Development Economics: Regional & Country Studies eJournal最新文献

{"title":"Fiscal Decentralization and Social Service Delivery: An empirical Analysis of Balochistan","authors":"Chaka Khan, M. Akram, I. Farooq","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3750142","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3750142","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: This study has been initiated to measure the impact of fiscal decentralization in case of Balochistan province by using both revenue decentralization and expenditure decentralization to measure the impact of fiscal decentralization on provision of health, education, employment and poverty reduction. \u0000Design/Methodology/Approach: In measure, we have applied ARDL approach on the data spanning from 1975 to 2016. \u0000Findings: Our results point out that fiscal decentralization improves the social services delivery in case of Balochistan province. Moreover, it improves the provision of health and education facilities in Balochistan. Further, our findings indicate that fiscal decentralization leads to reduction in the poverty and unemployment. In addition, we found that expenditure decentralization is relatively effective in the provision of social services as compared to the revenue decentralization in case of Balochistan. \u0000Implications/Originality/Value: Our study findings suggest that to improve the social services delivery; we may opt for fiscal decentralization particularly expenditure decentralization in case of Balochistan.","PeriodicalId":105668,"journal":{"name":"Development Economics: Regional & Country Studies eJournal","volume":"32 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114263702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Washington Consensus Reforms and Economic Performance in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons From the Past Four Decades","authors":"B. Archibong, B. Coulibaly, N. Okonjo-Iweala","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3780433","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3780433","url":null,"abstract":"Over three decades after market-oriented structural reforms, termed \"Washington consensus\" policies, were first implemented, we revisit the evidence on policy adoption and the effects of these policies on socio-economic performance in sub-Saharan African countries. We focus on three key ubiquitous reform policies around privatization, fiscal discipline, and trade openness and document significant improvements in economic performance for reformers over the past two decades. Following initial declines in per capita economic growth over the 1980s and 1990s, reform adopters experienced notable increases in per capita real GDP growth in the post 2000 period. We complement aggregate analysis with four country case studies that highlight important lessons for effective reform. Notably, the ability to implement pro-poor policies alongside market oriented reforms played a central role in successful policy performance.","PeriodicalId":105668,"journal":{"name":"Development Economics: Regional & Country Studies eJournal","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129003030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Fiscal Cost of Conflict: Evidence from La Violencia in Colombia","authors":"Diana Carolina Ricciulli Marín","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3741528","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3741528","url":null,"abstract":"This paper studies the effect of internal conflict on local fiscal capacity using evidence from Colombia’s political conflict in the mid-20th century, better known as La Violencia. Following a difference-in-differences strategy, I find that internal conflict has negative long-term consequences in local fiscal capacity. More precisely, municipalities affected by La Violencia experienced an average reduction of 10.3% in their tax revenue and a fall of 2.8 percentage points on their ratio of taxes to total revenue. Effects lasted for more than a decade and are only partially explained by a population and economic activity downturn. These results are consistent with previous evidence indicating a negative effect of violence on tax collection effciency at the local level.","PeriodicalId":105668,"journal":{"name":"Development Economics: Regional & Country Studies eJournal","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115403312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Formalizing Informal Cross-Border Trade: Evidence From One-Stop-Border-Posts in Uganda","authors":"Jade Siu","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3854156","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3854156","url":null,"abstract":"Informal trade is pervasive between sub-Saharan African countries. This study examines the relationship between trade informality and trade costs. More specifically, using an augmented gravity model, I exploit time and custom point variation in the introduction of a border facility which is aimed at reducing border delays and corruption. I find a significant decrease in trade informality in the second quarter after the introduction of an OSBP, with indications that this change is mainly driven by a fall in large-scale informal trade. I examine whether this result can be explained by formalization of individual cross-border traders by using first-hand data set of traders operating at two border towns between Kenya and Uganda. I find that few traders