rafmacalaba/datause-encoder-data huggingface dataset:
The impact of privatization on the
            performance of the infrastructure sector : the case of
            electricity distribution in Latin American countries
The authors analyze the impact of
            privatization on the performance of 116 electric utilities
            in 10 Latin American countries. The analysis makes a number
            of contributions to the literature on changes in
            infrastructure ownership. First, this is the first systemic
            analysis of the impact of privatization on the distribution
            of the electricity sector. Second, it constructs an
            unbalanced panel data set of key indicators for each
            country. Third, it includes a broader-than in past
            studies-range of indicators, such as output, employment,
            productivity, efficiency, quality, coverage, and prices,
            offering a fuller picture of the effects of privatization on
            consumers. Fourth, this research covers a longer period of
            time, and evaluates three stages-before, transition, and
            after-allowing for the identification of the short- and
            long-run effects of privatization, as opposed to previous
            analyses' short time series data that do not identify
            long-run outcomes. Finally, the counterfactual is considered
            through the analysis in trends. The authors apply two
            different methodologies. The first methodology uses means
            and medians from each period and tests the significance of
            the changes between periods. The second methodology consists
            of an econometric model that captures firm fixed effects,
            firm-specific time trends, and heteroscedasticity
            corrections. When needed, the authors used firm-specific
            time trends to better understand the outcomes. The results
            suggest that changes in ownership generate significant
            improvements in labor productivity, efficiency, and product
            and service quality, and that most of those changes occur in
            the transition period. Improvements in the post transition
            period-beyond two years after the change in ownership-are
            much more modest.
The handshake : why do governments
            and firms sign private sector participation deals Evidence
            from the water and sanitation sector in developing countries
This paper uses a new dataset,
            "WATSAN," of private sector participation (PSP)
            projects for water and sanitation in developing countries to
            examine the determinants of the number of projects signed
            for each country between 1990 and 2004. The new dataset
            improves on existing sources, in particular in its coverage
            of projects with local investors, and provides adequate data
            for cross-country regression analysis. The authors use a
            negative binomial regression model to investigate the
            factors influencing the number of PSP projects in a sample
            of 60 developing countries with 460 PSP projects. The
            regression results provide support for the hypotheses that
            PSP is greater in larger markets where the ability to pay is
            higher and where governments are fiscally constrained. The
            authors test several indicators of institutional quality and
            find that these are generally significant in determining the
            number of projects signed for each country. Measures of the
            protection of property rights and the quality of the
            bureaucracy emerge as the most important institutions that
            encourage PSP. Rule of law and the control of corruption are
            significant, albeit at a lower level, while the quality of
            contract law and political stability are not robustly significant.
Creating a more efficient financial
            system : challenges for Bangladesh
While Bangladesh has embarked on a path
            to reform its financial system, most prominently by
            privatizing its government-owned banks, the Nationalized
            Commercial Banks (NCBs), a sustainable long-term expansion
            of the financial system requires a more substantial change
            in the role of government. Using recent research and
            international comparisons, this paper argues that the
            government should move from its role as an operator and
            arbiter in the financial system to a facilitator role. This
            implies not only divestment from government-owned banks, but
            also de-politicization of the licensing process and a
            market-based bank failure resolution framework that focuses
            on intermediation and not on the rescue of individual
            institutions. Most important, the government should move
            away from the implicit guarantee for depositors and owners
            to applying the existing limited explicit deposit insurance
            for depositors, while simultaneously relying more on market
            participants to monitor and discipline banks instead of
            micro-managing financial institutions. This redefinition of
            government's role should not be limited to the banking
            system, but applies to other segments of the financial
            system, such as capital markets and the micro-finance
            sector, and should be seen as an essential element in the
            governance reform agenda and in the movement from a
            relationship-based economy to a market and arms-length economy.
Earthquake vulnerability reduction
            program in Colombia : a probabilistic cost-benefit analysis
Cost-benefit analysis is a standard tool
