Trade Reform and Gender in Mozambique

This paper uses an economywide model to study the impact of trade policy reform on male and female labor in Mozambique. The model disaggregates factor markets by skill and gender, and incorporates links between trade reform, product prices and wages by gender. The model also includes a detailed treatment of production technology and import protection, and is linked to a top-down microsimulation model of households. We find that trade policy has only a modest effect on gender wage differentials, and conclude that policy concerns with gender imbalances should focus on skill upgrading and sectoral mobility rather than on trade policy.

Aid and Development

Foreign aid looms large in the public discourse; and international development assistance remains squarely on most policy agendas concerned with growth, poverty and inequality in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world. The present review takes a retrospective look at how foreign aid has evolved since World War II in response to a dramatically changing global political and economic context. I review the aid process and associated trends in the volume and distribution of aid and categorize some of the key goals, principles and institutions of the aid system. The evidence on whether aid has been effective in furthering economic growth and development is discussed in some detail. I add perspective and identify some critical unresolved issues. I finally turn to the current development debate and discuss some key concerns, which I believe should be kept in mind in formulating any agenda for aid in the future.foreign aid; aid impact

Macroeconomic and agricultural reforms in Zimbabwe

Using a CGE (computable general equilibrium) model for Zimbabwe with 1991 as base period, this paper examines quantitatively the income and equity effects of macroeconomic reform measures in isolation and in conjunction with potentially complementary changes in agricultural sector policies. Some important features of the CGE model are an explicit focus on agriculture, distinction among various rural and urban household groups, and detailed specification of factor markets. Specific aspects of economic policy existing in the pre-reform benchmark year are taken into account in the base model, such as the administered setting of the foreign exchange rate, quantitative import restrictions, and government-determined maize prices for domestic producers and grain millers. The model makes use of a 1991 SAM (social accounting matrix) for Zimbabwe as database.Social accounting Zimbabwe ,mathematical models ,zimbabwe ,TMD ,

Aid and Development

Foreign aid looms large in the public discourse; and international development assistance remains squarely on most policy agendas concerned with growth, poverty and inequality in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world. The present review takes a retrospective look at how foreign aid has evolved since World War II in response to a dramatically changing global political and economic context. I review the aid process and associated trends in the volume and distribution of aid and categorize some of the key goals, principles and institutions of the aid system. The evidence on whether aid has been effective in furthering economic growth and development is discussed in some detail. I add perspective and identify some critical unresolved issues. I finally turn to the current development debate and discuss some key concerns, I believe should be kept in mind in formulating any agenda for aid in the future.foreign aid; aid impact

Inequality and Poverty Impacts of Trade Distortions in Mozambique

Although Mozambique has considerable agricultural potential, rural poverty remains extremely high. This paper examines the extent to which global and domestic price distortions affect agricultural production and national poverty. We develop a computable general equilibrium (CGE) and micro-simulation model of Mozambique that is linked to the results of a global model. This framework is used to examine the effects of eliminating global and national price distortions. Model results indicate that agriculture is adversely affected by current trade distortions due to policies in the rest of the world. While a removal of all merchandise trade distortions would reduce import prices, it would also raise agricultural production and reduce poverty. By contrast, removing only agricultural price distortions abroad would have little effect on Mozambique’s agricultural sector. Model results indicate that Mozambique’s own distortions are also biased against agriculture, with producers of processed agricultural products enjoying high protection levels. Removing these distortions causes a significant expansion of agricultural GDP and a reduction in both poverty and inequality. Our findings therefore suggest that removing own-country and rest-of-world distortions would have positive implications for agriculture and for the overall economy in Mozambique, and in particular it would reduce its poverty and inequality.Distorted incentives, agricultural and trade policy reforms, national agricultural development, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade, F13, F14, Q17, Q18,

Investigation of Techniques for Reducing Mobile Communication Systems Harmful Out-Of-Band Emission

Electromagnetic compatibility in the newly designated Long-Term Evolution (LTE) mobile network in the 790–862 MHz frequency band from perspective of interference management between neighbouring services are analysed in the dissertation. Main focal point of this dissertation is on the problems that face LTE networks based on Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) due to the relatively strong side lobes around the active subcarriers in the main communication channel, which introduces interference effects between LTE stations and other services. The introductory chapter presents the investigated problem, objects of research, importance of the dissertation, describes research methodology, scientific novelty and the defended statements. The situation in the 790–862 MHz frequency band is overviewed regarding most sensitive challenges in the first chapter: LTE stations’ influence on Short-Range Devices (SRD), digital terrestrial TV broadcasting (DVB-T) and aeronautical radio navigation systems (ARNS). The noticeable lack of information is observed regarding SRD and LTE electromagnetic compatibility. The Filter Bank Multicarrier Transmission technique (FBMC) is pro-posed as means to minimize adjacent band interference in the 790–862 MHz frequency band. Main FBMC benefits are presented through comparison with reference case of OFDM. The key advantage of FBMC technique is derived from its low out-of-band leakage, which guarantees minimum harmful interference level between stations using adjacent channels. The harmful interference of LTE mobile stations’ influence on Short-Range Devices operating in the 863–870 MHz frequency band is analysed in the second chapter. Two analysis methods are used in this study: first applying theoretical analysis using Minimum Coupling Loss calculations, then statistical Monte-Carlo in order to verify results obtained in theoretical approach. The third chapter is focused on the experimental analysis to reproduce the situation that was investigated in theoretical analysis chapter. Verification of theoretical analysis by practical measurements confirmed that the LTE user equipment (UE) emissions may affect SRD devices and completely or partially disrupt their communications at distances of up to several meters from LTE UE. The obtained results are summarized and general conclusions are drawn