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The Developing Economies

Impact factor: 0.424 5-Year impact factor: 0.519 Print ISSN: 0012-1533 Online ISSN: 1746-1049 Publisher: Wiley Blackwell (Blackwell Publishing)

Subjects: Economics, Planning & Development

Most recent papers:

  • Listing, Economic Policy Uncertainty, and Risk‐Taking Behavior in Private‐Sector Firms in China: Strategic Growth Versus Political Connections.
    Go Yano, Maho Shiraishi, Yimeng Zhang, Xiao Zhang.
    The Developing Economies. April 06, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nPrevious studies have found that policy uncertainty encourages firms to adopt risk‐taking behavior such as investment in research and development (R&D). Initial public offerings (IPOs) change this relationship. Utilizing data from both listed and never‐listed firms, we establish the causal impact of listing on the relationship between economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and R&D investment by private‐sector firms in China. Our results are as follows: IPOs directly cause private‐sector firms to adopt a more active attitude to R&D investment under high EPU, although IPOs indirectly discourage such behavior under high EPU because of the greater political connections such firms obtain as a result of their IPOs. Our results suggest that policymakers should avoid market intervention and prevent listed firms from developing strong political connections.\n"]
    April 06, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70033   open full text
  • Off‐Farm Work and China‐Style Urbanization.
    Yinuo Zhao, Fangbin Qiao.
    The Developing Economies. April 06, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe residence of hundreds of millions of people in the floating population is an important issue in China's urbanization. Using nationally representative household panel data collected during 2015–2019, this study shows that farmers' off‐farm income positively affects not only their intention to purchase urban homes but also their actual home purchases. However, further analysis shows that most farmers' urban homes are located in their home counties, while only 1% of farmers have an urban home outside their home counties. Based on these results, it is expected that China‐style urbanization will be accompanied by a continuous floating population in the future.\n"]
    April 06, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70032   open full text
  • Who Fears Job Losses From US Tariff Hikes? Evidence From Cambodia.
    Kiyoyasu Tanaka, Yasushi Ueki.
    The Developing Economies. March 27, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nIn April 2025, the US introduced sharply higher tariff rates under a new “reciprocal tariff” system, raising serious concerns about potential employment impacts on export‐oriented industries in developing countries. This paper examines Cambodian public perceptions of the tariff hikes using a phone‐based survey of 600 households conducted between September and October 2025. We find that 58.5% of respondents disagreed with the statement that the tariff increases negatively affect their jobs, indicating limited perceived employment risk, while 25.9% agreed. Regression analysis reveals substantial heterogeneity across income groups: low‐income respondents employed in export industries are significantly more likely to perceive negative job impacts, whereas middle‐ and higher‐income respondents show no meaningful direct‐exposure effects. Indirect exposure reduces perceived job risks among higher‐income groups, reflecting their greater job stability and financial resilience.\n"]
    March 27, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70027   open full text
  • Regional Trade Agreements and International R&D Spillovers: Implications for Developing Countries.
    Yukiko Sawada, Rinki Ito, Naoto Jinji.
    The Developing Economies. March 17, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nWe provide new evidence on heterogeneous international research and development (R&D) spillovers from partners of regional trade agreements (RTAs) and non‐partners using a sample of 45 economies in the period 1995–2017. We construct separate R&D stocks for RTA partners and non‐partners and find that spillovers from RTA partners are stronger than those from non‐partners. Additionally, we further investigate the effects from RTA partners in more detail by focusing on the types and “depth” of RTAs. We show that among different types of RTAs, those covering services are particularly important for international R&D spillovers, and that deep RTAs, particularly those in fields related to technology, tend to facilitate spillovers more than shallow ones. Our results suggest that developing countries can benefit from R&D spillovers by increasing the number of partners with deep RTAs covering services as well as goods.\n"]
    March 17, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70025   open full text
  • Impact of International Remittances on Child Education in Bangladesh.
    Sayla Sowat Siddiqui, Tanvir Bashar.
    The Developing Economies. March 13, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study investigates the impact of international remittances on child educational outcomes in Bangladesh. Using three waves of data from the Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey—2011, 2015, and 2018—a probit model shows that a 1% increase in remittance receipts leads to an 8.7 percentage point higher probability of child grade progression in remittance‐receiving households than in households that do not receive remittances at all. To mitigate potential endogeneity problems, we use migration networks as an instrumental variable in a 2SLS model and find that remittance increases child grade progression in all cases. This positive effect intensifies when the household is less poor, not affected by disasters, and when the migrant's length of stay abroad is more than 5 years.\n"]
    March 13, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70026   open full text
  • Selective Technology Choice, Adaptations, and Industrial Development: Lessons From the Successful Development of the Textile Industries in Prewar Japan.
    Keijiro Otsuka, Tomoko Hashino.
    The Developing Economies. March 11, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nIt is widely recognized that Japan successfully imported advanced technologies from Europe in the prewar period, particularly in the modern cotton‐spinning and silk‐reeling industries. However, the traditional silk‐ and cotton‐weaving industries also flourished using imported technologies. This study explores key factors contributing to the successful development of the textile industries in prewar Japan by examining long‐term statistical evidence and synthesizing the accumulated insights from the existing studies. We found that while many of these industries initially failed to develop through the direct importation of modern capital‐intensive technologies, the unique and common feature of the successful industrial development in prewar Japan was the selective choice of appropriate foreign technologies, combined with the adaptations of these technologies to domestic factor endowments, including skilled and unskilled workers and capital. As a result, labor‐intensive industrialization preceded World War I, when the real wage rate began increasing sharply, and was later followed by capital‐intensive industrialization.\n"]
    March 11, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70024   open full text
  • Does Pension Insurance Relieve Overwork? The Latest Evidence From China.
    Panting Liu, Xinbang Cao.
