The Impact of Microcredit on the Poor in Bangladesh: Revisiting the Evidence

Abstract

We replicate and reanalyse the most influential study of microcredit impacts (M. M. Pitt & S. R. Khandker’s, ‘The impact of group-based credit on poor households in Bangladesh: Does the gender of participants matter?’, published in the Journal of Political Economy, 106, 1998). That study was celebrated for showing that microcredit reduces poverty, a much hoped for possibility (though one not confirmed by recent randomised controlled trials). We show that the original results on poverty reduction disappear after dropping outliers, or when using a robust linear estimator. Using a new program for estimation of mixed process maximum likelihood models, we show how assumptions critical for the original analysis, such as error normality, are contradicted by the data. We conclude that questions about impact cannot be answered in these data.     

Social Capital and Hygiene Practices among the Extreme Poor in Rural Bangladesh

We investigate the effect of social capital on hygiene practices pertaining to lives of the extreme poor in rural Bangladesh. Analysing a unique survey dataset for 5,600 extreme poor households, we document a significant positive effect of social capital on sanitary latrine use and wearing shoes/sandals at home for hygiene. We account for the endogeneity of social capital by instrumental variable estimation. Our findings emphasise the role of social capital in preventing common diseases through improving hygiene practices for the extreme poor, who usually lack access to medical services in the event of illness, which has important policy implications.     

澳大利亚少年司法系统和新南威尔士州少年司法的新趋势

澳大利亚少年司法体制包括法律的主体、机构和法庭审理程序,是立法在现实中的展开和运用,而立法是司法运作的法律前提。澳大利亚关于未成年人的立法框架包括《1987年儿童（刑事诉讼）法》和《1997年少年罪犯法》,这两项法律确保了在法律面前儿童享有和成人平等的权利和自由,以及一系列的其他特殊权利,这是针对全国范围而言,是地方各州少年司法制度运作的宏观背景。具体到新南威尔士州中,其少年司法系统近些年来也出现一些新的趋势,这在新南威尔士州儿童法院的司法程序中可以得到明确体现,其包括未成年人刑事责任年龄、逮捕、保释等多个方面,从而为未成年人利益最大化的保障提供了具体的运作环境。     

Welcome to the Geo‐Information Age

Welcome to the geo‐information age. Along with cyberprobes and computer worms like Stuxnet, which at least temporarily disabled Iran's centrifuges without a missile being fired or a bomb dropped, Wikileaks is redefining national security as we've known it.     

何时填平世界贫富鸿沟

在经济全球化进程中,各国日益变得互为依存,利害与共。然而,巨大的贫富差距却使世界显得很不和谐。虽然国际社会多年来为了缩小贫富“鸿沟”付出了许多努力,但总的说来收效甚微,众多不发达国家因为旧的国际经济秩序而被进一步“边缘化”,在痛苦的深渊中挣扎。缩小贫富差距决非一日之功,需要多方面做出艰苦的努力,建立国际经济新秩序是其中的关键环节。 贫富差距触目惊心 联合国2001年5月在布鲁塞尔举行了第三世界最不发达国家会议,与会国家共有49个,其中非洲34个,亚洲9个,太平     

日本政党格局的新变化

11月10日凌晨,日本第43届众议院选举尘埃落定。此次大选,朝野力量各有消长,显露出了不同于以往选举的特点,对未来日本政治格局与基本走向有重要影响。 各政党的得失 本次大选,各个政党各展所能,推出不同的政策和采取符合自身特色的竞选策略,以赢得选民的支持。其结果是各有得失,悲喜不同。 一、以自民党为首的原执政党联盟继续获得“绝对稳定多数”议席,在总数480个议席中占据278个席位,联合执政的势态得以持续。其中,自民党虽有小泉的“人气”和经济初步复苏作为支撑,但未能实现其席位单独过半的预定目标,由原来的247席降至237席。其受挫主要是因为小泉     

Recent trends in the evolution of Mexican financial groups

The collapse of the peso in late 1994 shocked the world financial community and severely tarnished Mexico's image as a “model” developing country. This event, however, would not have been so surprising if, in the post-NAFTA euphoria, greater attention had been given to substantive deficiencies in Mexico's commercial environment which contradicted the form of its modernization programs. An example of this phenomenon may be found in the 1990 promulgation of the Law to Regulate Financial Groups . The official purpose of the law was to foment the formation of large conglomerations of financial services firms, similar to the universal banks found in Germany, which could offer a variety of financial services under a common trademark and take advantage of economies of scale. The government hailed the law as a step toward enhancing the international competitiveness of Mexico's financial system. However, in substance, the law resembles two laws passed in the 1970s which preceded the 1980s financial crisis. Given this contradictory perspective, this paper examines the history and legal basis of Mexican financial groups as well as the evolution of financial groups from 1991 through 1994.     

Recent reforms in Singapore's administrative elite: Responding to the challenges of a rapidly changing economy and society

The article examines the recent changes made to the elite corps of the Singapore Civil Service, the Administrative Service, in response to the challenges it faces as a result of the rapid economic and social transformation of the country over the last 30 years. One challenge is to overcome the shortfall of personnel in the Administrative Service resulting from the availability of more attractive and lucrative careers in the burgeoning private sector. A second challenge facing the Administrative Service is to remain attuned to the new needs and circumstances of the economy and the society at large. For this reason, Administrative Service officers are required to work in commercial or community‐based organisations for part of their careers.     

山东省潍坊市外侨办多措并举帮助企业应对金融危机影响

随着国际金融危机在全球的不断蔓延,对中国实体经济的冲击也不断加深。山东省潍坊市很大一批企业,特别是出口企业都遇到了市场萎缩、利润降低、融资困难等方面的问题。为此,在深入学习实践科学发展观活动中,山东省潍坊市外侨办注重突出实践特色,把解决企业面临的实际问题作为提高活动成效的着力点,充分发挥部门优势,多措并举,     

近年来中国环境非政府组织研究:进展、问题与前景

自1990年代初以来,环境非政府组织在中国业已成为一种非常突出的社会现象.本文将首先介绍中国环境治理的总体研究情况,然后深入评述关于中国环境NGO的主要研究,比较学者们对有关中国环境NGO主题的不同回应.通过揭示当前研究中的潜在问题,作者得出结论认为,为了反映中国环境NGO的多样性和快速发展,更加详细深入的研究是必要的.     

台湾贫富分化的实像与虚像

进入转型期以来,台湾贫富分化呈现出扩大的趋势。但是检视台湾贫富分化的数据可以发现,台湾贫富差距的客观状态并不严重,相反则是台湾民众对贫富分化的感受远远超过其客观事实。台湾贫富分化这种主观感受与客观状态不匹配的状况不仅是民进党“阶级论述”中对贫富分化议题宣传操纵的结果,更重要的它还是台湾各种经济社会矛盾在台湾民众生活感受中的综合体现。因此,即使抛开政治因素,台湾贫富分化问题也值得台湾当局予以深度重视。