Sisay Asefa

Who Participates in Labor-Intensive Public Works in Sub-Saharan Africa? Evidence from Rural Botswana and Kenya

Abstract Provision of low-wage menial employment through public works schemes promises to provide low cost targeting of the poor, especially in rural areas where instruments for income transfer are scarce. Findings from survey-based studies in rural Botswana and Kenya show that the working poor are more willing to participate in public works schemes, especially those with few assets and limited access to private income transfers. Access to short-term employment through these schemes appears to improve the net income of the very poor and decrease poverty among the rural poor. The significant number of nonpoor in the schemes, indicates however a need for improving poverty targeting through setting wage rates that closely reflect the labor supply characteristics of the poor in rural labor markets. In addition, these schemes have to be complemented with other income-transfer interventions to ensure that the poor who fail to meet work requirements are not excluded from public assistance.

Enhancing Food Access in Africa: The Botswana Experience

A combination of drought and misguided economic policies have resulted in decreased food security and frequent famines in many African countries in recent years. Botswana is a rare exception that has survived its worst drought without a single death from hunger. It has adopted a National Food Strategy that has both long term and short term policy dimensions. The long term goal is to increase food security through improved agricultural production and diversified rural economy. In the short term, the goal is to provide food security to the most vulnerable segment of its population. The two components of the food access program are human supplementary feeding and cash for work.The article examines Botswana’s experience in enhancing food security, based on an exploratory case study of the public employment program (cash for work) in the South East District of the Republic of Botswana.

Developing Democratic Institutions in Ethiopia: The Challenge of Building Enabling Institutions for Economic Growth and Development

This article provides some perspectives on contemporary political and economic development policy problems in Ethiopia. It is intended to provide a critical input to the process of constructive policy dialogue aimed at enhancing democratic institutional building and reform for the economic development of Ethiopia. First, it must be stated that a serious economic and political reform in Ethiopia is in everyone’s interest regardless of political views and orientation. Such a move is in the enlightened self-interest of the civil society, the current government, the various opposition groups, and the population in general. It would be a positive-sum move from which everyone may gain in the long run. Second, a serious and sustained institutional and policy reform must be focused on a significant reduction of poverty, in a country with about 50 percent of the population below the global absolute poverty line, and with one of the lowest per capita incomes in the world1 with recurrent famines and high dependence on foreign food aid. This harsh reality in which Ethiopia finds itself is not because it lacks human and natural resources. Ethiopia is a large nation of close to 80 million people, the majority of whom are rural based and hard working. In addition, the persistent poverty is not caused by a lack of the necessary natural

Introduction: The Challenge of Building Democratic Institutions of Governance for Development in Ethiopia

This issue of Northeast African Studies (NEAS) presents eight articles on the various dimensions of development and governance in Ethiopia. Most of the articles were selected from papers contributed to the International Conference on Ethiopian Development Issues (ICEDS), which convened at Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo, Michigan, 16-18 August 2001. The volume also includes articles selected from papers contributed to two other ICEDS conferences, 11-12 July 2003, and 18-19 July 2005, which convened in Ethiopia. This is the first of a two-part series of articles on the various dimensions of the challenges of building democratic institutions for development, focused on Ethiopia, selected for publication by Northeast African Studies , a social science journal published by Michigan State University (MSU) Press. Most of the articles were selected by the guest editor and the late Dr. Harold Marcus, distinguished university professor of African history at MSU, before he passed away in 2003. While the articles speak for themselves, the aim of this introduction is to provide summary highlights of each paper and conclude with some remarks on the policy implications that arise from the issues related to building the democratic institutions of governance necessary for sustainable development in Ethiopia.

Empirical Analysis of the Determinants of Demand for Children in Jimma City, Ethiopia: An Application of Count Data Model

Using cross-section data on urban households from Jimma city, Southwestern Ethiopia, in this paper we apply the economic theory of consumer choice and examine some endogenous household characteristics that affect the demand for children among urban households in Ethiopia. Based on parameter estimates derived from a count data model, we also simulate the average number of children desired by a woman of median urban household characteristics and assess the extent to which an exogenously set population policy goal of lower fertility can be achieved. The results of our study indicate that enhancing paternal and maternal education, altering the economic value of children, increasing household income, and delaying the marriage age as important policy measures that should be pursued to reduce fertility. Institutional approaches that involve “faith-based initiatives” are also relevant. An important implication of the study is that by using measures that target these socio-economic variables via market incentives, fertility levels among urban households in Jimma and other urban areas of Ethiopia with similar demographic features can be reduced.