    The Developing Economies. February 25, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nTo explore the impact of the pension insurance system on the labor supply behavior, this paper uses microdata from the China Family Panel Studies to analyze the effect of pension insurance participation on overwork. We find that participation in the social pension insurance system can significantly reduce both the likelihood of overwork and excessive working hours. The future economic security provided by pensions substantially enhances workers' sense of occupational safety, and this psychological security net serves as a key mechanism for mitigating overwork. Moreover, pension insurance has a limited impact on work intensity, whereas high work intensity remains a crucial driver of overwork, highlighting the limits of social security policies in improving labor quality. This study provides new evidence on the effects of China's social pension insurance system on labor patterns and offers policy insights for improving workers' quality of life and well‐being in developing countries.\nJEL Classification: I31, J22\n"]
    February 25, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70022   open full text
  • Gentrification Everywhere? Delinking Culture‐Led Regeneration From Gentrification.
    Desmond Hok‐Man Sham.
    The Developing Economies. February 18, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, Volume 64, Issue 1, Page 40-56, March 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis paper challenges the prevalent use of “gentrification” (shishen hua [士紳化/仕紳化] or jinshen hua [縉紳化]) as a catch‐all critique of culture‐led regeneration and neighborhood transformations, including rent increases and shifts in aesthetic and tastes, in Sinophone Asia and beyond. To maintain the critical dimension of gentrification, defined by the displacement of existing poorer people by late‐coming wealthier people, this paper argues for a conceptual delinking culture‐led regeneration from gentrification by presenting two case studies from Taiwan. These cases demonstrate that new aesthetic‐oriented, culture‐ and creativity‐related businesses, rather than existing traditional businesses and residents, are often less resilient toward rent increases. Rather than “gentrification,” rent increases affect the future of heritage remaking and community building. By examining the influx of unregulated street vendors and arcade merchandisers, this paper illustrates how gentrification fails to address the problems regenerated neighborhoods face.\n"]
    February 18, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70001   open full text
  • Chinese Green Gentrification: Gaze and Ethics in Local Discourses of Sustainable Development.
    Michela Bonato.
    The Developing Economies. February 18, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, Volume 64, Issue 1, Page 22-39, March 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis paper examines the overlooked micro‐politics of housing in southwestern China's peripheries, focusing on Chongqing, to deconstruct dominant narratives of urban grandeur and explore alternative visions of sustainable development. It analyzes real estate strategies in Yubei District and the development of Liangjiang New Area over the past decade. The study situates green gentrification within Chinese landscape aesthetics and state‐led ecological civilization discourse, revealing how these frameworks enable the spatial and temporal reorganization of global capital in the locale. Using multimodal discourse analysis, supplemented by ethnographic and secondary data, the paper highlights non‐Western perspectives on gentrification and uneven urban development. By approaching the locale with care, the analysis emphasizes the epistemological embeddedness of local gentrification processes within broader power structures and calls for decolonial approaches to urban studies. The research contributes to understanding how rapid, top‐down urbanization in autocratic governance regimes shapes material and discursive transformations in peripheral green areas.\n"]
    February 18, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70002   open full text
  • Transition of the Post‐Nomadic Districts of Ulaanbaatar.
    Katarzyna Golik.
    The Developing Economies. February 18, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, Volume 64, Issue 1, Page 89-99, March 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study presents the contemporary transition of the post‐nomadic settlements of Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar, between 2006 and 2019, focusing on their transition from suburban ger districts to a variety of irregular urban spaces. In case studies focused on transforming micro‐districts, we find a situation that the middle class benefits at the cost of lower‐class displacement is merely one of the possibilities in the mosaic of urban transitions, not the dominant one. This paper analyzes neglected forms of agency realized by local populations which, even in precarious positions, can impact transition dynamics and are not merely a replaced population, as classically defined by Western gentrification processes. The presented case studies allow us to answer the question: Does post‐nomadic neighborhood transformation fall under the universal framework of urban transition, or can we find alternative scenarios for these dynamics?\n"]
    February 18, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70000   open full text
  • Changing Scope of Gentrification in Seoul? Neighborhood Transformation and Displacement in Sangwangsimni and Changsin‐Sungin Industrial Clusters.
    Blaž Križnik, Kon Kim.
    The Developing Economies. February 18, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, Volume 64, Issue 1, Page 57-70, March 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nGentrification and displacement used to be an integral part of neighborhood transformation in Seoul, contributing to its economic and urban growth. While direct displacement has recently declined, new forms of displacement are emerging. This study employs a qualitative, case‐oriented research approach to understand gentrification in Seoul by comparing neighborhood transformation and displacement in Sangwangsimni and Changsin‐Sungin industrial clusters. In Sangwangsimni, the property‐led urban redevelopment contributed to the direct displacement of residents. In contrast, Changsin‐Sungin residents were able to remain in place because of the state‐led urban regeneration. However, the latter resulted in residents' feelings of powerlessness, emotional distress, and alienation, which increased displacement pressure and contributed to their indirect displacement. The consequences of neighborhood transformation for displacement reveal not only the changing scope of gentrification in Seoul but also the enduring role of the state in facilitating capital accumulation through the class remaking of the city.\n"]
    February 18, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.12420   open full text
  • Gentrification of Taste and Lifestyle: Shanghai as an Instagrammable Wanghong City.
    Lei Ping.
    The Developing Economies. February 18, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, Volume 64, Issue 1, Page 10-21, March 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nGentrification parallels with massive demolition and displacement in Chinese cities in the post‐Reform era. The article studies the ways in which gentrification of cultural taste and lifestyle is played into state‐sponsored neoliberal space and class making. Focusing on Shanghai—China's gateway to modernity and leading Instagrammable Internet‐famous (wanghong) city—the article examines how the new Shanghai middle class becomes the patron of gentrification and how spatial consumption in the age of social media produces new forms of urban inauthenticity and social distinction. Through case studies of the transformation of two major historic Shanghai architectural forms—vernacular alleyway (longtang) houses and Western‐style garden villas (laoyangfang)—into wanghong scenes, the article argues that by “wanghongnizing” cities like Shanghai and gentrifying ordinary people's everyday life, the Chinese state strategically replaces collective memories of radical urbanism and displacement with propagation of an aestheticized middle‐class xiaokang society and romanticized “Chinese Dream.”\n"]
    February 18, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.12414   open full text
  • Gentrification, Urban Informality, and Displacement in Bangkok.
