Rethinking the measurement of the middle class: Evidence from Egypt

The degree of choice households have over their consumption expenditure is critical in deciding their economic class. Applying our measure to Egyptian household budget surveys, we estimate the population size of the middle class in Egypt and assess their well-being in the period 1995-2011. Our findings show that if economic growth is pro-poor and inclusive, more people at the lower end of income distribution will graduate into the middle class category. The increase in poverty rates and decline in the size of the middle class since 2005 indicates that the growth process in Egypt was anti-poor and anti-middle class

Poverty, Growth and Income Distribution in Lebanon

This Country Study is based on a full national report that is the first to draw a profile of poverty in Lebanon based on money-metric poverty measurements of household expenditures. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the characteristics of the poor and estimates the extent of poverty and the degree of inequality in the country. It finds that nearly 28 per cent of the Lebanese population can be considered poor and eight per cent can be considered extremely poor. However, the most important finding of the report is that regional disparities are striking. For example, whereas poverty rates are insignificant in the capitol, Beirut, they are very high in the Northern city of Akkar. In general, the North governorate has been lagging behind the rest of the country and thus its poverty rate has become high. Levels of poverty are above-average in the South but are not as severe as expected. There are three other major results that have notable implications for a poverty-reduction programme in Lebanon. First, with few exceptions, measures of human deprivation, such as that provided by an Unsatisfied Basic Needs methodology, are generally commensurate with those for money-metric measures based on household expenditures. Second, the projected cost of halving extreme poverty is very modest, namely, a mere fraction of the cost of the country?s large external debt obligations. However, such a cost would rise dramatically if inequality were to worsen (i.e., if future growth were anti-poor). Also, the cost of reducing overall poverty would be substantially higher. Third, the poor are heavily concentrated among the unemployed and among unskilled workers, with the latter concentrated in sectors such as agriculture and construction. This places a priority on a broad-based, inclusive pattern of economic growth that could stimulate employment in such sectors. Based on such findings, the report concentrates on providing general policy recommendations on issues of directing public expenditures to poor households. One of its major recommendations is to concentrate on channelling resources to poor regions below the governorate level, such as to four ?strata? where two-thirds of the poor in Lebanon are concentrated. However, the report notes that macroeconomic policies, particularly fiscal policies, will have to be redesigned to mobilize the reources necessary to finance the increases in public expenditures on the social safety nets and public investment in social services that should be part of a major poverty-reduction programme.Poverty, Growth and Income Distribution in Lebanon

Is there fiscal space for financing an Arab development transformation?

[Introduction] The fundamental development challenge in the Arab region is one of economic transformation or, more pertinent, a lack thereof. Heavy sectoral weights of extractive industries lead to dependence on global oil prices, even in oil-producing countries. The structure of production limits employment generation for skilled and semi-skilled labour. Low-skill services and informal activities then absorb the labour force, with corresponding harm to aggregate productivity and living standards. The slow emergence of manufacturing capacities distinguishes the economies of the Arab region from other developing countries. Compared to suitable aggregates or, more poignant, the successful Asian emerging economies, manufacturing exports from the Arab region do not contribute sufficiently to growth. Concurrently, growth is volatile and saving and investment rates are significantly below what is required to undertake this economic transition (see Arnim et al., 2011; Abu-Ismail, Moustafa, and Arabaci, 2011; Abu-Ismail et al., 2011). Certainly, counter-cyclical measures can support macroeconomic stability even in the face of commodity export dependence. However, several Arab countries have implemented such measures only recently through the creation of oil-stabilization funds. Structural retardation rather than structural transformation can thus characterize the analysis of macroeconomics of the Arab region. ‘Dutch disease’ - the negative relationship between the relative size of extractive resource industries and overall GDP growth - appears to affect the oil-producing regions. Further, exploitation of natural resources crowds out investment and policy interest in developing manufacturing and high-value-added services, harming productivity and employment. Oil resources have thus largely retarded structural transformation for most of the Arab region (Arnim et al., 2011). The task is to reverse this retardation. This paper therefore approaches fiscal space by asking: What barriers to the creation and use of such fiscal space must be removed in order to undertake such a transformation? In posing this question, the paper seeks to clearly demarcate its treatment of the fiscal space issue from that of the fiscal fundamentalist: its concern is to ensure that fiscal space is created not in the abstract for an unspecified purpose. The purpose matters and, hence, judging the feasibility of creating and using fiscal space depends on the purpose for which the space is to be used. The rest of the paper details concrete policy options for undertaking the required structural transformation across the region. This transformation will doubtlessly require public resources. However, the resources will bring returns beyond the traditional growth dividend - first, in expanding the fiscal base; second, in fostering changes in the sources of revenue that will occur as the transformation takes effect; and third, in improving the equity and progressivity of the incidence of the fiscal burden and of public spending compared to the present situation. The discussion of fiscal space in this paper needs to be centred in this context

Rethinking global poverty measurement

[Introduction] From a money-metric perspective, poverty is a crystal-clear concept. A household is considered to be poor (poverty is typically estimated for households, not for individuals) if the total income or expenditure of its members lies below a specific threshold (referred to as the poverty line) which reflects the cost of meeting the family’s basic food and non-food needs. Poverty can be thus be defined in terms of the monetary value required to attain a particular level of welfare. In a way, money is a proxy for some of the broader dimensions of poverty - for example, with sufficient financial resources, households and individuals can conceivably purchase better health care and better education for their children. However, they cannot easily improve their own education or job opportunities or access good and sufficient public services if they are not there to begin with. Therefore, while the ‘money-metric’ indicator of poverty is a powerful tool to understand the scope of deprivation, it should, at the very least, be supplemented by other indicators of well-being. (...

