Shyamal Chowdhury

Underinvestment in a profitable technology: : the case of seasonal migration in Bangladesh

Hunger during pre-harvest lean seasons is widespread in the agrarian areas of Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. We randomly assign an

Setting weights for aggregate indices: An application to the commitment to development index and human development index

8.50 incentive to households in rural Bangladesh to temporarily out-migrate during the lean season. The incentive induces 22% of households to send a seasonal migrant, their consumption at the origin increases significantly, and treated households are 8–10 percentage points more likely to re-migrate 1 and 3 years after the incentive is removed. These facts can be explained qualitatively by a model in which migration is risky, mitigating risk requires individual-specific learning, and some migrants are sufficiently close to subsistence that failed migration is very costly. We document evidence consistent with this model using heterogeneity analysis and additional experimental variation, but calibrations with forward-looking households that can save up to migrate suggest that it is difficult for the model to quantitatively match the data. We conclude with extensions to the model that could provide a better quantitative accounting of the behavior.

Attaining Universal Access in Rural Areas: Business—NGO Partnership in Bangladesh as a Case Study

Abstract Aggregate indices like UNDPs Human Development Index (HDI) or the Centre for Global Development and Foreign Policys Commitment to Development Index (CDI) are subject to multiple criticisms. This paper addresses concerns linked to the equal weights used in the HDI and the CDI and evaluates alternative weighting schemes. It relies on an opinion survey conducted electronically among researchers from 60 countries to assess whether or not professional judgment affects the use of equal weights. Results of the opinion survey point to a surprising result for the HDI: despite widespread criticism of equal weights, a simple scheme based on equal weights is not only convenient but also consistent with the views of experts. For some components of the CDI, however, weights derived from the survey do differ from equal weights. Nevertheless, the weights emerging from the survey are not sufficiently different from equal weights to significantly alter country rankings.

Microfinance and rural non-farm employment in developing countries

ABSTRACT In recent years, partnership in development assistance has received a great deal of attention. This paper evaluates an alternative form of partnership, a business—NGO partnership, that provides rural people with access to telecommunications in Bangladesh. Despite market liberalization, the traditional provision mechanisms may not provide universal access to people living in rural areas of developing countries. Attainment of universal access, therefore, may require alternative institutions. Based on three criteria of universal service provision—nondiscriminatory access, uniform pricing, and quality restrictions—this study finds that the business—ngo partnership complies with the first two criteria. In addition, the partnership ensures economic sustainability for both the business and the ngo.

Information and service delivery : case studies from Kenya and Ethiopia

The rural non-farm sector plays an important role in diversifying income for rural households in developing countries and has the potential to emerge as a major source of employment. In some cases it has outgrown the agricultural sector, in part due to the expansion of credit through microfinance institutions that are supported by governments, donor agencies, and businesses. However, future expansion of the rural non-farm sector requires increased flexibility in credit contracts, as well as decreasing the cost of credit and the delivery of complementary inputs, e.g. skills training.

The effect of democracy and press freedom on corruption: an empirical test

This monograph probes the role of information in service delivery by focusing on key sectors in Kenya and Ethiopia. Findings from comparative studies done in 2005-06 in the health, education, and water and sanitation sectors plus public and private partnerships (PPPs) illustrate the significance of information access to delivery of quality services. Linking information access to service delivery is instructive to deepen institutional reforms around transparency and governance. This volume contends that three constraints-governance, trust, and technology deficits-impede information flows for service delivery in Ethiopia and Kenya. Although these constraints are formidable, the cases reveal that reforms in the governance arena have began to make a difference in the domain of service delivery. Using local researchers for this study has contributed to the World Banks vision and mission of strengthening knowledge production by local institutions, particularly in Africa, where the low rate of the input of indigenous voices in the development debates is a growing concern. Augmenting the corpus of knowledge about African issues by Africans also fits into the objective of capacity building: providing local experts the opportunities to research and highlight experiences on the ground. As more countries embark on public sector reforms that deepen transparent information mechanisms and better service delivery, the need for more of these studies will increase. What the authors of this study have articulated is a rich research agenda that ties information access and service provision-research that should help advance policy dialogue with actors involved in public sector and governance reforms.