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on Development |
| By: | Darwin Cortés; Andrés Gallegos-Vargas; Jorge Pérez Pérez |
| Abstract: | We analyze the effect of adverse health shocks on households' expenditure shares in different good categories using a fixed-effects approach and a structural approach based on microeconomic theory. We find that, on average, households substitute health and food expenditure in response to adverse health shocks. Our estimates unveil substantial heterogeneity in this trade-off mediated by access to social protection, job contract type, and urban or rural location. Households from rural areas --where household heads are more likely to hold informal jobs and lack access to safety nets-- engage in more substitution of food expenditure for health expenditure than others. Our findings suggest that access to formal employment and a higher quality of local institutions can help mitigate the negative consequences of health shocks for households. |
| Keywords: | Health shocks;household expenditure;informal labor;urban-rural |
| JEL: | D12 I15 J46 |
| Date: | 2025–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bdm:wpaper:2025-03 |
| By: | Catherine Guirkinger (Development Finance and Public Policies, University of Namur); Quentin Stoeffler (Bordeaux School of Economics, University of Bordeaux) |
| Abstract: | We investigate how artisanal gold mining affect household investment in primary education in Burkina Faso. Using a variety of estimation methods with primary data and secondary data, we find a significant, robust and strong negative effect of artisanal mining on primary school enrolment for boys but not for girls. We explore potential channels and find that direct involvement in mining work does not explain the results. However, children appear to substitute for their parents working in mines (or other activities that developed after the mining boom). In addition, elicited perceived returns to primary education are negatively affected by the presence of mines. Both mechanisms suggest an indirect increase in the opportunity cost of education. We find no evidence of a negative income effect or of a change in school supply which could affect the direct cost of education. Our findings suggest that artisanal mining causes negative externalities on human capital accumulation that need to be addressed if mining is to contribute to poor household livelihoods. |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nam:defipp:2503 |
| By: | Amelie Allegre (School of Economics, University of East Anglia); Oana Borcan (School of Economics, University of East Anglia); Christa Brunnschweiler (Department of Economics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology) |
| Abstract: | We examine colonial-era primary education as a determinant of modern-day attainment and gender disparities in education. We construct a novel dataset from the French Protectorate in Morocco, combining archival data on colonial school locations in 1931 and 1954 with the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data in arbitrary grids. We analyse the influence of colonial schools on the probability of attaining primary and secondary education in 2004. Overall, schools dedicated to Moroccans in 1931 exhibit a persistent positive impact on education outcomes, but only in the absence of nearby schools reserved for Europeans. Stark gender gaps in access during the Protectorate were narrowed in places with schools for Jewish Moroccans. These had a positive impact on girls’ contemporary levels of education, but a negative impact on the enrolment for boys following the dismantling of Jewish communities after 1948. DHS measures of preferences for female education point to a social norms transmission mechanism between Jewish and Muslim Moroccan communities. |
| Keywords: | education, colonial legacy, female education, Morocco, French Protectorate |
| JEL: | N37 O15 I21 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:uea:ueaeco:2025-02 |
| By: | Mathilde Sage (UNIVERSITE CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES)) |
| Abstract: | Does improving widows’ inheritance rights have the potential to reduce fertility rates in Sub-Saharan Africa? This paper exploits a natural experiment in Namibia to identify the causal impact of a reform implemented in 2008 that improved widow’s inheritance rights on fertility behaviors. I combine pre-reform variations in customary inheritance laws across traditional authorities with time variation, using a difference-in-differences strategy. The results indicate that the reform led to a 24% decrease in the annual birth rate, equivalent to a reduction of one child over a woman’s reproductive life. Additionally, the reform delayed the age at first birth by 5.5 months. I find suggestive evidence that women had more children and at an earlier age as a mitigating strategy against the prevalent risk of dispossession in widowhood. In contexts where the widowhood risk may materialize at a young age due to large age gap between partners and to women’s longer life expectancy, women anticipate the need to have a financially independent child by their 40’s. These findings suggest that protecting widows’ inheritance rights could be a novel, low-cost policy lever to reduce fertility rates and delay early childbearing, addressing major development challenges in the subcontinent. |
