17.constraints on growth and development€¦ · 17.constraints on growth and development ... •...

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Edexcel A2 Economics Unit 4 Course Companion 2016 tutor2u www.tutor2u.net 113 17.Constraints on Growth and Development Economic growth and human development progress is not guaranteed and some countries struggle to maintain the minimum growth rate needed to bring down rates of extreme poverty and sustain a chosen development path. Overview of some of the key limiters on growth and development Infrastructure Primary Export Dependency Macro Instability Conflict and Corruption Human Capital Weaknesses Savings and Foreign Exchange Gap Natural Capital Depletion Inequality

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Page 1: 17.Constraints on Growth and Development€¦ · 17.Constraints on Growth and Development ... • Few textbooks give emphasis to the quality of business management as a constraint

Edexcel A2 Economics Unit 4 Course Companion 2016

tutor2u www.tutor2u.net 113

17. ConstraintsonGrowthandDevelopmentEconomicgrowthandhumandevelopmentprogressisnotguaranteedandsomecountriesstruggletomaintaintheminimumgrowthrateneededtobringdownratesofextremepovertyandsustainachosendevelopmentpath.

Overviewofsomeofthekeylimitersongrowthanddevelopment

Infrastructure PrimaryExportDependency

MacroInstability ConflictandCorruption

HumanCapitalWeaknesses SavingsandForeignExchangeGap

NaturalCapitalDepletion Inequality

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WhatFactorsCanLimitGrowthandDevelopment?

InfrastructureGaps

• Infrastructureincludesphysicalcapitalsuchascriticalenergypowerandwatersupplies,sanitation,telecommunications&transportnetworks,schoolsandhospitals

• Evidenceshowsapositivecorrelationbetweenacountry'sdevelopmentandthequalityofitsroadnetwork• Poorinfrastructure:

o Causeshighersupplycostsanddelaysforbusinesseso Reduceslabourmobilityandhurtstheabilityofexporterstogetproductstoglobalmarkets.

• AccordingtotheWorldBank,transportcostsare25-30%ofproductcostsindevelopingcountriespartlybecauseofdeficienciesininfrastructure

Examplesofinfrastructuredeficiencies:

1. India:India’sirrigationsystemisnotproperlymanagedandthishasmadeitdifficulttosustainfoodgrainproductionwhenrainfallislessthanexpected–aswasthecasein2012.Thishasledtoasurgeinfoodprices,whichhitsthepoorestcommunitieshardest.Forafewdaysinthesummerof2012,muchofnorthernIndiawasplungedintodarkness.About700millionpeoplewereleftwithoutpower,asituationthataffectedtransport,communication,healthcare,industriesandfarming.Indianeedsanestimated$400bninvestmentinthepowersectorifitistomeettheirdevelopmentgoals.AbouthalfofIndia’sroadsarenotpaved.

2. Asia-inAsia,anestimated300mpeoplehavenoaccesstocleandrinkingwaterduetoinfrastructuregaps3. Brazil:Hostforthe2014WorldCupandthe2016Olympics.Brazil’sgrowthisconstrainedbyinfrastructure

weaknesses:In2011,only14%ofherroadswerepaved.TheWorldEconomicForumranksBrazil’squalityofinfrastructure104thoutof142countriessurveyed,behindChina(69th),India(86th)andRussia(100th).

4. Sub-SaharanAfrica:Thecombinedpowergenerationcapacityofthe48countriesofSub-SaharanAfricais68gigwatts–nomorethanSpain’s.Poorroad,railandharbourinfrastructureadds30-40%tothecostsofgoodstradedamongAfricancountries.Achronicshortageofenergy-withfirmsandpeoplefacingacuteshortagesofpower–isamajorbarriertogrowthanddevelopment.AccordingtotheAsianDevelopmentBankReportfor2013,Africacurrentlyinvestsjust4%ofitsGDPininfrastructure,comparedwithChina's14%.Sub-SaharanAfricaloses2.1%ofgrossdomesticproductfromblackoutsalone 

Onelimitationtoinfrastructureinvestmentindevelopingcountriesisthattaxrevenuesareloworcomefromanarrowbaseofbusinesses.Manycountrieswillneedtoincreasetheirspendingoninfrastructureintheyearsaheadtodealwiththeconsequencesofclimatechange.AccordingtotheUnitedNations,between1901and1910therewereeighty-tworecordednaturaldisasters,butbetween2003and2012thereweremorethan4,000Examtip:Examinersreportthatstudentsarenotgoodatexplainingexactlyhowimprovedinfrastructurecanraisedevelopment.Takeastep-by-stepapproach,usinggoodappliedexamplestoimproveyourmarks.

