Consulta: subjectFacets:"O12"
Registros recuperados: 100
Data/hora: 02/06/2024 14:45:09

Social Networks in Ghana
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Udry,   Christopher R.; Conley,   Timothy G.
In this chapter we examine social networks among farmers in a developing country. We use detailed data on economic activities and social interactions between people living in four study villages in Ghana. It is clear that economic development in this region is being shaped by the networks of information, capital and influence that permeate these communities. This chapter explores the determinants of these important economic networks. We first describe the patterns of information, capital, labor and land transaction connections that are apparent in these villages. We then discuss the interconnections between the various economic networks. We relate the functional economic networks to more fundamental social relationships between people in a reduced form...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Endogenous networks; Informal credit; Social learning; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; O12; D85.
Ano: 2004
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28488

Labor Supply, Schooling and the Returns to Healthcare in Tanzania
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Adhvaryu,   Achyuta; Nyshadham,   Anant.
We estimate the effects of higher quality healthcare usage on health, labor supply and schooling outcomes for sick individuals in Tanzania. Using exogenous variation in the cost of formal sector healthcare to predict treatment choice, we show that using better quality care improves health outcomes and changes the allocation of time amongst productive activities. In particular, sick adults who receive better quality care reallocate time from non-farm to farm labor, leaving total labor hours unchanged. Among sick children, school attendance significantly increases as a result of receiving higher quality healthcare, but labor allocations are unaffected. We interpret these results as evidence that healthcare has heterogeneous effects on marginal productivity...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Labor supply; Health shocks; Schooling; Tanzania; Health Economics and Policy; Labor and Human Capital; I10; J22; J43; O12.
Ano: 2011
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/107260

The Structural Estimation of Principal-Agent Models by Least Squares: Evidence from Land Tenancy in Madagascar
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Brown,   Zachary S.; Bellemare,   Marc F.
We develop a method to structurally estimate principal-agent models by ordinary least squares (OLS). We set up a general principal-agent model which explicitly incorporates the wealth levels of each party and the opportunity cost to the agent of entering the contract. This yields an optimal contract that is linearized by way of an Nth order Taylor approximation. This in turn imposes N(3N-1)/2 restrictions on the parameters and yields an empirical test of the canonical principal-agent model. In the application, we consider the case where N = 2 and apply our method to a sample of land tenancy contracts in rural Madagascar. Empirical tests lead to consistent failure to reject the hypotheses derived from our structural model, which lends support to our...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Principal-Agent Models; Contract Theory; Structural Estimations; Risk and Uncertainty; C12; C13; D86; O12; Q12.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/49368

EXOGENOUS PRODUCTION SHOCKS AND TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY AMONG TRADITIONAL IVORIEN RICE FARMERS
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Sherlund,   Shane M.; Barrett,   Christopher B.
This paper uses a unique panel data set and data envelopment analysis (DEA) to obtain estimates of technical efficiency for 492 traditional rice plots in Côte d'Ivoire.  The objective of this paper is to explore the importance of explicitly controlling for exogenous shocks to production in technical efficiency estimation.  We show how omission of such variables in highly stochastic production environments can lead to serious inferential errors, with potentially significant policy implications.  Conventional DEA estimation of a production frontier, followed by second-stage Tobit estimation of the correlates of plot- level technical efficiency, suggest widespread and substantial inefficiency related to crop fragmentation and seed varieties.  However, when...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Africa (Sub-Saharan); Ivory Coast; Production frontiers; Agricultural productivity; Rice.; Crop Production/Industries; Productivity Analysis; O12; Q12; D2.
Ano: 1998
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/20945

A Panel Data Study of the Determinants of Micronutrient Intake in China
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Liu,   Yi; Shankar,   Bhavani.
Rapid economic growth in China has resulted in substantially improved household incomes. Diets have also changed, with a movement away from traditional foods and towards animal products and processed foods. Yet micronutrient deficiencies, particularly for calcium and vitamin A, are still widespread in China. In this research we model the determinants of the intakes of these two micronutrients using household panel data, asking particularly whether continuing income increases are likely to cause the deficiencies to be overcome. Nonparametric kernel regressions and random effects panel regression models are employed. The results show a statistically significant but relatively small positive income effect on both nutrient intakes. The local availability of...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; I12; O12.
Ano: 2006
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25585

Farmers' Subjective Valuation of Subsistence Crops: The Case of Traditional Maize in Mexico
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Arslan,   Aslihan; Taylor,   J. Edward.
Shadow prices guide farmers' resource allocations, but for subsistence farmers growing traditional crops, shadow prices may bear little relationship with market prices. We econometrically estimate shadow prices of maize using data from a nationally representative survey of rural households in Mexico. Shadow prices are significantly higher than the market price for traditional but not improved maize varieties. They are particularly high in the indigenous areas of southern and southeastern Mexico, indicating large de facto incentives to maintain traditional maize there.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Shadow prices; Non-market values; Supply response; Traditional crops; Onfarm conservation; Mexico; Agricultural and Food Policy; Community/Rural/Urban Development; International Development; O12; O13; Q12; Q39.
Ano: 2008
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/44488

Spatial Networks, Labor Supply and Income Dynamics: Evidence from Indonesian Villages
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Yamauchi,   Futoshi; Muto,   Megumi; Chowdhury,   Shyamal K.; Dewina,   Reno; Sumaryanto,   Sony.
This paper examines the impact of spatial connectivity development on household income growth and non-agriculture labor supply, combining household panel data and village census in Indonesia. Empirical results show that the impacts of the improvement of local road quality in the area (positively correlated with transportation speed) on income growth and the transition to non-agricultural labor markets depends on the distance to economic centers and household education. In particular, post-primary education significantly increases the benefit from the local spatial connectivity improvement in remote areas and labor transition to non-agricultural sectors. Education and local road quality are complementary, mutually increasing income growth and...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Income growth; Spatial Connectivity; Rural economy; Education; Indonesia; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Labor and Human Capital; O12; R40.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/51571

Are Household Production Decisions Cooperative? Evidence on Pastoral Migration and Milk Sales from Northern Kenya
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Doss,   Cheryl R.; McPeak,   John G.
Market-based development efforts frequently create opportunities to generate income from goods previously produced and consumed within the household. Production within the household is often characterized by a gender and age division of labor. Market development efforts to improve well being may lead to unanticipated outcomes if household production decisions are non-cooperative. We develop and test models of household decision-making to investigate intra-household decision making in a nomadic pastoral setting from Kenya. Our results suggest that household decisions are contested, with husbands using migration decisions to resist wives’ ability to market milk.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Intrahousehold decision-making; Household production; Kenya; Consumer/Household Economics; D13; O12.
Ano: 2005
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28460

Dams
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Duflo,   Esther; Pande,   Rohini.
The construction of large dams is one of the most costly and controversial forms of public infrastructure investment in developing countries, but little is known about their impact. This paper studies the productivity and distributional effects of large dams in India. To account for endogenous placement of dams we use GIS data and the fact that river gradient affects a district's suitability for dams to provide instrumental variable estimates of their impact. We find that, in a district where a dam is built, agricultural production does not increase but poverty does. In contrast, districts located downstream from the dam benefit from increased irrigation and see agricultural production increase and poverty fall. Overall, our estimates suggest that large...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Dams; Development planning; Program evaluation; India; Public Economics; O21; O12; H43; H23.
Ano: 2005
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28373

Impacts of Land Rental Markets on Rural Poverty in Kenya
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Jin,   Songqing; Jayne,   Thomas S.
This study uses panel data from 1,142 Kenya smallholder households over four survey periods to examine the determinants of participation in land rental markets and to quantify the impact of renting land on households’ crop income and total income. We find that land rental markets in Kenya enhance productivity and are equitable. The results are consistent across different estimation methods and model specifications. Dynamic panel models were used to assess the impact of rental participation on households’ crop income and total income.  After controlling for the endogeneity of rental market participation and the persistent effects of lagged income, we find that the decision to rent land increased tenant households’ net crop (net total) income by 25.1 (6.6)...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Land rental market; Kenya; Income; Poverty; Dynamic model; Agricultural and Food Policy; International Development; Land Economics/Use; O12; Q13; Q12; Q15.
Ano: 2011
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/103907

Monitoring Poverty without Consumption Data: an Application Using the Albania Panel Survey
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Azzarri,   Carlo; Carletto,   Calogero; Davis,   Benjamin; Zezza,   Alberto.
In developing countries poverty is generally measured with expenditure data. Such data are difficult and costly to obtain and it is generally recommended to collect them every 3-5 years. In between surveys, however, there is a clear need to provide policymakers with information for the monitoring of poverty trends. The paper reviews several such methods and compares the poverty estimates and trends resulting from their application to a panel dataset for Albania. The results are broadly consistent across methods and point to an overall improvement in welfare conditions over time, although the magnitude of the changes differs by locale, with urban areas showing a larger improvement than their rural counterparts.  However, given the sensitivity of the...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Poverty; Welfare; Asset index; Poverty measurement; Poverty monitoring.; Food Security and Poverty; O12; O18; O47; R11.
Ano: 2005
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/23809

The role of rural off-farm employment in agricultural development among farm households in low-income countries: Evidence from Zimbabwe
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Chikwama,   Cornilius.
This study examines the widely held view that earnings from rural wage employment can help farm households overcome constraints on farm investments. It uses a panel dataset of 359 randomly selected farm households from three resettlement areas in Zimbabwe over the period 1996/97 to 1998/99. It finds no evidence to support the hypothesis that income from rural wage employment contributes towards increasing farm investment for the sampled households, and it attributes this to very low savings rates on rural wage employment income. Further, it finds that levels of farm investment increase with the amount of labor and land used in farm production in the previous year, and for households with male and/or older household heads. It also finds an inverse relation...
Tipo: Journal Article
Palavras-chave: Rural off-farm wage employment; Farm investment; Agricultural development; Sub-Saharan Africa; Zimbabwe; International Development; Labor and Human Capital; O12; O18; J40; R20.
Ano: 2010
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/93874

