bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Alternative Development Strategies for Women in Rural China
Authors: Judd Ellen 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThree major strategies for enhancing women's role in economic development in rural China are in evidence in the 1980s: (1) replacing male labour in agriculture, (2) employment in rural industry, and (3) ‘household’‐based commodity production. The implications of each strategy for women's economic roles and for the structuring of gender in rural China are analysed. Particular attention is given to explicating unanticipated reasons for women's and Women's Federations' attraction to the third alternative. The concept of ‘strategy’ is examined in this context. The analysis is based on fieldwork data, including interviews and household surveys, collected in three villages in Shandong during the summer of 1986 and the winter of 1987–8.
The End of the Road in Land Reform? Limits to Redistribution in West Bengal
Authors: Baruah Sanjib 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThe hypothesis that failures of land reform programmes are due to the political power of dominant classes is problematic where land is scarce, ownership not highly concentrated and politics not especially exclusionary. Since the late 1960s, land reform in West Bengal has been initiated by radical rural political mobilization—with significant participation by the agrarian underclass. The Communist Party of India (Marxist)—the largest radical party in West Bengal‐has been unable to extend its redistributive land reform agenda beyond a point because of political difficulties rooted in West Bengal's intense competition for scarce resources. It has modified the land reform agenda to accommodate the competing demands of the poor and the non‐poor, and there are signs that land reform is losing saliency in the policy agenda. This paper argues that the weak implementation of land reform in West Bengal is explained not by the power of the dominant classes, but as an adaptation of policy to an environment of resource scarcity and a relatively low level of land concentration.
The Rational Choice Paradigm and the Allocation of Agricultural Development Resources
Authors: Moore Mick 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTDespite its analytic deficiencies and the doctrinaire purposes it has been made to serve, the rational choice approach to political analysis can have considerable explanatory value. Three examples are given of the utility of the sub‐field of rent‐seeking analysis in illuminating how public resources for agricultural development are allocated in developing countries: rural‐urban relations, resource allocation among agricultural services, and irrigation policy.
Factors Affecting Small Farmers' Access to Institutional Credit in Rural Orissa, India
Authors: Sarap Kailas 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThis study uses original survey data from six villages to locate and analyse factors inhibiting small farmers' access to formal credit, including credit supply, bargaining strength, bureaucratic formalities, asset‐based lending policies, informal tenancy contracts, extended processing procedures and caste barriers. The survey data confirm a correlation between higher overall transaction costs and smaller farm size, and also between arrearages and larger farm size. The analysis leads to the suggestion that policies should be directed both towards reducing the overall transaction costs of formal loans to small farmers, and towards improved collection processes.
Nigerian Oil and Exchange Rates: Indicators of ‘Dutch Disease’
Authors: Struthers John J. 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThis article assesses the impact of expanding oil revenues on non‐oil sectors of the Nigerian economy from 1960 to 1985/6. Emphasis is placed on the effects of exchange rate appreciation during the 1970s on the agricultural, manufacturing and non‐traded goods sectors. The analysis is conducted within a Dutch disease context. Two main conclusions are that the decline of Nigerian agriculture during these years can be attributed to a combination of low real producer prices and insufficient government investment, as well as the overvalued Nigerian naira; and that the high real exchange rate may have benefited the manufacturing sector.
The Crisis of the 1980s in Sub‐Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean: Economic Impact, Social Change and Political Implications
Authors: Ghai Dharam , de Alcántara Cynthia Hewitt 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this paper, prepared as a background document for the UNRISD/University of the West Indies conference on Economic Crisis and Third World Countries, is to provide a framework for consideration of societal changes accompanying economic recession and restructuring in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean over the past decade.It is the central argument of the paper that adaptation to crisis should not be considered a temporary phenomenon, interrupting a single, lineal process of modernization which can be expected to resume its course once current difficulties are overcome. On the contrary, both crisis and adjustment have profoundly modified the structure of incentives within which individuals and households must attempt to ensure their livelihood, encouraging new patterns of behaviour with long‐term implications for the nature of the economy, society and political practice.After a brief review of the macroeconomic background of crisis in each region, this central hypothesis is explored through a very preliminary analysis of the changing life chances of various kinds of upper, middle and lower income groups — emphasizing not only the costs but also the opportunities which have been associated with economic restructuring. Some individual and collective reactions to change are then considered, before raising a series of questions concerning the implications of crisis and adjustment for the state and civil society.
