World Development Perspectives最新文献

{"title":"Is seed aid distribution still justified in South Sudan?","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100638","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100638","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Seed aid—or free distribution of seeds to farmers—is a popular intervention to simultaneously reduce food insecurity and dependency on food aid in fragile countries. However, seed aid distribution also has the potential to hinder or distort the development of local seed markets. In this study we analyze the targeting and impact of seed aid across the green belt (cutting across the southern/equatorial states) of South Sudan. Using a primary and unique dataset on 1,990 farm households, we find that seed aid is widely rather than selectively distributed. Almost a third of farm households receive seed aid despite the general availability of locally recycled seed varieties. Seed aid distribution does not seem to favor particularly poor, vulnerable and food insecure households, but those that are embedded in community networks, organizations and institutions. Using a double robust methodology based on Inverse Probability Weighted Regression Adjustment (IPWRA), we also find that the adoption of seed aid by farm households does not result in increased maize production, as it is neither associated with agricultural intensification nor with the expansion of cultivated land. Seed aid seems to substitute rather than supplement local seed varieties. These findings emphasize a lack of intentionality in seed aid distribution. Still, it must be noted that the effectiveness of seed aid distribution may be greater outside our study area, above the green belt, where conflicts and natural disasters remain more frequent and intense, and where farmers are more likely to be seed insecure. But overall, this study supports the widespread perception that South Sudan is ready for a transition towards a market-based seed distribution system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142419107","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":"Crowding-out effect of tobacco consumption on household food expenditures in Cameroon","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100635","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100635","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study delves into the critical issue of household budgets in Cameroon, specifically focusing on the impact of tobacco expenditure. Tobacco use often represents a significant portion of a household’s financial resources, potentially leading to a phenomenon known as the “crowding-out effect.” This effect describes a situation where increased tobacco spending leads to a decrease in the budget allocated to other essential goods and services. To gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon, this study employs a quantitative approach. The analysis utilizes data from a nationally representative household survey conducted in Cameroon during 2014 (ECAM4). A two-stage least squares (2SLS) technique is implemented to address a potential statistical issue known as endogeneity, which could otherwise skew the results. The study’s findings reveal a concerning trend: tobacco expenditure has a negative impact on the budget shares allocated to essential goods such as food, clothing, and household equipment. This negative impact appears to be particularly pronounced for male consumers within households. Based on these findings, the study suggested that implementing tobacco control policies could lead to significant improvements in household well-being and overall health status. These policies, by encouraging a reduction in tobacco use, could free up resources that could then be reallocated towards essential goods, ultimately improving household financial stability and health outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142419106","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":"Analysis of the ‘Good’ performance indicators of Non-Governmental Development Organizations","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100639","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100639","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The current economic and political crisis has brought about a change in the environment in which Non-Governmental Development Organizations (NGDOs) have traditionally operated. This change can be summed up as a reduction in the funds received accompanied by an increase in the population they must serve. It is thus important to possess mechanisms that allow an analysis of the excellent work performed by NGDOs. A knowledge of the NGDOs’ efficiency in managing previous projects can contribute to improving their future achievements. This research aims to establish some objective indicators that permit an evaluation of the efficiency of these organizations. Firstly, a detailed analysis of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) regulation is conducted. This allows us to synthesise the indicators of a good performance by an NGDO based on a study of the eligibility criteria of public donors. The study concludes that the internal good practices criteria of the NGDOs of the AECID can be grouped into four criteria: experience, transparency and internal operations, human resources, and financial resources. Subsequently, a global performance measure of the NGDOs is built using a multi-criteria decision-making approach that minimises the distance from an ideal point whilst maximising the distance from an anti-ideal point. Our approach has been applied in the evaluation of 20 Spanish NGDOs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142419105","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":"Voluntary sustainability standards and technical efficiency of Honduran smallholder coffee producers","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100637","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100637","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sustainable coffee production promises to improve production techniques and enhance the socioeconomic conditions of smallholder farmers. Using primary survey data from 659 coffee producers in Honduras, this study assesses the impact of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) on the technical efficiency of smallholder coffee production. The article uses the Stochastic Production Frontier Analysis model to analyze and compare the technical efficiency (TE) of certified and non-certified coffee producers. To provide reliable comparability between groups, the dataset was balanced using Covariate Balancing Propensity Score (CBPS). The results show that the mean technical efficiency was 52.86% for pooled certified farmers and 55.56% for non-certified smallholder coffee producers. Specifically, the technical efficiency of 4C farmers was 51.58%, 53.82% for the Fairtrade group, 