Member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are expected to form a West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) by 2004 whereby member countries would use a common currency in an attempt to promote regional integration. Evidence suggests that reduction in transaction cost as...

Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) models have been widely used for quantitative analysis of global economic issues. However, CGE models are frequently criticized for resting on weak empirical foundations. This paper builds on recent work in macro-econometric estimation, developing an approach...

As in other countries in the southern Africa region, a human development catastrophe is unfolding in Mozambique. Recently released data estimate HIV prevalence rates amongst the adult population in the year 2000 at around 12% with substantial regional variation. Due to the magnitude of the...

For the past two decades, Bangladesh has enjoyed steady growth in per capita incomes enabling a significant reduction in poverty. An increase in rice productivity, achieved through a combination of improved seeds, increased fertilizer use, and public and private investments in irrigation, played...

Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) models have been widely used for quantitative analysis of global economic issues. However, CGE models are frequently criticized for resting on weak empirical foundations. This paper builds on recent work in macro-econometric estimation, developing an approach...

Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) Models have been widely used by researchers around the world for quantitative analysis of economy-wide shocks. However, CGE models are often criticized for resting on weak empirical foundations. Among others, the arbitrary choice of values for key...

This dissertation consists of three essays. They examine diverse economic phenomena, but they are bound by a need to treat randomness effectively and practically. Each essay seeks to demonstrate enhanced capacity to effectively and practically treat randomness in specific problems of data...

Over the past decade, the increasing power and reliability of microcomputers and the development of sophisticated software designed specificallyfor use with them has led to significant changes in the way quantitative food policy analysis is conducted. These changes cover most aspects of...

The Asian financial crisis led to a major devaluation of the Indonesian exchange rate,macro instability, and the need for a “structural adjustment” program. The real devaluation affectsprices throughout the economy and has a major impact on growth, production, deforestation, andincome...

Weather fluctuations, such as those caused by the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO),add to the riskiness associated with agricultural production. Improved predictive capacitymay help ameliorate negative impacts of climate and weather shocks on agriculture, but itis possible that the benefits...