SABIIA - Sistema Aberto e Integrado de Informação em Agricultura (Sabiia)

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...

India's Reform of External Sector Policies and Future Multilateral Trade Negotiations

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

Srinivasan, T.N..

I evaluate India's transition from an inward-oriented development strategy to greater participation in the world economy. While tariff rates have decreased significantly over the past decade, India is still one of the more autarkic countries. Despite improvement over the past in export performance, India continues to lag behind its South- and East Asian neighbors. Second, official debt flows have been largely replaced by foreign direct investment (FDI) and portfolio investment in the 1990s. India's ability to attract FDI would be greatly enhanced by further reforms. I argue that India's participation in a future round of multilateral trade negotiations would benefit India. I outline the further reforms most needed: reform of labour and bankruptcy laws,...

Highway Franchising and Real Estate Values

Palavras-chave: India; Antidumping; Developing countries; Economic reform; Export performance; Foreign direct investment; Intellectual property rights; Multilateral trade negotiations; Quantitative restrictions; Real exchange rate; Tariff and non-tariff barriers; World Trade Organization; International Relations/Trade; F13; F14; F15; F21; F35; H54; K31; O34; O38; O53; P11.

Ano: 2001

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28428

Engel, Eduardo M.R.A.; Fischer, Ronald; Galetovic, Alexander.

It has become increasingly common to allocate highway franchises to the bidder that offers to charge the lowest toll. Often, building a highway increases the value of land held by a small group of developers, an effect that is more pronounced with lower tolls. We study the welfare implications of highway franchises that benefit large developers, focusing on the incentives developers have to internalize the effect of the toll they bid on the value of their land. We study how participation by developers in the auction affects equilibrium tolls and welfare. We find that large developers bid more aggressively than construction companies that own no land. As long as land ownership is sufficiently concentrated, allowing developers in the auction leads to lower...

Rural Roads and Bridges, 1994-2000: How Did the South Fare?

Palavras-chave: Demsetz auctions; Highway concessions; Private participation in infrastructure; Land Economics/Use; D44; H40; H54; R42; R48.

Ano: 2002

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28523

Benefit-costs analysis of climate-related agricultural investments in Africa: a case study

Stommes, Eileen S..

In 1991, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) changed the federal-state transportation relationship by devolving decision making to the states. In turn, states were required to work with local officials on transportation improvements. ISTEA was authorized for 1992-1997, and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century continued ISTEA policies through 2003. Changes in road and bridge conditions in the rural south are examined under these new transportation policies. Federal funding trends are detailed with state funding. Overall condition of roads and bridges eligible for federal funding improved, traffic increased on all roads, but condition disparities between local roads and federally funded roads grew.

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Southern road and bridge condition; Southern road and bridge financing; Southern rural bridges; Southern rural roads; H54; R40; R41; R49.

Ano: 2003

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/37960

Branca, Giacomo; Lipper, Leslie; Sorrentino, Alessandro.

Paper removed at the request of the first (corresponding) author.

Tipo: Presentation

Palavras-chave: Food security; Adaptation; Mitigation; Benefit-cost analysis; Externalities; Environmental Economics and Policy; D61; D62; H54; O13; Q55.

Ano: 2012

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/124109

El beneficio de los caminos rurales: ampliando oportunidades de ingreso para los pobres

Escobal D'Angelo, Javier; Ponce, Carmen.

Muchos estudios han evaluado los beneficios de los caminos rurales concentrándose en la reducción de costos monetarios y de tiempo en que los pobladores incurren para acceder a mercados de bienes e insumos o a servicios públicos clave. Esta investigación complementa dicho enfoque con una evaluación del impacto de este tipo de infraestructura sobre indicadores clave de bienestar como el ingreso y el gasto de los hogares atendidos. Con una muestra de hogares rurales de algunos de los distritos más pobres del Perú, este estudio compara hogares conectados a caminos rurales rehabilitados con hogares control cuidadosamente escogidos, mediante técnicas de propensity score matching. Los resultados muestran que las mejoras en la infraestructura rural de transporte...

Devolution and Accountability Effects in the Public Provision of Water Services in Indonesia

Palavras-chave: Carreteras; Ingresos de hogares; Empleo; Zonas rurales; Peru; Roads; Household income; Employment; Rural areas; Peru; Community/Rural/Urban Development; H54; P25; J17; R2; J2.