PrimaryProductDependency

• Manynationsstillrelyingonspecializinginandexportinglowvalueaddedprimarycommodities• Thepricesofthesegoodscanbevolatileonworldmarkets• Whenpricesfall,aneconomywillseeasharpreductioninexportincomes,anadversemovementintheir

termsoftrade,risksofahighertradedeficitandadangerthatanationwillnotbeabletofinancestate-ledinvestmentineducation,healthcareandcoreinfrastructure

• Despitebeingrichinnaturalresources,formanycountriesthisisacurseratherthanablessing

Sub-SaharanAfrica(SSA)isoftencitedasaregionwhereprimarysectordependenceishigh.SSA’sshareinglobalmanufacturingtraderemainsextremelylow.PrimaryDependencyandExternalEconomicShocks

• Eventsinonepartoftheworldcanquicklyaffectmanyothercountries• Forexample,theglobalfinancialcrisis(GFC)broughtaboutrecessioninmanycountriesandfinancialdistress

inmanyregions.ItalsoledtoafallinFDIflowsintomanypoorercountriesandpressureongovernmentsinrichnationstocutoverseasaidbudgets.

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• Ifaresourcerichcountryexportstheresource,itexposesitselftodamagingvolatilityofitsexportearnings• In2010,economistsBrucknerandCicconefoundthata10%fallinincomeduetofallingcommodityprices

raisesthelikelihoodofcivilwarinsub-SaharanAfricabyaround12%.

LandLockedCountries

• Landlockedeconomiesfacechallengestointegrateinglobaltrade–withoutgoodinfrastructureandefficientlogisticsbusinessesitcanbecostlyandslowtogetproductstothecountriesoftradepartners

• Somelandlockedcountrieshavebeendoingwellespeciallywhentheyachieveregionaleconomicintegrationwithotherland-lockednations.Investmentinairtransportlinkshelpstoovercomethisdevelopmenttrap

TheSavingsGap

• Savingsareneededtoprovidefinanceforcapitalinvestment.Inmanysmallerlow-incomecountries,highlevelsofpovertymakeitalmostimpossibletogeneratesufficientsavingstoprovidethefundsneededtofundinvestmentprojects.Thisincreasesrelianceontiedaid.

• Thisproblemisknownasthesavingsgap.InAfricaforexample,savingsratesofaround17percentofGDPcompareto31percentonaverageformiddle-incomecountries.LowsavingsratesandpoorlydevelopedormalfunctioningfinancialmarketsmakeitmoreexpensiveforAfricanpublicandprivatesectorstogetfundsforinvestment.Higherborrowingcostsimpedecapitalinvestment

VolatileIncomesandVulnerableEmployment

• Volatilitycanbedisruptivetoeconomichealth.Itincreasestherisksforbusinessesconsideringcapitalinvestment,itraisesthechancesofpeoplefallingintoextremepovertyanditmakesanation’sfinancesmorefragileperhapsloweringthescopeforimportantinvestmentinpublicgoods.

Thereisanincreasingtrendtowardstemporarycontractsandinsecureworkacrosstheworld,accordingtotheInternationalLabourOrganization(ILO).Infact,onlyaquarterofglobalworkersareonpermanentcontractswhiletherestareunpaidathome,self-employed,workinginformallyoremployedonatemporarycontract

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WeaknessesinManagement

• Fewtextbooksgiveemphasistothequalityofbusinessmanagementasaconstraintongrowthandsubsequentdevelopment.Afundamentalcauseofpovertyislowwagesandpovertypayislinkedtorelativelylowproductivity(measuredindifferentwayssuchasthevalueofoutputperpersonemployed).