Investing in Agriculture for Growth and Food Security in the ACP Countries
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Skoet,   Jakob; Stamoulis,   Kostas G.; Deuss,   Annelies.
Countries in the ACP region will face significant challenges in the years to come as they try to step up economic growth, deal with increasingly integrated world markets and meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially those focused on hunger and poverty. These efforts will take place in the face of declining external assistance and many competing demands on resources. The analysis in the paper shows that agriculture and rural economic activities are essential for growth, poverty reduction and food security especially for the poorer countries in the region. However trends in public resource mobilisation for agriculture and rural development (in terms of both domestic spending and Official Development Assistance) do not reflect that important...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: ACP countries; Hunger; Agriculture; Rural development; Food security; Resource mobilisation.; Food Security and Poverty; F35; H54; H55; Q18; R11; O12.
Ano: 2004
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/23802

Inter-household Allocations within Extended Family: Evidence from the Indonesia Family Life Survey
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Witoelar,   Firman.
This paper uses data from two waves of the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS2-1997 and IFLS3-2000) to investigate whether households that belong to the same extended families pool their income to smooth their consumption. We exploit the fact that the survey also tracks and interviews split-off households during the follow-up surveys, enabling us to construct a panel of extended families. The findings suggest that in contradiction to the null hypothesis of extended-family income pooling, household own income still matters to household consumption even after controlling for extended family resources. The result stands after correcting for potential measurement error and endogeneity of income. More importantly, the findings also suggest that although the...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Consumption smoothing; Risk-sharing; Extended families; Consumer/Household Economics; D13; J12; O12.
Ano: 2005
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28472

Receiving incorrect information is costly: Diffusion and accuracy of market information among farmers in northern Ghana
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Zanello,   Giacomo; Shankar,   Bhavani; Srinivasan,   Chittur S.
The recent adoption of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs, namely mobile phones and radios) in rural areas of Sub- Saharan Africa has brought new evidence that an updated and reliable flow of information can have direct benefits for farmers' welfare. However, if correct market information can benefit the users, incorrect information can be costly. In this study we explore the diffusion (quantity) and the accuracy (quality) of price information among farmers in northern Ghana, with a focus on the role of ICTs.
Tipo: Presentation
Palavras-chave: Market behaviour; Transaction costs; Information technologies; Consumer/Household Economics; International Development; Marketing; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; D82; D83; D84; O12; O55.
Ano: 2012
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/123967

Social Connections and Group Banking
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Karlan,   Dean S.
Lending to the poor is expensive due to high screening, monitoring, and enforcement costs. Group lending advocates believe lenders overcome this by harnessing social connections. Using data from FINCA-Peru, I exploit a quasi-random group formation process to find evidence of peers successfully monitoring and enforcing joint-liability loans. Individuals with stronger social connections to their fellow group members (i.e., either living closer or being of a similar culture) have higher repayment and higher savings. Furthermore, I observe direct evidence that relationships deteriorate after default, and that through successful monitoring, individuals know who to punish and who not to punish after default.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Microfinance; Group lending; Informal savings; Social capital; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; O12; O16; O17; Z13.
Ano: 2005
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28522

Institutions and Development: A View from Below
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Pande,   Rohini; Udry,   Christopher R.
In this paper we argue the case for greater exploitation of synergies between research on specific institutions based on micro-data and the big questions posed by the institutions and growth literature. To date, the macroeconomic literature on institutions and growth has largely relied on cross-country regression evidence. This has provided compelling evidence for a causal link between a cluster of ‘good’ institutions and more rapid long run growth. However, an inability to disentangle the effects of specific institutional channels on growth or to understand the impact of institutional change on growth will limit further progress using a cross-country empirical strategy. We suggest two research programs based on micro-data that have significant potential....
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Institutions; Growth; Cross-country regressions; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; International Development; O11; O12; O17; P51.
Ano: 2005
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28468

Investment and Financial Constraints in European Agriculture: Evidence from France, Hungary and Slovenia
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Ferto,   Imre; Bakucs,   Lajos Zoltan; Bojnec,   Stefan; Latruffe,   Laure.
The article investigates the investment and financial constraints for French, Hungarian and Slovenian farms using FADN panel data with different econometric estimation approaches. Farm gross investment is positively associated with real sales growth and cash flow implying the absence of soft budget constraint. Gross farm investment is positively associated with investment subsidies. Specific results by country are found depending on farm indebtedness. Investment subsidies can mitigate some capital market imperfections in short-term, while on long-term what is crucial is farm sale ability to successfully compete in the output market gaining sufficient cash flow for farm competitive survival and investment.
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Farm investment; Soft budget constraint; Investment subsidy; Panel data analysis; Agricultural Finance; D81; D92; O12; Q12; C23.
Ano: 2011
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/114357

What's Advertising Content Worth? Evidence from a Consumer Credit Marketing Field Experiment
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Bertrand,   Marianne; Karlan,   Dean S.; Mullainathan,   Sendhil; Shafir,   Eldar; Zinman,   Jonathan.
Firms spend billions of dollars each year advertising consumer products in order to influence demand. Much of these outlays are on the creative design of advertising content. Creative content often uses nuances of presentation and framing that have large effects on consumer decision making in laboratory studies. But there is little field evidence on the effect of advertising content as it compares in magnitude to the effect of price. We analyze a direct mail field experiment in South Africa implemented by a consumer lender that randomized creative content and loan price simultaneously. We find that content has significant effects on demand. There is also some evidence that the magnitude of content sensitivity is large relative to price sensitivity....
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Economics of advertising; Economics &amp; psychology; Behavioral; Economics; Cues; Microfinance; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; Marketing; D01; M31; M37; C93; D12; D14; D21; D81; D91; O12.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/47038

Productive Benefits of Health: Evidence from Low-Income Countries
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Schultz,   T. Paul.
Various household survey indicators of adult nutrition and health status are analyzed as determinants of individual wages. However, survey indicators of health status may be heterogeneous, or a combination of health human capital formed by investment behavior and variation due to genotype, random shocks, and measurement error, which are uncontrolled by behavior. Although there are no definitive methods for distinguishing between human capital and genetic variation in health outcomes, alternative mappings of health status, such as height, on community health services, parent socioeconomic characteristics, and ethnic categories may be suggestive. Instrumental variable estimates of health human capital and residual sources of variation in measured health...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Health human capital; Wage productivity; Brazil; Ghana; Cote D’Ivoire; Health Economics and Policy; I12; J24; O12.
Ano: 2005
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28532

The impact of Access to Credit and Training on Technological Adoption: A Case of the Rice Sector in Tanzania
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Nakano,   Yuko; Kajisa,   Kei.
Using an extensive household-level data set collected in Tanzania, this paper investigates the determinants of the technological adoption of rice cultivation and of paddy yield. We especially focus on the impact of credit and training on the adoption of modern technologies. Based on empirical results, we argue that modern inputs and improved practices of rice cultivation enhance the increase in paddy yield. We also argue that the impact of credit and training on the adoption of modern technologies can differ for different technologies. If the adoption of a specific technology does not require a large amount of cash, knowledge given by training is sufficient to enhance adoption. On the other hand, those who can access credit or self-finance can adopt...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Technological Adoption; Green Revolution; Sub-Saharan Africa; Crop Production/Industries; International Development; Productivity Analysis; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; O12; O13; Q16; Q18.
Ano: 2011
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/103763

Why Don't Lenders Finance High-Return Technological Change in Developing-Country Agriculture?
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Blackman,   Allen.
Most of the literature attributes credit constraints in small-farm developing-country agriculture to the variability of returns to investment in this sector. But the literature does not fully explain lenders. reluctance to finance investments in technologies that provide both higher average and less variable returns. To fill this gap, this article develops an information-theoretic credit market model with endogenous technology choice. The model demonstrates that lenders may refuse to finance any investment in a riskless high-return technology--regardless of the interest rate they are offered--when they are imperfectly informed about loan applicants, time preferences and, therefore, about their propensities to default intentionally in order to finance...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Agriculture; Asymmetric information; Credit; Developing country; Technology adoption; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; O12; O16; O33; Q14; D82.
Ano: 2001
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10886

Social Learning and Parameter Uncertainty in Irreversible Investment----Evidence from Greenhouse Adoption in Northern China
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Wang,   Honglin; Reardon,   Thomas.
This paper introduces social learning into irreversible investment theory through parameter uncertainty, and shows that social learning could reduce parameter uncertainty to facilitate irreversible investment technology adoption. The theoretic model is tested by using household level data from energy saving greenhouse adoption in northern China, and empirical evidences are consistent with the theory: social learning has significantly positive impacts on greenhouse adoption, while market volatility discourages the adoption.
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Social Learning; Technology Adoption; Irreversible Investment; Parameter Uncertainty; Energy Saving Greenhouse; Environmental Economics and Policy; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; O12; O31; C61; D83; G12.
Ano: 2008
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/6310

NGO Microfinance in Vietnam: Stakeholders' Perceptions of Effectiveness
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Nghiem,   Son; Laurenceson,   James.
The microfinance industry in Vietnam, particularly those sponsored by nongovernment organisations (NGOs), has experienced rapid expansion in recent years. Yet in spite of this growth, an analysis of their effectiveness has been lacking. In a bid to help address this shortcoming, this paper reports on a subset of data that was obtained during a survey and interview process that incorporated various stakeholders including financial donors, NGO-sponsored microfinance institutions (NMPs), village leaders and NMP members and non-members. Perceptions of NMPs effectiveness are discussed from the standpoint of various stakeholders. NMPs are found to be at a critical juncture. While their activities are widely perceived to contribute to poverty alleviation, their...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Microfinance; NGO; Vietnam; Perceptions; Effectiveness; Financial Economics; O12; O16; O17; P34; R29.
Ano: 2006
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25594

China’s Agricultural Modernisation Program: an assessment of its sustainability and impacts in the case of the high-value beef chain
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Waldron,   Scott A.; Brown,   Colin G.; Longworth,   John W.
China has embarked on a major program to modernise agricultural and agribusiness structures with far reaching implications for rural development, international competitiveness / trade and food safety. There are, however, few studies that examine in detail how the modernisation program has proceeded, its’ sustainability and impacts. This paper aims to provide such as assessment through a series of integrated budget analyses of participants in the modern, high value beef chain. The paper concludes that rather than attempting to skip development phases by fast-tracking the development of modern structures in high-value agrifood chains, China should pursue a more incremental and facilitative approach based around developing structures in mid-value agrifood...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: China; Agriculture; Modernisation; Agribusiness; Agricultural and Food Policy; Consumer/Household Economics; Demand and Price Analysis; Farm Management; Industrial Organization; Livestock Production/Industries; Marketing; Political Economy; Production Economics; O12; Q13; Q18.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/50784

