Suchergebnisse

AbstractThis paper addresses the broad question: 'How should government policies in the area of food security, nutrition, agriculture and the environment be altered to better meet the needs of the poor within the context of the HIV/AIDS pandemic?' We review the literature on the impact of HIV/AIDS on livelihoods, with special reference to agriculture, food security and nutrition. We highlight public policy options for effective HIV/AIDS mitigation in the areas of agriculture and nutrition and discuss the role of research in stimulating effective action for AIDS mitigation and ultimately for HIV prevention. The review concludes with a consideration of research priorities. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AbstractHas the increasingly pro‐poor stance of the World Bank, as manifested in particular in its most recent World Development Report (WDR), caused it to abandon its traditionally free‐market attitudes ? The answer is 'yes and no'. The pursuit of 'security' espoused by the WDR has forced the Bank to acknowledge widespread market failure in the provision of security, both social and financial; and this has caused the Bank to espouse some measures very inconsistent with the Washington consensus, such as international capital controls. On the other hand, the old agenda of rolling back the frontiers of the state remains, and is given a new twist in WDR 2000 by the revelation that the 'voices of the poor' are arrayed against bureaucratic abuses. Debate within the Bank has become much more open and transparent, and this has exposed long‐persisting internal differences about what markets still need to be liberalized in what environments. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AbstractThe endemic nature of HIV/AIDS in Africa has led to substantial activity to intensify action in SSA over the past two years. There has been both a reallocation of resources towards HIV/AIDS and wide scale efforts at mobilizing additional resources to scale up HIV/AIDS prevention and care interventions. Despite efforts to rapidly mobilize resources, priority‐setting among the various interventions remains a central issue, with broad debates about how resources should be allocated, and particular concern about treatment and the availability of drugs. In this paper, we discuss the range of interventions which are commonly implemented for HIV/AIDS and the debate around priority‐setting, in settings where the HIV epidemic is centralised. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AbstractThe paper provides a comprehensive survey of privatization transastions in Turkey which took place between 1986 and 2000. The objectives of the privatization programme and privatized and nominated SOEs are discussed. The breakdown of total proceeds by sales methods and scope of the privatization programme by economic sectors are examined. The saleability of relatively large public enterprises is reviewed and utilization of privatization proceeds during and after privatization process is critically appraised. In addition, an attempt is made to discuss the politics of privatization by referring to key political and economic factors which have influenced implementation of the privatization programme. Following a short review of the economic environment and macroeconomic indicators in Turkey, focus is also placed on the research results that are available on the performance of public, private and privatized SOEs, particularly in the cement sector. In the final section, some key issues relevant to Turkish privatization are accentuated and some conclusion are drawn. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AbstractRecent research has highlighted the importance of technology strategies in influencing the economic performance of firms in developing countries. Attention has focused on two types of strategies: the first involves adopting technologies developed elsewhere without undertaking any modifications and the second involves investing in such technologies but adapting them to suit firm‐specific needs and circumstances. Whilst it has been indicated that the second type of adaptive strategy is likely to lead to higher productivity gains than the first, this hypothesis has not been tested econometrically. Using survey data, this paper undertakes an econometric analysis of the effects of these alternative technology strategies on firm‐level technical efficiency in the agricultural machinery industry in Sri Lanka. Controlling for other possible determinants, it finds that adaptive strategies have a significant positive effect on efficiency in this industry. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AbstractIn this paper I use the detailed consumption modules of the 1996 and 1999 National Socio‐Economic Surveys (SUSENAS) to calculate proportional changes in two welfare measures within 53 rural and urban regions of Indonesia. The results suggest that urban regions experienced the greatest drops in consumption while rural regions were less affected. The large decreases in mean consumption were accompanied by a reduction in inequality within the majority of the regions that tended to counteract the negative effect of the lower mean consumption on social welfare. The same general picture emerges when I use per capita caloric availability as a measure of welfare. Most of the regions experiencing a large drop in per capita consumption also seem to experience a drop in per capita caloric availability. This suggests that the drop in consumption has been accompanied by a reduction in the availability of calories and possibly nutrients at the household level. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AbstractThe political economy of currency taxation suggests that the idea will receive more support if it can be shown to make a significant contribution to offsetting the perceived inefficiencies of private international capital markets. This paper explores what can be expected from a currency tax in this respect. It shows that there are simple but neglected analytical issues that make such a tax an attractive idea. If the tax is relatively ineffective in helping to avoid financial crises and calming markets, it will be relatively effective at providing the resources necessary to mitigate the aftermath of such events. The paper offers new proposals for using the revenue from currency taxation to finance the operations of the IMF. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AbstractThis paper addresses the challenge of reducing HIV infection through creating AIDS‐competent societies. A working model is presented based on extensive international practical experience pooled by facilitators in 10 African countries and Thailand. The main underlying theme is that community members can be empowered to develop their own individual and collective plans of action that will: (i) reduce the likelihood of them becoming infected by HIV; (ii) maintain the quality of their lives through appropriate care and support to those who are infected, and to those who have developed AIDS and their families; and (iii) become autonomous, by monitoring and evaluating their progress in becoming fully AIDS‐competent and learning from each other about how best to move forward in this process, using methods and a strategy that is acceptable to the wider community. A further component of the working model would be the inclusion of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA) in such activities. This successful bottom‐up process is permeating upwards from the grassroots to professionals in many sectors at district and national levels. It promises to provide a powerful, tailor‐made method for the containment of HIV infection. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.