scholarly journals Vote Buying or (Political) Business (Cycles) as Usual?

2020 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 409-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toke Aidt ◽  
Zareh Asatryan ◽  
Lusine Badalyan ◽  
Friedrich Heinemann
Keyword(s):  
Business Cycles ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Vote Buying ◽  
Election Cycle ◽  
Political Business Cycles ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Consumer Expenditures ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Robust Evidence

We report robust evidence of a new short-run monetary election cycle: the monthly growth rate of the money supply (M1) around elections is higher than in other months in a sample of low- and middle-income countries. We hypothesize this is related to systemic vote buying. Consistent with this, we find no cycle in authoritarian countries and countries with strong political institutions and a pronounced cycle in elections where international election monitors reported vote buying or in close elections. Using survey data on daily consumer expenditures, we show that within-household consumption of food increases in the days before elections.

Hitting Them With Carrots: Voter Intimidation and Vote Buying in Russia

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 857-881 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Frye ◽  
Ora John Reuter ◽  
David Szakonyi
Keyword(s):  
Middle Income Country ◽  
Income Country ◽  
Vote Buying ◽  
Election Cycle ◽  
Active Monitoring ◽  
Simple Argument ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Survey Experiments ◽  
Buying In

Scholars have identified many ways that politicians use carrots, such as vote buying, to mobilize voters, but have paid far less attention to how they use sticks, such as voter intimidation. This article develops a simple argument which suggests that voter intimidation should be especially likely where vote buying is expensive and employers have greater leverage over employees. Using survey experiments and crowd-sourced electoral violation reports from the 2011–12 election cycle in Russia, the study finds evidence consistent with these claims. Moreover, it finds that where employers have less leverage over employees, active forms of monitoring may supplement intimidation in order to encourage compliance. These results suggest that employers can be reliable vote brokers; that voter intimidation can persist in a middle-income country; and that, under some conditions, intimidation may be employed without the need for active monitoring.

Interplays Between Methane Emission and Agricultural Output

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 56-69
Author(s):  
Ramesh Chandra Das ◽  
Arundhati Mukherjee
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Agricultural Output ◽  
Methane Generation ◽  
Developed Economies ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Short Run

There have been debates among the so-called developed economies and less developed and emerging economies on the issue of ‘who is responsible for' the emission of excessive greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the ambient environment. While methane emissions from agriculture and livestock is one of the important elements of GHGs, it is also required for growth of the agriculture and allied activities for all economic categories. The present study, under this backdrop, examines long run and short run linkages between methane emissions and agriculture outputs for high and low to upper middle-income countries for the period 1981-2012. The results show that the series of methane emissions and agriculture output are cointegrated in the 15 member Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) group, low income and middle income countries signifying the responsibilities of these income groups in methane emissions. The responsible countries in the OECD are USA, UK, Japan, Germany, and Italy. Further, in short run dynamics, the Granger Causality results show that methane emissions make a cause to agriculture output for 15OECD and low-income countries, and agricultural output is a cause to methane generation for middle and all low to upper middle income countries. China, India, and Brazil cannot be blamed for making excessive methane generation as both the series are not cointegrated for them.

scholarly journals Will COVID-19 fiscal recovery packages accelerate or retard progress on climate change?

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S359-S381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron Hepburn ◽  
Brian O’Callaghan ◽  
Nicholas Stern ◽  
Joseph Stiglitz ◽  
Dimitri Zenghelis
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Capital Investment ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Physical Infrastructure ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Economic Multiplier

Abstract The COVID-19 crisis is likely to have dramatic consequences for progress on climate change. Imminent fiscal recovery packages could entrench or partly displace the current fossil-fuel-intensive economic system. Here, we survey 231 central bank officials, finance ministry officials, and other economic experts from G20 countries on the relative performance of 25 major fiscal recovery archetypes across four dimensions: speed of implementation, economic multiplier, climate impact potential, and overall desirability. We identify five policies with high potential on both economic multiplier and climate impact metrics: clean physical infrastructure, building efficiency retrofits, investment in education and training, natural capital investment, and clean R&D. In lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) rural support spending is of particular value while clean R&D is less important. These recommendations are contextualized through analysis of the short-run impacts of COVID-19 on greenhouse gas curtailment and plausible medium-run shifts in the habits and behaviours of humans and institutions.