    Tamaki Endo.
    The Developing Economies. February 18, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, Volume 64, Issue 1, Page 71-88, March 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study analyzes the recent complex dynamics of urban transformation and spatial exclusion affecting the urban lower class. Emerging cities such as Bangkok experience rapid and compressed development in which the characteristics and challenges of both developed and developing cities co‐occur. While Bangkok invests heavily in urban redevelopment projects to become a global city, it also continues to exhibit extensive urban informality. Recent redevelopment projects have displaced some informal settlements, intensifying competition over urban space. These transformations should be understood in relation to the broader context of Bangkok's changing role in a highly interconnected Asian economy, the “real estate turn” in economic development, and the city's evolving socioeconomic conditions. Unlike in the 1960s–1980s, when slum evictions were widespread, today the driving forces and actors are more diverse. Although gentrification‐oriented case studies have increased, analyses focusing on the livelihoods of affected populations remain scarce.\n"]
    February 18, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70013   open full text
  • Introduction to the Special Issue on “Neighborhood Transformation in East Asian Cities: Rethinking Gentrification and Global Capitalism”.
    Zhe Ren, Lei Ping.
    The Developing Economies. February 18, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, Volume 64, Issue 1, Page 5-9, March 2026. ", nil]
    February 18, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70014   open full text
  • Pesticide Residue Control and the Role of Regulatory Cooperation: Evidence From Fruit Exports in Southeast Asia.
    Xue Peng.
    The Developing Economies. January 24, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nSanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures are the predominant nontariff measures for agricultural products. In response to safety concerns, governments and international bodies have set maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticide residues on agricultural products. However, variation in standards across countries creates obstacles to agricultural trade. This study explores how the regulatory heterogeneity of MRLs and regulatory cooperation affect fruit exports from Southeast Asia. The findings indicate that regulatory heterogeneity generally hinders fruit exports from Southeast Asia, with the effects varying across major markets. The regulatory heterogeneity restricts fruit exports to South Korea but seldom affects exports to Australia, China, and Japan. Furthermore, the negative impact of regulatory heterogeneity can be partially mitigated through regulatory cooperation under the regional trade agreement framework while maintaining required safety standards, highlighting the importance of regulatory cooperation.\n"]
    January 24, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70020   open full text
  • Data Empowers Innovation: Government Data Openness and Firms' Knowledge Breadth.
    Zhitong Zhang.
    The Developing Economies. January 20, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study examines the effect of government public data open platforms on firms' knowledge breadth. Using data of Chinese listed firms from 2007 to 2022, the analysis finds that government data openness significantly improves firms' knowledge breadth of innovation. The results indicate that these positive effects are driven by alleviating firms' information asymmetry, increasing talent accessibility, and improving management efficiency. Another finding is that firms located in a city with high administrative levels, SOEs, and firms with low digitalization levels have more apparent innovation improvement effects. Furthermore, the effect of government data openness on knowledge breadth is enhanced not only by the overall quality of government data openness but also by the quality of open data, open platforms, and policy safeguards.\n"]
    January 20, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70019   open full text
  • Managers' Beliefs About Employees and Human Resource Management Strategies: A Case Study of Myanmar's Garment Industry.
    Eitaro Kojima, Akihiko Ohno.
    The Developing Economies. January 14, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis article explores how plant managers' beliefs regarding their employees influence human resource management (HRM) strategies, emphasizing the contrasting perspectives of economics and organizational science. The data for this study were collected from 629 sewing machine operators and 105 plant managers in Myanmar's garment industry. The findings reveal three key points: (1) Economic and social exchanges shape employees' behavior; (2) Managers who view their employees as rational cheaters tend to be hesitant about adopting HRM strategies; and (3) managers who trust in the conscience of their employees are inclined to implement HRM strategies. Given the focus on managers in the labor‐intensive industry in Southeast Asia, this study has significant implications for managers to incorporate diverse viewpoints into HRM strategies.JEL Classification: M12, M54, O15, O53\n"]
    January 14, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70016   open full text
  • Firm‐Level Impacts of Additional US Tariffs Under Trump 2.0: Evidence From Taiwan.
    Kuo‐I Chang, Kazunobu Hayakawa.
    The Developing Economies. January 06, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study empirically investigates the effects of the additional tariffs imposed by the US in 2025 on the Taiwanese economy. The analysis is based on monthly sales data for Taiwanese firms from January 2023 to July 2025. Tariff effects are identified by comparing 2025 monthly sales of firms whose primary sales destination was the US in 2023 with those whose primary destinations were elsewhere. Consistent with the trend of national‐level exports to the US, we find that additional US tariffs have not yet affected Taiwanese exporters. Additional results indicate that (1) Taiwanese firms with affiliates in the US did not experience positive sales effects; and (2) firms with larger production shares in China have not experienced significant changes in sales. Overall, the economic impacts of Trump 2.0 on Taiwan remain limited as of July 2025.\nJEL Classification: F15, F53\n"]
    January 06, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70011   open full text
  • Trade Effects of US Tariffs Under Trump 2.0.
    Kazunobu Hayakawa.
    The Developing Economies. January 06, 2026
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis is the first ex‐post study of the effect of the additional tariffs imposed by the second Trump administration (Trump 2.0) on exports to the US. These additional tariffs were announced and started to be enacted in the first and second quarters of 2025. Nevertheless, countries may have continued to export to the US even after these tariffs were imposed, partly because of the view that President Trump could raise tariffs even further in the future. To examine this anticipation effect, we analyze monthly data on exports from 31 countries (excluding China) prior to August 2025. We find significant last‐minute exports just before the additional tariffs were imposed. After that, exports to the US significantly decreased, except for some steel products. We also find that many countries significantly increased exports to other countries, especially to smaller economies, after the US imposed additional tariffs.\n"]
    January 06, 2026   doi: 10.1111/deve.70012   open full text
  • The Effects of US Additional Tariffs in Trump 2.0 on Production and Trade: Evidence From Thailand.
