Lasting Political Stability Requires a Massive Middle-Income Stratum

1996 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 68-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Qiang ◽  
Zhang Zhiying
Keyword(s):  
Political Stability ◽  
Middle Income

scholarly journals The Development Trajectories of Thailand and Sri Lanka: A Comparative Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-416
Author(s):  
Reena Marwah ◽  
Sanika Sulochani Ramanayake
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Group ◽  
Key Policy ◽  
Key Drivers ◽  
Fdi Policies ◽  
Development Trajectories

The raison d’être to compare the development trajectories of two Asian economies, viz. Thailand and Sri Lanka, stems from the fact that both countries are in the middle-income level. Hence, a comparative analysis of the development trajectories of the two countries during 2009–2019, both being neighbours with religious and cultural affinities, as well as members in Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), has been undertaken. The key objective is to decipher key policy lessons for Sri Lanka (which has been in the lower middle-income group) from Thailand’s development path (which has placed the latter in the upper middle-income group). This article also elucidates the key drivers of economic growth along with the challenges that the two countries must contend with, to attain higher growth levels. Economic drivers, such as tourism, foreign direct investment (FDI) policies and political stability are concomitant for their development.

scholarly journals The comparative economics of financial access in gender economic inclusion

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simplice Asongu ◽  
Rexon Nting
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Civil Law ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Financial Access ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Legal Origins ◽  
Gender Inclusion

PurposeThe study has investigated the comparative importance of financial access in promoting gender inclusion in African countries.Design/methodology/approachGender inclusion is proxied by the female labour participation rate while financial channels include: financial system deposits and private domestic credit. The empirical evidence is based on non-contemporary fixed effects regressions.FindingsIn order to provide more implications on comparative relevance, the dataset is categorised into income levels (middle income versus (vs.) low income); legal origins (French civil law vs. English common law); religious domination (Islam vs. Christianity); openness to sea (coastal vs. landlocked); resource-wealth (oil-poor vs. oil-rich) and political stability (stable vs. unstable). Six main hypotheses are tested, notably, that middle income, English common law, Christianity, coastal, oil-rich and stable countries enjoy better levels of “financial access”-induced gender inclusion compared to respectively, low income, French civil law, Islam, landlocked, oil-poor and unstable countries. All six tested hypotheses are validated.Originality/valueThis is the first study on the comparative importance of financial access in gender economic participation.

scholarly journals Disease burden and mental health system capacity: WHO Atlas study of 117 low- and middle-income countries

2012 ◽  
Vol 201 (6) ◽  
pp. 444-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan McBain ◽  
Carmel Salhi ◽  
Jodi E. Morris ◽  
Joshua A. Salomon ◽  
Theresa S. Betancourt
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health System ◽  
Mental Health System ◽  
Disease Burden ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
System Capacity ◽  
World Health ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Group 1 ◽  
Low And Middle Income

BackgroundTreatment coverage for mental disorders ranges from less than 10% to more than 90% across low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries. Studies have yet to examine whether the capacity of mental health systems might be adversely affected by the burdens of unrelated conditions such as HIV/AIDS.AimsTo examine whether the magnitude of disease burden from communicable, perinatal, maternal and nutritional conditions - commonly referred to as Group 1 diseases - is inversely associated with mental health system capacity in LAMI countries.MethodMultiple regression analyses were undertaken using data from 117 LAMI countries included in the 2011 World Health Organization (WHO) Mental Health Atlas. Capacity was defined in terms of human resources and infrastructure. Regressions controlled for effects of political stability, government health expenditures, income inequality and neuropsychiatric disease burden.ResultsHigher Group 1 disease burden was associated with fewer psychiatrists, psychologists and nurses in the mental health sector, as well as reduced numbers of out-patient facilities and psychiatric beds in mental hospitals and general hospitals (t= −2.06 to −7.68, P < 0.05).ConclusionsEvidence suggests that mental health system capacity in LAMI countries may be adversely affected by the magnitude of their Group 1 disease burden.

