The paper analyzes the lessons and potential poverty impacts involved in the application of appro... more The paper analyzes the lessons and potential poverty impacts involved in the application of approaches for building socially inclusive, decentralized and spatially accented approaches to rural (and rural-urban) economic development in South Africa and other experiences making a preliminary assessment of the transferability of LED / RTD approaches to other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa such as Mozambique, Zambia and Ghana. In each case the role of the drivers of change, the rural-urban linkages and the livelihood strategies of rural households are emphasized and the kind of social networks and alliances are also considered.
... Poverty also involves constant emotional stress, and violence has a profound impact on the li... more ... Poverty also involves constant emotional stress, and violence has a profound impact on the lives of the poor. Page 12. ... The second, the Local Economic Development Fund also has job creation as a goals, but is also available for SMME support, and strategic planning. ...
The aim of this paper is to assess the degree to which the components of the Rural Economic and E... more The aim of this paper is to assess the degree to which the components of the Rural Economic and Enterprise Development (REED) framework have been incorporated into integrated development planning (IDP) or into strategic local economic development (LED) plans. The paper also provides an evaluation of two local municipal level IDPs in the Free State, Republic of South Africa. The evaluation is considered on an ex-ante basis in terms of contemporary LED and REED approaches. We also consider IDP efficacy and potential impact in terms of achieving enterprise development, poverty reduction and growth.
The aim of this paper is to summarise the results of a non-farm micro- enterprise survey in rural... more The aim of this paper is to summarise the results of a non-farm micro- enterprise survey in rural and peri-urban Romania and to examine their impact on the development of sustainable rural livelihoods. As these firms operate in fixed locations and are therefore more easily located and observed, most of the data presented s based on our survey of firms
The radical changes that have occurred in the Romanian economy during the last decade have create... more The radical changes that have occurred in the Romanian economy during the last decade have created new pressures on the country's rural areas. Increasing industrial unemployment generated an urban-rural migratory flow of the population. The collapse of the agri-industrial processing and industrial sector increased rural unemployment. Since 1991, land reform has also generated new relationships in rural areas, and a massive redistribution of land. However, agriculture continues to function inefficiently, and is unable to provide a decent and sustainable standard of living for most rural inhabitants. Therefore, many donors and multilateral agencies are focusing on the potential of the rural non-farm economy (RNFE) and more specifically, Non-Farm Diversification (henceforth NFD) to reduce rural underemployment. NFD through the development of the RNFE may also provide means of increasing rural incomes, assist the improved utilisation of locally available resources and promote a better standard of living for rural population through enhanced non-farm employment opportunities and growth. There are several reasons underlying the rural poor' decision to diversify: low on-farm incomes or returns on labour, the existence of a surplus of resources (land, capital, labour or knowledge), as a strategy to spread risk, or to smooth the impact of the fluctuations in a unique source of income (e.g. agriculture). The present paper relies on community-level data from a survey conducted in two Romanian Counties, Dolj and Brasov, to analyse the main determinants of NFD in rural areas. The main findings are placed in a national context and policy proposals are advanced.
The first half of this paper provides a brief overview of the agro-economic and natural resource ... more The first half of this paper provides a brief overview of the agro-economic and natural resource basis of the Chars. The second half of the paper then considers the rural livelihoods of the poor in the Chars areas, and the role of specific sub-sectors and emerging rural economic and enterprise development issues. This is based upon a small survey conducted by the authors and case studies of key informants
The aim of this paper is to assess the degree to which the components of the Rural Economic and E... more The aim of this paper is to assess the degree to which the components of the Rural Economic and Enterprise Development (REED) framework have been incorporated into integrated development planning (IDP) or into strategic local economic development (LED) plans. The paper also provides an evaluation of two local municipal level IDPs in the Free State, Republic of South Africa. The evaluation is considered on an ex-ante basis in terms of contemporary LED and REED approaches. We also consider IDP efficacy and potential impact in terms of achieving enterprise development, poverty reduction and growth.
The rural non-farm economy (RNFE) may be defined as comprising all those activities associated wi... more The rural non-farm economy (RNFE) may be defined as comprising all those activities associated with waged work or self-employment in income generating activities (including income in-kind) that are not agricultural but which generate income (including remittances ...
