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How much and what kind of teaching is there in elementary education in India? Evidence from three States
No full textThis study focuses on the link between teachers' 'time-on-task' (TOT) and the nature of tasks in classrooms. This study, carried out with concurrence from Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), is built upon the independent study commissioned by MHRD to explore teacher attendance rates in schools. This study ventures beyond the quantitative dimensions of teacher attendance (physical presence) to look at the 'time-on-task' (TOT) and nature of tasks, that is, the quantity and quality of teacher presence and interaction. Most specifically, it will provide insight into the work environment of teachers who are the key to service delivery and suggest implications for both policy and program interventions to empower teachers and introduce more accountability into the system. This study was carried out in 2006/2007 in the three states Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh
The Rohingyas Crisis: A Security Perspective from Bangladesh
No full textThe author analyzes the situation of the Rohingyas in Myanmar as a security problem of Bangladesh
Note on Green Growth for Bhutan
No full textBhutan has recently made significant progress in sustaining economic growth and reducing poverty. Bhutan also has valuable deposits of primary materials including dolomite, lime stone, gypsum, quartzite, stone, and marble, which are useful for fabrication of other materials. Thus, a significant part of Bhutan's current and prospective economic gains come from use of natural resources called, green sectors. The basic message in this note is that Bhutan starts from a solid base in terms of green growth, with additional opportunities for meeting its development goals and overcoming the above mentioned challenges on the basis of its natural resource endowment. However, realizing those opportunities and meeting those challenges will require focusing on the economic contribution from sustainable use of those natural resources, in addition to conservation of the environment. It will also require complementary measures, using the economic surplus (or as economists refer to it, rent) from sustainable natural resource use to help diversify economic activity and address institutional and other constraints. A more comprehensive view of green growth emphasizes sustainable use of natural capital, along with managing environmental risks cost-effectively and in an institutionally sound manner to limit risks to human health and of irreversible degradation of the natural environment. In this context, green growth needs to balance conservation with sustainable economic use of all resources to meet the needs of the present, and maintain opportunities for the future. The note touches upon issues of inclusion where possible but not in a systematic and comprehensive manner. The purpose of the note is to provide food for thought in ongoing discussion of growth strategies for Bhutan, and how green growth ideas may contribute to that discussion
Gender and Public Goods Provision in Tamil Nadu's Village Governments
No full textUsing data from 144 village-level governments in India's Tamil Nadu state, this paper investigates political reservations for women and whether the gender of village government leaders influences the provision of village public goods. A knowledge test of village government presidents and a survey about the interaction between village presidents and higher-level officials reveal that female village government presidents have much lower knowledge of the village government system than do their male counterparts and have significantly less contact with higher-level government officials. Although male and female presidents provide similar amounts of some public goods, there is strong evidence that village governments led by a woman built fewer schools and roads two public goods that require relatively more contact and coordination with higher-level officials
Local Service Delivery in Nepal
No full textThe effectiveness of public service delivery depends in large part on the capability, resources and inputs, and the motivation of frontline service providers at the local level. In Nepal a combination of de-concentrated line agencies and local bodies at the district, municipal, and village level provides inputs which are translated into delivery of service outputs and outcomes. Yet the relationships between line agencies and local bodies in service delivery are not well understood. The purpose of this report is to examine in detail the current dynamics of frontline service delivery to identify institutional limitations and present approaches to addressing them. This study seeks to map out the dynamics of service delivery at the local level through analysis of the institutional framework and actual practices in service delivery in 14 jurisdictions in the two districts of Dhankuta and Dhanusa. The study includes a detailed review of the provision of local roads networks and primary and lower secondary education. In this context, the report is divided into four parts: part one gives introduction; part two presents institutional framework for local service delivery; part three focuses on sub-national service delivery: local roads and primary education; and part four presents conclusions and recommendations to improve frontline service delivery
Bangladesh, a Middle Income Country by 2021: What Will it Take in Terms of Poverty Reduction?
