Income and Inequality Outcomes of Arms Exports: Where Does the Marxist Argument Stand?

Although in 21th Century not a single country could be classified as a purely capitalist or socialist state, but history still remembers the old politico-economic block (Bi Polar) formation of some countries as the proponents of capitalistic economic system and some as the followers of socialism. It is thought that the reason behind two World Wars was no other than the effort to dominate one economic system over the other. The enmity between the proponents of each of these systems is still alive today and the allies of both the sides are claiming rivalry to each other, especially the main champions of the systems. After the world wars, both the groups have not only economically and politically maltreated each other in the era of cold war, but have also started a race of militarization and weaponization to protect themselves from the potential fears from each other. By presenting the situation regarding exports of arms as well as by portraying the situations of per capita income and income inequality for previously been socialist (China and Russia) and capitalist (US and UK) states, the current study intends to view these two blocks from the Marxist lens. The main question of research tried to answer in the current study encompasses the following sub-questions, whether or not the capitalist economies are: a) exhibiting a butter versus gun trade-off in terms of allocation of scarce resources, b) a cause of low per capita income, c) demonstrating equal distributing of income

Factors Affecting Women’s Participation in Livestock Management Activities: A Case of Punjab-Pakistan

Existing literature in social sciences, on agriculture, livestock, gender, socio-cultural dynamics, and rural demographics provides a solid background to construct a list of factors that predict and provide information on the existence of a relationship between women’s participation in livestock management and production related activities and social, economic, cultural, familial, and livestock related factors. The present study has analyzed factors influencing women’s level of participation in livestock management activities in Punjab province of Pakistan. Primary data was collected from three agro-climatic regions of Punjab. A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted to gather the information. The information collected from 360 farm households were processed and analyzed by using multiple regression and factor analysis. In the regression analyses, the identified main factors (in decreasing order in terms of variance explained by R2) were respectively: participation of family labor (variance explained = 56.70%), various aspects of women’s status (= 16.10%), livestock related factors (= 11.30%), and economic factors (= 10.50%). The value of the coefficient of determination (R2) of the regression model (including all 30 factors) was 0.675. Factor analysis summarized the originally 30 variables (participatory indicators) into 11 factors, which accounted for 66.617% of the total variance explained. The results signify the need for micro-level (targeting rural families) and gender analysis in livestock farming. The findings also advocates for choosing gendered approach (with major participation of women) for a successful implementation of the agricultural development programs in the province of Punjab. In addition, increasing women's participation in livestock management and production has positive implications for improving overall family’s health, education, and income

Foreign Remittances and Human Resource Development in Developing Countries

Human resources are the vital instrument for the attainment of sustainable development. Health and education are amongst the main concerns of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the remittances have been understood as a recommended catalyst in obtaining human resource development in developing countries. The present study attempts to provide a deep understanding of the relationship between remittances and HRD by using a panel dataset spanning from 1990 to 2016 and covering 151 developing economies. The data was obtained from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators. Infant mortality rate (for health) and secondary school enrollment (for education) are taken as proxies to measure HRD. The results of the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) technique show that role of remittances helps promote HRD. Disaggregate analyses based on the per capita GNI of economies show that remittances have more impact in reducing infant mortality in high-income countries and in increasing school enrollment in low-income countries. Disaggregate analyses based on the regional classification of economies show that remittances have an impact in reducing infant mortality in all regions but the highest influence was found in South Asia and the lowest impact in Latin America. Likewise, remittances were found to have an impact in increasing school enrollment, but comparatively more influence of remittances was found in Latin America and less in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study signifies the role of remittances in HRD for developing economies and suggests developing strategies persuading the labor migration and networks for remittances to be remitted for the home economies

Factors Affecting Women’s Participation in Livestock Management Activities: A Case of Punjab-Pakistan

