World Development Perspectives最新文献

{"title":"Camel leasing as a resilience-building practice: Insights from Somali pastoralist households and dairy farms","authors":"Emily Decker ,&nbsp;Rebecca M. Flueckiger ,&nbsp;Micah Frumkin ,&nbsp;Rebecca H. Jeudin ,&nbsp;Christelle Celestin ,&nbsp;Abdul Kareem Osman Essa ,&nbsp;Ezgi E. Yilmaz","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100668","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100668","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Following severe drought in Somalia in 2016 and 2017, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Somalia Growth, Enterprise, Employment and Livelihoods (GEEL) project encouraged camel leasing as a mutually beneficial practice between camel-herding pastoralists and camel milk dairies to build resilience to shocks. Camel leasing describes a formal agreement in which dairies lease lactating camels from pastoralists in exchange for monthly payment and care for the camel. The benefits of livestock leasing have not yet been explored in existing literature. We examine the case of camel leasing as a market-based resilience-building practice in the Woqooyi Galbeed region of Somaliland using a longitudinal mixed-methods approach. Our study finds that within the sample, leasing pastoralists were better able to save money, invest in assets, and send children to school compared to non-leasing pastoralists. Leasing dairies used leasing as a business strategy to increase milk production, raise profits, and invest in more assets. These economic gains were associated with contributions to community resilience, including new job opportunities and investment in communal assets. Leasing also had implications for Somali women and girls, associated with higher girls’ school enrollment rates, greater control over household income, and the creation of women’s savings and loan associations. However, leasing has negatively impacted female milk market traders who have been pushed out of the market due to greater competition from dairies. This study highlights the experiences of Somali camel-herding communities, presents the first data on livestock leasing for resilience, and provides learnings for future resilience-building innovations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100668"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143464740","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":"Political stability versus food self-sufficiency policy in arid countries: Evidence from the Persian Gulf","authors":"Alireza Alipour,&nbsp;Mohammad Sadegh Ebrahimi,&nbsp;Nafiseh Ghodrati,&nbsp;Zahra Ghodrati Shatoori","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100667","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100667","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to survey the effect of increasing political stability on avoiding the policy of food self-sufficiency in arid countries. For this purpose, the wheat self-sufficiency data of the Persian Gulf countries for the period of 2010–2021 were used. In the analysis, the wheat self-sufficiency index was considered a function of influential factors, including the political stability of the countries. Then, panel quantile regression and econometric tests were performed. The results show that each 1% increase in political stability leads, on average, to an approximately 8% decrease in self-sufficiency in wheat supply in the Gulf countries. However, this impact varies across countries; in such a way that increasing political stability in more politically stable countries has a greater effect on avoiding wheat self-sufficiency. The results also show that each 1% increase in GDP and biological capacity increases wheat self-sufficiency by an average of about 3% and 12%, respectively. These increases have a greater impact on supporting wheat self-sufficiency in more politically stable Gulf countries compared to less politically stable countries. Therefore, it was concluded that increased political stability would lead to more rational choices for arid countries in food supply management. Finally, it was emphasized using the commercial capacity of the Persian Gulf region to become the food hub of the world and avoiding regional tensions for cheaper and more reliable food trade and more stable food security.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100667"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143444528","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":"Ethics and Equity: Addressing Violations of the Belmont Report principles for research staff","authors":"Jana Kuhnt ,&nbsp;Lennart Kaplan ,&nbsp;Ana Garcia-Hernandez ,&nbsp;Julia Leininger ,&nbsp;Janina I. Steinert","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100662","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100662","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Particularly in development research, data is often collected in settings characterised by high deprivation, risk and power asymmetries, which aggravates working conditions of research staff. This perspectives article introduces a novel conceptual framework that identifies ethical challenges, failures and potential solutions. It is based on an analysis of 57 semi-structured interviews with research staff across hierarchies, world regions, gender and institutions. We find that the research environments in the ‘Global South’ often pose particular challenges to research staff and if not addressed can be harmful in terms of insecurity, sexual harassment, emotional distress, exploitative employment conditions and discrimination. Addressing ethical failures in research requires change across different levels, with a particular focus on alleviating structural asymmetries as a key driver of ethical challenges. Our findings provide a toolkit to (i) ensure the wellbeing of research staff, (ii) improve the ethical integrity of empirical research, and (iii) increase the rigour of data.