Integrating and extending new growth theory and resource-based views, this paper provides a theoretical foundation for the catch-up hypothesis. It examines the role of technology gap, technological capability, and cultural proximity in local firms’ catch-up with MNEs. Hypotheses are developed...

Using rural household panel data from three Chinese provinces, this paper identifies determinants of long-term poverty and tests the duration dependence on the probability to leave poverty. Special emphasis is given to the selection of the poverty line and inter-regional differences across...

In this paper we propose a new measure of exposure to downside risk. Its reference point is the current standard of living of a household as opposed to other benchmarks such as the poverty line in the case of measures of vulnerability. Using panel data from Thailand and Vietnam we develop an...

This article investigates whether heterogeneous subgroups of female-headed households are worse off than households headed by men. It analyzes the correlates of consumption, shock exposure, and severity, as well as vulnerability to poverty. Using panel data of over 4000 rural households from...

Using administrative data on donations channeled through the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, this paper explores which host and home country factors are associated with donations made by permanent migrants to the Philippines. On the host country side, donations increase with the income level...

This paper explores the effects of a mother’s migration on her children’s well-being. I use children with migrant fathers as the main control group to separately identify the effects coming from remittances from those resulting from parental absence. Exploiting demand shocks as an exogenous...

The study uses a novel method to investigate the role of forest proximity, market remoteness, and caste in determining household income, especially forest income, in an underdeveloped region of India. A high (50%) proportion of total income is earned in cash. Forest products contribute...

There are several studies on risk and insurance in village economies in the developing world. However, there is a lack of evidence for recent decades in spite of profound changes including structural transformation and widespread market liberalization in most regions. In this paper, I use...

We estimate the impact of the New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) on household savings by income quartiles in rural China. We control for endogenous NCMS participation with an instrumental variable strategy using the China Health and Nutrition survey. We find that NCMS has a negative impact on...

This paper constructs an enhanced indicator for trade barrier and examines the endogenous relationship between market integration and regional economies across China from 1995 to 2011. Beyond the current literature, this study shows: the endogenous relationship is significant, reflecting a...