Size-based industrial policy (support for small firms) has long been provided by the government i... more Size-based industrial policy (support for small firms) has long been provided by the government in Pakistan while age-based policy (support for young firms) has become prominent in recent years. Both policies are typically justified by reference to positive effects on labour absorption. Despite their popularity among policymakers, however, the empirical basis for such policies has not been adequately analysed at the national level. We address this issue using data from a large, multisector, random sample of manufacturing firms and find empirical support for size-based policies but not for age-based ones. We also find that sizebased policies appear most relevant for firms with less than fifty workers. JEL Classification: Firm Performance: Size, Diversification and Scope (L25); Industrialisation. Manufacturing and Service Industries. Choice of Technology (O14) Keywords: Firm Size, Firm Age, Employment Growth, Manufacturing; Pakistan, Industrial Policy
bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su r... more bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Produced by the Research Support Team
bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su r... more bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed The Demands for Funds by Agricultural Households:
Discussion papers are not formal publications of the World Bank. They represent preliminary and o... more Discussion papers are not formal publications of the World Bank. They represent preliminary and often unpolished results of country analysis and research. Circulation is intended to encourage discussion and comments; citation and the use of the paper should take account of its provisional character. The findings and conclusions of the paper are entirely those of the authors and should not be attributed to the World Bank, its affiliated organizations, or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the
It is estimated that Egypt's microfinance industry currently reaches only about 5 percent of ... more It is estimated that Egypt's microfinance industry currently reaches only about 5 percent of the more than 2 million potential borrowers. In this situation, commercial banks could play an important role since they have the advantage of both outreach capacity through their branch networks and fundraising capacity through their legal ability to accept savings deposits. Traditionally, commercial banks in Egypt, as in many other developing countries, have shied away from microfinance, perceiving it to be characterized by high risks and low rewards. The National Bank for Development (NBD) in Egypt, however, has had a different experience. A private commercial bank, NBD has successfully run a microlending program for over 16 years. Microlending programs have existed in Egypt since the mid-1960s. Most microfinance services are delivered through government and nongovernmental organization (NGO) programs and some are conducted through business associations, development intermediaries, an...
The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encoura... more The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.
Although child mortality rates have declined all across the developing world over the past forty ... more Although child mortality rates have declined all across the developing world over the past forty years, they have fallen the most in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. We investigate the causes of this through an econometric model that differs from previous studies in using the change in child mortality, rather than its level, as the dependent variable. We show that the process of child mortality decline has been characterized by convergence, whereby countries with higher levels of initial child mortality have experienced faster declines than those with lower levels. In addition, we find that public spending on health, growth rates of income and levels of caloric adequacy are robust determinants of the change in child mortality over time. Neither initial mortality status nor caloric adequacy is likely to remain as important for the MENA region in the future as they have been in the past. The region has been benefitting less and less from the convergence momentum conferred by high initial child mortality as its mortality levels have declined over time and this will continue into the future. With regard to caloric adequacy, the region is unlikely to experience significant improvements in the future as it has already achieved a high level of food sufficiency. Accordingly, most countries in the region must look to achieving more rapid income growth and higher rates of appropriatelytargeted public spending on health in order to achieve further child mortality reductions in the future.
This paper was prepared for a conference on Sustainability, Efficiency and Equity of Public Expen... more This paper was prepared for a conference on Sustainability, Efficiency and Equity of Public Expenditures in Egypt, held in Cairo on October 19-20, 2003, under the auspices of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies. The views contained herein are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the World Bank Group. The paper has benefited from comments provided by Dr. Fayka El-Refai and Prof. Sayed Abdel-Mawla.
The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do n... more The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank cannot guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work.
This is the first of a set of papers and a book to be published through the World Bank Institute ... more This is the first of a set of papers and a book to be published through the World Bank Institute and Oxford University Press. This Chapter 1 provides an overview of the Japanese "Top-Down" Approach to Decentralization. All other chapters will be posted on this page no later than
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has performed the best among all regions in improv... more The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has performed the best among all regions in improving education attainment over the past four decades (1970–2010). Using econometric analysis, we show that this was due in large part to a convergence process in which countries that had low levels of education in 1970 increased their stocks much faster than those with higher initial education. Since MENA had the second lowest education stock among all regions in 1970, it benefited substantially from convergence over the next four decades. We also show that MENA obtained a comparative edge from having had the highest rate of public spending on education among all developing country regions. Such spending, however, was of middling efficiency and did little to produce education of good quality.
This Special Issue presents a collection of papers which examine the evolution of small and mediu... more This Special Issue presents a collection of papers which examine the evolution of small and medium enterprises (hereafter SMEs) in East Asia over the past quarter century or so. East Asia is of interest because this region has experienced, on average, the highest economic growth rates in the world during this period. This has been accompanied by dramatic transformations in
Measuring Economic Using Growth at Risk as a measure of downside growth Downside Risk and Severit... more Measuring Economic Using Growth at Risk as a measure of downside growth Downside Risk and Severity risk, the authors find that higher perceived levels of Growth at Risk downside growth risk seem to be negatively associated with long-term growth.
The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encoura... more The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.
The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encoura... more The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.
