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Estimating Social Infrastructure Demand: The Case of Japan
Get PDFThe authors estimate the demand for social infrastructure investment (schools, health facilities, public housing, and government buildings) in Japan. These estimates include new construction, operation and maintenance (O&M), rehabilitation, and replacement, for the period from 2016 to 2030. Two approaches were applied to estimate the necessary infrastructure stock for each year: the multiplication of the projected number of beneficiaries by an infrastructure development standard (the micro approach) and a regression analysis with time-series data on socioeconomic variables (the macro approach). The demand for rehabilitation and replacement is examined carefully by using two alternative methods of estimation, an approach that is unique to this paper, having never been seen in other literature in this research field. The results indicate that the country needs to invest 10.3-13.5 trillion Japanese Yen or 94.6-124.0 billion USD†† in 2016 prices annually in the coming fifteen years to sustain the present level of social infrastructure services, an amount which is far larger than the current level of infrastructure investment. It also shows that the amount of spending related to O&M, rehabilitation and replacement is quite substantial, even though the required stock of social infrastructure will be smaller due to population decrease in the future. These findings and methodologies provide useful implications for a social infrastructure demand estimate for other Asian countries.departmental bulletin pape
Developing National Agendas in Order to Achieve Gender Equality in Education (SDG 4)
Get PDFApproaches to addressing gender inequality in education are generally based on a one-size-fits-all model that has predominantly focused on girls’ education. However, there are growing gender disparities in education impacting boys in regions, such as the Caribbean and Middle East. It is therefore necessary to take a more holistic look at gender and target those children who are most at risk of being unable to access “equitable quality education,” (UN, 2018, p. 1). This brief calls for the establishment of baseline data and targeted interventions to benefit the most marginalized girls and boys in order to achieve gender equality in education.articl
Sustainable Prevention of Food Crises in Sub-Saharan Africa
Get PDFFood crises and distress migration will continue to plague the African continent in the decades ahead unless massive investments are made to make the region’s agriculture and food systems more resilient. The G20 should support and invigorate region-wide efforts to: (a) massively expand irrigation systems for smallholder farms to boost agricultural productivity and enhance resilience against the impacts of climate change, (b) achieve a “big push” in infrastructure, technology and finance to develop robust agri-food systems, and (c) enact concerted reforms of agricultural price and trade policies to strengthen trade integration, diversify domestic food supplies, and enhance country-level capacity to adjust to food shortages.articl
The Impact of Microcredit on Agricultural Technology Adoption and Productivity: Evidence from Randomized Control Trial in Tanzania
Get PDFThis paper examines the impact of microcredit on the adoption of technology and productivity of rice cultivation in Tanzania. Collaboratively with BRAC, a globally-known microfinance institution, we offered microcredit specifically designed for agriculture to randomly selected farmers. We estimate the intention-to-treat effect (ITT) as well as the local average treatment effect (LATE) of microcredit, by using the eligibility to the program as an instrumental variable (IV). Overall, we find statistically weak or even null evidence that the BRAC program increases the use of chemical fertilizer. Also, credit use does not result in an increase in paddy yield, profit from rice cultivation, or household income for borrowers. Our results from sub-sample analyses suggest that credit does not increase the fertilizer use by those who have better access to irrigation water as they have already applied the amount of fertilizer near to the recommended level. On the other hand, credit increases the fertilizer use by those who have limited access to irrigation water and have previously used little fertilizer. However, possibly due to the poor yield response to fertilizer, the increase in chemical fertilizer use does not result in higher yield for them. We also observed similar phenomenon for the comparison between trained and non-trained borrowers before the intervention.departmental bulletin pape
サブサハラ・アフリカにおけるコメの緑の革命を目指して
Get PDFサブサハラ・アフリカ（SSA）での食糧の安全を保障し飢餓をなくすためには、主要農作物の単位面積当たりの生産性を向上させることが急務である。水稲はアジアから改良技術を移転できる可能性が高く、SSAにおける将来最も有望な主要農作物であることはこれまでにも指摘してきた。この小論文では、実証研究の結果に基づき、SSAでコメの緑の革命が達成できていないのは、アジア全域で普及している基本的な稲作栽培技術が同地域ではまだ広く採用されていないためであると主張するものである。このため今後は、改良種子および化学肥料の使用だけでなく、改良した稲作栽培技術の採用による生産能力の拡大を促進するような制度・体制の確立に投資することが重要である。articl
「DAC 脆弱国取組原則」起草における－担当者の取り組み
Get PDF2007 年 4 月、経済協力開発機構（Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development:OECD）開発援助委員会（Development Assistance Committee:DAC）は、国際社会が脆弱国に対して開発協力を行う際、国家建設（state-building）を中心的な目的として集中すること、と語った脆弱国支援の取り組みに関する最初の原則文書「脆弱な国や状況に対する良い国際関与のための諸原則」（Principles for Good International Engagement in Fragile States & Situations）を採択した。
当時、著者は日本の ODA 実施機関のー担当者として同文書の起草のため DAC との協議に加わり、10 原則からなる同文書の核心的原則である原則 3「国家建設を中心的な目的として集中すること」（Focus on state-building as the central objective）及び原則 7「様々な背景を持つ現地の優先事項に様々な方法でアラインすること」（Align with local priorities in different ways in different context）に日本の主張を盛り込むことができた。即ち、原則 3 は DAC の当初案では国家の主要機能の強化に偏重していたので、国家と国民の健全な関係性を示す文言を盛り込んだ。また、原則 7 は DAC の当初案では方法論に偏重していたので、現場のリアリティーを踏まえるのが日本型アプローチとし、「現存する地場の制度の中から機能しているシス テムを見出し、それを強化することが重要」というー文を加えた。
両主張とも特段異論なく採択されたが、原則 3 に関しては当時 DAC 加盟国の間で国家派と社会派の考え方の違いが背景にあり、日本の主張は両派のパランサーとしての役割を果たした。また、原則 7 に関しては理想形を追求する欧米的アプローチとの対立を見込んだが異論なく採択されたのは、他のドナーも平和 構築の実地体験などを通して日本的アプローチのような考え方を受け入れることができるようになっていたためと考えられる。なお、同文書起草と時を同じくして OECD 開発センターでは途上国の informal
institutions に関する問題意識が共有され始めていたことも、これと流れを同じくするものと考えられる。
同文書採択から 10 年が過ぎたこの時点で、同文書起草に携わった当時の主な関係者を集め、国際的な振り返りを JICA が企画することを提案する。departmental bulletin pape
The Role of Emerging Donors in the Transformation of Traditional Donor Recipient Relationships: The Case of China in Myanmar
Get PDFAbstract
The aid recipients have suffered from bargaining power inequality under traditional donor-recipient relationship. This article explores how an aid recipient could overcome their position through leveraging the role of emerging donors, or non-traditional providers. This article illustrates the two stages of transformation in the traditional donor-recipient relationship, through the standard theories of rational choice and an in-depth case study.
