Export-Led growth hypothesis: Evidence from Cote d’Ivoire

This paper re-examine the export-led growth hypothesis for Cote d’Ivoire using the Bounds test analysis: unrestricted error correction model (UECM) for the period 1980-2007. Based on the model, exports, labor force and economic liberalization policies have stimulated economic growth, whereas, imports and exchange rate negatively impacted on economic growth. The results indicate that there exists a long-term relationship between economic growth and its determinants in our model. In addition, the VAR Granger/Block-exogeneity Wald tests reveal an evidence of bi-directional causality between exports and economic growth. Thus findings have important messages for policy makers given that export sector dominance in Cote d’Ivoire economy.Cote d’Ivoire, Economy growth, Cointegration, Causality test, Exports.

Telecommuications reform in Cote d'Ivoire

This paper analyzes C?e d'Ivoire's experience with telecommunications liberalization and privatization. C?e d'Ivoire privatized its incumbent operator in 1997, and granted the newly privatized firm seven years of fixed-line exclusivity while introducing"managed competition"in the cellular market and free competition in value-added services (VAS). By March 2001, three cellular operators and a number of VAS providers had entered the market. Reform has thus significantly changed the landscape of C?e d'Ivoire's telecommunications sector and has brought with it tremendous improvement in sector performance. Between 1997 and 2001, fixed-line telephone penetration grew from 1.03 to 1.80 per hundred people, while mobile penetration skyrocketed from 0.26 to 4.46. But it is still too early to assess the validity of granting exclusivity to the incumbent operator. While penetration increased, the operator did not meet objectives regarding rural telephony and service quality. Moreover, fixed-line penetration increased in areas where the operator faced competition from mobile providers.Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Telecommunications Infrastructure,Broadcast and Media,ICT Policy and Strategies,Economic Theory&Research,ICT Policy and Strategies,Telecommunications Infrastructure,Economic Theory&Research,Broadcast and Media,Rural Communications

Maîtrise de la fécondité et planification familiale au Sud

L'article situe d'abord le contexte dans lequel s'opèrent les programmes de planification familiale en Côte d'Ivoire. Le gouvernement a apporté un soutien aux programmes de planification familiale puisque leurs objectifs étaient de réduire les taux de mortalité maternelle et infantile, mais a laissé l'initiative de la réalisation de ces programmes aux ONG et aux institutions internationales. La région d'Aboisso (sud-est de la Côte d'Ivoire) est une zone pilote d'implantation des programmes de planification familiale, car la fécondité y est forte. Un bilan est dressé un an après l'implantation de ce programme. Le succès est limité puisque la prévalence contraceptive moyenne reste faible, mais les intentions d'utiliser une méthode contraceptive sont élevées chez les jeunes femmes et les hommes. L'article conclut en évoquant le facteur de blocage à l'utilisation à la contraception que pourrait être la situation de crise actuelle, avec notamment la baisse du niveau de scolarisation. (Résumé d'auteur

Distribution and origin of lead in stream sediments from small agricultural catchments draining Miocene molassic deposits (SW France)

Total Pb concentrations and isotopic composition were determined in stream-bed sediments and bedrock from 29 small agricultural or forested catchments in the Gascogne area (SW France). The contribution of Pb from various natural and anthropogenic sources was investigated in this rural area which is very weakly impacted by industrial or urban emissions. Environmental parameters in catchments (importance of forest cover, organic matter and oxide content in sediments) were considered. A combination of geochemical (enrichment calculation, sequential extraction) and isotopic investigations was performed to constrain the origin of Pb and the distribution of anthropogenic Pb in sediments. Most of the sediments have low total Pb content compared to other agricultural regions more impacted by industrial or urban emissions. The results indicated a moderate but significant Pb enrichment, particularly for catchments draining forested areas. This enrichment was positively related to organic C content in sediment and catchment forest cover, whereas in entirely cultivated catchments it was related to Fe-oxide content. An average anthropogenic end-member was determined using Pb isotopes, and was supposed to be representative of background atmospheric Pb pollution, with a weak influence of Pb from recent gasoline and local fertiliser spreading. The amount of anthropogenic Pb (Pbanthr) in sediments estimated using a geochemical approach (mean 63.7 ± 20.4%) was higher than that estimated using an isotopic approach (mean 36.6 ± 17.8%), but the same trend was observed among the samples, except for low anthropogenic contributions. The distribution of Pbanthr in sediments from weakly forested catchments indicated a strong affinity for carbonates and Fe-oxides. Amorphous Fe-oxides became preferential trapping compounds as soon as Pb enrichment increased and carbonate content decreased. Finally, in cultivated catchments, organic C was not a main trapping component for Pbanthr in sediments

Insecticide resistance in the West African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae and investigation of alternative tools for its delay

