scholarly journals Trade Costs in the Developing World: 1996–2010

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
JEAN-FRANÇOIS ARVIS ◽  
YANN DUVAL ◽  
BEN SHEPHERD ◽  
CHORTHIP UTOKTHAM ◽  
ANASUYA RAJ

AbstractWe use new data on trade and production in 167 countries to infer estimates of trade costs for manufactured goods and agriculture for 1996‒2010. Trade costs are strongly declining in country income level. Among developing countries, only the upper middle income group has been successful in reducing trade costs faster than elsewhere in the world. Sub-Saharan African countries and low income countries remain subject to very high trade costs. Regional trade agreements, maritime transport connectivity, and trade facilitation performance are important determinants of trade costs.

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Kane ◽  
P Cavagna ◽  
I B Diop ◽  
B Gaye ◽  
J B Mipinda ◽  
...  

Abstract Background High Blood Pressure is the worldwide leading global burden of disease risk factor. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the number of adults with raised blood pressure has alarmingly increased from 0.59 to 1.13 billion between 1975 and 2015. Blood pressure-lowering medicines are cornerstone of cardiovascular risk reduction. Data on management of anti-hypertensive drugs in sub-Saharan Africa are squarce. Purpose Our study aims to describe antihypertensive drugs strategies in Africa. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey in urban clinics during outpatient consultation specialized in hypertension cardiology departments of 29 medical centers from 17 cities across 12 African countries (Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Mozambic, Niger, Senegal, Togo). Data were collected on demographics, treatment and standardized BP measures were made among the hypertensive patients attending the clinics. Country income was retrieved from the World Bank database. All analyses were performed through scripts developed in the R software (3.4.1 (2017–06–30)). Results A total of 2198 hypertensive patients (58.4±11.8 years; 39.9% male) were included. Among whom 2123 (96.6%) had at least one antihypertensive drug. Overall, 30.8% (n=653) received monotherapy and calcium-channel blockers (49.6%) were the most common monotherapy prescribed follow by diuretics (18.7%). Two-drug strategies were prescribed for 927 patients (43.6%). Diuretics and Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors was the combination most frequently prescribed (33.7%). Combination of three drugs or more was used in 25.6% (n=543) of patients. The proportion of drugs strategies differed significantly according to countries (p<0.001), monotherapy ranged from 12.7% in Niger to 47.1% in Democratic Republic of the Congo (figure). Furthermore we observed a significantly difference of strategies between low and middle income countries (55.3% and 44.7% of monotherapy respectively) (p<0.001). According to hypertension grades 1, 2 and 3, the proportion of three-drugs or more combination was 25%, 28% and 34% in middle-income and lower in low-income countries (18%, 19% and 25%). Furthermore, Grade 3 hypertension in low income countries was still treated with monotherapy (36%) instead of 19% in middle income countries (p<0.01). Antihypertensive strategies by country Conclusion Our study described antihypertensive drugs use across 12 sub-Saharan countries, and identified disparities specific to the income context. Inequity in access to drugs combination is a serious barrier to tackle the burden of hypertension in Africa.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis F. Furia ◽  
Jacqueline Shoo ◽  
Paschal J. Ruggajo ◽  
Kajiru Kilonzo ◽  
Gopal Basu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The burden of kidney diseases is reported to be higher in lower- and middle-income countries as compared to developed countries, and countries in sub-Saharan Africa are reported to be most affected. Health systems in most sub-Sahara African countries have limited capacity in the form of trained and skilled health care providers, diagnostic support, equipment and policies to provide nephrology services. Several initiatives have been implemented to support establishment of these services. Methods This is a situation analysis to examine the nephrology services in Tanzania. It was conducted by interviewing key personnel in institutions providing nephrology services aiming at describing available services and international collaborators supporting nephrology services. Results Tanzania is a low-income country in Sub-Saharan Africa with a population of more than 55 million that has seen remarkable improvement in the provision of nephrology services and these include increase in the number of nephrologists to 14 in 2018 from one in 2006, increase in number of dialysis units from one unit (0.03 unit per million) before 2007 to 28 units (0.5 units per million) in 2018 and improved diagnostic services with introduction of nephropathology services. Government of Tanzania has been providing kidney transplantation services by funding referral of donor and recipients abroad and has now introduced local transplantation services in two hospitals. There have been strong international collaborators who have supported nephrology services and establishment of nephrology training in Tanzania. Conclusion Tanzania has seen remarkable achievement in provision of nephrology services and provides an interesting model to be used in supporting nephrology services in low income countries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 196
Author(s):  
Khalil Gh. Hassan

