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How do “Emerging” Donors Differ from “Traditional” Donors?
Get PDFDebate about the role and impact of the so-called “emerging donors” is becoming increasingly heated. The common reaction to these new donors, distinct from that accorded traditional donors, has had the unfortunate effect of obscuring two important aspects of the evolving aid landscape: 1) commonalities between the emerging donors and traditional Development Assistance Committee (DAC) donors; and 2) an evident diversity among the emerging donors. The biases at play are derived not only from a lack of sufficient information about how these new donors operate on the ground, but also from a lack of effort to integrate and analyze information that is available. This paper examines the impact of four emerging donors — China, India, the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as “Korea”), and Thailand — on Cambodia‟s development, with a specific focus on the processes of aid provision by these new donors. By accounting for the experiences of the recipient country, this paper also challenges the conventional view that aid fragmentation should be reduced a priori.research repor
Market, Democracy, and Diversity of Individual Preferences
Get PDFThis paper looks at the institutions of market and democracy from the perspective of diversity. It is argued in the paper that if in a society there are communities whose command over pecuniary wealth is low, but which have other forms of wealth, a system which is essentially that of injurers not being liable for harm can result in the destruction of non-pecuniary wealth of these communities and thus lead to both immiserization and loss of diversity. With respect to the method of majority decision, one of the most important elements of democracy, the viewpoint that is put forward in the paper says that, when individuals are self-regarding, while diversity of preferences might make a formal difference, it is unlikely to make a substantive difference; but, if individuals' motivations are collective or sub-collective in nature, then it is arguable that the method of majority decision works better, from the perspective of resulting in a socially optimal outcome, when there is less diversity compared to when there is more diversity.research repor
Social Capital Formation in an Imperfect Credit Market
Get PDFThis study uses a unique long panel dataset from Sri Lanka to examine the mechanism of social capital formation in an imperfect credit market. The authors show that households in the face of credit constraints reduce the time allocation for social capital investment, such as participation in community works. The paper also finds that temporal declines in social capital investment persistently reduce the level of trust in the community. These findings imply the existence of a poverty trap, because the absence of a credit market access generates poor social capital which, in turn, leads to poor access to the informal credit market, causing further credit constraints.research repor
Are Schooling and Roads Complementary? Evidence from Rural Indonesia
Get PDFThis paper examines the impact of spatial connectivity on household income growth and non-agriculture labor supply, combining household panel data and village census in Indonesia during the period of 1995-2007. Empirical results show that the impacts of improved local road quality on income growth and the transition to non-agricultural labor markets depends on household education and distance to economic centers. In particular, post-primary education significantly increases the benefit from the improvement of local spatial connectivity in remote areas, promoting labor transition to non-agricultural sectors. Education and local road quality are complementary, mutually increasing non-agricultural labor supply and income in remote areas.research repor
Human Capital, Mobility, and Income Dynamics: Evidence from Indonesia
Get PDFThis paper examines the effects of household formation on income dynamics using panel data from Indonesia. The focus of our analysis is to explore the determinants of household income dynamics in 1995-2007 when we change the definition of household. Empirical results show that intergenerational gap in education (i.e., education growth) as well as the number of young and prime-age members in the household play important roles in determining income dynamics, especially when we include out-migrants. This is consistent with individual migration behavior: the young and educated tend to move out of their villages over the 12 years. We also found that out-migration increases net-remittances to the household. The results indicate the importance of human capital as well as endogenous migration (attrition) in rural household income dynamics.research repor
Exploring the Causal Mechanism of Collective Action for Susttainable Resource Management
Get PDFStudies of commons management make it clear that collective action for resource management is a highly complex process in which the impact of different conditions often will vary according to physical and socio-economic contexts. This paper attempts to contribute to the understanding of this process by exploring the causal mechanism of collective action through an examination of the intervening variables that connect contextual and policy factors with resource management outcomes in an indirect way. Using four hypothetical causal variables –a) degree of resource dependence; b) predictability of benefit flows; c) possibility of sanctions application; and d) possibility of trust building – and relying on the institutionalist framework, a comparative institutional analysis is applied to the community-managed rural water supply systems of two Senegalese villages. The analysis demonstrates that collective action is possible even when some of the facilitating conditions normally associated with successful commons management – such as resource scarcity and small/homogeneous user groups – are missing. It thus confirms that intervening variables are important for understanding the broader process of institutional change for sustainable resource management, and consequently to the crafting of more suitable policy interventions.research repor