Tying Odysseus to the Mast: Evidence from a Commitment Savings Product in the Philippines
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Ashraf,   Nava; Karlan,   Dean S.; Yin,   Wesley.
We designed a commitment savings product for a Philippine bank and implemented it using a randomized control methodology. The savings product was intended for individuals who want to commit now to restrict access to their savings, and who were sophisticated enough to engage in such a mechanism. We conducted a baseline survey on 1777 existing or former clients of a bank. One month later, we offered the commitment product to a randomly chosen subset of 710 clients; 202 (28.4 percent) accepted the offer and opened the account. In the baseline survey, we asked hypothetical time discounting questions. Women who exhibited a lower discount rate for future relative to current tradeoffs, and hence potentially have a preference for commitment, were indeed...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Savings; Commitment; Hyperbolic preferences; Microfinance; Development economics; Program evaluation; Field experiment; Self-control; Financial Economics; C93; D01; D11; D12; D14; D81; D91; G11; O12.
Ano: 2005
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28411

Vertical Integration and Investor Protection in Developing Countries
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Macchiavello,   Rocco.
The industrial organization of developing countries is characterized by the pervasive use of subcontracting arrangements among small, financially constrained firms. This paper asks whether vertical integration relaxes those financial constraints. It shows that vertical integration trades off the benefits of joint liability against the costs of rendering the supply chain more opaque to external investors. In contrast to the commonly held view that pervasive input and capital market imperfections are conducive to vertical integration, the model predicts that the motives for vertical integration are not necessarily higher in developing countries. In particular, vertical integration is more likely to arise at intermediate levels of investor protection and...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Vertical Integration; Industrial Development; Financial Constraints; Joint Liability; Trade Credit; Community-based Industries; Financial Economics; O12; O16; D23; G30; L22.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/55285

ON THE ROLE OF THE BROKERAGE INSTITUTION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL MARKETS
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Quattri,   Maria A.; Ozanne,   Adam; Wang,   Xioabing; Hall,   Alastair R.
The recognition that policies aimed at “getting prices right” in less developed countries were failing due to incomplete markets has spurred a new wave of reforms, directed instead at “getting markets and institutions right”. Although previous studies have documented the potentially crucial role of the brokerage institution in crop commercialisation, few have investigated what determines wholesalers’ decisions to use brokers. Using data collected in 2006/07 by Gabre-Madhin, IFPRI and EDRI, we examine Ethiopian traders’ decisions regarding whether or not they should use brokers, and how much. Independent variables are human, financial and social asset availability, implemented trading practices, access to infrastructure and institutions, location, travelled...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Agribusiness; O12; O13; O18.
Ano: 2011
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/108941

The paradox of household resource endowment and land productivity in Uganda
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Ainembabazi,   John Herbert; Angelsen,   Arild.
The paper investigates the conflicting findings in empirical studies linking land productivity to plot size, livestock ownership, investment in farm assets, and land improvement practices. The conflicting impacts found are partly as a result of different model specifications, the type of data used – panel or cross sectional data – and possibly due to imperfections in rural markets. We control for these problems using household and plot level panel data from rural farmers in Uganda. We find that ownership of cattle has a negative and significant impact on land productivity. Investment in farm related assets, land improvements and other small livestock, however, significantly increases productivity. The conflicting impacts are a result of measurement error....
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Endogeneity; Assets; Investments; Land productivity; Uganda; Consumer/Household Economics; Crop Production/Industries; Production Economics; Productivity Analysis; C10; O12; Q12.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/51691

The Resource Curse: A State and Provincial Analysis
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Olayele,   Bankole Fred.
A puzzling piece of empirical evidence suggests that countries rich in natural resources tend to have dismal economic performance. This paradigm has come to be known as the “resource curse”. This paper deals with the role of institutional quality in explaining the transmission mechanism of the resource curse. I attempt to explain this phenomenon by using the index of economic freedom developed by the Fraser Institute as a proxy for the quality of institutions. The outcomes of the linear and non-linear interactions between resource abundance and institutional quality turn out to be the key elements that determine the intensity, if existent, or otherwise of the resource curse. Rather than look at cross country data like many others, I focus on the 10...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Natural resource curse; Petroleum resources; Unbalanced panels; GMM estimation; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy; O12; Q32; Q34; O43; O47.
Ano: 2010
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/57805

Revisiting the "Cotton Problem:" A Comparative Analysis of Cotton Reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Delpeuch,   Claire; Vandeplas,   Anneleen; Swinnen,   Johan F.M.
The cotton sector has been amongst the most regulated in Africa, and still is to a large extent in West and Central Africa (WCA), despite repeated reform recommendations by international donors. On the other hand, orthodox reforms in East and Southern Africa (ESA) have not always yielded the expected results. This paper uses a stylized contracting model to investigate the link between market structure and equity and efficiency in sub-Saharan cotton sectors and analyze the potential consequences of orthodox reforms in WCA. We argue that the level of the world price and of government intervention, the degree of post-reform competition, as well as the degree of parastatal inefficiency, all contribute to making reforms less attractive (but not less pressing)...
Tipo: Journal Article
Palavras-chave: Sub-Saharan Africa; Cotton reforms; Self-enforcing contracts; Crop Production/Industries; Q12; L33; O12.
Ano: 2010
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/96176

The Role of Market Power in Agricultural Contracts
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Cordero Salas,   Paula.
I study the economic consequences of shifting bargaining power in relational contracts through interventions such as the formation of a Bargaining Group (BG) for the side of sellers in a market where buyers traditionally hold significant market power. Existing theories of relational contracts predict that such a power transfer will have no impact on market efficiency. In contexts where enforcement institutions are weak, a standard assumption from existing theories of relational contracts - the existence of an enforceable base payment - may not hold. In this case, I show that a transfer of bargaining power can erode market efficiency in a dynamic relational contracting environment, which contradicts findings from existing models of relational contracting....
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Contracts; Incomplete enforcement; Bargaining group; Distribution; Institutions; Agribusiness; Agricultural and Food Policy; Industrial Organization; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; International Development; D86; K12; L14; O12; Q13.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/49376

Does the structure of agricultural science and technology policy system matter in developing country agricultural productivity growth trends? Evidence from Kenya and Uganda
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Mugunieri,   Godiah Lawrence; Obare,   Gideon A.; Omamo,   Steven Were.
Paper to be presented at the IAAE Conference
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Agricultural science and technology; Policy system; Developing countries; Food Security and Poverty; Productivity Analysis; C22; O12; O33.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/50538

Formando microempresarias: impacto de la capacitación empresarial en las instituciones de microfinanzas y sus socias
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Karlan,   Dean S.; Valdivia,   Martin.
Los debates académicos y de políticas acerca de la actividad microempresarial se centran frecuentemente en las restricciones crediticias, asumiendo que los negocios se manejan de manera óptima dadas esas y otras restricciones. Los microempresarios, sin embargo, raramente tienen capacitación formal en gestión empresarial. Por su parte, un número creciente de instituciones de microfinanzas (IMF), en el Perú y el mundo, procura construir el capital humano de estos microempresarios para mejorar sus niveles de vida, contribuyendo a su misión de reducir la pobreza. Con ayuda de un diseño experimental, en este estudio medimos el impacto marginal de agregar un componente de capacitación en gestión empresarial a un programa de servicios financieros que atiende a...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Microempresarios; Microfinanzas; Pequeñas empresas; Mujeres; Capacitacion; Small enterprises; Training; Women; Peru; Financial Economics; C93; D12; D13; D21; I21; J24; O12.
Ano: 2010
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/91358

The Impact of Consulting Services on Small and Medium Enterprises: Evidence from a Randomized Trial in Mexico
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Bruhn,   Miriam; Karlan,   Dean S.; Schoar,   Antoinette.
We test whether managerial human capital has a first order effect on the performance and growth of small enterprises in emerging markets. In a randomized control trial in Puebla, Mexico, we randomly assigned 150 out of 432 small and medium size enterprises to receive subsidized consulting services, while the remaining 267 enterprises served as a control group that did not receive any subsidized training. Treatment enterprises were matched with one of nine local consulting firms and met with their consultants once a week for four hours over a one year period.  Results from a follow-up survey, conducted after the intervention, show that the consulting services had a large impact on the performance of the enterprises in the treatment group: monthly sales went...
Tipo: Working Paper
Palavras-chave: Enterprise growth; Entrepreneurship; Managerial capital; Labor and Human Capital; D21; D24; L20; M13; O12.
Ano: 2012
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/121675

Investment Reluctance: Irreversibility or Imperfect Capital Markets? Evidence from German Farm Panel Data
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Huettel,   Silke; Musshoff,   Oliver; Odening,   Martin.
Investment behavior at the firm level is characterized by lumpy adjustments and frequent periods of inactivity. Low investment rates are particularly puzzling in transition economies where an urgent need of modernization exists. The literature offers two explanations for. Firstly, neo-institutional finance theory focuses on the impacts of imperfect capital markets on investment decisions showing that the limited availability of financial funds may confine firms’ investments. Secondly, real options theory asserts that the interaction of irreversibility, uncertainty and flexibility may also result in investment reluctance. In this paper we suggest a generalized model that combines imperfect capital markets and real options effects. We also offer an...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Investment decision; Irreversibility; Uncertainty; Q-model; Capital market imperfections; Generalized tobit model; Transition; Financial Economics; D81; D92; O12.
Ano: 2007
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/9826

Globalization and Poverty in Senegal: A Worst Case Scenario?
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Maertens,   Miet; Colen,   Liesbeth; Swinnen,   Johan F.M.
There is no consensus about how globalization –trade and foreign investments – affects poverty reduction. Using household survey data, this study contributes to the empirical literature on globalization and poverty by analyzing the household-level implications of increased foreign investments and trade in the horticulture sector in Senegal. In many aspects this represents what many would consider a “worst-case scenario”. Stringent rich country standards are imposed on exports and the supply chain is controlled by a single multinational company with extreme levels of supply base consolidation, full vertical integration and complete exclusion of smallholder suppliers. We analyze and quantify income and poverty effects under these “worst-case conditions” and...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Trade; FDI; Poverty; Vertical coordination; Modern supply chains; Agribusiness; Agricultural and Food Policy; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Food Security and Poverty; International Relations/Trade; F2; J43; O12; Q12; Q17.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/51668

