|
on Central and Western Asia |
| By: | Pinaki Chakraborty |
| Abstract: | Since its enactment in 2005, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) has been implemented in 200 districts in India. Based on state-by-state employment demand-supply data and the use of funds released under NREGA, it is found that, although it is a demand-driven scheme, there are significant interstate differences in the supply of employment. The supply falls far short of demand, particularly in low-income states, where the organizational capacity to implement the scheme is limited. It is also noted that the NREGA-induced fiscal expansion has not contributed to higher fiscal imbalances. The consolidation of other public employment programs into NREGA has actually kept the total allocation of funds by the central government at a level no higher than those reached in the fiscal years 2002-03 to 2005-06. The NREGA fund utilization ratio varies widely across states and is abysmally low in the poorer states. Since the flow of resources to individual states is based on approved plans outlining employment demand, it may turn out to be regressive for the poorer states with low organizational capacity in terms of planning and management of the schemes, especially labor demand forecasting. |
| Date: | 2007–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:lev:wrkpap:wp_505&r=cwa |
| By: | Amin, Mohammad |
| Abstract: | A recent survey of 1,948 retail stores in India conducted by the World Bank ' s Enterprise Surveys shows that 19 percent of the stores use computers for their business. In some states like Kerala, computer use is as high as 40 percent. Using this data the author finds labor regulation as an important determinant of computer use. His estimates suggest that when faced with burdensome labor regulations, the probability of using a computer rises by over 36 percentage points for an average store. These findings formally confirm a commonly held but untested view that labor regulation may be responsible for the spread of labor saving modern technology. |
| Keywords: | Labor Markets,Regulatory Regimes,Public Sector Regulation,Urban Economics,Public & Municipal Finance |
| Date: | 2007–07–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:4274&r=cwa |
| By: | KibritÃÂçioÃÂÃÂlu, Aykut |
| Abstract: | In this paper, a macroeconomic performance index (MEP10) which consists of selected ten indicators is proposed to evaluate the relative performance of Turkish governments by using monthly data for the period of December 1987 âÃÂàApril 2007. According to the multi-staged evaluation process applied in the study, the governments are grouped in three classes: (1) Relatively successful governments: 46. government (December 1987 âÃÂàNovember 1989), 48. government (June 1991 âÃÂàNovember 1991), 54. government (June 1996 âÃÂàJune 1997), and 59. government (March 2002 âÃÂàApril 2007), (2) Relatively unsuccessful governments: 47. government (November 1989 âÃÂàJune 1991), 49. government (November 1991 âÃÂàJune 1993), 55. government (June 1997 âÃÂàJanuary 1999) and 53. government (March 1996 âÃÂàJune 1996), and (3) Most unsuccessful governments: 50.-52. governments (June 1993 âÃÂàMarch 1996) and 56.-57. governments (January 1999 âÃÂàNovember 2002). The monthly performance index is also used to test some hypotheses regarding the relationship between the length of the governmentsâÃÂàterm of office and their macroeconomic performances. |
| Keywords: | Okun's misery index; macroeconomic performance; macroeconomic stability; governments; political stability; general elections; economic crises; Turkish economy |
| JEL: | O53 E65 C43 |
| Date: | 2007–07–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:3962&r=cwa |
| By: | Saleh,Salman, Ali and Zeitun, Rami (University of Wollongong) |
| Abstract: | Islamic banking in Jordan started around two decades ago. Since then it has played an important role in financing and contributing to different economics and social sectors in the country in compliance with the principles of Shariah rules in Islamic banking practices. Since there have been limited studies on the financial performance of Islamic banks in the country. The aim of this paper is to examine and analyse the Jordanian experience with Islamic banking, and in particular the experience for the first and second Islamic bank in the country, Jordan Islamic Bank for Finance and Investment (JIBFI), and Islamic International Arab Bank (IIAB) in order to evaluate the Islamic banksâÃÂàperformance in the county. The paper goes further to shed some light on the domestic as well as global challenges, which are facing this sector. However, this paper used the performance evaluation methodology by conducting the profit maximization, capital structure, and liquidity tests. This paper found that the efficiency and ability of both banks has increased and both have expanded their investment and activities and had played an important role in financing projects in Jordan. Another interesting finding of the paper that these banks have focused on the short-term investment, perhaps this seems to be the case in most Islamic banking practices. Another finding is that the Bank for Finance and Investment (JIBFI) has a high profitability that encourages other banks to practice the Islamic financial system. The paper also found that Islamic banks have a high growth in the credit facilities and in profitability. |