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100662"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143438109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“It feels like we’re doing something good.” Mapping farmer perceptions of zero budget natural farming onto crop yields in Andhra Pradesh","authors":"Grady Walker ,&nbsp;Henny Osbahr ,&nbsp;Sarah Duddigan ,&nbsp;Jayna George ,&nbsp;Sravanthi Ponnolu ,&nbsp;Himabindu Anisetti ,&nbsp;Chris Collins ,&nbsp;Zakir Hussain","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100665","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100665","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>India is a leader in the transition to natural farming, and the state of Andhra Pradesh is at the forefront. This interdisciplinary study seeks to understand the motivations behind Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) adoption in two districts in different climatic zones in Andhra Pradesh (Anantapur and Visakhapatnam). Public messaging about ZBNF generally relies on success stories based on increases in yield and income, with a reduction on expenditures. We use participatory photography to understand subjective farmer stories about natural farming and map these responses onto field experiments measuring crop yield to reveal a more complex range of drivers behind adoption. By studying the contents and effects of subjective farmer stories and comparing the yields of natural farming plots with organic and conventional plots, we show that natural farming yields support public messaging in some contexts where the transition is taking place, but less so in others. While the mainstream messaging about the benefits of natural farming is certainly a motivating factor for adoption, there are also many <em>unquantifiable</em> subjective gains perceived by farmers inclusive of memory, legacy, independence, and a rejection of industrialized agriculture, which also drive adoption. Understanding these unquantifiable subjective gains, and how they connect to ZBNF innovations in the fields, can improve two-way rural communication about natural farming and drive future context-specific research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100665"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143438110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ice roads and income in remote indigenous communities of Canada","authors":"Fatma Ahmed","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100666","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100666","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>I estimate the effects of ice road length deviation on the level of income in the Northwest Territories communities. The harsh weather conditions and extreme climates in the NWT magnify the challenges associated with maintaining infrastructure, often undermining its long-term benefits. I find that the disruptions in ice roads, which serve as vital links for northern Canadian communities, exacerbate income inequality by placing a greater burden on low-income households while disproportionately favoring higher-income groups. Education is a critical factor in driving income growth and reducing inequality. Conversely, reliance on social assistance notably reduces income for higher-income families, while it provides a boost for those in need. Larger communities, however, experience more severe economic challenges, especially within lower-income groups.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100666"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143379144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the effectiveness of a rights based approach for pro-poor WASH services: A study in urban poor settlements in Khulna, Bangladesh","authors":"Sumya Naz ,&nbsp;Md. Zakir Hossain ,&nbsp;Khan Rubayet Rahaman","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100663","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100663","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Rights Based Approach (RBA) in improving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure in urban poor settlements, with a focus on slum communities in Bangladesh. An experimental design was employed, comparing a treatment slum that received the RBA-based WASH intervention to a control slum without such intervention. Data were collected through a household questionnaire survey, with 100 samples obtained. The study found no significant difference in the Human Security index between the two slums, but a closer examination of individual dimensions revealed that the RBA approach resulted in better WASH facilities in terms of physical accessibility and WASH governance. However, it was less effective in addressing availability, quality, economic accessibility, acceptability &amp; personal safety, and climate resilience in WASH services. While the RBA approach improved access to WASH services, it did not adequately address the financial capacity of the urban poor in ensuring certain WASH facilities. As it highlights the vulnerabilities faced by slum residents in accessing water, it emphasizes the detrimental impact on gender-related stress and heightened health risks. Rights-based WASH interventions have had minimal impact in reducing the stress experienced by women in this regard. The findings provide insights for policymakers to enhance the rights-based approach (RBA) and promote pro-poor WASH services.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100663"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143161822","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":"Measuring energy poverty in Senegal: A multifaceted approach","authors":"Saidou Abdoulaye Sy,&nbsp;Lamia Mokaddem","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100664","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100664","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Energy poverty is a multidimensional and multifaceted concept associated with imprecision in measurement and classification. To address this problem, this paper first uses the fuzzy group decision-making approach to reduce the subjectivity of assigning the weights to indicators of energy poverty. This method enables to achieve consensus on the relative importance of the indicators of energy poverty. Second, the study addresses the limitations of the existing composite indicators for assessing energy poverty in developing countries by suggesting a multifaceted approach that focuses on the utilization of modern energy for cooking, lighting, cooling, entertainment and education, and telecommunication and considers the national strategies for eradicating energy poverty. This multifaceted approach is based on four energy poverty groups, namely energy non-poor, transitional energy poor, moderate energy poor and extreme energy poor and captures the incidence and intensity of energy poverty. We demonstrate its applicability across Senegalese household data. The findings indicate a decline in energy poverty levels between 2015 and 2019. Nearly half of the population falls into the category of moderate energy poverty, characterized by limited access to clean cooking fuels and reliance on electricity primarily for lighting. The application of the multifaceted approach has several practical benefits. Considering the various categories of energy poverty is