    Kazunobu Hayakawa, Souknilanh Keola, Sasatra Sudsawasd.
    The Developing Economies. December 22, 2025
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study uses three types of data to quantify the impact of Trump 2.0 in Thailand. First, using product‐level trade data from January 2023 to July 2025, we show that the additional US tariffs have significantly decreased exports of automobiles and some steel/aluminum products to the US. In contrast, exports of auto parts and other items subject to additional tariffs do not change significantly. Second, using industry‐level production data from the same period, we show that the additional US tariffs do not significantly change capacity utilization, while firms appear to be gradually reducing their inventory levels. Finally, using firm‐level export data for the US market in 2024 and 2025 (from January to July), we find that firms importing from China or Chinese firms in Thailand improved their export ranking in the US in 2025. In sum, the impact of US tariffs is currently minimal.\n"]
    December 22, 2025   doi: 10.1111/deve.70009   open full text
  • Relative Performance Contracts Versus Group Contracts With Hidden Savings.
    Archawa Paweenawat.
    The Developing Economies. November 17, 2025
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis paper examines how unobserved savings affect the benefits of relative performance contracts versus group contracts. Using a dynamic moral hazard model in which agents can secretly save, the study suggests that the benefits of group contracts increase with greater inequality between agents and decrease with stronger income correlation. Moreover, hidden savings enhance the relative benefits of group contracts, amplifying the effect of inequality while diminishing the effect of income correlation. Additionally, under group contracts, agents rely more on risk‐sharing networks and less on their own savings. Empirical analysis from rural Thailand—using detailed household data on characteristics, loan choices, and responses to liquidity shocks—supports the model's predictions. Households are more likely to choose group loans in areas with severe hidden savings problems or low income correlation. Furthermore, households with group loans rely more on risk‐sharing networks to manage liquidity shocks.\n"]
    November 17, 2025   doi: 10.1111/deve.12454   open full text
  • General Perceptions of Career Decision‐Making Autonomy Among Youth in Rural Philippines: An Experimental Study Examining Cultural and Gender Dynamics.
    Melisa Fabella, Mai Seki, Makoto Kakinaka.
    The Developing Economies. November 11, 2025
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nGender inequalities persist across various domains where traditional social norms are deeply ingrained. This study examines gendered perceptions of career decision‐making autonomy in the Philippines through self‐determination, social role, and gender congruity theories. Using an experimental vignette survey of 1174 university students, the study explores how respondents perceive autonomy in navigating parental career advice through hypothetical scenarios. Autonomy in this context is framed as the ability to recognize and pursue one's desired career path despite the parental nudge. Findings revealed that respondents generally tend to perceive hypothetical daughter character to have greater autonomy in career choices than the son. Although global efforts focus on women's empowerment, our results highlight the potential need to address boys' autonomy in career choices. In the Philippines, a country known for gender equality advocacy, fostering empowerment across genders is essential to ensure fair economic opportunities for all.\n"]
    November 11, 2025   doi: 10.1111/deve.12453   open full text
  • Foreign Investments and Energy Transformation: Impacts on Energy Poverty, Renewable Adoption, and Emission Reduction in Developing Countries.
    My Nguyen, Hang Nguyen, Phuong M. H. Pham, Tung D. Nguyen.
    The Developing Economies. November 03, 2025
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study investigates the impact of foreign financial investment in renewable energy on energy poverty, renewable energy adoption, and emissions in developing countries. Using a dynamic panel model to address endogeneity, it offers empirical insights into how international climate finance supports sustainable energy transitions. The results show that such investment improves clean energy access, electricity access, and consumption, strengthening both availability and reliability. It also increases renewable electricity output and the share of renewables in energy generation, though effects on renewable energy consumption are more limited. Emissions of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases decline, while effects on per‐capita emissions and carbon intensity are smaller. Lagged models reveal that these benefits persist over time. Impacts vary across regions and country characteristics, particularly fossil fuel dependency, economic growth, and foreign capital intensity. The findings offer actionable insights for designing more effective international climate finance strategies aligned with global energy and climate goals.\n"]
    November 03, 2025   doi: 10.1111/deve.12452   open full text
  • Conditional Cash Transfers: A Quantitative Approach.
    Nikita Cespedes‐Reynaga.
    The Developing Economies. November 02, 2025
    ["The Developing Economies, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe Conditional Cash Transfer program is among the most important anti‐poverty policies worldwide. This study examines the economic effects of this program using a stylized dynamic general equilibrium model with heterogeneous agents. The analysis focuses on the program's influence on output, human capital, poverty, and income inequality, as well as its welfare implications and effects on the intergenerational transmission of poverty. The quantitative findings indicate that long‐term implementation of the Conditional Cash Transfer program significantly reduces the intergenerational transmission of poverty. In aggregate terms, welfare gains vary across agents: individuals in the lower tail of the income distribution benefit the most, while those in the upper tail experience welfare losses. Moreover, the program enhances household human capital, which drives a consistent reduction in both poverty and income inequality.\n"]
    November 02, 2025   doi: 10.1111/deve.12455   open full text
  • Worker Training, Firm Productivity, and Trade Liberalization: Evidence from Chinese Firms.
    Qing Liu, Larry Qiu, Miaojie Yu.
    The Developing Economies. August 30, 2017
    This paper discusses a novel mechanism—worker training—in relation to the effect of output trade liberalization on firm productivity. Using disaggregated Chinese firm‐level production data from 2004 to 2006, we find strong evidence that output trade liberalization boosts firm productivity. More importantly, after controlling for the firm's self‐selection in regards to investment in worker training, our extensive empirical research suggests the following findings. First, with fiercer import competition, firms experience a decrease in profitability and hence are less likely to invest in worker training. Second, less productive firms are more likely to train their workers, as otherwise they would collapse and exit from the market. The lower the firm productivity, the more is invested in the firm's worker training. Finally, the effect of output trade liberalization on firm productivity is more pronounced for firms with more training investment. Such results are robust regardless of various empirical specifications and different measures.