| Keywords: | Islamic banking, Performance, Efficiency, Challenges, Jordan |
| Date: | 2006 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:uow:depec1:wp06-21&r=cwa |
| By: | Alasrag, Hussien |
| Abstract: | The small and medium industries played a key role in providing employment opportunities, in addition to its significant share in total value added and they provide goods and services at affordable prices for a substantial segment of the low-income, which is seen as a useful tool to guide the small savings to invest, as they are able to strengthen the innovation and experimentation that are basic structural change through the emergence of a group of business leaders who are qualified, ambition and activity, and is also able to play a more positive role in the development of exports in helping to develop new products, and at certain levels of productivity can work again behave like nutritious large industrial industries (as is the case in Japan), this is the provision of foreign exchange spent on the import of intermediate goods and capital. It is also considered an important barometer of the nature of the market vitality and movement. And the Arab Customs Union is an advanced stage and later after the free trade area already among 17 Arab countries in 2005, and earlier stage is to create a strategy to reach a common Arab market in the year 2020. There is no doubt that speeding up the customs union Arab need for fair competition between the Arab products, but because of the way it was done establish a free trade area and updating raise tariffs from the beginning of January 2005 without taking preventive action during transitional periods, taking into account the insurance of small and medium industries in many Arab States against the risks stages of the shift towards integration, in addition to the direct impact of the expansion on the market, it is expected to be the overthrow of a number of these industries and removed from the productive activity. The research aims to study the impact of the Arab Customs Union on small and medium industries in the Arab countries. |
| Keywords: | The small and medium industries; the Arab Customs Union; the Arab countries. |
| JEL: | F0 F13 F15 |
| Date: | 2007–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:3989&r=cwa |
| By: | Harvie, Charles and Saleh, Ali Salman (University of Wollongong) |
| Abstract: | Since the onset of the Civil War in 1975 Lebanon has experienced burgeoning fiscal deficits and an unsustainable public debt overhang. Much of this arose from the loss of revenues during the period of the Civil War 1975-90 and attempts to maintain basic public expenditure, while from 1990-2006 it reflected post Taif rebuilding and reconstruction of key infrastructure with limited revenue capacity. Considerable progress from the 1990s has been achieved in rebuilding the shattered economy from both public and private international and domestic sources, but its legacy is a huge public debt and a servicing requirement that currently absorbs alone almost 30 per cent of total government revenue and is the highest in the world on a per capita basis. While the need to reduce this debt to a sustainable level would be daunting enough in itself, LebanonâÃÂÃÂs fiscal predicament was further compounded by the outbreak of war with Israel during July-August 2006. The consequence of this 34 day conflagration was the devastation of residential property, vital infrastructure, agricultural production, industrial production, exports, environmental damage, the collapse of tourism and a further erosion of the influence and power of the central government. Estimates of the direct and indirect costs for Lebanon of this relatively brief but devastating war conservatively vary from US$10-15 billion. The implications of such reconstruction and rebuilding costs for the budget and public debt are potentially calamitous for Lebanon. A key question is whether Lebanon can tackle this enormous task in insolation. This paper explores the background to the fiscal crisis, identifies from available literature the extent, nature and cost of the war damage, analyses the options available to the authorities in rebuilding the economy and highlights key policy issues and measures that will be required if a sustainable economic recovery is to be achieved. Despite its demonstrated and remarkable resilience to past trauma the paper concludes that the fiscal crisis makes it impossible for Lebanon to tackle the reconstruction and rebuilding task on its own and particularly in the wake of the events of summer 2006. The country will require substantial and ongoing financial support from international lenders and donors. The success of these efforts in the case of Lebanon is of particular interest as it could well be a microcosm of possible future outcomes for the region more generally. |
| JEL: | E60 E61 E62 E65 |
| Date: | 2007 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:uow:depec1:wp07-04&r=cwa |