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Begin New Search Publishing Institution United Nations University Publication Year within 25 Years

381. Love Thy Neighbour? Evidence from Ethnic Discrimination in Information Sharing within Villages

Author:
Mattia Romani
Publication Date:
01-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
United Nations University
Abstract:
There is increasing evidence to suggest that a fundamental source of information for farmers on how to access and use new agricultural technologies comes from interacting with neighbours. Economic research on adoption of innovations in a rural context has only partially addressed the issue of how the social structure of a village can affect adoption and the final impact on productivity of farmers. This paper investigates the role of proximity interpreted not only in geographical terms but also along the line of ethnic similarities among neighbours (what we define as 'social proximity'). We use a panel dataset collected in Côte d'Ivoire to define the probability of accessing the knowledge network. The main results indicate that farmers from ethnic minorities are less likely to access, and benefit less from, extension services. But they seem to try to re-equalize their condition by putting more effort than dominant ethnic group neighbours in sharing information among themselves.
Topic:
Agriculture, Demographics, Economics, and Human Welfare
Political Geography:
Africa

382. Crime, Isolation, and Law Enforcement

Author:
Marcel Fafchamps and Christine Moser
Publication Date:
01-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
United Nations University
Abstract:
This paper investigates the relationship between criminal activity and geographical isolation. Using data from Madagascar, we show that, after we control for population composition and risk factors, crime increases with distance from urban centers and, with few exceptions, decreases with population density. In Madagascar, crime and insecurity are associated with isolation, not urbanization. This relationship is not driven by placement of law enforcement personnel which is shown to track crime, but fails to reduce feelings of insecurity in the population. Other risk factors have effects similar to those discussed in the literature on developed countries. We find a positive association between crime and the presence of law enforcement personnel, probably due to reporting bias. Law enforcement personnel helps solve crime but appears unable to prevent it.
Topic:
Crime, Demographics, and Government
Political Geography:
Africa and Madagascar

383. Urban-Rural Inequality in Living Standards in Africa

Author:
David E. Sahn and David C. Stifel
Publication Date:
01-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
United Nations University
Abstract:
In this paper we examine the relative importance of rural versus urban areas in terms of monetary poverty and seven other related living standards indicators. We present the levels of urban-rural differences for several African countries for which we have data and find that living standards in rural areas lag far behind those in urban areas. Then we examine the relative and absolute rates of change for urban and rural areas and find no overall evidence of declining differences in the gaps between urban and rural living standards. Finally, we conduct urban-rural decompositions of inequality, examining the within versus between (urban and rural) group inequality for asset inequality, education inequality, and health (height) inequality.
Topic:
Demographics, Development, and Human Welfare
Political Geography:
Africa

384. Economic Growth, Income Distribution and Poverty: Time-series and Cross-country Evidence from the CFA-zone Countries of sub-Saharan Africa

Author:
Michael Bleaney and Akira Nishiyama
Publication Date:
01-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
United Nations University
Abstract:
The causes of the slow growth of CFA countries are investigated. There is little difference in this respect between the CFA and other sub-Saharan African countries. Since 1970, GDP growth in the CFA countries has shown no significant trend but one or two medium-term fluctuations (positive in 1979-83 and negative in 1989-93). Internationally, the income share of the poorest 20 per cent of the population of any country has improved most in poor countries, and there is no evidence that this does not apply to CFA countries also.
Topic:
Economics, Human Welfare, International Political Economy, and International Trade and Finance
Political Geography:
Africa

385. How Does Monetary Policy Affect the Poor? Evidence from the West African Economic and Monetary Union

Author:
David Fielding
Publication Date:
01-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
United Nations University
Abstract:
The West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) has a history of monetary stability and low inflation. Nevertheless, there is substantial variation in relative prices within some UEMOA countries, in particular in the price of food relative to other elements of the retail price index (IHPC). Using monthly time-series data for cities within the region, we analyze the impact of changes in monetary policy instruments on the relative prices of components of the IHPC. We are then able to explore how the burden of monetary policy innovations is likely to be shared between the rich and poor.
Topic:
Economics, Human Welfare, International Political Economy, and International Trade and Finance
Political Geography:
Africa