In recent years, Commodity Dependent Developing Countries (CDDCs) have faced multiple global food... more In recent years, Commodity Dependent Developing Countries (CDDCs) have faced multiple global food, energy and climate crises, compounded by the recent financial and economic crises, which have increased their vulnerability to excessive price volatility in commodity markets. Moreover, structural vulnerabilities in most CDDCs render their economies more vulnerable to increased commodity market turbulence than developed countries, given their comparatively lower income and high dependence on commodity exports. This paper aims to empirically examine the patterns and underlying causes of excessive price volatility for two major soft commodities of critical importance to many of the poorest CDDCs: coffee and cocoa. It aims to identify interactions, similarities and causalities between coffee and cocoa prices on the one hand and, oil and futures prices on the other hand. Our analysis of coffee and cocoa historical prices shows that, coffee price volatility has uneven or varied impact depending on the nature of the market shock. Oil price spillover effects on coffee and cocoa markets are also assessed using cointegration and error-correction models. Long-run causality is found between oil prices, and coffee and cocoa prices but, only cocoa has an equilibrium relationship with oil in the long-term. Given the results, this study proposes some policy recommendations for managing price risk and addressing regulation in cocoa and coffee exporting countries.
This article reviews key conceptual issues related to the development of the rural non-farm econo... more This article reviews key conceptual issues related to the development of the rural non-farm economy (RNFE) in a transition context and analyses available empirical evidence on the role of RNFE during recovery from the transition recession. Growth in the RNFE in the transition countries took place during the recession transition, which shows that it may be distress driven, but the paper explores other factors which may be driving the RNFE. It looks at the RNFE in light of the factors driving income growth and inequality, i.e. endowments and institutions. It concludes that, although not uniform across transition countries, the RNFE should be seen as a component of a growth strategy rather than as a temporary "refuge" or survival one. The patterns of growth of the RNFE will closely follow those of general economic recovery as well as the developments in the agricultural sector itself.
For most sub-Saharan African countries, a high commodity dependence on a few agricultural, minera... more For most sub-Saharan African countries, a high commodity dependence on a few agricultural, mineral or metal products in their exports has made them particularly vulnerable to frequent shocks in their terms of trade, global financial crises and economic recession. In some cases, a flexible exchange rate might have helped to alleviate the economic costs of these external shocks. For other countries, such as Communauté Financière Africaine (CFA) member states lower levels of inflation than their neighbours’ has been achieved. The empirical framework presented in this paper, provides a way of weighing these costs and benefits. This paper considers whether CFA zone membership is really beneficial in terms of economic stability. In other words, to what extent is the CFA zone’s economic performance due to its exchange rate regime?
The paper analyzes the lessons and potential poverty impacts involved in the application of appro... more The paper analyzes the lessons and potential poverty impacts involved in the application of approaches for building socially inclusive, decentralized and spatially accented approaches to rural (and rural-urban) economic development in South Africa and other experiences making a preliminary assessment of the transferability of LED / RTD approaches to other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa such as Mozambique, Zambia and Ghana. In each case the role of the drivers of change, the rural-urban linkages and the livelihood strategies of rural households are emphasized and the kind of social networks and alliances are also considered.
... Poverty also involves constant emotional stress, and violence has a profound impact on the li... more ... Poverty also involves constant emotional stress, and violence has a profound impact on the lives of the poor. Page 12. ... The second, the Local Economic Development Fund also has job creation as a goals, but is also available for SMME support, and strategic planning. ...
The aim of this paper is to assess the degree to which the components of the Rural Economic and E... more The aim of this paper is to assess the degree to which the components of the Rural Economic and Enterprise Development (REED) framework have been incorporated into integrated development planning (IDP) or into strategic local economic development (LED) plans. The paper also provides an evaluation of two local municipal level IDPs in the Free State, Republic of South Africa. The evaluation is considered on an ex-ante basis in terms of contemporary LED and REED approaches. We also consider IDP efficacy and potential impact in terms of achieving enterprise development, poverty reduction and growth.
The aim of this paper is to summarise the results of a non-farm micro- enterprise survey in rural... more The aim of this paper is to summarise the results of a non-farm micro- enterprise survey in rural and peri-urban Romania and to examine their impact on the development of sustainable rural livelihoods. As these firms operate in fixed locations and are therefore more easily located and observed, most of the data presented s based on our survey of firms
The radical changes that have occurred in the Romanian economy during the last decade have create... more The radical changes that have occurred in the Romanian economy during the last decade have created new pressures on the country's rural areas. Increasing industrial unemployment generated an urban-rural migratory flow of the population. The collapse of the agri-industrial processing and industrial sector increased rural unemployment. Since 1991, land reform has also generated new relationships in rural areas, and a massive redistribution of land. However, agriculture continues to function inefficiently, and is unable to provide a decent and sustainable standard of living for most rural inhabitants. Therefore, many donors and multilateral agencies are focusing on the potential of the rural non-farm economy (RNFE) and more specifically, Non-Farm Diversification (henceforth NFD) to reduce rural underemployment. NFD through the development of the RNFE may also provide means of increasing rural incomes, assist the improved utilisation of locally available resources and promote a better standard of living for rural population through enhanced non-farm employment opportunities and growth. There are several reasons underlying the rural poor' decision to diversify: low on-farm incomes or returns on labour, the existence of a surplus of resources (land, capital, labour or knowledge), as a strategy to spread risk, or to smooth the impact of the fluctuations in a unique source of income (e.g. agriculture). The present paper relies on community-level data from a survey conducted in two Romanian Counties, Dolj and Brasov, to analyse the main determinants of NFD in rural areas. The main findings are placed in a national context and policy proposals are advanced.
