Papers of the Second International Conference on Development Studies in Ethiopia

Introductory remarks of the Second International Conference on Development Studies in Ethiopia, July 11-12, 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Papers of International Conference on Contemporary Development Issues in Ethiopia, August 16-18, 2001

Introductory remarks of the First International Conference on Contemporary Development Issues in Ethiopia held in Kalamazoo, Michigan August 16-18, 2001

Concepts and Perspectives from the Economics of Sustainable Development: Views of Economists and their Policy Implications for Ethiopia and the Rest Africa

Sustainable development is a concept about the relationship between economic growth and the environment. The term was first used in 1987 by the World Commission on Environment and Development (also known as the Brundtland Commission for its Chair, Gro Harlem Brundtland). In the Commssion’s report, “our common Future”, it defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (World Commission on Environment and Development 1987. The aim of this paper is to explore the various dimensions of sustainability from an economic perspective by focusing on issues such as: neglected aspects of sustainability, conflict and inequality, scientific constraints on sustainable agriculture, population growth, the relationship between property rights and environmental sustainability, and sustainable natural resource management. The paper draws policy implications for Ethiopia and the rest of Africa, by reviewing the views of six eminent economists and others on these issues of sustainable development

An economic analysis of household farm production in the Arssi region of Ethiopia: cases from Chilalo province

This dissertation is concerned with the problem of low productivity and deficiency in the agricultural sector as it results in low farm income and rural poverty in the Ethiopian economy. This problem is of central concern for national economic development since agriculture which comprises 85% of the population forms the backbone of the country\u27s economy. The prescriptive hypothesis made as a potential strategy for solving this crucial problem is that farm productivity can be increased by: (a) a more efficient use of traditional farm inputs and improvements in management capabilities of farmers that results in better planning and efficient resource allocation; (b) introduction of new and improved labor intensive technology in the form of improved plow and harrow for better soil cultivation and the use of fertilizer and improved seed that increase crop yields; (c) increased supply of operating capital to farmers in order to complement efficient allocation of traditional farm inputs and to make the use of new crop technology viable; and (d) availability of additional labor in hired and/or cooperative form during critical operations such as weeding, harvesting, and threshing to complement household labor;The findings which are obtained using the methods of linear and parametric programming applied to data on four average farms located in the four sub-areas of Chilalo province are qualitatively as follows: a considerable gap exists between the actual and optimal farm resource use and income on average farms and that substantial increases in productivity and farm income can be made if traditional resources are optimally used. Land is not a limiting resource to farm productivity after land reform, however before the March 1975 Revolutionary Land Reform, the average land cultivated by the majority of tenant farmers was less than 2 hectares. This quantity is less than optimal and therefore one of the major hindrances to improved farm productivity and income under the deposed feudal regime of Haile Selassie. Scarcity of labor during critical periods of harvesting, weeding and threshing limits farm income and productivity. Additional labor availability in hired and/or cooperative form enhances farm income and productivity. At high capital supply levels (K(,3) and K(,4)), the new technology is more efficient in production but at low capital levels (K(,1) and K(,2)) traditional technology becomes more efficient. Increasing capital supply levels from K(,1) = 75 B to K(,4) = 500 B results in increased net return per unit of labor, land, and capital on the four average farms. The results also show that the marginal value productivity schedules for capital are less elastic under traditional technology than when the traditional and new production technologies are combined. Furthermore, under the later alternative, the demand for capital is more elastic if hired labor is available in addition to household labor than if household labor is used exclusively in the production process

The 3rd EAF-EARO & WMU-CADPR International Symposium on Ethiopian Development Studies, June 18-19, 2005, The Ghion Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Introductory remarks for Third International Conference on Development Studies in Ethiopia, June 18-19, 2005, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The Economics of Sustainable Development

This title provides an economic perspective on critical issues that characterize the topic of sustainable development. In each case, the authors give hope that the challenges facing societies can be surmounted and millions can be lifted out of poverty by adopting policies that encourage the investment in human capital, democratic institutions, and improved market performance.https://research.upjohn.org/up_press/1170/thumbnail.jp

Perspectives on Institutional Reform and Development in Ethiopia: The Critical Role of Building Enabling Institutions for Economic Growth and Development

This paper provides some normative perspectives on sustainable economic and political reform in contemporary Ethiopia, by focusing on the need to establish enabling institutions for economic growth and development. The paper begins with the basic premise that poverty in Ethiopia is primarily a problem of institutional failure, and that at a successful economic reform not only must be focused on poverty-focused economic growth in a country where about 50 percent of the population is below the poverty line, but it must also be accompanied with institutional reform and development that may result in a positive-sum outcome for all constituent groups of the country. The paper reviews some economic concepts of institutions and their role in development, and their implications for democratic institutional development and public policy reform. Some of the current institutional and structural roadblocks to a successful political and economic reform and transition to a market economy, including the appropriate role of government in this process and the potential role of the Diaspora in the development process are also briefly discussed. The paper is intended to contribute to a process of constructive dialogue that may inform current and future institutional and development policy reforms by raising some policy issues, and by providing normative perspectives that can be enriched by future empirical research based on actual realities in Ethiopia

World Food and Agriculture: Economic Problems and Issues

Six esteemed agricultural economists confront a variety of issues ranging from the role of technical change in agricultural development to the persistent problem of hunger in Africa.https://research.upjohn.org/up_press/1206/thumbnail.jp