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on Central and Western Asia |
| By: | K. SUNDARAM (Department of Economics, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi, India) |
| Abstract: | This paper presents some results from the NSS 61st Round Employment – Unemployment Survey, 2004-05 on the issue of fair access to social groups and religion-based population categories. The issue is whether and the extent to which the population of say, the OBCs or the Muslims (in the relevant age-group and with the qualifying level of education) is under-represented in enrollments in higher education. The answer involves (for each population category and relevant age-group) a comparison of (i) their share among those with the qualifying level of education with (ii) their share among those with the qualifying level of education and currently attending institutions for under-graduate/post-graduate studies. At the all-India level, despite a sharp rise in the share of OBCs in the total population, the extent of their under-representation in under-graduate enrollments is just 2.5 percent – down from 3.5 percent in 1999-2000 – in rural India. In urban India, the extent of OBC under-representation in under-graduate enrollments, though marginally higher than in 1999-2000, is still less than 2.0 per cent. In respect of post-graduate enrollments, the OBCs, are significantly (by nearly 4 percentage points) over-represented in rural India, while in urban India, the OBC under-representation is just 0.3 percentage points. In respect of Muslims, in rural India, they are, over-represented in under-graduate enrollments and in urban-India, the extent of under-representation of Muslims is less than one percentage. Thus, for no social/religion-based population group is the extent of under-representation in enrollments in higher-education more than 2.5 percentage points. There is thus little or no case for a 27 percent reservation for OBCs in enrollments in higher education. As for the ‘Creamy Layer’ of the OBCs, there is, even less of a case for not excluding them from any regime of quotas for the OBCs in higher education. |
| Keywords: | India, Social & Religion-based Groups, Caste-based Reservations, Fair Access to Higher Education, Creamy layer. |
| JEL: | I28 |
| Date: | 2007–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cde:cdewps:163&r=cwa |
| By: | Pami Dua (Department of Economics, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi, India and Economic Cycle Research Institute, New York); Arunima Sinha (Department of Economics, Columbia University, New York, NY) |
| Abstract: | This paper tests and explains the impact of the East Asian crisis on India’s exchange rate. To examine this, an index of currency pressure is estimated for four countries -- Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia and India covering the period just before, during and after the crisis. A contagion model with panel data for these four countries is also estimated during the crisis period. On the basis of the panel data estimates, the paper concludes that while India experienced some effects of the crisis, these were not substantive. This is partly attributed to the role of stabilisation policy in India that included intervention in the foreign exchange market by the central bank, phased tightening of monetary policy and restrictions on capital flows. |
| Date: | 2007–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cde:cdewps:158&r=cwa |
| By: | Matthieu Bussière (European Central Bank, Kaiserstrasse 29, 60311 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.); Arnaud Mehl (European Central Bank, Kaiserstrasse 29, 60311 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.) |
| Abstract: | This paper analyses the integration of China and India into the global economy. To this end, it presents estimates from a gravity model to gauge the overall degree of their trade intensity and the depth of their bilateral trade linkages, as well as selected measures of revealed comparative advantage and economic distance. The paper also reviews the key characteristics of the two countries’ domestic economies that are relevant to their global integration and analyses their financial linkages with the rest of the world. Four main fi ndings stand out. First, considering trade in goods, the overall degree of China’s trade intensity is higher than fundamentals would suggest, whereas the converse is true for India. Second, Chinese goods exports seem to compete increasingly with those of mature economies, while Indian exports remain more low-tech. Third, China’s exports of services tend to complement its exports of goods, while India’s exports are growing only in deregulated sectors, such as IT-related services. Last, China’s and India’s roles in the global financial system are still relatively limited and often complementary to their roles in global trade. JEL Classification: E44, F3, C5. |
| Keywords: | China, India, global trade, gravity models, competitiveness indicators, global finance. |
| Date: | 2008–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecb:ecbops:20080080&r=cwa |
| By: | Timothy Besley; Rohini Pande; Vijayendra Rao |
| Abstract: | This paper uses data on elected village councils in South India to examine thepolitical economy of public resource allocation. We find that the pattern ofpolicy-making reflects politicians' self-interest. Elected councillors benefit fromimproved personal access to public resources. In addition, the headcouncillor's group identity and residence influences public resource allocation.While electoral incentives do not eliminate politician opportunism, votersappear able to use their electoral clout to gain greater access to publicresources. |
| Keywords: | decentralization, India, Panchayat. |
| JEL: | H76 H11 O12 |
| Date: | 2007–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:stidep:49&r=cwa |
| By: | Partha Sen (Department of Economics, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi, India) |
