Conflict, Disasters, and No Jobs: Reasons for International Migration from Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the highest growth rate in net international migration in the world. The reasons for this migration are investigated in this paper. First, a survey of the literature on the profile and determinants of international migration in SSA is given. Second, panel data on 45 countries spanning the period 1965 to 2005 are used to determine that the main reasons for international migration from SSA are armed conflict and lack of job opportunities. An additional year of conflict will raise net out-migration by 1.35 per 1,000 inhabitants and an additional 1 per cent growth will reduce net out-migration by 1.31 per 1,000. Demographic and environmental pressures have a less important direct impact, but a more pronounced indirect impact on migration through conflict and job opportunities. In particular, the frequency of natural disasters has a positive and significant effect on the probability that a country will experience an outbreak of armed conflict. Furthermore, there is no evidence of a ?migration hump? or of persistence in net migration rates in SSA, and no evidence that immigration is causing conflict in host countries.international migration, conflict, natural disasters, environmental degradation, environmentally forced migration, Africa

After the G.20 Summit: What Prospects for Global Development?

In the run.up to the Group of 20 (G.20) Summit that was held in London on 2 April 2009, many institutions (including governments, development organizations, NGOs and academics) identified issues and made recommendations for consideration. In this article I examine a selection of these recommendations and I evaluate the extent to which the summit gave consideration to these. I then try to answer two questions. First, what are the implications for global development? Second, with the UN Conference on the financial crisis approaching, what should be done about the many issues and recommendations that the G. 20 could not, or would not, consider?entrepreneurship, index, principal components analysis

The Global Economic Crisis after One Year: Is a New Paradigm for Recovery in Developing Countries Emerging?

One year into the global economic crisis, it has become clear that the paradigm for international development has changed irrevocably. With leadership, moral authority and the capacity of the West in international development diminishing, developing countries. recovery and future growth will critically hinge on their own initiatives, solutions and leadership. This policy brief summarizes the global responses to the crisis over the past year, points to their shortcomings and argues that a new paradigm for recovery in developing countries is emergingfinancial crisis, developing countries, development finance, financia

Climate Change and Industrial Policy

This paper explores the implications of climate change for industrial policy (IP). Five implications are discussed, namely the need for international coordination of IPs; for putting human development, and not emission targets, as the overriding objective of low-carbon IP; of stimulating innovation for energy efficiency, energy diversification, and carbon capture and storage; and for aligning IP with trade policies. Finally the funding needs of low-carbon IPs are discussed, and the importance of private sector funding emphasized.climate change, sustainable development, industrialization, industrial policy, low-carbon growth

How Will the Financial Crisis Impact on the Developing World and What Can Be Done About It?

Following the US subprime mortgage crisis of 2007.2008, the world is now staggering from financial to economic crisis as many high.income economies are officially in recession. Now, having decimated Wall Street and then crippled Main Street, the financial crisis seems like a hurricane about to sweep across the developing world. In this article, which is based on a more substantial UNU.WIDER Discussion Paper, I look at how the financial crisis may sweep across the developing world. I also ask what can be done to overcome the worst of the crisis and alleviate the impact thereof on the poor.

Out with the sleaze, in with the ease: Insufficient for entrepreneurial development?

Improved governance and lower start-up costs may not be sufficient for encouraging the type of entrepreneurship that matters for economic growth. $entrepreneurship, development, institutions

.Rushing in where Angels Fear to Tread?.: The Early Internationalization of Indigenous Chinese Firms

In this paper I empirically investigate the early international entrepreneurship of indigenous Chinese firms using data on 3,948 firms surveyed by the World Bank in 2002-03. I find important differences in the extent and motivation of early internationalization between indigenous and foreign-invested Chinese firms. Despite having started with internationalization relatively more recently than most foreign-invested firms, and despite having much less least foreign experience (only 1.3 years, on average, versus nine years) than foreign-invested firms, indigenous firms who internationalize early were found to perform better than foreign-invested firms. They may be .rushing in. to international markets, but so far this seems to be paying off quiteinternational entrepreneurship, international new ventures, exports, China

Peace, Prosperity, and Pro-Growth Entrepreneurship

Support for entrepreneurship is widely seen as a mechanism to facilitate prosperity and peace in a growing number of post-conflict states. In this paper I critically evaluate this view. I argue that entrepreneurship is a ubiquitous quality in post-conflict states but not necessarily always for the good. Unproductive and destructive entrepreneurship may inhibit the resurgence of the private sector and might even cause a relapse into conflict. To limit unproductive and destructive entrepreneurship there are at least six dimensions which need to be taken into consideration, namely: the context of war, the relationship between institutions and entrepreneurship, the role played by ethnic/immigrant (minority) entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs in diaspora, the scope of the market, human and financial capital requirements, and appropriate forms of government support. Further research on entrepreneurship in post-conflict states is needed to overcome the current lack of data, which constrains policy design.entrepreneurship, peace, security, reconstruction, development

Entrepreneurship is not a Binding Constraint on Growth and Development in the Poorest Countries

It is often claimed that entrepreneurship is indispensable for economic growth and development. These claims are mostly generated by scholars working in the field of entrepreneurship andmanagement studies. In contrast, development economics scholars seem to be less concerned about entrepreneurship in the development process Who is right? I show that the arguments and evidence marshalled so far fails to convincingly show that entrepreneurship is a binding constraint on development in the poorest countries. In development economics institutional weakness, not entrepreneurship, is considered by many tbe a more binding constraint on development, especially over the long run. However, recent advances at the interface of entrepreneurship and development economics suggest that unpacking the .black box. nature ofinstitutions may benefit from incorporating an .entrepreneur.. Thus, even if entrepreneurship isnot a binding constraint on economic development, it may still be worthwhile to study entrepreneurship in development as it may improve our understanding of the real binding constraints.entrepreneurship, development, development economics, institutions

Entrepreneurship in Economic Development

What is the role of entrepreneurship in economic development? At a minimum the answer should be able to explain the role of entrepreneurs in the structural transformation of countries from low income, primary-sector based societies into high-income service and technology based societies. More broadly though, it should also be able to explain the role of entrepreneurs in the opposite pole of stagnating development (including conflict) and in high innovation-driven growth. Although economic development lacks a ?general theory? of entrepreneurship, which could encompass a variety of development experiences, much progress has been made in extending the understanding of entrepreneurship in the process of development. This paper surveys the progress with the purpose of distilling the outlines for a more general theory of entrepreneurship in economic development. Entrepreneurship in developing countries remains a relatively under-researched phenomenon, so by surveying the current state of research, and by discussing the role of entrepreneurship in dual economy models of structural transformation and growth, a secondary objective of this paper is to identify avenues for further research. Finally, the policy implications from the economic literature suggest that a case for government support exists, and that this should focus on the quantity, the quality, and the allocation of entrepreneurial ability. Many routinely adopted policies for entrepreneurship, such as provision of credit and education, are shown to have more subtle effects, not all of which are conducive to growth-enhancing entrepreneurship.entrepreneurship, economic development, small business