Increasing female education, stagnating female labor force participation, and gains from marriage: The case of rural Bangladesh

Despite progress toward gender equality in education in Bangladesh, its female labor force participation (FLFP) rate has been stagnant relative to that of men, especially in marginal rural areas. To identify the overall benefit of schooling investment in women in rural Bangladesh, we examine the impact of female educational attainment on not only FLFP but also gains from marriage and household welfare. Applying a fuzzy regression discontinuity design where plausibly exogenous variation in school enrollment is created by the nationwide stipend program for women, we find moderate impacts of female education on FLFP, while it has positive and significant effects on the husband’s schooling and household income, particularly from non-farm activities. The results also show the significantly positive impacts of women’s education on sanitation control and children’s health. These findings indicate that female schooling enhances women’s role and well-being through marriage and household activities rather than their labor market activities.JEL Classification Codes: I25, I31, J12, J13, J16, J21, O10https://www.grips.ac.jp/list/jp/facultyinfo/takahashi-kazushi

Long-term results of a randomized controlled trial comparing neoadjuvant Adriamycin, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil vs docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil followed by surgery for esophageal cancer (OGSG1003)

Sugimura, K, Yamasaki, M, Yasuda, T, et al. Long‐term results of a randomized controlled trial comparing neoadjuvant Adriamycin, cisplatin, and 5‐fluorouracil vs docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5‐fluorouracil followed by surgery for esophageal cancer (OGSG1003). Ann. Gastroenterol. Surg. 2020; 00: 1– 8. https://doi.org/10.1002/ags3.12388

To What Extent Do Improved Practices Increase Productivity of Small-Scale Rice Cultivation in A Rain-fed Area? : Evidence from Tanzania

経済学 / EconomicsThis paper investigates the impact of training provided by a large-scale private farm on the performance of surrounding small-scale rice farmers in a rain-fed area in Tanzania. We found that the training effectively enhances the adoption of improved rice cultivation practices, paddy yield, and profit of rice cultivation by small-holder farmers. In fact, the trainees achieve paddy yield of 5 tons per hectare on average, which is remarkably high for rain-fed rice cultivation. Our results suggest high potential of small-scale rain-fed lowland rice cultivation and extension services by private large scale farms.JEL Classification Codes: O12, O13, O33, O55, Q12, Q16, Q18http://www.grips.ac.jp/list/jp/facultyinfo/otsuka_keijiro

Heterochronic Shift in Hox-Mediated Activation of Sonic hedgehog Leads to Morphological Changes during Fin Development

We explored the molecular mechanisms of morphological transformations of vertebrate paired fin/limb evolution by comparative gene expression profiling and functional analyses. In this study, we focused on the temporal differences of the onset of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) expression in paired appendages among different vertebrates. In limb buds of chick and mouse, Shh expression is activated as soon as there is a morphological bud, concomitant with Hoxd10 expression. In dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula), however, we found that Shh was transcribed late in fin development, concomitant with Hoxd13 expression. We utilized zebrafish as a model to determine whether quantitative changes in hox expression alter the timing of shh expression in pectoral fins of zebrafish embryos. We found that the temporal shift of Shh activity altered the size of endoskeletal elements in paired fins of zebrafish and dogfish. Thus, a threshold level of hox expression determines the onset of shh expression, and the subsequent heterochronic shift of Shh activity can affect the size of the fin endoskeleton. This process may have facilitated major morphological changes in paired appendages during vertebrate limb evolution

To What Extent Does Modified System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Training Increase Productivity of Small-Scale Rice Cultivation in a Rain-Fed Area? Evidence from Tanzania

This study investigates the impact of modified System of Rice Intensification (SRI) training provided by a large-scale private farm on the performance of surrounding small-scale rice farmers in a rain-fed area in Tanzania. We found that the training effectively increases the adoption of improved rice cultivation practices, paddy yield, and profit of rice cultivation by small-holder farmers. In fact, the trainees achieve paddy yield of 5 tons per hectare on average, which is remarkably high in rain-fed rice cultivation by any standard. Our results suggest high potential for achieving a rice Green Revolution in rain-fed areas and the importance of extension services by large-scale farms

Women Empowerment in Bangladesh: Household Decisions under Development of Non-Farm Sectors and Microfinance Institutions

We analyze the factors and dynamics that contributed to the empowerment of women in Bangladesh. We first investigate the role of non-farm sector growth in facilitating female labor force participation and educational attainment, and then we explore how women’s decision-making roles in a household have improved over the same time period. Our results indicate that the proportion of village non-farm labor force participation is positively associated with female school enrollment as well as other indicators of women empowerment. Moreover, microcredit participation is found to be associated with larger roles for females in making household decisions particularly on non-farm activities