• EconomistssuchasNicholasBloomfromStanfordUniversityintheUSAhavebeenstudyingtheimpactofweakmanagementinsomedevelopingcountriesincludingIndia.Bloomhasarguedforexamplethat“InIndiaarebadlymanaged:equipmentisnotlookedafter,materialsarewasted,andtheftiscommonbecauseinventoryisnotmonitored,defectskeepoccurring.InarecentprojectwiththeWorldBank,wefoundthatgivingmanagementadvicetoIndianfactoriesincreasedproductivityby20%.”

• Weakermanagementmayalsohelptoexplainwhymanypoorercountrieshavenotfullyandintensivelyadoptednewtechnologies.Manyoftheleastdevelopedcountriestendtousetechnologieslessintensively-fewerpeopleuselessadvancedcomputerslessoften.

CapitalFlight

• Capitalflightistheuncertainandrapidmovementoflargesumsofmoneyoutofacountry• Therecouldbeseveralreasons-lackofconfidenceinacountry'seconomyand/oritscurrency,political

turmoilorfearsthatagovernmentplanstotakeprivately-ownedassetsunderstatecontrol• Capitalflightcanleadtoalossofforeigncurrencyreservesandputdownwardpressureonanexchangerate

–drivingthepricesofessentialimportsofgoodsandserviceshigher.• Developingcountriesareestimatedtohavelost$5.86trillionin2001-2010toillicitfinancialflows

Conflicts,CorruptionandPoorGovernance

• Governancereferstohowacountryisrunandwhethertheexerciseofauthoritymanagesscarceresourceswellimprovingeconomicoutcomesandthequalityoflifeforacountry’speople.

• Highlevelsofcorruptionandbureaucraticdelayscanharmgrowthbyinhibitinginwardinvestment• Corruptionmakesitlikelythatdomesticbusinesseswillinvestoverseasratherthanathome.• AccordingtotheUnitedNations,“Corruptionundermineshumandevelopmentanddemocracy.Itreduces

accesstopublicservicesbydivertingpublicresourcesforprivategain.”

Governmentsneedastableandeffectivelegalframeworktocollecttaxestopayforpublicservices.InIndiaforexample,thereare15timesmorephonesubscribersthantaxpayers.Ifalegalsystemcannotprotectprivatepropertyrightsthentherewillbelessresearchanddevelopment&innovation.Conflicts–therehavebeenanestimated150conflictssince1945with28milliondeaths(thisistwicethetollofWW1).Conflictshavehugecollateraldamageeffects–forexample,Angolahaslost80%ofitsfarmlandbecauseof

Keepingtrackofelectionpromises

Lowtransparencyofwheretaxrevenuescomefrom

Howisstatemoneyspentandonwhom?

Corruption

Isthegovernmentdeliveringkeypublicservices?

Howisthismoneyspent?Doesitdelivergoodoutcomesper$spent?

Isspendingeffectiveinpromotinglongrungrowth?

Impact

Canpeopletrustgovernmentandinstitutions?

Howfreeofcorruptionisthegovernment?

Isthedistributionofspendingequitable?

Fairness

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landmines.Mostconflictsareintra-statei.e.civilwarandreconstructioncantakedecadesandmanycountriesremainaid-dependent.About1.5billionpeopleliveincountriessufferingwavesofpoliticalandcriminalviolence.ArecentexampleofthecostofconflictcomesfromtheIvoryCoast.Afteradisputedpresidentialelectioninlate2010violenceeruptedandthecountrydescendedintoafour-monthcivilwarthatkilledanestimated3000anddisplacedaroundamillionpeople.ThewarcouldonlybeendedbyaFrenchinterventioninApril2011.Sincethen,anewgovernmentunderPresidentOuattarahasstruggledtore-establishsecuritybutraidsagainstarmyandpolicyinstallationsstillthreatenstability.CorruptionhaslongbeenabarriertosustainedgrowthanddevelopmentinAfrica.Conflicthashadterribleconsequences;overonethirdofeconomiesinAfricahavesufferedsomekindofwarfarefromRwanda,SierraLeone,Eritrea,Uganda,andSomalia.Corruptioncancostacountryupto17%ofitsGDPaccordingtotheUnitedNations.ThatsaidencouragingprogresshasbeenmadeinbuildingdemocraticinstitutionsinmanyAfricancountries.Economicgrowthcancollapseandgointoreversewhenstatesfail–therearenumerousreasonswhychronicgovernmentfailurecanhampergrowthanddevelopment:

• Failurestoprotectpropertyrightsandprovidesufficientincentivesfornewbusinessestoflourish• Forcedlabour,castelabourandotherformsofdiscrimination–allofwhichwastescarcehumanresources

notleastlimitingtherolesthatwomencanplayinlabourmarketsand–overthelongterm-holdingbackinnovationandtechnologicalprogress(twokeydriversofgrowth)

• Powerelitescontrollinganeconomy-usingtheirpowertocreatemonopoliesthatkeepconsumerpriceshighandblockingsociallyusefulnewtechnologies

• Statelessareas-largepartsoftheworldarestilldominatedbystatelesssocietieswheretheruleoflawbarelyexists

• Publicgoods-chronicfailurestoprovidebasicandeffectivepublicservicessuchaseducation,healthandtransport.Manyoftheworld’sleastdevelopedcountrieshavenotbuilteffectivetaxsystemsandsotheirrevenuebaseisinadequateformuchneededcapitalinvestmentandtheannualrevenuesrequiredtoprovidepublichealthandeducationprogrammes

PopulationDecline,BrainDrainsand/oranAgeingPopulation

• Afallingpopulationcanusuallybeattributedtoemigrationand/ordeathratesexceedingbirthrates.• Ifanationlosesyoungerworkers,thiscanhaveadamagingeffectoncompetitivenessandgrowth• Thechangingage-structureofapopulationalsomatters,leadingtoafallintheratioofworkersto

dependantsi.e.ariseintheage-dependencyratio

DemographicchangeisimportanttomanyofthefastgrowingcountriesinAsia.

• MostcountriesinEastAsiaareexpectedtoexperienceadeclinetheportionoftheirworkingagepopulation(15-64years)tototalpopulationfromnowuntil2025

• Sevencountriesareexpectedtoseedeclinesof10percentormore(includingChina,Japan,ThailandandVietnam)whilethreewillseedeclinesofover20percent(HongKongSARChina,KoreaandSingapore)

• CountriessuchasIndonesia,Mongolia,MyanmarandVietnamareforecasttoseeadeclineintheirpopulationsizeduetoacombinationofemigrationanddemographics

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DecliningpopulationsinEasternEurope

• ManycountriesinEasternEuropefacethechallengeofcontinuedpopulationdecline.Onlytwooutoftwelvecountrieswillexperiencepopulationgrowthaccordingtorecentestimates.

• Therelationshipbetweendemographictrends,per-capitaincomeandeconomicgrowthiscomplex.• Lowerper-capitaincomeshouldleadtohighergrowth,butithasanegativeimpactonthelaboursupply.• ManycountriesinEasternEuropewillhavetorelyoncapitalaccumulationandproductivitygrowthrather

thanlabourforcegrowthtogeneratefutureeconomicgrowth.

Russia–isexperiencingasustaineddeclineintheirpopulationandtheiractivelabourforce.Highlevelsofnetmigration,risingdeathrateslinkedtoexceptionallyhighaccidentratesandtheeffectsofalcoholabusehaveallcontributedtoafallinpopulationtobelow150million.Globallytheworld’spopulationisageing.Withinnext10years,therewillbe1billionolderpeopleworldwide.By2050nearlyoneinfivepeopleindevelopingcountrieswillbeover60Countrieswiththelowestfertilityratein2014Thefertilityrateistheaveragenumberofchildrenbornperwomanofchildbearingageinacountry.Usually,awomanagedbetween15and45isconsideredtobeinherchildbearingyearsSingapore 0.80Macau 0.93Taiwan 1.11HongKong 1.17SouthKorea 1.25Lithuania 1.29Ukraine 1.30Romania 1.32Poland 1.33Slovenia 1.33

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HighrateofInflationandtradedeficitsHighInflation