Uganda: Contradictions of the IMF Programme and Perspective
Authors: Mamdani Mahmood 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThis critique of the Structural Adjustment Programme in Uganda is argued at three levels. A discussion of the immediate consequences of SAP is based on empirical data on economic performance compiled by the Government of Uganda, IMF and World Bank. Second, information for a longer‐term historical analysis is culled from the author's own research. Its purpose is to raise more fundamental issues of social transformation. Finally, these perspectives are reinforced through a comparative discussion using South East Asian development experience. The author argues that there are diverse paths to capitalist development, with diverse and contradictory social and political consequences. The real issue in contemporary Uganda is not one of the state or the market, but of the transformation of relations internal to both from the point of view of democratization.
A Re‐assessment of Entitlement Theory in the Light of the Recent Famines in Africa
Authors: de Waal Alex 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThis paper is an attempt to re‐assess the nature of famines, as conceptualized in Professor Sen's entitlement theory, in the light of empirical evidence concerning the recent African famines. The paper identifies two critical phenomena that entitlement theory fails to explain. First, during famines, many people choose not to consume food rather than sell vital assets. Secondly, most famine mortality is not directly related to undernutrition, but is caused by outbreaks of disease. Sen's more recent work on poverty provides a framework for understanding these phenomena. The price of this is that entitlements themselves form only part of a larger account of famine. Some aspects of a revised account include coping strategies of famine‐affected people, social disruption, and violence. In this account, less severe famine is not theoretically distinct from acute poverty, and severe famine is distinct largely because of the severity of social collapse, which in Africa usually follows violence.
Bank Lending to LDCs: From the Euphoria of Credit Syndication to the Debt Problem's Implications
Authors: Rogovitsky Alexander 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThis paper deals with the behaviour of commercial banks in the syndicated credits market, which proved to be the most popular instrument in the 1970s guiding credit flows to developing countries. The author argues that the distortions in the pricing structure of syndicated credits biased the international credit market towards overlending, thus making standard investment criteria less applicable to credit commitments to developing countries. The analysis of post‐1982 rescheduling qualifies it as a vicious circle and stresses the urgent need for the partial forgiveness of developing countries' debts in accordance with the market price of securitized debt.
Dilemmas of Development Discourse: The Crisis of Developmentalism and the Comparative Method
Authors: Pieterse Jan Nederveen 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTDevelopmentalism, or the theory of linear progress, has taken several forms — evolutionism, modernization theory, development thinking — which correlate with different epochs of western hegemony. The comparative method serves as its underpinnings in theoretically incorporating non‐western societies into the developmental paradigm. Developmentalism is universalist and ahistorical, teleological and ethnocentric. A discourse of power, it is presented and taken as a recipe for social change. The present crisis of developmentalism is both a crisis of development in the south and a crisis of modernism in the west. In the west, developmentalism is being challenged by new social movements and, in theoretical terms, by postmodernism; in the south, alternative development strategies test the limits of the developmental paradigm. Non‐western concepts of modernization have also been developed. This discussion concludes with two queries, one concerning the passage from the bi‐polar world of the Cold War to polycentrism, and one with respect to the deconstruction of the west as a prerequisite to the deconstruction of development.If ‘development’ itself has become a problem, and has sowed the seeds of discontent and ethnic conflict, a corrective to development can only come from other worldviews, other visions.
Economic Transformation in Eastern Europe: Its Genesis, Adjustment Process, and Impact on Developing Countries
Authors: Linnemann Hans , Sarma Atul 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTIncreasing strains on self‐sufficiency within the block of East European command economies resulted in the dramatic decision to change over to an economic system largely based on market forces. The painfulness of the ensuing transformation process will be mitigated somewhat by supportive economic policies of the West, including the European Community which is itself aiming at complete economic integration by the end of 1992. The consequences for the developing countries of these far‐reaching policy changes in East and West are likely to be negative, at least in the immediate future. This is true for the volume of development assistance given by East and West, as well as for the export prospects of developing countries. Favourable effects might at best be expected in the longer run.
