Journal of International Development最新文献

This study examines whether less developed countries are catching up with developed ones using the log t convergence technique (LCT) and the dynamic spatial ordered probit (DSOP) model. The findings revealed that first, there is no overall convergence in AI research capacity. Second, club clustering analysis showed convergence in four of the five groups of countries on AI research output and in three of the four groups on AI patent grants. Third, the countries are experiencing a slow divergence process in AI research capacity. Fourth, the region, income group and cluster of the countries are influencing the convergence process.

This scoping study maps the conflict and food systems nexus to identify broad themes, specific components and remaining gaps in research. Applying systems thinking and network analysis, the analysis points to three trends. First, studies are heavily focused on production, with relatively less attention to aspects including transport, trade and household utilisation. Second, geographically, food systems within Africa and at country-level are well-represented in existing research, at the expense of other regions and scales. Third, specific modalities of violence are often omitted, and we observe a tendency to aggregate discrete forms of insecurity. The study has implications for scholars and practitioners seeking to better understand and respond to conflict's impacts on food systems and suggests avenues for further research.

International technology transfer (ITT) is commonly seen as an essential way to bridge the gap between highly advanced industrialised nations and developing countries. This gap is particularly pronounced with a view of African states. These generally have a limited capacity to cope with the effects of climate change. Therefore, foreign innovations must be successfully adopted to realities on the continent to mitigate the effects. This has sparked a growing academic interest in this topic in recent years, leading to many aspects being covered in the literature. This paper takes stock of the current state of the art, thereby asking the question: What do we know about the problems regarding international technology transfer to Africa? Employing a reproducible, transparent and clear systematic review, 73 relevant texts are identified. The barriers to more (successful) international technology transfer that these publications identify are discussed. As this review clarifies, many aspects are known, but specifics around governance aspects and institutional set-ups are primarily bypassed in the discussion.

This research examines the impact of trade related to global value chains (GVCs) and the COVID-19 pandemic on economic growth. To achieve this, we analyse a panel of 60 countries spanning from 2007 to 2021. Various models are estimated using the system generalized method of moments technique. The primary findings are as follows: Firstly, GVC trade is identified as a positive and beneficial factor influencing economic growth. Secondly, the interaction between COVID and GVCs reveals that GVCs continue to have a positive impact on economic growth even during the pandemic. Lastly, consistent and comparable results are observed across different GVC components, sectors and country groups. These outcomes provide valuable insights for policymakers, emphasizing the importance of GVC trade in fostering economic growth.

Corruption has been identified as a major debilitating factor in tax revenue generation, especially in developing countries. This study examines the effects of perceived political corruption on tax compliance intention and investigates the mediating roles of tax morale and tax tolerance among private businesses in Ghana. Data were collected with a questionnaire from 1133 private firms randomly sampled in the Greater Accra Region. Estimation was done using structural equation modelling with maximum likelihood estimation techniques. The study finds that perceived political corruption diminishes tax morale, tolerance and compliance intentions. Moreover, tax tolerance and tax morale enhance compliance intentions. Again, tax morale and tax tolerance partially mediate the relationship between perceived political corruption and tax compliance intention, reducing corruption's negative effects on intentions to comply with tax obligations. Finally, these tax compliance behaviours vary with education, age of business, sectors and firm size. The government of Ghana needs to focus on voluntary tax compliance by convincingly fighting corruption, especially by tightening fiscal loopholes.

This paper investigates the impact of integrating climate change interventions in informal community-based institutions called savings groups. By integrating climate-related activities into these groups, the aim is to simultaneously strengthen the group's financial activities as well as improve knowledge and investment capacity in climate adaptation. We find that the introduction of the training increases meeting attendance rate and average loan sizes, suggesting that members can access larger sums for investment to implement the knowledge acquired during the training. We provide evidence that there are opportunities for economies of scope and for a larger positive impact on the livelihoods of the populations at the bottom of the pyramid by combining financial services offered in the savings groups and climate-related interventions.

This study analysed the effects of flush toilet use on health and non-health expenditures incurred by rural Chinese. The instrumental-variable-based Tobit and endogenous treatment regression models were used to analyse the 2016 China Labour Force Dynamics Survey data while addressing the selection bias inherent in flush toilet use. The results showed that by improving rural residents' physical and mental health, flush toilet use reduced per capita health expenditure while increasing non-health expenditure. Furthermore, using flush toilets had positive spillover effects, reducing the health expenditures of even those who did not use them. Factors affecting flush toilet use were also analysed.

Factors influencing spice income in Tanzania are assessed, exploring household effects of spice diversification, socio-economic and land characteristics on spice income. Spice diversification, household size, age and gender of the household head, non-spice crops and off-farm activities are factors influencing spice income. Results indicate that successful farmers can negotiate higher prices for most spices. This suggests that policymakers should encourage farmers to diversify production and supplement their income with non-spice crops. Promoting cooperation among farmers, improving marketing infrastructure and implementing education programs could equip farmers with the necessary knowledge and skills to negotiate prices and reduce income differences among farmers.

This study examines the relative deprivation in the mental health, henceforth referred to as ‘social and emotional well-being (SEWB)’, of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in relation to non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. The study uses the multidimensional deprivation methodology to quantify the deprivation in SEWB. The results show wide variation in the relative deprivation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people between the dimensions of SEWB. This study finds robust evidence that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience lower SEWB and higher economic insecurity than the rest and the gap refuses to narrow over time.

Promoted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in particular, fiscal austerity measures have been extensively implemented across the world in the last decade as a policy prescription to address the impacts of economic shocks. Consequently, the implementation of austerity has engendered a vast body of austerity impact assessment literature in the Global North, in particular. Although austerity measures have been equally implemented (and longer) in Global South contexts, the same level of intellectual curiosity has not been dedicated to understanding the human and social costs of austerity in the Global South. To help fill this gap, this paper examines the implications of fiscal austerity for the delivery of two complementary programmes linked to Ghana's conditional cash transfer (CCT) — the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme. The paper adopts a qualitative design where semi-structured interviews are conducted with (a) two LEAP officers, (b) two headteachers and (c) 35 LEAP beneficiaries in northern Ghana. The findings show that within the current context of fiscal austerity, mainly mediated through the government's commitment to “cut expenditures to the bone”, the two complementary services have been unfunded and thus do not exist in practice. The non-existence of complementary services has dire consequences for children's education as well as undermines Ghana's poverty reduction attempts through the implementation of the LEAP programme.