Decomposition of Changes in Poverty Measures: Sectoral and Institutional Considerations for the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper of Pakistan

Two extremely significant empirical questions on the relationship between growth, distribution and poverty have remained the focus of attention for researchers and academicians. First, how does a change in aggregate poverty reflect intrasectoral gains/losses versus intersectoral shifts in population? Second, how much of an observed change in poverty can be attributed to the changes in the distribution of income, as distinct from growth in average incomes? Standard inequality measures like the Gini coefficient can be misleading in this context. At any rate, the change in an inequality measure can be a poor guide to its quantitative impact on poverty. Ravallion and Huppi (1991) proposed decomposition formulae to throw light on the contributions of sectoral gains and population shifts (on the one hand) and economic growth and changes in inequality (on the other) to aggregate changes in poverty. They found that both population shifts and gains to the urban and rural sectors alleviated aggregate poverty in Indonesia over the 1984–87 period. In addition, they obtained estimates of the relative contributions of growth and greater equity to poverty alleviation in Indonesia. Datt and Ravallion (1992) extended the analysis to study poverty in Brazil and India during the 1980s. Kakwani (1993) explored the relation between economic growth and poverty for Cote d’Ivoire from 1980–85. He developed his own methodology to measure separately the impact of changes in average income and income inequality on poverty. Kakwani (2000) applied the same methodology to analyse changes in poverty in Thailand covering the period from 1988–94. Recently, Contreas (2003) examined the evolution of poverty and inequality in Chile between 1990 and 1996. Using the “Datt-Ravallion decomposition”, he computed that economic growth accounted for over 85 percent of the poverty reduction in Chile.

Anti Money Laundering Mechanism: An Application of Principal-Agent Model for Pakistan

In this paper anti money laundering policy of the international financial regime is analyzed in principal agent model perspective. The strategy of the principal for formal agents is deliberated for global financial stability. This strategy encompasses incentive and dis-incentive for cooperation of formal agent. Formal agent by cooperating with principal may induce dis-incentive for informal agent. All the integrating stake holders make decision on the basis of comparison of present value of marginal cost of non-cooperation and present value of returns from cooperation. As the desired objective of the principal is to minimize transaction of money through informal channels therefore it has to include informal agents and clients in the strategy. The successful anti money laundering strategy can only be evolved by the cooperation of all the stakeholders.International Financial Regime, Principal Agent model and Money Laundering

The Impact of Micro-credit on Employment : Evidence from Bangladesh and Pakistan

This paper examines the impact of micro-credit on employment. Household-level data was collected, following a quasi-experimental design, in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Three borrower groups are compared: Current borrowers; Pipeline borrowers and Non-borrowers. Pipeline borrowers are included to control for self-selection effects. It is argued that micro-credit causes a substitution of employment away from employment-for-pay to self-employment. Therefore, the effect on total employment is ambiguous. OLS and fixed effects regression are used to examine separately self-employment and employment-for-pay between three groups of borrowers. For Pakistan, there is no evidence that micro-credit effects employment. However, for Bangladesh, there is robust evidence consistent with this hypothesis

A study on the influence of curing on the strength of a standard grade concrete mix

Curing is essential if concrete is to perform the intended function over the design life of the structure while excessive curing time may lead to the escalation of the construction cost of the project and unnecessary delays. Where there is a scarcity of water and on sloping surfaces where curing with water is difficult and in cases where large areas like pavements have to be cured, the use of curing compound may be resorted to. The parameters of the study include the curing period [1, 3, 7, 14 and 28 day], curing method [conventional wet curing, membrane forming compound curing and accelerated curing] and the type of cement [Ordinary Portland Cement(OPC) 43 grade, Portland Pozzolana Cement(PPC) 43 grade and Ordinary Portland Cement(OPC) 43 grade +10% Silica Fume(SF) replacement for cement]. In all a total of 99 cube specimens were cast and cured under different conditions before testing. Test results indicate a drop in strength at all ages for concretes with PPC and the one in which 10% OPC is replaced by silica Fume(SF) in comparison with the concrete with OPC. Curing by membrane forming curing compound yielded nearly the same results as that of conventional wet curing for concrete with OPC and there was a marginal decrement in concrete with PPC. Predicted 28-day strength of concrete from the accelerated curing test was found to be on a conservative side compared to control concrete

