The effect of a collective exchange rate adjustment on East Asian exports

This paper estimates long-run effects of a collective exchange rate adjustment on multilateral exports from China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The findings show that a 1 percent generalized appreciation of all East Asian exchange rates would reduce East Asian exports by about 3 percent.Global imbalance; exchange rate appreciation; collective adjustment; production networks; East Asia

Impact of economic growth and financial development on exports: Cointegration and causality analysis in Pakistan

The analysis shows cointegration between exports, economic growth and financial development in case of Pakistan. The results that economic growth and financial development stimulate rate of exports growth in Pakistan. The causality analysis reveals bidirectional causal relationship between financial development and economic growth, financial development and exports and exports and economic growth in case of Pakistan.Economic growth, financial development, Cointegration, Pakistan

Fluid–Structure Interaction with Low-Re Turbulence Model

MEMO No CFD/MECHA-6-2010 DATE: September 8, 2010Abstract: This report presents a methodology to couple fluid and structure that gives rise to a variety of phenomena with applications in many areas, such as stability analysis of airplane wings, turbomachinery/bridge design and blood flow through arteries. An efficient interface for the fluid-structure coupling is developed that resolves complications associated with the interaction between two simulation modules. The computational framework consists of a multi-block moving grid technique, the low-Re k–ǫ turbulence model, and a structure/pressure-based flow solver. The moving grid approach which handles the geometric variations in time, combines master/slave strategy and transfinite interpolation techniques. A modified Newmark–β method is used for solving the non-linear structural equation. Main result: The turbulent flow characteristics subjected to a favorable pressure gradient inside a two/three–dimensional contraction have been carried out numerically. Attention is focused on the relaminarization in the boundary layer of a flat plate (i.e.,vane), positioned at the centerline of the contraction and the downstream development of the vortex induced vibration (VIV). FINFLO handles this complex case appreciably well

VULNERABILITY, RISK PERCEPTION, AND LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES AMONG RIVERSIDE COMMUNITIES OF RAMGATI UPAZILA IN BANGLADESH: THE ROLE OF EMBANKMENT

Due to its geographical location and socioeconomic conditions, the country of Bangladesh in vulnerable to the hazard of riverbank erosion, which poses a significant threat to homes, property and livelihoods. In recent years, the government of Bangladesh has intensified efforts to mitigate riverbank erosion by hardening shorelines, including the building of concrete revetments, but the local dynamics of these interventions is not well-documented. This thesis presents results from a study of risk perception and livelihood adaption following the construction of a 3.5 kilometer concrete revetment in the administrative district of Ramgati in the lower Meghna River basin of Bangladesh. Drawing on data from a community survey (n=381), as well as interviews (n=24) with key informants and local households, this research has three principle aims: first, to document the socio-economic conditions of local residents and their vulnerability to the impacts of riverbank erosion; second, to identify local adaptation responses against riverbank erosion in Ramgati, including the factors leading to the construction of the revetment; and third, to examine the changing livelihood patterns and risk perceptions of Ramgati residents in the context of the newly-built revetment. To do so, the study assessed the association between location and socioeconomic status and perceptions and livelihood responses, and compared the views of households now protected by the revetment and those who live in areas still subject to riverbank erosion. This study concludes that households in Ramgati are vulnerable to riverbank erosion due to their dependence on primary occupations. Riverbank erosion has led to the loss of houses and lands, and has had a negative impact on the socioeconomic development of the Ramgati area. Results from this study show that the recently built revetment has had a positive impact on local livelihoods and has altered the risk perception of residents. Households protected by the revetment report that they are doing well in their occupations and are less worried about riverbank erosion than households that remain unprotected

