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Interactions Between Trade Policy And Labor Market Policy And Their Effects On Development, Gary S. Fields

Gary S Fields

[Excerpt] Studies of various countries show that those which have emphasized an export-led growth strategy have, in general, outperformed those which have followed an import substitution orientation. Accordingly, AID is currently focusing on export promotion as a means to stimulate economic growth and development. An effective export-led strategy requires an integrated overall policy setting. In particular, trade and foreign sector policies must be related to labor market policies. Because labor market policy might reinforce or nullify trade policy, and because labor market issues merit attention per se, AID has an interest in research on how trade policies and labor market …

Assessing Progress Toward Greater Equality Of Income Distribution, Gary S. Fields

Gary S Fields

This paper examines the suitability of increases in income equality as a criterion for assessing "commitment" and "progress" of countries, and hence, for allocating development assistance in accordance with the 1975 amendments to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. The principal conclusions are:

1. Income distribution is a useful concept; the usual figures on income in the current month or year, although not ideal, provide a reasonable approximation to economic well-being.
   
2. Reliable and timely data for measuring changes in income distribution are regularly available in only a handful of A.I.D.-recipient countries.
   
3. Since the concern of the development community appears to be …

Poverty, Inequality, And The Measurement Of Development Performance, Gary S. Fields

Gary S Fields

[Excerpt] U.S. law requires that foreign assistance be directed increasingly toward countries which are committed to and are making progress toward "greater equality of income distribution" so as to "help the poor toward a better life." This paper presents evidence on the extent of improvement in economic position of the poor in six less developed countries and explores the reasons for the differential performances.

Project Evaluation: Consulting Assistance On Economic Reform, David Callihan, Gary S. Fields, Joan Parker

Gary S Fields

[Excerpt] The Consulting Assistance on Economic Reform Project (CAER) was designed to help AID and developing country governments to design, implement, monitor and evaluate economic policy reform. The project has provided AID access to economists and social scientists with extensive practical experience and outstanding educational credentials. CAER has been implemented by the Harvard Institute of International Development (HIID) since its inception in July 1989 and is scheduled to operate through June 25, 1994, with total authorized funding of up to $10.5 million. The CAER contract presents the project's objective as follows:

AID is increasingly involved in assisting developing nations to …

Wage Floors And Economic Development, Gary S. Fields

Gary S Fields

[Excerpt] I shall refer to minimum wages and other wage-increasing institutions collectively as "wage floors." Throughout the paper, they are assumed to be set in real terms, therefore not be eroded by inflation or devaluation. These wage floors typically are sector-specific: unions are stronger in some firms and industries than in others, minimum wage laws apply to some establishments and localities but not to others and are enforced with different degrees of diligence, and so on. As a stylized version of the differential applicability of wage floors, economists from such disparate fields as development economics, labor economics, and international trade …

Social Returns To Education: Central Planning And Local Planning Perspectives, Gary S. Fields

Gary S Fields

[Excerpt] This paper is written for educationists and development planners. Its purposes are to familiarize policy makers, advisors, and analysts with the most important approaches to the economics of education and to evaluate the various approaches critically in the context of developing countries. Three topics are developed: How social returns to education typically are calculated. An evaluation of the conventional social return to education approach. A comparison of central planning and local planning. Before embarking on these topics, an important preliminary issue arises: Why conduct economic analysis of education at all? After all, might it not be crass to think …