Theoretically, it is heavily believed that FDI is as a source of development, modernization, income, and employment growth and that FDI boosts the productivity of host countries and promotes economic growth. This paper examines, within a growth theory framework, the role which foreign direct investment (FDI) plays in the growth process in the context of different income group countries characterized by their per capita income. The paper tests (using time series data relating High, Middle- and Low-income countries) the hypothesis adopted is that FDI, enhance economic growth. The estimated indicators show evidence of rejecting Null hypothesis in the case of High- and Middle-income group countries but, vice versa the Null hypothesis is accepted for Low-income group countries.


Having broadly stabilized inflation over the past two decades, many policymakers in sub-Saharan Africa are now asking more of their monetary policy frameworks. They are looking to avoid policy misalignments and respond appropriately to both domestic and external shocks, including swings in fiscal policy and spikes in food and export prices. In many cases they are finding current regimes—often characterized as ‘money targeting’—lacking, with opaque and sometimes inconsistent objectives, inadequate transmission of policy to the economy, and difficulties in responding to supply shocks. At the same time, little existing research on monetary policy is targeted to low-income countries. What do we know about the empirics of monetary transmission in low-income countries? (How) Does monetary policy work in countries characterized by a huge share of food in consumption, underdeveloped financial markets, and opaque policy regimes? (How) Can we use methods largely derived in advanced countries to answer these questions? And (how) can we use the results to guide policymakers? This book draws on years of research and practice at the IMF and in central banks from the region to shed empirical and theoretical light on these questions and to provide practical tools and policy guidance. A key feature of the book is the application of dynamic general equilibrium models, suitably adapted to reflect key features of low-income countries, for the analysis of monetary policy in sub-Saharan African countries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 05 (04) ◽  
pp. 110-116
Author(s):  
Huu Thang Nguyen ◽  
◽  
Thi Nguyet Minh Doan ◽  
Thanh Huong Tran ◽  
Hai Thanh Pham

Objectives: Medical facilities with an autonomous tendency always try to serve positive and pleasant experiences to improve the brand name, increase patient satisfaction and loyalty. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 245 inpatients at Lung Hospital in Son La province in 2020. To describe the current situation of the inpatient's experience at Lung Hospital in Son La province by 2020 and its related factors. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 245 inpatients at Son La Lung Hospital Results: The study showed that the total score of inpatients’ experience ranged from 22 points to 57 points and the mean of it was 39.7 (6.13) points. Subject's experience scores were divided into 2 groups, the satisfied group accounted for 32.7% and the percentage of the unsatisfied group was 67.3%. As compared to men, a higher total score of women was (OR: 1.134; 95% CI: 0.284-0.997). The urban area group’s score was 1,190 times higher than that of those who live in rural and mountainous areas (95% CI: 1,010 - 1,400). The middle-income group had more positive experience than the low-income group (OR: 1.180; 95% CI: 1.010 - 1.370). Conclusions: Our research showed that gender, living area and economic condition affected the total score of inpatients’ experience at the Lung hospital. Keywords: Patient experiences, inpatient treatment, hospital, associated factors


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelton Kanyanda ◽  
Yannick Markhof ◽  
Philip Wollburg ◽  
Alberto Zezza

Introduction Recent debates surrounding the lagging covid-19 vaccination campaigns in low-income countries center around vaccine supply and financing. Yet, relatively little is known about attitudes towards covid-19 vaccines in these countries and in Africa in particular. In this paper, we provide cross-country comparable estimates of the willingness to accept a covid-19 vaccine in six Sub-Saharan African countries. Methods We use data from six national high-frequency phone surveys from countries representing 38% of the Sub-Saharan African population (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, and Uganda). Samples are drawn from large, nationally representative sampling frames providing a rich set of demographic and socio-economic characteristics by which we disaggregate our analysis. Using a set of re-calibrated survey weights, our analysis adjusts for the selection biases common in remote surveys. Results Acceptance rates in the six Sub-Saharan African countries studied are generally high, with at least four in five people willing to be vaccinated in all but one country. Vaccine acceptance ranges from nearly universal in Ethiopia (97.9%, 97.2% to 98.6%) to below what would likely be required for herd immunity in Mali (64.5%, 61.3% to 67.8%). We find little evidence for systematic differences in vaccine hesitancy by sex or age but some clusters of hesitancy in urban areas, among the better educated, and in richer households. Safety concerns about the vaccine in general and its side effects emerge as the primary reservations toward a covid-19 vaccine across countries. Conclusions Our findings suggest that limited supply, not inadequate demand, likely presents the key bottleneck to reaching high covid-19 vaccine coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa. To turn intent into effective demand, targeted communication campaigns bolstering confidence in the safety of approved vaccines and reducing concerns about side effects will be crucial to safeguard the swift progression of vaccine rollout in one of the world's poorest regions.


