Poor Countries Research Articles

Cooperatives and the capabilities of the poor

The paper reviews main theoretical reasons explaining why cooperatives and cooperation in developing, rural and poor countries, have a comparative advantage in enlarging poor people's capabilities. In particular, we consider main pillars of the Capability Approach to human development with reference to the relation between groups and capabilities, and discuss why cooperative groups can support participatory human development, grassroots empowerment and human poverty alleviation.

Assessment of occupational health hazards and associated morbidities in sanitation workers of a metropolitan city in India: a cross-sectional study

Background: Rapid economic development in emerging countries has accelerated urbanisation, resulting in a rise in urban population as well as sanitation issues such as garbage buildup, clogged sewers, and unhygienic streets. Sanitation employees' health and safety are impacted by increasing workloads and dangers. Numerous health hazards are highlighted in studies, including those related to their gastrointestinal system, lungs, musculoskeletal system, and infectious disorders. Concerns include psychological issues and cancer as well. Methods: Data from sanitation employees who participated in rotary screening and health checkup activities in Mumbai were analysed in this retrospective cross-sectional research. The study collected demographic information, a self-designed questionnaire on alcohol and cigarette use, and clinical characteristics such blood pressure and haemoglobin levels from participants after they gave informed written consent. Results: The participants in this retrospective observational research from Mumbai, India, included 793 sanitation employees in total. Age, gender, and tobacco/alcohol use were among the participant variables and targeted results that we looked at. The significant results obtained were cataract on one side 17/793, erythroplakia 1/793 and leukoplakia 26/793. Conclusions: It is essential to acknowledge their accomplishments and provide greater assistance. Waste disposal is difficult in poor countries because of the prevalence of organic waste. To protect employees, immediate action and the appropriate protective equipment are required.

A brief note from Pakistan: reflections from a British psychiatrist.

A British general adult psychiatrist born and trained in the UK, who also considers himself Pakistani, had the opportunity to spend 2 weeks running a psychiatric clinic in a remote hospital in the Punjab province of Pakistan. In this article he offers some reflections on the unexpected culture shock he felt, on the hospital system, the patients he treated and their resilience in such a poor country.

Does energy poverty moderate the impact of economic freedom on the quality of life in Africa? A panel quantile via moment approach

We examine the interactive effects of economic freedom and energy poverty across different conditional distributions on the quality of life in Africa. We find that free market economies with adequate supplies of electricity significantly improves the quality of life in the region. The effectiveness of economic freedom policy and access to electricity is more noticeable among countries with a lower quality of life, which suggests that if the qualities of institutions in poor African countries were strengthened and there were a constant supply of energy, the vast majority of Africans would prosper.

SCIENTOMETRIC REVIEW OF SMART WATER MANAGEMENT LITERATURE FROM THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL PERSPECTIVE

Water is essential to human survival; however, many people, particularly those in poorer countries, lack access to reliable sources of clean and safe water. Despite decades of effort to address this issue, water sustainability remains elusive even today. Smart technologies have been widely adopted for water management, rendering smart water management a promising path to achieving water sustainability. Nevertheless, the efficacy of such smart water management in attaining sustainability remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the progress made in pursuing water sustainability with smart water management through a scientometric literature review. The Scopus database was employed to extract a pool of 460 candidate publications, which were then analyzed for content using bibliometric analysis and VOSviewer software. Nine clustered research themes were classified, corresponding to the nine targets of sustainable development goals (SDGs) for water. The findings show that engagement across these topics is highly unequal, providing substantial guidance on where emerging research efforts should be concentrated. The novelty of this study mainly lies in the SDG perspective that provides a significant but overlooked angle for observing progress in smart water management domain. The findings can enlighten the international water industry to create a more favorable environment for regions lagging in using smart technologies to facilitate overall water sustainability.

A comparative study of atropine and atropine plus pralidoxime in the management of organo-phosphorous poisoning

Background: Poisoning with organophosphorus compounds (OP) is a common problem throughout the world particularly in developing countries. Standard treatment involves resuscitation, administration of the anti-muscarinic agent atropine, an acetylcholinesterase reactivator (pralidoxime) and assisted ventilation if necessary. In this study we compared the efficacy of add-on pralidoxime therapy over therapy with atropine alone in OP poisoning. Methods: The study included 103 patients, out of 103 OP poisoning cases, 54 patients received both atropine and PAM (group A) and 49 received only atropine (group B). Main outcome parameters of the study were total hospital stay and mortality. The data was compared using ‘t’ test while mortality was compared using Fisher’s exact test. Data was tabulated, analysed, reviewed and evaluated. Results: There was no difference in duration of hospital stay between the two group. The mean hospital stay in group A was 3.71±1.92 days and in group B was 3.14±2.01 days (p value >0.05). No difference in mortality was seen between the two group. Out of 54 in group A, 8 died and in group B out of 49, 7 died (p value >0.05). Importantly cost burden is very high in the pralidoxime added group. Conclusions: There is no significant difference in use of atropine alone or atropine-pralidoxime combination in terms of morbidity and mortality in OP poisoning rather the later incurs more economic burden which may not be practicable in poor countries like India. However, a larger multicentric prospective study needs to be conducted, to be able to draw a definitive conclusion.

