The social-emotional status and behavioral symptoms of Eritrean war orphans were compared before and after a major social reorganization of the institution had been implemented. The comparison was based on direct clinical observations and behavior checklist questionnaires. Two years after the...

The note reviews the impact on collective responsibility for orphans in Eritrea, as a result of the thirty-year war, when the number of children who lost both parents increased in geometric proportions. At the same time, the social structure of the traditional society was grossly disrupted, and,...

Female genital mutilation is wide-spread throughout many regions of Africa and elsewhere. It is usually perpetrated during early childhood and has serious consequences for the medical, gynecological, and obstetrical well-being of girls. These effects persist throughout the childbearing years and...

The debate on whether natural disasters cause significant macroeconomic impacts and indeed hinder development is ongoing. Most analyses along these lines have focused on impacts on gross domestic product. This paper looks beyond this standard national accounting aggregate, and examines whether...

East Asia has experienced a dramatic decrease in output growth volatility over the past 20 years. This is good news, as output growth volatility affects poor households because of coping strategies that have long-term, harmful consequences, and the overall economy through its negative impact on...

This paper analyzes the drivers and consequences of sudden stops of capital flows. It focuses on the impact of external vulnerability on the depth and length of sudden stop crises. The authors analyze 43 developing and developed countries between 1993 and 2006. They find evidence that external...

This paper analyzes the impact of banking crises on manufacturing exports exploiting the fact that sectors differ in their needs for external financing. Relying on data from 23 banking crises episodes involving both developed and developing countries during the period 1980-2000 the authors...