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Showing all content in Firms
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Publication - Policy Brief
Tracking constraints to micro-entrepreneurship using IVR technology: Results from a pilot study in Kenya and Uganda
Current data collection exercises fail to capture the heterogeneity of entrepreneurs in developing countries in terms of scale. This project proposes a research agenda around understanding the constraints faced by micro-entrepreneurs, both formal and informal, through a series of mobile-based surveys (using IVR technology) delivered to small firms and...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Staving off the hungry season in Zambia: Testing a simple and cost-effective approach
Multiple countries in sub-Saharan African experience seasonal extreme food insecurity, a phenomenon in some cases referred to as the “hungry season.” In Zambia, the context of this project, recent studies suggest that between 60-80% of rural households run out of food before the annual harvest. Seasonal food insecurity has serious impacts on health and wellbeing....
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Publication - Policy Brief
Examining the impact of the Common External Tariff of the East African Community in Uganda
The primary goal of the Common External Tariff (CET) of the East African Community (EAC) is to allow for free trade within a larger market than that of the individual countries that comprise it. The CET has, from inception, held a 0-10-25 tariff structure: 0% for raw materials, 10% for semi-finished products and 25% on finished products. Although this structure has...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Barriers to tax compliance for medium, small, and micro enterprises (MSMEs) in Zambia
This study examines the barriers that contribute to the low levels of tax compliance among MSMEs in Zambia. The brief presents findings from an original survey conducted among 1390 respondents in 52 market hubs in Lusaka and Central province of Zambia. The researcher finds a tax compliance rate of on average 30 percent among these MSMEs. The findings reveal...
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Blog post
Assessing sectoral linkages in the Zambian economy
The Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) has since 1965, endeavoured to minimise the country’s dependence on copper mining through a melange of policies and incentives in the agricultural, industrial and services sectors in its six previous national development plans. In 2018, GRZ launched its 7th National Development Plan (GRZ, 2017) that re-emphasised the need to...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Horticulture, and wood and furniture industries in Tanzania: Performance, challenges, and potential policy approaches
Manufacturing has long been considered an engine of economic growth and socio-economic development. Today, several developing countries are looking for the right industries that can trigger structural transformation. This brief discusses the cases of two agro-processing industries in Tanzania: horticultural processing, and wood and furniture. It discusses their...
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Blog post
Industrialisation through natural resources: The case of horticulture, wood and furniture in Tanzania
The horticulture, wood and furniture industries in Tanzania are still too small and inefficient. While the country lacks a concrete industrial strategy for these industries, a carefully designed policy mix with science, technology, and innovation at its core could make these industries thrive. Manufacturing has for long been considered an engine of economic growth and...
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Multimedia Item - Video
Enhancing industrial growth and productivity in Pakistan
This documentary follows the IGC's work with the Government of Punjab on increasing the province's industrial base and developing policies to encourage growth in areas such as the garment sector.
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Publication - Policy Brief
The bigger the better: Using lotteries to identify the allocative efficiency effects of firm size
Governments around the world provide economic incentives to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are typically favoured in tax and regulatory policy and are often targeted in public procurement and business development programmes. Such policies are based on the belief that SMEs need help to grow out of inefficiently small sizes. Public procurement...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Do taxes affect firm-to-firm trade? Evidence from India
Intra-national trade costs are large in developing countries; gains from better integration of supply chains within these countries are potentially substantial. This study considers how the Value Added Tax (VAT) affects intra-national firm-to-firm trade in the state of West Bengal, India. Using rich data on the universe of the 180,000 firms paying taxes in the state...