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102. Tax Policy Reforms in Nigeria
- Author:
- Ayodele Odusola
- Publication Date:
- 01-2006
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- Nigeria is governed by a federal system, hence its fiscal operations also adhere to the same principle, a fact which has serious implications on how the tax system is managed. The country's tax system is lopsided, and dominated by oil revenue. It is also characterized by unnecessarily complex, distortionary and largely inequitable taxation laws that have limited application in the informal sector that dominates the economy. The primary objective of this paper is to prepare a case study on tax policy reforms in Nigeria, with the specific objectives of examining the main tax reforms in the country; highlighting tax revenue profile and composition; analysing possible distributional impacts on the poor; discussing major problems that could prevent effective tax implementation in the country; and offering suggestions for reforms.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Nigeria
103. An Overview of the Certified Organic Export Sector in Uganda
- Author:
- Peter Gibbon
- Publication Date:
- 03-2006
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- This paper reports the results of a survey of almost all certified and in-conversion organic export operations in Uganda in late 2005. It covers products exported, company size and ownership, standards exported to, certification costs, total export values, value-added in Uganda, marketing channels, crop procurement systems, management of organic operations and the main challenges experienced by exporters. Findings include that numbers of certified exporters are growing rapidly. Export values are also growing, but more slowly: They reached USD 6.2 million in 2005. A handful of firms exporting coffee and cotton dominate the sector and this situation is likely to remain. Though the sector is maturing, most recent entrants are small, relatively weak and currently depend on donor support.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Uganda and Africa
104. Oxfam Publishing: Africa and the Doha Round: Fighting to keep development alive
- Author:
- Jennifer Brant
- Publication Date:
- 11-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- As the poorest continent on earth, Africa needs debt relief, aid, and trade to help it to alleviate poverty and achieve sustainable development. Unfortunately, unfair trade rules and supply constraints impede Africa's capacity to trade. As a result, it captures a mere one per cent of world trade.
- Topic:
- Development, International Trade and Finance, and World Trade Organization
- Political Geography:
- Africa
105. Diamonds, Foreign Aid, and the Uncertain Prospects for Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Sierra Leone
- Author:
- J. Andrew Grant
- Publication Date:
- 08-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- This article examines the external and internal dimensions of post-conflict reconstruction in Sierra Leone. The United Nations, bilateral donors such as the United Kingdom, and transnational non-governmental organizations and aid agencies have been instrumental in providing much-needed external assistance to Sierra Leone during the latter stages of its civil war and in the immediate post-war period. Although foreign aid is a welcome source of external support for reconstruction efforts, it is finite like any other resource. Reconstruction must also address intangible issues such as corruption as well as the healing of society through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Diamond exports hold potential as an internal source to spur economic growth and reconstruction. However, as the article illustrates, many obstacles remain, ranging from governance weaknesses in terms of capacity and domestic regulatory schemes on diamonds to the existence of illicit mining and smuggling of diamonds to regional instability.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Debt, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Africa and United Kingdom
106. Which Policies Can Reduce the Cost of Capital in Southern Africa?
- Author:
- Martin Grandes and Nicolas Pinaud
- Publication Date:
- 09-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
- Abstract:
- Lowering interest rates and, thus, the cost of borrowing in the rand zone (Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and South Africa) is a priority to promote investment and economic growth. Local-currency interest rates in these countries are driven by those on rand-denominated transactions. Reducing the level and volatility of the rand premium would help reduce financing costs in the region. Policies should promote: enhancing financial-market liquidity; easier access to South African financial markets for African entities; domestic saving capacity; and the improvement of international perception of the rand. Johannesburg could become a financial "hub" for the region, channelling cheap resources to its neighbours.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Africa, South Africa, Swaziland, and Namibia
107. The Characteristics of Macroeconomic Shocks in the CFA Franc Zone
- Author:
- David Fielding, Kevin Lee, and Kalvinder Shields
- Publication Date:
- 03-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- In this paper we fit a VECM in output and prices to data from ten countries of the CFA Franc Zone. This model allows for various cross-country interactions in both the short run and the long run. The VECM parameters are used to estimate persistence profiles of different kinds, in order to identify the degree of homogeneity in the way in which the countries respond to macroeconomic shocks. In this way we can shed light on questions about the likely size of the costs incurred from these countries' membership of a monetary union.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Organization, International Political Economy, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Africa
108. Monetary Policy in the Franc Zone: Estimating Interest Rate Rules for the BCEAO
- Author:
- Anja Shortland and David Stasavage
- Publication Date:
- 02-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- This paper examines to what extent the central bank for the West African Economic and Monetary Union (BCEAO) has used interest rate policy in response to domestic economic developments. We show that while in the long run the BCEAO matches changes in French (Eurozone) interest rates one for one, in the short run it retains freedom to react to domestic economic variables, such as inflation, the output gap, its foreign exchange position and government borrowing.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Organization, International Political Economy, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Africa, France, and West Africa
109. Poverty and Growth in the WAEMU after the 1994 Devaluation
- Author:
- Jean-Paul Azam
- Publication Date:
- 02-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- This paper brings out that poverty increased massively in the wake of the 1994 devaluation of the CFA franc, despite a significant recovery of economic growth. Although this increase affected all the social groups, it fell mostly on the urban poor. An analytical model is presented, which explains this puzzle by the stratification of the labour market, assuming that the formal sector workers are at the same time the investors in the informal sector. Then, capital intensity in the latter increases as the former anticipate the cut in formal sector wages that the long-awaited devaluation brings about. Ex post, they run down their assets for consumption-smoothing purposes, thus de-capitalizing the informal sector firms, with a negative impact on incomes in the (urban) informal sector.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Organization, International Political Economy, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Africa
110. The Impact of Monetary Union on Macroeconomic Integration: Evidence from West Africa
- Author:
- David Fielding and Kalvinder Shields
- Publication Date:
- 02-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- In this paper we use data from 17 African nations in order to investigate the hypothesis that monetary union – represented in this case by the CFA Franc Zone – augments the extent of macroeconomic integration. The paper covers a number of dimensions of integration including the volume of bilateral trade, real exchange rate volatility and the magnitude of cross-country business cycle correlation.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Organization, International Political Economy, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Africa