scholarly journals Assessing the relationship between public spending and economic growth through an endogenous growth model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Y. Gnangoin ◽  
Liangsheng Du
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Government Spending ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Public Spending ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Generalized Least Squares ◽  
Stability Control ◽  
High Income ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
The Difference

Abstract Public spending is a part of the fiscal policy and one of the government’s main tools to implement its economic policy. With government spending still on the rise in many economies, and the different economic growth levels, especially in low and middle economies, the debate on whether government spending has a positive, negative or neutral impact on economic growth is still raging nowadays. So, in this analysis, we attempt to contribute to this issue by shedding light on this relationship in the case of low, middle, and high-income countries. In so doing, we extend the previous work of Devarajan et al. (1996) and Chu et al. (2020) by considering the nonlinear relationship between disaggregated public spending and economic growth. We also pay attention to the role of public spending on environmental protection, political stability, control of corruption, and the 2008 financial crisis, on economic growth. To reach our objectives, we examine 13 high-income countries and 22 low to middle-income countries for the period 1993–2018 through four estimations techniques: the fixed-effects approach; the pooled standard errors Driscoll-Kraay (1998), the panel feasible generalized least squares, and the difference GMM with orthogonal deviations.

Authoritarian Bangladeshi rulers will focus on exports

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Foreign Investment ◽  
Prime Minister ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Middle Income Country ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government ◽  
Bangladeshi Migrants ◽  
Economic Ties

Significance Attacks against intellectuals and activists since 2013 have generated widespread international outrage. However, the priorities of Prime Minister Shaikh Hasina's government lie elsewhere. Relative political stability has improved the economy, emboldening the government to aim for 'middle income' country status by 2021. Impacts Growth of garment exports will accelerate, creating opportunities for foreign investment. Deeper economic ties with China will reduce Dhaka's responsiveness to Western criticisms on human rights. Bangladesh-China ties will worry India, but the BJP will not soften its stance on Bangladeshi migrants for political reasons.

What determines bank interest rate spread? Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Kipkirong Tarus ◽  
Philip Otieno Manyala
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rate ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Institutional Variables ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Interest Rate Spread ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Interest Rate

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of bank interest rate spread in Sub-Saharan African countries, which were categorized into macro-specific, bank-specific and institutional variables. Design/methodology/approach The authors used fixed effects estimations to analyze the data. The data were drawn from a pool of 20 Sub-Saharan African countries for a period of ten years spanning 2003–2012. The countries were categorized into low-income, lower middle-income and upper middle-income countries based on World Bank income classifications. Findings The results show that inflation has a negative and significant effect on interest rate spread, while operating costs and bank concentration have a positive and significant effect on interest rate spread. Similarly, government effectiveness, rule of law and political stability are negatively related to the interest rate spread. Practical implications The paper provides evidence that interest rate spread is determined by both bank-specific, macro-economic and institutional variables. The paper also indicates that the income status of a country is important in explaining the variations in the interest rate spread across the region. Therefore, the policy makers should design policies that take into account the variables in order to help in planning by all economic agents, including banks. Originality/value The paper uses data from Sub-Saharan Africa and introduces institutional variables in the model, which have been found to be critical in the context.

scholarly journals Gender inequality and the double burden of disease in low-income and middle-income countries: an ecological study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e047388
Author(s):  
Mirte van der Ham ◽  
Renee Bolijn ◽  
Alcira de Vries ◽  
Maiza Campos Ponce ◽  
Irene G M van Valkengoed
Keyword(s):  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Burden Of Disease ◽  
Ecological Study ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Double Burden ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Life Years

