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on Development |
| By: | Kaplan, Lennart |
| Abstract: | The political economy literature highlights the redistribution of resources to political support groups - often along regional or ethnic lines - as an axiom of political systems. In contrast to this dominant pattern, Kasara (2007) documents a puzzling result of discriminatory rent extraction by political leaders from farmers in their ethnic home region. Linking a new database on the ethnic and regional affiliation of political leaders to fine-grained survey data, I disentangle ethnic and regional affiliations and show that their intersection explains the phenomenon which I will label in the following "reversed favoritism." More specifically, I provide evidence that agricultural price hikes indeed do not reduce poverty among co-ethnic farmers in the leader's birth region. My results indicate that leaders seem to act politically rational as they only apply this treatment in regions where they enjoy high trust. I show in an exploratory analysis that the counter-intuitive support of discriminatory policies can be explained by transfers in other areas, namely development aid. |
| Keywords: | Political Economy, Favoritism, Ethnicity, African Agriculture, Development Aid |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifwkwp:328236 |
| By: | Benedict Clements (Universidad de las Américas in Ecuador); Huy Nguyen (International Monetary Fund); Ratna Sahay (National Council of Applied Economic Research); Mehak Jain (National Council of Applied Economic Research) |
| Abstract: | This paper assesses the impact of women's participation in national governments (as parliamentarians and ministers) on social spending and outcomes in emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs). We find that the representation of women in politics has increased over time, with substantial variation across regions and countries. Latin America and the Caribbean lead among EMDE regions, while Middle East and Central Asia and Emerging and Developing Asia have lower female representation. The higher shares of women in parliaments and cabinet positions go hand-in-hand with increased government health spending, both as a share of GDP and total spending. The results on education outlays are broadly similar. Greater representation of women in policymaking is also associated with positive effects on social outcomes, such as a reduction in infant and under-five mortality rates, greater access to basic water services, and higher learning-adjusted years of schooling. The case studies presented in the paper highlight the importance of identifying national priorities on health and education and increasing the share of female political leaders (including through quotas where gender biases are entrenched). |
| Keywords: | women in parliament; women in cabinets; social spending; health outcomes; education outcomes |
| JEL: | H51 H52 I00 J16 |
| Date: | 2025–10–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nca:ncaerw:187 |
| By: | Maguette Sembene (Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics); Bradford Mills (Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics); Anubhab Gupta (Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics) |
| Abstract: | Historical data show a rising trend in extreme heat in the past four decades in the Groundnut Basin of Senegal. We evaluate the economic costs of extreme heat on groundnut production in the region. Using temperature data from the ERA5 global climate reanalysis, we define extreme heat degree days (EHDDs) as the cumulative number of degree days above 35 °C during the groundnut growing season and estimate its effect on quasi-profits and yields at the person, household, and field levels utilizing a two-year panel data of 1, 123 households. Our econometric estimations show that an additional EHDD reduces quasi-profits by 5, 460 FCFA per hectare and significantly lowers yield by 2.5%. Further, rainfall interactions with EHDD generate compounding losses under high heat and rainfall. The findings highlight important and often unseen effects of increasing temperatures on agricultural practices in climate-vulnerable areas such as the Groundnut Basin and underscore the need for adaptation and mitigation strategies to cope with the impacts of climate change. |
| Keywords: | Extreme heat, Groundnut, Economic costs, The Groundnut Basin, Senegal |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:vpi:aaecpp:aaecpp2025-02 |
| By: | Marvin Suesse (Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin); Morten Jerven (Norwegian University of Life Sciences) |
