Emerald | International Journal of Development Issues | Table of Contents

Heterogeneity as heterodoxy in development policy: Tribal communities in Bangladesh and Kerala

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Farida Chowdhury Khan) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – A fundamental premise of economic theory is that of a homogenous subject. This unified and intentional subject also implicitly defines the welfare function that forms the foundation of economic development theory and policy today. Unfortunately, such a concept of agency is representative of mostly urban and majority populations and does not include indigenous communities who are peripheral in most developing nations. The concept of development presumes an attachment to modernization and deracination, paying little heed to conservation of natural resources that are of sacral value to tribal communities. This paper aims to show how economics neglects cultural and group differences and yet asserts a powerful influence on development policy. Institutional economists and anthropologists have contested this hegemony but at the same time have also been co-opted into development management in several ways that are discussed below. Design/methodology/approach – The case of indigenous communities in Bangladesh is investigated and their exclusion from development elucidated by citing the conflicts that tribal groups have had with majority populations and the state. This is compared to the situation of tribal communities in the state of Kerala in India. Findings – It is concluded that a heterogeneous imaginary at the level of the nation state allows possibilities for indigenous voices to be represented in development policy formation and that such heterogeneity itself opens the channel for an alternative construction of development. Research limitations/implications – The case studies may not be widely applicable to every context. Practical implications – The universality of policy suggestions should be questioned if such policy is not representative of minorities within the context of a nation. Originality/value – The point that methodological individualism and the grounding in economics of development theory leads it to avoid community concerns has not been addressed before. The paper also looks at a historical development of the discourse of development in a new way. Finally, the case of Bangladesh has not been discussed in this manner or compared to Kerala.

Miracle that never was: disaggregated level of inequality in Indonesia

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Mohammad Zulfan Tadjoeddin) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – The paper aims at re-examining the notion of low and stable income inequality during the high growth period of Indonesia (1970s-1990s). Design/methodology/approach – Different approaches are used to reassess the low and stable trend of the overall inequality at the national level such as assets concentration and functional income inequality. Disaggregated inequality at district level is conducted by treating municipalities as growth centres and estimated using the random and fixed effects models as well as the GMM estimation. Findings – Alternative measures of income inequality have indicated that economic inequality in Indonesia was not as low as it was perceived and exhibited an increasing trend during the period associated with the miracle. Furthermore, using the Susenas-based Gini coefficient, across-district analysis of inequality indicates the presence of inverted-U Kuznets curve of income and inequality, which could not be empirically observed when the analysis is based on time series data of aggregate Gini measure at the national level. Originality/value – The paper challenges the notion of the East Asian economic miracle in the case of Indonesia. It provides some evidence of the Kuznets curve relationship between income and inequality within a country based on cross-districts exercise.

Fighting corruption in Africa: do existing corruption-control levels matter?

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Simplice A. Asongu) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – Are there different determinants in the fight against corruption across African countries? Why are some countries more effective at battling corruption than others? To assess these concerns this paper aims to examine the determinants of corruption control throughout the conditional distribution of the fight against corruption using panel data from 46 African countries for the period 2002-2010. Design/methodology/approach – The panel quantile regression technique enables us to investigate if the relationship between corruption control and the exogenous variables differs throughout the distribution of the fight against corruption. Findings – Results could be summarized in the following. Greater economic prosperity leads to less corruption control and the magnitude of the effect is more important in countries where the fight against corruption is high. Regulation quality seems bimodal, with less positive effects in the tails: among the best and least fighters of corruption. There is support for a less negative consequence of population growth in countries that are already taking the fight against corruption seriously in comparison to those that are lax on the issue. Findings on democracy broadly indicate the democratization process increases the fight against corruption with a greater magnitude at higher quantiles: countries that are already taking the fight seriously. The relevance of voice and accountability in the battle against corruption decreases as corruption control is taken more seriously by the powers that be. Good governance dynamics of political stability, government effectiveness and the rule of law gain more importance in the fight against corruption when existing levels of corruption control are already high. Social implications – The results of this study suggest that the determinants of corruption control respond differently across the corruption-control distribution. This implies some current corruption-control policies may be reconsidered, especially among the most corrupt and least corrupt African nations. As a policy implication, the fight against corruption should not be postponed; doing so will only reduce the effectiveness of policies in the future. The rewards of institutional reforms are more positive in countries that are already seriously engaged in the corruption fight. Originality/value – This paper contributes to existing literature on the determinants of corruption by focusing on the distribution of the dependent variable (control of corruption). It is likely that good and poor corruption fighters respond differently to factors that influence the fight against corruption. There are subtle institutional differences between corrupt and clean nations that may affect corruption-control determinants and government efficacy in the fight against corruption.

Export and growth: a linkage effect perspective

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Richard Cheung Lam) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the linkage effect provides a better understanding of export-led growth hypothesis in developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – The literature review on the externalities of export-led growth implied a hypothesis that the higher the linkage effect of export manufacture or industry is, the greater the externality effect and the faster the export growth of it will be in developing countries. The export growth pattern of the Hong Kong electronics industry and some selected data from China's export manufactures have been used to verify the hypothesis. Findings – The findings have strongly supported the research hypothesis at both the product and industry level. Originality/value – In the ELG model, it is the externality and the linkage effect of export that lead to the output growth of an economy. The findings have illustrated that the ELG model cannot simply be based on the effect of the amount of export or the export growth rate, rather the externality and the linkage effect of export should also be incorporated into the model.

An approach to quantifying social justice in selected developing countries

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Heba E. Helmy) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – The objective of this paper is to prove that any attempt to implement social justice in its present undefined form is unattainable, and to successfully achieve social justice, the term should be quantified by an appropriate index; accordingly, the first objective of this paper is to make an attempt to construct an appropriate social justice index. The second objective is to quantify this index for a number of developing countries so that a government with low value of social justice index can make policy for achieving an appropriate level of social justice. Design/methodology/approach – The paper constructs a new composite index for social justice for 40 mostly developing countries by selecting six subindicators, each of which represents one aspect or dimension of social justice. The values of the subindicators are then normalized and the final composite index is formed from the weighted average of the subindicators. Findings – The study quantified the levels of social justice in developing countries through a new social justice index and compared the ranking of some developing countries using the new index. The index also helped in identifying areas of social justice that need improvement and hence can improve the developing countries' scores in the social justice index. Originality/value – The paper is valuable to policy makers in developing countries especially the Arab Spring countries in their pursuit for achieving social justice. Quantifying social justice clarifies exactly where such countries stand and the dimensions of social justice that need urgent action to improve their performance and thus their index scores.

2012 Awards for Excellence

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100