Healthcare Choices, Information and Health Outcomes
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Adhvaryu,   Achyuta; Nyshadham,   Anant.
Self-selection into healthcare options on the basis of severity likely biases estimates of the effects of healthcare choice on health outcomes. Using an instrumental variables strategy which exploits exogenous variation in the cost of formal-sector care, we show that using such care to treat acute sickness decreases the incidence of fever and malaria in young children in Tanzania. Compared to the instrumental variables estimates, ordinary least squares estimates significantly understate the effects of formal-sector healthcare use on health outcomes. Improved information and more timely treatment, rather than greater access to medicines, seem to be the primary mechanisms for this effect.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Healthcare; Information; Child health; Tanzania; Health Economics and Policy; International Development; I10; I18; O10; O12.
Ano: 2011
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/107257

Texto Bàsico de Economia Agrícola: Su importancia para el Desarrollo Local Sostenible
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Zúniga-González,   Carlos Alberto.
The present works is part of my doctoral dissertation for getting title of Doctor of Philosophy with major in Science and Specialization in the Economics of Agriculture and Local Development.  The research hypothesis was: “If agricultural and forest activities apply agricultural economics, then it highlights the important element for sustainable local development, useful for the policy maker and decisions taker”.        Therefore, the study makes emphasis in the importance for applying agricultural economics to the forest and agricultural activities. The agricultural economics basic text is an elemental document for the agricultural economics curricular component; it is a component for the agricultural and economic science careers.    The academic...
Tipo: Book
Palavras-chave: Agricultural Economics; Sustainable Local Development; Data Envelopment Analysis.; Agribusiness; Agricultural and Food Policy; Food Security and Poverty; Political Economy; Production Economics; Productivity Analysis; O11; O12; O38; P51; Q18.
Ano: 2011
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/111604

The impact of non-farm income on the investment in agriculture: evidence from Hungary and Slovenia
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Bakucs,   Lajos Zoltan; Bojnec,   Stefan; Ferto,   Imre; Latruffe,   Laure.
The article investigates the impact of non-farm income on the investment for Hungarian and Slovenian farms using FADN panel data for the years 2004-2008 and different econometric estimation approaches. We find that non-farm income is more important for Slovenian farms than for Hungarian farms. Farm gross investment is positively associated with real sales growth and cash flow implying the absence of soft budget constraint. Gross farm investment is negatively associated with non-farm income, but positively associated with investment subsidies. Specific results by country are found depending on growing vs. declining real sales and on farm indebtedness.
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Non-farm income; Farm investment; Soft budget constraint; Panel data analysis; Community/Rural/Urban Development; D81; D92; O12; Q12; C23.
Ano: 2010
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/95318

Traps and Thresholds in Pastoralist Mobility
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Toth,   Russell.
Replaced with revised version of paper 07/22/10.
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Asset poverty traps; Pastoralism; Semiparametric estimation; International Development; Livestock Production/Industries; O12; Q12; O13; C50.
Ano: 2010
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/61336

Altruism, Favoritism, and Guilt in the Allocation of Family Resources: Sophie's Choice in Mao's Mass Send Down Movement
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Li,   Hongbin; Rosenzweig,   Mark R.; Zhang,   Junsen.
In this paper, we use new survey data on twins born in urban China, among whom many experienced the consequences of the forced mass rustication movement of the Chinese “cultural revolution,” to identify the distinct roles of altruism and guilt in affecting behavior within families. Based on a model depicting the choices of the allocation of parental time and transfers to multiple children incorporating favoritism, altruism and guilt, we show the conditions under which guilt and altruism can be separately identified by experimental variation in parental time with children. Based on within-twins estimates of affected cohorts, we find that parents selected children with lower endowments to be sent down; that parents behaved altruistically, providing more...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Guilt; Altruism; China; Health Economics and Policy; International Development; J12; J13; O12.
Ano: 2008
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/43524

Finding Missing Markets (and a disturbing epilogue): Evidence from an Export Crop Adoption and Marketing Intervention in Kenya
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Ashraf,   Nava; Gine,   Xavier; Karlan,   Dean S.
In much of the developing world, many farmers grow crops for local or personal consumption despite export options which appear to be more profitable. Thus many conjecture that one or several markets are missing. We report here on a randomized controlled trial conducted by DrumNet in Kenya that attempts to help farmers adopt and market export crops. DrumNet provides smallholder farmers with information about how to switch to export crops, makes in-kind loans for the purchase of the agricultural inputs, and provides marketing services by facilitating the transaction with exporters. The experimental evaluation design randomly assigns pre-existing farmer self-help groups to one of three groups: (1) a treatment group that receives all DrumNet services, (2) a...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Field Experiment; Export Crop; Food Safety Standards; Agricultural and Food Policy; O12; Q17; F13.
Ano: 2008
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/46516

On the interaction between risk-taking and risk-sharing under farm household wealth heterogeneity
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Delpierre,   Matthieu; Verheyden,   Bertrand; Weynants,   Stephanie.
Empirical evidence on developing countries shows on the one hand that rich farm-households are more keen to adopt new technologies and are higher risk takers than poor households. On the other hand, however, they are shown to be less vulnerable to income shocks than poor farmers. This paper provides a rationale for these observations. Risk averse agents, heterogeneously endowed with wealth, non-cooperatively decide on their level of subscription to risk-sharing and on the degree of individual production risk they take. Rich households take more risks and subscribe more to risk-sharing. Although risk-sharing allows all households to cope with idiosyncratic shocks, the risk-taking behavior of rich households increases the covariate component of poor...
Tipo: Presentation
Palavras-chave: Risk-taking; Risk-sharing; Technology adoption; Farm household; International Development; Risk and Uncertainty; O12; O13; O17; O33.
Ano: 2012
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/122556

FARM OUTPUT, NON-FARM INCOME, AND COMMERCIALIZATION IN RURAL GEORGIA
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Kan,   Iddo; Kimhi,   Ayal; Lerman,   Zvi.
This article examines the decision of farmers to sell part of their farm output on the market, using data from the Republic of Georgia. A two-level empirical model is used, in which endowments and resource allocation decisions determine farm output and non-farm income, and these in turn determine market participation. We found, as expected, that farm output affects market participation positively, while non-farm income affects it negatively. Landholdings have an indirect positive effect on market participation, through its positive effect on farm output. Education has a negative effect on market participation, mainly through its positive effect on non-farm income.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Commercialization; Market participation; Farm output; Non-farm income; Resource allocation; Farm Management; O12; P23; P25.
Ano: 2006
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/7179

What's Psychology Worth? A Field Experiment in the Consumer Credit Market
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Bertrand,   Marianne; Karlan,   Dean S.; Mullainathan,   Sendhil; Shafir,   Eldar; Zinman,   Jonathan.
Numerous laboratory studies report on behaviors inconsistent with rational economic models. How much do these inconsistencies matter in natural settings, when consumers make large, real decisions and have the opportunity to learn from experiences? We report on a field experiment designed to address this question. Incumbent clients of a lender in South Africa were sent letters offering them large, short-term loans at randomly chosen interest rates. Psychological “features” on the letter, which did not affect offer terms or economic content, were also independently randomized. Consistent with standard economics, the interest rate significantly affected loan take-up. Inconsistent with standard economics, the psychological features also significantly affected...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Behavioral economics; Psychology; Microfinance; Marketing; Field experiment; Credit markets; Consumer/Household Economics; D01; C93; D12; D21; D81; D91; M37; O12.
Ano: 2005
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28441

Endowments and Investments within the Household: Evidence from Iodine Supplementation in Tanzania
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Adhvaryu,   Achyuta; Nyshadham,   Anant.
Standard theories of resource allocation within the household posit that parents’ investments in their children reflect a combination of children’s endowments and parents’ preferences for child quality. We study how changes in children’s cognitive endowments affect the distribution of parental investments amongst siblings, using data from a large-scale iodine supplementation program in Tanzania. We find that parents strongly reinforce the higher cognitive endowments of children who received in utero iodine supplementation, by investing more in vaccinations and early life nutrition. The effect of siblings’ endowments on own investments depends on the extent to which quality across children is substitutable in parents’ utility functions. Neonatal...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Endowments; Intra-household; Child health; Tanzania; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Health Economics and Policy; International Development; Labor and Human Capital; I14; I15; I18; O12.
Ano: 2011
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/107270

A Reappraisal of the Role of Agriculture in Economic Growth in Melanesian Countries
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Fleming,   Euan M.; Fleming,   Pauline.
Fortunes in the agricultural sectors of four of the largest South Pacific countries are traced in recent decades by estimating the single factoral terms of trade index. The single factoral terms of trade are measured for agriculture in four Melanesian countries-Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu-over the period, 1970 to 2002. This index provides a useful method to assess changes in returns to factors employed in agricultural production in these countries. Except in Solomon Islands, farmers experienced a deteriorating index, indicating that they have reaped progressively lower returns to their resources. In Solomon Islands, returns to resources are shown to have increased slightly. A sustained contribution by the agricultural sector to...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Factoral terms of trade; Melanesia; Smallholders; Total factor productivity; International Development; D24; O12; O47; Q17.
Ano: 2006
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25715

Cairo Evaluation Clinic: Thoughts on Randomized Trials for Evaluation of Development
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Karlan,   Dean S.
We were asked to discuss specific methodological approaches to evaluating three hypothetical interventions. This article uses this forum to discuss three misperceptions about randomized trials.  First, nobody argues that randomized trials are appropriate in all settings, and for all questions.  Everyone agrees that asking the right question is the highest priority.  Second, the decision about what to measure and how to measure it, i.e., through qualitative or participatory methods versus quantitative survey or administrative data methods, is independent of the decision about whether to conduct a randomized trial.  Third, randomized trials can be used to evaluate complex and dynamic processes, not just simple and static interventions.  Evaluators should aim...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Program evaluation; Randomized control trial; Agricultural Finance; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Consumer/Household Economics; Financial Economics; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Food Security and Poverty; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; Labor and Human Capital; Public Economics; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods; B41; O12; H43; J08; H54; D73; D12.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/51913

