Showing 1 - 10 of 214
In times of highly volatile commodity markets, governments often try to protect their populations from rapidly-rising food prices, which can be particularly harsh for the poor. A potential solution for food-deficit countries is to hold strategic reserves, which can be called on when...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012552135
This paper examines broadly the intergovernmental structure in the Middle East and North Africa region, which has one of the most centralized government structures in the world. The authors address the reasons behind this centralized structure by looking first at the history behind the tax...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012552209
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region's trade performance over the past two decades has been disappointing. Efforts to boost trade through a plethora of regional trade agreements (RTAs) are underway. This study examines the potential contribution of regional trade agreements, as well as...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012553661
This paper addresses the issue of the low level of private investment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with special emphasis on the role of governance. Based on the existing literature, the authors categorize what types of governance institutions are more detrimental to...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012553758
The authors examine the impact of public infrastructure on private capital formation in three countries of the Middle East and North Africa-Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia. They highlight various channels through which public infrastructure may affect private investment. Then they describe their...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012554120
In the Middle East and North Africa, food security and water security are tightly entwined. In particular, choices about the extent to which food security policies rely on trade rather than domestically produced staples have stark consequences for the region's limited water resources. This paper...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012559496
This paper studies the impact of labor market policies on growth and unemployment in labor-exporting countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The analysis is based on a framework that captures many of the main features of the labor market in these countries. We conduct a variety of policy...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012559871
Modifying the national poverty line to the context of observed consumption patterns of the poor is becoming popular. A … context-specific poverty line would be more consistent with preferences. This paper provides theoretical and empirical … evidence that the contrary holds and that the national poverty line is more appropriate for comparing living standards among …
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012564545
), analysts and institutions are confronted with the question of whether and how to use them for global poverty estimation. The … world. This paper presents evidence that if the global poverty line is updated with the 2011 PPP data based on the same set … of national poverty lines that define the $1.25 line in 2005 PPPs, and if the 2011 PPP conversion factors are used …
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012564664
Recent National Sample Surveys point to significant poverty reduction in India since 2004/05, with a marked … subgroup comprising non-poor households facing a heightened risk of falling into poverty. The paper documents a strong pattern … of upward mobility out of poverty and vulnerability into the middle class, with a noticeable acceleration between 2009 …
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012564680