Dirigisme Taiwan?Style

SUMMARY The Government of Taiwan has pursued a much more aggressive set of industrial policies than free trade principles would justify. It has been anticipating rather than simply responding to Taiwan's changing international competitiveness. It has also been selecting particular products for encouragement and putting public resources behind its signals, in a way that neoclassical economics says officials cannot get right. This article describes the main industrial policies in operation over the past decade or so, and concludes that Taiwan cannot be used to support the case that if only the government of a developing country gets the prices right that country can expect very good growth. RESUMEN El estilo dirigista de Taiwán El gobierno de Taiwán ha puesto en práctica un conjunto de políticas industriales mucho más agresivo que lo que justifican los principios de libre comercio, habiéndose anticipado a la cambiante competitividad internacional, en lugar de remitirse sólo a darle una respuesta. Además, ha seleccionado determinados productos para servir de estimulo y puesto recursos públicos detrás de estas señales, en una vía que según la economía neoclásica no puede dar resultados. Este articulo describe las principales políticas industriales que han operado aproximadamente en la década pasada y concluye que el caso de Taiwán no puede usarse para demostrar que sólo si el gobierno de un pais en desarrollo obtiene los precios correctos se puede esperar un muy buen crecimiento. RESUMES Le dirigisme dans le style de Taiwan Le gouvernement de Taiwan a poursuivi un ensemble de politiques industrielles beaucoup plus agressive que les principes du libre?échange auraient pu justifier. Il a anticipé plutôt que simplement fait face au changement de l'attitude concurentielle internationale de Taiwan. Il a aussi selectionné certains produits à être encouragés et a mis les ressources publiques à la disposition de ces promotions, d'une façon que les économies néo?classiques selon les fonctionnaires n'ont pas pu atteindre. Cet article décrit les principales politiques industrielles à l'oeuvre pendant les dix dernières années, et conclut que Taiwan ne peut pas être utilisé pour appuyer le cas suivant: seulement dans une situation où le gouvernement d'un pays en voie de developpement aurait les prix justes ce pays pourrait s'attendre à une très bonne croissance économique

Balance of Payments Support Aid in Japan:

Summaries The paper presents an overview of the historical evolution of BOP support aid in Japan, including changes in its policies and modalities. Organizational set?up and evaluation methodologies of official donor agencies such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, OECF and EXIM are explained. The methodologies are analyzed in the following two ways: items covered in the evaluations and analytical methods. Lessons and suggestions from their evaluations are as follows: objectives of structural adjustment programmes should be clearly defined; direct indicators for impact should be selected in correspondence with policy measures categorized; and the impact of other factors than structural adjustment, especially project aid, should be separated

Climate change adaptation in practice: People's responses to tidal flooding in Semarang, Indonesia

In many places in the world the effects of common floods are increased by climate change. In the area around the Indonesian city of Semarang, the number and effects of tidal flooding are becoming more and more severe. We found that the inhabitants used different strategies against the impact of flooding. In both the existing and the predicted flood prone areas, most people appear not to intend to leave the area, even when the floods become everyday routine. People are connected to their dwellings in a way that abandoning is not a realistic scenario. This study provides relevant information about the way people in the affected areas perceive flood risks and adaptation opportunities. Governmental policy-makers and urban planners could base their strategies and actions on this information. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Flood Risk Managemen

Modeling the Total Allowable Area for Coastal Reclamation : a case study of Xiamen, China

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2013. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Ocean & Coastal Management 76 (2013):38-44, doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2013.02.015.This paper presents an analytical framework to estimate the Total Allowable Area for Coastal Reclamation (TAACR) to provide scientific support for the implementation of a coastal reclamation restriction mechanism. The logic of the framework is to maximize the net benefits of coastal reclamation subject to a set of constraints. Various benefits and costs, including the ecological and environmental costs of coastal reclamation, are systematically quantified in the framework. Model simulations are developed using data from Tongan Bay of Xiamen. The results suggest that the TAACR in Tongan Bay is 5.67 km2, and the area of the Bay should be maintained at least at 87.52 km2.The study was funded by the National Oceanic Public Welfare Projects (No. 201105006) and the Fujian Natural Science Foundation (No. 2010J01360

Understanding mobility characteristics and needs of older persons in urban Pakistan with respect to use of public transport and self-driving

Since 1990, Pakistan's demographic transition has been increasing life spans with a steady rise in the number of older persons. Pakistan faces many challenges in caring for its older population. The proportion of the population aged 60 years and above is estimated to increase from 5.8% in 2000 to 12.4% in 2050. A study was conducted to understand the existing mobility characteristics of the elderly, their perceived needs and constraining factors. Data was collected using convenient sampling from 450 people aged 60 years or older in nine towns within Lahore City. Older people were approached around urban facilities (shops, banks, terminals) and asked to respond to survey questions. Within-residence interviews were also conducted, mainly for those women who declined interviews in public places. Descriptive and comparative analyses were performed, including Pearson's chi squared test for independence. The results are discussed in terms of mode choice, public transport preferences, self-driving issues and the relative benefits of formal and informal public transport options. The study found lower levels of weekly trip-making compared to those reported for older people in China, South Korea and USA. Vehicle ownership (mainly carsand motorcycles) and socio-demographic factors were found to significantly affect trip making. There were large gender differences in trip making and vehicle ownership, suggesting further research and policy action targeting the mobility needs of elderly women. Older persons were concerned about safety issues concerning public transport and self-driving, and also the behavior of transport crews, and this has informed several of the concluding policy recommendations

Relationship between household wealth inequality and chronic childhood under-nutrition in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND: Household food insecurity and under-nutrition remain critically important in developing countries struggling to emerge from the scourge of poverty, where historically, improvements in economic conditions have benefited only certain privileged groups, causing growing inequality in health and healthcare among the population. METHODS: Utilizing information from 5,977 children aged 0-59 months included in the 2004 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey , this study examined the relationship between household wealth inequality and chronic childhood under-nutrition. A child is defined as being chronically undernourished or whose growth rate is adversely stunted, if his or her z-score of height-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the median of international reference. Household wealth status is measured by an established index based on household ownership of durable assets. This study utilized multivariate logistic regressions to estimate the effect of household wealth status on adverse childhood growth rate. RESULTS: The results indicate that children in the poorest 20% of households are more than three time as likely to suffer from adverse growth rate stunting as children from the wealthiest 20% of households (OR=3.6; 95% CI: 3.0, 4.3). The effect of household wealth status remain significantly large when the analysis was adjusted for a child's multiple birth status, age, gender, antenatal care, delivery assistance, birth order, and duration that the child was breastfed; mother's age at childbirth, nutritional status, education; household access to safe drinking water, arsenic in drinking water, access to a hygienic toilet facility, cooking fuel cleanliness, residence, and geographic location (OR=2.4; 95% CI: 1.8, 3.2). CONCLUSION: This study concludes that household wealth inequality is strongly associated with childhood adverse growth rate stunting. Reducing poverty and making services more available and accessible to the poor are essential to improving overall childhood health and nutritional status in Bangladesh

Pa Mong stage one : feasibility report.

"Prepared for the Committee for Coordination of Investigations of the Lower Mekong Basin and the Agency for International Development."Includes bibliographical references.1. Land resources -- 2. Drainage -- 3. Hydrology and climatology -- 4. Geology -- 5. Plans and estimates -- 6. Economic agricultural, social and financial analysis -- 7. Corollary studies.Mode of access: Internet