Designing Contracts for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Cordero Salas,   Paula.
Reduction of carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) has been identified as a cost effective element of the post-Kyoto strategy to achieve long-term climate objectives. The success of REDD depends primarily on the design and implementation of a financial mechanism that provides land-holders sufficient incentives to participate in a REDD scheme. This paper proposes relational contracting as a more appropriate framework for analyzing proposed REDD incentive regimes rather than that of complete contracting enforcement because relational contracting relies upon mutual self-enforcement in a repeated transaction framework, which better suits the stylized facts of REDD. We characterize the optimal REDD relational contract and provide the...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Contracts; Incomplete enforcement; Carbon sequestration; Climate change; Institutions; Development.; Environmental Economics and Policy; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; International Development; Land Economics/Use; D86; K12; L14; O12; Q54; Q56.
Ano: 2010
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/61129

Consumption Growth in a Booming Economy: Taiwan 1976-96
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: McKenzie,   David.
Consumption and income have both grown rapidly in Taiwan over the past forty years, with younger birth cohorts experiencing faster growth. The long upward trend in consumption presents a strong challenge to the consumption smoothing predictions of the Permanent Income Hypothesis. We investigate the extent to which consumption theory can account for this trend in an environment where a large majority of households have high savings rates. Household survey data from 1976-96 are used to estimate dynamic pseudo-panel models with inter-cohort heterogeneity. We evaluate the impacts on consumption of migration, mortality, household composition, liquidity constraints, unanticipated aggregate shocks, hyperbolic discounting, habit formation and precautionary saving....
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Consumption growth; Pseudo-panel; Prudence; Taiwan; International Development; O12; O16; E21; C23.
Ano: 2001
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28398

The impacts of thresholds on risk behavior:  What's wrong with index insurance?
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Osgood,   Daniel E.; Shirley,   Kenneth E.
Almost universally, implementers of index insurance for low income households  have chosen to embed insurance with other interventions designed to  improve productivity, with the insurance used almost entirely  to make the other interventions possible.   A common example is to use the insurance to allow farmers to have  access to loans by reducing the probability of weather related defaults. A bundled loan/insurance implementation with overwhelming take-up rates  had low insurance take-up rates when researchers unbundled the package, covering  the loan default risk, so that the loans could be  available without requiring insurance.  If low income farmers are highly risk averse, why do they place so little  value on risk reducing insurance once their access...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Agricultural and Food Policy; Agricultural Finance; International Development; D80; O12; O16; Q14.
Ano: 2010
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/61166

Health Economics for Low-Income Countries
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Mwabu,   Germano.
Good health is a determinant of economic growth and a component of well-being. This paper discusses and synthesizes economic models of individual and household behavior, showing how they may be used to illuminate health policy making in low-income countries. The models could help address questions such as: How can the health of the poor be improved, and what are the economic consequences of better health? What policies would improve intra-household distribution of health outcomes?  An extensive literature on health human capital and household models, and on related field experiments is reviewed in an attempt to answer these questions. It is found that there are large returns to health improvements in low-income countries. Moreover, health improvements in...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Health Production; Health Care Markets; Household Production and Intrahousehold Allocation; Health Economics; Low-income countries.; Health Economics and Policy; I12; I11; D13; O12.
Ano: 2007
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10118

Farm Productivity and Market Structure: Evidence from Cotton Reforms in Zambia
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Brambilla,   Irene; Porto,   Guido G.
This paper investigates the impacts of cotton marketing reforms on farm productivity, a key element for poverty alleviation, in rural Zambia. The reforms comprised the elimination of the Zambian cotton marketing board that was in place since 1977. Following liberalization, the sector adopted an outgrower scheme, whereby firms provided extension services to farmers and sold inputs on loans that were repaid at the time of harvest. There are two distinctive phases of the reforms: a failure of the outgrower scheme, and a subsequent period of success of the scheme. Our findings indicate that the reforms led to interesting dynamics in cotton farming. During the phase of failure, farmers were pushed back into subsistence and productivity in cotton declined. With...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Cotton marketing reforms; Farm productivity; O13; Q12; Q18; Agricultural and Food Policy; Industrial Organization; Productivity Analysis; O12.
Ano: 2005
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28492

Poverty, Livestock and Household Typologies in Nepal
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Maltsoglou,   Irini; Taniguchi,   Kiyoshi.
Agriculture and livestock are key components of the livelihoods of the poor. Livestock make a substantial contribution to household livelihood's’ and currently sustain the livelihoods of an estimated 700 million rural poor in developing countries. In Nepal, poverty levels are extremely high and more than 80% of the population relies on the agriculture sector for employment and income generation.   In this context, it is important to be able to understand the link between poverty and livestock and the possible impact of livestock policies on the poor. The aim of the analysis presented in this paper is twofold: firstly, to gain an in-depth understanding of the features that characterize the poor in Nepal so as to determine the role livestock plays in and for...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Nepal; Livestock; Household Typologies; Poverty Reduction; Rural Livelihoods and Income Sources.; Food Security and Poverty; Q12; R20; O12.
Ano: 2004
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/23808

Determinants of Household Contributions to Collective Irrigation Management: A Case of the Doho Rice Scheme in Uganda
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Nakano,   Yuko; Otsuka,   Keijiro.
In order to explore the conditions of successful irrigation management, this study investigates the determinants of household contributions to the cleaning of irrigation channels and the availability of water. By using primary data collected in an irrigation scheme in Uganda, we find that household contributions to the cleaning of irrigation channels are determined by the scarcity of irrigation water, opportunity cost of labor, and private benefit associated with plot size. We also find that the availability of irrigation water increases in the tertiary irrigation area where the coefficient of variation of plot size is large.
Tipo: Journal Article
Palavras-chave: Irrigation Management; Collective Action; Sub-Saharan Africa; Crop Production/Industries; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy; O12; O13; Q16; Q18.
Ano: 2010
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/95919

Revisiting the “cotton problem”: A comparative analysis of cotton reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Delpeuch,   Claire; Vandeplas,   Anneleen; Swinnen,   Johan F.M.
The cotton sector has been amongst the most regulated in West and Central Africa (WCA), and still is to a large extent, despite repeated reform recommendations by international donors. On the other hand, orthodox reforms in East and Southern Africa (ESA) have not always yielded the expected results. This paper uses a stylized contracting model to investigate the link between market structure and equity and efficiency in sub-Saharan cotton sectors and analyze the potential consequences of orthodox reforms in WCA. We argue that the level of the world price and of government intervention, the degree of post-reform competition, as well as the degree of parastatal inefficiency, all contribute to making reforms less attractive (but not less pressing) to farmers...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Sub-Saharan Africa; Cotton reforms; Self-enforcing contracts; International Development; Q12; L33; O12.
Ano: 2010
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/91806

Learning, Misallocation, and Technology Adoption: Evidence from New Malaria Therapy in Tanzania
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Adhvaryu,   Achyuta.
I show that malaria misdiagnosis, common in resource-poor settings, decreases the expected effectiveness of an important new therapy–since only a fraction of treated individuals have malaria–and reduces the rate of learning via increased noise. Using pilot program data from Tanzania, I exploit variation in the location and timing of survey enumeration to construct reference groups composed of randomly chosen, geographically and temporally proximate acutely ill individuals. I show that learning is stronger and adoption rates are higher in villages with more misdiagnosis. Subsidizing diagnostic tools or improving initial targeting of new technologies may thus accelerate uptake through learning.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Technology adoption; Learning; Malaria; Tanzania; Health Economics and Policy; International Development; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; I15; O12; O33.
Ano: 2011
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/115712

Agricultural Insurances Based on Meteorological Indices: Realizations, Methods and Research Agenda
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Leblois,   Antoine; Quirion,   Philippe.
In many low-income countries, agriculture is mostly rain-fed and yields highly depend on climatic factors. Furthermore, farmers have little access to traditional crop insurance, which suffers from high information asymmetry and transaction costs. Insurances based on meteorological indices could fill this gap since they do not face such drawbacks. However their implementation has been slow so far.  In this article, we first describe the most advanced projects that have taken place in developing countries using these types of crop insurances. We then describe the methodology that has been used to design such projects, in order to choose the meteorological index, the indemnity schedule and the insurance premium. We finally draw an agenda for research in...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Agriculture; Insurance; Climatic Risk; Environmental Economics and Policy; G21; O12; Q12; Q18; Q54.
Ano: 2010
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/91004

A Pro-Market Agenda for El Salvador
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Engel,   Eduardo M.R.A.
This paper argues that, despite important productivity gains, reforms have benefited consumers much less than expected in El Salvador. Antitrust legislation, consumer protection and an adequate regulation of privatized utilities are central ingredients of a successful market economy. Major reforms that are needed in each one of these areas in El Salvador are described.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Market reform; Antitrust legislation; Consumer protection; Privatization; Regulation of utilities; Political Economy; D18; L40; L51; L94; L96; O12.
Ano: 2005
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28438

Labor Surplus Economies
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Ranis,   Gustav.
The labor surplus economy model has as its basic premise the inability of unskilled agricultural labor markets to clear in countries with high man/land ratios. In such situations, the marginal product of labor is likely to fall below a bargaining wage, related to the average rather than the marginal product. The reallocation of such disguisedly unemployed workers by means of “balanced” intersectoral growth ultimately permits the entire economy to operate on neo-classical principles. Finally, the paper introduces open economy dimensions, indicates the existence of other labor surplus sub-sectors and briefly responds to neo-classical critiques on both theoretical and empirical grounds.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Development theory; Labor markets; Labor and Human Capital; O10; O12; O17.
Ano: 2004
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28480

Weather index drought insurance: an ex ante evaluation for millet growers in Niger
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Leblois,   Antoine; Quirion,   Philippe; Alhassane,   Agali; Traore,   Seydou.
In the Sudano-Sahelian region, which includes South Niger, the inter-annual variability of the rainy season is high and irrigation is scarce. As a consequence, bad rainy seasons have a massive impact on crop yield and regularly entail food crises. Traditional insurances based on crop damage assessment are not available because of asymmetric information and high transaction costs compared to the value of production. We assess the risk mitigation capacity of an alternative form of insurance which has been implemented in India since 2003: insurance based on a weather index. We compare the capacity of various weather indices to increase utility of a representative risk-averse farmer. We show the importance of using plot-level yield data rather than village...
Tipo: Presentation
Palavras-chave: Agriculture; Index-based insurance.; Crop Production/Industries; Risk and Uncertainty; G21; O12; Q12; Q18; Q54.
Ano: 2011
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/120378

