since the 1960s. Numerous studies have also quantified the economic cost that smoking imposes on society. However, these studies have mostly been in high income countries, with limited documentation from developing countries. The aim of this paper is to measure the economic cost of smoking-attributable diseases in countries throughout the world, including in low- and middle-income settings. Methods The Cost of Illness approach is used to estimate the economic cost of smoking attributable-diseases in 2012. Under this approach, economic costs are defined as either ‘direct costs9 such as hospital fees or ‘indirect costs’ representing the productivity loss from morbidity and mortality. The same method was applied to 152 countries, which had all the necessary data, representing 97% of the world9s smokers. Findings The amount of healthcare expenditure due to smoking-attributable diseases totalled purchasing power parity (PPP) $467 billion (US$422 billion) in 2012, or 5.7% of global health expenditure. The total economic cost of smoking (from health expenditures and productivity losses together) totalled PPP $1852 billion (US$1436 billion) in 2012, equivalent in magnitude to 1.8% of the world9s annual gross domestic product (GDP). Almost 40% of this cost occurred in developing countries, highlighting the substantial burden these countries suffer. Conclusions Smoking imposes a heavy economic burden throughout the world, particularly in Europe and North America, where the tobacco epidemic is most advanced. These findings highlight the urgent need for countries to implement stronger tobacco control measures to address these costs.

The global burden of sepsis: barriers and potential solutions

Abstract: Sepsis is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. The majority of sepsis cases and deaths are estimated to occur in low and middle-income countries. Barriers to reducing the global burden of sepsis include difficulty quantifying attributable morbidity and mortality, low awareness, poverty and health inequity, and under-resourced and low-resilience public health and acute health care delivery systems. Important differences in the populations at risk, infecting pathogens, and clinical capacity to manage sepsis in high and low-resource settings necessitate context-specific approaches to this significant problem. We review these challenges and propose strategies to overcome them. These strategies include strengthening health systems, accurately identifying and quantifying sepsis cases, conducting inclusive research, establishing data-driven and context-specific management guidelines, promoting creative clinical interventions, and advocacy.

Influence of foreign direct investment on indicators of environmental degradation

Abstract: This study aims to contribute to the existing literature by looking at the influence of foreign direct investment on carbon dioxide emissions, carbon footprint, and ecological footprint. In order to realize the aim of this study, we have utilized the augmented mean group estimator, which is supported by common correlated effect mean group estimator in the analysis for 20 countries. The panel results reveal that foreign direct investment has no effect on environmental degradation indicators. The panel results further reveal that gross domestic product, energy consumption, and urbanization are the main contributors to environmental degradation. The results at country level show that foreign direct investment and urbanization increase pollution in the developing countries while they mitigate pollution in the developed countries. Moreover, gross domestic product and energy consumption increase pollution for both developed and developing countries, which includes China and the USA. The negative impact of foreign direct investment on environmental degradation in the developed countries can be explained on the basis that these countries have strong environmental regulations, which makes it almost impossible for dirty foreign industries to invest therein. From the output of this research, several policy recommendations are enumerated for the investigated countries.

Drivers of migration: why do people move?

Abstract: More than 244 million international migrants were estimated to live in a foreign country in 2015, leaving apart the massive number of people that have been relocated in their own country. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of international migrants from southern countries do not reach western nations but resettle in neighbouring low-income countries in the same geographical area. Migration is a complex phenomenon, where 'macro'-, 'meso'- and 'micro'-factors act together to inform the final individual decision to migrate, integrating the simpler previous push-pull theory.Among the 'macro-factors', the political, demographic, socio-economic and environmental situations are major contributors to migration. These are the main drivers of forced migration, either international or internal, and largely out of individuals' control.Among the 'meso-factors', communication technology, land grabbing and diasporic links play an important role. In particular, social media attract people out of their origin countries by raising awareness of living conditions in the affluent world, albeit often grossly exaggerated, with the diaspora link also acting as an attractor. However, 'micro-factors' such as education, religion, marital status and personal attitude to migration also have a key role in making the final decision to migrate an individual choice. The stereotype of the illiterate, poor and rural migrant reaching the borders of affluent countries has to be abandoned. The poorest people simply do not have the means to escape war and poverty and remain trapped in their country or in the neighbouring one.Once in the destination country, migrants have to undergo a difficult and often conflictive integration process in the hosting community. From the health standpoint, newly arrived migrants are mostly healthy (healthy migrant effect), but they may harbour latent infections that need appropriate screening policies. Cultural barriers may sometimes hamper the relation between the migrant patient and the health care provider. The acquisition of western lifestyles is leading to an increase of non-communicable chronic diseases that require attention.Destination countries have to reconsider the positive medium/long-term potential of migration and need to be prepared to receive migrants for the benefit of the migrants themselves and their native population.

