Something of a Paradox: The Curious Neglect of Agriculture in Development

This paper argues that investment in agriculture has a large and continuing developmental importance in terms of both economic growth and poverty reduction. Moreover, targeted public resources have proven to be indispensable in achieving these results. Both arguments are supported with novel analyses which update and strengthen the traditional case for agriculture-led development with public-sector involvement. But despite the strong case for agriculture-led development strategies, the authors find that over the last three decades the financial resources allocated towards this sector have strongly declined. It is suggested that a shift towards new development paradigms since 1980 might be a significant explanation for this apparent Agricultural Paradox. This conjecture is tested with data on market reform impacts, PRSP contents and analyses of the intellectual resources devoted to the study of agriculture in development by both practitioners and researchers. The authors conclude with a critical discussion of these disturbing trends.

Something of a Paradox: The Neglect of Agriculture in Economic Development

This paper argues that investment in agriculture has a large and continuing developmental importance in terms of both economic growth and poverty reduction. Moreover, targeted public resources have proven to be indispensable in achieving these results. Both arguments are supported with novel analyses which update and strengthen the traditional case for agriculture-led development with public-sector involvement. But despite the strong case for agriculture-led development strategies, the authors find that the financial resources allocated towards this sector have strongly declined over the last three decades, and they suggest that a shift towards new development paradigms since 1980 might be a significant explanation for this apparent Agricultural Paradox. This conjecture is tested with data on foreign aid, public expenditure, PRSP contents, and empirical analyses of the intellectual resources devoted to the study of agriculture in development by World Bank researchers. The authors conclude with a critical discussion of these disturbing trends.Agricultural Productivity, Economic Growth, Poverty Alleviation, Urban Biases, Public Expenditure, Foreign Aid, Washington Consensus., International Development,

Parental engagement in early intervention for infants with cerebral palsy - A realist synthesis

BACKGROUND: Emphasis on parental engagement strategies within occupational therapy and physiotherapy early intervention (EI) programmes for infants at high risk of cerebral palsy (CP) has increased. This reflects consensus that increasing parent participation enhances treatment efficacy, potentially improving infant and parent outcomes. However, evaluation of parental engagement in EI is complex. Despite the growing application of parental engagement strategies, aligned with family-centred care practice, theoretical evaluation is currently lacking within the literature. This realist synthesis aimed to identify component theories underlying EI strategies to support parental engagement and to use empirical findings to evaluate how these work in practice. METHODS: Realist synthesis. Databases Medline, Embase, Amed, CINAHL and PsychInfo were searched (from 1985- February week 1 2020); further articles were sourced from reference lists. A data extraction form was used and a Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool was used to assess study rigour. RESULTS: Twenty-six articles were included. Quality of relationships, parent education and intervention co-design were the key themes related to parental engagement strategies. Findings indicate that constructive parent reasoning mechanisms of trust, belief, sense of control, perceived feasibility of home programme delivery and ultimately motivation, are linked to the underlying intervention resources afforded by specific strategies, (e.g. coaching pedagogy). These responses are precursors to engagement outcomes that include increased parental self-efficacy and adherence. Importantly, parental self-efficacy can initiate a process of change leading to improved parental confidence and anxiety. CONCLUSION: Sensitively designed programme strategies, centred on relational quality between parent, infant and therapist, are fundamental for effective parent connection, involvement and investment within EI for infants with CP

Credit policy and the ‘debt shift’ in advanced economies

The decline in the share of bank credit to non-financial firms since the 1990s, relative to credit for real estate and financial asset markets, has raised concerns over economic growth and financial stability and sparked renewed interest in credit policies, instruments and institutions. We examine their theoretical case and post-war use, and trace their demise during the wider market-oriented policy reconfiguration from the 1980s. Notably, this included home ownership polices favouring mortgage markets. We then examine the empirical relationship between credit policy and credit allocation in the 1973–2005 period for 17 advanced economies. Taking account of co-integration, we present evidence that the decline of credit policies is significantly associated with a lower share of lending to non-financial firms. It may be worth revisiting the potential of credit policies to support adequate financing for goals such as innovation, industrial development and the transition to a low-carbon economy