            for determining the efficiency of planned projects. But one
            of the major difficulties in risk mitigation investments is
            that benefits are by nature uncertain. In this context, the
            standard approach relying on the average value of benefits
            may provide an incomplete picture of the efficiency of the
            risk mitigation project under consideration. This paper
            presents a probabilistic cost-benefit analysis relying on a
            catastrophe risk model. It produces risk metrics such as the
            exceedance probability curve of the benefit-cost ratio, thus
            providing the decisionmaker with a more complete risk
            analysis of the net benefits of the project. This is
            illustrated with the earthquake vulnerability reduction
            project in Colombia.
Water markets, demand, and cost
            recovery for piped water supply services : evidence from
            Southwest Sri Lanka
In many countries water supply is a
            service that is seriously underpriced, especially for
            residential consumers. This has led to a call for setting
            cost recovery policies to ensure that the tariffs charged
            for water supply cover the full cost of providing for the
            service. Yet, the question arises on how consumers will
            react to such price increases. The authors illustrate the
            impact of price increases on consumption of piped water
            through a study of the demand for water of piped and
            non-piped households using cross-sectional data from 1,800
            households in Southwest Sri Lanka. The (marginal) price
            elasticity is estimated at -0.74 for households exclusively
            relying on piped water, and at -0.69 for households using
            piped water but supplementing their supply with other water
            sources, with no significant differences between income
            groups. Those households that depend on non-piped water
            sources have a time cost elasticity (as a proxy for price
            elasticity) of only -0.06. The authors discuss the
            implications of these results in terms of pricing policy.
Market access, supplier access, and
            Africa's manufactured exports : an analysis of the role
            of geography and institutions
In a large cross-country sample of
            manufacturing establishments drawn from 188 cities, average
            exports per establishment are smaller for African firms than
            for businesses in other regions. The authors show that this
            is mainly because, on average, African firms face more
            adverse economic geography and operate in poorer
            institutional settings. Once they control for the quality of
            institutions and economic geography, what in effect is a
            negative African dummy disappears from the firm level
            exports equation they estimate. One part of the effect of
            geography operates through Africa's lower "foreign
            market access:" African firms are located further away
            from wealthier or denser potential export markets. A second
            occurs through the region's lower "supplier
            access:" African firms face steeper input prices,
            partly because of their physical distance from cheaper
            foreign suppliers, and partly because domestic substitutes
            for importable inputs are more expensive. Africa's
            poorer institutions reduce its manufactured exports
            directly, as well as indirectly, by lowering foreign market
            access and supplier access. Both geography and institutions
            influence average firm level exports significantly more
            through their effect on the number of exporters than through
            their impact on how much each exporter sells in foreign markets.
Migration, school attainment, and
            child labor : evidence from rural Pakistan
Inequalities in access to education pose
            a significant barrier to development. It has been argued
            that this reflects, in part, borrowing constraints that
            inhibit private investment in human capital by the poor. One
            promise of the recent proposals to open international labor
            markets to allow for the temporary economic migration of
            low-skilled workers from developing to industrial countries
            is its potential impact on human capital accumulation by the
            poor. The large remittance flows from migrants to their
            communities of origin underscores this aspect of migration.
            However, migration can also transform expectations of future
            employment and induce changes in household structure that
            can exert an independent effect on the private returns to
            investment in human capital. The author explores the
            relationship between temporary economic migration and
            investment in child schooling. A key challenge is to deal
            appropriately with selection into migration. She finds that
            the potential positive effects of temporary economic
            migration on human capital accumulation are large. Moreover,
            the gains are much greater for girls, yielding a very
            substantial reduction in gender inequalities in access to
            education. Significantly, though, the gains appear to arise
            almost entirely from the greater resource flows to migrant
            households. The author cannot detect any effect of future
            migration prospects on schooling decisions. More
            significantly, she does not find any protective effect of
            migration-induced female headship on schooling outcomes for
