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on Development |
| By: | Camille Fabre; Paul Vertier |
| Abstract: | While African countries have a particularly rich biodiversity, this has been deteriorating markedly for several decades, and seems to be accelerating in recent years. This degradation of biodiversity has consequences both at local level—African populations, mostly rural, are heavily dependent on ecosystem services—and at global level, given the major implications of biodiversity degradation for global warming, health, food security and global financial stability. Biodiversity conservation in Africa is therefore a major challenge, and its linkage with the continent’s economic development objectives raises a number of issues. To study this question, this paper combines geolocated data on economic activity and on a specific measure of biodiversity, namely vertebrate population counts, between 1990 and 2015. It shows that an increase in local economic activity is associated with a decline in local vertebrate populations, and discusses this result in light of the challenges facing Africa. It also documents the protection measures implemented both locally and globally to promote biodiversity preservation, as well as the challenges they face. |
| Keywords: | Biodiversity, Growth, Africa, Development |
| JEL: | Q57 Q54 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bfr:banfra:984 |
| By: | Bernad, Mariana (University of London); De Haas, Ralph (EBRD, London); Rud, Juan Pablo (Royal Holloway, University of London) |
| Abstract: | We document how banks' voluntary climate commitments predict both their green lending practices and their borrowers' environmental investments. Using structured surveys of 644 bank CEOs and heads of credit across 33 low- and middle-income countries, we develop indices of banks' green management and lending practices. These unique organizational data reveal that banks signing international climate initiatives ('talk') indeed exhibit stronger green practices ('walk') than non-signatories. We then merge our bank data with detailed surveys of 4, 719 firms and show that firms borrowing from climate-committed banks are more likely to undertake green investments. Exploiting geocoded bank branch and firm locations, we further find evidence of spatial matching: environmentally-oriented firms preferentially borrow from climate-committed banks in their vicinity. These patterns are consistent with voluntary climate commitments reflecting genuine environmental orientation rather than greenwashing. |
| Keywords: | green management, emerging markets, banks, limate change, greenwashing |
| JEL: | D22 G21 G32 O12 Q54 Q56 R51 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18131 |
| By: | Herrera-Almanza, Catalina (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); McCarthy, Aine Seitz |
| Abstract: | In sub-Saharan Africa, the gap in fertility preferences between men and women may influence household fertility outcomes as men usually desire more children and have more intra-household bargaining power. We estimate the effect of an informational family planning program that randomizes the inclusion of husbands on fertility preferences (desired additional children) in rural Tanzania. Surprisingly, husbands who participated in joint family planning consultations increased their desired fertility, and their wives responded by also increasing their desired number of additional children, converging to his larger preferences. In contrast, women in private family planning consultations (without their husbands) reduced their fertility desires, while their husbands' preferences remained unchanged. We provide evidence that the increase in women's fertility preferences as a result of the joint consultations is related to polygamy. Women in polygamous marriages increase their demand for children substantially, likely as a strategic response to hearing their husbands' stated preferences during the joint consultations. |
| Keywords: | randomized experiment, fertility, intrahousehold bargaining, fertility preferences |
| JEL: | D13 J13 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18115 |
| By: | María Padilla-Romo; Cecilia Peluffo |
| Abstract: | This paper estimates the effects of moving away from violent environments into safer areas on migrants' academic achievement in the context of the Mexican war on drugs. Using student location choices across space and over time, we recover individual-level migration paths for elementary school students across all municipalities in Mexico. We find that students who were induced to leave violent areas due to increased violence experience academic gains after relocating to safer areas. Students who migrated from municipalities in the 90th percentile of the violence distribution to municipalities in the 10th percentile experienced improvements of 5.3 percent of a standard deviation in their test scores two years after they migrated. These results appear to be explained by increases in school attendance and improvements in the learning environment after they moved. |
| JEL: | I24 I25 O15 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34270 |
| By: | Ana Luísa Costa Normando; José Renato Haas Ornelas |
| Abstract: | This paper estimates the gender revenue gap among Brazilian microentrepreneurs, sheds a light on the factors behind these disparities, and compares it with the formal job market. We collect payment data from all individual microentrepreneur businesses that remained open throughout the entire year of 2023, and from the owners of the businesses. The empirical approach consists of cross-section regressions comparing this revenue estimate for men and women, controlling for a set of variables, like geographic location and economic activity. Our results indicate that women microentrepreneurs have revenues 31% lower than those of men without any control. When controlling for economic activity, this gap decreases to 23%, so occupation choices account for a quarter of the original gender gap. Other controls like microentrepreneur’s age, firm’s age, and geographical location do not materially change this estimate. Prior formal job experience decreases the gender gap by 7 percentage points. We also estimate a 10% wage gender gap for the formal job market in 2023, which is 1/3 of the microentrepreneurs’ revenue gender gap. |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bcb:wpaper:627 |
