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Mission creep and motivation among community health workers in Pakistan
Poor communication and multiple tasks from the Department of Health and Lady Health Worker Programme managers renders workers unsure of their mission and unmotivated. Pakistan is home to high child mortality rates. According to the Pakistan Social and Living Measurement (PSLM) Survey 2014-15, in rural Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), one in ten children suffer a bout of diarrhoea...
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It’s good to talk: Improving industrial relations in Myanmar’s garment sector
Myanmar’s garment sector has enjoyed rapid growth in recent years and is one of the government’s priority export sectors. However, rising industrial disputes, over issues such as working conditions and pay, pose a threat to the industry’s ability to export goods to major markets. An event co-organised by the IGC in Myanmar looked at the possible ways to improve both...
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Can paying taxes be social? Lessons on the social dimensions of tax compliance among MSMEs in Zambia
Zambia’s open-air markets bustle with commercial activity. Over time, bonds have formed among operators, creating social networks, shared social norms, and, in some cases, social organisations capable of articulating the needs and aspirations of those who work in these communities. As one walks through Kalingalinga market—one of approximately 80 markets in...
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Non-price energy conservation and household energy consumption: Experimental evidence from Bangladesh
Household electricity consumption accounts for 40% of global energy related CO2 emissions and this is expected to grow globally by 58% by 2030 if no measures are introduced (Rasul & Hollywood 2012). Residential energy consumption is also made worse by a supply-demand mismatch in developing countries. Bangladesh Bangladesh is rated the 6th most vulnerable nation to...
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When price is not the whole story: Why rural consumers in Rwanda have low demand for electricity
At first glance, the 7th Sustainable Development Goal seems uncontroversial: “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.” However, delve into the recent literature on electrification in sub-Saharan Africa and you will discover a growing number of studies that call into question where electrification should fit as a policy priority. In...
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Pre-paid electricity metering and its effects on the poor
Pre-paid meters for electricity or water are spreading rapidly in the developing world. Households that switched from post-paid monthly bills to pre-paid meters in South Africa, reduced their electricity usage drastically. Given that the energy demand of households is typically relatively unresponsive to prices, the question arises as to where these reductions came from....
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Flexible payment plans for improved access to off-grid energy in Pakistan
There are approximately 144 million individuals in Pakistan who reside in either completely off-grid areas – areas that are too far away to connect to the grid - or in ‘bad’-grid areas where load shedding exceeds 12 hours per day (IFC, 2015). Households and businesses in off-grid and bad-grid areas spend an average of 14% of their monthly disposable income on kerosene...
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Insights to inform urban planning in Rwanda
The economic geography of Rwanda is characterised by relatively low levels of urbanisation (estimated at about 19% in 2016-2017), a high urbanisation growth rate, high population density and the urban dominance of Kigali City, the capital. Rwanda has urbanised rapidly over the past decade and will continue to experience further urban growth in the near future. Urbanisation...
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Mitigating welfare losses for workers after a layoff: Evidence from Brazil
Across the development path, social insurance programs become an increasingly important part of governments’ role, and the SDGs have highlighted the importance of such social protection schemes for development. Informality and low state capacity, however, impose challenges for policy design that may have consequences for the insurance value of such programs, and there is...
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Escaping the fragility trap: Lessons from Myanmar
State fragility imperils people’s lives and prevents long-run economic prosperity. In July 2019, the IGC co-hosted a large academic conference in Yangon, Myanmar on this critical issue. Several important lessons emerged for states struggling with fragility. State fragility, the situation where government institutions have weak capacity or low legitimacy, affects many of...
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Should electricity be a right?
The question ‘is electricity a commodity or a public utility?’ is thought provoking. A related question is if electricity should be a right and what does it mean. Does it mean people have the right to use as much electricity as they want and at what price? Or should a basic minimum quantity of electricity be available to all irrespective of their ability to pay? The...