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Enhancing Readiness Programs for the Green Climate Fund
Get PDFThis paper provides practical information for both donors and recipients to
be prepared for the readiness program of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and
also to identify the issues of the existing readiness program. Specifically,
this paper attempts to focus on the needs of developing countries in the
context of climate finance and issues of GCF readiness. In this paper, four
gaps between current readiness programs and recipient expectations are
identified: 1) gap in the capacity for the direct approach, 2) gap in readiness
for the private sector, 3) gap in experiences in the development field, and 4)
gap in the absorptive capacity of funds by the recipient. Furthermore, this
paper also identified the uniqueness of the fiduciary standards of GCF by
comparing with those of other climate funds. To fill the above gaps, five
policy recommendations are presented.journal articl
Access to Infrastructure and Human Development:Cross-Country Evidence
Get PDFDespite extensive policy discussion, limited empirical literature is available concerning the impacts of infrastructure on human development. Furthermore, major infrastructure services, such as transport and energy, are missing in the current Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) framework; although there is a firm consensus that infrastructure is the main vehicle in achieving MDGs. Therefore this study assesses the impacts of several infrastructure variables (access to electricity, access to clean drinking water sources, and road density) on the human development index (HDI) and its three component indexes (i.e., health, education, and income), using the panel data of 1995 to 2010 covering 91 developing countries. Dynamic panel estimation of General Methods of Moments resulted in revealing that all three infrastructure variables have significant positive impacts on HDI. However, access to electricity and access to clean drinking-water sources have positive and significant effects only on education and health indexes. On the other hand, road density is highly significant to increase the income index. Thus it is argued that eradication of all forms of infrastructure poverty (defined as “lack of access to infrastructure services”) is a necessary condition to eliminate human poverty sustainably. Thus it is essentially important to address the infrastructure poverty comprehensively in post-2015 new-development strategies.research repor
Happiness in Thailand: The Effects of Family, Health and Job Satisfaction, and the Moderating Role of Gender
Get PDFThis research investigates the association between family, health, and job satisfaction, and happiness in Thailand. The data were collected by means of telephone survey questionnaires developed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The research data are from simple random sampling and stratified multi-stage sampling from master 2012-NIDA (National Institute of Development Administration) poll data proportioned to the population, age, and household income in each region of Thailand. This poll data had a total of 1,004 respondents but this research focuses on employed people and consists of a total of 799 respondents. All research hypotheses were tested by means of hierarchical regression analysis and analysis of variance was used to verify some interesting issues relating to demographic factors. The analysis results indicate that all three types of satisfaction (i.e., family, health, and job satisfaction) have positive effects on happiness (measured in present and future happiness) in Thailand. Although only family satisfaction has a positive effect on future happiness, all three types of satisfaction have positive effects on present happiness. Additionally, among all three model variables, family satisfaction plays the most important role in predicting present and future aspects of happiness. Further, our results indicate that gender is of little influence as a moderator. Our results not only validate research findings in other countries but also verify the importance of subjective appreciation of life and happiness for public policy makers.research repor
Estimating China’s Foreign Aid 2001-2013
Get PDFThis paper aims to estimate China’s net foreign aid from 2001 to 2013 as compared to net ODA figures which OECD DAC usually uses. First, a practical definition to capture China’s foreign aid activities as a proxy for China’s ODA was proposed. It consists of grants and interest-free loans (treated as grants), concessional loans as bilateral aid, and contributions to international development agencies as multilateral aid. Second, both net and gross disbursements of China’s foreign aid were estimated. The results showed that China’s net foreign aid has grown rapidly since 2004 and reached US 7.0 billion in 2013. Third, the results were compared with DAC members’ ODA; China’s rank has moved up from 16th in 2001 to 6th in 2012 and 2013. China’s bilateral aid has approached that of France, while its multilateral aid has been estimated to be relatively small. China’s foreign aid is expected to increase rapidly and catch up with some of top five DAC members in the foreseeable future.research repor
To What Extent Does the Adoption of Modern Variety Increase Productivity and Income? A Case Study of the Rice Sector in Tanzania
Get PDFAlthough high-yielding modern rice varieties (MVs) have been gradually disseminating over Sub-Saharan Africa, little is known about how their adoption influences agriculture productivity and household income. To fill this research gap, we analyzed two kinds of data sets in Tanzania: a national representative cross-sectional data and a two-year panel data of irrigated farmers in one district. The most important finding is a strong complementary relationship between MVs and water control; high yield is achieved when MVs are grown with improved bunds in paddy fields of irrigated areas. We also find that the use of chemical fertilizer and the practice of transplanting in rows increase yield and income of both the adopters and nonadopters of MVs in the irrigated areas. In rain-fed areas, we observe a limited impact of MVs. These findings suggest that introducing MVs as a package of technologies with agronomic practices is effective to fully achieve their potential. In the long run, development of irrigation would be important to realize a rice Green Revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa.research repor