60.56% for RA farmers, and 60.15% for the UTZ group, indicating substantial inefficiencies in the coffee production of the different certified groups. Results from Tobit’s model for the determinants of TE indicated that variables such as the age of the household head, access to credit, and training attendance are among the main factors that significantly drive the technical efficiency of certified and non-certified farmers. Based on the findings, enhancing education opportunities, improving infrastructure for better market access and farm management, and expanding credit access are recommended to improve efficiency in the study area. Honduran smallholder coffee producers have considerable potential to increase output with existing technology by improving their technical efficiency. Therefore, stakeholders’ efforts should focus on enhancing efficiency levels and capitalizing on potential gains for both certified and non-certified farmers, to ultimately improve the farmers’ livelihoods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142419104","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":"Colonial status and income inequality in developing countries","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100634","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100634","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper assesses the effect of the colonial status of ex-colonies, settler’s mortality rate, and duration of colonization on income inequality using a dataset comprising 78 developing countries over the period 1990 to 2019. We run Ordinary Least Square regressions on the cross-sectional data and subsequently test for sensitivity of the baseline model to historical, geographical as well as sociocultural factors. For robustness checks, we re-estimate the baseline model on a panel data setting using the Hausman Taylor estimator and a GMM linear dynamic panel data model that factors-in time-invariant historical and cultural variables. Results suggest that: (a) average increase in Gini income inequality for ex-settler’s colonies was higher when compared to ex-peasant colonies; (b) an extra year of the duration of colonization augmented typical overall income inequality and (c) the middling rise in income inequality of ex-British colonies was less than the other ex-colonies whilst ex-Spanish colonies posted an average increase in inequality that was higher than the other former colonies. Results were unaltered when we undertake sensitivity and robustness tests. Furthermore, colonial status mediates the relationships between Gini income inequality and settler’s mortality rate as well as Gini income inequality and duration of colonization. Thus, institutions established since colonization and perpetuated after independence have been more or less prone to incorporating redistribution (inequality) issues.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142323689","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":"Investment cooperation as a digital economy development method for the Republic of Kazakhstan and the EU","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100636","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100636","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In modern conditions, the digitalisation of the economy is a vital part of any country’s development. It not only reduces costs for transactions but also increases the efficiency of many internal processes, especially managerial ones. Thus, it remains relevant in general to consider the opportunities for the development of digitalisation in a country. For this research, the study is conducted in the context of investment cooperation, using the example of Kazakhstan and the European Union. The research aims to show how this form of interaction between countries affects the development of the digital economy. The main scientific methods were analysis, abstraction, prediction, deduction. The study assessed the general features in the context of investment cooperation between the countries of the European Union and described the specifics of interaction between the countries. Subsequently, it was briefly described how the digital economy is developing in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Investment in the latest technologies has not been sufficiently effective in the country, due to general macroeconomic conditions and political instability, as well as inefficiency of state authorities. The study also assessed the relationship between Kazakhstan and the European Union in terms of the development of the digital economy and described joint projects in this area. This study brings new knowledge for the development of the digital economy, as well as a better understanding of the current development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the European Union.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142319462","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 impact of LPG consumption on cooking energy efficiency: Evidence from rural Indian household panel data","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100627","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100627","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The Indian government promoted the adoption of LPG by millions of poor households through targeted Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana connection subsidies. However, there is no empirical study on the impact of LPG adoption and usage on cooking energy efficiency. It is important to analyze the causal impact of LPG usage on cooking energy efficiency to help estimate the energy saving resulting from fuel-switching and understand the implications for the improvement of the environment, health, and socioeconomic outcomes. This paper leverages panel data on rural household energy use from the Access to Clean Cooking Energy and Electricity – Survey of States survey to evaluate the impact of the share of LPG consumption on overall cooking energy efficiency in 5,590 [n = 1,538 in 2015 and n = 4,052 in 2018] LPG adopters. To account for the potential endogeneity posed by the share of LPG consumption on our dependent variable, we used the village-level fraction of households who report the use of LPG as the main source of cooking fuel as an instrumental variable. We find a statistically significant impact of LPG consumption share on improved household cooking energy efficiency. A 10 % increase in the share of LPG reduces the total useful energy consumed by 9 % and the final energy consumed by 23 %. The extrapolated result indicates that the shift by all partial LPG user households in rural India in 2018 to exclusive (100 %) use of LPG will save about 81 million tonnes of firewood or 3.34 % of India’s primary energy consumption. A pro-poor subsidies for LPG refill and other policy measures that encourage households to shift to more exclusive use of LPG can reduce overall household energy consumption which is expected in turn to help achieve the environmental and health benefits of improved energy efficiency.