The role of public sector bank, in raising the economic equality on low income or middle income group, the term financial inclusion emphasis on redistribution of income within the same household, the deprive section of society avail the benefit with some standard provided by the government and how the approach have been taken by public sector bank to distribute the same and their behavioral ethics trail over the schemes. The study focused the dominant properties which fabricate imperative on financial inclusion among various categories of customers in public sector banks and also investigated the recognition of public in stand point of financial assistance and financial features offered by public sector bank through correlation statistical analysis with the sample of 200 with Chennai arena..


Author(s):  
Eilish Mc Auliffe ◽  
Ogenna Manafa ◽  
Cameron Bowie ◽  
Lucy Makoae ◽  
Fresier Maseko ◽  
...  

It is now more than a decade since the acknowledgement of the health human resources crisis that exists in many low-income countries. During that decade much attention has focused on addressing the “pull” factors (e.g. developing voluntary international recruitment guidelines and bilateral agreements between recruiting and source countries) and on scaling up the supply of health professionals. Drawing on research conducted in two sub-Saharan African countries, we argue that a critical element in the human resources crisis is the poor working environments in these countries that not only continue to act as a strong “push” factor, but also impact on the motivation and performance of those who remain in their home countries. Unless attention is focused on improving work environments, the human resources crisis will continue in a vicious cycle leading to further decline in the health systems of low-income countries.


Urban History ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
FLORIAN URBAN

ABSTRACT:In the 1960s and 1970s, the state-operated Maharashtra Housing Board and its successor organization Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) responded to Mumbai's exponential growth with what at the time was internationally considered to be the most effective measure to fight the housing shortage: large estates of standardized apartment blocks. In Mumbai's northern suburbs, housing compounds were built for designated income levels, such as Kannamwar Nagar and Sahyadri Nagar for the ‘low-income group’ and DN Nagar or Sahakar Nagar for the ‘middle-income group’. This article argues that Mumbai's state-sponsored tower blocks adapted an internationally discussed urban design concept to specific local conditions. The designers took up influences from both local Maharashtrian and European housing typologies of the mid-twentieth century, including upper-class art deco apartments, socialist housing compounds and serially built working-class chawls. In contrast to mass housing developments in Chicago, Moscow or Paris, Mumbai's tower blocks were built individually rather than from prefabricated parts, offered rather high standards of living compared to that of the majority and, as a result, became increasingly inhabited by comparably wealthy groups. Since the beginning of economic liberalization in the 1990s, many have been converted into private co-operatives. Once designed to house the masses, they are now visible symbols for a growing minority that constitutes Mumbai's new middle class. At the same time, they are an example for the local evolution of the modernist housing block type that is only apparently similar all over the world.


SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824402110648
Author(s):  
Emma Serwaa Obobisa ◽  
Haibo Chen ◽  
Emmanuel Caesar Ayamba ◽  
Claudia Nyarko Mensah

Recently, China has emerged as the largest trading partner and a significant source of investment in the African continent. Although there is consent on the increasing importance of China and Africa’s economic partnership, there are many controversies on how it affects African countries. Debates on China in Africa have, however, relied on grandiloquence rather than empirical studies. This study explores the causal link between China-Africa trade, China’s outward foreign direct (OFDI), and economic growth of 24 Sub-Saharan Africa countries from 1999 to 2018. The aggregated panel is classified into upper-middle-income, low-middle income, and low-income Sub-Saharan African countries. In the long run, key findings from the feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) estimator unveiled that; (i) China-Africa trade negatively contributes to economic growth among all panels. (ii) China’s OFDI improves economic growth in the low middle and low-income African countries whereas a significant negative liaison is evidenced in the upper-middle-income African countries. (iii) Labor force have a negative impact on economic growth whiles gross capital formation is evidenced to positively impact economic growth at all the panels. The Dumitrescu and Hurlin Granger causality unveiled a one-sided causal link from China-Africa trade to economic growth at all panels. The study proposes policy recommendations based on the results.


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