IntroductionMany low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC) suffer from a double burden of infectious diseases (ID) and non-communicable diseases (NCD). Previous research suggests that a high rate of gender inequality is associated with a higher ID and NCD burden in LMIC, but it is unknown whether gender inequality is also associated with a double burden of disease. In this ecological study, we explored the association between gender inequality and the double burden of disease in LMIC.MethodsFor 108 LMIC, we retrieved the Gender Inequality Index (GII, scale 0–1) and calculated the double burden of disease, based on disability-adjusted life-years for a selection of relevant ID and NCD, using WHO data. We performed logistic regression analysis to study the association between gender inequality and the double burden of disease for the total population, and stratified for men and women. We adjusted for income, political stability, type of labour, urbanisation, government health expenditure, health infrastructure and unemployment. Additionally, we conducted linear regression models for the ID and NCD separately.ResultsThe GII ranged from 0.13 to 0.83. A total of 37 LMIC had a double burden of disease. Overall, the adjusted OR for double burden of disease was 1.05 per 0.01 increase of GII (95% CI 0.99 to 1.10, p=0.10). For women, there was a borderline significant positive association between gender inequality and double burden of disease (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.11, p=0.06), while there was no association in men (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.04, p=0.75).ConclusionWe found patterns directing towards a positive association between gender inequality and double burden of disease, overall and in women. This finding suggests the need for more attention for structural factors underlying gender inequality to potentially reduce the double burden of disease.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic Factors Affecting Water Access in Rural Areas of Low and Middle Income Countries

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mabel Gomez ◽  
Jordi Perdiguero ◽  
Alex Sanz
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Factors ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
National Income ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Water Access ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Worldwide, 844 million people still lack access to basic drinking water, especially in the rural areas of low and middle income countries. However, considerable progress has been made in recent years due to work on the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals. Nevertheless, countries’ national characteristics have often impacted on this progress. This paper analyzes whether specific socioeconomic factors affect access to improved water sources in the rural areas of developing countries. In particular, we analyze access to ‘total improved’, piped on premises, as well as other improved sources of access in rural areas for low income, low-middle income, and high-middle income countries. Our results suggest that gross national income (GNI); female primary completion rate; agriculture; growth of rural population; and governance indicators, such as political stability, control of corruption, or regulatory quality are variables related to water access, although specific associations depend on the source of water and income group examined. Understanding these interrelations could be of great importance for decision makers in the water sector as well as for future research on this topic.

scholarly journals Colonial history and global economics distort our understanding of deep-time biodiversity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nussaïbah Raja ◽  
Emma Dunne ◽  
Aviwe Matiwane ◽  
Tasnuva Ming Khan ◽  
Paulina Nätscher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Research Output ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Colonial History ◽  
Deep Time ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Global Power ◽  
Sampling Biases ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

Sampling variations in the fossil record distort estimates of past biodiversity. However, compilations of global fossil occurrences used in these analyses not only reflect the geological and spatial aspects of the fossil record, but also the historical collation of these data. Here, we demonstrate how the legacy of colonialism as well as socio-economic factors such as wealth, education and political stability impact research output in paleontology. Re- searchers in high or upper middle income countries contribute to 97% of fossil occurrence data, not only leading to spatial sampling biases but also generating a global power imbalance within the discipline. This work illustrates that our efforts to mitigate the effects of sampling biases to obtain a truly representative view of past biodiversity are not disconnected from the aim of diversifying our field.

scholarly journals The Impact of the Asian Crisis on Governance: Does OECD Membership or Income Levels Matter?

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-130
Author(s):  
Halil Dincer Kaya
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Oecd Countries ◽  
High Income ◽  
Asian Crisis ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Governance Indicators ◽  
The Impact

AbstractWe examine the impact of the 1997 Asian Crisis on governance. We look into how the crisis affected High-Income OECD, High-Income Non-OECD, Upper-middle Income, Lower- Middle Income, and Low Income Countries. For measures of governance, we use the World Bank’s Governance Indicators dataset which includes six measures of governance. We find that pre- and post-crisis, the ranking of each income group has not changed except for year 2004 when the High-Income Non-OECD Countries surpassed the High-Income OECD Countries in “Political Stability and Absence of Violence” category. In other words, our results show that, other than that exception in 2004, both pre- and post-crisis, the High-Income OECD Countries had the best governance measures, the High-Income Non-OECD Countries had the second best measures, and so on, in the order shown above. One point to note here: The High-Income Non- OECD Countries performed much better than the other groups after year 1998. After 1998, this group improved in all six dimensions of governance. We conclude that although crises affect all income groups, because of certain characteristics of the High-Income Non-OECD group, they tend to better react to crises.

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