Agent-based micro-simulation of business establishments

This paper describes the development and testing of a microsimulation of the evolution of individual 'business establishments' (BEs) in an economy. The work is part of a larger program of research and development of a model of all the transportation and land development processes in an entire spatial economic system. The simulation uses comparatively simple, yet behavioural, rules and probabilistic models, using a Monte Carlo process to simulate behaviour from the probabilistic models. A BE is described primarily by its business transactions - its purchases and sales of standard commodity categories, called its "consumption function" and "production function" respectively. Make and Use tables from traditional input-output models are used to determine these relationships for a particular industry, and individual BEs randomly vary around the industry average. Labour, floorspace and final demand are included as commodities, to bind the BEs to a given built form in a spatial system and to the patterns of population. Thus a BE is described in terms of how big it is, and its "technical coefficients" describing what it purchases and sells. The market for each commodity type is spatially disaggregated, and BEs in a given location can sell or purchase their commodities in a variety of different "exchange zones" that they are willing to ship goods or services from or to. Prices at exchange zones are adjusted over time so that, if the system is allowed to reach equilibrium, the market for each commodity in each exchange will be cleared. The BE's market choice model is used to develop measures of the attractiveness of selling or purchasing commodities when located in a zone. These measures of commodity attractiveness are used with the production function and consumption function to determine how attractive a location is for a given BE and how well it is performing. A BE's growth (positive and negative) and its probability of bankruptcy (death) are based on the measure of location attractiveness. Relocation pressures are based on the measure of location attractiveness, as well as a composite measure of the attractiveness of all other zones in the system and the (fixed) attractiveness of leaving the model region entirely. Relocating BEs vacate floorspace in a particular physical location (a "grid cell") and then, if necessary, acquire new floorspace in a grid cell in a different zone. As a successful BE grows it is increasingly likely to split into two separate BEs, either as a duplication of function into another location, or a separation of business functions into separate locations. In addition, entrepreneurial business ideas are set up as "Proto BEs", which are business ideas that are being evaluated in any one year. A "Proto BE" that is in an attractive location in one year is likely to become an actual BE in the next year. Within each zone, the land is represented as "grid cells", which are finite quantities of land with a particular type and quantity of floorspace and a particular building age. The prices for each floorspace type in each zone, along with the age, type and quantity of floorspace in each grid cell, are used to calculate the probability that the land owner will choose to undertake development, redevelopment, renovation or demolition in the grid cell. The test system is represented using a 10x10 system of zones and a network of transport connecting the zones with reasonable travel times and costs. This system is used to test the role of the various parameters, to determine reasonable values for the parameters, how the model behaves when parameter values are unreasonable, and how each parameter influences the model system. A set of "policy input" scenarios are also developed, to show how the modelling system can be used to test the policy response. These include decreased development costs, increased travel costs and changed land-use zoning regulations

Correlation between ferromagnetic resonance and densification of RE substituted polycrystalline ferrites

We report the dopant- and size-dependent variations in high-frequency magnetic and electrical transport properties of Ho-substituted Li-Mn polycrystalline ferrites. Thermal stability and phase identification were confirmed by thermal gravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction experiments. The overall average crystallite size decreased from 29.6 to 17.5 nm, whereas the bulk density increased from 3.47 to 4.29 g/cm3 with increasing Ho content. Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurements at the X-band revealed significant shifts in FMR linewidths and resonance positions as a function of composition. Both, FMR linewidth and porosity, were found to decrease with the systematic addition of Ho from 2538 to 2359 Oe and from 26% to 15.4%, respectively. The substitution of Ho3+ for Fe3+ reduced the net magnetization of the spinel lattice from 53 to 41 emu/g. Electrical measurements revealed that the resistivity is higher in samples with smaller grains possessing a greater number of thin insulating grain boundaries. The activation energy ∆E required for hopping increases from 0.09 to 0.16 eV with Ho addition, which may be well explained by the increase in resistivity. The substitution of Ho3+ for Fe3+ causes a decrease in Curie temperature Tc due to the damping of A-B exchange interactions

