818 research outputs found
ECON-624: Applied Econometrics II Summer 2023 Yesuf
No full textSyllabus - ECON 624: Applied Econometrics II Summer 2023; Mahmud Yesuf</p
ECON-200-003/004: Introduction to Microeconomics Summer 2023 Yesuf
No full textSyllabus - ECON 200-003/004: Introduction to Microeconomics Summer 2023; Mahmud Yesuf</p
ECON 623-001: Applied Econometrics I Spring 2023 Yesuf
No full textSyllabus - ECON 623: Applied Econometrics I Spring 2023; Mahmud Yesuf</p
ECON-624 Spring 2024 Mahmud Yesuf
No full textThis is Professor Mahmud Yesuf's Spring 2024 syllabus for ECON-624.</p
ECON-200 Spring 2024 Mahmud Yesuf
No full textThis is Professor Mahmud Yesuf's Spring 2024 syllabus for ECON-200.</p
ECON-379 Spring 2024 Mahmud Yesuf
No full textThis is the Spring 2024 syllabus for Professor Mahmud Yesuf's course, Economics of Environmental Policy.</p
Impact of soil conservation on crop production in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands:
Full text link"Land degradation, in the form of soil erosion and nutrient depletion, threatens food security and the sustainability of agricultural production in many developing countries. Governments and development agencies have invested substantial resources in promoting soil conservation practices, in an effort to improve environmental conditions and reduce poverty. However, very limited rigorous empirical work has examined the economics of adopting soil conservation technology. This paper investigates the impact of stone bunds on crop production value per hectare in low and high rainfall areas of the Ethiopian highlands using cross-sectional data from more than 900 households having multiple plots per household. We use modified random effects models, stochastic dominance analysis (SDA) and matching methods to ensure robustness. The parametric regression and SDA estimates are based on matched observations obtained from nearest neighbor matching using propensity score estimates. This is important because conventional regression and SDA estimates are obtained without ensuring the existence of comparable conserved and non-conserved plots within the distribution of covariates. Here, we use matching methods, random effects and Mundlak's approach to control for selection and endogeneity biases that may arise due to correlation of unobserved heterogeneity and observed explanatory variables. The three methods used herein consistently show that plots with stone bunds are more productive than those without such technologies in semi-arid areas but not in higher rainfall areas, apparently because the moisture-conserving benefits of this technology are more beneficial in drier areas. This implies that the performance of stone bunds varies by agro-ecological type, suggesting a need for the design and implementation of appropriate site-specific technologies." from Authors' AbstractSoil conservation, Crop production, Agro-ecology, Matching method, Stochastic dominance, Modified random effects model, Land management,
The impact of Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme and its linkages:
Full text link"This paper assesses the impact of Ethiopia's Productive Safety Nets Programme (PSNP), the largest social protection program in Sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa. Using Propensity Score Matching techniques, we find that the program has little impact on participants on average, due in part to transfer levels that fell far below program targets. Beneficiary households that received at least half of the intended transfers experienced a significant improvement in food security by some measures. However, households with access to both the PSNP and packages of agricultural support were more likely to be food secure, to borrow for productive purposes, use improved agricultural technologies, and operate their own nonfarm business activities. For these households, there is no evidence of disincentive effects in terms of labor supply or private transfers. However, estimates show that beneficiaries did not experience faster asset growth as a result of the programs. " from authors' abstractProductive Safety Net Programme, Impact evaluation, food security, Public works, Social protection,
Agglomeration, migration, and regional growth: A CGE analysis for Uganda
Full text link"Uganda has experienced rapid economic growth and poverty reduction over the past decade but has failed to significantly improve incomes in its northern regions where prolonged conflict has hindered growth. We consider three strategies to close this regional divide: (1) develop a north-south corridor to encourage regional trade, (2) accelerate growth in the southern capital city and encourage north-south migration, and (3) improve agricultural productivity in rural areas. We examine these strategies using a regionalized computable general equilibrium model, accounting for internal migration and productivity gains from urban agglomeration effects. Simulation results indicate that a north-south corridor benefits northern households, but its benefits are limited by the small size of northern urban centers and the low productivity of northern producers. Investing in the capital city accelerates economic growth but has little effect on other regions' welfare because of the city's weak growth linkages with other regions and small migration effects. Improving agricultural productivity, however, though less effective at stimulating national economic growth, generates broad-based welfare improvements in both rural and urban areas. We therefore conclude that without significant gains in agricultural productivity in the next decade, out-migration and urban-led growth centered in Kampala will be insufficient to significantly reduce poverty in northern Uganda. " from authors' abstracteconomic growth, Poverty, Agricultural development, Spatial economics, Development strategies,
Climate variability and maize yield in South Africa: Results from GME and MELE methods
Full text link"This paper investigates the impact of climate variability on maize yield in the Limpopo Basin of South Africa using the Generalized Maximum Entropy (GME) estimator and Maximum Entropy Leuven Estimator (MELE). Precipitation and temperature were used as proxies for climate variability, which were combined with traditional inputs variables (i.e., labor, fertilizer, seed, and irrigation). We found that the MELE fits the data better than the GME. In addition, increased precipitation, increased temperature, and irrigation have a positive impact on yield. Furthermore, results of the MELE show that the impact of precipitation on maize yield is stronger than that of temperature, meaning that the impact of climate variability on maize yield could be negative if the change increases temperature but reduces precipitation at the same rate and simultaneously. Moreover, the impact of irrigation on yield is positive but with a lower elasticity coefficient than that of precipitation, which supposes that irrigation may only partially mitigate the impact of reduced precipitation on yield. " from authors' abstractYield function, maize, Generalized maximum entropy, Maximum entropy Leuven estimator, Climate variability, Climate change,
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