| By: | Bryson, Alex (University College London); Tanaka, Mari (University of Tokyo) |
| Abstract: | The effects of trade unions on firm performance are theoretically ambiguous. The sizable empirical literature on their effects is almost exclusively confined to developed countries, particularly those in North America and Europe. We contribute to the literature by estimating union effects on firm performance in about 40, 000 firms in 77 developing countries between 2002 and 2011. In doing so, we exploit standardized firm level data collected by the World Bank. We find positive partial correlations between unionization and firm labor productivity and wages, especially in lower-income countries. These positive effects persist when we instrument for union presence, consistent with recent evidence of union positive effects on productivity and wages in western industrialized countries. |
| Keywords: | enterprise data, developing countries, wages, productivity, trade unions, union formation |
| JEL: | J51 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18128 |
| By: | Celiku, Bledi; Ubfal, Diego Javier; Valdivia, Martin |
| Abstract: | This paper estimates the gender gap in the performance of firms in Peru using representative data on both formal and informal firms. On average, informal female-led firms have lower sales, labor productivity, and profits compared to their male-led counterparts, with differences more pronounced when controlling for observable determinants of firm performance. However, gender gaps are only significant at the bottom of the performance distribution of informal firms, and these gaps disappear at the top of the distribution of informal firms and for formal firms. Possible explanations for the performance gaps at the bottom of the distribution include the higher likelihood of small, female-led firms being home-based, which is linked to lower profits, and their concentration in less profitable sectors. The paper provides suggestive evidence that household responsibilities play a key role in explaining the gender gap in firm performance among informal firms. Therefore, policies that promote access to care services or foster a more equal distribution of household activities may reduce gender productivity gaps and allow for a more efficient allocation of resources. |
| Date: | 2025–09–23 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:111218 |
| By: | Marcelo Caffera; Emilio Aguirre; Juan Baraldo; Hugo Laguna |
| Abstract: | As global demand for beef increases, balancing livestock productivity with environmental sustainability has become a policy priority. In response, Uruguay implemented the Sustainable Family Production Program (PFIS). Between 2015 and 2017, this program provided support to small and medium-sized cattle farmers to invest in technologies and management practices aimed at enhancing both productivity and climate resilience. This study provides the first causal evaluation of a national program designed to promote these dual objectives in the cattle sector. We assess the effect of PFIS on three outcomes: (i) technology adoption, (ii) productivity, and (iii) greenhouse gas emissions intensity. To identify causal effects, we use a regression discontinuity design based on a strict eligibility threshold, using panel data from producers between 2015 and 2020. Although we found no statistically significant effects on beef productivity per hectare or greenhouse gas emissions intensity during the study period, the program significantly increased adoption of good reproductive and herd management practices, including early weaning, controlled mating, and ovarian activity diagnosis. These results highlight both the potential and the limitations of integrated technology transfer programs in promoting sustainable intensification of extensive livestock systems. They also suggest the need for longer-term evaluations to capture potential impacts on productivity and emissions that may emerge as these technologies, particularly reproductive ones, influence aggregate outcomes. |
| Keywords: | Impact Evaluation; Livestock; Technology Adoption; Rural development |
| JEL: | Q12 Q16 D24 Q57 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mnt:wpaper:2502 |
| By: | Leight, Jessica; Hirvonen, Kalle; Karachiwalla, Naureen; Rakshit, Deboleena |
| Abstract: | While the population of internally displaced people around the world continues to grow, evidence around strategies to sustainably enhance livelihoods among IDPs remains extremely limited. We present findings from a randomized trial of an ultra-poor graduation program targeting IDPs in urban Baidoa, Somalia; the intervention pro-vided cash transfers, an asset transfer or technical training program, and facilitated savings groups. Our findings suggest that two years following program launch, the intervention has led to significant increases in consumption, assets, and savings; however, these effects seem to be driven almost exclusively by increased livestock production. An exploration of heterogeneous effect using generalized random forest methods further suggests that the positive effects of the treatment are dramatically larger for smaller households characterized by lower dependency ratios. |
| Keywords: | development; internally displaced persons; livelihoods; livestock; Somalia; Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2025–09–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:176389 |
| By: | Ervin, Paul; Gayoso, Lyliana; Rubiano Matulevich, Eliana Carolina |
| Abstract: | Floods are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change, population growth, and land cover changes. In Paraguay, floods are the most common weather-related hazard and disproportionately impact poor and vulnerable populations. This study contributes to understanding household-level exposure to flood risk in Paraguay by combining geolocated household survey data with novel flood hazard maps. The study estimates that more than 23 percent of households are exposed to flood risk, with exposure varying by geography and household characteristics. Urban households living in poverty are among the most exposed, facing depths of flooding nearly four times higher than non-poor households, in smaller, more common flood events. The approach provides valuable insights for targeting flood risk reduction efforts and highlights the importance of considering socioeconomic vulnerability in disaster risk management. These findings underscore the multidimensional nature of vulnerability to flood risk, particularly in rapidly urbanizing areas, and the need for integrated urban planning and poverty reduction strategies to address flood risk disparities effectively, particularly in rapidly urbanizing areas. |