| Keywords: | Inheritance rights, Widows, Fertility, sub-Saharan Africa, Insurance |
| JEL: | O12 J12 J13 J16 |
| Date: | 2025–02–25 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ctl:louvir:2025004 |
| By: | Hoang, Diem |
| Abstract: | This paper evaluates the impacts of trade liberalization on the marital and fertility choices of women in Vietnam. Applying a regional exposure approach, we leverage the U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) as an exogenous and positive shock to the nation's export growth. Our results indicate that young women (aged 18-28) in provinces more exposed to export tariff reductions tend to delay marriage and childbirth. In contrast, we observe no significant impact on the marriage and fertility decisions of older women, nor any changes in sex-selective behavior across the general population. Further analysis reveals that this trade shock does not influence women's participation in the labor force or their employment status, nor does it lead to increased gender segregation in the labor market. The observed delay in marriage and fertility among young women may be attributed to a shift from agriculture to manufacturing and women staying longer at schools. |
| Abstract: | In diesem Beitrag werden die Auswirkungen der Handelsliberalisierung auf die Heirats- und Fertilitätsentscheidungen von Frauen in Vietnam evaluiert. Unter Anwendung eines regionalen Expositions-Ansatzes nutzen wir das bilaterale Handelsabkommen (BTA) zwischen den USA und Vietnam als exogenen und positiven Schock für das Exportwachstum des Landes. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass junge Frauen (im Alter von 18 bis 28 Jahren) in Provinzen, die stärker von Exportzollsenkungen betroffen sind, dazu neigen, Heirat und Geburten zu verschieben. Im Gegensatz dazu beobachten wir keine signifikanten Auswirkungen auf die Heirats- und Fertilitätsentscheidungen älterer Frauen und auch keine Veränderungen im geschlechtsspezifischen Verhalten in der Allgemeinbevölkerung. Eine weitere Analyse zeigt, dass dieser Handelsschock weder einen Einfluss auf die Erwerbsbeteiligung von Frauen oder ihren Beschäftigungsstatus hat, noch zu einer verstärkten Geschlechtertrennung auf dem Arbeitsmarkt führt. Die beobachtete Verzögerung bei Heirat und Geburten bei jungen Frauen kann auf eine Verlagerung von der Landwirtschaft zum verarbeitenden Gewerbe und auf einen längeren Schulbesuch der Frauen zurückgeführt werden. |
| JEL: | F61 J13 J16 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:rwirep:314409 |
| By: | Abigail Opokua Asare (University of Oldenburg, Department of Economics) |
| Abstract: | The effectiveness of educational aid in Africa is a pressing issue, with little consensus on whether the management quality of aid has significant contribution toward achieving inclusive, equitable, and quality education on the continent by 2030. Despite substantial inflows of educational aid from both bilateral and multilateral sources, Africa continues to report the world’s highest illiteracy rates, indicating potential inefficiencies in educational aid management. This paper investigates whether the impact of World Bank–funded educational projects across Africa on literacy rates depends on the quality of project management. The findings reveal that educational projects managed in a highly satisfactory manner significantly reduce illiteracy, regardless of the quantity of aid or volume of aid disbursement. Meanwhile, projects managed in a sub-satisfactory manner show no progress at all. These findings highlight that effective management is far more critical to success than the amount of aid provided and suggest that reforming management practices could drastically enhance the impact of educational aid. By prioritizing high-quality management practices, policymakers and international organizations could improve the effects of educational aid, offering a targeted strategy to drive Africa’s educational progress. |
| Keywords: | aid effectiveness, management quality, illiteracy, DHS, World Bank, Africa |
| Date: | 2025–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:old:dpaper:449 |
| By: | Atanase, Yene; Michelle, Eke Balla Sophie |
