Does Education Abroad Help to Alleviate Poverty at Home? An Assessment

Flows of students abroad are increasing rapidly, encouraged by globalisation pressures, by declining quality of university provision in some of the poorest states and by the income needs of northern universities. Students from developing countries are increasingly self-financed, from middle-income countries and from richer families across all countries. The paper argues that both the direct and indirect impacts of these trends on poverty in sending states are likely to be negative. Some increased influence on home policy-formation by the overseas Indian and Chinese diaspora, and increased flows of return migrants to high-growth states in response to targeted recruitment incentives, provide evidence for countervailing tendencies. But for most developing countries, where economic growth is less dynamic, net benefits of international education for poverty alleviation remain unrealised.

The labor market and economic stabilization inZambia

This report examines trends in the Zambian labor market over the period since independence. It focuses particularly on two phenomena - skill shortages and wage rigidities - which have made it more difficult for the economy to recover from the fall in price of its main export commodity : copper, in the mid 1970s. Real wages did fall somewhat over the following decade, but insufficiently so to promote economic diversification and recovery. The rigidities also help to explain the failure of more recent stabilization efforts, including the IMF program of 1985 - 1987.Environmental Economics&Policies,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Public Sector Economics&Finance,Banks&Banking Reform,Inequality

Gender equality in education - increasing the momentum for change

All nations are committed, via their espousal of the Millennium Development Goals, to eliminate gender disparities in education over the next few years. This policy brief examines the major causes of existing inequalities in education, based upon an assessment of recent research results, and sets out lessons for policy change. Although the causes of inequality are complex, policy reforms to improve women's rights in the household and the market place, to reduce the direct costs of schooling to households, and to improve school quality in gender-aware ways can do much to encourage and sustain increased enrolments amongst both girls and boys. Although the 2005 target of achieving gender parity at primary and secondary levels has been missed, that for 2015 can be reached if carefully focussed reforms are employed

Are African Governments as Unproductive as the Accelerated Development Report Implies?

RESUME RESUME Est?ce que les gouvernements africains sont aussi improductifs que le donne à entendre le Accelerated Development Report? Il existe peu de preuves qui permettent de soutenir la thèse de l'existence d'une corrélation entre l'importance des dépenses gouvernementales et les rendements économiques des SSA. De là le fait que le Rapport est mal conçu lorsqu'il veut démontrer qu'une réduction de la taille du secteur public entrainerait obligatoirement un développement accéléré. De plus, en pratique, la privatisation signifierait, dans la plupart des cas, l'arrivée de capitaux étrangers qui, probablement, apporteraient peu d'avantages à l'économie interne. Encore plus préoccupant est le fait que la prestation des services de base, d'après le Rapport, devrait être confiée au secteur privé. Les raisons n'en sont pas très claires mais les conséquences signifieraient très certainement une réduction dans l'accès aux services pour les pauvres du secteur rural. Il ne fait aucun doute que dans la conjoncture internationale actuelle, les budgets des gouvernements africains ont besoin d'être adafptés, mais ceci ne doit pas se faire au détriment d'une diminution des investissements dans les valeurs humaines dont dépend, à long terme, la croissance de la productivité. Des réductions de dépenses administratives et de défense alliées à des modifications de structures des salaires constitueraient, pour les SSA, des options plus efficaces et socialement plus désirables. RESUMEN RESUMEN ¿Son los gobiernos africanos tan improductivos como implica el Informe de Desarrollo Acelerado? Existe muy poca evidencia que respalde la reclamación de que existe una correlación entre el volumen de gasto del gobierno y el rendimiento económico en Africa Subsahariana. Por esta razón, se interpreta mal el Informe al argüir que una reducción del ámbito que abarca el sector público daría lugar necesariamente a un desarrollo acelerado. Más aun, en términos prácticos, la privatización implicaría, en la mayoría de los casos, la atracción de capital extranjero, con la improbabilidad de que aporte escasos beneficios a la economía nacional. Es aun más preocupante el hecho de que lo que el Informe recomienda que debería situarse en manos privadas es la provisión de los servicio básicos. No resultan claras las razones para ello, si bien efectos serían con toda certeza la reducción de acceso a los servicios para los pobres del sector rural. No existe duda alguna de que a juzgar por el clima internacional, necesitan ajustarse los presupuestos de los gobiernos africanos, acción que no debería ser a costa de disminuir la inversión en los bienes humanos sobre los que depende el incremento de la productividad a largo plazo. La reducción de los gastos en administración y defensa, junto con cambios introducidos en las estructuras de jornales y salarios, constituirían alternativas más eficaces y socialmente deseables para el Africa Subsahariana