            girls. Rather, female headship appears to protect boys at
            the cost of girls.
Migration, sex bias, and child
            growth in rural Pakistan
Temporary economic migration is
            undertaken largely in response to resource constraints. This
            is evident in the volume of remittances sent back by
            migrants to their families of origin. In agricultural
            settings, where those left behind are likely to face
            considerable exposure to uninsured income risk, such
            resource flows should translate into better risk bearing
            capacity. In this paper the author takes up this question by
            asking whether economic migration allows households to avoid
            costly risk coping strategies. She focuses on early child
            growth since there is considerable epidemiological evidence
            that very young children are particularly vulnerable to
            shocks that lead to growth faltering, with substantial
            long-term health consequences. The data come from rural
            Pakistan, where, as in the rest of Asia, son preference is
            substantial and there are large gender gaps in most
            developmental outcomes. As such, the interest is in
            examining also whether migration-induced resource flows
            allow households to extend better nutrition and health care
            protection to girls. Recent work on the intra-household
            allocation of resources and risk has also shown that gender
            differences in the relative burden of risk may be important
            and that the allocation of resources to daughters is often
            one margin along which poor households adjust to uninsurable
            transitory income shocks. After accounting for selection
            into migration, the results indicate that migration has a
            substantially larger positive impact on growth outcomes for
            young girls. And the growth advantage is sustained among
            older girls, suggesting potential intergenerational benefits
            of averting nutritional and other health shocks for girls in
            early childhood. These results are further validated by
            restricting the sample to migrant households and comparing
            the growth outcomes of siblings before and after migration.
Subnational fiscal sustainability
            analysis : what can we learn from Tamil Nadu
In the late 1990s the Indian state of
            Tamil Nadu experienced an unprecedented fiscal
            deterioration, which was part of the widespread fiscal
            deterioration in Indian states. This deterioration was
            troubling because current expenditure outgrew total revenue,
            leaving little fiscal space for infrastructure spending. The
            paper presents a framework for subnational fiscal
            sustainability analysis and applies it to Tamil Nadu where
            subsequent fiscal adjustment has been ambitious and
            politically challenging, but has promised to put state
            finance on a sustainable path and create fiscal space for
            infrastructure investment. The paper emphasizes the
            differences between fiscal sustainability analysis at the
            national and subnational levels, attempts to take into
            account uncertainty, and discusses the key components of the
            state's fiscal accounts and how they respond to reforms
            and shocks. Risks to Tamil Nadu's fiscal outlook
            include interest rate shocks, pressures on the primary
            balance, and contingent liabilities. Though the state's
            efforts to remove constraints to economic growth, minimize
            recurrent expenditures and maximize its revenue potential
            will be critical for fiscal sustainability, national
            policies feature prominently in subnational fiscal
            adjustment. Tamil Nadu's quest for fiscal
            sustainability is relevant for other countries.
            Decentralization has given subnational governments in
            developing countries significant spending and taxation
            responsibilities, and the capacity to incur debt. The fiscal
            stress of the Indian states echoed the fiscal crises of
            subnational governments in several other major emerging economies.
Universities as drivers of the urban
            economies in Asia : the case of Vietnam
This study looks at the contribution of
            the university system in Vietnam to the socioeconomic
            development in general, and their relationship with firms,
            dynamic actors of the economy in particular. The study uses
            different methods of research, from reliance on secondary
            data to interviews with universities and survey of firms.
            Several case studies of the key universities in four regions
            have been undertaken: Hanoi in the north, Danang in the
            center, and Ho Chi Minh City and Cantho in the south of
            Vietnam. The findings show that the role of Vietnamese
            universities in research is much weaker than teaching, and
            that their contribution to the socioeconomic development of
            the country is limited to the production of an educated
            labor force rather than innovation. However, in selected
            universities, innovation did take place to a certain extent
            and brought benefits for both the universities and firms
            they served. This situation is explained by both the
            inherited university system in Vietnam and its shift in
            behavior in the context of economic renovation and globalization.
Universities as drivers of the urban
            economies in Asia : the case of Vietnam
WPS3949

