Development
Why reforms fail: Political-economy forces and agriculture in Africa
Increasing agricultural productivity and expanding the agribusiness industry in sub-Saharan Africa is critical for poverty reduction, food security and economic growth. Numerous recent national, regional and G20-level programmes have been initiated to that effect. This column discusses new research showing that political economy forces have a major bearing on the success or failure of agricultural reform programmes. To be successful, policymakers must bear in mind the extent to which existing elites are affected by the redistribution associated with increasing returns for rural producers.
Multinationals assist domestic suppliers? Perhaps think again
The positive spillovers from multinationals to the productivity of their host-country suppliers are empirically well established. Usually, it is assumed that multinationals aid their suppliers by voluntarily sharing knowledge and cooperating with them. This column argues the spillovers might rather result from blunt pressure by the multinationals, forcing their suppliers to adopt new practices and to adapt to new standards.
Measuring financial development
Is there too much financial development, or too little? Can economists even measure it well? This column argues that commonly used measures of financial development are poor proxies of what the financial system actually does, presenting a new worldwide database that aims to fill some of the gaps. There needs to be a stronger link between the theory and measurement of financial development.
Gender equality and economic growth: A framework for policy analysis
Reducing gender inequity will require a wide range of policies. This column describes a framework for quantifying the growth effects of gender policies in developing economies and, by applying an overlapping generations model to Brazil, shows that gender policy is likely to produce tangible economic results, but only in the long term.
Aid for trade: Can it be evaluated?
Programmes that help developing nations trade are a key part of the global trade and development agenda. But do such policies work? This column summarises lessons from a recent workshop on the issue. One promising way forward is to use benchmarking from existing data sets to identify the aid’s effectiveness.
Other Recent Articles:
- The need for a second round of ‘look east’ policies in south Asia
- Fire-sale FDI: All smoke and no fire?
- Are education policies reaching the marginalised in Africa?
- The welfare cost of lawlessness: Evidence from Somali piracy
- What explains gender differences in India? What can be done to promote shared prosperity?
- Growth dynamics and policy choices facing Indonesia
- Commodity prices and growth: A changing relationship?
- Highway to success in India
- Ethnic inequality
- China and the end of extrapolation
- Diversifying Russia
- Small and medium enterprise financing and growth: Evidence from Latin America
- The growth effects of democratisation: New evidence
- The expansion and convergence of compulsory schooling: Lessons for developing countries
- Growth slowdowns redux: Avoiding the middle-income trap
- Colonialism and development in Africa
- Brain drain or brain gain? Evidence from corporate boards
- In defence of GDP as a measure of wellbeing
- Avoiding middle-income growth traps
- Trade, geography, and the unifying force of Islam
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