HIV/AIDS, human capital, and economic prospects for Mozambique

As in other countries in the southern Africa region, a human development catastrophe is unfolding in Mozambique. Recently released data estimate HIV prevalence rates amongst the adult population in the year 2000 at around 12% with substantial regional variation..... This paper is structured as follows. Section two discusses the implications of recently released HIV prevalence rates and provides more detail on the expected demographic impacts of the pandemic using available demographic projections. Section three reviews literature focusing on macroeconomic impacts. Section four formally analyzes implications for human capital accumulation. Section five presents the economy-wide modeling approach including critical assumptions and model scenarios. Section six discusses the major results. Section seven summarizes and section eight considers both reactive and preventive policy implications.....[The paper concludes that] the economic analysis and related policy implications provide strong support for adoption of both reactive and preventive policies. While the pandemic cannot be avoided, much can be done to reduce its harshness and duration. Some relatively broad policy options were also presented; however, as usual, the devils are in the details. Moving beyond these general policy ideas (both reactive and preventive) to real policy initiatives will require careful thought particularly with respect to issues of implementation.Human capital ,

On Trade Policy Reform and the Missing Revenue: an Application to Mozambique

In many developing countries, large discrepancies exist between revenues implied by published tariff rates multiplied by estimated import volumes and actual receipts. We develop a stylized trade model where average and marginal tariff rates diverge and incorporate insights from this model into a computable general equilibrium model of Mozambique to study the implications of trade policy reform. Model simulations indicate that lowering tariff rates and reducing duty free importation in a manner that maintains official revenue benefits nearly everyone with the main exception being those, who benefited from duty free imports in the base.trade policy; public revenue; Mozambique

HIV/AIDS and Primary School Performance in Tanzania

We examine the performance of the primary school education system in Tanzania over the 1990sa decade characterized by substantial AIDS deaths. Given the relatively robust correlation between educational attainment and productivity established in the literature in both agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, human capital accumulation through education forms a major component of development strategy. At the same time, AIDS poses clear threats to the goal of human capital accumulation through education. To assess performance of the primary school system, we estimate non-stationary education transition matrices using a minimum cross entropy approach at the national, sub-national, and regional levels for girls, boys, and all students. Results indicate a deterioration in primary school performance using enrollments in grade 7, the final year of primary school, as a metric. This deterioration in performance occurred despite increased real resource allocations to the public education system and positive, if only tepid, overall economic growth trends. We conclude that the HIV/AIDS pandemic has quite likely slowed human capital accumulation in Tanzania.Health Economics and Policy, Labor and Human Capital,

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,

DEMAND FOR HERBICIDE IN CORN: AN ENTROPY APPROACH USING MICRO-LEVEL DATA

Price responsiveness of herbicide demand in corn for farmers in Indiana'Â’s White River Basin using cross-section data from individual farms is estimated. Particular attention is paid to appropriate treatment of binding nonnegativity constraints. Estimation was first attempted using an approach to demand systems estimation suggested by Lee and Pitt. However, analytical and computational difficulties effectively preclude estimation by the Lee and Pitt approach. As an alternative, a maximum entropy (ME) approach is presented and discussed. Results from the ME estimator tentatively indicate limited response of herbicide demand to changes in own prices. The maximum entropy approach to demand systems estimation appears to have merit and warrants further attention.Crop Production/Industries, Demand and Price Analysis,

The Doha Trade Round and Mozambique

This paper considers the potential implications of the Doha Development Agenda, as well as other trade liberalization scenarios, for Mozambique. An applied general equilibrium model, which accounts for high marketing margins and home consumption in the Mozambique economy, is linked to results from the GTAP model of global trade. In addition, a microsimulation module is used to consider the subsequent implications of trade liberalization for poverty. The implications of trade liberalization, particularly the Doha scenarios, are found to be relatively small. Presuming that a more liberal trading regime will positively influence growth in Mozambique, an opportunity exists to put in place such a regime without imposing significant adjustment costs.Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Consumption,Access to Markets

Are Biofuels Good for African Development? An Analytical Framework with Evidence from Mozambique and Tanzania

Many low income countries in Africa are optimistic that producing biofuels domestically will not only reduce their dependence on imported fossil fuels, but also stimulate economic development, particularly in poorer rural areas. Skeptics, on the other hand, view biofuels as a threat to food security in the region and as a landgrabbing opportunity for foreign investors. As a result of this ongoing debate, national biofuels task forces have been asked to evaluate both the viability of domestic biofuels production and its broader implications for economic development. To guide these complex evaluations, this paper presents an analytical framework that prioritizes different aspects of a comprehensive national assessment and identifies suitable evaluation methods. The findings from recent assessments for Mozambique and Tanzania are used to illustrate the framework. While these two country studies found that biofuels investments could enhance development, their experiences highlight potential tradeoffs, especially at the macroeconomic and environmental levels, where further research is needed.biofuels, economic development, food security, poverty, Africa

Biofuels and economic development in Tanzania

Biofuels provide a new opportunity to enhance economic development in Tanzania. Drawing on detailed cost estimates, we develop a dynamic computable general equilibrium model to estimate the impact of different biofuel production scenarios on growth and poverty. Our results indicate that maximizing the poverty-reducing effects of a biofuels industry in Tanzania requires engaging and improving the productivity of smallholder farmers. Evidence shows that cassava-based ethanol production is more profitable than other feedstock options. Our findings also indicate that cassava generates higher levels of pro-poor growth than do sugarcane-based systems. However, if smallholder yields can be improved rather than expanding cultivated land, then sugarcane and cassava outgrower schemes can produce similar pro-poor outcomes. We conclude that in so far as the public investments needed to establish a biofuels industry in Tanzania are in accordance with national development plans, producing biofuels will contribute to achieving the country�s overall development objectives.Biofuels, Cassava, Computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, Growth, Poverty,

Aid and Growth: Have We Come Full Circle?

The micro-macro paradox has been revived. Despite broadly positive evaluations at the micro and meso-levels, recent literature has turned decidedly pessimistic with respect to the ability of foreign aid to foster economic growth. Policy implications, such as the complete cessation of aid to Africa, are being drawn on the basis of fragile evidence. This paper first assesses the aid-growth literature with a focus on recent contributions. The aid-growth literature is then framed, for the first time, in terms of the Rubin Causal Model, applied at the macroeconomic level. Our results show that aid has a positive and statistically significant causal effect on growth over the long run with point estimates at levels suggested by growth theory. We conclude that aid remains an important tool for enhancing the development prospects of poor nations.foreign aid, growth, aid effectiveness, causal effects