Economic causes and consequences of migrations within the context of under-development in West Africa

African Studies Center Working Paper No. 6INTRODUCTION: In recent discussions of development and inequality in Africa, at least three positions can be identified concerning relationships between rural-urban migration and inequality. The most simplistic and journalistic view is that migrants come to the cities only to find unemployment and miserable living conditions. The story, as usually depicted, identifies the problem as misguided persistence in migrating explanations based on the inappropriateness of educational curricula, lures of brights lights, and misinformation. Despite little evidence to support this view, many African politicians have identified persistent migration as the cause of urban poverty and have attempted to stop the flow of migrants through exhortation, administrative controls, and coercion. Actions seem to have been based on the notion that the problems of urban poverty will disappear if only the poor... [TRUNCATED

The Botswana National Migration Study: a conceptual framework

African Studies Center Working Paper No. 4

How financial liberalization in Indonesia affected firms'capital structure and investment decisions

How did financial liberalization affect Indonesian firms? The authors analyzed real and financial indicators for the establishments in their panel of Indonesian manufacturing establishments for 1981-88. Their sample was not representative, but their evidence shows that economic reform had favorable effect on the performance of smaller firms. Liberalization helped reallocate domestic credit toward smaller firms to a level roughly proportionate to their contribution to value-added. Moreover, other firms were successful in replacing expensive domestic credit with cheaper foreign credit, releasing some domestic credit to establishments that lacked access to it. Nominal and real interest rates rose to very high levels, but real returns to capital assets remain high and have increased substantially for small and medium-size exporting establishments. For all groups, higher rates of financial leverage gave rise to extremely high returns on owned equity. Medium-size firms - both conglomerate and non-conglomerate - have had the highest rates of return to capital, financial leverage, and returns to equity. Financial reform has had a significant impact on firm's real and financial choices. Shifting from administrative allocations of credit to market-based allocations has increased borrowing costs, particularly for smaller firms, but it has also widened access to finance. The net effect appears to have been a decrease in the degree of market segmentation and a relaxation of financial constraints to the benefit of investment activity.Banks&Banking Reform,Environmental Economics&Policies,Financial Intermediation,Economic Theory&Research,Financial Crisis Management&Restructuring

3D Micron-scale Imaging of the Cortical Bone Canal Network in Human Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI)

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder leading to increased bone fragility. Recent work has shown that the hierarchical structure of bone plays an important role in determining its mechanical properties and resistance to fracture. The current study represents one of the first attempts to characterize the 3D structure and composition of cortical bone in OI at the micron-scale. A total of 26 pediatric bone fragments from 18 individuals were collected during autopsy (Nc=5) or routing orthopaedic procedures (NOI=13) and imaged by microtomography with a synchrotron light source (SRµCT) for several microstructural parameters including cortical porosity (Ca.V/TV), canal surface to tissue volume (Ca.S/TV), canal diameter (Ca.Dm), canal separation (Ca.Sp), canal connectivity density (Ca.ConnD), and volumetric tissue mineral density (TMD). Results indicated significant differences in all imaging parameters between pediatric controls and OI tissue, with OI bone showing drastically increased cortical porosity, canal diameter, and connectivity. Preliminary mechanical testing revealed a possible link between cortical porosity and strength. Together these results suggest that the pore network in OI contributes greatly to its reduced mechanical properties

The Rockefeller Foundation's International Program on Rice Biotechnology

Presents the product of a two-year intensive survey and analysis of the genetic prospects for the world's major food crops conducted in the early 1980s