Household Demand for Consumer Goods in Developing Countries


Book Description

This book analyses the household demand for consumer goods using a diverse database, consisting of 45 developed and developing countries. Household consumption patterns have undergone dramatic changes due to rapid economic growth, increasing household income and changing demographics. Using the most recent data available and the latest econometric techniques, the authors model demand for 12 different commodities such as food, alcohol and tobacco, housing, health, transport, health communication, and recreation and provide insightful comparisons of consumption patterns in developed and developing countries. The analysis presented in this book highlights valuable policy insights for planning government budgetary allocations and implementing policies towards an enhanced standard of living for people. The book also provides some important guidance for researchers interested in the theory and empirical application of the analysis of consumer demand.




Poverty, Food Consumption, and Economic Development


Book Description

This book investigates the relationships between economies of scale in food consumption and a number of socio-economic and demographic characteristics of households and household behavioural choices since food is the major share of household expenditure for poor households. The characteristics considered comprise household size, location, income, and gender of the head of household while the behavioural choices considered comprise the decision to consume home-grown food and the decision to adopt domestic technology to aid food preparation and consumption. The book proposes two theoretical models to rationalize the role of the consumption of home-grown food and the adoption of domestic technology in enhancing economies of scale in food consumption. Econometric models are also used to empirically test the validity of the two theoretical models while adjusted poverty estimations are derived numerically using the estimated equivalence scales. Although data used in applying these techniques are based on four Household Income and Expenditure Surveys conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) in Sri Lanka, the methodology can be used for similar analysis in relation to any other country.







The Analysis of Household Surveys


Book Description

Using data from several countries, including Cote d'Ivoire, India, Pakistan, Taiwan, and Thailand, this book analyzes household survey data from developing countries and illustrates how such data can be used to cast light on a range of short-term and long-term policy issues.







Staff Studies for the World Econ Outlook, August 1987


Book Description

This paper reviews the long-term growth performance of the major industrial countries and discusses some of the many factors that have been identified as possible sources of the marked slowdown in growth since the early 1970s. According to the view of different demographic developments across countries, it is useful to break the growth of output down into changes in tabor input and changes in labor productivity in order to obtain a basis for cross-country comparisons. Wage behavior in the face of energy price shocks appears to have differed considerably among the major industrial countries. Increased uncertainty, reflecting, in particular, changes in the international economic environment and the stop-go financial policies of several of the major countries during the 1970s, and is frequently cited as a possible reason for the slowdown in growth, mainly through its impact on private investment. Views on the contribution of slower net capital accumulation to the deceleration in growth depend upon assessments of whether the efficiency of investment declined significantly after 1973 and on assumptions made about technological change and the embodiment of technical progress.




Large Countries’ Development Path: Experience and Theory


Book Description

This book aims to propose a unique analytical framework to find out the general successful experience for large developing countries, which are defined with two main physical characters of large population and vast land. They are naturally crucial for the global development. Thirteen countries are chosen as large developing countries in this book, which are China, India, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Congo (DRC). On the basis of selecting massive data, the author analyzes the performance of large countries in terms of human resources, natural resources, market size and other factors. The book conducts the comparative study of large countries’ latecomer strength, transformation path and innovation strategy with the perspective of development economics. It presents a comprehensive overview about large developing countries







Financial Literacy and Ageing in Developing Economies


Book Description

This book weaves together current understanding around financial literacy and ageing, arguing for the relevance of financial literacy for old age security. Building upon on the experiences of ten developing Asian economies with a focus on India, the book enters new territory by developing frameworks that identify predictors of financial literacy and a mechanism for its internalization, as well as recognising the need for specialized training programs for the older population in order to establish a link between financial literacy and old age security. It thus makes a case about the centrality of financial literacy in creating an environment conducive to a dignified ageing experience in this world of shouldering one’s own responsibility. Going forward, the book comprehends financial literacy for India as a skill which enables an individual to decide the suitable avenues to invest savings, utilize monetary resources and shape financial decisions aligned with their financial goals, in accordance with the dynamic financial & economic environment. This original volume is a first-time attempt to provide an in-depth account of financial literacy and its association with savings behavior, old age planning, wealth accumulation, healthcare and wellbeing in older age. It also provides a detailed account of various measurement tools used and policy initiatives undertaken across the globe for financial literacy. It is an indispensable reference guide for scholars and researchers, cutting across multiple disciplines particularly financial and development economics, gerontology, demography, social work, psychology and public policy.




Globalization and Poverty


Book Description

Over the past two decades, the percentage of the world’s population living on less than a dollar a day has been cut in half. How much of that improvement is because of—or in spite of—globalization? While anti-globalization activists mount loud critiques and the media report breathlessly on globalization’s perils and promises, economists have largely remained silent, in part because of an entrenched institutional divide between those who study poverty and those who study trade and finance. Globalization and Poverty bridges that gap, bringing together experts on both international trade and poverty to provide a detailed view of the effects of globalization on the poor in developing nations, answering such questions as: Do lower import tariffs improve the lives of the poor? Has increased financial integration led to more or less poverty? How have the poor fared during various currency crises? Does food aid hurt or help the poor? Poverty, the contributors show here, has been used as a popular and convenient catchphrase by parties on both sides of the globalization debate to further their respective arguments. Globalization and Poverty provides the more nuanced understanding necessary to move that debate beyond the slogans.