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Impacts of Prenatal and Environmental Factors on Child Growth: Evidence from Indonesia
Get PDFThis paper examines the impacts of prenatal conditions and water quality on child growth using recent data from Indonesia. Our empirical results show that an increase in birthweight has significant positive effects on children’s subsequent height and weight-for-age z scores, whereas an improvement in drinking water quality, as measured by coliform bacteria count, increases the weight-for-height z score. Interestingly, there is seasonality in birthweight; this measure is significantly higher during the dry season than during the rainy season, and is also higher in a Christian-majority province than in Muslim-majority provinces, during the period shortly after Ramadan. Finally, the availability of modern water infrastructure improves the quality of drinking water. These findings show that interactions of environmental variations affect early childhood human capital formation and can have long-term impacts on their outcomes.research repor
The Green Revolution and Its Significance for Economic Development
Get PDFIndia has experienced rapid economic growth, especially since the full scale economic liberalization of the early 1990s. The emphasis in this paper, however, is the critical importance of the preceding decade, when the Indian agriculture sector was registering a high growth rate. India attained food self-sufficiency by the end of the 1970s by virtue of the first wave of the Green Revolution, but it was the second wave that contributed significantly to increased rural incomes and consequently to the economic development of the country overall. During the 1980s, this second wave washed over the whole of India, buoying a large number of individual crops, including rice. The improvement it brought in rural incomes led to an expansion of the market for non-agricultural products and services, bringing in turn rapid development of the non-agricultural sector. The 1980s also was a critical decade in which a wide divergence opened between the prospects for economic development in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The main implication of this situation for sub-Saharan Africa is that improvement in rural incomes through productivity growth in agriculture is essential for the success of industrialization-based economic development.research repor
Conflict and Land Tenure in Rwanda
Get PDFThe purpose of this paper is to shed light on the historical relation between conflict and land tenure in Rwanda, a country that experienced a harsh civil war and genocide in the mid-1990s. The victory of the Tutsi-led rebel, Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) at that time triggered a massive return of refugees and a drastic change in land tenure policy. These were refugees who had fled the country at around the time of independence, in 1962, due to the political turmoil and persecution (the “social revolution”) and who shared the background of the core RPF members. The social revolution had dismantled the existent Tutsi-led political order, compelling many Tutsi families to seek refuge outside their homeland. Under the post-independence rule of a Hutu-led government, the Tutsi refugees were not allowed to return and the lands they left behind were often arbitrarily distributed by local authorities among Hutu peasants. After victory in the mid-1990s civil war, the newly established RPF-led government ordered the current inhabitants of the lands to divide the properties in order to allocate portions to the Tutsi returnees. Different patterns of land holding and land division will be explained in the paper from data gathered through the authors’ fieldworks in the southern and eastern parts of Rwanda. Although overt resistance to land division has not been observed to date, the land rights of the Tutsi returnees must be considered unstable because their legitimacy depends primarily on the strength and political stability of the RPF-led government. If the authority of RPF were to weaken, the land rights will be jeopardized. Throughout Rwandan history, in which political exclusion has often led to serious conflict, macro-level politics have repeatedly influenced land holding. Promotion of an inclusive democracy, therefore, is indispensable to escape the vicious circle between political instability and land rights.research repor