| Abstract: | An influential strand of literature within economics and economic history called ‘persistence studies’ argues that low material living standards in African countries today were determined by institutional choices made in the past. However, the lack of consistent annual data on GDP per capita or institutional variables has meant that this literature has been largely silent as to whether their proposed relationships hold throughout the period it studies. This has made persistence studies vulnerable to criticisms of making leaps of faith or contributing to a ‘compression of history’. Here, we draw on a data set of tax revenues for African polities for the period 1900-2015, with which we proxy the institutional capacity of a state. We then test whether some of the most influential determinants stressed in the persistence literature exert a consistent effect on our measure of institutions. Our findings suggest that the effect of population density and colonizer identity on institutions is not persistent. We find mixed results for precolonial centralization and ethnic fractionalization, while results for slave exports and settler mortality are more in accordance with theory. Overall, our results support the view that historical persistence should be measured, not simply assumed. |
| Keywords: | Persistence; Institutions; Africa; Settler mortality; Slave trades; Fiscal capacity |
| JEL: | O11 O55 N17 H30 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tcd:tcduee:tep1225 |
| By: | Jheelum Sarkar |
| Abstract: | Catastrophic floods directly risk 1.8 billion lives worldwide, most of whom are from East and South Asia. How do extreme floods reshape paid labor outcomes? To answer this, I focus on a 1-in-100 year flood event in India. I first combine Sentinel-1 SAR with JRC Global Surface Water dataset to generate flood map. Using information from this map in various rounds of periodic labor force surveys, I estimate gender-specific dynamic effects of the flood shock. Key results show that men experienced short-lived reduction in their employment while women faced a delayed but persistent decline in their working hours. Men suffered most in secondary sector and increased their participation in primary sector. Women were hit hardest in the tertiary sector. Such sectoral impacts could be attributable to disruptions in infrastructure and physical capital. Moreover, marital status and dependency burden further shape the gender differential effects of the extreme flood event. Results remain robust under alternative treatment definitions. |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2510.08856 |
| By: | Maxwell Fogler |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the trade-off that households in agrarian economies face between immediate production needs and long-term human capital investment. We ask how exogenous agricultural productivity shocks affect primary and secondary school enrollment in Rwanda, a country characterized by a heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture alongside ambitious development goals. Using a district-level panel dataset for the years 2010-2021, we employ a two-stage least squares (2SLS) instrumental variable strategy. Plausibly exogenous variation in annual rainfall is used to instrument for a satellite-derived measure of vegetation health and agricultural productivity, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), allowing for a causal interpretation of the results. For primary education, where direct costs are low, enrollment is countercyclical: positive productivity shocks are associated with lower enrollment. Notably, boys' primary enrollment is found to be significantly more elastic to these shocks than girls' enrollment. Conversely, for secondary education, which entails additional financial outlays, enrollment is strongly procyclical. Positive productivity shocks lead to significant increases in enrollment. Further, a sustained positive shock is associated with a subsequent decline in female secondary enrollment. The results challenge previous regional findings supporting the "girls as a buffer" hypothesis and investigate the dynamic and gendered responses to the persistence of economic shocks. |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2510.10780 |
| By: | Boss, Ruchira; Hoddinott, John; Colen, Liesbeth |
| Abstract: | Despite extensive evidence linking urbanization, market access, and rising incomes to dietary transitions and nutritional outcomes, both globally and within India, Indigenous communities, particularly in the North East Region (NER) of India, have received little attention in this context. This paper examines how income and market access shape the diets and nutrition of Indigenous Naga women in a geographically isolated and culturally distinct setting, providing a unique context to study the early stages of dietary and nutritional change. Using primary survey data from more than 800 women across cities, villages, and remote hamlets, we find that most women meet the minimum dietary diversity threshold and maintain adequate diet quality even in low-income, low-market access settings. However, higher income is consistently associated with more diverse diets, particularly through increased consumption of oils, meats, and pulses. Higher market access is associated with increased frequency of oil and fat consumption, reflecting a shift away from traditional food practices. Women in highaccess regions also exhibit higher Body Mass Index (BMI), indicating a shift toward overweight and obesity with increased proximity to food markets. By focusing on an isolated and understudied region, this study provides new evidence on the dual role of income and market access in shaping diets and nutrition, while highlighting the importance of Indigenous food systems in ensuring adequate diet quality. These findings have broader relevance for communities and regions undergoing similar transitions. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, International Development |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:gausfs:373336 |