Existing literature in social sciences, on agriculture, livestock, gender, socio-cultural dynamics, and rural demographics provides a solid background to construct a list of factors that predict and provide information on the existence of a relationship between women’s participation in livestock management and production related activities and social, economic, cultural, familial, and livestock related factors. The present study has analyzed factors influencing women’s level of participation in livestock management activities in Punjab province of Pakistan. Primary data was collected from three agro-climatic regions of Punjab. A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted to gather the information. The information collected from 360 farm households were processed and analyzed by using multiple regression and factor analysis. In the regression analyses, the identified main factors (in decreasing order in terms of variance explained by R2) were respectively: participation of family labor (variance explained = 56.70%), various aspects of women’s status (= 16.10%), livestock related factors (= 11.30%), and economic factors (= 10.50%). The value of the coefficient of determination (R2) of the regression model (including all 30 factors) was 0.675. Factor analysis summarized the originally 30 variables (participatory indicators) into 11 factors, which accounted for 66.617% of the total variance explained. The results signify the need for micro-level (targeting rural families) and gender analysis in livestock farming. The findings also advocates for choosing gendered approach (with major participation of women) for a successful implementation of the agricultural development programs in the province of Punjab. In addition, increasing women's participation in livestock management and production has positive implications for improving overall family’s health, education, and income

Le rôle des femmes rurales dans la gestion du bétail : preuves socio-économiques de diverses zones géographiques du Pendjab (Pakistan)

In rural Punjab of Pakistan, women from small farm families have a huge role to play in realizing the potential that the country has in livestock sector to flourish. The study presents the current socio-economic condition of women livestock raisers, the extent and nature of their participation in livestock management activities, the impact of women’s participation on their families’ welfare, and the factors affecting their participation in livestock management activities. The type and size of the family, respondent’s age, distant location of the village from the city, and the overall developmental status of the district had their impact on different aspects of rural women’s status. At each of the three geographical levels, women respondent’s participation level in livestock management activities was multiple of that of their husbands’ level. Cultural norms, gendered division of labor, availability of family labor, and the physical condition of the participant were found more operative in determining the nature and level of participation of the family labor in livestock management activities. Participation of the family labor, various aspects of women’s status, livestock related factors, and economic factors were the main causes identified as the factors affecting women’s participation in livestock management activities. Improving women's role in livestock management and production is essential in improving overall family’s health, education, income, and food security. The results signify the need for geographical targeting and the importance of using a gendered approach in the agricultural development programs.Dans les zones rurales du Pendjab du Pakistan, les femmes de petites familles agricoles ont un rôle énorme à jouer dans la réalisation du potentiel que le pays dispose dans le secteur de l'élevage d'animaux de se développer. L'étude présente la situation socio-économique actuelle des femmes éleveurs de bétail, l'étendue et la nature de leur participation aux activités de gestion du bétail, l'impact de la participation des femmes sur le bien-être de leurs familles, ainsi que les facteurs qui influent sur leur participation à des activités de gestion du bétail. Le type et la taille de la famille, l'âge, l'emplacement éloigné de l'intimé le village de la ville, et le niveau de développement global de la région ont eu leur impact sur les différents aspects de la situation des femmes rurales. Le niveau de participation des femmes répondant à des activités de gestion du bétail était multiple de celle du niveau de leurs maris. Les normes culturelles, division sexuelle du travail, la disponibilité de main-d'œuvre familiale et l'état physique du participant ont été trouvés plus opératoire pour déterminer la nature et le niveau de participation de la main-d'œuvre familiale dans les activités de gestion du bétail. L'amélioration du rôle des femmes dans la gestion et la production animale est essentielle pour améliorer la santé, l'éducation, le revenu et la nourriture de la famille. Les résultats illustrent la nécessité pour le ciblage géographique et l'importance d'utiliser une approche sexo-spécifique dans les programmes de développement agricole

Governance, Financial Development, and Investment: The Role of Globalization

Private investment is known for its role in the socio-economic and technological improvement of a developing country. At the same time, the developing economies are characterized by a low rate of investment, poor quality of governance, and bad financial market situation. The study investigates the impact of governance, financial development, and globalization on investment in the developing economies. Data—covering a panel of 60 developing economies for the time period2002 to 2016—was estimated through the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) technique.  The governance, financial development, and inflation had a positive impact whereas the exchange rate had a negative impact on investment. The overall index of globalization, as well as its social and economic dimensions, also had a positive impact on investment. For the low-income developing economies, the overall index of globalization and each of its three dimensions had a positive impact on investment. While, for the high-income developing economies, the overall index of globalization had positive, but its political dimension had a negative but significant impact on investment. In the case of developing economies, private investment is an outcome of improvement in the situation regarding governance, financial markets, and socioeconomic & political ties with the rest of the world

