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on Central and Western Asia |
| By: | erdogdu, oya safinaz |
| Abstract: | It is seen that many developed nations are taking serious actions to use domestic rather than imported energy resources. Contrary, Turkey -a developing country- is getting more dependent on imported resources of energy, such as natural gas. This study analyses the consequences of this policy on some macroeconomic variables. Granger causality test statistics are calculated to search for relations between total energy consumption / imported energy resources and gross domestic product, industrial production index or private sector fixed investment. The results indicate that although total and imported quantity of energy affects gross domestic product, the national income, the origin of energy resource –such as being domestic or not – does not effect industrial production. As for the determinants of energy imports the test statistics indicate that private sector investment Granger causes energy imports. |
| Keywords: | Energy consumption; Granger causality; VAR |
| JEL: | C32 Q43 |
| Date: | 2007–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:5413&r=cwa |
| By: | Jake Kendall (University of California Santa Cruz); Nirvikar Singh (University of California Santa Cruz); Kristin Williams (University of California Santa Cruz); Yan Zhou (California State University, Sacramento); P.D. Kaushik (Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies) |
| Abstract: | The idea of a ‘global digital divide’ is well accepted, and cross-country studies of determinants of differences in computer and Internet penetration have identified income, telecommunications infrastructure, and regulatory quality as key influencing factors. The policy implications from these studies are relatively blunt: get richer, have more telephones, and regulate telecommunications better. In this paper, we examine an alternative policy approach to bridging the digital divide, through organizational innovations that provide low cost Internet access in developing countries, within the existing levels of income, telecommunications infrastructure and regulatory environment. We use survey data from 500 individuals in four states of India: Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan, to examine factors influencing patterns of computer and Internet use. The situations in which data was collected were ones where computer and Internet access was being provided by a developmental agency (government or non-government). We estimate logit and multinomial logit models, using explanatory variables such as income, household size, education, and occupation, as well as infrastructure factors such as quality of electricity supply, and availability of telephones and televisions. Thus we are able to go beyond simple analyses of penetration at the country level, to understand the microeconomics of computer and Internet use in rural India. In particular, by examining patterns of use, we are able to comment on the importance of network externalities for diffusion of computers and the Internet in these local rural contexts. |
| Keywords: | IT, ITC, Internet, India, Development, Digital Divide |
| JEL: | L86 O1 |
| Date: | 2007–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:net:wpaper:0729&r=cwa |
| By: | David Cutler; Winnie Fung; Michael Kremer; Monica Singhal |
| Abstract: | We examine the effects of malaria on educational attainment by exploiting geographic variation in malaria prevalence in India prior to a nationwide eradication program in the 1950s. Malaria eradication resulted in gains in literacy and primary school completion rates of approximately 12 percentage points. These estimates imply that the eradication of malaria can explain about half of the gains in these measures of educational attainment between the pre- and post-eradication periods in areas where malaria was prevalent. The effects are not present in urban areas, where malaria was not considered to be a problem in the pre-eradication period. The results cannot be explained by convergence across areas. We find gains for both men and women as well as for members of scheduled castes and tribes, a traditionally disadvantaged group. |
| JEL: | H51 I18 J24 |
| Date: | 2007–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:13539&r=cwa |
| By: | Ara Volkan (Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers); Cem Saatçioðlu (Faculty of Economics, Istanbul University); Levent Korap (Department of Economics, Marmara University) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the extent to which changes in exchange rates result in changes in Turkish domestic inflation. Specifically, we determine if there has been a change in the magnitude of this impact from the pre-2003 period to the post-2003, when the exchange rates were allowed to float. Employing monthly frequency data, we estimate two impulse-response functions and pass-through coefficients, one derived for the 1994 April-2002 December period using 1994 price indices as base (100) and the other one derived for the 2003January-2006December period using the 2003 price indices as base (100). We confirm that exchange rate shocks feed into domestic inflation, first at the level of manufacturers’ prices and then at the level of consumer prices, and that the impact of the shocks on the price variables of the various stages of the supply chain is different. Our findings indicate that the magnitude of the impact has declined for the post-2003 period by nearly one-half compared to the pre-2003 period during the early stages of the production process reflecting the predominance of the manufacturer price index in determining Turkish inflation rates. In addition, the decline in the exchange rate pass-through impact on domestic prices coincides with a 25 percent decline in the post-2003 consumer price inflation. Regardless, the consideration of the impact of exchange rate changes on the domestic inflationary process is still important when establishing monetary policies for the Turkish economy. |
| Date: | 2007 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tek:wpaper:2007/6&r=cwa |
| By: | Kudo, Toshihiro; Mieno, Fumiharu |
| Abstract: | Throughout the 1990s and up to 2005, the adoption of an open-door policy substantially increased the volume of Myanmar’s external trade. Imports grew more rapidly than exports in the 1990s owing to the release of pent-up consumer demand during the transition to a market economy. Accordingly, trade deficits expanded. Confronted by a shortage of foreign currency, the government after the late 1990s resorted to rigid controls over the private sector’s trade activities. Despite this tightening of policy, Myanmar’s external sector has improved since 2000 largely because of the emergence of new export commodities, namely garments and natural gas. Foreign direct investments in Myanmar significantly contributed to the exploration and development of new gas fields. As trade volume grew, Myanmar strengthened its trade relations with neighboring countries such as China, Thailand and India. Although the development of external trade and foreign investment inflows exerted a considerable impact on the Myanmar economy, the external sector has not yet begun to function as a vigorous engine for broad-based and sustainable development. |
| Keywords: | Myanmar (Burma), International trade, Cross-border trade, Foreign direct investment, Economic development, Development cooperation, Foreign investments |
| JEL: | F14 F21 P28 |
| Date: | 2007–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:jet:dpaper:dpaper116&r=cwa |