Organic Agriculture in Bhutan: Dream of 100% Organic is Stalled at Reality of 1% Organic

Bhutan is a poor country with 51% of the population employed in agriculture, and little manufacturing. Forests accounts for 71% of Bhutan, and agriculture 8%. The average landholding is 1.4 hectares per household. Many farmers practice ‘traditional’ farming using forest litter and farm yard manure. The inputs for chemical agriculture (synthetic fertilisers and pesticides) are generally imported and expensive. Bhutan announced a goal of 100% organic agriculture in 2006. Looking after the environment and animal welfare, and not poisoning insects and other living things are precepts congruent with Buddhism, the national religion of Bhutan. So, organic agriculture appears to be a ‘good fit’ for Bhutan. Yet, nearly two decades after declaring the 100% goal, there appears to have been near zero progress based on the parameter of certified organic agriculture. Longitudinal data of organic agriculture hectares for the past two decades reveal that the goal of 100% appears to be wishful thinking, with the reality of 1.09% organic agriculture. In the meantime, a neighbouring Indian state of India, Sikkim, with many geographic, climatic and demographic comparables, has achieved its goal of 100% organic. Sikkim is a blueprint of how to achieve 100% organic, while Bhutan is a blueprint for how not to (so far).

Impact of COVID-19 Induced Economic Hardships on Women Participation in MGNREGA Works During the Financial Year 2020–2021

Impact of COVID-19 induced lockdown has been massive for the Indian economy; it witnessed a contraction in gross domestic product and massive employment loss. India being a poor country and a huge population having insignificant to no social security, a large number of those workers who lost employment were not having option to remain unemployed. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) which is a job-guarantee programme launched a decade earlier and that has been instrumental in providing employment opportunities to rural women casual workers witnessed a huge increase in demand as both men and women flocked to it. For the financial year 2020–2021 the share of women in the person-days worked under MGNREGA fell. The article using data from MGNREGA public data portal and the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy seeks to explain the reasons behind this fall and suggest that MGNREGA needs to be expanded and modified in favour of women casual workers till the recovery on the employment front does not happen. JEL Codes: H53, I38, J08, J16, J23, J30, J48, J71, J78

Economic and Social Policies for Human Development

ABSTRACT Economic and social policies of governments could improve or worsen the wellbeing of people, so that their impact on human development could be positive or negative. This article discusses the role, as well as the scope, of public policies for human development in the contemporary developing and industrialised worlds, buffeted by frequent global and local economic crises, including a health pandemic of unprecedented proportions, where mainstream economic policies have often been detrimental, rather than conducive, to advancing human wellbeing. The paper revisits the human development framework and anchors it in an interpretation of the capability approach that helps in delineating economic and social policy pathways to desirable outcomes. It argues that this is essential for an effective operationalisation of the approach to human development. Building on that, it explores the nature of economic and social policies that might constitute an appropriate policy-mix for advancing human development. In doing so, it recognises that, while human development problems in poor and rich countries are similar, the choices, sequencing and prioritisation of policies will inevitably be determined by the country-context and government-objectives. Given the context, it suggests that the framework of SDGs at the national level could enable a focus on human development objectives in the policy design and strategic response of countries.

The Impact of External Debt on Human Capital Development and GDP Growth in HIPCs: a Comprehensive Approach

The growth theorists argue that human capital development/accumulation (HCD/A) is vital for economic growth. However, the level of external debt accumulation determines HCA and its effect on economic growth. Besides, the impact of external debt on growth is still debatable. Further, the external debt-growth relationship could be non-linear instead of linear, and external debt can affect growth through the HCD channel. Therefore, this study aims to look at the impact of foreign debt on HCD and growth in heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs) employing seemingly unrelated regressions (SUR) and other alternative simultaneous equations models (SEMs) from 1990–2017. The result indicates the link between foreign debt and HCD is negative and non-linear, but only non-linearity is observed between foreign debt and growth. Besides, external debt affects HIPCs growth through the HCD channel. Therefore, the study recommends essentializing solid macroeconomic policies, strengthening institutional performance, appropriate debt management strategies, and investing borrowed funds in productive projects.