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142149297","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":"Against Democracy, Neo-totalitarianism, or What? A Cross-Country Dynamic Panel Endogenous Switching Regressing Analysis of Innovation, Economic Growth, and Political Stability","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100625","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100625","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Innovation has long been recognized in economic literature as an important source of Schumpeterian disequilibrium for societies’ economic development, but until now, it has played no role in the debate on the political stability of countries regarding its disequilibrating and destabilization role between societal demands and government capabilities. Thus, the extent to which a country’s level of innovation disequilibrates public demands and government capabilities and leads to adverse impacts on political stability has been neglected in the literature. This paper analyzes the effects of innovation on the political stability of countries using 2013–2020 panel data for 121 countries from the World Bank and the World Intellectual Property Organization in static and dynamic simulation frameworks. The paper uses panel endogenous switching regression with control function, the robust Arellano-Bover/Blundell-Bond system dynamic panel model, and other techniques that have never been used before in this subject matter to disentangle the effects of innovation on political stability. The dependent variable is an index measuring political stability, and the explanatory variable indicates a country’s level of innovation. Controls include the country’s institutional, socioeconomic, and environmental factors. Endogeneity is controlled using a combination of traditional instrumental variables, lag variables in dynamic systems, and endogenous treatment models. The findings are that the recent rapid rise and proliferation of innovation negatively correlate with political stability, especially in countries with high levels of innovation production. On average, rising levels of uncontrolled innovation reduce political stability by 48 percent in high-innovation-producing countries relative to low-innovation-producing countries. High institutional quality factors, such as improvement in voice and accountability and the rule of law, moderate the negative relationship between innovation and political stability. The findings confirm the relevance of other-disregarded factors in sustaining and improving political stability and reinforce the importance and urgent need for enhanced regulatory mechanisms for the production, dissemination, and use of innovation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142137468","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":"Bride price payment and marriage Stability: An ethnographic study of the Brifors of the Upper West Region, Ghana","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100626","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100626","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A bride price creates an unending bond for married couples in sub-Sahara Africa. This gesture is key within the Brifor cultural milieu in Ghana. This paper investigates the impact of bride price on marriage stability among the Brifor ethnic group. In-depth interviews were conducted with 45 Key Informants and seven defined groups. The results show that the cultural demands of high bride price payment among the Brifors stabilizes marriages, secures the entitlement right of the husband to the woman and children, but increases incidences of violence against women. From the results it is evident that apart from the high bride price payment contributing to marriage instability, there is also the indication that the abuse of the rights of wives depends largely on the character of the husbands, including the cultural mindset instilled in them through biological traits and/or family socialization in relation to their culture. The study concludes that although most participants felt that the practice of paying bride price should be reviewed, it was evident that the payment has become a double-edge sword confronting women in particular, relative to the stability or instability of marriages among the Brifors. Therefore, there is the need for traditional authority to reform the practice by reducing the bride price items and spacing out the payment period as a respite for husbands-to-be.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142083922","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":"Understanding drivers of fuel stacking among pay-as-you-go LPG customers in Nairobi, Kenya","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100622","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100622","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Fuel stacking perpetuates the negative impacts of polluting fuels and limits the potential of clean cooking transitions. The study aims to identify drivers of fuel stacking amongst customers of a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) LPG product provided by MGas in the greater Nairobi area as a basis for designing interventions that reduce fuel stacking. We developed a quantitative telephonic survey tool (n = 1323) to holistically investigate fuel stacking, which was validated by a smaller number of qualitative semi-structured interviews (n = 18). Both the survey and interview designs were informed by Perros et al.’s 2022 taxonomy of fuel stacking drivers. Results showed that the main driver of fuel stacking was the incompatibility of PAYG LPG with specific cooking processes that were conducted regularly. This was most frequently due to the expense of heating large quantities of water and cooking long-boiling foods with PAYG LPG – tasks that participants reported are better performed by other stoves and fuels. Participants also faced technical and service-related issues with broken equipment, payment delays and incompatible personal cookware that sometimes rendered them unable to use PAYG LPG. We found weak correlation between self-reported stacking and actual PAYG LPG fuel use. These findings show that a single fuel or cooking technology is unlikely to efficiently and consistently meet all a household’s cooking and water heating needs, and that fuel consumption is not solely driven by stacking practices. Clean energy providers should consider incorporating multiple modern energy cooking services comprising of fuel, stoves and compatible cooking utensils (e.g., pots and pans).</p></div>","PeriodicalId":37831,"journal":{"name":"World Development Perspectives","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141961500","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}