Development of Polymeric Nanoparticles of Garcinia mangostana Xanthones in Eudragit RL100/RS100 for Anti-Colon Cancer Drug Delivery

Xanthones are a group of oxygenated heterocyclic compounds with anticancer properties, but poor aqueous solubility and low oral bioavailability hinder their therapeutic application. This study sought to prepare a xanthones extract (81

N′-(Di-2-pyridylmethyl­ene)benzo­hydrazide

In the title Schiff base, C18H14N4O, the amido –NH– unit is connected to one of the two pyridyl N atoms at an N(—H)⋯N distance of 2.624 (2) Å. The mol­ecular packing features an inter­molecular C—H⋯N R 2 2(6) hydrogen-bonding ring motif

Antiangiogenic properties of Koetjapic acid, a natural triterpene isolated from Sandoricum koetjaoe Merr

Background: Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, has become an important target in cancer therapy. Angiogenesis plays an important role in tumor growth and metastasis. Koetjapic acid (KA) is a seco-A-ring oleanene triterpene isolated from S. koetjape. The solvent extract of this plant species was shown previously to have strong antiangiogenic activity; however the active ingredient(s) that conferred the biological activity and the mode of action was not established. Given the high concentration of KA in S. koetjape, an attempt has been made in this study to investigate the antiangiogenic properties of KA.Results: Treatment with 10-50 μg/ml KA resulted in dose dependent inhibition of new blood vessels growth in ex vivo rat aortic ring assay. KA was found to be non-cytotoxic against HUVECs with IC40.97 ± 0.37 μg/ml. KA inhibited major angiogenesis process steps, endothelial cell migration and differentiation as well as VEGF expression.Conclusions: The non-cytotoxic compound, KA, may be a potent antiangiogenic agent; its activity may be attributed to inhibition of endothelial cells migration and differentiation as well VEGF suppression

Design and numerical investigation of cadmium telluride (CdTe) and iron silicide (FeSi2) based double absorber solar cells to enhance power conversion efficiency

Inorganic CdTe and FeSi2-based solar cells have recently drawn a lot of attention because they offer superior thermal stability and good optoelectronic properties compared to conventional solar cells. In this work, a unique alternative technique is presented by using FeSi2 as a secondary absorber layer and In2S3 as the window layer for improving photovoltaic (PV) performance parameters. Simulating on SCAPS-1D, the proposed double-absorber (Cu/FTO/In2S3/CdTe/FeSi2/Ni) structure is thoroughly examined and analyzed. The window layer thickness, absorber layer thickness, acceptor density (NA), donor density (ND), defect density (Nt), series resistance (RS), and shunt resistance (Rsh) were simulated in detail for optimization of the above configuration to improve PV performance. According to this study, 0.5 um is the optimized thickness for both the CdTe and FeSi2 absorber layers in order to maximize efficiency. Here, the value of the optimum window layer thickness is 50 nm. For using CdTe as a single absorber, the efficiency is achieved by 13.26%. But for using CdTe and FeSi2 as a dual absorber, the efficiency is enhanced and the obtaining value is 27.35%. The other parameters are also improved and the obtaining values for fill factor (FF) are 83.68%, open-circuit voltage (Voc) is 0.6566V, and short circuit current density (JSc) is 49.78 mA/cm2. Furthermore, the proposed model performs good at 300 K operating temperature. The addition of the FeSi2 layer to the cell structure has resulted in a significant quantum efficiency (QE) enhancement because of the rise in solar spectrum absorption at longer wavelengths. The findings of this work offer a promising approach for producing high-performance and reasonably priced CdTe-based solar cells.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figure

Lean six sigma in Jordanian organizations

Purpose: The manufacturing sector with Lean Six Sigma is constantly improving (CI). CI is helping the organization to achieve and develop its efficiency and operational excellence. Synergizing all methods thus, helps to achieve better efficiency than using one method alone. This results in better quality. Thus, many companies have taken LSS for CI. Yet, inside LSS areas, there are clear restrictions. Very few think about the LSS cap. Design/Methodology/Approach: Data were gathered by questionnaires from 264 managers. The comparison analysis was performed and then a multiple regression model was used to test the hypotheses following confirmation of normality, validity and reliability. Findings: The results indicate that the Jordanian manufacturing organizations rely on high adoption of Lean Six Sigma variables; the lean six sigma variables, with absence of unused expertise and transport, have good relationships with business efficiency. All the reasons Lean Six Sigma affect business performance, except for industry in Jordan, which has expanded results from one industry and/or country to other industry and/or nations. Manufacturing companies can improve their business performance, other manufacturing industries can also be introduced. Practical Implications: All organizations aim to reduce the amount of waste that contributes to the protection of natural resources and to social responsibility of companies. Originality Value: The research helps experts and judges to recognize new processes and methods of development that add value and promote competitive advantages.peer-reviewe