Research on the Supply-side Structure Reform of China's Company Law

At present and in the future, China's economic development faces some problems about supply and demand, but the main contradiction lies in the supply side. Facts have proved that China's problem is that the supply cannot change with the changing demand, that is, the lack of effective supply capacity leads to a large number of "demand spillovers", leading to a serious outflow of consumption capacity. To solve these structural problems, people must make efforts from the supply side and find the right position in the world supply market. In other words, Chinese government must take improving the supply side structure as the main direction of attack, and realize the leap from the low level of supply and demand balance to the high level of supply and demand balance. Among them, the company system plays a vital role in the company's survival and supply-side structural reform. In 1993, after 30 years of double-digit growth, South Korea ranked among the "four Asian dragons" from the poorest country in the world, and its per capita income rose from 82 to 8449 dollars. In this process, all countries in the world clearly believe that the supply-side structural reform of the Jin Yongsan government is indispensable. At present, some problems faced by Chinese companies are also unprecedented. The reform of China's company law is not simply a change of departmental rules, but more importantly, it can improve the competitiveness of the country and social reform and development through the revision of the company law. In this case, this paper uses the methods of comparative study and case analysis to analyze the common problems of the company system, in order to deepen the supply-side reform of the system and promote the comprehensive modernization of the company law.

Quantifying expenditure hierarchies and the expansion of global consumption diversity

Economic growth stimulates fundamental changes in consumption patterns as consumers who get rich tend to spread their spending more evenly across a wider variety of goods and services. Comparing cross sectional spending patterns across rich and poor countries, we investigate how this diversification process enables more niche patterns of spending to emerge across the global population of consumers. We use entropy measures to quantify the dispersion of household spending across goods and study how it unfolds as GDP rises. Using a gravity model to study international differences in the relative order of income elasticities, i.e. expenditure hierarchies, we show how this diversification process on the national level is correlated with cultural norms, GDP and income inequality. We find that national expenditure hierarchies are relatively similar across countries among necessities, while they are increasingly unique among luxuries. We further consider how rising affluence tends to generate more niche consumption patterns by examining how rising income is positively correlated with demand heterogeneity and income inequality is negatively correlated with market depth.

Global overview of early public policies towards the Covid-19 pandemic: Specific case review of Lebanon

The novel coronavirus and its corresponding infection, the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), increased to more than 176 million cases with up to 3.8 million deaths registered until June 2021. The pandemic led to a global socio-economic crisis, affecting both rich, and poor countries. The governments' responses towards this outbreak were critical in protecting the communities from the virus' effects. Citizens had to abide by the authorities' regulations facing its fast spread. Our paper aims to cite multiple public policies taken from different countries, with special attention being given to Lebanon, a Middle Eastern country, to emphasize on the importance of the decision-making process in a challenging political, and socio-economic environment. It discusses further the Lebanese authorities’ performance in the health and administrative sectors, despite a few stubborn loopholes in the crisis management, a collapsing economy, and incessant socio-political conflicts amidst multi-regional influences. A better planned response strategy is advised to face upcoming post-Covid challenges in the near future.

WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT, CADRE TRAINING, AND MASS EXAMINATION FOR CERVICAL CANCER DETECTION

Cervical cancer is the most common type of cancer in women and the main reason people die from cancer in poor countries like Indonesia. Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that is caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and can be dangerous to a woman's health. Cervical cancer has the second most cases and deaths in the world, after breast cancer. The East Java Provincial Health Office's Health Profile for 2021 says that Trenggalek is an area with a low rate of cervical cancer screening. So, we started doing community service projects to make more people aware of cervical cancer. This community event began with drinks for the staff and a talk about cervical cancer and how to find it early. Some of the things that are done are health education about cervical cancer and ways to find it early. During this practice, women of reproductive age (WUS) were also asked to take part in a free Visual Acetate Acid (VIA) test done by the team. The next event was a free VIA test, which 21 WUS students took part in. The results of the VIA test showed that 20 people had bad VIA and one person had good VIA. The team then sent people who had a good VIA to get more care. Women, cadres, and other important people in the community can learn more about cervical cancer through community service. However, community service in other areas is needed in the coming year so that this issue can be brought up and the community can benefit from it, especially since cervical cancer is on the rise. People also think that this would change how women with cervical cancer get their treatments and improve their quality of life.

ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF FACTORS AFFECTING MATERNAL MORTALITY IN THE CASE OF POOR COUNTRIES

This article presents an observational study aimed at understanding the complex set of factors influencing maternal mortality, the prevalence of anemia among non-pregnant women, and road traffic injuries among HIV-infected women in poor countries. Using panel data from 10 poor countries as sample observations from around the world, econometric models were developed to explore the complex relationships between maternal mortality and important health indicators.