Political Origins of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, 1960–1965: Why the State Sends Young Volunteers Abroad
Get PDFThis paper examines the political origins of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) through the lens of two research questions: (1) Why did the Japanese government undertake the JOCV project in 1965? and (2) Why did the project pursue multifaceted objectives –technical assistance, international friendship, and youth development? These questions are important for two reasons. First, as the country was struggling economically, experiencing domestic turmoil, and vulnerable to international conflict, it is surprising that the government would begin sending young volunteers to developing countries. Second, the JOCV’s objectives are inconsistent with each other, and therefore their coexistencerequires further examination. Using a multi-level analysis strategy, we explore international and domestic factors. The analysis of international structures focused on the Japan-US relationship and the Cold War in Asia, and proved that two factors motivated the Japanese government to create the JOCV: Prime Minister Ikeda’s desire to approach economic development in Southeast Asia; and the US government’s demand that Japan take some action regarding the US goal of expanding the idea of the Peace Corps. Our inquiry into the domestic structures focused on youth problems such as unemployment in rural areas, the anti-Security Treaty movement, and rising crime in cities. We have discussed that leaders of youth associations and young members of the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) considered overseas voluntary service like the Kennedy’s Peace Corps as a potential solution to these problems. The analysis of agential factors sheds lights on the policy-making. There was disagreement between actors over the definition of the new project. While a coalition of youth associations and young members of the LDP advocated an overseas voluntary service project, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) insisted on dispatching experts rather than volunteers. Eventually, the two sides reached a compromise: the JOCV would be defined as a project providing both technical assistance and youth volunteers; and it should be managedunder the supervision of MOFA.Finally, this study demonstrates that when the state sends young volunteers abroad, external ideas and political actors’ concern for youth development matter. It also implies that state-sponsored volunteering can be defined as a hybrid of the state project and individual activities, which neither realism nor constructivism in international politics can solely explain.research repor
Objectives and Institutions for Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA): Evolution and Challenges
Get PDFThe history of Japan’s official development assistance can be divided into four distinct periods in which objectives have diversified and institutional arrangements have evolved. However, these objectives ranging, from Japan’s own economic development, poverty reduction, the promotion of democracy and a market economy, to the solution of global issues such as environmental degeneration, have remained juxtaposed without being prioritized on the basis of a national philosophy of international cooperation. The diversity of the ODA goals has been perpetuated by the lack of a unified entity that manages ODA. At the same time, such diversity without clearly defined priorities has reinforced poor coordination among ministries and agencies involved in ODA. In recent years, the international trend of development assistance has shifted from a strong emphasis on poverty reduction and input-oriented “aid effectiveness” to a greater attention to economic growth and output-oriented “development effectiveness.” This tendency fits the traditional approach of Japan. However, in order to lead the changing world of international assistance, the Japanese government will need to clarify its assistance philosophy, using the concept of human security to prioritize poverty reduction and the three interfaces between poverty reduction and private-sector activity—capacity development, governance reform, and infrastructure development. It will also need to establish an ODA control center under a national-strategy deliberation council independent of any ministries or agencies.research repor
An Empirical Study of the Conditions for Successful Knowledge Transfer in Training Programs
Get PDFThe shortage of qualified human capital is a major impediment to development. In the field of international development cooperation, training programs (TPs) have been widely employed to enhance the capacity of workforces in developing countries. This paper investigates the conditions in which TPs can contribute not only to individual human resource development but also to organization-level reform and innovation in developing countries. Regression analyses of TP monitoring records as well as follow-up e-mail interviews with former participants of ICT training programs sponsored by Japanese International Cooperation Agency reveal that bilateral communication between training participants and the dispatch organizations during the training plays a key role in increasing the probability of successful organization-level transfer of individual-level learning, irrespective of the original level of organization’s absorptive capacity.research repor