Suchergebnisse

This paper investigates the main factors determining corruption in developing countries. It employs the fixed-effects estimation technique to data for several developing countries, pooled for the period 2004 to 2010. The empirical results revealed that the level of economic development, country size, natural resource exports, foreign direct investment, absence of democracy, and colonial legacy as the main correlates of corruption in the developing economies. Some policy implications are drawn.

Capital flight from a small developing country in the Asia Pacific region, Fiji, is estimated using a variant of the residual approach. The findings show that between 1991 and 2009, approximately US$5 billion, averaging some US$265 million per annum has leaked out of Fiji in the form of capital flight. On an annual average basis, this has translated into 12 percent of Fiji's gross domestic product; 19 percent of imports bills and 17 percent of lost tax revenues. The implications of this finding is that Fiji's policymakers need to institute policies that focus on long-term secure and stable business and political environment. Some of these may include making the domestic business and investment environment more attractive, reforming the foreign investment tax incentives, retaining qualified and skilled people, eliminating institutional weaknesses in banking systems, and effective enforcement of banking and customs regulations relating to transfers of financial capital.

AbstractThis paper examines the relationship between indicators of governance and per capita foreign aid in a cross‐section of seven PICs. Controlling for poor economic growth, foreign exchange shortage and small size, a fixed‐effects model correcting for AR (1) errors is tested for the period 1996–2004 that incorporates five measures of governance. The findings here confirm that voice and accountability, rule of law and corruption are negatively correlated with per capita foreign aid. However, regulatory quality and government effectiveness are positively associated with per capita foreign aid. Some policy implications are drawn. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AbstractThis paper examines the extent of food production, imports, and trade policy opportunities in terms of the special and differential treatment (SDT) in Pacific Island countries (PICs). It is revealed that stagnating per capita incomes and high incidence of poverty are lowering the quality of life among a significant proportion of the PIC population. PICs' well-being is likely to be further worsened by falling and stagnating food production and significant rises in food prices as a result of food imports that range between 14 to 29 percent of total imports. PICs' future development is likely to be hampered by the looming economic fallout arising from regional integration. Thus, ensuring food self-sufficiency is essential for improved well-being. In this regard, the PICs window of opportunity is to maximize the utility of the SDT under the World Trade Organisations (WTO) provisions. Urgent governmental attention is required in terms of calibrating regional country-specific composite measures of trade and development parameters so as to allow the capacity of the PICs to bargain for the SDT with greater clarity, strength and meaning.

The determinants of Pacific island countries large foreign aid requirement are examined using a panel corrected standard errors and a country-fixed-effects model for the period 1985-99. Empirical results provide confirmation that poor economic growth, foreign exchange shortage, quality of life, small size and vulnerability are key determinants. (DSE/GIGA)

Empirical studies investigating the direct effects of private health expenditure on child health outcomes for the world's poorest countries are rare. This study attempts to fill this gap. The methodology includes empirical estimations of cross-country annual data for the period 1995-2010 for several low-income countries. The results obtained through fixed-effects estimation provide strong evidence that private health care spending has the expected negative and statistically significant effect on neonatal, infant and under-five mortality rates. The findings also reveal that other than private health care spending, income, nutrition, urbanization, family size, immunization against measles, and access to an improved water supply and sanitation as other strong determinants of neonatal, infant and under-five mortality rates. Some policy implications are drawn.