SOME DETERMINANTS AND MECHANICS OF ECONOMIC GROWTH IN MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES: THE ROLE OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, TAXATION AND OTHER MACROECONOMIC VARIABLES

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-37
Author(s):  
RUDRA P. PRADHAN ◽  
MAK B. ARVIN ◽  
MAHENDHIRAN NAIR ◽  
SARA E. BENNETT ◽  
SAHAR BAHMANI
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Government Expenditure ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Macroeconomic Variables ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Ict Infrastructure

This study examines key factors in the economic growth of middle-income countries over the period 1970–2017. The variables considered are ICT infrastructure development, taxation revenue, government expenditure, gross capital formation, foreign direct investment, and inflation. This study considers interlinkages between the macroeconomic variables noted above. The purpose of this study is to determine: (1) if there is causality between the variables and (2) the direction of any causality. Using a panel vector error-correction model, we find both short-run and long-run relationships between the variables. In each specification, we find that ICT infrastructure development, taxation revenue and the four macroeconomic variables all stimulate economic growth in the long run. This suggests that policymakers should curate an integrated and holistic policy framework pertaining to taxation, ICT infrastructure development and other macroeconomic policies to create a vibrant national economic ecosystem that would ensure the sustained economic growth of middle-income countries.

scholarly journals Vote Buying or (Political) Business (Cycles) as Usual?

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toke Skovsgaard Aidt ◽  
Zareh Asatryan ◽  
Lusine Badalyan ◽  
Friedrich Heinemann
Keyword(s):  
Business Cycles ◽  
Vote Buying ◽  
Political Business Cycles

scholarly journals Democratic Decline in the United States: What Can We Learn from Middle-Income Backsliding?

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (02) ◽  
pp. 417-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert R. Kaufman ◽  
Stephan Haggard
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Executive Power ◽  
American Democracy ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Democratic System ◽  
Elected Office

We explore what can be learned from authoritarian backsliding in middle income countries about the threats to American democracy posed by the election of Donald Trump. We develop some causal hunches and an empirical baseline by considering the rise of elected autocrats in Venezuela, Turkey, and Hungary. Although American political institutions may forestall a reversion to electoral autocracy, we see some striking parallels in terms of democratic dysfunction, polarization, the nature of autocratic appeals, and the processes through which autocratic incumbents sought to exploit elected office. These processes could generate a diminished democratic system in which electoral competition survives, but within a political space that is narrowed by weakened horizontal checks on executive power and rule of law.

Energy production, carbon emissions and economic growth in lower-middle income countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abubakar Hamid Danlami ◽  
Sirajo Aliyu ◽  
Ismail Aliyu Danmaraya
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Capital Formation ◽  
Separate Analysis ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mena Countries ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Short Run

Purpose The persistent rise in the global discharges of carbon (CO2) emissions and the likely undesirable consequences of this practice on the global atmosphere attracts the attention of policy makers and researchers to argue on the causes and perpetrators of CO2 emissions at international level. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between economic growth, energy production, capital formation, foreign direct investment (FDI) and CO2 emissions in the LMI and Middle East and North African (MENA) countries for the period 1980–2011. Design/methodology/approach Two separate autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) models were estimated for both the LMI and MENA countries, for the period 1980–2011. Furthermore, a fully modified OLS (FMOLS) was estimated for the two regions over the same period. Findings The results indicated that for the lower-middle income countries, there is a positive significant relationship between energy production and CO2 emissions. In the long run while in the short run, FDI and EGP are positively related to CO2 emissions while gross capital formation (GCF) has a negative impact on the CO2 emissions in the short run over the same period. Similarly, for the MENA countries, there is a positive relationship between EGP, GCF and CO2 emissions in both the short run and the long run. Furthermore, the estimated group mean FMOLS indicated that apart from GDP, all other variables have significant positive impact on CO2 emissions. Research limitations/implications The study covers only the period 1980–2011. This was because of limited available data during the study. Practical implications The study recommended the adoption of green technology by FDI firms and also in the process of energy production such as in crude oil production. Originality/value The study carried out a complex analysis where simultaneously all the countries of LMI and MENA regions where considered. Furthermore, separate analysis where conducted for each of the LMI and MENA regions using ARDL model. Variable representing energy production was included in the analysis which was not considered by previous studies. Lastly, FMOLS was estimated for the pooled of LMI and MENA countries which further distinguished the study from the relevant previous studies.

