Vertical Intra-Industry Trade, Technology and Income Distribution: A Panel Data Analysis of EU Trade with Central-East European Countries

This article tests a Heckscher-Ohlin framework versus a neo-Ricardian framework for explaining vertical intra-industry trade. The study applies panel techniques with instrument variables to analyse trade between 'old' EU and 10 Central-East European countries in their transition period. Results show country-pair fixed effects to be of high relevance for explaining vertical intra-industry trade. Technology differences are positively, while differences in factor endowment measured in GDP per capita, are negatively correlated with vertical intra-industry trade, and confirm the relevance of the neo-Ricardian framework. In addition, changing bilateral differences in personal income distribution during the transition of Central-East European countries towards a market economy contribute to changes in vertical intra-industry trade

Education and household welfare in Sri Lanka from 1985 to 2006

This paper looks at the impact of education on household economic welfare in Sri Lanka over twenty years from 1985 to 2006 using five cross section household survey datasets. Applying quantile regression techniques the analysis finds that the incremental value to household welfare shows a distinct jump for an extra year of education at levels where important national examinations are completed. Moreover, higher quantiles systematically enjoy greater incremental welfare to education levels between Grade 8 to completed Advanced level examinations. Both these effects happen partly via the labour market, as labour market returns to employment display similar trends. The first finding suggests that credentials are important in the labour market. The second finding suggests that individuals in the upper quantiles probably have better quality education as well as social and analytical skills that complement formal education, enabling them to earn higher returns for their education

Returns to education in Sri Lanka: a pseudo panel approach

This study employs the pseudo-panel approach to estimate returns to education among income earners in Sri Lanka. Pseudo-panel data are constructed from nine repreated cross-sections of Sri Lank

Why are boys falling behind? Explaining gender gaps in school attainment in Sri Lanka

An increasingly common trend in developed countries and middle income countries such as Thailand, South Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka is that females outperform males in terms of attainment at school and enrollment in higher education, on average. Surprisingly, in countries such as Sri Lanka and Thailand, households also seem to allocate significantly higher resources towards girls’ education rather than boys’ (Himaz, 2010; Wongmonta & Glewwe, 2017). This paper looks at attainment in mathematics among a sample of 12 year olds in Sri Lanka and uses decomposition analysis to see to what extent parental aspirations and teacher attitudes, inter alia, can explain gender differentials disfavoring boys. The paper finds that although teacher attitudes and parental aspirations are significantly lower for boys, these factors -as we measure them- do not sufficiently explain the attainment gap. Much of the gap remains ‘unexplained’ and is due to differences in returns to endowments. The paper argues that positive discrimination of men in the labor market and bottle necks in higher-education may be important in understanding the unexplained component. This emphasizes the need to look beyond school level interventions to address the issue of gender imbalances in attainment

School Health and Nutrition in Sri Lanka

School health and nutrition (SHN) programs are critical for achieving education for all (EFA) as research has shown that improvements in health status contribute to improvements in learning and academic outcomes. Through programs targeted to address major health conditions that are highly prevalent among poor schoolchildren, (for example, iron deficiency anemia, hunger, worm infections, diarrheal disease, and malaria) SHN programs can have a large impact on children’s education, increasing the time that they spend at school and their ability to learn while at school. SHN programs are recognized as important educational policy initiatives to improve education outcomes. Furthermore, schools provide an excellent platform for the delivery of child health and nutrition services, where they can strengthen the cost-effectiveness of health interventions and deliver gains in participation and learning. In this paper, the policy platform is documented as well as the type, coverage, and the effect of the SHN interventions, followed by the key areas identified for development and learning of the school health promotion program (SHPP)

Trade and Revealed Comparative Advantage: Hungary, the Czech Republic, and the European Union

This study analyses the trade of Hungary and the Czech Republic with the European Union in 1997.After a general introduction, the focus turns to the extent of intra-industry trade (IIT) and its horizontal and vertical components.The extent of IIT is also analysed in light of the flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) from the European Union to Hungary and the Czech Republic.This is followed by an analysis of revealed comparative advantage (RCA) in trade between the EU and the two Central European countries.The CN4-digit trade data is divided into two groups according to whether a country enjoys a revealed comparative advantage in a given market area or not.Statistical tests are performed to determine the extent to which the RCA structures of each pair of countries are dependent.The analysis also takes into account the volumes of trade flows