formalize despite the reduced costs associated with the introduction of the border facility, and that trade costs and border crossing choices are not only associated with export restrictions, but are also gendered.","PeriodicalId":105668,"journal":{"name":"Development Economics: Regional & Country Studies eJournal","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131715610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Childhood Determinants of Internal Youth Migration in Senegal","authors":"C. Herrera, D. Sahn","doi":"10.4054/DEMRES.2020.43.45","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4054/DEMRES.2020.43.45","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Internal migration, mostly composed of young adults and the poor, constitutes the largest flow of people in developing countries. Few studies document the patterns and determinants of internal youth migration in sub-Saharan Africa. Objective: This paper analyzes the socioeconomic determinants of the decisions of young adults to internally migrate in Senegal. We focus on whether their decisions to migrate are influenced by individual characteristics, as well as the circumstances in the households and communities where they grew up, and whether these factors are differentiated by gender. Methods: Using a unique migration household survey in Senegal, we estimate multinomial logit models to analyze the role of childhood socioeconomic determinants in decisions to later migrate to rural and urban areas. Results: We find that young people undertake mostly rural-to-rural and urban-to-urban migrations, and more than half of them are temporary migrants. We also find that the determinants are heterogeneous by gender and destination. The higher the fathers’ education, the more (less) likely are their daughters to move to urban (rural) areas. Young individuals who spend their childhood in better-off households are more likely to move to urban areas. The presence of younger siblings during childhood increases the propensity of moving to rural areas. Access to primary schools from the childhood residence decreases the likelihood of migrating to urban areas for both men and women. Contribution: We contribute to the sparse literature on internal youth migration in developing countries by highlighting the role of family- and community-level characteristics during childhood in predicting later migration.","PeriodicalId":105668,"journal":{"name":"Development Economics: Regional & Country Studies eJournal","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126356373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Do Preschools Add ‘Value’? Evidence on Achievement Gaps From Rural India","authors":"Sweta Gupta","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3732511","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3732511","url":null,"abstract":"Despite a long-standing preschool policy and investment in preschool infrastructure in India, dating back to 1975, a rigorous evaluation of preschools in India remains virtually absent. Using data from three geographically and economically distinct states in India, the paper studies the immediate (1 year) impact of attending a preschool before starting primary school on cognitive, early language and numeracy skills. It additionally studies the heterogeneity in value-added of preschools by their management type. I find that there is a positive and significant premium of attending a preschool before starting primary school. However, the entire effect is driven by children who attend private preschools. Children who attend public preschools before starting primary school do not have a significant advantage over children who start primary school with no preschool experience. There is considerable regional heterogeneity in the private-public gap in learning levels with Andhra Pradesh exhibiting the highest private preschool premium. A descriptive study of the preschool quality by management type showed that private preschools have lower student-teacher ratios, longer hours of operation and a focus on formal instructional style of teaching. On the other hand, public preschools conduct more play-based activities. The results of this paper are particularly relevant in the backdrop of the new National Education Policy (Government of India, 2020), which stresses the need to improve foundational literacy and numeracy skills as early as in the preschool years. Given the findings of this paper, public preschools would need considerable overhaul to be able to deliver on closing the learning gaps. Moreover, the varying levels at which children start primary school based on their preschool experience highlight the need for educators to develop innovative pedagogical tools to effectively address learning heterogeneity within the classroom.","PeriodicalId":105668,"journal":{"name":"Development Economics: Regional & Country Studies eJournal","volume":"51 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126456591","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"学校质量、个人禀赋与教育回报的城乡差距 (School Quality, Innate Ability, and the Urban-Rural Disparity in Returns to Schooling in China)","authors":"Xueying Li, Lei Zhang, Xi Zhu","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3730423","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3730423","url":null,"abstract":"Chinese abstract: 本文利用2013年中国家庭收入调查数据（CHIP）研究相同学历水平城乡居民的教育回报差距及其来源。为避免样本自选择问题，本文使用居民12岁时的户口性质划分城乡居民。我们发现控制家庭背景等因素后，教育回报的城乡差距随学历水平的增加不断扩大：对于小学及以下、初中、高中和大专及以上学历，其估计值分别为-17.2%、-9.8%、0%和10.2%。