Delays in Breast Cancer Detection and Treatment in Developing Countries

Abstract: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in both developed and developing countries and the second most common cancer in the world. Developing countries are increasingly adopting a Western lifestyle, such as changes in diet and delayed first childbirth, lower parity, and shorter periods of breastfeeding, which are important determinants of a higher incidence of breast cancer among those regions. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) represent most of the countries with the highest mortality rates, ranging from 40% to 60%. Furthermore, developing countries account for scarce survival data, and the few data available coincide with the observed incidence and mortality differences. Five-year survival rates for breast cancer are much worse for LMICs countries such as Brazil, India, and Algeria in comparison with the United States and Sweden. Paucity of early detection programs explain these poor survival rates, which results in a high proportion of women presenting with late-stage disease, along with lack of adequate diagnosis and treatment facilities. Emphasis is urgently needed on health education, to promote early diagnosis of breast cancer, highlighting the importance of creating more public facilities that provide treatment, which are key components for the improvement in breast cancer care in developing countries.

Global distribution of revenue loss from corporate tax avoidance: re‐estimation and country results

Abstract: International corporate tax is an important source of government revenue, especially in lower-income countries. An innovative study of the scale of this problem was carried out by International Monetary Fund researchers and published in 2016. We first re-estimate their model and then explore the effects of introducing higher-quality revenue data from the International Centre for Tax and Development–World Institute for Development Economics Research Government Revenue Database. Whereas IMF researchers report results for two country groups only, we present country-level results to make the most detailed estimates available. Our findings support a somewhat lower estimate of global revenue losses of around US$500 billion annually and indicate that the greatest intensity of losses occurs in low-income and lower middle-income countries and across sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and South Asia. © 2018 UNU-WIDER. Journal of International Development published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Big data and big cities: the promises and limitations of improved measures of urban life

Abstract: New, “big data” sources allow measurement of city characteristics and outcome variables at higher collection frequencies and more granular geographic scales than ever before. However, big data will not solve large urban social science questions on its own. Big urban data has the most value for the study of cities when it allows measurement of the previously opaque, or when it can be coupled with exogenous shocks to people or place. We describe a number of new urban data sources and illustrate how they can be used to improve the study and function of cities. We first show how Google Street View images can be used to predict income in New York City, suggesting that similar imagery data can be used to map wealth and poverty in previously unmeasured areas of the developing world. We then discuss how survey techniques can be improved to better measure willingness to pay for urban amenities. Finally, we explain how Internet data is being used to improve the quality of city services. (JEL R1, C8, C18)

Universal Basic Incomes versus Targeted Transfers: Anti-Poverty Programs in Developing Countries

Abstract: Of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals articulated by the United Nations, number one is the elimination of extreme poverty by 2030. While future economic growth should continue to reduce poverty, it will not solve the problem by itself; thus, there is a potentially important role for national-level transfer programs that assist poor families in developing countries. Such programs are often run by developing country governments. Many countries have implemented transfer programs that seek to target beneficiaries: that is, to identify who is poor and then to restrict transfers to those individuals. Some people have begun to advocate for "universal basic income" programs, which dispense with trying to identify the poor and instead provide transfers to everyone. We begin by considering the universal basic income as part of the solution to an optimal income-taxation problem, focusing on the case of developing countries, where there is limited income data and inclusion in the formal tax system is low. We examine how the targeting of transfer programs is conducted in these settings, and provide empirical evidence on the tradeoffs involved between universal basic income and targeted transfer schemes using data from Indonesia and Peru—two countries that run nationwide transfer programs that are targeted to the poor. We conclude by linking our findings back to the broader policy debate on what tools should be preferred for redistribution, as well as the practical challenges of administering them in developing countries.

Are exports of recyclables from developed to developing countries waste pollution transfer or part of the global circular economy

Abstract: CE has benefitted the global economy for years, including China. For example, developed countries benefitted from cost savings associated with exporting waste to China where there were less stringent Chinese environmental laws, but developed countries failed to incorporate true environmental costs. China also benefitted by importing recyclable waste to supplement its domestic manufacturing industries, yet imported plastic waste was considered inferior, and often unusable (i.e., generating more waste), compared to domestic waste by China’s manufacturing industries. In future, the key will be to establish fair-trading systems for waste reutilization across countries globally to reduce waste generation. Firstly, we argue that to reduce waste generation in developed countries, reduced consumption is imperative, since current per capita waste generation in developed countries is much higher than in developing countries. Developed countries, like Canada, need to adopt zero plastic waste strategies by reducing and recycling single-use plastics (Walker and Xanthos, 2018). Secondly, developed countries need to help developing countries deal with their environmental issues, caused by waste reutilization, by transferring waste management and recycling technologies, investing in R&D and training local employees to mitigate potential environmental risks. Thirdly, from a global perspective, implementing extended producer responsibility (EPR) systems across developed and developing countries to help reshape and rebalance the global CE should be undertaken.