Ano: 2002

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/37750

Meirelles, Patricia; Rodriguez, Catherine.

This paper separately evaluates how devolution and accountability, two distinct aspects of the decentralization reforms implemented in Indonesia in the year 2001, influenced the public provision of water services. Using household level data it is found that the devolution of responsibility does not necessarily affect the provision of public services. Our findings show that the quality of publicly provided water decreased only in cities in which devolution was accompanied by a change in accountability. Robustness checks suggest that these results are driven by changes in the accountability framework rather than trends in the health services.

Modern aspects of public private partnership

Palavras-chave: Indonesia; Decentralization; Accountability; Devolution; Water; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy; O2; I18; H2; H54.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/107395

Milosavljevic, Milos; Benkovic, Sladjana.

Development of infrastructure is essential presumption for growth and development of relevant economic entities. The empirical evidence of private initiative importance and potentials in the establishment of cooperation with the public sector in infrastructure projects financing and operation refocused professional and academic attention on the studies of this phenomenon. The realm of the public private partnership (PPP) became scientifically treated as an interdisciplinary skill based mostly on project financing, whilst practically it became almost mandatory method for economic prosperity. Practical problems in implementation appeared due to lack of knowledge and nonsystematic approach in researches of private public partnership. This paper presents...

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Infrastructure; Public private partnership; Hybrid public private partnership models.; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; H54; O22.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/94568

Cairo Evaluation Clinic: Thoughts on Randomized Trials for Evaluation of Development

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...

Village inequality in Western China: implications for development strategy in lagging regions

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

Village Inequality in Western China

Xing, Li; Fan, Shenggen; Luo, Xiaopeng; Zhang, Xiaobo.

Increased regional inequality has been a major concern in many emerging economies like China, India, Vietnam and Thailand. However, even a large inequality is observed within the lagging regions. The objective of this paper is to look into what are the sources of within region inequality using the community surveys and a census type of households in Western China. This snapshot view of inequality within and between rural villages in western China is based on a census-type household survey in three administrative villages and a sampling survey of 286 natural villages in the poor province of Guizhou in 2004. In contrast to coastal regions, nonfarm income is distributed unevenly in this inland western region. This accounts for the largest share of overall...

Tipo: Report

Palavras-chave: Rural Development; Poverty; Inequality; Public investment; Community/Rural/Urban Development; H54; O47; O53; R11.

Ano: 2006

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/55403

Xing, Li; Fan, Shenggen; Luo, Xiaopeng; Zhang, Xiaobo.

Short and Long Run Determinants of Private Investment in Argentina

Palavras-chave: Rural Development; Poverty; Inequality; Public investment; H54; O47; O53; R11; Community/Rural/Urban Development.

Ano: 2006

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25390

Acosta, Pablo; Loza, Andres.

This study provides an empirical analysis of the macroeconomic factors that can potentially affect investment decisions in Argentina in a short, medium and long run perspective. Both the theory and the empirical literature are reviewed in order to identify a private investment function for the last three decades (1970-2000). The results suggest that investment decisions seem to be determined, in the short run, by shocks in returns (exchange rate, trade liberalization) and in aggregate demand. Besides, there is evidence of a “crowding-out” effect of public investment. In the long run, the capital accumulation path seems to be closely dependent on both well-developed financial and credit markets and on perspectives of fiscal sustainability.

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Investment; Macroeconomic instability; Crowding-out; Argentina; E22; H54; O16; O23.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/37161

Unpacking the Meaning of “Market Access”

Chamberlin, Jordan; Jayne, Thomas S..

Improving farmers’ access to markets is widely recognized as a major development challenge. A review of the literature suggests that indicators of market access may bear little relationship to the specific processes of interest and hence provide misguided evidence of the impacts of improved market access. This paper attempts to “unpack” the dimensions of market access and, in the process, uses farm survey data from Kenya to investigate changes in multiple indicators during the post-liberalization period. Findings show that market access conditions experienced by rural Kenyans exhibit considerable variation across time, space, and indicator type. We suggest ways in which structured hypothesizing and sensitivity analysis may strengthen empirical treatments...

