The incidence of youth unemployment in urban Ethiopia

This study addresses some issues relating to the urban youth labour market in Ethiopia. Using data from the Ethiopian Urban Socio-Economic Survey, the study finds a staggeringly high level of youth unemployment in urban Ethiopia. This is particularly the case for the adult youth group where the unemployment rate is well over 50 per cent. That the youth makes up over a third of the population in urban centres and that it bears the brunt of the unemployment problem makes a strong case for designing appropriate policy that tackles youth unemployment and marginalisation. It is well established elsewhere that improving the economic position of the youth in general and the women section of the youth in particular constitutes an integral part of the fight against poverty. In view of this, addressing the issue of youth unemployment would strongly be in line with the current drive to curb poverty in Ethiopia. A number of suggestions have been made regarding ways of abating youth unemployment problem in urban Ethiopia

Determinants of self-employment in urban Ethiopia: Panel data based evidence, PSI Discussion Paper (new series); 1

Various studies on the Ethiopian economy in general, and the urban sector in particular, have discussed the staggering level of unemployment in the country. Rapidly growing population and a less-than-satisfactory performance in economic growth over the years, among other reasons, are to blame for this situation. That the unemployment situation is particularly rampant among the youth which constitutes over a third of the population calls for urgent intervention aimed at improving the fate of the unemployed. Promoting self-employment forms an integral part of any intervention aimed at reducing unemployment. Given this, studying the determinants of self-employment is essential to inform concerned parties as to how self-employment can be encouraged. As well as surveying the relevant literature, the study undertakes an empirical investigation into the nature of self-employment using data from a unique panel data set, the Ethiopian Urban Socio-Economic Survey. Findings of the study give some evidence that self-employment is largely a route out of unemployment rather than being something driven by entrepreneurship. It also finds a declining trend in the patterns of self-employment over the study period. Very few studies have looked into issues relating to self-employment in the context of developing countries in general, and none in the case of Ethiopia. As such, this study serves an important role shedding some light on issues pertaining to self-employment

Mapping geographical inequalities in childhood diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000–17 : analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Across low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), one in ten deaths in children younger than 5 years is attributable to diarrhoea. The substantial between-country variation in both diarrhoea incidence and mortality is attributable to interventions that protect children, prevent infection, and treat disease. Identifying subnational regions with the highest burden and mapping associated risk factors can aid in reducing preventable childhood diarrhoea. Methods We used Bayesian model-based geostatistics and a geolocated dataset comprising 15 072 746 children younger than 5 years from 466 surveys in 94 LMICs, in combination with findings of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017, to estimate posterior distributions of diarrhoea prevalence, incidence, and mortality from 2000 to 2017. From these data, we estimated the burden of diarrhoea at varying subnational levels (termed units) by spatially aggregating draws, and we investigated the drivers of subnational patterns by creating aggregated risk factor estimates. Findings The greatest declines in diarrhoeal mortality were seen in south and southeast Asia and South America, where 54·0% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 38·1–65·8), 17·4% (7·7–28·4), and 59·5% (34·2–86·9) of units, respectively, recorded decreases in deaths from diarrhoea greater than 10%. Although children in much of Africa remain at high risk of death due to diarrhoea, regions with the most deaths were outside Africa, with the highest mortality units located in Pakistan. Indonesia showed the greatest within-country geographical inequality; some regions had mortality rates nearly four times the average country rate. Reductions in mortality were correlated to improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) or reductions in child growth failure (CGF). Similarly, most high-risk areas had poor WASH, high CGF, or low oral rehydration therapy coverage. Interpretation By co-analysing geospatial trends in diarrhoeal burden and its key risk factors, we could assess candidate drivers of subnational death reduction. Further, by doing a counterfactual analysis of the remaining disease burden using key risk factors, we identified potential intervention strategies for vulnerable populations. In view of the demands for limited resources in LMICs, accurately quantifying the burden of diarrhoea and its drivers is important for precision public health