| Abstract: | Since the early 1990s the Indian economy has seen a considerable relaxation of controls, as a consequence of which it has witnessed unprecedented growth. This is especially remarkable in the external sector. In this paper I evaluate the progress made on the macroeconomic front and address the possibility of opening up the capital account of the balance of payments. I show that given the weakness in the financial sector and the government finances, it may be dangerous to speed up the process of opening up the capital account further. |
| Keywords: | Economic liberalization, financial repression, capital account convertibility |
| JEL: | E58 F21 F32 F43 |
| Date: | 2007–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cde:cdewps:157&r=cwa |
| By: | Bargain, Olivier (University College Dublin); Bhaumik, Sumon (Brunel University); Chakrabarty, Manisha (Indian Institute of Management); Zhao, Zhong (IZA) |
| Abstract: | This paper is one of the first comprehensive attempts to compare earnings in urban China and India over the recent period. While both economies have grown considerably, we illustrate significant cross-country differences in wage growth since the late 1980s. For this purpose, we make use of comparable datasets, estimate Mincer equations and perform Oaxaca-Blinder decompositions at the mean and quantile decompositions at different points of the wage distribution. The initial wage differential in favour of Indian workers, observed in the middle and upper part of the distribution, partly disappears over time. While the 1980s Indian premium is mainly due to higher returns to education and experience, a combination of price and endowment effects explains why Chinese wages have caught up, especially since the mid-1990s. The price effect is only partly explained by the observed convergence in returns to education; the endowment effect is driven by faster increase in education levels in China and significantly accentuates the reversal of the wage gap in favour of this country for the first half of the wage distribution. |
| Keywords: | returns to education, earnings, India, China, quantile regression, Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition |
| JEL: | O15 J24 O53 P52 |
| Date: | 2008–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp3284&r=cwa |
| By: | Pami Dua (Department of Economics, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi, India); Lokendra Kumawat (Department of Economics, Ramjas College,University of Delhi, Delhi) |
| Abstract: | This paper models the seasonal dynamics in quarterly industrial production for India. For this, we extend the time-varying smooth transition autoregression (TV-STAR) model to allow for independent regime-switching behaviour in the deterministic seasonal and cyclical components. This yields the time-varying seasonal smooth transition (TV-SEASTAR) model. We find evidence of the effect of rainfall growth on seasonal dynamics of industrial production. We also find that the seasonal dynamics have changed over the past decade, one aspect of this being the significant narrowing down of seasonals. The timing of these changes coincides with the changes in the character of the economy as it progressed towards a free-market economy in the post liberalization period. |
| Keywords: | Seasonality, Smooth transition autoregression, Economic reforms. |
| JEL: | C22 |
| Date: | 2007–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cde:cdewps:162&r=cwa |
| By: | Gulumser, Aliye Ahu (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Faculteit der Economische Wetenschappen en Econometrie (Free University Amsterdam, Faculty of Economics Sciences, Business Administration and Economitrics); Baycan Levent, Tuzin; Nijkamp, Peter |
| Abstract: | In recent years, several countries have emphasized the importance of employment in rural areas by setting up schemes for strategic priorities and financial resources for rural development. Currently, many countries regard self-employment in rural areas as the key element of rural development. This in contrast to the past, where agriculture was the only employment resource in rural areas; today’s rural areas have changed and offer different business opportunities not only in agriculture, but also in service sectors such as mass and small-scale tourism activities. Nevertheless, agriculture still keeps its importance in rural and national economy. Against this background, the aim of this study is to evaluate rural self-employment in the EU countries, while comparing Turkey’s self- employment with data on EU member states. The study focuses on self-employment trends in agriculture sector on the basis of changing motivations and participations of males and females. The data and information used for comparison and evaluation are based on Eurostat and Turkstat data. The results of our study show that agricultural employment and self-employment exhibit a slight decrease over time and that the impact of this decrease in male and female employment differs among countries in Europe. The results of our study show also that the motivation of Turkish women towards self-employment is higher than that of European women and of Turkish men. |
| Date: | 2007 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:vuarem:2007-17&r=cwa |
| By: | Friedman, Jed; Do, Quy-Toan; Das, Jishnu |
