A quantitative analysis of Zimbabwe's land reform policy: An application of Zimbabwe SAM multipliers

This study was designed to quantitatively investigate the economy-wide impact of land reform policies in Zimbabwe. Land reforms came with the realm of independence in Zimbabwe. Four models were used to implement the reform policies. The paper uses the updated 1991 Social Accounting Matrix for Zimbabwe and the Central Statistics Office's household data on resettled families in Zimbabwe. The paper computes the sectoral SAM multipliers and then uses household data on resettled families to simulate the impact of specific land reform models on the economy. The simulated results show that land reform, if well planned and systematically and carefully implemented, could generate economy-wide benefits for Zimbabwe and could lead to income redistribution in favour of low-income household groups, while maintaining an increase in households' aggregate income.Land Economics/Use,

Inter-sectoral Water Use in South Africa: Efficiency Versus Equity

While water supply sources are dwindling in South Africa, the demand for the scarce water resource is increasing. This situation requires a switch from supply to demand management of water in the country. The study updates the 1999 social accounting matrix for South Africa, using the Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) time series data, STATSA's 2001 census report and 2000 water accounts, the 2002 national income accounts, published by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and the Water Resource Management Strategy (WRMS) registration data. Using the updated SAM, the contribution of water to economic development in South Africa is estimated through the traditional SAM multiplier analysis. The paper then investigates the impact of reallocating water among the production sectors, on the basis of economic efficiency, on output growth, factor remuneration and households' income generation. The computational and simulation results show that, though agriculture is among the sectors that have the least marginal value of water, water reallocation based on marginal values will reduce the incomes of the poorest households, and put at stake the livelihoods of the most vulnerable population. Scenario analyses suggest that this effect will be minimal if marginal productivity consideration for inter-sectoral water reallocation is reduced to 30%, while intra-sectoral water reallocation on the basis of efficiency is currently viewed as the most viable option.SAM multipliers, output growth, factor remuneration, income generation, efficiency, equity, R20, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, C67, D57, L60, Q25,

Households’ welfare analyses of the impact of global change on water resources in South Africa

Most of the climate change models for South Africa predict a reduction in freshwater availability by 2050. Population growth is projected at 3% per annum, implying increased domestic water use. In addition to these factors, the concern for ecological sustainability and increased water pollution due to increased industrial, mining and agricultural activities, water availability for sectoral production activities is expected to decline. This decline has an impact on sectoral output, value added and households’ welfare. Using a computable general equilibrium approach, this study investigates the possible impact of global change on households’ welfare. The simulation results show that water scarcity due to global change can potentially lead to a general deterioration in households’ welfare. The poor households, whose incomes are adversely impacted, are the most vulnerable to the consequences of the impact of global change on water resources in South Africa. This vulnerability can only be reduced if welfare policies that maintain food consumption levels for the least and low-income households are implemented.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

A quantitative analysis of Zimbabwe's land reform policy: An application of Zimbabwe SAM multipliers

This study was designed to quantitatively investigate the economy-wide impact of land reform policies in Zimbabwe. Land reforms came with the realm of independence in Zimbabwe. Four models were used to implement the reform policies. The paper uses the updated 1991 Social Accounting Matrix for Zimbabwe and the Central Statistics Office's household data on resettled families in Zimbabwe. The paper computes the sectoral SAM multipliers and then uses household data on resettled families to simulate the impact of specific land reform models on the economy. The simulated results show that land reform, if well planned and systematically and carefully implemented, could generate economy-wide benefits for Zimbabwe and could lead to income redistribution in favour of low-income household groups, while maintaining an increase in households' aggregate income