Journal of International Development最新文献

This study delves into the persistent issue of gender employment compensation inequality, a critical concern under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5. Despite the global focus, the evidence is skewed towards developed countries. Utilising data from 60,337 observations across 10 population-based surveys within a 33-year window, we employ matching and regressions to reveal a persistent wage gap where Ghanaian female workers earn 25.94% less than their male counterparts from 1991 to 2023. Despite a gradual reduction of 0.80 percentage points annually, the gap's trajectory has been inconsistent, with periods of both widening and narrowing. Our analysis also indicates significant heterogeneity in the wage gap influenced by factors such as occupation, human capital, family dynamics, societal norms and location, leading to varied experiences across different subgroups. Additionally, notable disparities were found in fringe benefits, particularly medical subsidies, highlighting broader dimensions of gender-based economic inequality in Ghana.

Despite growing government attention to food insecurity among female-headed households in Ethiopia over the past decades, chronic food insecurity and undernourishment persist, particularly in Bahir Dar, the focus of this study. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the issues related to food insecurity in these households for policy implications. The primary objective of this study was to identify the key determinants that affect food security among female-headed households in urban settings. To achieve this objective, both primary and secondary data sources were utilized for the study. Primary data were gathered through key informant interviews, focus group discussions and household surveys. Both descriptive and inferential statistical methods were employed to analyse the collected data. Specifically, the study utilized the binary logistic regression model and the Foster–Greer–Thorbecke (FGT) index to assess food insecurity levels. The findings of FGT revealed alarming rates of food insecurity, with an incidence of 87.8%, a depth of 42.8% and a severity of 23%. Additionally, the average kilocalorie consumption for food-insecure female-headed households ranged from 156.00 to 2800.00 kcal/adult equivalent/day, highlighting significant nutritional deficiencies. The study reported that the average monthly income and expenditure for these households were 2198 and 1692 ETB, respectively, underscoring the financial constraints they face. Binary logistic regression revealed that marital status, employment type, house ownership, monthly income and expenditure significantly predicted food security in female-headed households, with results statistically significant at p < 0.05. The study recommended that the government has to expand social safety nets to include cash transfers or food vouchers, ensuring stable food sources. Additionally, develop gender-sensitive policies that address the specific challenges these households face to attain food security.

This article examines how corruption relates to a firm's decision to invest and the value of investment. We use data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) of firms in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), surveyed between 2010 and 2017. We adopt an instrumental variable approach to address the endogeneity problem. Our results suggest that lower levels of bribe payments enable firms to circumvent bureaucratic hurdles, thus facilitating investment decisions. However, at higher levels of corruption, the relationship is inverse. Corruption distorts the value of firm investment, especially among small firms, those in the manufacturing sector rather than service, and both young and mature firms. The distortionary effects of corruption are worsened by credit constraints. Our findings reaffirm the importance of SSA countries strengthening their fight against corruption to boost firm investment and economic transformation, especially given the dominance of small firms.

Large enterprises tend to perform better than small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in normal times. However, this general principle may not hold true during periods of instability, such as large-scale pandemics. While large companies may be able to implement a work-from-home system more flexibly, SMEs may require government support. Against this backdrop, we empirically investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market, especially wages, in Thailand. By using the individual-level quarterly data in Thailand from 2019 to 2022, we examine the differences in the wage impact of the COVID-19 pandemic according to company size. Some estimations show a decrease in the wage gap between small firms (10–49 employees) and larger firms. At least, we do not find a robust result indicating further expansion of the wage gap by company size.

Nepal has made significant progress in reducing inequality in economic well-being. Meanwhile education has expanded substantially. This study analyzes the role of educational expansion in reducing expenditure inequality using data from the three rounds of the Nepal Living Standards Survey. It conducts a two-stage hierarchical inequality decomposition analysis by location and education. The expansion of basic education in rural areas contributed significantly to reducing overall inequality. The government should further promote basic education, while improving its quality and enhancing the socioeconomic status of households. The government should also develop socioeconomic infrastructure and establish efficient transportation networks throughout the country.

China faces the dual challenges of maintaining trade vitality and environmental protection. This paper collects data on environmental target constraints (ETC) in Chinese cities and evaluates the impact of local government ETC on the quality of enterprises' export products. The results show that ETC can significantly improve the quality of export products. This effect is stronger in enterprises with lower export product quality, enterprises in the eastern region and private enterprises. ETC can improve the products quality by encouraging enterprises to carry out innovation, optimizing resource allocation and improving financing constraints. This paper has valuable theoretical and practical implications for deepening China's official evaluation system and promoting the balance between trade and environment.