Clothing Preference between Urban and Rural Youth in Bangladesh

This research aims to compare the clothing preferences of urban and rural youth in Bangladesh. This study examined the clothing preferences of urban and rural youth for their daily wear, nightwear, party attire, and festival costume, along with many other clothes. It also examines the perspectives of urban and rural youths about their brand and non-brand preferences, undergarment preferences, and interest in traditional, western, casual, and formal clothes, etc. As the method for collecting primary data, 240 urban and rural youth in Bangladesh were administered a questionnaire. Among these 240 respondents, 120 were from Dhaka and 120 were from Goma village in Bangladesh's Barisal Division. In three age groups ranging from 15 to 20, 20 to 25, and 25 to 29. From these respondents 50 percent of are male and 50 percent are female. To understand respondents' financial status, the author additionally collected information about family income, which helps to identify the factors that impact respondents' wearing and purchasing preferences under varying financial circumstances. The data were statistically analyzed to determine the clothing preferences of urban and rural youths after the survey was administered to survey respondents and the information gathered from the questionnaire was structured using the Microsoft Office Excel application. This study has provided insight into the clothing choices of urban and rural youth, and also evidence indicating monthly family income and age groups may affect clothing preference

東アジアにおける域内為替レート管理と貿易の域内統合に関する論考

公共政策プログラム / Public Policy Program政策研究大学院大学 / National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies論文審査委員: Kaliappa Kalirajan, 大来 洋一, 大山 達雄, 福島 隆司, James R. Rhodes, バク･サンジュン（早稲田大学国際教養学部

SANITATION INTERVENTIONS IN THE URBAN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS OF BANGLADESH: THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT, NGOs AND THE GRASSROOTS

The Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, is the world’s fastest growing primate city, having nearly 15 million people and approximately 6 million living in slum areas. Their high population density and growth rates, coupled with inadequate and inappropriate water and sanitation (WatSan) facilities, are creating social, economic and environmental effects. Until recently, several attempts have been made to provide infrastructure services to those slums. But the extent of the services is unsatisfactory due to resource constraints and a burdensome concentration of slums that contaminates the city ecology on a broad-spectrum. In consequence, the trend of development ventures through government (GO) and non-government organizations (NGO) is not only disappointing but also questionable due to disastrous project histories. The complex social dynamics of these informal settlements, together with inappropriate or inadequate WatSan facilities and incompetent governance systems obstruct the pace of sanitation interventions. Apart from this, Bangladesh has succumbed to political indiscretion and bureaucratic intemperance which have severely diminished the capacity of the GOs and NGOs to perform at a reasonable level. The result is all round deterioration in the quality and adequacy of the urban basic services and people of the informal settlements are the worst sufferers. It is widely recognized that the poor communities mostly have no proven demand for improved sanitation facilities, as their basic priority, rather, is managing their next meal. In this situation, some NGOs have come forward with their ‘flexible’ and ‘tailor-made’ working strategies developed from previous project experiences whereas government agencies are more geared to ‘facilitation’ and continue with their ‘supply-driven' strategy, ignoring criticisms and pitfalls. As one of the most dysfunctional sectors in Bangladesh, urban sanitation is traumatized and its coverage is affected by several interconnecting factors while the government continues to bypass questions related to slum improvement arguing that the slums are illegal settlements and do not qualify for government services. Several NGOs have come forward to work in the urban sanitation sector and in most instances, the poor slum-dwellers have appreciated the NGOs’ participatory working strategies. In fact the dynamics of the ‘social-technological-governance’ system of the slum areas often determines the success of sanitation interventions. In this research, the vibrant dynamics of ‘social-technological-governance’ systems and the roles of GO-NGO service providers and beneficiaries in the selected slums are critically analysed through a qualitative methodology and a bottom-up approach that has the potential to identify inherent policy weaknesses and factors that facilitate or hinder the successful implementation of sanitation programmes. This research is entirely based on empirical evidences and the qualitative assessment of field data that were collected from five informal settlements of Dhaka city and associated GO-NGO sources. The outcome of this research suggests that the impacting factors are not equally weighted in WatSan projects as some could be defined as crucial and influencing factors that shape other interrelated factors. In order to smoothen the pathways of different WatSan projects it is necessary to carefully identify and restrict those problem-breeding factors on a priority basis. This research also describes different stakeholders’ practices and links with existing policies to identify the gaps between them. Here, the proposals are made for reality-based, short-term and long-term solutions and policy recommendations that might offer guidelines for addressing the overwhelming slum sanitation agenda in urban Bangladesh