The Profits of Power: Land Rights and Agricultural Investment in Ghana
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Goldstein,   Markus; Udry,   Christopher R.
We examine the impact of ambiguous and contested land rights on investment and productivity in agricultural in Akwapim, Ghana. We show that individuals who hold powerful positions in a local political hierarchy have more secure tenure rights, and that as a consequence they invest more in land fertility and have substantially higher output. The intensity of investments on different plots cultivated by a given individual correspond to that individual's security of tenure over those specific plots, and in turn to the individual's position in the political hierarchy relevant to those specific plots. We interpret these results in the context of a simple model of the political allocation of land rights in local matrilineages.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Land tenure; Investment; Institutions; Land Economics/Use; O12; O13; O17; P48.
Ano: 2005
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28479

Reasons for Remitting
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Stark,   Oded.
This paper presents a set of reflections on what gives rise to remittances, which constitute a major part of the impact of migration on economic development in the migrants’ own countries. The collage of reasons presented serves to illustrate that remittance behavior is the outcome of an intricate interplay between the preferences and interests of migrants and their families.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Reasons for remitting; Consumer/Household Economics; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; D31; F22; F24; J61; O12; O15.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/52800

Group versus Individual Liability: Long Term Evidence from Philippine Microcredit Lending Groups
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Gine,   Xavier; Karlan,   Dean S.
Group liability in microcredit purports to improve repayment rates through peer screening, monitoring, and enforcement. However, it may create excessive pressure, and discourage reliable clients from borrowing. Two randomized trials tested the overall effect, as well as specific mechanisms. The first removed group liability from pre-existing groups and the second randomly assigned villages to either group or individual liability loans. In both, groups still held weekly meetings. We find no increase in default and larger groups after three years in pre-existing areas, and no change in default but fewer groups created after two years in the expansion areas.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Microfinance; Group lending; Group liability; Joint liability; Social capital; Microenterprises; Informal economies; Access to finance; Consumer/Household Economics; Financial Economics; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; International Development; C93; D71; D82; D91; G21; O12; O16; O17.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/50951

Smallholder compliance with private standard certification: the case of GlobalGAP adoption by mango producers in Peru
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Lemeilleur,   Sylvaine.
The prevalence of food quality standards in international trade is constantly increasing and has a growing influence on developing countries. A wide range of literature in development economics has focused on the debate of whether international standards exclude small-scale farmers from high-value food markets. In fact, the evidence is mixed. New debates arise on what conditions small farmers can really comply with, pointing out both threshold capital requirements, on the one hand, and industry structure and institutional environment, on the other hand. Drawing on a microeconomic approach, our paper is a contribution to the literature exploring the patterns and determinants of smallholders’ adoption of the food standard. We focus our case study on...
Tipo: Presentation
Palavras-chave: GlobalGAP; Standard adoption; Development; Small-scale farmer; Mango; Peru; Agribusiness; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; International Development; Marketing; L22; O12; Q13.
Ano: 2012
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/123457

You Can Pick Your Friends, But You Need to Watch Them: Loan Screening and Enforcement in a Referrals Field Experiment
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Bryan,   Gharad; Karlan,   Dean S.; Zinman,   Jonathan.
We examine a randomized trial that allows separate identification of peer screening and enforcement of credit contracts. A South African microlender offered half its clients a bonus for referring a friend who repaid a loan. For the remaining clients, the bonus was conditional on loan approval. After approval, the repayment incentive was removed from half the referrers in the first group and added for half those in the second. We find large enforcement effects, a $12 (100 Rand) incentive reduced default by 10 percentage points from a base of 20%. In contrast, we find no evidence of screening.
Tipo: Working Paper
Palavras-chave: Information asymmetries; Credit market failures; Peer networks; Social capital; Social networks; Consumer/Household Economics; Financial Economics; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; International Development; C93; D12; D14; D82; O12; O16.
Ano: 2012
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/121674

Modes of Land Access and Welfare Impacts in Uganda
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Tatwangire,   Alex; Holden,   Stein T.
This article estimates the poverty reducing impact of land access in rural Uganda. Using balanced panel data for 309 households in 2001, 2003, and 2005, models that control for unobserved household heterogeneity and endogeneity of land acquisition and disposition are employed to measure the poverty-reduction effect of land on household income and expenditure per adult equivalent. Significant poverty reduction effects of increased land access in form of owned, operated and market-accessed land were found. The poverty reduction effect for land accessed through the market was significantly larger than the poverty reduction effect of land accessed through inheritance.
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Endogeneity of land access; Unobserved heterogeneity; Poverty impacts.; Land Economics/Use; O55; Q15; O12.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/51635

The Ancillary Carbon Benefits of SO2 Reductions from a Small-Boiler Policy in Taiyuan, PRC
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Morgenstern,   Richard D.; Krupnick,   Alan J.; Zhang,   Xuehua.
To reduce carbon emissions worldwide, it makes sense to consider the possibility of developed countries paying for carbon reductions in developing countries. Developing countries may be interested in such activities if the ancillary air pollution benefits are large. This paper reports on an RFF survey of the emissions benefits (and costs) of reducing sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from small, coal-burning boilers in Taiyuan, an industrial, northern Chinese city that recently banned uncontrolled coal combustion in certain small boilers in the downtown area. We find significant carbon benefits in percentage terms-on the order of 50% to 95% reduction-associated with this SO2 control policy, with large reduction potential elsewhere in Taiyuan and China. While...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Carbon; Air pollution; Informal sector; Ancillary benefits; Abatement costs; Survey; Environmental Economics and Policy; O12; L2; Q12; Q25; Q48.
Ano: 2002
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10632

The 1990s in Latin America: Another Decade of Persistent Inequality, but with Somewhat Lower Poverty
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Szekely,   Miguel.
This paper processes 76 household surveys from 17 Latin American countries to document changes in poverty and inequality during the 1990s, and performs an analysis of the effect of economic reforms on inequality and poverty by using an expanded data base of 94 surveys spanning the 1977-2000 period. We show that there is no country in Latin America where inequality declined during the 1990s. Poverty declined in 10 or 11 out of the 17 countries for which household surveys are available to us, depending on the poverty measured used. Persistently high inequality inhibited further poverty reduction. One important factor contributing to the persistently high inequality level is financial liberalization. Trade liberalization and slight inequality-reducing effect.
Tipo: Journal Article
Palavras-chave: Inequality; Poverty; Latin America; Food Security and Poverty; D31; O12; O54.
Ano: 2003
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/43997

Interactions between the Agricultural Sector and the HIV/AIDS Pandemic:  Implications for Agricultural Policy
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Jayne,   Thomas S.; Villarreal,   Marcela; Pingali,   Prabhu L.; Hemrich,   Gunter.
This paper considers how the design of agricultural policies and programmes might be modified to better achieve policy objectives in the context of severe HIV epidemics and underscores the central role of agricultural policy in mitigating the spread and impacts of the epidemic.  Based on projections of future demographic change in the hardest-hit countries of eastern and southern Africa, HIV/AIDS is likely to have the following effects on the agricultural sector:  (1) increased rural inequality caused by disproportionately severe effects of AIDS on relatively poor households; (2) a reduction in household assets and wealth, leading to less capital-intensive cropping systems for severely affected communities and households; and (3) problems in transferring...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Agricultural Policy; HIV/AIDS; Structural Transformation; Production Factors.; Agricultural and Food Policy; Downloads July 2008-July 2009: 8; Q18; J43; O12.
Ano: 2004
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/23804

Bargaining Power in Relational Contracts: An Experimental Study
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Cordero Salas,   Paula.
This paper provides experimental evidence of the economic impact from shifting bargaining power in relational contracts. I implement an experimental design that adjusts the bargaining power of sellers (agents) and the enforceability of the contract. I find that the vast majority of contracts take the form of efficiency wage contracts instead of contingent performance contracts when enforcement is partially incomplete and sellers have more bargaining power than buyers. The total contracted and actual compensation increase with the bargaining power of the sellers. However, sellers' profits are found to increase only if a part of the total payment is third-party enforceable. In this case, observed surplus and efficiency are lower than predictions. When no...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Contracts; Incomplete enforcement; Bargaining; Experiments; Distribution; Institutions; Industrial Organization; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; International Development; D86; K12; L14; O12; Q13.
Ano: 2011
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/103579

Effect of contract farming on productivity and income of small holders: The case of tea production in north-western Vietnam
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Saigenji,   Yoshiko; Zeller,   Manfred.
This paper examines potential of contract farming as a rural development tool by revealing its effect on productivity and income of small holders in tea production in north-western Vietnam. In the present research, three economic analyses are applied. First, the technical efficiency of tea production is estimated by using stochastic frontier model. The results show that contract farming achieved significantly higher technical efficiency compared to non-contract farming. Second, logit model is investigated to determine the influential socio-economic characteristics of households for contract participation. The model indicates that social relationship of households, such as the membership in the communist party, play an important role in contract...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Contract farming; Tea; Vietnam; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Crop Production/Industries; Food Security and Poverty; Productivity Analysis; C21; D24; O12; Q12.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/51681

Direct and Indirect Determinants of Obesity: The Case of Indonesia
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Romling,   Cornelia; Qaim,   Matin.
Overweight and obesity are becoming serious issues in many developing countries. Since undernutrition is not completely eradicated yet, these countries face a dual burden that obstructs economic development. We analyze the nutrition transition in Indonesia using longitudinal data from the Indonesian Family and Life Survey, covering the period between 1993 and 2007. Obesity has been increasing remarkably across all population groups, including rural and low income strata. Prevalence rates are particularly high for women. We also develop a framework to analyze direct and indirect determinants of body mass index. This differentiation has rarely been made in previous research, but appears useful for policy making purposes. Regression models show that changing...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Obesity; Overweight; Nutrition Transition; Asia; Indonesia; Consumer/Household Economics; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Health Economics and Policy; I10; O12.
Ano: 2011
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/108350

Asymmetric Response of Nutrient Intakes to Cereal Price Changes among the Poor in China: Implications for the Effect of Cereal Price Subsidies on the Poor’s Nutrient Intakes
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Shimokawa,   Satoru.
Previous studies commonly assume that the effects of introducing and ending cereal price subsidies on the poor’s nutrient intakes are symmetric. We question the assumption of symmetry and show that the poor’s nutrient intakes respond asymmetrically to declines and increases in the price of cereal in China. Our results imply that introducing cereal price subsidies can increase the poor’s total energy intake by increasing their calorie intakes from fat and protein, and that ending such subsidies would insignificantly affect the poor’s total energy intake; however, it may further increase their calorie intakes from fat and protein.
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Food price subsidy; Nutrition; Poverty; Asia; China; Consumer/Household Economics; Demand and Price Analysis; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Food Security and Poverty; International Development; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods; I38; O12; Q18.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/51661