How Altruism Works during a Pandemic: Examining the Roles of Financial Support and Degrees of Individual Altruism on International Remittance
Get PDFWhile the importance of international remittances has been recognized globally, understanding
how public subsidies and the degree of individual altruism affect remittance behavior remains
limited. Although international remittances were predicted to decline drastically in the early
stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, remittance data proved that they were ultimately resilient to
the anticipated negative shock of 2020. Potential reasons include altruistic motivations among
migrants and economic stimulus programs in large economies; however, a detailed investigation
from a micro-perspective is lacking and urgently needed. This study examines the impact of
financial support in host and home countries. It also examines the individual impact of altruism
on international remittances using unique data from foreign care workers in Japan. Our panel data
estimation shows that emergency cash transfers from the host country positively affected migrant
remittance amounts; however, no crowding-out effects were observed due to subsidies from home
governments. The heterogeneous analysis also reveals that highly altruistic remitters were more
likely to send money home after receiving cash transfers in the host country. The results support
the claims of international organizations that the resilience of remittances was supported by
altruism and public financial support during the pandemic.世界的に国際送金の重要性は認識されているが、公的扶助や個人の利他性が送
金行動にもたらす影響への理解は十分ではない。COVID-19 による世界的なパン
デミックの初期段階では、国際送金が激減すると予測されていたが、実際の送金
額の減少幅は予想よりもはるかに小さいものであった。その理由として、移民労
働者の利他的動機や先進国の景気刺激策などが挙げられるが、ミクロな視点か
らの詳細な調査は不足しており、さらなる研究が必要である。本研究では、日本
において介護業界で働く外国人労働者を対象にオンライン調査を実施し、パン
デミック下での外国人労働者の送金行動を検証した。パネルデータによる推計
の結果、受入国での緊急現金給付は移住者の送金額に正の影響を与える一方、母
国政府からの補助金によるクラウディングアウト効果は観察されなかった。ま
た、異質性分析により、利他性の高い送金者は、受入国で現金給付を受けた後に
母国により多く送金する可能性が高いことが明らかになった。本論文による分
析結果は、パンデミック時の国際送金のレジリエンスは人々の利他性と受入国
における財政支援によって支えられたという国際機関の主張を支持するもので
ある。departmental bulletin pape
Perceptions of Microfinance: Evidence from a Household Survey in Cambodia
Get PDFThis study examines how people perceive microfinance in Cambodia. Using data and information from a household survey conducted in 2021, it identifies factors influencing perceptions of microfinance, including interest rates, impact on debt burdens, and its role in business support and improving living standards. The findings show that individuals with higher financial literacy and stronger social capital are more likely to understand the relatively high interest rates charged by microfinance institutions, while self-employed individuals often consider these rates less reasonable. Although many individuals perceive microfinance as helpful for starting businesses and improving their living standards, there are concerns about the rising debt burden due to microfinance, especially among those with higher financial literacy, higher social capital, and multiple loans. These results imply the importance of improving financial education, building stronger community networks, and creating accessible counseling services to help borrowers better manage their debt. These measures are essential to ensure that microfinance has a positive impact on people’s lives and contributes to socio-economic development in Cambodia.本研究は、2021年の家計調査データを用いて、カンボジアにおけるマイクロファイナンスに対する人々の認識を検証し、個人および世帯の特性に注目しながら、その認識に影響を与える要因を分析した。特に、マイクロファイナンスの金利に関する認識、起業支援におけるマイクロファイナンスの役割に関する認識、生活水準の向上におけるマイクロファイナンスの役割に関する認識、そして債務負担への影響に関する認識に焦点を当てた。分析結果によると、金融リテラシーや社会関係資本（地域内の社会的ネットワーク）がより高い回答者は、マイクロファイナンス機関が比較的に高い金利を課していることを認識している傾向があることが示された。また、自営業者はこれらの金利が妥当ではないと認識している傾向があることも明らかになった。一方で、多くの回答者はマイクロファイナンスが起業支援や生活水準の向上に役立つと考えているものの、金融リテラシーや社会関係資本が比較的高い回答者および複数の借入を抱える回答者の間では、マイクロファイナンスによる債務負担の増加に対する懸念が見られた。これらの分析結果を踏まえ、本研究は、借入者が債務を効果的に管理できるようにするために、金融教育の強化、地域社会のネットワークの充実、そしてカウンセリングサービスの提供が重要であることを示唆している。これらの方策は、マイクロファイナンスが人々の生活に良い影響を与え、カンボジアの社会経済発展に貢献するために不可欠である。departmental bulletin pape
