January 2008

Like every Friday,  based on Raj Nallari and Breda Griffith's lecture notes.

Measuring Gender Inequalities

In order to fully appreciate gender as an analytical category in macroeconomics and macroeconomic policy, one needs appropriate data and tools – statistics and modeling.  For the most part, gender measurement issues have only been addressed in the past thirty years or so and remain a work-in-progress.  Data collection methods are not always gender sensitive for a number of reasons. First, managers, researchers and technical staff may not be aware of gender issues in the policies and programs and/or lack experience with gender issues and methods. Second, surveys frequently interview the household head, which in most cases is male. Third, the nature of gender is often sensitive and formal interviews are not the best way to capture information on sensitive topics (domestic violence for example) and finally, women may not be able to speak freely in interviews or to attend or speak at community meetings. (World Bank, 2001). Thus for all of these reasons and not withstanding that, as noted in previous posts, the emergence of gender as an analytical category is relatively recent, the measurement of gender is an ongoing issue. Yet the case for measuring gender is a strong one.

As usual on Fridays, based on Raj Nallari and Breda Griffith's lecture notes.

 
Gender and Macroeconomics

Gender disparities are far from static and often change quite rapidly in response to changing socioeconomic conditions. Public policy that promotes gender equality can play an active role in bringing about successful growth and development.  Moreover, other aspects of an individual’s economic decision-making that is gender specific and/or that responds to public policy may also lead to different outcomes for macroeconomic aggregates. As noted by Stotsky (2006), public policies may enhance women’s employment possibilities with implications for taxation policy, social insurance, spending and other regulatory policies and structural reforms.  The improvement and reduction of gender inequalities summarized in Goal 3 of the Millennium Development Goals seeks to “promote gender equality and empower women”.  Moreover, gender equality lies behind two further goals in seeking equality in primary and secondary education with full enrollment of girls in primary education and improvements in maternal health.  Failing to acknowledge gender issues in macroeconomic policies can lead to unintended consequences as the experience with the structural adjustment policies attests.        

For seven years now, Chinese academic Guo Liang has been tracking and analyzing patterns in Internet use in the People's Republic of China, presenting one of the most comprehensive overall pictures of the political and social effects of the technology. At a December event at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., Guo presented his latest findings from a survey of Internet usage and impact in seven Chinese cities.

Among his more interesting findings:

In development practice today, when you ask ‘How do you improve governance systems in developing countries in order to improve the lives of the poor?’ the so-called hard skills dominate the discourse.  But what are these so-called hard skills? At their most mind-numbing these are number-crunching skills derived from a variety of quantitative social science disciplines. Beyond that these are skills in technical analysis and solution-finding. So, if you want to curb corruption in Country XYZ you find the technical experts on building world class procurement and other systems send in accountants and the like and so on. You design systems, set up an Anti-Corruption Commission. You deploy your notion of ‘best practice’ in the relevant technical field. All this is well and good but will that blow a corrupt public political culture away and with it the broader tolerance of corruption by the population at large?

Many of the papers presented during this year's American Economic Association Conference are available on-line.

(via Trade Diversion)

As post-election rioting spreads in Kenya, the Kenyan government has taken the step of suspending all live television and news reports. A media executive quoted by CNN opines that the decision to suspend broadcasts has set back the democratic process by 15 years.
 
The decision to censor media during times of violence in order to avoid inciting further violence is a controversial one, with both backers and detractors in development and post-conflict circles. Some argue that such censorship saves lives and is therefore a necessity that outweighs any negative ramifications for free speech; others argue that such decisions often prove short-sighted and may lead to additional rollbacks in civil rights and further democratic deterioration.
 

What do you think?

We already mentioned the Democratic Presidential Candidates' plans for Global Development if elected President (or when elected President, as one of them prefers to say).

At the ONE campaign's website "On the Record", you can check and compare the candidates' (Democratic and Republican) pledges.