The Efficacy of Parochial Politics: Caste, Commitment, and Competence in Indian Local Governments
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Munshi,   Kaivan; Rosenzweig,   Mark R.
Parochial politics is typically associated with poor leadership and low levels of public good provision. This paper explores the possibility that community involvement in politics need not necessarily worsen governance and, indeed, can be efficiency enhancing when the context is appropriate. Complementing the new literature on the role of community networks in solving market problems, we test the hypothesis that strong traditional social institutions can discipline the leaders they put forward, successfully substituting for secular political institutions when they are ineffective. Using new data on Indian local governments at the ward level over multiple terms, and exploiting the randomized election reservation system, we find that the presence of a...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Politics; Commitment; Governance; International Development; Political Economy; H11; H44; O12.
Ano: 2008
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/43523

Political Selection and the Quality of Government: Evidence from South India
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Besley,   Timothy; Pande,   Rohini; Rao,   Vijayendra.
This paper uses household data from India to examine the economic and social status of village politicians, and how individual and village characteristics affect politician behavior while in office. Education increases the chances of selection to public office and reduces the odds that a politician uses political power opportunistically. In contrast, land ownership and political connections enable selection but do not affect politician opportunism. At the village level, changes in the identity of the politically dominant group alters the group allocation of resources but not politician opportunism. Improved information flows in the village, however, reduce opportunism and improve resource allocation.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Development; Political economy; Public provision of private goods; Decentralization; Political Economy; O12; H11; H42; O20.
Ano: 2005
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28426

Gender, Agricultural Commercialization, and Collective Action in Kenya
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Fischer,   Elisabeth; Qaim,   Matin.
With the commercialization of agriculture, women are increasingly disadvantaged because of persistent gender-disparities in access to productive resources. Farmer collective action that intends to improve smallholder access to markets and technology could potentially accelerate this trend. Here, we use survey data of small-scale banana producers in Kenya to investigate the gender implications of recently established farmer groups. Traditionally, banana has been a women’s crop in Kenya. Our results confirm that the groups contribute to increasing male control over banana. While male control over banana revenues does not affect household food security, it has a negative marginal effect on dietary quality. We demonstrate that the negative gender implications...
Tipo: Working Paper
Palavras-chave: Gender; Collective action; Market access; Agricultural technology; Household food security and nutrition; Kenya; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Food Security and Poverty; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; International Development; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; D71; J16; O12; O13; O31; Q13.
Ano: 2012
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/121229

Group versus Individual Liability: Long Term Evidence from Philippine Microcredit Lending Groups
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Gine,   Xavier; Karlan,   Dean.
Group liability in microcredit purports to improve repayment rates through peer screening, monitoring, and enforcement.  However, it may create excessive pressure, and discourage reliable clients from borrowing. Two randomized trials tested the overall effect, as well as specific mechanisms.  The first removed group liability from pre-existing groups and the second randomly assigned villages to either group or individual liability loans. In both, groups still held weekly meetings. We find no increase in default and larger groups after three years in pre-existing areas, and no change in default but fewer groups created after two years in the expansion areas.
Tipo: Working Paper
Palavras-chave: Microfinance; Group lending; Group liability; Joint liability; Social capital; Micro-enterprises; Informal economies; Access to finance; Consumer/Household Economics; Financial Economics; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; International Development; C93; D71; D82; D91; G21; O12; O16; O17.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/229136

Corruption, Development and the Curse of Natural Resources
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Pendergast,   Shannon M.; Clarke,   Judith A.; van Kooten,   G. Cornelis.
In 1995, Jeffrey Sachs and Andrew Warner found a negative relationship between natural resources and economic growth, and claimed that natural resources are a curse. Their work has been widely cited, with many economists now accepting the curse of natural resources as a welldocumented explanation of poor economic growth in some economies (e.g., Papyrakis and Gerlagh, 2004; Kronenberg, 2004). In this paper, we provide an alternative econometric framework for evaluating this claim, although we begin with a discussion of possible explanations for the curse and a critical assessment of the extant theory underlying the curse. Our approach is to identify natural resources that have the greatest rents and potential for exploitation through rent-seeking agents....
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Natural resource curse; Petroleum resources; Unbalanced panels and GMM estimation; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy; O12; Q32; Q34; O43; O47.
Ano: 2008
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/37913

Exploring the Price Spike
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: von Braun,   Joachim; Torero,   Maximo.
Tipo: Journal Article
Palavras-chave: Agribusiness; I30; O12; Q18.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/94696

Rural Income Generating Activities in Developing Countries: Re-assessing the Evidence
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Carletto,   Gero; Covarrubias,   Katia; Davis,   Benjamin; Krausova,   Marika; Stamoulis,   Kostas G.; Winters,   Paul C.; Zezza,   Alberto.
This paper contributes to the understanding of the dynamics of developing country rural labour markets by re-evaluating the available evidence on the levels and composition of income sources adopted by rural households in order to understand the relationship between the various economic activities taking place in rural areas and their implications for economic growth and poverty reduction. This is achieved in two parts: First, the paper introduces the Rural Income Generating Activities (RIGA) database, a newly constructed FAO repository of household survey data, income measures and cross-country comparable indicators. Second, using the RIGA database, the paper undertakes a descriptive analysis of the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors of the rural...
Tipo: Journal Article
Palavras-chave: Rural economy; Non-farm activities; Income inequality; Income diversification; Community/Rural/Urban Development; International Development; O12; O18; R23.
Ano: 2007
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/112596

The Impact of Rising Food Prices on the Poor
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Zezza,   Alberto; Davis,   Benjamin; Azzarri,   Carlo; Covarrubias,   Katia; Tasciotti,   Luca; Anriquez,   Gustavo.
This paper analyzes the household level impact of an increase in price of major tradable staple foods in a cross section of developing countries, using nationally representative household surveys. We find that, in the short term, poorer households and households with limited asset endowments and access to agricultural inputs will be hit the hardest by the price shock.  Given the ample degree of heterogeneity among households and among the poor, the analysis emphasizes the importance of meaningful policy research to go beyond average impacts to look at how access to assets and inputs, livelihood strategies and other key household characteristics drive the magnitude and distribution of the effects of the price increases.
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Food prices; Poverty; Welfare; Agricultural and Food Policy; Consumer/Household Economics; Demand and Price Analysis; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Food Security and Poverty; I3; O12; Q1.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/51696

Micro-Savings &amp; Informal Insurance in Villages: A Field Experiment on Indirect Effects of Financial Deepening on Safety Nets of the Poor
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Flory,   Jeffrey A.
Replaced with revised version of paper 07/28/11.    Former title: Indirect Effects of Microfinance: A Field Experiment on Formal Savings Expansion and Informal Safety Nets of the Ultra-Poor
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Microfinance; Formal savings; Indirect effects; Safety nets; Poverty; Food security; Agricultural Finance; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Financial Economics; Food Security and Poverty; Health Economics and Policy; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; International Development; O17; O16; O12; I30; I38; I10.
Ano: 2011
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/103905

Farmer Participation in Supermarket Channels, Production Technology, and Efficiency: The Case of Vegetables in Kenya
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Rao,   Elizaphan J.O.; Brümmer,   Bernhard; Qaim,   Matin.
Supermarkets are gaining ground in the agri-food systems of many developing countries. While recent research has analyzed income effects in the small farm sector, impacts on productivity and efficiency have hardly been studied. We use a meta-frontier approach and combine this with propensity score matching to estimate treatment effects among vegetable farmers in Kenya. Participation in supermarket channels increases farm productivity in terms of meta-technology ratios by 45%. We also find positive and significant impacts on technical efficiency and scale efficiency. Supermarket expansion therefore presents opportunities for agricultural growth in the small farm sector, which is crucial for poverty reduction in Africa.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Supermarkets; Technical efficiency; Scale efficiency; Meta-frontier; Meta-technology ratio; Sample selection; Kenya; International Development; Marketing; Production Economics; Productivity Analysis; D24; L23; O12; Q12; Q16.
Ano: 2011
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/113508

Rural Financial Markets in Developing Countries
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Conning,   Jonathan; Udry,   Christopher R.
This review examines portions of the vast literature on rural financial markets and household behavior in the face of risk and uncertainty. We place particular emphasis on studying the important role of financial intermediaries, competition and regulation in shaping the changing structure and organization of rural markets, rather than on household strategies and bilateral contracting. Our goal is to provide a framework within which the evolution of financial intermediation in rural economies can be understood.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Rural finance; Financial intermediation; Agricultural credit; Financial Economics; O16; Q14; O17; O12.
Ano: 2005
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28458

Trade, Tastes and Nutrition in India
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Atkin,   David.
This paper introduces habit formation into an otherwise standard model of international trade. Household tastes evolve over time to favor foods consumed as a child. The opening of trade causes preferred goods to rise in price, as these were relatively inexpensive in autarky. Neglecting the correlation between tastes and agro-climatic endowments overstates the short-run nutritional gains from agricultural trade liberalization and masks potential caloric losses for laborers. I examine the predictions of this model of trade with habit formation using household survey data from India, both by looking across Indian regions and by examining the consumption patterns of inter-state migrants.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: International Trade; Habit Formation; India; Tastes; Nutrition; Agricultural and Food Policy; Crop Production/Industries; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; International Development; International Relations/Trade; O10; O12; Q17; F10.
Ano: 2010
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/60710

Measuring Transactions Costs from Observed Behavior: Market Choice in Peru
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Vakis,   Renos; Sadoulet,   Elisabeth; de Janvry,   Alain.
Farmers incur proportional and fixed transactions costs in selling their crops on markets. Using data for Peruvian potato farmers, we propose a method to measure these transactions costs. When opportunities exist to sell a crop on alternative markets, the observed choice of market can be used to infer a monetary measure of transactions costs in market participation. The market choice model is first estimated at the reduced form level with a conditional logit, as a function of variables that explain transactions costs. We then use these market choice equations to control for selection in predicting the idiosyncratic prices that would be received on all markets and the idiosyncratic proportional transactions costs that would be incurred to reach all markets....
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Transactions costs; Market choice; Information; Marketing; D23; D83; O12.
Ano: 2003
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25110