| By: | Minali Grover; Ajay Sharma |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the influence of inheritance rights on women' empowerment in India. We employ the quasi-natural experiment framework wherein; five states amended the Hindu Succession Act (HSA) from 1976 to 1994 before it was federally amended in 2005. Further, we apply difference-in-difference (DID) strategy and consider triangulation approach to identify women empowerment indicators namely: access to resources, agency, and outcomes to measure varying dimensions of empowerment. Using the India Human Development Survey (IHDS-I), our results indicate a positive impact on marriage choice, intimate partner violence, physical, and civil autonomy. However, negative impact on household autonomy and no significant on economic participation for women exposed to state amendments. Further, exploring the heterogeneities in terms of socio-economic status, location, level of patriarchy in a state, gender of the head of the household. Overall, the study highlights that the impact of inheritance law is not unfirm across different groups. |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2510.10437 |
| By: | Wei Li; Kashi Kafle; Anna Josephson |
| Abstract: | Agricultural commercialization is often promoted as a key driver of development in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet its benefits may not extend equally to all farmers. Using longitudinal household data from the LSMS-ISA and a two-way Mundlak fixed effects estimator, we examine the relationship between farmers' gender and agricultural commercialization in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania. In Ethiopia and Nigeria, women-headed households and those with a higher share of women-managed land face substantial disadvantages in market engagement, particularly in households oriented towards self-consumption. Interestingly, in both countries, women-headed households that do engage in sales are more likely to sell to market buyers and less likely to sell to individual buyers compared to men-headed households. In contrast, in Tanzania, the negative associations between gender and commercialization are weaker and less robust across outcomes. Overall, these findings demonstrate that gender gaps in commercialization are highly context-specific rather than universal, highlighting the need for country-tailored policies that address the institutional and market constraints faced by women farmers. |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2509.19556 |
| By: | Perlik, Kerstin; Corona Juárez, Nicolás; Priebe, Jan |
| Abstract: | Congenital disorders are a principal cause of early mortality, long-term disabilities, impaired cognitive development and constitute a major challenge to families, communities, and health care systems. The origins of congenital disorders are, however, not yet well understood. Using a high-dimensional fixed-effects model that includes municipality specific time and locality-by-month fixed effects, this study provides the first causal evidence on the role of high ambient temperature during pregnancy in affecting the onset of congenital disorders. We compiled a large dataset comprising about 19 million births from about 63, 000 Mexican localities during 20082021 and connect it with local temperature data. We estimate that a 1C increase in the average monthly maximum temperature during gestation is associated with a rise in the incidence of congenital disorders by 2.4 percent (0.022 percentage points). Furthermore, we provide suggestive evidence that newborns from indigenous mothers are more likely to develop congenital birth disorders compared to children from non-indigenous parents when exposed to high ambient temperatures. |
| Keywords: | Birth outcomes;Climate shocks;Indigenous |
| JEL: | I14 I31 Q54 |
| Date: | 2025–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:idb:brikps:14291 |
| By: | Jordán, Felipe; Jaimovich, Dany; Heilmayr, Robert |
| Abstract: | Many countries in the Americas impose restrictions on Indigenous land transactions to preserve Indigenous ownership, but these policies may inhibit economic growth. This paper evaluates the impact of Chiles 1993 Indigenous Law, which restricts the transfer, lease, and mortgaging of land in Mapuche territories. Using property records, we find that the law has slowed Mapuche territorial loss. However, its effectiveness has declined over time, coinciding with a reduction in properties registered in the Public Registry of Indigenous Territories (PRIT), a key enforcement tool. Analysis of property sales following owner deaths underscores the PRITs critical role, with listed properties experiencing lower sales rates and smaller reductions in Indigenous ownership compared to unlisted properties. Using remotely sensed data and two complementary identification strategies, we reject meaningfully large impacts of PRIT on land use. The results highlight that transfer restrictions on individual property rights can serve as an effective tool to protect Indigenous ownership without imposing significant economic burdens, although special attention should be given to the design of enforcement mechanisms to ensure their effective implementation. |