    August 30, 2017   doi: 10.1111/deve.12136   open full text
  • Introduction to the Special Issue (II).
    Chin Hee Hahn, Dionisius Narjoko, Shujiro Urata.
    The Developing Economies. August 30, 2017
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    August 30, 2017   doi: 10.1111/deve.12134   open full text
  • Does Trade Liberalization Boost Quality Upgrading? Evidence From Indonesian Plant‐Product‐Level Data.
    Kazunobu Hayakawa, Toshiyuki Matsuura, Sadayuki Takii.
    The Developing Economies. August 30, 2017
    In this paper, we examine the effects of tariff reduction on product quality upgrading by employing Indonesian plant‐product‐level panel data matched with plant‐level data. In particular, the effects of reduction in output tariffs and input tariffs are separately explored. We focus on the apparel industry. By estimating the Berry‐type demand function, we derive product quality indicators based on the Khandelwal methodology, which enables us to isolate changes in prices from quality upgrading. Our findings are as follows. First, a reduction in output tariffs does not affect product quality upgrading. Second, a reduction in input tariffs boosts quality upgrading in general. In particular, this impact is greater for import plants, as is consistent with our expectation that the source of the boost is the import of high‐quality foreign inputs.
    August 30, 2017   doi: 10.1111/deve.12135   open full text
  • Import Tariff Reductions and Adjustment of Plant's Product Portfolio in the Domestic and Export Market in Korea.
    Yong‐Seok Choi, Chin Hee Hahn.
    The Developing Economies. August 30, 2017
    Using a plant‐product‐matched dataset for Korean manufacturing, this paper examines the effect of import tariff reductions on plants' product portfolios in domestic and export markets. We find that the responses of innovators are quite different from those of non‐innovators, particularly in the domestic market. When import tariffs are reduced, innovators reduce their product scope but increase their average scale of production in the domestic market. By contrast, non‐innovators do not change their domestic product scope significantly, but they experience a decrease in the average scale of production, leading to a significant reduction in domestic shipments. We do not find significantly different responses between innovators and non‐innovators in the export market.
    August 30, 2017   doi: 10.1111/deve.12137   open full text
  • Trade Liberalization, Market Share Reallocation, and Aggregate Productivity: The Case of the Indonesian Manufacturing Industry.
    Kazunobu Hayakawa, Toshiyuki Matsuura.
    The Developing Economies. August 30, 2017
    We investigate how trade liberalization affects aggregate productivity growth, focusing on market reallocation as well as within‐firm productivity improvement. To this end, using Indonesian plant‐level data from 1993 to 2005, we estimate the plant‐level impact of trade liberalization focusing on productivity, output, and the probability to exit. Then, using the simple dynamic simulation method, we calculate the likely impact if tariff rates remain constant in the initial period. Comparing the actual and counterfactual scenarios, our results show that although within‐plant productivity improvement through tariff reduction has a sizable impact on aggregate productivity growth, the contribution of market share reallocation is less significant.
    August 30, 2017   doi: 10.1111/deve.12138   open full text
  • Introduction to the Special Issue.
    Chin Hee Hahn, Dionisius Narjoko, Shujiro Urata.
    The Developing Economies. May 24, 2017
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    May 24, 2017   doi: 10.1111/deve.12131   open full text
  • Exchange Rate Uncertainty and R&D Investment: Evidence from Japanese Firms.
    Keiko Ito, Shoko Haneda.
    The Developing Economies. May 24, 2017
    The Japanese yen is one of the most volatile among developed country currencies. In this paper, we investigate how real effective exchange rate (REER) uncertainty affects firms’ research and development (R&D) investment, using firm‐level panel data for Japanese manufacturing firms for the period 1994–2011. Our results show that firms that are more exposed to REER uncertainty are less responsive to changes in demand conditions. Uncertainty makes firms more cautious when investing, since high uncertainty increases the chances of making a costly mistake. Our finding thus provides evidence of the caution effect of uncertainty. The caution effect also increases the persistence of R&D, implying that R&D investment does not increase much even if firms face favorable demand conditions. Reducing REER uncertainty is important to stimulate R&D investment, especially for firms that are more exposed to international competition and REER uncertainty.
    May 24, 2017   doi: 10.1111/deve.12125   open full text
  • Overseas Expansion and Domestic Business Restructuring in Japanese Firms.
    Keiko Ito, Kenta Ikeuchi.
    The Developing Economies. May 24, 2017
    In this paper, we examine domestic business restructuring by Japanese multinational enterprises by using establishment‐level panel data for the years 2001, 2006, 2009, and 2012. Focusing on the routine‐task intensity of establishments, we examine the impact of restructuring in terms of: (1) what type of establishments are closed or newly established; and (2) what type of establishments increase or reduce their employment when a firm becomes multinational. We measure the skill level of each establishment using occupation‐level routine‐task intensity and occupation composition for each industry. We find that more routine‐task intensive establishments have a greater likelihood of exiting the domestic market when the firm becomes multinational. In the case of continuing establishments, less routine‐task intensive establishments tend to have a higher employment growth rate when a firm becomes multinational. Our results imply that overseas expansion accelerates domestic business restructuring within multinational enterprises and shifts domestic activities toward less routine‐task intensive ones.
    May 24, 2017   doi: 10.1111/deve.12126   open full text
  • Industry FDI and the Distribution of Plant Productivity: Analysis Using Korean Plant‐Level Data.
    Bo‐Young Choi, Ju Hyun Pyun.
    The Developing Economies. May 24, 2017
    We examine the effects of inward FDI on the distribution of plant total factor productivity. Using Korean manufacturing plant‐level data covering 1990–2007, we find that industry FDI had heterogeneous effects on plant productivity and its distribution in terms of industry characteristics, such as industry concentration index and capital intensity. While sectoral FDI drove up productivity more for plants in industries with low concentration, it had negative effects on productivity especially for the least productive plants in industries with high concentration and high capital intensity. Our results also reveal that the positive effect of FDI was greater for exporters than for non‐exporters.