Land degradation and poverty

Abstract: Land is one of the few productive assets owned by the rural poor, and almost all such households engage in some form of agriculture. Over 2000–2010 the rural poor on degrading agricultural land increased in low-income countries and in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Although degradation threatens the livelihoods of the poor, this interaction is complex and conditioned by key economic, social and environmental factors. These factors also limit the poverty-reducing impacts of economic growth and economy-wide reforms. A comprehensive development strategy requires investments that improve the livelihoods of affected populations and regions, and facilitates outmigration in severely impacted areas. The interaction between land degradation and the livelihoods of the poor is complex and conditioned by important economic, social and environmental factors. These factors are also in part responsible for the limited success of economic growth policies to reduce poverty.

Inequalities in global health inequalities research: A 50-year bibliometric analysis (1966-2015).

Abstract: Background Increasing evidence shows that health inequalities exist between and within countries, and emphasis has been placed on strengthening the production and use of the global health inequalities research, so as to improve capacities to act. Yet, a comprehensive overview of this evidence base is still needed, to determine what is known about the global and historical scientific production on health inequalities to date, how is it distributed in terms of country income groups and world regions, how has it changed over time, and what international collaboration dynamics exist. Methods A comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the global scientific production on health inequalities, from 1966 to 2015, was conducted using Scopus database. The historical and global evolution of the study of health inequalities was considered, and through joinpoint regression analysis and visualisation network maps, the preceding questions were examined. Findings 159 countries (via authorship affiliation) contributed to this scientific production, three times as many countries than previously found. Scientific output on health inequalities has exponentially grown over the last five decades, with several marked shift points, and a visible country-income group affiliation gradient in the initiation and consistent publication frequency. Higher income countries, especially Anglo-Saxon and European countries, disproportionately dominate first and co-authorship, and are at the core of the global collaborative research networks, with the Global South on the periphery. However, several country anomalies exist that suggest that the causes of these research inequalities, and potential underlying dependencies, run deeper than simply differences in country income and language. Conclusions Whilst the global evidence base has expanded, Global North-South research gaps exist, persist and, in some cases, are widening. Greater understanding of the structural determinants of these research inequalities and national research capacities is needed, to further strengthen the evidence base, and support the long term agenda for global health equity.

Does ict generate economic growth? a meta-regression analysis

Abstract: Despite phenomenal technological progress and exponential growth in computing power, economic growth remains comparative sluggish. In this paper, we investigate two core issues: (1) is there really no connection between ICT and national economic growth? and (2) what factors moderate the ICT–growth relationship? We apply meta†regression analysis to 466 estimates drawn from 59 econometric studies that explore the Solow or Productivity Paradox that there is little impact of ICT on economic growth and productivity. We explore the differential impact of ICT on developed and developing countries and the differential impact of different types of ICT: landlines, cell phones, computer technology and Internet access. After accommodating potential econometric misspecification bias and publication selection bias, we detect evidence that ICT has indeed contributed positively to economic growth, at least on average. Both developed and developing countries benefit from landline and cell technologies, with cell technologies’ growth effect approximately twice as strong as landlines. However, developed countries gain significantly more from computing than do developing countries. In contrast, we find little evidence that the Internet has had a positive impact on growth.