| JEL: | D23 K11 J15 O17 Q15 |
| Date: | 2025–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:idb:brikps:14292 |
| By: | Saraswat, Deepak (University of Connecticut); Sabarwal, Shwetlena (World Bank); Lacey, Lindsey (Allegheny County Department of Human Services); Jha, Natasha (University of Notre Dame); Prakash, Nishith (Northeastern University); Cohen, Rachel (University of Connecticut) |
| Abstract: | Nearly 200 million children under five in low- and middle-income countries face developmental deficits despite growing access to early childhood services. We report evidence from a randomized controlled trial (N=3, 131 children in 201 schools) in Nepal’s government system that tested three models combining classroom quality with parental engagement. All teachers received a 15-day training on pedagogy, standards, and caregiver outreach, after which schools were randomly assigned to models where caregiver sessions were led by teachers alone, teachers supported with in-class helpers, or external facilitators. The program raised children’s developmental outcomes by 0.10–0.20 standard deviations and improved caregiver engagement by similar magnitudes, with strongest effects when teachers received support that preserved classroom quality while engaging families. Gains were concentrated among disadvantaged households, underscoring the potential to reduce early inequalities. Mechanism analysis shows that the program shifted home and school inputs from substitutes to complements, creating reinforcing pathways for child development. |
| Keywords: | non-cognitive skills, cognitive skills, early childhood development, Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), Nepal |
| JEL: | J13 J24 I21 I24 O15 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18159 |
| By: | Muñoz, Ercio A. (Inter-American Development Bank); Sansone, Dario (University of Exeter); Tampellini, João (Vanderbilt University) |
| Abstract: | Using data from over 500, 000 dual-earner households in Mexico, we provide evidence of discontinuities in the distribution of relative income within households in Latin America. Similar to the situation in high-income countries, we observe a sharp drop at the 50% threshold, i.e., where the wife earns more than the husband, but the discontinuity is up to five times larger and has increased over time. These patterns are robust to the exclusion of equal earners, self-employed individuals, and couples in the same occupation/industry. Discontinuities persist across subgroups, including couples with or without children, those with married or unmarried partners, and those with older wives or female household heads. We also find comparable discontinuities in Brazil and Panama, as well as among some same-sex couples. Moreover, women who are primary earners continue to supply more nonmarket labor than do their male partners, although the gap is narrower than in households where the woman is the secondary earner. |
| Keywords: | Latin America, relative income, gender norms |
| JEL: | D13 D91 J12 J15 J16 O15 Z13 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18172 |
| By: | Padilla-Romo, María (University of Tennessee); Peluffo, Cecilia (University of Florida) |
| 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. |
| Keywords: | educational trajectories, migration, local violence |
| JEL: | I24 I25 O15 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18155 |
| By: | Abigail Stocker |
| Abstract: | Maternity benefits are targeted at improving both children's and mothers' outcomes, but many women in the informal sector are not eligible for traditional maternity leave programs. This paper investigates the impact of IGMSY, a unique maternity benefits program in India, on early childhood education. The program launched in 2011, was piloted in 52 out of India's 640 districts, and provided cash transfers to women for their first and second live births regardless of employment status. Using a difference-in-differences approach across districts and cohorts, I find that the program increased preschool enrollment by 9 percentage points but did not increase enrollment, reading, or math competency in primary school. The effects on enrollment are strongest for children from poorer households, likely due to both improvements in health-related outcomes and increases in income. |
| Keywords: | maternity benefits; cash transfer; education; preschool; mothers |
| JEL: | I25 I38 J13 |
| Date: | 2025–10–15 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cwm:wpaper:173 |