One of the recipients’ objectives is to maximize the amount of financial inflows. Financial flows, in particular aid, is assured as far as the recipient conforms to the prevailing development norm, which is usually expressed by the OECD-DAC members as a set of aid conditionality, economic and political. The recipient has the two courses of action: to conform or not conform to the norm. If a recipient does not conform, as a matter of principle, aid could be suspended and other financial flows, such as foreign direct investment (FDI), would not be available under the economic sanction. However, the recipient can secure financial flows from the emerging donors, who tend to be indifferent to the norm.
Once the financial flows from the emerging donors is secured, the next task for a recipient is to improve their position, more precisely to increase financial inflows, introducing the traditional donors’ flows. One realistic solution is mutual concession; the recipient agrees a part of the norm, and the traditional donors resume a part of financial flows, maintaining its own principle as far as possible. This could be attained if the traditional donors regard the recipient’s market and/or natural resources attractive. The traditional donors might be concerned about the emerging donor’s monopolistic position in the recipient market/resources, and look for their shares. The aid recipient and the traditional donors could explore mutual concessions; both sides can improve their position by partial acceptance of the other’s principle.
This was exactly what occurred in Myanmar where China has played a pivotal role. The in-depth case study of Myanmar illustrates how a recipient could overcome the bargaining power asymmetry through leveraging the emerging donors. It is desirable that other developing countries draw hints from the Myanmar’s experience and enhance their bargaining power in the asymmetric donor-recipient relationship.departmental bulletin pape
Payment Dollarization and Foreign Exchange Market Development in Cambodia: The Role of Money Changers
Get PDFCambodia's foreign exchange market is cash-based, overshadowed by the retail transactions of money changers. Based on the original dataset of the enterprise survey on uses of currency exchange services, we elucidate the structure of the foreign exchange market and investigate how payment dollarization is related to the prosperity of money changers. The empirical evidence indicates that firms in the domestic business sector confront currency mismatch situations that mean they have to undertake currency exchange. Besides, cash transactions are the most common means of payment in the country. The combination of prevalent currency mismatch and cash-based transactions is considered to give rise to retail currency exchange transactions with which money changers are more compatible than banks are. The empirical results also suggest that the recent regulation to promote bank lending in Khmer Riels will boost banks' currency exchange services, a situation conducive to foreign exchange market development.departmental bulletin pape
Effects on Consumer Attitudes of Appeal Information of Ethical Products
Get PDFThis paper aims to clarify how the informational appeal (abstract vs. concrete) of ethical products can be matched to consumers. We tested the attitudes and behaviors of consumers towards ethical products. The hypotheses are based on construal level theory. Higher moral concerns are related to an abstract mindset, while lower moral concerns are associated with a concrete mindset. The findings showed that each of the hypotheses was supported: consumers who are more likely to make charitable donations have positive attitudes toward ethical products (H1); consumers who are more likely to make charitable donations are more likely to respond to abstract appeal information (H2); and consumers who are less likely to make charitable donations will be more likely to respond to concrete appeal information (H3). The findings suggest that marketers’ approach to the use of informational appeals should be determined by consumers’ moral concern type.departmental bulletin pape
Women’s Economic Empowerment: Strengthening Public and Private Sector Impact through Accountability and Measurement (SDG 5)
Get PDFWomen around the world face a wide array of economic realities, and
live in varied social, cultural and political contexts. But they are also
bound by common experiences which shape the ways that women
interact with the economy differently from men. Efforts to advance the
measurement of women’s economic empowerment must highlight the
systemic barriers that women face using standard objective indicators
and highlight the economic value of women’s unpaid work. Moreover, it
is equally important to measure and account for subjective dimensions
of ‘empowerment’ using proxy indicators that can be measured
objectively (Buvinic, 2017).
This Policy Brief proposes mechanisms for measuring WEE going beyond
the standard measures of legal and pay equity. It makes
recommendations outlining the need to work towards common
definitions and targets for WEE, as well as key actions which public and
private sector actors can begin to implement immediately to have a
positive impact on WEE and build robust monitoring and evaluation
systems to track objective and subjective aspects of WEE. In addition, this
brief outlines specific areas of measurement of WEE for both public and
private sectors, recognizing that countries should measure their level of
progress against their own starting points rather than comparing against
other countries.articl