The basic needs approach: Overcoming the poverty of homo oeconomicus

A major issue in the controversy surrounding the Basic Needs Approach to economic development concerns the difficulty of identifying a universal set of basic needs which is capable of cross-cultural application. It is argued that the apparent conceptual infeasibility of the Basic Needs Approach stems from prominent deficiencies in our current stock of economic, political and ethical paradigms, particularly with respect to the image of humans embodied in the notion of Homo oeconomicus. Recent advances in sociobiology and neurobiology provide an adequate foundation for a concept of universal basic human needs, and a proposed typology of basic needs is suggested.     

The role of real income level and income distribution in fulfillment of basic needs

Using internationally comparable estimates of real GDP per capita, along with World Bank data on seven basic-needs indicators and one income equality measure, relative importance of real income level and income equality, for improvement in the provision of basic needs, is assessed on the basis of a multiple regression model. Income level seems important in almost all cases; but the importance of income equality is observed only on a limited scale. Although income is probably more important in low-income LDCs, the relationships studied appear broadly similar in the low-income and the middle-income LDC contexts.     

Income distribution,basic needs and trade-offs with growth: The case of semi-industrialized Latin American countries

This paper addresses income distribution issues and policy options to eliminate extreme poverty in a particular typology of middle-income semi-industrialized developing countries of Latin America. The countries included in the typology are characterized by a relatively high per capita income (above US$700/yr in 1977), a relatively high degree of industrialization (industry representing over 30% of GNP), a rather large size both in population and area, and relatively well endowed resources in agriculture. A distinctive feature is a strong inequality in the distribution of income and wealth relative to other countries of similar levels of per capita income. The countries included are Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru, representing two-thirds of the population of that region.     

The basic needs approach to development: The question of education for black people in Natal 1

Schooling is an important facet of the basic needs approach to development. Higher education has been shown to influence a decrease in both the infant mortality rate and the fertility rate, and furthermore appears to influence an individual's access to more remunerative employment. The provision of schools for black people in Natal by the Department of Education and Training (DET) is still far from adequate for all children of school‐going age. Moreover, in many areas, particularly rural areas and for levels above Junior primary, distances are too great for the children readily to be able to attend school. Particular problems which require confronting are farm schools (the location of which is not determined by DET and which are not always open to all neighbouring children): the inadequacy of secondary schooling in many census districts and in most rural areas; and the spatial fragmentation of Natal KwaZulu.     

The performance of small mines in Namibia and the region

Both large and medium‐sized mines in southern Africa are contributing less to the economy owing to rising production costs and poor demand for minerals. Politicians argue that small mines can make an important economic contribution. But this analysis shows that small mines face real constraints and that there are clear prospects only in semiprecious and dimension stones. Specific research is needed to help small mines overcome their limitations.     

The basic needs approach to development: The question of health care for black people in Natal 1

Health care is an important facet of the basic needs approach. Health care for black people in Natal is fragmented both with regard to the responsible authority (Department of National Health and Population Development, Natal Provincial Administration, Development Services Board, local authorities and welfare clinics) and spatially (since there is an overlap with KwaZulu health services). Access to health facilities (permanent and mobile), although adequate in some areas, is insufficient in others: the deficiency is most marked in rural areas and with regard to permanent health facilities. Crucial statistical data pertaining to health status are inadequate partly because of the aforementioned fragmentation and partly because they are collected for administrative rather than monitoring purposes. Questions are posed regarding future access to health care in the light of the new constitutional dispensation, privatisation and the inadequate attention being given to primary health care.     

The profits of excludability and transferability in redistributive land reform in central Namibia

Policies which redistribute property rights to land can improve the well-being of rural households and can have overall growth effects. In many cases, however, land reforms are driven mainly by politically justified objectives. Under such circumstances, little emphasis is placed on whether and, if so, how property rights can increase productivity. Following 18 years of land reform implementation in Namibia, we evaluated 65 beneficiaries in Namibia. We assess to which degree land rights affects their farm income. The study focuses on Namibia’s two main commercial land reform instruments, namely the Farm Unit Resettlement Scheme and the Affirmative Action Loan Scheme. We find evidence that the majority of land reform projects are not profitable. Further, our study confirms the importance of the right to restrict land access compared with the right to transfer. The long-term leasehold contract seemingly provides sufficient incentives to make productive use of the land.     

Modelling nature-based tourism impacts on rural development and conservation in Sikunga Conservancy,Namibia

Community-based natural resource management and nature-based tourism often go hand in hand to drive conservation and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the complementarity of the two strategies is controversially discussed in the literature. Built on survey data from 200 households conducted in 2012 we analysed the trade-off between conservation and development objectives by means of a mathematical programming model representing the economy of a rural conservancy in Namibia. We found that in the scenario describing unrestricted resource extraction, local communities mainly benefit from fishing and utilising forest products. In comparison, the scenario representing the social optimum, implying sustainably managed fish stocks and appropriate diets for community inhabitants, shows that community households increase agricultural diversification and shift livelihoods towards tourism employment.     

