The role of participation and empowerment in income and poverty dynamics in Indonesia 1993-2000

The objective of this study is to assess whether living in a community that has a more democratic decision making system or in a society with a higher degree of participation and cooperation has any effect on household income changes and poverty reduction in Indonesia. Constructing an empowerment index and a participation index, we find that a household would have had a two percentage point higher income growth from 1993 to 2000 if it had been in a society with a high degree of cooperation compared to a society with the lowest degree of cooperation, if our results imply causality. This is substantial, since the average household per capita real income growth between 1993 and 2000 was 11 %. The participation index was found to be insignificant.Household income Poverty reduction Indonesia

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: December 19, 2014

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) fell by 1.33% during November 2014. The sharp decline in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, suggests that economic growth will slow during the second quarter of 2015. Four of six components of the leading economic indicator weakened during November. For the fourth consecutive month, there was a significant increase in the value of the U.S. Dollar. Such an increase reduces the competiveness of export businesses. There also was an increase in initial unemployment claims during the month. Further, airline passenger counts and building permits for single-family homes declined. Weakness among these key economic figures stands in contrast to the outlook among Nebraska businesses. In particular, respondents to the Survey of Nebraska Business predicted an increase in sales and employment over the next six months

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: May 15, 2015

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) rose by 1.99% in April 2015, marking its fourth increase in the last five months. The sharp increase in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, portends strong economic growth in Nebraska in the second half of 2015. Business expectations are one reason for the positive outlook. Respondents to the monthly Survey of Nebraska Business were very optimistic about sales and employment over the next six months. The business outlook, in fact, was the strongest recorded in the monthly survey, which began in September 2011. A stabilizing U.S. dollar also contributed to the positive outlook. After 8 months of increase, the value of the U.S. dollar fell in April. The rising U.S. dollar had created a significant challenge for Nebraska exporters. Initial claims for unemployment insurance also fell sharply in April, suggesting a strengthening labor market. There was little change in other components of the LEI-N, including building permits for single-family homes, airline passengers counts or manufacturing hours

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: April 17, 2015

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) rose by 0.08% in March 2015, marking its fourth consecutive monthly increase. The increase in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, suggests that growth will be solid in Nebraska in the second half of 2015. Three of six components of the leading economic indicator rose during March. Respondents to the Survey of Nebraska Business were optimistic about sales and especially optimistic about employment over the next six months. There also was a solid increase in building permits in March, on a seasonally-adjusted basis, and a slight increase in airline passenger countx. Among declining components of the indicator, there was a fall in manufacturing hours during March. There also were diminished expectations for export activity. Specifically, a rising value for the U.S. dollar increases international competition for the state’s exporting businesses in agriculture and manufacturing. March was the eighth consecutive month in which the value of the U.S. dollar increased

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: June 17, 2016

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) fell by 0.28% in May 2016. The decline in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, followed rapid increases during both March and April. Taken together, results suggest that economic growth will be strong in Nebraska during the summer and fall of 2016 before moderating late in the year. Four of the six components of the LEI-N declined during May. There was a decline in manufacturing hours during the month and a slight decline in airline passenger counts. There also was an increase in the value of the dollar, which will pressure export-oritented businesses such as manufacturing and agriculture. Lastly, there was a modest uptick in initial claims for unemployment insurance rose during May