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension; three case reports with similar clinical manifestations, treated successfully using different management techniques.

Spontaneous Intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a rare neurological disorder, characterized by orthostatic headaches. Due to the complicity of its diagnosis and lack of awareness amongst physicians, SIH remains an under-diagnosed disease and its true prevalence remains unknown. It is a reversible condition, if diagnosed early. Delay in diagnosis can result in life threatening complications.Case Reports:We present a case series of three patients who presented with typical symptoms of SIH. But management course of each patient varied. The first patient responded well to the EBP (epidural blood patch) while the second improved with conventional symptomatic treatment. The third patient needed a surgical intervention for complication developed due to SIH. This case series hence covers a variety of treatment options for patients with SIH.Conclusion:SIH is an emerging challenge for neurologists worldwide. Awareness amongst physicians regarding this disease along with a high level of suspicion and good history skills will allow early diagnosis of the disease and prevent delay in treatment and hence complications

Effect of Calcium Channel Blockers on Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Background. Numerous medications are known to be associated with the development of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). One such medication group is calcium channel blockers (CCB). Objective. To critically examine the literature regarding the involvement of CCB in manifestation of LUTS in humans. Methods. A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed, SciELO, Scopus, and OpenGrey databases to find all potentially relevant research studies before August 2016. Results. Five studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Three out of five studies stated that CCB were involved in either precipitation or exacerbation of LUTS. As for the remaining two studies, one study found out that only the monotherapy of CCB was associated with increased prevalence of nocturia and voiding symptoms in young females, whereas the other study reported an inverse association of CCB with LUTS. The methodological quality of studies was considered high for four studies and low for one study. Conclusion. Healthcare providers should make efforts for an earlier identification of the individuals at risk of LUTS prior to the commencement of CCB therapy. Moreover, patients should be counselled to notify their healthcare provider if they notice urinary symptoms after the initiation of CCB

Attributable causes of chronic kidney disease in adults: a five-year retrospective study in a tertiary-care hospital in the northeast of the Malaysian Peninsula

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an escalating medical and socioeconomic problem worldwide. Information concerning the causes of CKD, which is a prerequisite for reducing the disease burden, is sparse in Malaysia. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the attributable causes of CKD in an adult population at a tertiary referral hospital. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective study at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM). METHODS: This was an analysis based on medical records of adult patients at HUSM. Data regarding demographics, laboratory investigations, attributable causes and CKD stage were gathered. RESULTS: A total of 851 eligible cases were included. The patients’ mean age was 61.18 ± 13.37 years. CKD stage V was found in 333 cases (39.1%) whereas stages IV, IIIb, IIIa, and II were seen in 240 (28.2%), 186 (21.9%), 74 (8.7%) and 18 (2.1%), respectively. The percentage of CKD stage V patients receiving renal replacement therapy was 15.6%. The foremost attributable causes of CKD were diabetic nephropathy (DN) (44.9%), hypertension (HPT) (24.2%) and obstructive uropathy (9.2%). The difference in the prevalence of CKD due to DN, HPT and glomerulonephritis between patients ≤ 50 and > 50 years old was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that DN and HPT are the major attributable causes of CKD among patients at a Malaysian tertiary-care hospital. Furthermore, the results draw attention to the possibility that greater emphasis on primary prevention of diabetes and hypertension will have a great impact on reduction of hospital admissions due to CKD in Malaysia