Using original survey data collected on growers, traders, processors, markets, and village communities, we will compare the situation in four states - Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Orissa. We examine the way that information about crop attributes is conveyed (or not) along the value...

This paper studies liberalised grain markets in Madagascar and examines how property rights are protected and contracts are enforced among agricultural traders. We find that the incidence of theft and breach of contract is low, and that the losses resulting from such instances are small. This,...

This paper tests two alternative models of learning to export: productivity learning, whereby firms learn to reduce production costs, and market learning, whereby firms learn to design products that appeal to foreign consumers.

Using original survey data, we document the activities, resources, and governance structure of NGOs operating in Uganda. The NGO sector is funded primarily by international non-governmental organizations and bilateral donors. We find large differences in size and funding across NGOs, with only a...

This paper examines social capital and its relation with economic development. We focus on the role that interpersonal relationships play in social exchange, whether through the market or through the provision of public goods. By facilitating search and trust, social capital can increase the...

Using original survey data on beneficiary assessment, we examine the performance of the NGO sector in Uganda. In general satisfaction with NGO intervention is high. We find evidence that NGOs endeavour to redress the balance between rich and poor communities but also that NGOs neglect isolated...

We investigate the question whether firms in the manufacturing sector in Africa are credit constrained. The fact that few firms obtain credit is not sufficient to prove constraints, since certain firms may not have a demand for credit while others may be refused credit as part of profit...

Using detailed data from three simultaneious surveys of products, traders, and exporters, this paper examines the transmission of international coffee prices through the domestic value chain in Uganda. We find that fluctuations in the international coffee price are reflected in prices paid by...

Using detailed data from rural Pakistan, this paper investigates whether human capital, learning by doing, gender, and one`s status within the family - heretoforth family status - affect the division of labor within households. Results suggest the presence of returns to individual specialization...

This paper investigates the relationship between poverty and crime. Following a disputed presidential election, fuel supply to the highlands of Madagascar was severely curtailed in early 2002, resulting in a massive - if temporary - increase in poverty. Using original survey data collected in...