The Effect of Infrastructure Access and Quality on Non-farm Employment and Income in Rural Indonesia

Palavras-chave: Market access; Remoteness; Smallholders; Africa; Kenya; Agricultural and Food Policy; Community/Rural/Urban Development; International Development; Marketing; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods; C81; D01; D63; D83; H41; H54; R58; L99.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/110014

Olivia, Susan; Gibson, John.

There is growing interest in the rural non-farm sector in developing countries as a contributor to economic growth, employment generation, livelihood diversification and poverty reduction. Access to infrastructure is identified in some studies as a factor that affects non-farm rural employment and income but less attention has been paid to the constraints imposed by poor quality infrastructure. In this paper we use data from 4000 households in rural Indonesia to show that the quality of two key types of infrastructure – roads and electricity – affects both employment in and income from non-farm enterprises. It appears that there would be gains from development strategies that improve both the access to and the quality of rural infrastructure.

Can Good Projects Succeed in Bad Villages? Project Design, Village Governance and Infrastructure Quality in Rural China

Palavras-chave: Infrastructure; Non-farm employment; Indonesia; Public Economics; H54; 017.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/49919

Liu, Chengfang; Zhang, Linxiu; Huang, Jikun; Luo, Renfu; Rozelle, Scott.

This study seeks to explain the differences in infrastructure quality across China’s villages. Using primary data on three main types of infrastructure projects in rural China, we find that a.) between-project within-village quality differences are small and project design has little explanatory power; b.) between-village variations are larger; and c.) there are strong correlations between the ways villages govern themselves and project quality. We conclude that it is difficult to make good projects work in bad communities and that there is something at the village level that is making some projects succeed in some villages, but not in others.

Village Elections, Public Goods Investments and Pork Barrel Politics, Chinese-style

Palavras-chave: Infrastructure Quality; Village; Rural China; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Public Economics; H41; H54; H71.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/49944

Luo, Renfu; Zhang, Linxiu; Huang, Jikun; Rozelle, Scott.

A key issue in political economy concerns the accountability that governance structures impose on public officials and how elections and representative democracy influences the allocation of public resources. In this paper we exploit a unique survey data set from nearly 2450 randomly selected villages describing China’s recent progress in village governance reforms and its relationship to the provision of public goods in rural China between 1998 and 2004. Two sets of questions are investigated using an empirical framework based on a theoretical model in which local governments must decide to allocate fiscal resources between public goods investments and other expenditures. First, we find evidence—both in descriptive and econometric analyses—that when the...

Evaluación de la concesión del Puerto de Matarani: ¿quién ganó y quién perdió?

Palavras-chave: Democratization; Elections; Public goods; Rural China; Political Economy; Public Economics; H41; H54; H71.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/50143

Alcázar, Lorena; Lovaton, Rodrigo.

En el contexto de un proceso de concesiones portuarias paralizado y de un debate acerca de la conveniencia de retomarlo, este estudio evalúa el desempeño del terminal de Matarani, administrado desde 1999 por la empresa Terminal Internacional del Sur S.A. (TISUR), y único puerto peruano entregado en concesión hasta el momento. El objetivo es evaluar las características del proceso de concesión, estimar su impacto en la economía e identificar las implicancias de entregar en concesión otros puertos del país. Con este fin, se analizó el modelo utilizado para introducir la participación privada, se examinó si existe evidencia de una mejor operación del puerto con la concesión y se estimó el impacto sobre el bienestar de cada grupo involucrado. Los resultados...

The benefits of rural roads: enhancing income opportunities for the rural poor

Palavras-chave: Puertos; Privatización; Infraestructura del transporte; Perú; Ports; Privatization; Transport infrastructure; Peru; L92; H54.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/37731

Escobal D'Angelo, Javier; Ponce, Carmen.

Most studies have measured the benefits of rehabilitated rural roads by focusing on reductions in monetary or time costs needed to access product and factor markets or key public social services. This paper complements these studies by evaluating their impact on key welfare indicators such as income or consumption. Looking at rural households living in some of the poorest districts of Peru, this study compares (using propensity score matching techniques) households located near rehabilitated roads to suitable controls. Results show that rehabilitated road accessibility can be related to changes in income sources, as the rehabilitated road enhances non-agricultural income opportunities, especially from wage-employment sources. The study also finds that...