    May 24, 2017   doi: 10.1111/deve.12127   open full text
  • Trade Protection and Firm Productivity: Evidence from Thai Manufacturing.
    Juthathip Jongwanich, Archanun Kohpaiboon.
    The Developing Economies. May 24, 2017
    This paper examines the effect of trade protection on firm productivity, using the Thai manufacturing sector as a case study. While our main finding is in favor of a liberal trade policy environment, we argue input and output tariffs should be treated separately in examining their impact on productivity. Ceteris paribus, lowering input tariffs potentially has at least two opposite effects. It allows firms to benefit in several ways, enhancing their productivity, while also discouraging their efforts to improve productivity due to the increased level of effective protection. This necessitates caution when pursuing trade policy reform in not placing too much focus on input tariffs while leaving output tariffs untouched. Even though input and output tariffs work differently in promoting firms’ productivity, any trade policy reform process should take both input and output tariffs into consideration in ensuring that trade is actually liberalized.
    May 24, 2017   doi: 10.1111/deve.12128   open full text
  • The Role of Off‐Farm Labor Participation Decisions of Married Farm Couples on Farm Direct Marketing in Taiwan.
    Hung‐Hao Chang, Junlin He, Kannika Saeliw.
    The Developing Economies. February 20, 2017
    Direct marketing from farm producers to consumers has been seen as a viable business option to increase farm income. This study investigates the factors that determine a farm's direct marketing decisions; special attention is paid to understanding the correlation between farm couples' off‐farm labor participation and the farm's adoption of direct marketing strategies. A nationally representative dataset of 3,670 married family farm couples in Taiwan is used as an illustration. A multiple choice treatment effect model is estimated to cope with endogeneity bias. The results indicate a significant association between farm couples' off‐farm labor decisions and the farm's adoption of direct marketing strategies. Moreover, gender difference is evident: farm husband's (wife's) off‐farm work is positively (negatively) associated with the farm's direct marketing decision.
    February 20, 2017   doi: 10.1111/deve.12118   open full text
  • The Impact of Social Safety Net Programs on Household Savings in Colombia.
    Jorge Tovar, Miguel Urrutia.
    The Developing Economies. February 20, 2017
    This paper seeks to understand and quantify how social safety net programs impact household savings in developing countries, considering the case of Colombia using two complementary approaches. The first approach explores how the health regime affects savings in the country. The second evaluates the impact on savings of familias en acción, a major antipoverty conditional cash transfer program. The results suggest that the savings of informal households are higher than those of formal households, because, with little incentive to enter the formal job market, informal households need to cover slightly greater non‐covered risks. The results also show that familias en acción recipients save more than non‐recipients because recipients favorably adjust their expenditure patterns.
    February 20, 2017   doi: 10.1111/deve.12119   open full text
  • Interest Rate Pass‐Through in Mongolia.
    Gan‐Ochir Doojav, Kaliappa Kalirajan.
    The Developing Economies. November 17, 2016
    This study empirically examines the interest rate pass‐through of the money market interest rate to bank lending and bank deposit interest rates in Mongolia using both linear and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) models. The results from the empirical analysis using data from December 2002 to September 2015 suggest that interest rate pass‐through is generally weaker, slower, and asymmetric in Mongolia. The new findings provide evidence that: (i) interest rate pass‐through has improved over time; (ii) the bank deposit rate has a higher long‐run interest rate pass‐through and slower adjustment than the bank lending rate; and (iii) there is a negative long‐run asymmetric pass‐through with respect to the bank lending rate and a positive long‐run asymmetric pass‐through with respect to the bank deposit rate.
    November 17, 2016   doi: 10.1111/deve.12112   open full text
  • Financial and Political Institutional Problems as Instigators of Banking Crises.
    Aytül Ganİoğlu.
    The Developing Economies. November 17, 2016
    The question of why some countries suffer from crises, while others escape them, is challenging. Empirical evidence in the literature suggests that countries with stronger financial institutions are more able to withstand crises. This study empirically investigates whether the probability of crisis depends on the political institutional structure. More specifically, we question whether the failure to democratize polity successfully creates an environment for financial institutional weaknesses, which have the potential to lead to banking crises. It is found that the effectiveness of the prudent supervision of the financial sector in lowering the probability of banking crises is more pronounced in more democratized countries and when the political framework is more institutionalized.
    November 17, 2016   doi: 10.1111/deve.12113   open full text
  • Is There any Threshold in the Relationship Between Mother's Education and Child Health? Evidence from Nigeria.
    Meherun Ahmed, Kazi Iqbal.
    The Developing Economies. August 30, 2016
    The literature on mother's education and child health casually observes some nonlinearities and also a threshold in the relationship. Even though this nonlinearity or threshold has significant bearing on policy matters such as quality of education, any rigorous attempt to address this issue is missing in the literature. With height for age z‐score as a proxy for long‐run child health capital, regression results reveal that there are significant effects of mother's education on child health if mothers do not continue past primary school. Rather, poor quality of education at the primary level, especially literacy, is argued to have given rise to this threshold. It indicates that greater public investment in improving quality of education at the primary level is essential for maximizing the nonmarket outcomes of girls’ education in developing countries.
    August 30, 2016   doi: 10.1111/deve.12109   open full text
  • Adult Mortality, AIDS, and Fertility in Rural Malawi.
    Dick Durevall, Annika Lindskog.
    The Developing Economies. August 30, 2016
    The future course of fertility is a major determinant of economic development in many sub‐Saharan countries, so understanding how HIV/AIDS affects childbearing is of great interest. We show that fertility responds negatively to female mortality and positively to male mortality and that the overall fertility response is small. The negative effect of female mortality is in line with earlier studies that only focus on women and their infection and mortality risks, while the finding of a positive effect of adult‐male mortality is novel. One interpretation of this finding is that women who perceive a high risk of their husbands' or grown‐up sons' deaths are likely to want to have more children to ensure future support.