HOW CAN PROMOTING WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION (AND AGENCY) AND RESPONDING TO THEIR NEEDS IMPROVE DISASTER RISK REDUCTION? CASE FROM POST-DISASTER RECONSTRUCTION (OPERATIONS AND MEASURES) IN THE PHILIPPINES AND SRI LANKA
Get PDFFor gender-responsive disaster risk reduction (DRR), the most essential step to
be taken might be the translation of DRR into an opportunity to transform unequal
gender relations which are root causes of women’s vulnerability and exclude them
from decision-making processes for DRR. Women and other marginalized groups of
people are often regarded as more vulnerable to a risk of disasters because of their
limited access to resources and decision-making power, necessary for coping with
disasters. However, they are not helpless victims or passive beneficiaries, but active
agents for DRR, if they are evaluated from non-gender-bias lens and given proper
opportunities. In this light, it is essential for the government and external
organizations to promote the agency of women and other marginalized groups of
people, while reducing their risk, within relevant interventions. In reality, however,
most of relevant projects have not necessarily addressed the transformation of gender
relations, and concentrated on daily-based needs of women survivors. Based on this
recognition, we conducted field research in the Philippines and Sri Lanka in 2015.
Drawing on the cases of JICA’s and other organizations’ past and on-going relevant
projects, we analyze how external interventions contributed to changes in gender
relations, as well as the vulnerability and coping capacity of women and men.
Senior Researcher, Japan Development Service (JDS) Co, Ltd., Tokyo. ([email protected].)
Senior Advisor on Gender and Development, Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA), Tokyo. ([email protected])
Findings from the research show that women’s agency was hardly addressed as a main
objective of most of the projects, and women tended to be utilized as good mothers
and care-takers based on stereotyped gender division of roles. Instead, some
outstanding interventions to challenge for the transformation of gender ed division of
roles have led to women’s active involvement not only in community-based DRR, but
other community activities.boo
How Mental Accounting, and Financial Literacy Shape the Financial Situation of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs): A Multinomial Logistic Regression Study
Get PDFThis study explores the factors affecting the financial situation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), using survey data from 313 OFWs in two rural areas of the Philippines: Dingras and Bansalan. A multinomial logistic regression model was employed to analyze the influence of various aspects, including mental accounting, self-control, human capital, remittance behavior, and financial literacy, on the balance between income and expenditure. The findings indicate that higher education, long-term future orientation, and enhanced self-control contribute positively to better financial management, while participation in financial literacy programs, the presence of loans, and high personal expenditures are associated with poorer financial outcomes. The study introduces a novel method for measuring self-control among OFWs through a hypothetical scenario involving Jollibee, a popular fast-food chain in the Philippines. The paper concludes with policy recommendations to improve financial literacy, loan management, and spending habits, thereby enhancing the financial well-being of OFWs and their families.本研究は、フィリピンの2つの農村地域であるディングラスとバンサラン出身の313名の海外フィリピン労働者（OFWs）に対する調査データを用いて、彼らの財政状況に影響を与える要因を探求する。メンタル・アカウンティング、自己制御、人的資本、送金行動、金融リテラシーといった様々な側面が収入と支出のバランスに及ぼす影響を分析するために、多項ロジスティック回帰モデルを採用した。分析の結果、高等教育、長期的な未来志向、強化された自己制御が良好な財務管理に寄与した可能性がある一方で、金融リテラシープログラムへの参加、借入の存在、高額な個人支出が財政の悪化と関連している可能性があることが明らかになった。また、フィリピンで人気のファストフードチェーン「ジョリビー」を用いた仮想シナリオを通じて、OFWsの自己制御レベルを測定する新たな手法を提案している。最後に、本研究はOFWsおよびその家族のファイナンシャル・ウェルビーイングを向上させるための政策的提言を行っている。departmental bulletin pape