Journal of International Development最新文献

This study analyses the three-way relationship between economic growth and the two aspects of income distribution, namely, functional income distribution (labour income share) and household income distribution (Gini coefficient). One contribution of such three-way analysis is to reveal the ‘decoupling’ pattern of the growth-equity nexus, namely decoupling between functional income distribution and household income distribution, as it finds that economic growth tends to increase labour income share but worsen household income inequality, and also to confirm the reverse relationship that that higher labour income shares and household income inequality lead to a higher rate of economic growth. We show that these findings co-exist with the traditional belief in the literature about the directly reinforcing relationship between functional and household income distribution. These findings are consistent with skilled labour compensated by performance-based higher wages, which is often associated with a skill-biassed technological change. The study confirms the same three-way relationship in both developed and developing countries, but with several different determinants and different trends in the key variables. Given this nuanced trade-off between economic growth and household income equality, coupled with no such trade-off between growth and labour income share, a sensible policy prescription may be a combination of growth-enhancing policy of increasing pre-tax labour income share and a separate redistribution policy to decrease disposable household income inequality, which can mitigate income inequality without harming economic growth.

This study reviewed and compared fentanyl's potential impact on public health in India and China, two nations linked to its production and distribution. A comparison of China and India's governance structures, historical experiences with opioids, ideologies, and drug policies on the potential for domestic fentanyl use showed that fentanyl will likely become a more significant threat to Indian society. India's relatively weak governance, historical acceptance of opium, and permissive drug culture facilitate an environment conducive to the production and use of fentanyl. In contrast, China's strong central government, the Opium Wars, the historical effects of opium addiction, and adherence to conservative Confucian ethics will likely contribute to opposition to fentanyl use. Understanding these disparities is paramount for policymakers and public health officials in both nations to develop and customise strategies to confront the challenges posed by fentanyl.

Rapid urbanisation in developing countries has often resulted in slums with minimal public goods provision, where the poor rely on clientelist networks to provide for their basic needs. Using household-level data, this paper is the first to empirically document how political clientelism operates in Pakistani slums. It finds that urban brokers, unlike their rural counterparts, are unable to claim credit for public goods provision. Instead, they provide personalised and highly targeted services – such as dispute resolution and assistance with documentation. Moreover, unlike traditional clientelism, urban networks are found to be problem-solving and welfare-enhancing for slum dwellers.

Based on data from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS), our study examines how geographical remoteness impacts farmers' gift expense burden. Farmers' gift expense burden increases significantly as the distance from the village to the county-level city increases. Two key mechanisms for more remote rural areas exacerbate farmers' gift expense burden: stronger reliance on neighbours and relatives for assistance and more concentrated authority among local officials. Our research offers new perspectives on disparities in gift expense burden among farmers in developing countries and suggests viable avenues to alleviate their financial strain.

In developing countries' manufacturing, the prevalence of small firms poses a conundrum, as few successfully transition to larger categories. Scholarly attention to the reasons behind this limited upward mobility remains scarce. This study, focusing on Indian manufacturing, explores the role of limited financial access as a significant obstacle hindering small firms' transition. Analysing data spanning 2001–2016, encompassing both formal and informal firms, we find robust evidence that access to finance is crucial for small firm transition in Indian manufacturing. The findings are robust to alternate specifications and methods, and also to concerns arising from reverse causality.

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.