• Fastergrowingcountriesmayexperiencehighinflationwhichcanhavedamagingeconomicconsequences• Developingcountriestypicallyhavehigheraverageinflationratesthanadvanced,richnations• Theseeffectsofhighinflationinparticularcanhitgrowth

o Fallingrealincomesandprofitstogetherwithhighercostso Thethreatofariseinextremepovertyforthemostvulnerableinanation’spopulationo Reducedplannedinvestmentbybusinesseso Negativeeffectsfromhigherinterestratesusedtocombatinflationproblemso Reducedcompetitivenessininternationalmarketsleadingtoalossofexportsales

PersistentTradeDeficits

• Somecountriesmayexperiencelargedeficitsonthecurrentaccountoftheirbalanceofpayments.Thismeansthatthevalueofimportedgoodsandservicesisgreaterthanthevalueofexportsandnetinvestmentincomesleadingtoanoutflowofmoneyfromtheireconomy.

• Hightradedeficitsmighthavetobecoveredbyforeignborrowing(increasingexternaldebt)orarelianceoninflowsofcapitalinvestmentfromoverseasmultinationals

• Largetradegapscaneventuallyleadtoacurrencycrisisandpossiblelossofinvestorconfidence.

Over-extractionoftheNaturalResourceBase

• Despitebeingheavilyendowednaturalresources,Africahasthehighestpovertyrateintheworld• Naturalresourcesprovideasourceofwealthformanylower-incomecountriesandwhenworldpricesare

high,thereisanincentivetoincreaseextractionratestoraiseshort-termexportearnings.Thismightleadtoahighrateofextractionthatdamagesgrowthpotential

• Deforestationandrapidextractionofoceanicfishstocksthreatendevelopment.TheWorldBankfindsthat350millionjobsarelinkedtothehealthoftheoceansand1billionofthepoorestpeopleintheworlddependonfishastheirmajorsourceofprotein

• Criticalwaterscarcityinagricultureisamajorproblem.TheMDGfordrinkingwaterwasmetin2010,yet1billionstilllackaccesstocleanwater.Thenumbersufferingwithwaterscarcityisexpectedtoriseto2.8billionby2025

• Extremeweathereventsarebecomingmorefrequent.Thedamagingeffectsoftheseextremeclimaticeventsfallmostheavilyonthepoorestandmostvulnerablecommunitiesindevelopedanddevelopingcountries.

LowLevelofInvestmentinHumanCapital

• Tosustaingrowthrequiresimprovementsinproductivity,research&developmentandinnovation.Whilstphysicalcapitalsuchastechnologyplaysarole,sotoodoesthequalityofthehumaninputintoproduction.

• Growthmightbelimitedbyskillsshortagesasbusinessesseektoexpandwhichforcesuplabourcosts.• Highlevelskillsandqualificationsarealsoneededtohelpbusinessestomoveupthevaluechainandsupply

productsthatwillgethigherpricesintheworldeconomy.• Inmanycountriesthereareacuteshortagesofhumancapital.Althoughprimaryenrolmentrateshaverisen,

secondaryenrolmentandteacherqualityispoorandthetertiaryeducationsectoristinyandlowquality.• Highereducationisalsohighlyimportant.Forexample,universityenrolmentinAfricaisonly7%ofthe

relevantagegroupversusaworldaverageof30%• Somecountrieslosesomeofitslimitedskilledworkforcetoothercountriesthroughabraindrain

InequalityofIncomeandWealthAlthoughtwodecadesormoreofglobalisationhasstrengthenedgrowthratesinmanylowerandmiddle-incomecountries,ithasbroughtanincreaseininequalitiesofincomeandwealth.

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• Therearemanypossibledangersofthisnotleastthecostsofsocialtensionandconflictandincreasingspendingoninsurance,lawandordersystemsandgovernmentwelfarebills.

• Recenttheoreticalworkfindsanegativecorrelationbetweenincomeinequalityandeconomicgrowth.Onebook-TheSpiritLevel(KatePickettandRichardWilkinson)findsevidencethatunequalsocietiesmaybecomelesscompetitiveovertime.

• AnIMFpaperpublishedin2013economistsclaimedthat“inequalitycanundermineprogressinhealthandeducation,causeinvestment-reducingpoliticalandeconomicinstability,andundercutthesocialconsensusrequiredinthefaceofshocks,andthustendstoreducethepaceorgrowth.”