No full textThe vision 2021 plan and the associated perspective plan 2010-2021, adopted by the Government of Bangladesh lay out a series of development targets for 2021. Among the core targets identified to monitor the progress toward the vision 2021 objectives is that of attaining a poverty headcount of 14 percent by 2021. The purpose of this paper is to answer the following question: given Bangladesh's performance in poverty reduction over the last decades, can the author expect the proportion of the country's population living in poverty to be 14 percent by 2022? Using data from the last three household income and expenditures survey, we examine changes in poverty rates during 2000-2010, estimate net elasticity of poverty reduction to growth in per-capita expenditure, and then project poverty headcounts into the future. Our poverty projections based on the last three Household Income and Expenditure Surveys (HIES) surveys suggest that Bangladesh will achieve its Millennium Development Goal, or MDG goal of halving its poverty headcount to 28.5 percent by 2015 significantly ahead of schedule. Attaining the vision 2021 poverty target of 14 percent by 2021, however, is less certain as it requires a Gross Domestic Product, or GDP growth of at least 8 percent, or more than 2 percentage points higher than that observed in recent years
A Study on National University and Affiliated Colleges in Bangladesh
No full textA nation's utilization and creation of knowledge endeavors are globally acknowledged as the driving forces for economic development and competitiveness. Public and private investments in institutions of higher education and research require strengthening in tandem with the development of a regulatory environment that supports national and institutional growth. In recognition of these issues, the Government of Bangladesh's first Higher Education Strategic Plan (2006-2026) proposed a long-term development plan for the higher education sector, recommending that the plan will need to be cognizant of both universities and the Bangladesh National University-affiliated colleges where the majority of post-secondary graduates are enrolled. This study addresses challenges faced by a major part of the higher education sector in Bangladesh - the colleges. The objectives of the study are to: a) review and analyze the college education system of Bangladesh and b) identify policy options which will guide the government as it prepares a long-term strategy to improve the quality and relevance of higher education. This report is divided into the four key areas ripe for reform: a) access and equity, b) quality and relevance, c) financing, and d) governance
Sri Lanka: Investment in Human Capital
No full textEducation is one of the most important determinants of economic performance in the modern world. This is true of both countries and individuals. The main characteristic which distinguishes between advanced economies, middle-income economies and low-income countries, is the knowledge content of their production activities and processes. Economic activities and products have become increasingly knowledge and skill-intensive in recent years. In addition, the importance of knowledge and skills is growing at an accelerating pace. Education is at the heart of human capital accumulation and economic growth. Education increases cognitive skills and soft skills of individuals. In addition, education improves the capacity of individuals to be trained for specific occupations and to acquire job-related skills. These effects of education enable individuals to accumulate human capital, improve labor productivity and increase life-cycle earnings. In the aggregate, this process generates economic growth. Investment in education produces a broad range of social benefits. Well-educated individuals, especially women, are better able to control their fertility and family health, resulting in reduced child, infant and maternal mortality, and higher life expectancy. Education also facilitates social mobility by creating opportunities for poor and disadvantaged groups to raise their economic and social status. A broad range of further externality benefits of education have been identified in the economic literature. These cover aspects of social well-being such as better political decision making, reduced incidence of crime, and higher quality public services. Education also produces inter-generational economic and social benefits: increased education in one generation improves schooling, labor productivity and income in the next. The public goods, informational imperfections and distributive justice aspects of education provide the economic justification for state investment in the education sector
Bhutan Poverty Assessment 2014
No full textThis report identifies the key drivers of rapid poverty reduction in Bhutan over the recent years, explaining why some dzongkhags are stuck in poverty or reducing poverty is not significant while others prospered, and whether female headed households have a harder time reducing poverty. The exercise draws mainly on data from the two rounds of Bhutan Living Standards Survey (2007 and 2012) supplemented with focus group discussions carried out for the report in select dzongkhags. Bhutan's poverty reduction has been rapid, broad-based, and inclusive. Between 2007 and 2012, the percentage of consumption poor halved to 12 percent. Bhutan has nearly ended extreme poverty within the living memory of a generation extreme poverty touched a low of two percent in 2012. Broader multidimensional poverty indices, that include education and health outcomes besides standards of living, also indicate a steep decline in the percentage of deprived population by two-thirds, from about 25 percent to 12.7 percent. Growth in Bhutan helped the previously landless to escape poverty. Education appears to be the most important route by far to escape poverty. This report is a complement to the earlier Poverty Analysis Report 2012 which was prepared with the World Bank's technical support
Kolonialismus - Imperialismus: Der Prozess der Europäisierung der Welt
No full textDer Autor befasst sich mit dem Prozess der Europäisierung der Welt während des Zeitalters von Kolonialismus und Imperalismus seit dem ausgehenden 15. Jahrhundert, der sich in einer Dominanz europäischer (Kolonial)-Staaten niederschlug. Zudem geht er auf heutige Abhängigkeiten und Unterentwicklung der ehemaligen Kolonien ein, die u.a. im Konzept des Neokolonialismus zusammengefasst werden