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on Arab World |
| By: | Marie-Ange VEGANZONES (Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches sur le Développement International); Patrick PLANE (Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches sur le Développement International); Tidiane KINDA (Fonds Monétaire International) |
| Abstract: | Firm productive performances in five Middle East and North African (MENA) economies and eight manufacturing industries are compared to those in 17 other developing countries. Although the broad picture hides some heterogeneity, enterprises in MENA often performed inadequately compared to MENA status of middle-income economies, with the exception of Morocco and, to some extent, Saudi Arabia. Firm competitiveness is a more constant constraint, with a unit labor cost higher than in most competitor countries, as well as investment climate (IC) deficiencies. The empirical analysis also points out how IC matters for firm productivity through the quality of infrastructure, the experience and education of the labor force, the cost and access to financing, and different dimensions of the government-business relationship. These findings bear important policy implications by showing which dimensions of the IC, in which industry, could help manufacturing in MENA to be more competitive in the globalization context. |
| Keywords: | Manufacturing firms, productivity, investment climate, developing countries, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) |
| JEL: | O57 O14 D24 |
| Date: | 2011 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdi:wpaper:1282&r=ara |
| By: | Yusuf Soner Baskaya; Timur Hulagu |
| Abstract: | Using individual level data from Turkstat Household Labor Force Survey for 2005-2009 period, we analyze whether there is a wage gap between formal and informal workers with comparable observable characteristics, where the formality of employment is defined with respect to individuals' registry status to compulsory Social Security System. We find that both standard Mincerian regressions and the propensity score matching exercises indicate a sizable formal employment wage premium in Turkey. This contrasts with earlier studies stating that findings on wage gap between formal and informal workers is not robust to estimation methodology. However, we find that the estimation methodology matters for the relative size of formal employment wage premium across demographic groups : While Mincerian regressions give similar estimates for formal-informal wage gap across males and females or old and young workers, the propensity score matching suggest that earning inequality due to differences in formality status is higher among females and young workers. |
| Keywords: | Formal/Informal Employment, Formal Employment Wage Premium, Propensity Score Matching |
| JEL: | C14 J30 J42 J60 O17 |
| Date: | 2011 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tcb:wpaper:1115&r=ara |
| By: | Albers, Scott A.; Albers, Andrew L. |
| Abstract: | The Long-Wave theories of Nikolai Kondratiev and others claim to find mathematic waves in economic and other social data which are at present in dispute. Currently the theory is considered outside the scope of mainstream economics under several rationales. Despite the lack of mainstream acceptance, we make a strong case for the existence of long waves in the Real GNP of the United States with a 56 year cycle. Our analysis bypasses many of the issues cited by Long-Wave theory critics and in fact clarifies the mathematical structure of the theory. |
| Keywords: | Real GNP; Golden Mean; Fibonacci Series; Arab Spring; Phi; Long Wave; Long Cycle; Kondratiev Wave; Economic Forecasting; Economic Model; Global Financial Crisis; Constitutional Law; American Economic History; Revolution; Consolidation; GNP Spiral; Okun's Law; “The Great Moderation” |
| JEL: | E0 B4 C19 E01 E27 C02 E39 K19 E3 N1 K0 O11 C53 A13 E19 E00 B59 E37 |
| Date: | 2011–07–21 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:33004&r=ara |
| By: | O'Sullivan, Meghan (Harvard University) |
| Abstract: | Iraq's ability to reach its energy potential should be of broad regional and international concern. Iraq could be poised for a dramatic transformation, one in which it finally escapes the political and technical constraints that have kept it producing less than 4 percent of the world's oil, despite having the third-largest conventional oil reserves in the world. Should Iraq meet its ambitions to bring nearly 10 million more barrels of oil on line by 2017, it would constitute the largest ever capacity increase in the history of the oil industry. Should Iraq, more probably, bring only half this capacity to market, it would still represent a massive achievement. Translating Iraq's energy promise into reality is in the shared interest of Iraq, the United States, Japan, and the international community more broadly. At the highest level, the health of Iraq's energy sector--currently the source of more than 90 percent of revenues accrued by the state--is a major determinant in setting Iraq's overall trajectory. A booming energy economy is not a guarantee of a prosperous, democratic, and stable Iraq; it could also be the hallmark of an Iraq that has returned to authoritarianism or even tyranny. But it is difficult to imagine a prosperous, democratic, and stable Iraq that does not claim a thriving energy industry among its assets. |
| Date: | 2011–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecl:harjfk:rwp11-031&r=ara |
| By: | Bathaee, Atieh |
| Abstract: | -- |
| Date: | 2011 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:grewdp:022011&r=ara |