    August 30, 2016   doi: 10.1111/deve.12111   open full text
  • Credit Conditions in Pakistan: Supply Constraints or Demand Deficiencies?
    Jameel Ahmed.
    The Developing Economies. May 22, 2016
    This paper attempts to pin down the key drivers of demand for and supply of real private sector credit in Pakistan. I use both the equilibrium and disequilibrium econometric frameworks, specifically tackling the issue of lack of consistency and/or efficiency of joint estimators in the former via the three‐stage least squares technique. On the demand side, I find that higher economic activity provides stimulus to credit whereas inflation dampens it. The stock market seems to play a dual role: as a source of alternative financing, a bullish market negatively impacts credit while, as an indicator of economic expectations, it provides a positive impetus. On the supply side, banks' lending capacity is found to be the major driver of credit while government borrowing has a crowding‐out effect. Pakistan currently faces supply constraints, which might put an additional check on capacity utilization by firms, thus damaging growth prospects. The results have important policy implications.
    May 22, 2016   doi: 10.1111/deve.12106   open full text
  • Can Market Potential Explain Regional Disparities in Developing Countries? Evidence from Turkey.
    Burhan Can Karahasan, Fatma Dogruel, Ali Suut Dogruel.
    The Developing Economies. May 22, 2016
    Regional disparity is one of the important characteristics of the Turkish economy. This study examines the impact of market potential on the regional differences in Turkey by investigating wages in the manufacturing industry for 1987 and 2000. Evidence suggests that market potential is an important determinant of inequality in Turkey. In addition, public–private decomposition reshapes the dispersion of wages supportive of rising heterogeneity in the private manufacturing industry. This increases the explanatory power of market potential, which is observed to be high in western Turkey and diminishes toward eastern Turkey. Our findings highlight that during the postliberalization era of the 1980s, Turkey's regional inequality concern transformed into a structural problem which can be explained by provincial market potential. Moreover, our results underline that the modern geography framework, which has been tested for developed economies, is able to elucidate the regional differences in a developing country suffering from persistent imbalances.
    May 22, 2016   doi: 10.1111/deve.12105   open full text
  • Competition in Turkish Banking: Impacts of Restructuring and the Global Financial Crisis.
    Canan Yildirim.
    The Developing Economies. May 26, 2014
    This paper investigates the evolution of competition in the Turkish banking industry by taking into account the transformation in the sector in the aftermath of the country's financial crisis of 2000 to 2001 and the global financial crisis. The results demonstrate that the level of competition in the system did not increase despite the restructuring that was undertaken and the increased foreign bank participation. In addition, the level of competition in the sector deteriorated during the global crisis. There is also some evidence that the market power of banks with different ownership characteristics varied and did not converge over time.
    May 26, 2014   doi: 10.1111/deve.12040   open full text
  • Social Globalization and Child Labor: A Cross‐country Analysis.
    Heather Congdon Fors.
    The Developing Economies. May 26, 2014
    While much of the research on child labor focuses on household level factors, macroeconomic factors, such as globalization, have gained increasing attention. This paper contributes to the literature on the role of globalization in child labor by examining a specific aspect of globalization, namely social globalization. The results of the empirical analysis indicate that social globalization does have a significant negative impact on the average incidence of child labor in the cross‐country sample of developing countries. This contrasts with the existing literature on economic globalization and child labor, where, in many cases, no significant effect is found.
    May 26, 2014   doi: 10.1111/deve.12041   open full text
  • Informal Credit, Usury, or Support? A Case Study for Vietnam.
    Cuong Viet Nguyen, Marrit Berg.
    The Developing Economies. May 26, 2014
    The informal credit market remains an important source of finance for the poor in Vietnam. Yet, little if anything is known about the impact of informal loans on poverty and inequality, and the Vietnamese government has no policies towards the informal credit market. In the present study paper, we found that the effect of credit from friends and relatives on per capita expenditure is positive but not statistically significant. Meanwhile, the effect of credit from private moneylenders on per capita expenditure is positive and statistically significant. Borrowing from private moneylenders increases per capita expenditure of households by around 15%. Further, it reduced the poverty incidence of borrowers by around 8.5 percentage points in 2006 and significantly decreases the poverty gap index and the poverty‐severity index. Borrowing from private moneylenders also reduces expenditure inequality, albeit at a very small magnitude.
    May 26, 2014   doi: 10.1111/deve.12042   open full text
  • A Comparison between Formal and Informal Mutual‐credit Arrangements.
    Francesco Reito, Salvatore Spagano.
    The Developing Economies. May 26, 2014
    We analyze under what conditions a group of potential entrepreneurs prefer to form a Rotating Savings and Credit Association (ROSCA), or a mutual‐guarantee association, which we interpret in a rotating scheme and call Rotating Savings and Collateral Association (ROSCoA). We argue that: (1) ROSCAs (ROSCoAs) are likely to be more developed in countries with high (low) bank concentration; (2) the individual flow of savings required to participate in a ROSCoA is generally lower than that needed in a ROSCA; (3) under the assumption that members share their project income at the end of each period, ROSCAs and ROsCoAs are sustainable even without the use of sanctioning mechanisms.
    May 26, 2014   doi: 10.1111/deve.12043   open full text
  • Relevance of Own R&D and Sources of Knowledge Transfer for Industrial Innovation in China.
    Wan‐Hsin Liu.
    The Developing Economies. February 13, 2014
    This study investigates industrial innovation and innovation patterns in China with a comparison to the Asian Newly Industrialized Economies (NIEs). It estimates knowledge production functions based on an original firm‐level dataset. Estimation results suggest that even though firms in China carry out various innovation activities at the same time, the innovation pattern found among their counterparts in the Asian NIEs is still relevant for contemporary China. In particular, sourcing knowledge and technologies from their OEM customers still plays a crucial role for Chinese firms' process innovation. In contrast, firms cannot rely on this knowledge source for realizing more sophisticated, knowledge‐intensive innovation outcomes, such as product innovation and patenting, for which their own R&D engagement is more significant.