This paper provides an overview of salient characteristics of the Japanese local government syste... more This paper provides an overview of salient characteristics of the Japanese local government system paying special attention to the following: (a) the strong preference for regional balance in fiscal transfer rules; (b) the lack of systematic influence by individual politicians in grant allocations; (c) the practice of exchanging staff across different levels of government; (d) the use of attractive work
Size-based industrial policy (support for small firms) has long been provided by the government i... more Size-based industrial policy (support for small firms) has long been provided by the government in Pakistan while age-based policy (support for young firms) has become prominent in recent years. Both policies are typically justified by reference to positive effects on labour absorption. Despite their popularity among policymakers, however, the empirical basis for such policies has not been adequately analysed at the national level. We address this issue using data from a large, multisector, random sample of manufacturing firms and find empirical support for size-based policies but not for age-based ones. We also find that sizebased policies appear most relevant for firms with less than fifty workers. JEL Classification: Firm Performance: Size, Diversification and Scope (L25); Industrialisation. Manufacturing and Service Industries. Choice of Technology (O14) Keywords: Firm Size, Firm Age, Employment Growth, Manufacturing; Pakistan, Industrial Policy
bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su r... more bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Produced by the Research Support Team
bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su r... more bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed The Demands for Funds by Agricultural Households:
Discussion papers are not formal publications of the World Bank. They represent preliminary and o... more Discussion papers are not formal publications of the World Bank. They represent preliminary and often unpolished results of country analysis and research. Circulation is intended to encourage discussion and comments; citation and the use of the paper should take account of its provisional character. The findings and conclusions of the paper are entirely those of the authors and should not be attributed to the World Bank, its affiliated organizations, or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the
It is estimated that Egypt's microfinance industry currently reaches only about 5 percent of ... more It is estimated that Egypt's microfinance industry currently reaches only about 5 percent of the more than 2 million potential borrowers. In this situation, commercial banks could play an important role since they have the advantage of both outreach capacity through their branch networks and fundraising capacity through their legal ability to accept savings deposits. Traditionally, commercial banks in Egypt, as in many other developing countries, have shied away from microfinance, perceiving it to be characterized by high risks and low rewards. The National Bank for Development (NBD) in Egypt, however, has had a different experience. A private commercial bank, NBD has successfully run a microlending program for over 16 years. Microlending programs have existed in Egypt since the mid-1960s. Most microfinance services are delivered through government and nongovernmental organization (NGO) programs and some are conducted through business associations, development intermediaries, an...
The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encoura... more The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.
Although child mortality rates have declined all across the developing world over the past forty ... more Although child mortality rates have declined all across the developing world over the past forty years, they have fallen the most in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. We investigate the causes of this through an econometric model that differs from previous studies in using the change in child mortality, rather than its level, as the dependent variable. We show that the process of child mortality decline has been characterized by convergence, whereby countries with higher levels of initial child mortality have experienced faster declines than those with lower levels. In addition, we find that public spending on health, growth rates of income and levels of caloric adequacy are robust determinants of the change in child mortality over time. Neither initial mortality status nor caloric adequacy is likely to remain as important for the MENA region in the future as they have been in the past. The region has been benefitting less and less from the convergence momentum conferred by high initial child mortality as its mortality levels have declined over time and this will continue into the future. With regard to caloric adequacy, the region is unlikely to experience significant improvements in the future as it has already achieved a high level of food sufficiency. Accordingly, most countries in the region must look to achieving more rapid income growth and higher rates of appropriatelytargeted public spending on health in order to achieve further child mortality reductions in the future.
This paper was prepared for a conference on Sustainability, Efficiency and Equity of Public Expen... more This paper was prepared for a conference on Sustainability, Efficiency and Equity of Public Expenditures in Egypt, held in Cairo on October 19-20, 2003, under the auspices of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies. The views contained herein are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the World Bank Group. The paper has benefited from comments provided by Dr. Fayka El-Refai and Prof. Sayed Abdel-Mawla.
The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do n... more The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank cannot guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work.
This is the first of a set of papers and a book to be published through the World Bank Institute ... more This is the first of a set of papers and a book to be published through the World Bank Institute and Oxford University Press. This Chapter 1 provides an overview of the Japanese "Top-Down" Approach to Decentralization. All other chapters will be posted on this page no later than
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has performed the best among all regions in improv... more The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has performed the best among all regions in improving education attainment over the past four decades (1970–2010). Using econometric analysis, we show that this was due in large part to a convergence process in which countries that had low levels of education in 1970 increased their stocks much faster than those with higher initial education. Since MENA had the second lowest education stock among all regions in 1970, it benefited substantially from convergence over the next four decades. We also show that MENA obtained a comparative edge from having had the highest rate of public spending on education among all developing country regions. Such spending, however, was of middling efficiency and did little to produce education of good quality.
This Special Issue presents a collection of papers which examine the evolution of small and mediu... more This Special Issue presents a collection of papers which examine the evolution of small and medium enterprises (hereafter SMEs) in East Asia over the past quarter century or so. East Asia is of interest because this region has experienced, on average, the highest economic growth rates in the world during this period. This has been accompanied by dramatic transformations in
Measuring Economic Using Growth at Risk as a measure of downside growth Downside Risk and Severit... more Measuring Economic Using Growth at Risk as a measure of downside growth Downside Risk and Severity risk, the authors find that higher perceived levels of Growth at Risk downside growth risk seem to be negatively associated with long-term growth.
The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encoura... more The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.
The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encoura... more The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.
This paper provides an overview of salient characteristics of the Japanese local government syste... more This paper provides an overview of salient characteristics of the Japanese local government system paying special attention to the following: (a) the strong preference for regional balance in fiscal transfer rules; (b) the lack of systematic influence by individual politicians in grant allocations; (c) the practice of exchanging staff across different levels of government; (d) the use of attractive work
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Papers by Farrukh Iqbal