Association of Urbanicity With Psychosis in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Abstract: Importance Urban residence is one of the most well-established risk factors for psychotic disorder, but most evidence comes from a small group of high-income countries. Objective To determine whether urban living is associated with greater odds for psychosis in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Design, Setting, and Participants This international population-based study used cross-sectional survey data collected as part of the World Health Organization (WHO) World Health Survey from May 2, 2002, through December 31, 2004. Participants included nationally representative general population probability samples of adults (≥18 years) residing in 42 LMICs (N = 215 682). Data were analyzed from November 20 through December 5, 2017. Exposures Urban vs nonurban residence, determined by the WHO based on national data. Main Outcomes and Measures Psychotic experiences, assessed using the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview psychosis screen, and self-reported lifetime history of a diagnosis of a psychotic disorder. Results Among the 215 682 participants (50.8% women and 49.2% men; mean [SD] age, 37.9 [15.7] years), urban residence was not associated with psychotic experiences (odds ratio [OR], 0.99; 95% CI, 0.89-1.11) or psychotic disorder (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.76-1.06). Results of all pooled analyses and meta-analyses of within-country effects approached a null effect, with an overall OR of 0.97 (95% CI, 0.87-1.07), OR for low-income countries of 0.98 (95% CI, 0.82-1.15), and OR for middle-income countries of 0.96 (95% CI, 0.84-1.09) for psychotic experiences and an overall OR of 0.92 (95% CI, 0.73-1.16), OR for low-income countries of 0.92 (95% CI, 0.66-1.27), and OR for middle-income countries of 0.92 (95% CI, 0.67-1.27) for psychotic disorder. Conclusions and Relevance Our results provide evidence that urbanicity, a well-established risk factor for psychosis, may not be associated with elevated odds for psychosis in developing countries. This finding may provide better understanding of the mechanisms by which urban living may contribute to psychosis risk in high-income countries, because urban-rural patterns of cannabis use, racial discrimination, and socioeconomic disparities may vary between developing and developed nations.

Determinants of FDI in developed and developing countries: a quantitative analysis using GMM

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential determinants of FDI, in developed and developing countries.,This paper investigates FDI determinants based on panel data analysis using static and dynamic modeling for 20 countries (11 developed and 9 developing), over the period 2004-2013. For static model estimations, Hausman (1978) test indicates the applicability of fixed effect/random effect, while generalized moments of methods (GMM) (dynamic model) is used to capture endogeneity and unobserved heterogeneity.,The outcome across different countries depicts diverse results. In developed countries, FDI seeks policy-related determinants (GDP growth, trade openness, and freedom index), and in developing country FDI showed positive association for economic determinants (gross fixed capital formulation (GFCF), trade openness, and efficiency variables).,The destination of FDI is limited to 20 countries in the present paper. The indicator of the institutional environment, namely economic freedom index, used in this paper has received some criticism in calculations.,The paper enlists recommendations for future FDI policies and may assist government in providing a tactical framework for skill development, thereby increasing manufacturing growth rate. The paper also throws light on vertical and horizontal capital inflows considering resource, strategy, and market-seeking FDI.,FDI may bring significant benefits by creating high-quality jobs, introducing modern production and management practices. It highlights how multinational corporations and government contribute to better working conditions in host countries.,The paper uncovers important features like macroeconomic variables, especially country-wise efficiency scores, policy variables, GFCF, and freedom index, for determining FDI inflows in 20 countries using panel data methods and provides a roadmap for developed and developing countries. The study highlights endogeneity and unobserved heteroscedasticity by applying GMM one- and two-step procedure.

The impact of institutional quality on foreign direct investment inflows: evidence for developed and developing countries

Abstract: This study examines the impact of institutional quality on foreign direct investment (F.D.I.) by categorising the countries as developed or developing. We measured institutional quality by ...

Comparative study on the pathways of industrial parks towards sustainable development between China and Canada

Abstract: As a key economic development source of urban industrial symbiosis, industrial parks are an effective strategy to facilitate economic development and have been globally recognized and practiced. However, rapid development of these industrial parks has also generated several problems, such as intensive resource consumption and increasing environmental pollution caused by industrial activities. Sustainable development of industrial parks has become a global concern. In this regard, various strategies and projects have been adopted such as eco-industrial park development, low-carbon industrial park construction, circular economy industrial park. However, due to different levels of economic development and different operational system, the pathways of industrial parks towards sustainable development between developing country and developed country have differed. Their experiences and disadvantages should be explored by other countries in similar circumstances. This paper aims to fill such a gap by carrying out case studies between China and Canada, two countries identified as a rapidly developing country and a developed country. Both countries have encouraged to develop industrial parks to support economic development and have recently began to explore whether they can lead to sustainable industrial development. To support the analysis, Tianjin Economic Development area (TEDA), the largest industrial park in terms of its economic scale in China, and Burnside Industrial Park, which is one of the largest park in Canada, were selected as comparative case studies. Through the analysis on the adopted policies strategies and practices, the results indicate that China has put much more effort into their eco-industrial park due to the urgent situation of resource pressure and environmental pollution utilizing a top-down management system. Industrial parks in Canada appear to be moving more slowly in their adoption of sustainable development.