    February 13, 2014   doi: 10.1111/deve.12032   open full text
  • Changing Sources of Household Income, Poverty, and Sectoral Inequality in Sri Lanka, 1990–2006.
    Nandika S. Kumanayake, Jonna P. Estudillo, Keijiro Otsuka.
    The Developing Economies. February 13, 2014
    Comparing dynamic changes in household income and poverty among urban, rural, and estate sectors in Sri Lanka from 1990 to 2006, this study finds that a shift of household income away from farm to nonfarm sources is accompanied by a significant improvement in household income and reduction in poverty, particularly in the rural sector. Major contributing factors are the rise in returns to labor, in general, and educated labor, in particular, due to the development of the nonfarm labor market. Persistently low income among estate households can be explained primarily by the limited availability of nonfarm employment opportunities and the low education levels of working members.
    February 13, 2014   doi: 10.1111/deve.12033   open full text
  • A Note on the Labor Market Effects of Remittances in Latin American and Caribbean Countries: Do Thresholds Exist?
    Mahalia Jackman.
    The Developing Economies. February 13, 2014
    The labor market effects of remittances have long been examined in the empirical literature. To date, the results have been mixed: some authors observe a negative association between remittances and unemployment while others report that remittances increase unemployment. This study empirically examines the impact of remittances on unemployment using macroeconomic data for a sample of 18 Latin American and Caribbean countries. Specifically, the study tests whether there is a nonlinear relationship between the variables. Results suggest that when the remittance‐to‐GDP ratio is low, remittances have a positive and significant impact on unemployment. However, as they increase, remittances are negatively associated with unemployment. This suggests the possibility that estimations based on the assumption of a linear relationship between remittances and labor may mask the true relationship between the variables.
    February 13, 2014   doi: 10.1111/deve.12034   open full text
  • Political Economy of Service Delivery: Monitoring Versus Contestation.
    Kjell Hausken, Mthuli Ncube.
    The Developing Economies. February 13, 2014
    Many communities suffer limited public goods provision due to civil servants (doctors, teachers, etc.) supplementing their low income with moonlighting activities. Monitors of civil servants commonly also earn low salaries from monitoring and may prefer political contestation for power and prestige. We determine an internal equilibrium for how monitors strike a balance between monitoring and political contestation, and a corner solution where an unresourceful monitor does not monitor. Multiple characteristics, including the intensity of political contestation, are accounted for. Survey data from Tanzania and Senegal are used to show the significance of poor service delivery within education and healthcare services.
    February 13, 2014   doi: 10.1111/deve.12035   open full text
  • Beliefs, Economic Volatility, and Redistributive Preferences Across Developing Countries.
    Anil Duman.
    The Developing Economies. May 26, 2013
    Beliefs about social competition affect redistributive demands and the responsibility assigned to government regarding public provisions. Given the strong link between beliefs and the extent of support for social protection, it is important to explain the cross‐country differences. The paper analyzes the factors that are crucial in explaining redistributive demands across developing countries with a special emphasis on beliefs about social competition. While ideas about luck versus effort in determining economic prospects are explanatory in every country, our findings also suggest that in societies with high economic volatility the role of beliefs is amplified. Vast fluctuations in economic performance fuel the opinion that economic failure is a result of systemic characteristics, and individuals are not necessarily held fully responsible for their material faiths in such settings. Therefore, government is assigned a greater role in basic provisioning.
    May 26, 2013   doi: 10.1111/deve.12011   open full text
  • Does Aid Unpredictability Weaken Governance? Evidence from Developing Countries.
    Thierry Kangoye.
    The Developing Economies. May 26, 2013
    This paper examines the effects of aid on governance from a different perspective by asserting that aid unpredictability can potentially increase corruption in recipient countries by providing incentives to risk‐averse and corrupt political leaders to engage in rent‐seeking activities. Analyses of data from 80 developing countries over the period 1984–2004 offer evidence that higher aid unpredictability is associated with more corruption as measured by a synthetic index. We also find further evidence that this latter impact is more severe in countries with weak initial institutional conditions. These findings are a supplementary advocacy for the need for better management and better predictability of aid flow in developing countries.
    May 26, 2013   doi: 10.1111/deve.12008   open full text
  • Trade Opening, Fiscal Reforms, Poverty, and Inequality: A CGE Analysis for Bangladesh.
    Bodrun Nahar, Mahinda Siriwardana.
    The Developing Economies. May 26, 2013
    We assess the short‐ and long‐run impacts of tariff reform policies on Bangladeshi households' poverty and income distribution by developing an 86‐sector, four‐factor, and nine‐household‐group computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. The main findings are that the complete removal of tariffs leads to a decrease in overall poverty with rich household groups in a relatively better position. In the short run poverty incidence increases for rural landless, urban illiterate, and low‐educated household groups whereas rural large farmer and urban medium household groups enjoy improvements in all poverty indicators. In terms of income distribution, trade liberalization enhances inequality slightly, but there is a tendency towards more equitable distribution in the long run. The choice of a fiscal compensatory mechanism with consumption tax is likely to play a negative role in terms of poverty and inequality in the short run; however, interestingly, the results are pro‐poor in the long run.
    May 26, 2013   doi: 10.1111/deve.12009   open full text
  • Technological Change, Job Risk, and Wage Premium: Evidence from Taiwan.
    Jin‐Long Liu, Chia‐Hui Huang, Chih‐Hai Yang.
    The Developing Economies. May 26, 2013
    The paper reports the results of analyzing the effects of technological change and job risk on wage premiums in Taiwan. Using unique individual data combined with industry‐level indices of technological change and fatality rates across industries, the empirical results show that, overall, industries characterized by a higher rate of technological change or fatality pay a higher wage. However, these positive correlations are attributed to the sorting effect in which workers with some specific features choose to find jobs in industries with rapid technological change and higher job risk. Furthermore, this paper reports a positive relationship between education and wages after controlling for individual heterogeneity, showing the existence of education premium in Taiwan.
    May 26, 2013   doi: 10.1111/deve.12010   open full text