The first half of this paper provides a brief overview of the agro-economic and natural resource ... more The first half of this paper provides a brief overview of the agro-economic and natural resource basis of the Chars. The second half of the paper then considers the rural livelihoods of the poor in the Chars areas, and the role of specific sub-sectors and emerging rural economic and enterprise development issues. This is based upon a small survey conducted by the authors and case studies of key informants
The aim of this paper is to assess the degree to which the components of the Rural Economic and E... more The aim of this paper is to assess the degree to which the components of the Rural Economic and Enterprise Development (REED) framework have been incorporated into integrated development planning (IDP) or into strategic local economic development (LED) plans. The paper also provides an evaluation of two local municipal level IDPs in the Free State, Republic of South Africa. The evaluation is considered on an ex-ante basis in terms of contemporary LED and REED approaches. We also consider IDP efficacy and potential impact in terms of achieving enterprise development, poverty reduction and growth.
The rural non-farm economy (RNFE) may be defined as comprising all those activities associated wi... more The rural non-farm economy (RNFE) may be defined as comprising all those activities associated with waged work or self-employment in income generating activities (including income in-kind) that are not agricultural but which generate income (including remittances ...
In recent years, Commodity Dependent Developing Countries (CDDCs) have faced multiple global food... more In recent years, Commodity Dependent Developing Countries (CDDCs) have faced multiple global food, energy and climate crises, compounded by the recent financial and economic crises, which have increased their vulnerability to excessive price volatility in commodity markets. Moreover, structural vulnerabilities in most CDDCs render their economies more vulnerable to increased commodity market turbulence than developed countries, given their comparatively lower income and high dependence on commodity exports. This paper aims to empirically examine the patterns and underlying causes of excessive price volatility for two major soft commodities of critical importance to many of the poorest CDDCs: coffee and cocoa. It aims to identify interactions, similarities and causalities between coffee and cocoa prices on the one hand and, oil and futures prices on the other hand. Our analysis of coffee and cocoa historical prices shows that, coffee price volatility has uneven or varied impact depending on the nature of the market shock. Oil price spillover effects on coffee and cocoa markets are also assessed using cointegration and error-correction models. Long-run causality is found between oil prices, and coffee and cocoa prices but, only cocoa has an equilibrium relationship with oil in the long-term. Given the results, this study proposes some policy recommendations for managing price risk and addressing regulation in cocoa and coffee exporting countries.
This article reviews key conceptual issues related to the development of the rural non-farm econo... more This article reviews key conceptual issues related to the development of the rural non-farm economy (RNFE) in a transition context and analyses available empirical evidence on the role of RNFE during recovery from the transition recession. Growth in the RNFE in the transition countries took place during the recession transition, which shows that it may be distress driven, but the paper explores other factors which may be driving the RNFE. It looks at the RNFE in light of the factors driving income growth and inequality, i.e. endowments and institutions. It concludes that, although not uniform across transition countries, the RNFE should be seen as a component of a growth strategy rather than as a temporary "refuge" or survival one. The patterns of growth of the RNFE will closely follow those of general economic recovery as well as the developments in the agricultural sector itself.
For most sub-Saharan African countries, a high commodity dependence on a few agricultural, minera... more For most sub-Saharan African countries, a high commodity dependence on a few agricultural, mineral or metal products in their exports has made them particularly vulnerable to frequent shocks in their terms of trade, global financial crises and economic recession. In some cases, a flexible exchange rate might have helped to alleviate the economic costs of these external shocks. For other countries, such as Communauté Financière Africaine (CFA) member states lower levels of inflation than their neighbours’ has been achieved. The empirical framework presented in this paper, provides a way of weighing these costs and benefits. This paper considers whether CFA zone membership is really beneficial in terms of economic stability. In other words, to what extent is the CFA zone’s economic performance due to its exchange rate regime?
Uploads
Papers by Junior Davis