Poverty Alleviation Programmes In Rural India: An Assessment
Authors: Gaiha Raghav 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThe Planning Commission estimated a sharp reduction of poverty during the early 1980s, which it attributed largely to the poverty alleviation strategy followed during the Sixth Plan. Specifically, it was claimed that the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) was responsible for a substantial reduction in rural poverty. This claim is critically evaluated here. Drawing upon the results of an applied general equilibrium model, selected anti‐poverty interventions are compared from a macro perspective. Noting the incentive and information‐related problems, some key issues in designing anti‐poverty interventions are addressed.Section I reviews changes in rural poverty at the all‐India level. Section II explores the relationship between rural poverty, agricultural production and (consumer) prices. Distinguishing between transitory and persistent poverty, alternative measures of persistent poverty are presented in Section III. A case is then made for an interventionist anti‐poverty strategy, followed by a brief review (Section IV) of salient features and selected performance indicators of poverty alleviation programmes launched/implemented during the Sixth Plan period. Section V investigates whether these programmes — especially the IRDP — played a significant role in alleviating poverty. Section VI discusses selected anti‐poverty interventions and possible design‐related reforms; concluding observations are offered in the final section.
The Dynamics of Work and Survival for the Urban Poor: A Gender Analysis of Panel Data from Madras
Authors: Noponen Helzi 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the functioning of the household economy and family labour supply over a five‐year period among a panel sample of poor households in Madras using an event history methodology. The research focused on the key role women play in sustaining poor households despite constrained labour market choices. Women's earnings from daily self‐employed work activities provided a substantial and steady component to total household income which tended to fluctuate with the earnings and family pool contribution of casually employed males. As economic stress events hit the family over time, women helped by increasing earnings, adding on secondary jobs, utilizing their earning status to obtain loans from a variety of sources, sacrificing their subsidized business loan for family debt repayment, and foregoing personal expenditures and leisure. At the same time women also managed the increasingly more difficult tasks of fulfilling basic needs of the household such as food, fuel and water collection, sanitation and childcare with less resources of time. Development policies must reflect the fact that women are central to individual family survival and as a whole they are key actors in the adjustment process to the crises in employment occurring in the local and national economy.
Gainers and Losers: A Note on Land and Occupational Mobility in a South Indian Village, 1977–85
Authors: Swantinathan Madhura 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThis paper examines evidence on changes in the pattern of land‐ownership and in household occupations based on a longitudinal study of a village in the relatively advanced agricultural region of Tamil Nadu, India. The question motivating the paper is whether the occurrence of mobility moderates the high levels of inequality observed in the region. The matrix approach is used to examine mobility. Matrices of occupations and land‐holdings are constructed for the eighty‐three panel households, spanning a period of eight years, to indicate the degree and direction of mobility. The investigation suggests that agricultural modernization within the existing structural framework has provided restricted opportunities for occupational change and has not mitigated the extreme polarization in the distribution of land.
The Rural Labour Market in Zimbabwe
Authors: Adams Jennifer 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTWage labour in Zimbabwe is most often associated with large commercial farms. The use of wage labour within ‘peasant’ agriculture has been rarely investigated and remains largely undocumented. In 1986/7, the author conducted research in Zimbabwe which was explicitly concerned with issues of rural economic differentiation and the wage labour supplied and hired by ‘peasant’ households. The data suggest that a dynamic labour market exists in rural Zimbabwe. Further, it was found that in addition to the many part‐time rural wage workers, there is a group of people who depend upon wages for all or the bulk of their income. These people, who have been largely ignored by policymakers, cannot be defined as farmers at all.
The Transformation of the Production and Retail of Building Materials for Low‐income Housing in Mombasa, Kenya
Authors: Macoloo Gervase Chris 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the changes which have occurred in the low‐income settlements in Mombasa, Kenya's second largest city, in connection with the production and retail of building materials. The analysis is conducted via the articulation of modes of housing production concept. Prior to the implementation of settlement upgrading in Mombasa, funded by the World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development, there existed a distinct mode of low‐income housing production and consumption in the town. The typical low‐income housing in Mombasa is the swahili house which had its own market both for the supply of traditional building materials as well as tenancy arrangements. With the commencement of the provision of low‐income housing based on international aid agencies' planning orthodoxy, the swahili housing scene has undergone a tremendous transformation. The proscription of the use of traditional (indigenous) materials in housing construction has resulted in raising the cost of housing beyond the majority of the urban poor. In addition, it has adversely affected small‐scale retail outlets which specialized in the supply of these materials. This process has gone hand in hand with the prescription that only industrially manufactured materials are to be used in low‐income settlements. The popularization of the use of industrially manufactured materials has also resulted in the emergence of middlemen in the supply of these materials to the low‐income settlements. This development too has meant that the cost of building materials has to rise, in some cases by over five times, from the production points to the construction sites. The fundis (traditional artisans) have also found themselves in a precarious situation because they have either to get extra training in handling the ‘new’ materials and ‘modern’ housing plans or be marginalized to mere repair works.The paper concludes that the articulation between the traditional and the modern modes of housing production in Mombasa has been to the benefit of the latter. It is, however, pointed out that the process of commercialization of low‐income settlements had commenced earlier than the involvement of international aid agencies, and therefore state intervention in this sector merely speeded up this process and increased its magnitude. It is argued that for state intervention to benefit the intended group, it must build upon the pre‐existing organizational structures as blind intervention would be costly, if not counterproductive, and may exacerbate the problem, as the Mombasa situation reveals.