| Date: | 2025–09–15 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:11215 |
| By: | Ndegwa, Michael K.; Ward, Patrick S.; Shee, Apurba; You, Liangzhi |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we examine the role of credit in enhancing rural households’ food security and resilience. In so doing, we consider resilience as a higher order capacity outcome, different from traditional development outcomes associated with households’ or individuals’ welfare. We evaluate the effectiveness of two types of agricultural production credit products, one a traditional credit and one that is linked to rainfall index insurance to protect borrowers against the adverse effects of drought. Based on a randomized controlled trial conducted in Machakos county, Kenya, we report both intent-to-treat effects as well as local average treatment effects to demonstrate the impacts of these credit products not only among borrowers, but the broader effects of expanding rural credit markets. We see generally low levels of food security resilience among our sampled households, but we find compelling evidence that credit and expanded credit markets more broadly had beneficial impacts on enhancing households’ food security and resilience. Despite the differences in the two credit products being evaluated, we do not find an appreciable difference in the effects of the two credit types, concluding that the expansion of affordable agricultural credit markets should be among the key policy tools for building resilience among rural smallholders. |
| Keywords: | credit; food security; insurance; resilience; smallholders; Kenya; Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2025–08–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:175990 |
| By: | Sharma, Kriti; Kumar, Anjani; Agrawal, R.C. |
| Abstract: | Farmers in India continue to be deprived of adequate and timely institutional credit. The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme, introduced in 1998, sought to address this issue by providing credit support under a single window with simplified procedure. Using a panel data of 2, 586 farming households from five states in Eastern India, namely, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal in 2018 and 2023, we examine the determinants of access to KCC and its credit limit. We also analyze the impact of KCC on farmers’ input usage, dependence on moneylenders and farm income using propensity score weighted fixed effects model which controls for selection bias and unobservable time-invariant heterogeneities. We find that farmers’ participation in agricultural training, demonstrations and development programs encourage farmers to adopt KCC. Furthermore, KCC access increases farmers’ input usage and reduces their dependence on money lenders. This evidence comes from an economically challenged region whose economy significantly depends on agriculture. The findings of the study raise concerns over the limited penetration of the scheme among smaller-scale farmers and provide key insights into the underlying issues hindering the efficacious functioning of the scheme. |
| Keywords: | agricultural training; credit; smallholders; input output analysis; India; Asia; Southern Asia |
| Date: | 2025–07–24 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:175793 |
| By: | Laura Peralta (BETA, University of Strasbourg); Marie Boltz (BETA, University of Strasbourg); Philippe Delacote (BETA, Université de Lorraine, AgroParisTech, INRAE, Climate Economics Chair); Kenneth Houngbedji (DIAL, LEDa, CNRS, IRD, Université Paris-Dauphine); Julien Jacob (BETA, University of Strasbourg) |
| Abstract: | We examine the environmental impacts of legal provisions to restore land rights for populations displaced by armed conflict, focusing on Colombia’s Land Restitution Law. Leveraging annual satellite data on forest cover loss, detailed records of the timing and location of restitution claims, and a staggered difference-in-differences strategy, we find that land restitution is associated with increased tree cover loss. Importantly, this effect is not driven by deforestation in primary forests, but rather by forest loss in areas formerly used for agriculture. These findings highlight the environmental trade-offs inherent in post-conflict land reforms. While restoring land rights is critical for transitional justice and economic recovery, attention to environmental outcomes is essential to ensure sustainable and equitable reconstruction. |
| Keywords: | Deforestation, Land rights, Internal conflict, Colombia |
| JEL: | O12 O13 O17 D74 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dia:wpaper:dt202506 |
| By: | Leight, Jessica; Mukerjee, Rishabh; Schmidt, Emily |
| Abstract: | Rainfall fluctuations can significantly reduce welfare for poor rural households in low- and middle-income countries dependent on rainfed agriculture for consumption, and in some contexts these adverse effects may be borne disproportionately by vulnerable household members, particularly children and girls. We present new evidence around the effects of rainfall fluctuations on child anthropometric status in Papua New Guinea, an understudied context characterized by some of the highest stunting rates in the world. We show that negative fluctuations in rainfall within a 12-month period are associated with reduced household consumption (driven by reduced consumption of own-produced food). Moreover, when these fluctuations are observed in the first year of a child’s life, they lead to a reduction in height forage and weight-for-age (though no shift in stunting), but this effect is observed only for girls: boys seem to be protected from the adverse effects of rainfall fluctuations experienced in infancy. |