Varieties of Regulatory Welfare Regimes in Middle-Income Countries: A Comparative Analysis of Brazil, Mexico, and Turkey

2020 ◽  
Vol 691 (1) ◽  
pp. 223-242
Author(s):  
Işik D. Özel ◽  
Salvador Parrado
Keyword(s):  
Social Welfare ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Social Assistance ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Welfare Regimes ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Assistance Programs ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Global Trend ◽  
The Government

The expansion of social welfare regimes in middle-income countries (MICs) has become a global trend that has involved the adaption of robust social assistance programs aiming to alleviate poverty and diminish inequalities. We analyze conditional cash transfers in Brazil, Mexico, and Turkey, identifying the types of regulatory regimes that exist in each, namely “loose decentralism” in Brazil, “strict centralism” in Mexico, and “subcontracted dirigisme” in Turkey. We argue that regulatory design is key to understanding how the newly flourishing welfare regimes can control political manipulation, and that where manipulation occurs, social assistance programs can deviate from their initial objectives and endanger the welfare of the poor and hazard trust in the government and political institutions. However, when social welfare regimes work in line with their objectives and eschew political discretion, regulatory welfare states can enhance trust in and legitimacy of political institutions. Our analysis indicates that a centrally regulated social assistance governance nurtured by local knowledge is key to avoiding political manipulation and to alleviating poverty, major issues in MICs.

scholarly journals The landscape of COVID-19 clinical trials in Latin America and the Caribbean: assessment and challenges

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Sarah Carracedo ◽  
Ana Palmero ◽  
Marcie Neil ◽  
Anisa Hasan-Granier ◽  
Carla Saenz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
Latin America And Caribbean ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Clinical Trials Registry ◽  
Robust Evidence

A considerable number of clinical trials is being conducted globally in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including in low- and middle-income countries such as those in the Latin America and Caribbean region (LAC). Yet, an abundance of studies does not necessarily shorten the path to find safe and efficacious interventions for COVID-19. We analyze the trials for COVID-19 treatment and prevention that are registered from LAC countries in the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and identify a trend towards small repetitive non-rigorous studies that duplicate efforts and drain limited resources without producing meaningful conclusions on the safety and efficacy of the interventions being tested. We further assess the challenges to conducting scientifically sound and socially valuable research in the LAC region in order to inform recommendations to encourage clinical trials that are most likely to produce robust evidence during the pandemic.

Work-related Transitions Following Hand Injury: Occupational Therapy Scoping Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-345
Author(s):  
Michelle Elizabeth Uys ◽  
Lana Van Niekerk ◽  
Helen Buchanan
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Hand Injury ◽  
Systematic Search ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Robust Evidence

Background. Occupational therapists who facilitate work-related transitions after hand injury require robust evidence to inform practice. Purpose. To identify the occupational therapist’s contribution to facilitate work-related transitions for persons with hand injuries and identify gaps in existing knowledge. Method. A systematic search was conducted from 2008 to 2018 to identify articles and doctoral theses published across 14 databases. Data was analysed descriptively. Findings. In total, 15 studies from 16 countries (14 high and 2 upper-middle income) were identified. Four strategies to facilitate work-related transitions were identified. Clear differences were evident across country groupings. Implications. The paucity of research limits evidence-based practice, especially in low- and middle-income countries, which indicates the need for further research.

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