EconomicandHumanCostofMalnutritionHighratesofmalnutritioncanseverelyimpairdevelopmentandbringuntoldhumanmisery.Poornutritioncanhaveseriousnegativeeffectsondevelopmentprospects.

• Itimpairsbraindevelopment–nearlyoneinfiveunder-5childreninthedevelopingworldareunder-weight.165millionchildrenunder-5sufferfromstunting

• Itisresponsibleforhalfofallchilddeaths–38%ofunder-fivechildreninthepoorest20%offamiliesindevelopingcountriesareunderweightcomparedto14%ofunder-fivesinthewealthiest20%

• Undernutritioncauses45%ofchilddeathsinsub-SaharanAfrica• Of44countriesinsub-SaharanAfrica,allbuttwohavechildstuntinglevels>20%• ItincreasestherisksofHIVinfectionandcutsthenumberswhosurviveoutbreaksofmalaria• Malnourishedchildrenaremorelikelytodropoutofschoolandsufferreductionsintheirlifetimeincomes• AccordingtotheWorldBank,“theeffectsofthisearlydamageonhealth,braindevelopment,educability,and

productivitycausedbymalnutritionarelargelyirreversible.”

• Lowincomefamiliesspendahigher%oftheirincomes- inequalitiesdepressconsumerdemand• Investmentskewedtowardspreferencesoftherich

Consumptionandmis-allocationofresources

• Incentivesareundoubtedlyneededforenterprise• Butexcessivecompensationcanencouragetoomuchrisk-takingespeciallyinfinancialmarkets

Risk-taking

• Highinequalitydeprivesmanypeopleofaccesstoeducationlimitinghumancapitalgrowth• Manyofthepoorestpaymorefortheirdebt

Marketfailures

• Structuralunemploymentandvulnerableemploymentincreasestheburdenonthestate• Lowemploymentdamagessocialcapital

Unemploymentandsocialcohesion/upheaval

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Therehasbeenprogressinreducingmalnutritiongloballybuthighpricesforbasicfoodsinrecentyearshavebecomeamajorprobleminthefightagainstendemicmalnutrition.Anothereffectisthathighfoodpricesmakesubstitutionofunhealthycaloriesmorelikely,contributingtoglobalobesitylevel.Policiestoreducemalnutrition

1. Spendingonnutritioneducationplusdirectprovisionofmicro-nutrientsupplementsandfortifiedfoods2. Growthmonitoringschemesforthenewlybornandinfantssupplementedwithvitaminprovisionfrom

communityorganisations3. Targetingculturalnorms–insomecountries,girlsareoftenallowedtoeatonlyaftertheirbrothers4. Cashtransfers–i.e.consumersubsidiesthatcanbespentoncertainfoods5. Governmentsubsidiesforgrainpricesandexportbansondomesticallyproducedfoods6. Highermarketpricespaidtosmall-scalefarmers7. Openingupretailmarketstointernationalsupermarketswherefoodpricesmightcomedownthrough

economiesofscaleandincreasedcompetition8. Infrastructurespendingtoimproveaccesstoandqualityofsanitationandcleanwatersupplies

GenderInequalitiesandDiscriminationTheunequalopportunitiesavailabletohundredsofmillionsofwomenaroundtheworldrepresentoneofthebiggestbarrierstogrowthanddevelopment.AccordingtotheUNHumanDevelopmentReport:“Alltoooften,womenandgirlsarediscriminatedagainstinhealth,education,politicalrepresentation,labourmarket,etc.—withnegativerepercussionsfordevelopmentoftheircapabilitiesandtheirfreedomofchoice.”

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1) Justoverhalfoftheworld’sfemalepopulationaged15-64isinemployment,comparedtomorethan8outof

