The wages and employment of female day‐labourers in English agriculture, 1740–18501

Using a new sample of farm accounts from 84 farms throughout England, this article provides measures of regional variation and changes over time in female wages and employment in agriculture. Female wages were not fixed, but changed over time and responded to high demand for female labour. The female‐male wage ratio fell between 1750 and 1850, except in the industrial north west. In 1851 approximately 19 per cent of agricultural day‐labourers were female. In the industrial north west, opportunities for factory employment reduced the supply of females to agriculture, but elsewhere the relative demand for female labour in agriculture declined.     

Financial Reform Process in Kenya: 1989–96

The main objective in financial reform process is to create a suitable financial environment that will facilitate economic growth for the financially repressed economies. The sequencing and timing of the reform process is, however, imperative for the realization of positive results. For example, it is proposed that macro‐stability and economic growth must be achieved and sustained, for successful financial reform. In addition, the legal and regulatory framework should be strengthened and easily enforced. In Kenya, the reform process was implemented simultaneously with trade liberalization and the opening of the capital account, as a response to a realized need to promote domestic resource mobilization. However, the process was characterized by macroeconomic and financial instability, indicating `misses’ on the proposed sequencing process. As a result, experience with financial reform indicates minimal support of the theoretical expectation and shows secondary repression symptoms. Le processus de réforme financière a pour principal objectif d’instaurer un cadre financier propre à favoriser la croissance économique dans les pays aux dispositions financières contraignantes. Or, le choix du moment et l’enchaînement des mesures de réforme sont importants pour aboutir à des résultats positifs. Au Kenya, la réforme financière a été menée de front avec la libéralisation du commerce et l’ouverture du compte de capital. Toutefois, le processus de réforme a été caractérisé par l’instabilité macroéconomique, ce qui n’a pas permis de respecter l’échéancier prévu. Les résultats montrent que le schéma théorique n’a guère été suivi et présentent des signes d’une répression financière secondaire.     

Adjustment to External Shocks: Kenya 1986–95

This paper analyses the process of stabilization and adjustment in Kenya during the period 1986–95, using a variant of the dependent economy model. The country’s adjustment experience has not been smooth, with terms of trade shocks, unfavourable movements in aid flows and policy reversals contributing to an uneven performance. It is argued that the tight monetary policy regime succeeded to stabilize the economy although the process was prolonged as fiscal adjustment was delayed. Finally, when the budget deficit was reduced the choice of higher protection as a means of raising revenue had a negative impact on export performance. L’article analyse le processus de stabilisation et d’ajustement au Kenya sur la période 1986–95. Les résultats de l’ajustement ont connu des mouvements en dents de scie, sous l’effet de la détérioration des termes de l’échange, à l’évolution heurtée des apports d’aide et aux dérapages des politiques. En utilisant une variante du modèle de l’économie dépendante, nous analysons le processus de stabilisation et d’ajustement durant cette période. Nous avançons que l’austérité monétaire a permis de stabiliser l’économie, même si cela a pris beaucoup de temps à cause de l’ajustement budgétaire tardif. Enfin, lorsque le déficit budgétaire a été réduit, le renforcement des mesures de protection institué en vue d’augmenter les recettes a eu une incidence négative sur la tenue des exportations.     

Interindustry effects of productivity growth in Japan: 1960–2000

Combining conventional sectoral growth accounting and the static open input–output price model, we analyze the sources of growth of product prices in Japan during the period 1960–2000. Using the input–output framework, we take into account not only the effects of factor costs and productivity within a sector, but also their impacts outside of the sector. We find that Japan's deflation in the 1990s was characterized by low growth of wage rates, low productivity growth, and a low rate of return on capital. Until 1990, productivity improvements compensated for factor cost pressures on output price, especially the rapid growth of labor cost. In contrast, during the 1990s, decreasing rates of return on capital, not productivity improvements, canceled out the inflationary effect of wage growth. J. Japanese Int. Economies 19 (4) (2005) 568–585.     

WAGNER'S LAW: AN ECONOMETRIC TEST FOR SOUTH AFRICA, 1960‐2006

The main objective for this paper is to test Wagner's law by analysing the causal relationships between real government expenditure and real income for South Africa for the period 1960‐2006. The paper tests the long‐run relationship between the two variables using the autoregressive distributive lag approach to cointegration suggested by Pesaran et al. We use the Granger non‐causality test procedure developed by Toda and Yamamoto, which uses a vector autoregression model to test for the causal link between the two. Evidence of cointegration is sufficient to establish a long‐run relationship between government expenditure and income. However, support for Wagner's law would require unidirectional causality from income to government expenditure. Therefore, cointegration should be seen as a necessary condition for Wagner's law, but not sufficient. This research does find a long‐run relationship between real per capita government expenditure and real per capita income. Results for the short‐run causality find bidirectional causality. On the basis of empirical results in this paper, one may tentatively conclude that Wagner's law finds no support in South Africa.     

Lewis revisited: tropical polities competing on the world market, 1830–1938

Since the seminal work by W. A. Lewis, exports of primary products have been deemed the main or sole source of growth in tropical countries before the Great Depression. However, this conventional wisdom relies on very limited evidence. This article analyses the growth of exports with a constant market share analysis for 84 tropical polities. Exports grew a lot, but less than total trade, while relative prices of tropical products remained roughly constant. We thus tentatively infer that the decline in the tropical shares of world trade reflects an insufficient demand for tropical products. Asia dealt well with these headwinds throughout the whole period, while African polities blossomed after the First World War. The loser was (South) America, and most notably the Caribbean former slave colonies, especially before 1870.