The positive relationship between household income and child health is well documented in the child health literature but the precise mechanisms via which income generates better health and whether the income gradient is increasing in child age are not well understood. This paper presents new...

In this paper we analyse the effects of microfinance programs upon household welfare in Vietnam. Our analytical framework builds upon the rural household models of Singh et al. (1986) and Rosenzweig (1990). Data on 470 households across 25 villages was collected using a quasiexperiment survey...

Empirical studies show that financial development exhibits a positive relationship with economic growth and the extent of poverty alleviation. Implementing policies that best promote financial development - such as mobilizing savings - are therefore, a matter of importance for all developing...

Productivity and efficiency change lies at the heart of some of the key challenges facing China’s economy. This paper contributes to an understanding of TFP change by computing and decomposing provincial-level Hicks-Moorsteen (H-M) total factor productivity (TFP) indexes for the period...

This paper critically evaluates the policy literature surrounding China's exchange rate regime.It first discusses several popularly raised contentions in relation to the dollar peg employed by China, which in fact are poorly grounded in evidence.These include notions that the RMB is clearly...

Purpose: Consumption volatility is a key source of economic growth volatility; thus, it is an important factor in designing macroeconomic policy. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that determine household consumption volatility, using urban household survey (UHS) data over...

The role that stock markets should be afforded in economic development policy in China is the subject of debate. Some argue that they are essential to reforming state-owned enterprises (SOE's) and overcoming deficiencies in China's credit markets. However, others claim they are not necessary...