Political feasibility of structural adjustment in africa: an application of SAM mixed multipliers

The implementation of structural adjustment programs (SAPs) has often been undermined by opposition from politically powerful groups who are favored by existing policies. To assess the political sustainability of SAPs this paper uses social accounting matrices for three African countries to model the income effects of stylized SAPs on different socioeconomic groups. The analysis reveals wide variation in the likelihood for typical SAPs to be acceptable to political elites while generating growth in the rest of the economy. The presence of a rural elite or strong farm-nonfarm linkages can enhance the political sustainability of SAPs.     

推进西部大开发亟待全面深化对内开放

要实现西部大开发的伟大战略构想,改变西部经济落后面貌,缩小东西部差距最终实现西部地区的经济现代化,市场化和国际化,亟待全面深化对内开放,打破地区封锁,建立统一开放竞争有序的国内大市场,优化资源配置,调整产业结构,发挥区域优势,东西部进行合理分工,增强企业竞争力,使西部的发展融入全国全球的经济体系中.     

渝西地区小城镇建设问题研究

以渝西地区为例，根据该地区的实际情况，从宏观、微观相结合的角度提出该地区小城镇建设的构想，并具体分析了小城镇建设过程中应该做好的对内、对外两方面的工作及应该注意的问题，鉴于小城镇建设离不开一二三产业的发展，因此本也对相关的产业发展问题进行了探讨。     

西部物流产业发展中的政府宏观调控

在入世的背景下，物流日益得到了全社会和各企业的高度重视，这不仅符合现代经济的发展趋势，也是值得我国大力发展的领域。但是，与此同时，我们也应看到，现代物流产业的发展决不是一件简单的事情，也并非一蹴而就，它是经济发展到一定程度，在政府的宏观调控下以及企业的积极实践和不断努力的结果。因此，在西部物流产业的发展中，政府应当发挥其重要的规划、引导、协调作用，使西部物流管理水平得到极大提高，使西部物流实现现代化。     

Estimating Market Power in the South African Banking Sector

Indicators of market power can be ambiguous because cost economies associated with scale and not market imperfections may influence results. This article illustrates that without direct measures of concentration, estimates of costs, scale economies and profitability can be used to identify market power in banking. Secondly, via this method, econometric estimates provide meaningful evidence of market power in the South African banking sector over the study sample period (1979–1998). A reasonable conclusion is that while industrial structure is important, careful consideration needs to be given to cost economies and profitability when assessing market power. In addition, there is a need to consider appropriate policy to reduce market power in banking in South Africa.     

Water accounting for the Orange River Basin: An economic perspective on managing a transboundary resource

The framework for water accounting is applied to an international river basin, the Orange River Basin, which is shared among Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and South Africa. Each of the riparian states faces water constraints and relies increasingly on shared international water resources. The countries have adopted the principle of an economic approach to water management, once basin human needs are met, and all but Lesotho have constructed national water accounts to assist in water management. The water accounts for the Orange River Basin bring an economic perspective to water management at the regional level. The accounts include supply and use tables, which are used to compare the contribution to water supply from each riparian state to the amount used. The water accounts are then linked to economic data for each country to calculate water use and productivity by industry and country. There are considerable disparities in water productivity among the countries, which should be taken into account in future decisions about water allocation, pricing and infrastructure development.     

The Real Equilibrium South African Rand/US Dollar Exchange Rate: A Comparison of Alternative Measures

This article indicates how different measures of the real exchange rate, i.e., the exchange rate adapted for cost inflation, price inflation and labour costs, influence the equilibrium view and misalignment of the South African rand/US dollar exchange rate. The approach followed is based on the behavioural equilibrium exchange rate approach by Clark and MacDonald (1998), where the exchange rate is influenced by a number of fundamental and transitory factors. The real equilibrium exchange is estimated by using a single equation regression and a number of key explanatory variables. To determine the long-run relationship a Vector Error Correction Mechanism is used.     

西部大开发税收优惠政策实施效果评估

本文通过对西部开发税收优惠政策与地区经济增长、企业生产经营行为以及地方财政收入关系的评估分析,认为西部开发税收优惠政策对经济增长具有明显促进作用,对企业资产利润率提高也具有显著正效应.但从2002年到2004年西部开发税收政策对西部经济增长促进效应不断降低.最主要的原因是政策涉及的垄断企业多,市场化企业少;能源开发、环境污染严重企业享受多,实现地方可持续发展企业享受少;优惠税额主要促进了中央大型能源开采垄断企业,大多数有利于西部地区经济可持续发展的支柱产业得不到有效支持.所以提出:西部开发税收优惠政策在覆盖面上应做有增有减,并做出延长政策时效等调整.     

西部地区中小企业集群发展的内在驱动分析及其模式选择

文章分析了西部地区中小企业集群发展的内在驱动因素和四种基本集群模式,从区域产业发展的角度出发,提出西部不同区域应立足资源状况和经济发展水平,依据产业特色选择适宜的中小企业集群模式.     

Does the World Bank have any impact on human development of the poorest countries? Some preliminary evidence from Africa

In an attempt to better understand the impact of the World Bank on human development in poor countries, we use cross-country data on African countries for the 1990–2002 period to examine this relationship. The coefficient estimates of our parsimonious fixed-effects models indicate that while loans and grants of the Bank have had a positive impact on some relatively short-term indicators of health and education in an average African country, there is little evidence to suggest that such loans and grants have helped these countries to consolidate on the short-term gains.