Global gender goals and the construction of equality: conceptual dilemmas and policy practice

The achievement of gender equality in education, and of women's empowerment more generally, have recently become established amongst the highest international priorities for policy action. This paper examines the processes by which they came to be included amongst the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It argues that the revised targets to 2015 are more practicable than earlier goals. However, it shows that rates of progress will need to be improved, and that financial support from the north is still running at less than half the required levels. Goal achievement presupposes some agreed understanding of the meaning of gender equality. The paper reveals important contradictions between the language of analysis and the vocabulary of policy. Finally, it examines some of the instruments available for monitoring progress and building pressure for policy reform. It shows that failures to meet policy undertakings are as evident – and as serious in their implications for the possibility of achieving the MDGs – amongst aid donors as they are amongst developing-country governments themselves

Financing education in Kenya: expenditures, outcomes and the role of international aid

This paper analyses educational expenditures in Kenya over the past two decades, comparing these with changes in enrolments and outputs from the education system. While there is a direct relationship between public financing policy and participation in education, the positive outcomes in the sector cannot be directly attributed to external aid. Though aid has played its part, the major stimulus to sector improvement has been internal. But the Kenyan experience shows that aid has had an impact on national policy and, at times, Kenya has seemed to change its policy objectives in order to access aid. Though a strong economy by African standards, Kenya's continued reliance on external support is inevitable if its ambitious objectives in the education sector are to be upheld

The Economics of Labour Shortage: Three Case Studies from Northern Borneo

SUMMARY This article briefly examines the causes of labour shortage in the oil?producing states of Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak. In Brunei, it is caused entirely by high public expenditures, financed by oil revenues. In the other two states, high levels of smallholder productivity are also important causes. Governments face a range of policy options in response to labour shortage. The most common response is the importation of foreign labour. The article shows that, whilst this strategy appears to be in the interests of supplier states, it is compatible with the likely wage and employment objectives of importing states only under special circumstances, and for a fairly tightly defined quantity of imported labour. RESUME Considérations Economiques sue la Pénurie de Main d'Oeuvre: Trois Etudes de Cas Dans le Nord de Bornéo Cet article examine brièvement les causes du manque de main d'oeuvre dans les pays producteurs de pétrole de Brunei, Sabah et Sarawak. A Brunei, la pénurie de main d'oeuvre est entièrement due aux dépenses publiques très élevées. Dans les deux autres pays, les hauts niveaux de productivité de petits cultivateurs en sont aussi une cause importante. Les gouvernements font face à un choix de mesures possibles à prendre en réponse au manque de main d'oeuvre: la réaction la plus commune est l'importation de main d'oeuvre étrangère. L'article montre que, tandis que cette stratégie semble être dans l'intérêt des pays qui procurent la main d'oeuvre, elle n'est compatible avec les objectifs concernant les salaires et l'emploi suceptibles de convenir aux pays importateurs que dans des circonstances précises et pour une quantité de main d'oeuvre bien définie. RESUMEN La economia de la escasez de mano de obra. Tres estudios de casos de Borneo del Norte Este artículo examina brevemente las causas de la escasez de trabajo en los estados petroleros de Brunei, Sabaha y Sarawak. En Brunei, es causada enteramente por altos gastos públicos, fínanciados por las utilidades petroleras. En los otros dos estados, los altos niveles de productividad de pequeños propietarios son también causas importantes. Los gobiernos enfrentan un rango de opciones de politicas para responder a la escasez de mano de obra. La respuesta más común es la importación de fuerza de trabajo. El artículo muestra que, mientras esta estratagia parece ser favorable a los estados proveedores, es compatible con los salarios y objetivos de empleo de los estados importadores sólo bajo circunstancias especiales y para una cantidad de mano de obra importada equitativamente bien definida

The impact of aid on education policy in India

In the early 1990s, large numbers of children in India remained out of school. International commitments to achieve education for all (EFA) globally meant that India was an important case for donors. India was pressed to accept aid for primary education, and agreed with some reluctance. Although subsequent donor involvement was substantial and influenced aspects of both policy implementation and management, it is shown that Indian education policy priorities remained self-determined. The government of India – though falling short of securing universal education for its children - succeeded in using external resources and expertise in ways which suited its own purposes, whilst minimising external impact on policy development. The politics and economics of this process are discussed