“经济人”假设的发展基础及现实价值——与任志军商榷

经济学家们不断修正和发展“经济人”假设,是因为它具有不可否定的合理性和科学性。“经济人”假设对我国市场经济条件下的制度建设无疑具有现实价值。     

HIV/AIDS and child malnutrition in eastern and southern Africa

HIV/AIDS and child malnutrition are pervasive in eastern and southern Africa. This paper employs cross‐country panel data on 20 countries from 1991 to 2017 to explore the macro‐level relationship between HIV/AIDS and child malnutrition. Using instrumental variables (IV) regression, we find that HIV/AIDS is a robust predictor of long‐term and chronic malnutrition. Conditional on various controls, the results demonstrate a positive empirical association between HIV/AIDS and stunting. Moreover, increased access to improved water, female education, and food availability are critical for reducing stunting. These findings underscore the need for an integrated national policy on nutrition and HIV/AIDS and intersectoral collaboration between government agencies responsible for managing nutrition and HIV/AIDS programs.     

The effects of communal land resource management on forest conservation in northern and north-eastern Namibia

The area under natural forests has diminished steadily while deforestation has escalated progressively in the past 10 years. Strategic constraints leading to this ever-increasing rate of forest depletion are examined, and relevant policy interventions for overturning them are suggested. Communal ownership and management of natural resources in the northern and north-eastern Namibia are identified as a major underlying constraint on natural resource conservation because the communal system lacks mechanisms for regulating access. Nonetheless, the study acknowledges the optimistic views on communal use and management in other parts of the world. The assumptions about community, the willingness of its members to realise joint environmental or social goals, and their motivation and skills for natural resource management have been challenged. The perception that communities are custodial and non-materialistic in their attitudes to natural resources is rejected. It is concluded that common resources should be brought under more formal management. There should be a state-community/private partnership, with the state performing an advisory function, and implementation at the highest level through the use of state institutions for law enforcement, while the community or the private interest undertakes day-to-day management and law enforcement activities. Maintaining state ownership of natural resources in communal areas and inviting local people to manage them on their own, or mainly on government terms, is not a solution to natural resource degradation.     

Cattle numbers,biomass, productivity and land degradation in the commercial farming sector of Namibia, 1915‐95

As part of a natural resource accounting project undertaken in Namibia, livestock accounts have been drawn up and are being used to analyse the relationship between numbers of livestock, rainfall, land degradation, and economic and policy variables. Part of the analysis concerns an investigation into trends in cattle numbers, changes in cattle biomass and the productivity of livestock in commercial areas. Cattle numbers increased from 1914 until 1960, then declined steadily to half that number. This decline was at least partly due to deliberate actions by farmers to improve herd productivity and production efficiency. Although beef production did not decline over this period, productivity is still lower than potential industry standards. Range degradation (bush encroachment) may have contributed to this curtailment. This investigation has implications for an understanding of long‐term carrying capacity, land degradation and rangeland management, and for agricultural development policies in Namibia and similar regions in southern Africa.     

The Foundation and Pattern Choice for the Sustainable Development of Chinese Financial Trust Industry

Since it was resumed in 1979, China＇s financial trust industry has experienced five major improvement and rectification. With the implementation and promulgation of ＂one law and two regulations＂ and the establishment of China＇s Trust Industry Association, financial trust industry is developing into a relatively good stage. In view of practice and regular patterns of its development, we have to set up ideas of sustainable development so as to prevent the financial trust industry from involving in a circle of ＂development-- reorganization---development again--reorganization again＂. At present, the premise to realize financial trust industry＇s sustainable development is to fully understand the unique comparative advantage of financial trust industry and establish scientific market function.     

Corporate social responsibility,mining and sustainable development in Namibia: Critical reflections through a relational lens

For its advocates, corporate social responsibility (CSR) represents a powerful tool through which business and particularly multinationals can play a more direct role in global sustainable development. For its critics, however, CSR rarely goes beyond business as usual, and is often a cover for business practices with negative implications for communities and the environment. This paper explores the relationship between CSR and sustainable development in the context of mining in Namibia. Drawing upon extant literatures on the geographies of responsibility, and referencing in-country empirical case-study research, a critical relational lens is applied to consider their interaction both historically and in the present.     

The needs for international monetary reserves,exchange rate flexibility,and joining a currency area

Summary The needs for reserves, exchange rate flexibility and monetary policy are derived, the need being the result of an optimization problem. The level of domestic production, its variance and that of the domestic price level have been chosen as criteria of the benefits and costs. The effectiveness and costs of balance of payments adjustment, which appear to be co-determinants of the needs, are expressed in the parameters of an economic model. This shows that the need for reserves displays a one-to-one relation to quantities of the demand for money and to the balance of payments disturbance. Only the latter is a meaningful criterion for joining a currency area. Helpful comments by Mr. G. J. Lanjouw and a referee are acknowledged. This article is a revised and extended version of Jager (1977).     

印度出口加工区的设立背景、基本概况及评估

“出口加工区”又称“加工出口区”，是指国家或一个地区在其境内专门划出的一块用保税等优惠政策和良好投资环境吸引外商前来投资办厂，发展面向出口的加工制造业的特殊区域。它不同于自由贸易区，也不同于一般工业区，而是兼具两者之长、具有工业生产和出口贸易双重功能的经济性特区，它……