While the impact of globalization on income inequality has received a lot of attention, little is known about its effect on the gender wage gap (GWG).  This study argues that there is a systematic difference in the GWG between exporting firms and non-exporters.  By the virtue of being exposed...

We present a model for Financial fragility in which banks are risk-averse portfolio managers and there is uncertainty over risk management parameters. There is a danger of heightened risk aversion and projects in small economies are assumed to be riskier than those in large economies. In this...

Assessing the scope for insurance in rural communities usually requires a structural model of household behavior under risk. One of the few empirical applications of such models is the study by Rosenzweig and Wolpin (1993) who conclude that Indian farmers in the ICRISAT villages would not...

The paper draws from ongoing research that aims to genuinely combine qualitative and quantitative (`Q-Squared`) research methodologies to further our understanding of poverty dynamics in Uganda. Using existing nationally representative panel data we use the same sampling frame and extend the...

Official balance sheet estimates for the household sector are not currently available in South Africa. Yet with South Africa`s well-developed financial sector and deep capital markets, asset market channels are likely to be important determinants of aggregate consumer spending and saving,...

The basic question regarding sovereign debt is why sovereign borrowers ever repay, provided that creditors have no power to foreclose on any of their assets. In this paper we suggest an answer: sovereign debt will be served as long as the median voter is a net loser from default. Default...

This paper examines how relationships and networks affect market exchange in Sub-Saharan Africa. After noting that market exchange aruably plays a larger role in Africa than in developed economies, we show that the presence of transactions costs naturally leads market participants to enter in...

The Ethiopian education system is characterised by extremely low participation rates, particularly in rural areas. This paper challenges the hypothesis that demand for schooling in rural Ethiopia is constrained by the traditional nature of farm technology and lack of visible benefits of...

This paper examines the contractual practices of African manufacturing firms using survey data collected in Burundi, Cameroon, Cote d`Ivoire, Kenya, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Descriptive statistics and econometric results are presented. They show that contractual flexibility is pervasive and that...