| Abstract: | Despite the introduction of agricultural policies, social safety net programmes, investment in agricultural infrastructure, and support measures for small farmers, the country continues to face high levels of food insecurity. Agricultural policies have been hampered by corruption, mismanagement of resources, and lack of monitoring and evaluation, leading to mixed results. Social safety net programmes have faced problems of exclusion and lack of transparency in the distribution of aid. Investment in agricultural infrastructure has been delayed and poorly maintained, limiting its impact on the food supply chain. Support measures for small-scale farmers have encountered obstacles such as lack of access to credit and appropriate training. These failures in the implementation of previous policies have serious consequences for the health, well-being, and socio-economic stability of the most vulnerable populations. It is, therefore, necessary to analyze the trajectory of household food insecurity in Cameroon, in order to better understand the factors and coping strategies that enable households to maintain or improve their food security over time. This may be useful for guiding policies and programmes aimed at reducing food insecurity and strengthening household resilience to shocks and crises. To this end, we used data from a two-round telephone survey of Cameroonian households. In the first round of the survey, 2680 households were interviewed between 1 and 28 February 2021. In the second round, 1861 households from the first round were interviewed between 21 June and 21 July 2021. Using these data, several factors can be identified: (i) the characteristics of the household, including the age of the head of household, the size of the household, the sector of activity of the head of household, insurance, and mutual insurance, access to the internet, area of residence (ii) shocks can be a loss of income, the death of a household member, loss of employment, an increase in the price of inputs, an increase in the price of food consumed. Households may also use a variety of coping strategies, such as savings, stored food, borrowing, government and NGO assistance, remittances, and loans. |
| Date: | 2024–04–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aer:wpaper:9357308b-e680-4c3c-81ac-0060f8f2b48b |
| By: | Benedetti, Cindy (Bancoldex); Dussán Miranda , Danitza (Bancoldex); Cuenca Coral, María Esperanza (Fundación Universidad del Norte) |
| Abstract: | En este artículo se muestra que, a pesar de que en Colombia el acceso a los servicios financieros formales sigue siendo un reto para muchas microempresas, ya que sólo una pequeña parte obtiene con éxito créditos de fuentes tradicionales, una alternativa como neocrédito ha logrado resultados interesantes aportando de forma diferente a la inclusión financiera. Los más importantes resultados del canal digital de Bancóldex, neocrédito, se presentan haciendo énfasis en su neutralidad en género y ruralidad para las siguientes variables: i) diferencia entre la tasa más alta que se ha ofrecido a un microempresario y la finalmente contratada ii) ajuste entre el monto solicitado y el recibido. La variable plazo solicitado, se trabaja como un ajuste entre el plazo solicitado y el obtenido y se encuentra como una variable independiente dentro de este modelo. La metodología utilizada en el análisis objeto del presente artículo es básicamente cuantitativa y se realiza una exploración a través de correlaciones. Igualmente, se desarrolla un modelo de ecuaciones simultáneas en el que se analiza la influencia de algunos aspectos escogidos durante la exploración sobre las variables que se han seleccionado como factores determinantes en la decisión financiera. |
| Keywords: | Microempresas; financiación; crédito. |
| JEL: | A10 |
| Date: | 2024–11–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:col:000383:000057 |
| By: | Dedewanou, F. Antoine |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the determinants of protective behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic in Benin. We use data from online and phone surveys collected during the period 13 September 2020 1 October 2020 among Benin citizens aged 18 years and older. Trust in government, beliefs about others compliance and employment status are significant determinants of compliance with the precautionary measures such as handwashing and social distancing. We also document significant association between trust in government and media use. These findings, therefore, suggest that the Government of Benins messages should focus on developing and maintaining trust among the public by providing transparent, coherent, clear, timely, and accurate information that reduces peoples uncertainty and enhances compliance. Two-way communication between the government and citizens can act as bridge to ensure public engagement and disseminate information. Key words: Compliance behaviours; Trust in government; Media use; Benin |
| Date: | 2024–04–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aer:wpaper:ba0917ba-5da4-486b-b8d6-5b955f5400ce |