The Experiences of Nutrition Fulfillment in Mothers with a History of Anemia During Pregnancy: A Qualitative Study

Background: Anemia during pregnancy is one of the most common disorders, especially in middle and poor economic countries, including Indonesia. Anemia is closely related to nutrition consumed during pregnancy. Objectives: This research aimed to explore the experience of nutritional fulfillment in pregnant women with a history of anemia during pregnancy. Methods: The research used a qualitative design with a phenomenological approach. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling with inclusion criteria, so a sample of 20 pregnant women with a history of anemia was obtained. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured in-depth interviews. Data analysis used the Colaizzi method. Results: The results showed five themes: lack of intake and diversification of food types during pregnancy; food processing with hot temperatures and dry intensity reduces the nutritional value of food; choosing the type of food without knowing its benefits can affect health; several types of vegetables, fruit, and protein are dietary restrictions during pregnancy; and non-compliance in consuming Fe tablets regularly. Fulfillment of nutritional status is essential for pregnant women and must be fulfilled thoroughly so that anemia does not occur during pregnancy. Conclusions: Mothers' lack of knowledge and inability to care for themselves during pregnancy. Lack of information, starting from the selection, processing, and consumption of food during pregnancy, can increase the mother's health risks, including anemia. Pregnant women must improve prenatal care to get education about fulfilling nutrition during pregnancy.

Brain Tumor Classification using Transfer Learning

Brain tumors are one of the more severe medical conditions that can affect both children and adults. Brain tumors make up between 85 and 90 percent of all primary Central Nervous System (CNS) malignancies. Each year, brain tumors are found in about 11,700 persons. The 5-year survival rate is around 34% for males and 36% for female patients with malignant brain or CNS tumors. Brain tumors can be classified as benign, malignant, pituitary, and other forms. Appropriate treatment, meticulous planning, and exact diagnostics must be used to prolong patient lives. The most reliable way for detecting brain cancer is Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The images are examined by the radiologist. As brain tumors are complex the MRI serve as guide to diagnose the seriousness of the disease. Since the placement and size of the brain tumor seems incredibly abnormal for persons affected by the disease it becomes difficult to properly comprehend the nature of the tumor. For MRI analysis, a qualified neurosurgeon is also necessary. Compiling the results of an MRI can be extremely difficult and time-consuming because there are typically not enough qualified medical professionals and individuals who are knowledgeable about malignancy in poor countries. Thus, this issue can be resolved by an automated cloud-based solution. In the proposed model, The Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) is used for the classification of the brain tumor dataset with an accuracy of 99%.

The Return of Debt Crisis in Developing Countries: Shifting or Maintaining Dominant Development Paradigms?

ABSTRACTIn the aftermath of the COVID‐19 pandemic, much of the global South has been immersed in a debt crisis of a breadth and depth not seen since the early 1980s. The debt distress was apparent before the pandemic and the situation over the last decade is best described as a slow burn, which the pandemic and war in Ukraine ignited in often sudden and dramatic ways. However, what remains a surprising feature of the ongoing situation has been the avoidance so far of a generalized domino effect, unlike previous systemic Southern debt crises. This fact does not diminish the severity of the consequences given that the containment of crisis has been achieved by regular and persistent applications of austerity and adjustment programmes with deleterious impacts on development in poor countries. This article frames the Debate by exploring these aspects of the current Southern debt crisis, focusing on its deeper structural drivers versus the role of more proximate triggers of the crisis; the similarities or differences with past crises of recent decades; and the degree to which anything has in fact changed in orthodox responses to crisis management. A theme that emerges from the more heterodox scholarship profiled by this Debate is that the current crisis and its responses are maintaining the dominant development paradigm of the last 40 years, rather than eliciting a shift away from it. There is a continued adherence to neoliberal ideology in macroeconomic policy making and to the punitive subordination of developing countries in debt distress, through crisis responses, to the Northern and especially US‐centred international financial system. Ignoring the very strong similarities to the past, especially the 1982 debt crisis that ushered in this paradigm, risks repeating the lost decades to development that followed.

'Benevolent' patent extensions could raise billions for R&D in poorer countries.

'Benevolent' patent extensions could raise billions for R&D in poorer countries.

Fear, Sufferation, and Mythology in the Metamorphosis of Ivan to Rhygin

Abstract: Mythologies have long reigned supreme in the Jamaican psyche. While there are supernatural stories such as Rivah Mumma, of note to Jamaica's history of resistance to colonialism and enslavement are antiestablishment figures like Nanny and Tacky, then colonial outlaws. More and more popular imagination is consumed by heroics of Hollywood figures such as the legendary outlaws in westerns. Utilizing Cultural Studies textual analysis, this paper explores the transformation of Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin to Rhygin, from poor country boy to working-class urban dweller to desperate outlaw dying on his own terms. The music and language used in The Harder They Come (dir. Perry Henzell, 1972, Jamaica) will be analyzed to explore this transformation. This paper takes the view that mythmaking was the response to sufferation with fear straddling both sides of the divide—that of the wealthy and powerful whose power the poor fear; and the poor who collectively or individually and legally or illegally rise up against the system that would seek to keep them oppressed.