386. Inequality and Welfare Evaluation of Heterogeneous Income Distributions

Author:
Anthony Shorrocks
Publication Date:
01-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
United Nations University
Abstract:
This paper establishes the principles which should govern the welfare and inequality analysis of heterogeneous income distributions. Two basic criteria—the 'equity preference' condition and the 'compensation principle'—are shown to be fundamentally incompatible. The paper favours the latter, thereby vindicating the traditional method of dealing with heterogeneous samples. However, inequality and welfare comparisons will usually be well defined only if equivalent incomes are obtained using constant scale factors; and researchers will need to distinguish clearly between inequality of nominal incomes and inequality of living standards. Furthermore, household observations must always be weighted according to family size.
Topic:
Demographics, Economics, Human Welfare, and Poverty

387. A Development-focused Allocation of the Special Drawing Rights

Author:
Ernest Aryeetey
Publication Date:
03-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
United Nations University
Abstract:
Efforts to realize the issue of development-focused Special Drawing Rights (SDR) by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have been on-going for many years. Recently, however, the campaign first gained a new momentum immediately after the Asian financial crises with the new liquidity problems of developing nations following the collapse of private capital markets. Currently the search for financing options towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals drives the interest in development-focused SDRs. Extending the uses to which SDR can be put is derived from the growing demands on the international financial system to respond to the development finance needs of poor nations. Apart from the need to provide emergency funds in times of crises and the whole area of crisis prevention, increasingly the facilitation of development in poor countries and assistance to make the best policy decisions is considered crucial.
Topic:
Development, Economics, International Political Economy, and International Trade and Finance
Political Geography:
Asia

388. The Rise or Fall of World Inequality: A Spurious Controversy?

Author:
Bart Capéau and André Decoster
Publication Date:
01-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
United Nations University
Abstract:
In the age of globalization, the question whether inequality in the world rose or fell down, is a hot topic. Leading scholars in the field of economic inequality measurement developed methods to estimate empirically the distribution of welfare (income) amongst world citizens. Despite their similar methodologies, they do not seem to agree about the conclusion. In the present paper we pinpoint what drives the two extreme positions apart. Sala-i-Martin (2002a, b), who claims that there can be no doubt that world inequality went down between the late 1970s and the late 1990s, has in fact calculated population weighted inequality between countries. Milanovic (2002a, b, c) does not deny this, but illustrates the empirical importance of divergent tendencies at the sub-national level (especially urban versus rural regions) for assessing true world inequality and comes to the reverse conclusion. Nevertheless, there seems to be unanimity, especially amongst the contributions quoted here, about the inequality measure(s) to be used for assessing world income distributions. We show that at least for international inequality, there is empirical evidence for rank reversals among the class of generalized entropy measures and expect the same to be true of world inequality. However, the normative debate about which inequality measure to use for assessing true world inequality has not yet begun.
Topic:
Development, Poverty, and Third World

389. Spatial Decomposition of Inequality

Author:
Guanghua Wan and Anthony Shorrocks
Publication Date:
01-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
United Nations University
Abstract:
This paper reviews the theory and application of decomposition techniques in the context of spatial inequality. It establishes some new theoretical results with potentially wide applicability, and examines empirical evidence drawn from a large number of countries.
Topic:
Development, Globalization, and Poverty

390. New Sources of Development Finance: Funding the Millenium Development Goals

Author:
Anthony B. Atkinson
Publication Date:
09-2004
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
United Nations University
Abstract:
In order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), substantial additional external funding needs to be mobilized. Estimates differ, but a 'ballpark' figure is an annual increase of US$50 billion. This could be achieved by a doubling of official development assistance (ODA). Welcome steps have been made in that direction, but this takes time, and time is of the essence. For this reason alone, it is necessary to consider new sources.
Topic:
Development, Economics, International Cooperation, and United Nations
Political Geography:
United States