There is a current policy to eliminate malaria in the African continent. Pyrethroid-incorporated Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) and/or Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) are the chemical weapons being deployed to achieve that goal. Rather worryingly, resistance to pyrethroids is well documented in the major vectors of malaria in Africa, and could decimate the contribution that vector control can make to any successful elimination agenda over the next decade. DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) for IRS is cost effective but undesirable because of its environmental impact. There is a need to identify pyrethroid resistance mechanisms in the areas being scaled up, evaluate their direct impact on the efficacy of these tools and identify novel tools that might have potential as alternatives to pyrethroids and DDT for net or indoor residual treatments. This thesis reports that pyrethroid, organophosphate (Ops) & carbamate resistance is present in the Mopti (M) and Savanah (S) molecular forms of the major vector of malaria, Anopheles gambiae, in two West African countries, Benin and Ivory Coast where LLINs are currently being deployed,. Mechanisms for pyrethroids include elevated oxidase activities and the knock down resistance (kdr) gene at high frequency (>80%) whereas an insensitive acetylcholinesterase conferred Ops and carbamate resistance. Experimental hut tests in Southern Benin showed that the efficacy of Insecticide Treated Net (ITN) and IRS with the pyrethroid lambdacyalothrin was seriously compromised by pyrethroid resistance in the M form of An. gambiae, as opposed to the North where there is no record of pyrethroid resistance. This type of pyrethroid resistance, now spreading through West African populations of the M molecular form of An. gambiae, appears to have major operational significance in other areas such as Bioko, Niger and Burkina Faso. The alternative candidate insecticides, indoxacarb (an oxadiazine), chlorfenapy (a pyrrole) and chlorpyrifos methyl (an organophosphate) were evaluated, in the laboratory and/or in the field. In the laboratory, indoxacarb and chlorfenapyr on netting were more toxic than permethrin over the same dosage range (100-500mg/m2). Toxic activity was rather slow and bloodfeeding of mosquitoes was uninhibited in the presence of either insecticide. The experimental hut tests conducted in Southern Benin indicated that chlorfenapyr has high potential for IRS, killing 82.9% of pyrethroid resistant An. gambiae and 69% of Culex quinquefasciatus. Likewise, IRS with chlorpyrifos methyl CS (Capsule Suspension) was very efficacious at the same site in Benin. It killed 95.5% of pyrethroid resistant An. gambiae that entered a hut and showed activity on walls that lasted for more than 9 months without significant decay. If applied at high coverage, chlorpyrifos methyl CS should show higher, more-sustained levels of malaria transmission control than that achievable with DDT or pyrethroids. The feasibility of applying synthetic insect repellents on bednets (RTNs) to control insecticide resistant mosquitoes was explored in the second country, Ivory Coast. The results of tests done in experimental huts showed that formulations of volatile DEET (N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) and ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate (IR3535) on nets reduced bloodfeeding and the entry rate of mosquitoes into huts. An unexpected result was the 69-76% mortality of An. gambiae and 51-61% mortality of Cx. quinquefasciatus in huts containing RTNs. The DEET-based product provided better efficacy but was short-lived. Further treatment of netting with a formulation of DEET in which the repellent is gradually released from a capsule that binds the repellent strongly, showed that the formulation repels, inhibits blood-feeding and kills mosquitoes for a period of at least 6 months under laboratory conditions. Application of repellents to nets warrants further investigation as well as their development as alternatives to pyrethroids. Because it will not be possible to go for malaria elimination with the current tools, based on pyrethroids only, the results obtained with chlorfenapyr, indoxacarb and chlorpyrifos methyl should encourage further studies aiming at supplementing pyrethroids for vector control in areas where malaria mosquitoes are resistant to pyrethroids. <br/

Etude théorique de la cyclocondensation [4+2] de N,N-diméthyl- N-(3-oxo-cyclohexe-1-enyl)-formamidine avec les 9H-carbazole 1,4-dione substitués et activés par le brome

Theoretical study of [4+2] cyclocondensation of N,N-dimethyl-N-(3-oxocyclohexe-1-enyl)-formamidine with substituted and bromo-activated 9Hcarbazole1,4-dioneA theoretical study of hetero-Diels-Alder reaction between N,N-diméthyl-N-(3-oxocyclohexe-1-enyl)-formamidine (aza-diene) and substituted 9H-carbazole-1,4-dione. This reaction is regioselective and is an effective method for synthesizing calothrixin B and its analogues. The rich-electron substituted dienophiles permit to acces to the major adducts. The theoretical results are consistent with experience

Trace elements in stream bed sediments from agricultural catchments (Gascogne region, S-W France): Where do they come from?

The Gascogne region (SW of France) is cultivated for more than 75% of the area. 83 samples of stream bed sediments were collected in three main Gascogne river basins (Gers, Save and Touch, left tributaries of the Garonne river) to evaluate the impact of agricultural practices on trace elements behavior. Eight potential harmful elements (PHE) (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb), four reference elements for normalization (Sc, Cs, Al and Fe) and four major elements (Mn, Ca, Mg and P) were considered. The average trace element concentrations in the fine fractions (b63 μm) are in the decreasing order: ZnNCrNNiNPbNCuNCoNAsNScNCsNCd. Geochemical investigations and an original approach combining regression analysis and chemical sequential extraction allowed to select the most adequate reference material (regional molasse)and reference element (Cs) for normalization procedure. The enrichment factor (EF) is generally lower than 2.5, particularly for Cr, Ni, Cu, As, Zn; however, 23% of the sampling stations are more contaminated (2.5bEFb4.5), particularly for Cd, Pb and Co. The PHE in the Gascogne river sediments are mainly originated from natural weathering processes; nevertheless, anthropogenic contribution could represent up to 34% of the total sediment content. For lead, geochemical and isotopic methods gave very similar anthropogenic contributions (24% and 22%, respectively). The enrichment of Cu, Pb, Zn, Co, As, Ni, Cr was mainly related to global and local atmospheric deposition of industrial emissions and gasoline combustion, and was associated to forested catchments. All PHE's are controlled by clay and oxi-hydroxides minerals. Cdwas the only PHE enriched downstreamcultivated catchments and this enrichmentwas linked to Ca and P. This indicates a major origin of Cd fromfertilizer inputs and a main control by carbonate mineral

Choice of the Empirical Definition of Zero in the Translog Multiproduct Cost Functional Form

This study examines the impacts of empirical definition of zero output values on price elasticities, economy of scope, and scale using the Translog cost function. A system of cost and factor share equations with regularity conditions imposed is estimated. Results show that the choice of default values affects policy recommendations.Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,