Approaches to promoting intra-regional trade in staple foods in sub-Saharan Africa

Intra-regional trade in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is significantly lower than its potential. This is particularly true for key staple foods, which are important for development and the alleviation of poverty. The missed opportunities for the development of private sector and specifically staple food cross-border trade are due to the existence of numerous trade barriers, which vary across countries and evolve rapidly, sometimes unpredictably, with time. Policy makers are aware of the existence of these barriers, some of which are gender-specific. The majority of current policies are oriented towards regional liberalisation and integration; however, their implementation on the ground is slow and inconsistent. The key issues concern the predictability of trade policies and the de facto implementation of agreements. The most successful initiatives combine (i) consultation with and commitment from a large variety of actors, including government officials, civil society, small businesses, and often including external partnerships; (ii) investment in infrastructure and facilitation of the business environment; and (iii) improvement of relationships between officials and trades people

Improving gender outcomes for regional trade programmes

Global trade and regional integration have gender-specific outcomes: in developing countries and specifically in South Asia, women do not have the same access as men to benefits of trade. This report reviews the gender outcomes of trade and describes policies and initiatives tackling the three main gender-based barriers to benefiting from trade: (i) sociocultural norms, (ii) legal barriers, and (iii) social and human capital disadvantages. There is significant evidence that trade has a positive impact on women’s employment, but the impacts of trade on wage equality and women’s wellbeing are not as clearly positive; men and women do not have the same access to the benefits of trade. Gender-based barriers to realising benefits from trade in South Asia include very strong gender stereotypes, exacerbated by the existence of the caste system, and tight constraints on labour mobility (inter-sectoral and hierarchical). The evidence of female participation in regional value chains shows that women are much less integrated than men in trade processes and their benefits are severely limited

Essays in Economics in ICU:Resuscitate or Pull the Plug?

This study investigates the perspectives of the UK Economics academics regarding the impact of using text-generative AI (GAI) on teaching, learning, and assessment in higher education (HE), with a specific focus on essays. The survey of academics’ perceptions encompasses considerations of academic integrity, employability skills, and ethical GAI use. The responses unveiled a range of significant findings regarding the present condition of essay-based assessment in Economics education, emphasising the numerous complexities and potential advantages. Despite GAI’s disruptive potential, the majority of respondents confirm the continued importance of written communication skills for Economics graduates. Academics recognise the value of essays in skills development, but favour departing from conventional formats to uphold academic integrity. There is an emphasis on refining traditional marking criteria, and elevating assessment questions along Bloom’s taxonomy is deemed vital for critical thinking and producing future-ready graduates. Respondents recognise the need to impart ethical awareness among students when using GAI while exploring innovative pedagogies to develop and assess the new GAI skill set. Finally, most express interest in learning more about GAI and its educational applications, either through self-experimentation or structured events and GAI training. Overall, the study reveals a complex topography of perspectives, highlighting the need for subtle, collaborative approaches as academics carefully evaluate strategies to leverage GAI’s potential while evolving assessments and pedagogies