The paper presents a comparative analysis of five cross country composite gender indices. Although there is a relatively high correlation between the indices, the overlap of underlying indicators is low. Country rankings, both at the top and at the bottom have parallels but are quite distinct....

Development practitioners worldwide increasingly recognize the importance of informal institutions -- such as norms of cooperation, non-discrimination, or the role of community oversight in the management of investment activities -- in affecting well-being, poverty, and even economic growth....

This article tests the Lehman Sisters Hypothesis in two complementary, although incomplete ways. It reviews the diverse empirical literature in behavioural, experimental, and neuroeconomics as well as related fields of behavioural research. And it presents the findings from an explorative survey...

This study aims to investigate the role of diversity (ethnic, linguistic and religious) and social inequality in determining social cohesion. By using cross- country data, we have found that social inequality may be more important factor than diversity in determining cohesiveness of a society....

The paper looks at several financial crises in the past: the Asian financial crisis, the Brazilian, Argentine and Turkish financial crises, around the turn of the last century. Data are analyzed for a 10-year period around these crises. The data include gender indicators (mostly female-male...

Dependence on biomass, especially wood, to meet domestic energy needs raises several socio-environmental concerns. In contrast, cattle manure, which may be used to generate biogas, is considered a cleaner and cheaper source of energy. Despite the existence of several initiatives to promote...