Linking Resource Users’ Perceptions and Collective Action in Commons Management
Get PDFPoor maintenance of water supply systems is a critical issue in sub-Saharan Africa. Using survey data on users of motorized piped water supply systems in rural southern Senegal, this paper examines what motivates resource users to contribute financially to the management of water supply system infrastructure by paying their water tariff. Results from logistic regression analysis indicate that users who prefer borehole water and are satisfied with the service provided are more likely than others to pay. In addition, those who trust that other users will pay are more likely themselves to pay than those who do not trust their peers. These findings suggest that assessing the needs of users and providing services tailored to those needs (e.g., quality, convenience) is recommended for future interventions. The incorporation of programs that promote peer trust also should be considered as future interventions to establish or strengthen resource management organization.research repor
Impacts of Climate Change upon Asian Coastal Areas: The case of Metro Manila
Get PDFJICA Research InstituteClimate models supporting the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report predict that climate change will increase local temperatures and precipitation in monsoon regions in Asia, where the number of large cities is increasing and existing urban areas are expanding, particularly along the coasts. In this study, Metro Manila, typical of Asian coastal megacities, is used as a case study to comprehensively simulate impacts of future climate change and identify necessary adaptation measures.
In spite of the various uncertainties inherent in predictions, this study translates future global climate scenarios to regional climate scenarios, a process called “downscaling”. The B1 and A1FI scenarios of the IPCC SRES framework provide a basis for discussing local temperature and precipitation changes in Metro Manila. Based on these scenarios, hydrological conditions such as river overflow and storm surge were projected. Flood simulation maps were then constructed showing the range of potential spatial spreads, inundation depths and flooding durations anticipated in the metropolis.
Based on the flood simulation maps, socio-economic impact analyses were applied to understand the characteristics and magnitude of flood damage anticipated in the year 2050. The benefit side of the analysis calculated avoided damage at the aggregate level. Tangible direct losses were assessed as in conventional flood control project analyses. Incremental costs to transportation (VOC and time costs), and lost wages and income (sales) due to flooding were combined for tangible indirect costs. Note that the simulated flood maps and impacts are some cases among a wide range of future possibilities resulting from a “cascade of uncertainties” inherent in the various steps of the methodology.
If flood control infrastructure improvements were stopped now, and the A1FI climate scenario is assumed, a 100-year return period flood could cause aggregate damages of up to 24% of the GRDP, while damages from a 30-year return period flood would be about 15% of the GRDP. If, however, infrastructure improvement based on the 1990 Master Plan is continued and climate scenario B1 is assumed, the projected damages would be only 9% of the GRDP for a 100-year return period flood, and 3% for a 30-year return period flood.
Finally, options for adapting to the scenarios were selected, with the objective of eliminating as much as possible of the flooding projected in the flood simulations. Economic evaluations using economic internal rate of return (EIRR) and net present value (NPV) were conducted by combining the costs of the adaptation options with the damages avoided by implementing those options. The EIRR and NPV evaluations yielded different results, but they both suggest that filling the infrastructure gap identified under the current Master Plan (for status quo climate) is the first and foremost priority.research repor
State Building in Fragile Situations: Japanese Aid Experiences in Cambodia, Afghanistan and Mindanao
Get PDFAfter the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement, Cambodia set about the difficult process of state-building. Despite violent clashes in 1997-98, the Cambodian government has been largely successful in establishing full control of military forces, into which former Khmer Rouge soldiers have been reintegrated. The Cambodian government, with support of donors, successfully improved infrastructure throughout the country, built up capacity in key state institutions, and provided basic public services to the people. Behind these achievements was assistance from a grassroots network built by the Cambodian People‟s Party (CPP) in the 1980s. This network is characterized by patronage connections between the government and village chiefs, and between the latter and villagers. Consequently, the legitimacy of the state has been strengthened. In contrast, social empowerment has been delayed, and people's political rights and freedoms have been restricted by the state. As shown by the recent increase of corruption charges and land tenure disputes, the imbalance between the powerful state and a stunted civil society is a potential factor of instability.research repor