Some aspects of financial policies and central banking in developing countries

Economic development can be not only facilitated but its pace can be quickened by the appropriate development of the financial system. This paper indicates the broad contours of a set of financial policies essential for the evolution of a sound and well-integrated financial system and emphasizes the role of a central bank not only as a regulator but also as a promoter of such a system. It is strange that this dual role of central banks is not sufficiently appreciated by the international institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.     

Determinants of Repayment in Microcredit: Evidence from Programs in the United States

Many microcredit programs have been created in the United States in the past decade that replicate design features of their counterparts in the third world. Yet few systematic studies have been carried out to examine what determines these programs’ loan repayment performance. We attempt to fill this gap by studying the determinants of loan repayment for four of the oldest group–based microcredit programs in the US. Our findings suggest that these programs are faced with a set of social and institutional environments that are both similar to and different from those faced by their third–world counterparts. On the one hand we find that higher levels of education and proximity to the lending agency increase the chances of loan repayment. Low transaction costs for accessing loans and high borrower–costs in the event of default also enhance loan repayment performance. On the other hand key variables such as gender and homogeneity of borrowers are not significantly related to loan repayment. We conclude by examining the implications of these findings for program design in the US. Au cours des dix dernières années, ont été créés aux Etats–Unis de nombreux programmes de microcrédit reprenant des concepts de leurs équivalents du Tiers monde. Cependant, on a mené peu d’études systématiques pour examiner ce qui décide de la qualité de remboursement des prÁts de ces programmes. En tentant de combler cette lacune, l’article étudie les déterminants de ces remboursements pour quatre des plus anciens programmes de microcrédit américains associés à des groupes. D’après les résultats, les programmes sont confrontés à un ensemble d’environnements sociaux et institutionnels à la fois similaires et différents de ceux que rencontrent leurs équivalents du Tiers monde. D’une part, les niveaux supérieurs d’éducation et de proximité de l’organisme de prÁt augmentent les chances de remboursement. Des frais de transaction faibles pour l’accès aux prÁts, de mÁme que des charges élevées pour l’emprunteur défaillant, favorisent également la réalisation du remboursement. D’autre part, des variables–clés, comme le sexe et l’homogénéité des emprunteurs, n’ont pas de liens significatifs avec le remboursement. En conclusion, sont étudiées les implications de ces résultats sur la conception des programmes américains.     

Managing Impressions in the Face of Rising Stakeholder Pressures: Examining Oil Companies’ Shifting Stances in the Climate Change Debate

In this paper, we examine how organizations’ impression management (IM) evolves in response to rising stakeholder pressures regarding organizations’ corporate responsibility initiatives. We conducted a comparative case study analysis over a period of 13 years (1997–2009) for two organizations—Exxon and BP—that took extreme (but different) initial stances on climate change. We found that as stakeholder pressures rose, their IM tactics unfolded in four phases: (i) advocating the initial stance, (ii) sensegiving to clarify the initial stance, (iii) image repairing, and (iv) adjusting the stance. Taken together, our analysis of IM over these four phases provides three key insights about the evolution of IM in the face of rising pressures. First, when faced with stakeholder pressures, it seems that organizations do not immediately resort to conforming but tend to give in gradually when pressures increase and start to come from relatively powerful stakeholders. Second, evolution of IM seems to be characterized by path dependence, i.e., even as organizations’ positions evolve, they continue to show their conviction in their initial positions and try to convey that their subsequent positions flow logically from the previous ones. Finally, IM involves navigation between symbolism and substance, and companies tend to strive toward harmonizing their symbolic and substantive actions as stakeholder pressure increases.     

A framework for upgrading comparative management research

Nearly a decade ago major problems facing the field of comparative management were identified. They continue to persist today despite considerable progress made in recent years. These problems related to the reliability, validity, and generalizability of comparative research findings will need to be resolved if the field is to attain academic maturity and legitimacy. Indentification and operationalization of critical variables will play an important role in the design of research studies and their conduct. A framework for upgrading comparative management research, with regard to overcoming both theoretical as well as methodological problems, is presented and discussed in this article.     

Financial institutions and technology policy

The less developed countries with all their handicaps of a late start have one critical advantage and that is related to the accumulated and growing scientific and technological knowledge. But to use this knowledge creatively for solving their own problems, they need to develop competence in the field of technology choice through an institutionalized technology policy. It is the purpose of this paper to suggest the major elements of such a policy and to emphasize the crucial role of the financial system.     

On technology policy and its institutional frame

The purpose of this paper is limited to a discussion of only some of the institutional aspects of technology policy. The ways in which the technology problem currently differs from that faced by the nineteenth-century developing countries and the implications of these differences for development strategy are discussed in section I. The nature of the technology problem in the context of a development strategy is indicated in section II. It is argued in section III that it is not possible to identify the specific technology gaps and devise a suitable technology policy without first initiating the development of Technical Consultancy Service Centres (TCSCs) in relevant fields. The TCSCs can be made effective in their tasks only if their work is directly and vitally related to the development strategy and specific project ideas and specific projects that are consistent with such strategy and are seriously considered for implementation. Hence the TCSCs' functioning should be organically related with the tasks of the development banks. For the international diffusion of appropriate technology, and for solving certain difficult core technology problems, it is essential to supplement and reinforce the tasks of national centres by the development of international centres—in the fields of both consultancy and specific technological research—and these international centres should have an organic relationship with the corresponding national centres as well as with international development banks, which should in fact initiate action in these fields (section IV).     

Implementation of the SutteARIMA method to predict short-term cases of stock market and COVID-19 pandemic in USA

Quality & Quantity - The objective of this study is to compare the different methods which are effective in predicting data of the short-term effect of COVID-19 confirmed cases and DJI closed...     

India’s strategic future: 2025

Based on the geopolitical developments in India’s neighbouring countries and India’s response to them, this paper depicts four scenarios—Storms and Fires, Rainbow in the Sky, Light and Shadows and Across Space. Each scenario explores a set of possible events and the consequences triggered by it. While Storms and Fires is based on the rise of a sharp nationalist Indian sentiment in the face of heightened security tensions in the region, Across Space outlines the future of India’s worldview shaped by the present government’s policy of US primacy. Light and Shadows is based on differential policy towards neighbours—conflict with Pakistan and cooperation with other neighbours. This scenario is predicated on the supremacy of economic objectives whereas Rainbow in the Sky is based on the regional cooperation as the primary guiding force of the Indian foreign policy. Though major geopolitical events in its neighbourhood will impact the immediate future of India, India’s response and internal strengths and weaknesses will determine its long-term future. It is therefore essential for the country to develop a well considered trajectory of its strategic options for the next 25 years.