Dynamic Role of Mother Empowerment in reducing malnutrition among children: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

In Sub-Saharan Africa, two out of five children are malnourished and malnutrition causes almost half of the child deaths (45%). Mothers are the primary caretaker of children's health, but unfortunately, most of the mothers, are not empowered in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study examined the role of mother’s empowerment in the reduction of malnutrition (stunting, wasting, and underweight) among children under five years of age in twenty-two Sub-Saharan African countries. Cross-sectional data from the most recent Demographic Health Survey (2011-2016) of twenty-two countries are used to analyze the relationship between mother's empowerment and child malnutrition through the binary logistic regression analysis. Results show that the countries with low empowerment, the prevalence of malnutrition is high. Mother empowerment is found to be a statistically significant predictor in reducing malnutrition. Mother’s education, body mass index, and age at first birth proved to be a strong predictor for reducing malnutrition. Household wealth index and household locality also have a statistically significant impact on the reduction of malnutrition. At the household level, malnutrition of children can be minimized by empowering boosting their self-esteem, self-confidence, economic resources, social resources, awareness and decision making

Gas- and Coal-based Power Generation to Spur Economic Growth in Pakistan?

Energy consumption—in all its forms (traditional, transitional, and modern)—is the lifeline of an economy as well as of a society. Electrical energy (power) is the modern form of energy that is produced from hydel, thermal, nuclear, and other sources. Gas, oil, and coal are the thermal sources of electricity generation. Literature has validated the coal and natural gas consumption-led growth hypothesis for Pakistan. Based on time series data taken for the period 1987-2019, the present study attempts to explore the economic growth implications of oil-, gas-, and coal-consumption in power sector in Pakistan. The data was obtained from World Development Indicators (WDI) and from the Pakistan Economic Survey (PES). Three econometric models were specified to check the short-run and long-run effects of energy consumption (in the form of oil, gas and coal) in power sector on economic growth. Auto-regressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL) was used for empirical analysis. The results show that the consumption of gas and coal in the power sector have a positive and statistically significant effects on the economic growth of Pakistan. The study advocates for more reliance on gas and coal in power generation as compared to oil for economic growth in Pakistan

Electricity Generation and Real Output in Asia: A Panel Co-Integration Approach

Purpose: The present study concentrates on the relationship of electricitywith real output in Asia. The paper analyzes this connection individuallyamong all regions of Asia. Some countries are selected from Central Asia,East Asia, South Asia and South East Asia. Time period of 1990 – 2015 hasbeen chosen for the analysis. We have considered Solow growth model andhave taken labor and capital as necessary variables for growth. Afterconfirmation of integration of order as 1 for all variables, Kao Cointegrationtest infers presence of long run relationship in all models. FMOLSsuggests that labor and capital are positively significant factors for thedevelopment of real output in all the regions of Asia. Electricity Productionis positively influencing real output in Central Asia, South Asia and SouthEast Asia; For East Asia, it has been stated as negative. On the basis ofresults, study suggests that government should develop more skilled labor,cheap investment opportunities, efficient and cheap electricity production

Impact of Health Infrastructure on Child Health in Punjab, Pakistan

The objective of the study is to find the impact of health infrastructure on child health in Punjab, Pakistan. The study used the panel data collected from Punjab development statistics (PDS) between 2010 and 2016 for 35 districts of Punjab, Pakistan. The Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) is used for the current analysis. Child health in terms of infant mortality and underweight is used as dependent variable and health infrastructures, ownership of house, receiving remittances, physical access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation are independent variables. Health infrastructure is the index of four variables number of hospitals, number of dispensaries, number of mother and child health center and number of rural health centers. Results of the study conclude that health infrastructure is an important determinant of child health. There is a strong positive influence of health infrastructure in terms of different type of hospitals, dispensaries, rural health centers and mother and child health care centers is found on child health