| Abstract: | The social and economic consequences of poor mental health in the developing world are presumed to be significant, yet are largely under-researched. The authors argue that mental health modules can be meaningfully added to multi-purpose household surveys in developing countries, and used to investigate this relationship. Data from nationally representative surveys in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Indonesia, and Mexico, along with special surveys from India and Tonga, show similar patterns of association between mental health and socioeconomic characteristics across countries. Individuals who are older, female, widowed, and report poor physical health are more likely to report worse mental health outcomes. Individuals living with others with poor mental health are also significantly more likely to report worse mental health themselves. In contrast, there is little observed relationship between mental health and poverty or education, common measures of socio-economic status. The results instead suggest that economic and multi-dimensional shocks such as illness or crisis can have a greater impact on mental health than overall levels of poverty. This may have important implications for social protection policy. The authors also find significant associations between poor mental health and lowered labor force participation (especially for women) and higher frequency visits to health centers, suggesting that poor mental health can have significant economic consequences for households and the health system. Finally, the paper discusses how measures of mental health are distinct from general subjective welfare measures such as happiness and indicate useful directions of future research. |
| Keywords: | Health Monitoring & Evaluation,Disease Control & Prevention,Gender and Health,Health Systems Development & Reform,Mental Health |
| Date: | 2008–01–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:4495&r=cwa |
| By: | Thierry Bracke (European Central Bank, Kaiserstrasse 29, 60311 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.); Matthieu Bussière (European Central Bank, Kaiserstrasse 29, 60311 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.); Michael Fidora (European Central Bank, Kaiserstrasse 29, 60311 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.); Roland Straub (European Central Bank, Kaiserstrasse 29, 60311 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.) |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we take a systematic look at global imbalances. First, we provide a definition of the phenomenon, and relate global imbalances to widening external positions of systemically important economies that reflect distortions or entail risks for the global economy. Second, we provide an operational content to this definition by measuring trends in external imbalances over the past decade and putting these in a historical perspective. We argue that three main features set today’s situation apart from past episodes of growing external imbalances - (i) the emergence of new players, in particular emerging market economies such as China and India, which are quickly catching up with the advanced economies; (ii) an unprecedented wave of financial globalisation, with more integrated global financial markets and increasing opportunities for international portfolio diversification, also characterised by considerable asymmetries in the level of market completeness across countries; and (iii) the favourable global macroeconomic and financial environment, with record high global growth rates in recent years, low financial market volatility and easy global financing conditions over a long time period of time, running at least until the summer of 2007. Finally, we provide an analytical overview of the fundamental causes and drivers of global imbalances. The central argument is that the increase in imbalances has been driven by a unique combination of structural and cyclical determinants. JEL Classification: F2, F32, F33, F41. |
| Keywords: | Gobal imbalances, current account, incomplete financial globalisation, structural factors, cyclical factors. |
| Date: | 2008–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecb:ecbops:20080078&r=cwa |
| By: | Hall, Andy (UNU-MERIT, LINK); Sulaiman, Rasheed (CRISP, LINK); Dhamankar, Mona (LINK); Bezkorowajnyj, Peter (ILRI); Prasad, Leela (ILRI) |
| Abstract: | This is the first in a series of three papers that develop a conceptual framework for a project on livestock fodder innovation. Livestock is important to the livelihoods of poor people in many regions of the developing world. A generic problem found across this diverse range of production and marketing contexts is the shortage of fodder. This paper argues that to address this problem it is necessary to frame the question of fodder shortage not from the perspective of information and technological scarcity, but from the perspective of capacity scarcity in relation to fodder innovation. To support this position the paper presents case studies of experience from an earlier fodder innovation project. These cases suggest that while fodder technology is important, it is not enough. There is a large institutional dimension to bringing about innovation, particularly with respect to the effectiveness of networks and alliances needed to put technology into use. |
| Keywords: | Technological Change, Agricultural Technology, Livestock, Poverty Reduction, Partnerships, India, Nigeria |
| JEL: | O33 Q16 Q18 |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:unumer:2008002&r=cwa |
| By: | Zahra Karimi |
| Abstract: | Iran's constitution emphasizes social justice and obliges government to provide a job for every citizen. But in fact, the government’s duty to provide jobs has shifted to government support for a measure designed to create new employment opportunities through subsidized loans to the private sector. This policy has not been successful to date, and the current stock of unemployed workers is about three million--12.75 percent of the country's labor force. To realize the desire of the Iranian people to achieve full employment and social justice, the government must implement employment guarantee schemes, or EGS, in the most deprived areas. Elected town and village councils can design and manage the public works with the help of other government, as well as nongovernment, institutions. Programs can be financed using less than 10 percent of the annual oil-exporting revenue that is deposited in the Oil Stabilization Fund. |
| Date: | 2008–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:lev:wrkpap:wp_527&r=cwa |