| Keywords: | anthropometry; children; households; less favoured areas; rainfall patterns; child stunting; Papua New Guinea; Oceania |
| Date: | 2025–09–16 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:176517 |
| By: | Jung, Yeonha; Kim, Minki (University of Mannheim); Lee, Munseob (University of California, San Diego) |
| Abstract: | This study examines the long-term impact of Hyanggyo, state-sponsored educational institutions established during the early Joseon Dynasty in Korea (1392-1592), on human capital accumulation. Although these schools largely ceased functioning as educational centers by the late 16th century, their influence has endured to the present day. Drawing on a newly constructed township-level dataset, we find a robust positive association between historical exposure to Hyanggyo and modern educational attainment. This relationship appears to be driven by enduring local demand for education, supported by three complementary findings. First, regions with greater historical exposure experienced larger gains in Japanese literacy during colonial era school expansions. Second, residents in these areas express stronger pro-education attitudes today. Third, historically exposed regions exhibited lower fertility rates, consistent with a quantity–quality tradeoff in parental investment. Together, our findings highlight the lasting legacy of early educational institutions. |
| Keywords: | Hyanggyo, Human capital, historical institutions, Joseon, cultural transmission |
| JEL: | I23 J24 N35 O15 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18123 |
| By: | Marchionni, Mariana; Pierino Pedrazzi, Julián; Pinto, María Florencia |
| Abstract: | Structural transformation—the shift from agriculture to industry and services—is key to economic development and can reshape labor market gender gaps. Yet little is known about how this process has unfolded in rural Latin America, where women face disadvantages from both gender and rurality. We document rural women’s labor market outcomes in 14 countries using harmonized household surveys, estimate motherhood effects using a pseudo-event study around first childbirth, and examine mechanisms using time-use data from Mexico. Despite educational gains, rural women still lag behind rural men and urban women in employment, hours, and earnings. While structural transformation has reduced informality and increased service and formal job participation, unpaid family work and precarious employment remain widespread among rural women. Motherhood further exacerbates disadvantages. Rural mothers face smaller employment drops than urban mothers but are increasingly pushed into unpaid work and low-skilled self-employment. Evidence from Mexico shows this stem less from childcare than from heavier household chores, home production, and limited access to labor-saving technologies. This paper provides the first evidence on how structural transformation interacts with motherhood in rural Latin America, showing that structural change alone cannot ensure inclusive opportunities for rural women. |
| Keywords: | Equidad e inclusión social, Mujer, Desarrollo Rural, Desarrollo social, Trabajo y protección social, |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dbl:dblwop:2524 |
| By: | Albin Salmon; Vincent Fleuriet; Paul Vertier |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the effects on children and adult height of currency crises experienced during childhood. It uses survey data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) collected in 57 countries between 1986 and 2023 for hundreds of thousands of children and adults, combined with a monthly dataset indicating the start of currency crises between 1970 and 2017. It finds that children facing a currency crisis between their birth and the date of the survey tend to be shorter, by about - 0.1 standard deviation (SD). Reduced food affordability explains part of the results: estimated effects are larger in net food importing developing countries and smaller when controlling for inflation. Children growing up during a currency crisis are less likely to eat any solid food and to have a diversified diet on the day preceding the survey, mostly because of a reduced consumption of nutrient-rich non-starchy food. Early exposure to currency crises have persistent effects on adult height. Adults having faced a currency crisis between their birth and 10 years old are on average shorter than their peers, with a maximum effect of about -0.04 SD for crises experienced between 5-6 years old. They are also less likely to have completed secondary or higher education. Our results are unlikely to be influenced by differential selection in parenting across households’ wealth levels, and are robust to a large number of alternative specifications and sample restrictions. |
| Keywords: | Currency Crises, Malnutrition, Human Development |
| JEL: | F31 I14 J13 O15 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bfr:banfra:1003 |
| By: | Razan Amine; Qianqian Zhang; Shushanik Hakobyan; Ankita Goel |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes the major bottlenecks to private sector development in sub-Saharan Africa using novel methods based on firm-level data. Employing both perception-based and proxy-based methodologies, we identify and measure seven key obstacles to development. Our findings reveal significant divergences between firms' perceptions and objective measures of business constraints. While firms frequently cite infrastructure deficiencies as their primary concern, our proxy-based analysis identifies corruption followed by financial constraints as the most severe impediments to firm growth. Furthermore, small and medium-sized enterprises face disproportionate challenges compared to large firms, especially regarding financial access and human capital limitations. These findings underscore the need for targeted, context-specific policy interventions that address the objective constraints facing different types of firms across diverse economic environments in sub-Saharan Africa. |
| Keywords: | Sub-Saharan Africa; private sector development; firm-level data; principal component analysis |
| Date: | 2025–09–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2025/188 |