10men.Buttheproportionofeconomicallyactivewomenhasdeclinedinthelast20years2) Inmanycountrieswomenaresubjecttoculturalnormspreventingthemplayingafullandactiverole

a. AccordingtotheWorldBank,232millionwomenliveineconomieswheretheycan'tgetajobwithouttheirhusband'spermission

b. Only1in4womenintheArabworldparticipateinthelabourforcec. Lessthan10%ofcreditforsmallfarmersinAfricaisdirectedtowomend. WithoutID,womencan’taccessabankaccount,vote,claimentitlementsorinheritpropertye. Womenmakeup70%ofAfrica’sfarmersbutthemajorityarelockedoutoflandownershipf. Inonlytwocountries,CubaandRwanda,doestheshareofwomeninparliamentmatchorexceed

theirshareinthepopulation3) Someprogressisbeingmade,from2009to2011,39developingcountriesmadelegalchangestowards

genderparity–butonly38outof141nationssetthesamelegalrightsformenandwomen4) Womeninmanycountrieshaveasubstantialroleintheinformaleconomy,workinginfamilybusinesses,

doingdomesticworkandproducinggoodsforself-consumption.Thistypeofworkgenerallyofferslow,irregularornopayandlittleornoaccesstosocialsecurityorlegalprotection

SavingsGapandForeignExchangeGapLimitedScalesandEfficiencyofFinancialMarkets

• Manyoftheleastdevelopedcountrieshavelimitedfinancialmarketssuchasbanking,moneyandcreditsystems,insurancemarketsandstockmarkets.

• Worldwide,approximately2.5billionpeopledonothaveaformalaccountatafinancialinstitution.Accesstofinancialservicesislinkedtoovercomingpoverty,reducingincomedisparities,andincreasinggrowth

• Theseareessentialforprovidinglongtermcapitalfortheprivatesectorandhelpingtochannelsavingsandprovidefundsforinvestmentprojects.

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• SomeprogressisbeingmadeinSub-SaharanAfrica–therearenow19stockmarketsinoperation–butmostofthesearesmallbyinternationalstandards.TheNigerianstockmarketaccountsforonly3%ofBrazilorIndia’sstockmarketcapitalization.

SavingsGaps

• Manypoorercountriesdonothavesufficientdomesticsavingstobeabletofinancetherequiredrateofcapitalinvestmenttopromoteeconomicgrowth

• Manydevelopingcountriesalsosufferfromashortageofforeignexchangethatcanbeusedtofinanceimportsofconsumergoodsandservices,rawmaterialsandcomponentsandnewcapitalinputs

DerivingthesavingsgapandtheforeignexchangegapsThinkingbacktointroductorynationalincomeaccounting

• Yistotaloutputproducedinagivenyear(GDP)• Cisprivateconsumption• Istandfortotalinvestment• Gisgovernmentconsumption• Xdenotesexports• Mrepresentsimports• Sissavings• Tstandsfortotalgovernmenttaxrevenue

Weknowthat

• Y(GDP)=C+I+G+X-M• YisalsothesumofC+S+T

Rearranging

• C+I+G+X-M=C+S+T

Therefore

• S-I=(X-M)+(G-T)

Thisgivesusanequationexplainingthetotalresourcegapofaneconomyintointernalbalance(i.e.thegovernmentbudget)andalsotheexternalgap(balanceoftrade)OverviewofFinancingforDevelopmentThemainsourcesoffinancefordevelopmentare:

• Savingsfromthedomesticprivatesector• Revenuesofdevelopingcountrygovernmentsthemselves• Overseasdevelopmentassistance(otherwiseknownasoverseasaid)• Loanstakenoutby(orguaranteedby)developingcountrygovernments,frominternationalfinancial

institutionsorprivatesources• Privateexternalfinance,intheformofforeigndirectinvestment(FDI)andotherportfolioflowse.g.into

bondandstockmarkets

Withoutquestion,privatesectorfinancingnowdominatesthefinancialflowsthatarefundingdevelopmentprojectsinmostoftheworld’slowerandmiddle-incomecountries.

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18. CommodityDependenceandthePrebisch-SingerHypothesis

WhatisthePrebisch-SingerHypothesis?

• ThePrebisch-SingerHypothesis(PSH)ismoreofanobservationratherthanacomplextheory.Itsuggeststhatoverthelongrunthepriceofprimarygoodssuchascoal,coffeecocoadeclinesinproportiontomanufacturedgoodssuchascars,washingmachinesandcomputers.

• IfthePSHholdstruethencountrieswithahighexportdependenceonprimaryproductsmayeventuallyloseoutfromaworseningofthetermsoftrade.Theywillhavetoimportagreatervolumeofexportstopayforessentialimportssuchasrawmaterials,consumergoodsandcapitaltechnology.

