Competitive selection, trade, and employment:The strategic use of subsidies

We thank Holger Görg, Philipp Schröder, Fredrik Sjöholm, participants at the Danish International Economics Workshop, seminar participants at Aberdeen, Sheffield and Loughborough, three anonymous referees and the Editor of the journal, for helpful comments and suggestions. Funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 290647 is gratefully acknowledged.Peer reviewedPostprin

Bank regulation and efficiency: Evidence from transition countries

Given the nascent nature of banking sectors in transition countries and their unique institutional settings, this paper documents the effects of regulation on the efficiency of banks using system GMM and dynamic panel quantile regressions for 21 transition countries for the period 2002-2014. Within the system GMM estimation the paper finds bank activity restrictions to be the only regulation improving banking efficiency in these countries. However, the dynamic panel quantile results show that the regulation has different effects at different quantiles. This study provides important policy implications related to banking regulation in transition economies

Corporate Social Responsibility and the role of Rural Women in Sustainable Agricultural Development in sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from the Niger Delta in Nigeria

Low productivity among female farmers when compared with their male counterparts is considered an outcome of limited access to agricultural land and inputs. The objective of this investigation was to assess the impact of multinational oil companies’ (MOCs’) CSR on rural women access to modern agricultural inputs in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. A total of 700 rural female farmers were sampled across the region. Results from the use of a logit model indicated that CSR recorded significant success in agricultural development generally, but has undermined equality. This implies that if a woman’s agricultural productivity is continuously hindered by unequal access to agricultural resources (or opportunities) and widespread inequality will limit poverty reduction efforts in Nigeria. The results also showed that women depended on CSR of MOCs for policy dialogue and advocacy for women’s access to agricultural land and inputs. Supporting agricultural initiatives that focus on empowering women would boost food security in sub-Saharan Africa

International Monetary Fund: Organization, Functions, and Role in the International Economy

This report supports congressional oversight of the IMF by providing an understanding of its organization, functions, and role in the world economy