Welfare Consequences of Green Revolution Technology: Changes in Bangladeshi Food Production and Diet
Authors: Alauddin Mohammad , Tisdell Clem 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThe Poirier kinked exponential method as used by Boyce (1986) is adopted to examine changes in the Bangladeshi crop sector in the 1947–84 period using aggregate time series data. This is claimed to be a superior approach to earlier ones and it is the first time that non‐cereal food crops have been given extensive consideration. Growth rates in output of major crops as well as commodity groups are estimated for various sub‐periods with special emphasis on the changes in the period following the Green Revolution. The paper identifies a comparative ‘crowding out’ of non‐cereal crop production as well as other food sources, e.g. fisheries, following the Green Revolution. On the whole, increased cereal production has been absorbed by rising population with per capita availability remaining roughly constant. The availability per capita of pulses, fruits and spices has fallen markedly in the post‐Green Revolution period and on average per capita availability of vegetables has fallen. Furthermore, per capita protein content (both vegetable and animal) of the Bangladeshi diet has declined. The average Bangladeshi diet now appears to be less varied and balanced and a priori less nutritious with adverse welfare implications. Expansion of rice and wheat production has been at the expense of other sources of food such as pulses, fruit, vegetables and fish.
Rural‐Urban Relations, Household Income Diversification and Agricultural Productivity
Authors: Evans Hugh Emrys , Ngau Peter 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTDoes rising income from agriculture drive the growth of nonfarm activities, or does increased income from nonfarm activities spur the growth of agriculture? This paper looks at the role of nonfarm income in enabling smallholders to raise agricultural output and productivity. Based on data from a sample of farm households near Kutus town in the Kirinyaga district of Kenya, it examines these issues by looking at the use of resources for farm production, the risks attached to alternative ways of raising output and productivity, and the household's propensity to accept risk as a function of the extent to which it is able to draw on liquid assets or diversified sources of income. The authors argue that nonfarm income provides households with a form of insurance against the risks of farming, and thus enables them to adopt new production methods and raise output. They argue further that a key factor in creating opportunities for rural households to earn nonfarm income is the presence of vibrant small towns nearby.
Foreign Aid after the Cold War
Authors: Griffin Keith 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThis paper argues that foreign aid programmes originated as part of the ideological confrontation known as the Cold War and that the motives behind aid were always more political than economic. It is further argued that the economic justifications for foreign aid — filling ‘gaps’ in capital, technology and skills—are suspect and that the economic benefits in terms of long‐term development are at best negligible. Turning to the future, foreign aid programmes are bound to change to reflect the new realities of global international relations. Nine specific predictions are made about the future size and composition of aid programmes. The outlook for those who favour aid is not bright, but recent changes in thinking about development suggest that more sell‐reliant strategies could well be more beneficial to the poor than conventional aid‐supported strategies.
Growth of Rural Industries in Post‐reform China: Patterns, Determinants and Consequences
Authors: Islam Rizwanul 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThe first question addressed by this paper relates to the very high growth rates achieved by China's rural industries during the post‐reform period. While growth rates have undoubtedly been extremely high, they can only be put in a proper perspective when growth in different components of the sector (i.e. township‐ and village‐owned and privately owned industries) is examined separately and compared with performance before the reforms. In this regard, an important finding of the paper is that as far as township and village industries are concerned, growth rates in the post‐reform period do not represent a sudden break from the rates of the earlier period — particularly the 1970s. It is mainly in the emergence and growth of private enterprises that the growth experience of the 1980s differs substantially from that of the 1970s. The sharp decline in the growth of all rural industries in 1989 does not appear to mark a reversal in their growth environment, but the beginning of a period of consolidation and rationalization; and, contrary to popular notion, private enterprises are not the worst sufferers in this process. Finally, the paper looks at regional imbalance. Historically, rural industries in China have been concentrated more in the eastern provinces along the coast, and this regional concentration has increased during the post‐reform period of high growth.