Understanding and predicting antecedents of mobile shopping adoption: a developing country perspective

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to determine the key factors influencing mobile shopping adoption intention and actual usage in the backdrop of the moderating effect of gender and age.,The study identifies eight independent variables including two relatively new variables, i.e. perceived regulatory support (PRS) and perceived benefits, and proposes an integrated framework to understand mobile shopping behavior. A total of 304 mobile device users were surveyed using a comprehensive questionnaire. The collected data were utilized to analyze the hypothesized relationships through structural equation modeling.,The results indicated that all the factors considered in the framework were significant in predicting mobile shopping behavioral intention (BI) except for PRS. Demographic variables such as age and gender moderate the effect of factors such as perceived critical mass, personal innovativeness and hedonic motivation on mobile shopping BI.,The small sample sizes and a possibility to include new variables other than consumer-centric factors are some of the limitations of this study.,The findings of this paper are of significant use for mobile shopping app developers, mobile payment gateway providers and other institutions involved in facilitation and provision of such mobile shopping services to develop suitable strategies to encourage adoption of mobile devices as a medium of online shopping.,The study is first of its kind in India and integrates variables from different areas of technology adoption along with two new variables, i.e PRS and perceived benefits to understand mobile shopping behavior.

A Critical Analysis of the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract: The ambitious UN-adopted sustainable development goals (SDGs) have been criticized for being inconsistent, difficult to quantify, implement and monitor. Disparaging analysis suggests that there exists a potential inconsistency in the SDGs, particularly between the socio-economic development and the environmental sustainability goals. Critiques also raise questions on the measurability and monitoring of the broadly framed SDGs. The goals are non-binding, with each country being expected to create their own national or regional plans. Moreover, the source(s) and the extent of the financial resources and investments for the SDGs are ambiguous. This chapter quantifies and examines the inconsistencies of the SDGs. It further inspects which of the underlying social, economic or environmental pillars are that most effective for achieving sustainable development. Analyses of the data reveal that the developed countries need to remain focused on their social and environmental policies. The developing countries, on the other hand, are better off being focused on their economics and social policies in the short run, even though environmental policies remain significant for sustainable development.

Improving Consumer Welfare and Manufacturer Profit via Government Subsidy Programs: Subsidizing Consumers or Manufacturers?

Abstract: Most consumers in rural areas of many developing countries cannot afford to purchase certain livelihood improvement products such as home appliances. To improve consumer welfare and manufacturer profit, many governments launch different types of subsidy programs that offer subsidies to consumers, manufacturers, or both. Motivated by a subsidy program developed by the Chinese government in 2007, we present a parsimonious model to determine the optimal subsidy program in different settings so as to gain a better understanding about the conditions under which it is optimal for the government to subsidize consumers only, manufacturers only, or both. Our analysis reveals that the structure of the optimal subsidy program depends on a whether there is a well-established market selling price for the products; and b the relative emphasis that the government places on consumer welfare versus manufacturer profit. Also, we find that governments can improve consumer welfare by developing subsidy programs that involve multiple competing manufacturers with different market sizes and adequate capacities. Our findings provide insights for developing effective government subsidy programs. The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2017.0684 .

Predicting the research output/growth of selected countries: application of Even GM (1, 1) and NDGM models

Abstract: The study aims to forecast the research output of four selected countries (USA, China, India and Pakistan) using two models of Grey System Theory—Even Model GM (1, 1) and Nonhomogeneous Discrete Grey Model (NDGM). The study also conducts publication growth analysis using relative growth rate (RGR) and the doubling time (D t). The linear and exponential regression analyses were also performed for comparison. The study also proposes and successfully tests two novel synthetic models for RGR and D t that facilities the comparison of the countries’ performance when actual data and forecasted data produce different sequences of performance in the given period of time. The data of documents published by the four countries from 2005 to 2016 was collected from SJR/Scopus website. Performance criterion was Mean Absolute Percentage Error. The study confirms that NDGM is a better model for forecasting research output as its accuracy level is higher than that of the Even Model GM (1, 1) and statistical regression models. The results revealed that USA is likely to continue leading in research output at least till 2025 however the research output difference between USA and China is likely to reduce. The study reveals that the less developed countries tend to possess higher relative growth rate in publications whereas the more developed countries tend to possess lower relative growth rate. Further, the more developed countries need more time for publications to double in numbers for a given relative growth rate and less developed countries need less time to do so. The study is original in term of its analysis of the problem using the models involved in the study. The study suggests that the strategies of USA and China to enhance the research output of their respective countries seem productive for the time being however in long run less developed countries have greater competitive advantage over the more developed countries because of their publication growth rate and time required to double the number of publications. The study reported nearly linear trend of growth in research output among the countries. The study is primarily important for the academic policy makers and encourages them to take corrective measures if the growth rate of their academic/publishing sector is not reasonable.