Behavioral Response to Plastic Bag Legislation in Botswana

This paper investigates the use of charges and standards in dealing with a common externality, plastic litter from shopping bags in Botswana. The country passed a plastic bag tax (effective 2007) to curb the plastic bag demand. Interestingly, the legislation did not force retailers to charge for plastic bags, which they did voluntarily at different prices. We assessed the environmental effectiveness and efficiency of the plastic bag legislation by analyzing consumers’ sensitivity to the improvement of the plastic bag and related price charges. The introduction of the plastic bag levy led to a significant decline in the consumption of plastic bags per 1,000 Botswana pulas of shopping. The partial success of the Botswana levy was due to the constantly high prices of the bags.demand, environment, litter, plastic bags, price

Determinants of the choice of health care facility utilised by individuals in HIV/AIDS-affected households in the Free State province of South Africa

This paper analyses differences in the choice of health care facility by individuals in HIV/AIDS-affected households in the Free State province of South Africa. Illness is more prevalent and severe amongst poorer affected households. The probability that individuals seek private versus public health care conditional on individual and household specific socio-economic variables is investigated. Significant determinants of choice of health care facility are income, severity of illness, the burden of illness and death in the household, the number of people in the household with access to medical aid, and secondary education. The demand for private health care over public health care is sensitive to income, with those from the lowest income quintile on average being less likely to switch to private health care than those in the highest income quintile. The planned roll-out of anti-retroviral treatment in public health care facilities in South Africa therefore will be crucial in enabling infected persons from poor households access to treatment. The provision of free treatment at public facilities may also see health care shift from private to public providers in the longer term.

Demand for health care in HIV/AIDS – affected households in two communities in the Free State province of South Africa

This paper analyses differences in the choice of health care facility by ill individuals in HIV/AIDS-affected households in the Free State province of South Africa. Secondary education, access to medical aid, and household income are significant determinants of choice, as are severity and type of illness, and type of health care required. Ill persons with HIV/AIDS-related illnesses are significantly more likely to opt for public health care, although the strength of this preference declines as household income increases. Ill persons with severe and in particular severe HIV/AIDS-related illness in turn are significantly more likely to opt for private health care, especially at higher levels of income. Furthermore, health care costs associated with HIV/AIDS-related illness is likely to push HIV/AIDS-affected households deeper into poverty, especially where private care is preferred over public health care. The public health care sector therefore will remain the backbone of the health care system in providing health care to those infected with HIV/AIDS.

Trade and the environment : a case study of the South African iron and steel industry

Bibliography: leaves 91-95.The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the trade and sustainable linkages in industry, using the South African iron and steel industry as a case study. That particular sector has been chosen because of its importance to the South African economy, and its vulnerability to trade measures. The case study outlines the economic profile of the industry, trade profiles and the structure of trade policies within the sector. International trade agreements affecting the iron and steel industry, and their structures in terms of creating incentives or disincentives for exports or imports, are discussed. An overview is presented of the environmental profile within which the sector is currently operating. The study gives consideration to environmental impacts generated within this sector as a result of its production activities, and outlines abatement measures for individual companies, as well as for government. Different public and private abatement instruments are described, and the level of South African environmental standards is compared with international standards. Scenarios are explored to assess the potential implications of 'green' trade barriers and harmonisation of environmental standards for the iron and steel industry. The last section of the document addresses the possible impacts of international trade and environmental agreements on sectoral behaviour. The impacts of regulation on the competitive advantage of the sector, employment and choice of geographical location are presented. Further, some of the main driving forces of environmental reform are explored, and the extent to which trade and sustainability issues have been addressed in terms of policy and regulations is discussed

Regional supply chain development: A case study of the clothing and textile industry in SADC

The textile, clothing production, sugar, and agro-processing largely account for intra-regional cross-border supply chains, and drives trade within the region. These industries hold potential for strengthening ties throughout the region by integrating value-added supply chains and intra-industry trade (IIT) across borders

Health facility choice in HIV- and AIDS-affected households in two South African communities

This paper analysed differences in the choice of health-care facility by ill individuals in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)- and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-affected households in the Free State province of South Africa. Secondary education, access to medical aid and household income were significant determinants of choice as were severity and type of illness, and type of health care required. Ill persons with HIV- and AIDS-related illnesses are significantly more likely to opt for public health care, although the strength of this preference declines as household income increases. Those with severe and particularly severe HIV- and AIDS-related illness, in turn, are significantly more likely to opt for private health care, especially at higher levels of income. The public health care sector therefore is likely to remain the backbone of health-care provision to those infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS, highlighting the need for equitable access to efficient, quality public health services

Income Inequality, Reciprocity and Public Good Provision: An Experimental Analysis

This paper analyses the impact of income inequality on public good provision in an experimental setting. A sample of secondary school students were recruited to participate in a simple linear public goods game where income heterogeneity was introduced by providing participants with unequal token endowments. The results show that endowment heterogeneity does not have any significant impact on contributions to the public good, and that consistent with models of reciprocity, low and high endowment players contribute the same fraction of their endowment to the public pool. Moreover, individuals appear to adjust their contributions in order to maintain a fair share rule.

Sexual Risk Taking among Young Adults in Cape Town - Effects of Expected Health and Income

This paper empirically assesses links between expectations of future health and income on sexual risk taking on a sample of young adults in Cape Town, South Africa. An important contribution of the paper lies in combining a wide range of variables measuring risky sexual behavior such that the maximum information possible is extracted from, and adequate weights are attached to each measure, as opposed to previous studies that are based on individual measures or arbitrary aggregations. The findings indicate that expected income and health and future uncertainty are significant determinants of current patterns of sexual risk taking. From a policy perspective, the results suggest that reducing poverty and improving social insurance as well as reducing the taboo related to talking about HIV may constitute important issues to be addressed.HIV/AIDS; Health risk; Risk aversion

Sexual Risk Taking Among Young Adults in Cape Town: Effects of Expected Health and Income

The wide prevalence of HIV in Africa has long been associated with seemingly irrational levels of sexual risk taking. Hence understanding the rationale behind risky sexual behavior is critical for designing effective prevention policies. This paper empirically assesses links between expectations of future health and income on sexual risk taking. An important contribution of the paper lies in combining a wide range of variables measuring risky sexual behavior such that the maximum information possible is extracted from, and adequate weights are attached to each measure, as opposed to previous studies that are based on individual measures or arbitrary aggregations. The findings indicate that expected income and health and future uncertainty are significant determinants of current patterns of sexual risk taking. From a policy perspective, the results suggest that reducing poverty and improving social insurance as well as reducing the taboo related to talking about HIV, and further investigating the relatively low degree of condom use of women may constitute important issues to be addressed.

Income Inequality, Reciprocity and Public Good Provision: An Experimental Analysis

This paper analyses the impact of income inequality on public good provision in an experimental setting. A sample of secondary school students were recruited to participate in a simple linear public goods game where income heterogeneity was introduced by providing participants with unequal token endowments. The results show that endowment heterogeneity does not have any significant impact on contributions to the public good, and that consistent with models of reciprocity, low and high endowment players contribute the same fraction of their endowment to the public pool. Moreover, individuals appear to adjust their contributions in order to maintain a fair share rule.