Inflows of Foreign Technology and Indigenous Technological Development

This paper explores the effects of inflows of foreign technology on technological development in developing countries. It evaluates the existing literature exploring this issue and indicates directions for further research. In particular, it is argued that the implications of the theory of foreign direct investment (the dominant channel of international technology transfer) for technological development have not been fully explored. Dynamic analyses of technology transfer that accommodate the salient features of developing countries have also begun to appear only recently. Further work along these lines is likely to yield rich dividends.     

Investigating the determinants of domestic bonds: the role of socio-economic and institutional factors

This article investigates the determinants of the size of domestic bond market using economic, social and institutional factors. We expand the body of existing literature by suggesting that economic and social environment as well as institutional settings vary between developed and emerging economies. The article uses recent data from a wide range of countries, incorporates a variety of macroeconomic variables, social indicators and institutional factors to reassess the determinant of domestic bond markets. Robustness of the empirical analysis is established through both two-stage least squares and generalized method of movements techniques. The results of this article show that the size of the economy, breadth and depth of the banking system, the monetary policy stance, the degree of openness, the level of corruption, the degree of civil liberty and status of market access to investors, all play a crucial role in the determination of the size of the domestic bond market. We also find differences across developed and emerging market samples. The results are robust to different specifications and the corresponding estimation techniques.     

Ownership Structure and Technological Upgrading in International Joint Ventures

In a model of a joint venture between a local and a foreign firm who provide complementary inputs, this paper derives optimal ownership structures under different sharing rules. The local firm's profits may be maximized by assigning a majority share to the foreign firm. Efficiency (i.e., the minimization of double moral hazard) requires that the firm with the more productive input should get majority ownership. When only the foreign firm can upgrade its input, it should receive a larger share than what it receives in the absence of upgrading. The analysis implies that a blanket policy of prohibiting majority foreign ownership is theoretically unfounded.     

Development of a service quality model for academic libraries

The purpose of this research is to develop a model for the measurement of library service quality. 1629 students studying in different universities and degree awarding institutions responded to a survey. Confirmatory factor analysis developed a valid and reliable service quality measurement scale with 6 dimensions and 30 items. This research contributes to the measurement of service quality by developing a valid and reliable measurement scale in a previously neglected population. The model developed in this research can be used by librarians to measure, control and improve the service quality provided to students. This research also provides a framework for researchers to develop further library service quality scale development studies so that more concrete generalizations can be made.     

The Nexus between Disability,Education, and Employment: Evidence from Nepal

The links between disability, education, and employment remain unclear in developing countries due to the lack of credible data. This paper identifies and compares the effect of education on employability, employment status (full-time or part-time), job type (white collar or blue collar), and job satisfaction among persons with disabilities using a unique data-set of over 400 respondents with hearing, physical, and visual impairments in Nepal. The analysis also utilizes nationally representative survey data from the Nepal Living Standard Survey 2010/2011 (NLSS III) for a robustness test. Results show a positive correlation between years of schooling and the likelihood of obtaining a full-time and white-collar job. Regarding the type of impairment, those with physical impairments are less likely to be employed when individual characteristics are controlled, but report higher levels of job satisfaction when they are employed. Results thus suggest the need to invest further in education for persons with disabilities, in order to increase their participation within the labor market.     

Nature-based tourism on communal land: The Mavhulani experience

South Africa is experiencing a boom in nature-based tourism in which underdeveloped and previously marginalised homeland areas are not sharing. The aim of this article is to determine some of the crucial constraints which inhibit tourism in these areas, by exploring various tourism development issues based on insights gained from research undertaken at Mavhulani bush camp, a seemingly successful nature-based tourism development project. This venture is run on communal trust land in the former Venda homeland area.