# **Universities as Drivers of the Urban Economies in Asia: The Case of Vietnam**

## **Tran Ngoc Ca**<sup>**1**</sup>

**National Institute for Science and Technology Policy and Strategy Studies**

### **Abstract**

This study looks at the contribution of the university system in Vietnam to the socioeconomic development in general, and their relationship with firms, dynamic actors of the economy in particular. The study uses different methods of research, from reliance on secondary data to interviews with universities and survey of firms. Several case studies of the key universities in four regions have been undertaken: Hanoi in the north, Danang in the center, and Ho Chi Minh City and Cantho in the south of Vietnam. The findings show that the role of Vietnamese universities in research is much weaker than teaching, and that their contribution to the socioeconomic development of the country is limited to the production of an educated labor force rather than innovation. However, in selected universities, innovation did take place to a certain extent and brought benefits for both the universities and firms they served. This situation is explained by both the inheritance of the previous build up of the university system in Vietnam and its shift in behavior in the context of economic renovation and globalization.

### World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 3949, June 2006

_The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the view of the World Bank, its Executive Directors, or the countries they represent. Policy Research Working Papers are available online at http://econ.worldbank.org._ 1 With collaboration of Le Van Chuong, Nguyen Phuong Mai, Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, NISTPASS. The authors also would like to thank staff of universities and firms for providing data and interviews. 1
Infrastructure and public utilities
            privatization in developing countries
The paper analyzes governments'
            tradeoff between fiscal benefits and consumer surplus in
            privatization reforms of noncompetitive industries in
            developing countries. Under privatization, the control
            rights are transferred to private interests so that public
            subsidies decline. This benefit for tax-payers comes at the
            cost of price increases for consumers. In developing
            countries, tight budget constraints imply that privatization
            may be optimal for low profitability segments. For highly
            profitable public utilities, the combination of allocative
            inefficiency and critical budgetary conditions may favor
            public ownership. Finally, once a market segment gives room
            for more than one firm, governments prefer to regulate the
            industry. In the absence of a credible regulatory agency,
            regulation is achieved through public ownership.
Services policies in transition
            economies : on the European Union and the World Trade
            Organization as commitment mechanisms
The authors analyze the extent to which
            the EU-15 and 16 transition economies used the WTO General
            Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) to commit to service
            sector policy reforms. They compare GATS commitments with
            the evolution of actual policy stances over time. While
            there is substantial variance across transition economies on
            both actual policies and GATS commitments, the authors find
            an inverse relationship between the depth of GATS
            commitments and the "quality" of actual services
            policies as assessed by the private sector. In part this can
            be explained by the fact that the prospect of EU accession
            makes GATS less relevant as a commitment device for a subset
            of transition economies. But for many of the non-EU
            accession candidates, the WTO seems to be a weak commitment
            device. One explanation is that the small size of the
            markets concerned generates weak external enforcement
            incentives. The authors' findings suggest greater
            collective investment by WTO members in monitoring and the
            need for transparency to increase the benefits of WTO
            membership to small countries.
Can migration reduce educational
            attainment Evidence from Mexico
The authors examine the impact of
            migration on educational attainment in rural Mexico. Using
            historical migration rates by state to instrument for
            current migration, they find evidence of a significant
            negative effect of migration on schooling attendance and
            attainment of 12 to 18 year-old boys and 16 to 18 year-old
            girls. IV-Censored Ordered Probit results show that living
            in a migrant household lowers the chances of boys completing
            junior high school and of boys and girls completing high
            school. The negative effect of migration on schooling is
            somewhat mitigated for younger girls with low educated
            mothers, which is consistent with remittances relaxing
            credit constraints on education investment for the very
            poor. However, for the majority of rural Mexican children,
            family migration depresses educational attainment.
            Comparison of the marginal effects of migration on school
            attendance and on participation in other activities shows
            that the observed decrease in schooling of 16 to 18
            year-olds is accounted for by the current migration of boys
            and increased housework for girls.