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on Development |
| By: | Maria Aristizabal-Ramirez; Cezar Santos; Alejandra Torres |
| Abstract: | This paper examines labor markets across Latin American countries, revealing substantial differences in unemployment, informality, and worker transitions. Using surveys from eight countries, we construct comparable statistics on employment stocks and mobility patterns. Notable cross-country differences emerge, with economies mostly clustered into high unemployment-low informality or low unemployment-high informality groups. Transition probabilities and directional flows also vary significantly. We highlight the importance of using country-specific parameters when simulating labor market and aggregate outcomes. Finally, we compare our main results with those by sex and education groups. |
| Keywords: | Latin America; Labor markets; Informality; Unemployment; Transitions |
| JEL: | E24 E26 J46 O54 |
| Date: | 2024–09–23 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedgif:1396 |
| By: | Pelli , Martino (Asian Development Bank); Tschopp , Jeanne (University of Bern) |
| Abstract: | This paper explores how school-age exposure to storms impacts the education and primary activity status of young adults in India. Using a cross-sectional cohort study based on wind exposure histories, we find evidence of a significant deskilling of areas vulnerable to climate change-related risks. Specifically, our results show a 2.4 percentage point increase in the probability of accruing educational delays, a 2 percentage point decline in post-secondary education achievement, and a 1.6 percentage point reduction in obtaining regular salaried jobs. Additionally, our study provides evidence that degraded school infrastructure and declining household income contribute to these findings. |
| Keywords: | climate change; storms; education; human capital |
| JEL: | I25 O12 Q54 |
| Date: | 2024–10–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:adbewp:0743 |
| By: | Costa, Francisco J M (FGV EPGE Brazilian School of Economics and Finance); Goldemberg, Diana (Minerva Schools at KGI) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of cumulative heat exposure on dropout rates for K10-12 students across Brazil, using data from over 30, 000 schools and 80 million enrollments between 2007 and 2016. We find that a one-standard-deviation increase in the share of days above 34°C raises dropout rates by 0.36 percentage points, representing a 5.1% increase in the average dropout rate. The effects are concentrated in public schools, particularly in urban areas, where poor infrastructure amplifies the impact of heat. In contrast, private schools show no significant effects, likely due to better resources, such as air conditioning. These findings highlight the need to improve learning environments, particularly in public schools, to help students cope with rising temperatures and reduce dropout rates and educational inequality. |
| Date: | 2024–10–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:apu6j |
| By: | Anand Sahasranaman; Nishanth Kumar; Luis M. A. Bettencourt |
| Abstract: | India's urbanization is often characterized as particularly challenging and very unequal but systematic empirical analyses, comparable to other nations, have largely been lacking. Here, we characterize India's economic and human development along with changes in its personal income distribution as a function of the nation's growing urbanization. On aggregate, we find that India outperforms most other nations in the growth of various indicators of development with urbanization, including income and human development. These results are due in part to India's present low levels of urbanization but also demonstrate the transformational role of its cities in driving multi-dimensional development. To test these changes at the more local level, we study the income distributions of large Indian cities to find evidence for high positive growth in the lowest decile (poorest) of the population, enabling sharp reductions in poverty over time. We also test the hypothesis that inequality-reducing cities are more attractive destinations for rural migrants. Finally, we use income distributions to characterize changes in poverty rates directly. This shows much lower levels of poverty in urban India and especially in its largest cities. The dynamics of poverty rates during the recent COVID-19 pandemic shows both a high fragility of these improvements during a crisis and their resilience over longer times. Sustaining a long-term dynamic where urbanization continues to be closely associated with human development and poverty reduction is likely India's fastest path to a more prosperous and equitable future. |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2410.04737 |
| By: | Patricia Justino; Santiago Tobón; Martín Vanegas-Arias; Juan Vargas |
| Abstract: | Tax revenues are fundamental to state-building and development, particularly in the aftermath of conflict. Through the lens of the recent post-conflict experience of Colombia, this paper explores the challenges of increasing tax revenues amid violence and illicit economic activities. We study four factors that the literature has identified as key determinants of a country's local fiscal capacity: early land conflicts; historical political violence; recent political violence; and the prevalence of illegal economies. |
| Keywords: | Taxation, Conflict, Violence, Colombia |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2024-62 |
| By: | Sandra Aguilar-Gomez; Nathaly M. Rivera |
| Abstract: | While airpollution is a significant global threat, its impactise specially pronounced in emerging nations.This review explores the recenteconomic literature on the diverse effects of airpollution in the Global South, emphasizing causal evidence. Webegin by examining regional challenges, such as indoor air pollution(IAP) and biomass burning, which are prevalent in Global South countries. Next, we synthesize the broad spectrum of health and non-health impacts associated with exposure to fine particulate matter and other pollutants.Our assessment reveals an increase in research to document these impacts in Global South contexts. Nonetheless, some challenges, such as an incomplete understanding of underlying mechanisms and regional data disparities, remain. |
| Date: | 2024–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:udc:wpaper:wp561 |
| By: | Jill Bouscarat; Philipp Heinrigs; Véronique Thériault; Alban Mas Aparisi; Amidou Assima |
| Abstract: | Over the past two decades, urban population growth and rising incomes in West Africa have increased demand for diverse, convenient, safe and nutritious foods, including processed products. At the same time, urbanisation is changing foods environments —the physical, economic, and informational contexts that influence consumer food choices—with expected implications for nutrition. This paper assesses the current understanding of diets and food environment transformations in the region. Findings indicate a shift towards more nutritious foods, as well as oils, sweets, and high-fat products, with dietary changes varying across income groups. Food environments are growing more complex, with numerous outlets offering diverse products, but with inconsistent proximity and affordability. The rapid pace of these changes emphasizes the need for better data systems to update our understanding of food consumption patterns in the region and to capture their growing complexity. |
| JEL: | I18 Q13 Q18 O55 |
| Date: | 2024–10–16 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:swacaa:45-en |