• ThePSHsuggeststhatrevenuewindfallgainsfromhighworldcommoditypricesmaytobetemporaryandthreatenthemacroeconomicstabilityofsuchcountries–forexampleafallinworlddemandandpricesforaprimarycommoditywillcauseariseinthetradedeficitandthefiscaldeficitforanexportingcountry

• ThosewhobelieveinthePSHtendtobe“exportpessimists”arguingthatexportinglowvalue-addedproductswillnotgenerateenoughforeignexchangecurrencytopayformuchneededexports

• BasedonthePSH,theadviceforthesecountriesistouserevenuesfromprimarycommodityexportstofundeducationandskills.Developingmanufacturingcapacityandgreaterdiversityofoutputisalsoimportant.

Example:ZambiaandNaturalResourceDependence“Zambiaachievedstronggrowthandmacroeconomicstabilityovermostofthelastdecade.However,inthelasttwoyears,theZambianeconomyhasbeenfacingstrongheadwindsfromlargefiscalimbalances,lowercopperprices,andpolicyuncertainties.Thecurrentaccountofthebalanceofpaymentshasdeteriorated,internationalreserveshavefallen,andtheexchangeratehasbeenunderdownwardpressure.”(Source:IMFReport,2015)FinancialFlowsforZambiain2014

• InternationalTrade(%ofGDP) 83%• Foreigndirectinvestment,netinflows(%ofGDP) 10%• Privatecapitalflows(%ofGDP) -8.23%• Netofficialdevelopmentassistancereceived(%ofGNI) 6.1%• Remittances,inflows(%ofGDP) 0.24%• Totalforeigncurrencyreservesminusgold(%ofGDP) 2.51%

ZambiaisarelativelyopeneconomywithatradetoGDPratioexceeding80%.Thecountryscoreslowlyoneconomiccomplexitywiththebulkoftheirexportscomingfromprimarycommoditiesespeciallycopper.FDIinflowsintoZambiahavebeenasignificantpercentageofannualDPbuttheeconomyhasalsoseenastrongnetoutflowofprivatecapital–inpartbecauseofchangingtaxregimesforforeigninvestorsandalsoaweakandvolatileexchangeratethathasledtosomecapitalflight.RemittanceinflowsforZambiaarelowcomparedtomanyotherlowandmiddle-incomecountries.Thecountry’soverseasaiddependencyisalsolow.Zambia’stermsortradeandbalanceoftradebenefittedgreatlyfromthesurgeintheworldpriceofcopperuntil2012.Butsincethen,copperpriceshavebeenfallingsteeply.

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OvercomingtheNaturalResourceTrapThisisacrucialissueformanycountrieswhoareblessedwithastrongendowmentofnaturalresources.Thenaturalresourcetraporresourcecursecancomeaboutforavarietyofreasons:

• Riskofpoliticalconflictandcorruption/conflict/landgrabs• Vulnerabilitytochangesinworldpriceswhichcauseshighlevelsofmacrovolatility• Dangerofover-rapidextractionoffiniteandrenewableresources• Risingpricescanleadtoacurrencyappreciation–damagingdomesticindustries

ProfessorPaulCollierhasargued:“Althoughlargedepositsofkeyresourcessuchasoilwouldusuallybeconsideredablessingforthedevelopmentprospectsofacountry,itoftenturnsouttobea‘resourcecurse’”ProfessorJosephStiglitzhasargued:“Resource-richcountriesoftendonotpursuesustainablegrowthstrategies.Theyfailtorecognisethatiftheydonotreinvesttheirresourcewealthintoproductiveinvestmentsaboveground,theyarebecomingpoorer.Conflictoveraccesstoresourcerentsgivesrisetocorruptandundemocraticgovernments.”Whichstrategiesmighthelptoovercomethenaturalresourcecurse?

Bettergovernment– includingmoretransparency&accountabilitytotaxpayers

StabilisationFund/SovereignWealthFund– e.g.tofundhumancapitalandcriticalinfrastructure

Highertaxesofnaturalresourceprofits(extractingresourcerents)

Diversification – investmentinprocessingandmanufacturing– givinghighervalueadded