Migrant Labor Markets and the Welfare of Rural Households in the Developing World: Evidence from China
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: de Brauw,   Alan; Giles,   John.
In this paper, we examine the impact of reductions in barriers to migration on the consumption of rural households in China. We find that increased migration from rural villages leads to significant increases in consumption per capita, and that this effect is stronger for poorer households within villages. Household income per capita and non-durable consumption per capita both increase with out-migration, and increase more for poorer households. We also establish a causal relationship between increased out-migration and investment in housing and durable goods assets, and these effects are also stronger for poorer households. We do not find robust evidence, however, to support a connection between increased migration and investment in productive activity....
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Migration; Migrant Networks; Consumption; Poverty; Wealth; Rural China; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Consumer/Household Economics; Labor and Human Capital; O12; O15; J22; J24.
Ano: 2008
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/6085

Closing the Eyes on a Gloomy Future: Psychological Causes and Economic Consequences
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Laajaj,   Rachid.
This paper analyzes the impact of economic prospects on one’s time preference. Research in psychol- ogy has shown how individuals modify their preferences in order to reduce their cognitive dissonance, which is the uncomfortable tension felt when simultaneously holding conflicting thoughts. It occurs among the poor when simultaneously caring about their future welfare while having gloomy economic prospects. Hence closing their eyes on the future can reduce their psychological distress at the cost of worsening their future economic wellbeing. This paper offers a new theoretical approach that decom- poses time discounting and analyzes the endogenous determination of one’s time horizon. The model predicts that, below a certain wealth, the time horizon of an...
Tipo: Presentation
Palavras-chave: Endogenous time preference; Cognitive dissonance; Time horizon; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Consumer/Household Economics; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; D91; O12; Q12.
Ano: 2012
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/123933

Population and Health Policies
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Schultz,   T. Paul.
The literature evaluating population and health policies is in flux, with many disciplines exploring biological and behavioral linkages from fetal development to chronic disease, disability, and late life mortality.  The focus here is on research methods, findings, and questions that economists can clarify regarding the causal relationships between economic development, health outcomes, and reproductive behavior, which operate in many directions. The connection between conditions under which people live and their expected life span and health status refer to “health production functions”.  The relationships between an individual’s stock of health and productivity, well being, and life span encompasses the “returns to health human capital”.  The control of...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Health; Fertility and Family Planning; Biology of Health Human Capital; Economic Development; Health Economics and Policy; International Development; Labor and Human Capital; Public Economics; D13; I18; J13; O12.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/52224

Identifying Asset Poverty Thresholds – New methods with an application to Pakistan and Ethiopia
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Naschold,   Felix.
Understanding how households escape poverty depends on understanding how they accumulate assets over time. Therefore, identifying the degree of linearity in household asset dynamics, and specifically any potential asset poverty thresholds, is of fundamental interest to the design of poverty reduction policies. If household asset holdings converged unconditionally to a single long run equilibrium, then all poor could be expected to escape poverty over time. In contrast, if there are critical asset thresholds that trap households below the poverty line, then households would need specific assistance to escape poverty. Similarly, the presence of asset poverty thresholds would mean that short term asset shocks could lead to long term destitution, thus...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Poverty dynamics; Semiparametric Estimation; Penalized Splines; Pakistan; Ethiopia; Consumer/Household Economics; I32; C14; O12.
Ano: 2005
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/19115

Informal Finance: A Theory of Moneylenders
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Madestam,   Andreas.
I study the coexistence of formal and informal finance in underdeveloped credit markets. While weak institutions constrain formal banks, shallow pockets hamper informal lenders. In such economies, informal finance has two effects. By increasing the investment return it decreases borrowers’ relative payoff following default, inducing banks to lend more liberally (disciplinary effect). By channeling bank capital it reduces banks’ agency costs from lending directly to borrowers, limiting banks’ extension of borrower credit (rent-extraction effect). Among other things, the model shows that informal interest rates are higher, borrower welfare lower, and informal finance more prevalent when the rent-extraction effect prevails, consistent with stylized facts in...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Credit Markets; Financial Development; Institutions; Market Structure; Financial Economics; O12; O16; O17; D40.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/54288

Intrahousehold Resource Allocation in Cote D'Ivoire: Social Norms, Separate Accounts and Consumption Choices
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Duflo,   Esther; Udry,   Christopher R.
In Cote d'Ivoire, as in much of Africa, husbands and wives farm different crops on separate plots. These different crops are differentially sensitive to particular kinds of rainfall shocks. We find that conditional on overall household expenditure, the composition of expenditure is sensitive to the gender of the recipient of a rainfall shock. For example, rainfall shocks associated with high women's income shift expenditure towards food. Social norms constrain the use of profits from yam cultivation, which is carried out by men. Correspondingly, we find that rainfall-induced fluctuations in income from yams are transmitted to expenditures on education and food, not to expenditures on private goods. We reject the hypothesis of complete insurance within...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Intra-household allocation; Insurance; Social norms; Mental accounts; Consumer/Household Economics; O12; D13.
Ano: 2003
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28404

Croatia's EU accession: socio-economic assessment of farm households and policy recommendations
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Mollers,   Judith; Zier,   Patrick; Frohberg,   Klaus; Buchenrieder,   Gertrud; Bojnec,   Stefan.
Croatia is very close to meeting the requirements necessary for becoming a member of the European Union (EU). On February 6, 2008, the European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said that accession negotiations with Croatia are moving ahead well. As in all new member states (NMS), the agricultural sector and food processing chain are core issues within the negotiation process. Successful negotiation requires intimate knowledge of the issue at hand, including the socio-economic situation and the fears and strategies of the stakeholders, particularly small-scale farmers. This report attempts to close some of these knowledge gaps by reviewing Croatia’s rural development dynamics and farm structures, as well as agricultural and rural policies. Based on an...
Tipo: Book
Palavras-chave: Croatia; Rural development; EU accession; Slovenia; Farm households; Competitiveness; Agricultural policy; CAP; Agribusiness; Agricultural and Food Policy; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Consumer/Household Economics; Food Security and Poverty; International Development; O18; O13; O12.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/53665

Market and Coordination Failures in Poor Rural Economies: Policy Implications for Agricultural and Rural Development
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Dorward,   Andrew; Kydd,   Jonathan; Poulton,   Colin.
This paper argues that the disappointing outcomes of adjustment policies in poor rural economies, principally in sub-Saharan Africa, can be partly attributed to weaknesses in the neo-classical theory which underlies these polices and from associated failures to recognise structural changes (or transitions) in growing agricultural economies. After a brief description of agricultural policy changes in sub Saharan Africa, the mixed achievements of market liberalisation policies are explained using new institutional economic arguments regarding inherent difficulties in economic coordination in poor economies, difficulties which markets themselves cannot overcome. A novel framework is put forward for understanding coordination failure and integrating it with...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Development; Coordination; Markets; Institutions; Marketing; O12; O17; Q12.
Ano: 2004
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/9535

“Poor stays poor” - Household asset poverty traps in rural semi-arid India
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Naschold,   Felix.
Although identifying the existence and the nature of household-level poverty traps would have important implications for the design of poverty reduction policies empirical evidence is still scant.  A small, but growing empirical literature has begun testing for poverty traps as thresholds in non-linear welfare dynamics. Employing a variety of quantitative methods it has produced a variety of conclusions.  This paper uses a uniquely long household panel from three villages in rural India to examine whether the detection of poverty traps may be contingent on the quantitative method used to model household welfare dynamics. It then employs a novel semiparametric panel data estimator that combines the advantages of the existing methods. Since in the context of...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Household Welfare Dynamics; Semiparametric Estimation; Penalized Splines; India; Panel Data; Asset Poverty; International Development; I32; C14; O12.
Ano: 2009
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/49396

Labor Complementarities and Health in the Agricultural Household
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Adhvaryu,   Achyuta; Nyshadham,   Anant.
Models of the agricultural household have traditionally relied on assumptions regarding the complementarity or substitutability of family labor inputs. We show how data on time allocations, health shocks and corresponding treatment choices can be used to test these assumptions. Data from Tanzania provide evidence that complementarities exist and can explain the pattern of labor supply adjustments across household members and productive activities following acute sickness. In particular, we find that sick and healthy household members both shift labor away from self-employment and into farming when the sick recover more quickly. Infra-marginal adjustments within farming activity types provide further evidence of farm-specific complementarities.
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: Intra-household allocation; Health shocks; Complementarity; Health Economics and Policy; Labor and Human Capital; I10; J22; J43; O12.
Ano: 2011
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/107263

Revisiting the “Cotton Problem”: A comparative analysis of cotton reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Delpeuch,   Claire; Vandeplas,   Anneleen; Swinnen,   Johan F.M.
The cotton sector has been amongst the most regulated in Africa, and still is to a large extent in West and Central Africa (WCA), despite repeated reform recommendations by international donors. On the other hand, orthodox reforms in East and Southern Africa (ESA) have not always yielded the expected results. This paper uses a stylized contracting model to investigate the link between market structure and equity and efficiency in sub-Saharan cotton sectors and analyze the potential consequences of orthodox reforms in WCA. We argue that the level of the world price and of government intervention, the degree of post-reform competition, as well as the degree of parastatal inefficiency, all contribute to making reforms less attractive (but not less pressing)...
Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation
Palavras-chave: Sub-Saharan Africa; Cotton reforms; Self-enforcing contracts; Agricultural and Food Policy; Crop Production/Industries; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; Q12; L33; O12.
Ano: 2010
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/62042

Working-Age Adult Mortality and Primary School Attendance in Rural Kenya
Provedor de dados: 31
Autores: Yamano,   Takashi; Jayne,   Thomas S.
The rapid increase in adult mortality due to the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa raises great concern about potential intergenerational effects on children. This article estimates the impact of AIDS-related adult mortality on primary school attendance in rural Kenya using a panel of 1,266 households surveyed in 1997, 2000, and 2002. The paper distinguishes between effects on boys’ and girls’ education to understand potential gender differences resulting from adult mortality. We also estimate how adult mortality affects child schooling before as well as after the death occurs. The paper also estimates the importance of households’ initial asset levels in influencing the relationship between adult mortality and child school attendance. We find that all...
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper
Palavras-chave: HIV/AIDS; Kenya; Education; Health Economics and Policy; Labor and Human Capital; O12; O15; J10; Q12.
Ano: 2004
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/55159