a more effective approach for enhancing the precision of energy poverty measurements, improving the reliability of the benchmark analysis, and designing energy poverty policy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100664"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143161821","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":"Multistakeholder forums in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam: Stakeholders’ perspectives regarding their outcomes and effectiveness for low-emission food systems","authors":"Thu Thuy Pham ,&nbsp;Thi Kim Hong Tang ,&nbsp;Vy Thao Ngo ,&nbsp;Ngoc My Hoa Tran ,&nbsp;Thi Thuy Anh Nguyen ,&nbsp;Thi Van Anh Nguyen ,&nbsp;Trung Son Nguyen ,&nbsp;Dinh Yen Khue Nguyen","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100661","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100661","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper explores stakeholders’ perspectives regarding the effectiveness of multistakeholder forums (MSFs) for low-emission food systems, based on interviews with 40 organizations in Vietnam. Our findings reveal four types of MSF: those led by the central government, provincial governments, international organizations and academia. While targeting different stakeholders and scales, they share the common challenge of ensuring that diverse voices – including women, local communities and civil society organizations – influence dialogue. Powerful stakeholders dominate, while international organizations, academia and local organizations are influenced by political mandates, project funding and personal connections. Most stakeholders participate passively, rather than actively contributing to or influencing discussion parameters or outcomes. Despite many forums existing, little attention has been paid to their efficiency, effectiveness or contribution to policy outcomes on greenhouse gas emissions and equity, highlighting the need for future research. MSFs focus on diverse elements of the food system, rather than facilitating holistic discussions that encompass the political, economic, environmental and social problems of the whole system; this leads to fragmented efforts and policy discussions. Except for central government-led MSFs, forums have weak links to national decision-making bodies, thereby reducing stakeholders’ interest in being involved. While stakeholders expressed doubt over the effectiveness of MSFs regarding emissions and equity outcomes, they valued the knowledge and networks gained through participating. Our paper highlights the need for policymakers and MSF designers to reflect on the effectiveness of existing MSFs, analysing lessons learnt before establishing new initiatives. Stakeholders’ engagement in food systems needs to be more systematic and attentive to the interests and perspectives of these different stakeholders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100661"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143161820","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":"Does fiscal decentralisation hamper happiness? Evidence from African countries","authors":"Borice Augustin Ngounou ,&nbsp;Constant Fouopi Djiogag ,&nbsp;Edmond Noubissi Domguia ,&nbsp;Linda Tiague Zanfack ,&nbsp;Thierry Messie Pondie","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100660","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100660","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Sustainable Development Goals prioritise the achievement of quality decentralisation through local taxation and sustainable local communities. This objective has been widely studied and a rich literature exists on the subject. In light of this, in this article we examine how fiscal decentralisation affects happiness in 27 African countries. We use a variety of methods to conduct our analysis, including Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Driscoll-Kraay, Generalized Least Squares (GLS) whose robustness has been proven by the Lewbel 2SLS method, Method of Generalized Moments in the System (MMG-S) and Kinky Least Squares (KLS) for the period 2006–2019. The results show that fiscal decentralisation helps to increase happiness in Africa. Our recommendation is that governments should give priority to improving well-being by investing in public goods and services, promoting political stability and fighting corruption. In doing so, they can align themselves with the principles that make planned decentralisation beneficial to the people of Africa.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100660"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143161819","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":"Financing the Basic income support in South Africa under fiscal constraints","authors":"Margaret Chitiga-Mabugu ,&nbsp;Martin Henseler ,&nbsp;Helene Maisonnave ,&nbsp;Ramos E. Mabugu","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100657","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100657","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war and climate change-induced disasters that have led to worldwide poverty increases, have re-ignited discussions about the urgency of pro-poor support programs. South Africa offers a current and topical example to this discourse with the government’s intention to introduce a basic income support covering everyone in the age group 18–59 years who is neither disabled nor employed. Expanding social protection to reach those currently receiving no support within a severely constrained fiscal environment raises affordability and developmental challenges relevant to many other developing countries grappling with similar issues. It raises questions such as whether the planned support grant effectively reduces inequality and poverty. How does the grant impact the entire economy? What are the best funding options to create fiscal space? Model-based assessments like the one implemented in this research provide information to contribute to these questions and, therefore to a policy discussion. This study develops a micro–macro modelling approach with alternative fiscal financing options to address these developmental and affordability issues simultaneously and systematically. The analysis suggests that the government could address growing poverty and inequality in the short term with benign impacts on macroeconomic and fiscal outcomes while the country looks for other initiatives to achieve higher growth and employment in the long run.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100657"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143161818","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}