这种差距主要来源于城乡居民学校质量和先天禀赋的差异：对所有学历组，城市居民的平均禀赋都低于同等学历的农村居民，但在基础教育阶段享受到更高质量的学校教育，因而积累了更多的人力资本，弥补了其在个人禀赋方面的劣势，且这一效应随着学历上升而得到增强。通过使用生均高职称教师数作为改进的教育质量衡量指标，我们发现，如果保持其他条件不变，而将农村学校质量提升至与城市相同，90后农村初中、高中毕业生的教育回报将分别提高大约21%和61%。因此，政府应着力提高农村地区的学校质量，从而提高农村居民的教育回报，进而激励农村居民提高整体受教育水平，缩小城乡收入差距。 \u0000 \u0000English abstract: This paper studies how differences in school quality affect the returns to education of urban and rural residents in China using the CHIP 2013 data. To deal with biases due to self-selection in migration, we define urban and rural residents based on their Hukou status at age 12, a critical age when basic education is completed. We find that after controlling for family background, the gap in returns to education between urban and rural residents increases over the schooling stages; the gaps are -17.2%, -9.8%, 0%, and 10.2% for individuals with at most a primary school education, a middle school education, a highs school education, and a college education respectively. These gaps can be attributed to both school quality of basic education and individual innate ability. More specifically, conditional on schooling level, the expected innate ability of urban residents is lower than that of rural residents, but this disadvantage is more than compensated for by the higher quality of urban schools, and the cumulative quality advantage of urban schools increases as individuals progress through education stages. Using the number of senior teachers per student as a measure of school quality, we find that ceteris paribus, equalizing the quality of urban and rural schools will lead to a 21% and 61% increase in the return to a middle school and high school education respectively for rural residents born in the 1990s. Our findings indicate that China’s urban-rural income inequality is due not only to differences in education attainment but also to gaps in school quality between urban and rural residents.","PeriodicalId":105668,"journal":{"name":"Development Economics: Regional & Country Studies eJournal","volume":"31 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127828912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Effect of Compulsory Education on Retirement Financial Outcomes: Evidence from China","authors":"Bingzheng Chen, Peiyun Deng, Xiaodong Fan","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3743963","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3743963","url":null,"abstract":"Retirement planning has become an increasingly important component of individual financial decision making. This paper presents the first causal evidence that compulsory education improves retirement financial outcomes in a developing economy. Exploiting the 1986 compulsory schooling reform in China, we show that compulsory education increases rural residents’ participation in the New Rural Pension Scheme, the world’s largest public pension program. Using the instrumental variable strategy in a Difference-in-Differences framework, we find that an additional year of schooling significantly increases pension participation by 3.5 percentage points, and this positive result is more prominent among women. Mechanism analysis suggests that cognition, access to information, and financial literacy are essential pathways in the education-pension nexus.","PeriodicalId":105668,"journal":{"name":"Development Economics: Regional & Country Studies eJournal","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126237131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects on Fertility of The Brazilian Cash Transfer Program: Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Approach","authors":"Luiz H Superti","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3484588","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3484588","url":null,"abstract":"The program Bolsa Família is a pillar of Brazil's welfare system. However, it is possible that the program encouraged beneficiaries to have more children. Using federal data and the eligibility rule, we propose a regression discontinuity to verify the program's effect on fertility outcomes. Problems associated with the data such as manipulation and attrition are solved by using novel procedures found in the literature. We found an effect on birth spacing but not on fertility rates. This study complements the literature in regard to cash transfers and fertility outcomes, and empirical evidence for the quantity-quality trade-off in fertility decisions.","PeriodicalId":105668,"journal":{"name":"Development Economics: Regional & Country Studies eJournal","volume":"52 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121046732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bank Credit and Short-Run Economic Growth: A Dynamic Threshold Panel Model for ASEAN Countries","authors":"Sy-Hoa Ho, Jamel Saadaoui","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3723452","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3723452","url":null,"abstract":"We investigate short-run nonlinear impacts of bank credit on economic growth in ASEAN countries. We find an inverted L-shaped relationship and a statistically significant threshold of 96.5%. Positive effects of bank credit expansion on short-run economic growth fade away after this threshold.","PeriodicalId":105668,"journal":{"name":"Development Economics: Regional & Country Studies eJournal","volume":"122 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116047872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}