Aid Effectiveness in Bangladesh: A Case Study of Health and Population Sector

Aid Effectiveness in Bangladesh: A Case Study of Health and Population Sector M. Kabir and Tofayel Ahmed Professor, Department of Statistics. Jahangirnagar University, Savar. Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Freelance Consultant, Bangladesh respectively. Abstract: This paper addresses volume of aid received by Bangladesh during the last two decades and its effectiveness on the overall health status of the population measured by the life expectancy. The data used for the study is the time series data during the period 1980-2004. Our assumption is that the impact of aid on health sector will improve maternal health and child health if the aid utilization is appropriately administered. We can express the health status as a function of a set of variables, which were included in the proposed model. First difference of the variables under study applied because differencing the variables for an appropriate number of times will make them stationary. The “Augmented Dickey-Fuller test” also confirms that data are stationery. The independent variables aid utilization, gross domestic product, person per physician and immunization coverage are statistically significant. The regression coefficient of aid utilization is positive indicating that aid and its effective utilization in health sector has impact on the overall health status of the population which is measured by life expectancy. Similarly, the higher is the per capita domestic product, the better will be the economic conditions of the population and the higher is the likelihood of expenditure on health at the household level. The analysis shows that in foreign aid in Bangladesh plays a significant role for the capacity building, infrastructure development and health interventions for improving the maternal and child health. The negative value of concentration index indicates mortality favor the poor. Despite limitation of the time series data, this econometric analysis shows that utilization of aid appropriately is an important determinant of the overall health status of the Bangladesh population which has many confounding effects simultaneously. This paper addresses volume of aid received by Bangladesh during the last two decades and its effectiveness on the overall health status of the population measured by the life expectancy. The data used for the study is the time series data during the period 1980-2004. Our assumption is that the impact of aid on health sector will improve maternal health and child health if the aid utilization is appropriately administered. We can express the health status as a function of a set of variables, which were included in the proposed model. First difference of the variables under study applied because differencing the variables for an appropriate number of times will make them stationary. The “Augmented Dickey-Fuller test” also confirms that data are stationery. The independent variables aid utilization, gross domestic product, person per physician and immunization coverage are statistically significant. The regression coefficient of aid utilization is positive indicating that aid and its effective utilization in health sector has impact on the overall health status of the population which is measured by life expectancy. Similarly, the higher is the per capita domestic product, the better will be the economic conditions of the population and the higher is the likelihood of expenditure on health at the household level. The analysis shows that in foreign aid in Bangladesh plays a significant role for the capacity building, infrastructure development and health interventions for improving the maternal and child health. The negative value of concentration index indicates mortality favor the poor. Despite limitation of the time series data, this econometric analysis shows that utilization of aid appropriately is an important determinant of the overall health status of the Bangladesh population which has many confounding effects simultaneously. Nomadic and Denotified Tribals of Karnataka (India): Excluded, Isolated and Forgotten Nanjunda D. C., Steven Wind and Annapurna M. Director, Center for Advanced Development Research and Policy Management. Kushal Nager, Kodagu (India) [email protected], Social Researcher, Arizona (USA), and Department of Anthropology, University of Mysore, Karnataka State (India) respectively. Abstract: Nomadic communities constitute approximately 7 percent of India’s population. Marginalization continues to characterize the nomadic experience, and phenomena such as urbanization and environmental conservation schemes have contributed to the increasing impoverishment of these communities. In turn, the growing poverty has contributed to high rates of malnutrition, illiteracy and landlessness amongst these communities. Land continues to be the primary source of livelihood, social and financial security in rural India. Consequently, many of these communities view settlement as the solution to their current difficulties. Impact analyses have to be conducted to determine how settlement will affect the cultural identity of the community, how the dynamic relationship between the community and the land will be altered, and how community customs can be preserved in light of the change in lifestyle. A majority of the Nomadic tribes exhibit the primitive traits even today. From generation after generation, these tribes have had wandering traditions and they have hardly been integrated in the society. Social Backwardness. Apart from the criteria mentioned above there are two other criteria which make these tribes eligible for having constitutional safeguards which are enjoyed by the Scheduled Tribes. Nomadic communities constitute approximately 7 percent of India’s population. Marginalization continues to characterize the nomadic experience, and phenomena such as urbanization and environmental conservation schemes have contributed to the increasing impoverishment of these communities. In turn, the growing poverty has contributed to high rates of malnutrition, illiteracy and landlessness amongst these communities. Land continues to be the primary source of livelihood, social and financial security in rural India. Consequently, many of these communities view settlement as the solution to their current difficulties. Impact analyses have to be conducted to determine how settlement will affect the cultural identity of the community, how the dynamic relationship between the community and the land will be altered, and how community customs can be preserved in light of the change in lifestyle. A majority of the Nomadic tribes exhibit the primitive traits even today. From generation after generation, these tribes have had wandering traditions and they have hardly been integrated in the society. Social Backwardness. Apart from the criteria mentioned above there are two other criteria which make these tribes eligible for having constitutional safeguards which are enjoyed by the Scheduled Tribes. IUB Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Vol.5 No.1, 2007 Determinants of Dowry: A Case Study of Rural South Asia Sarwat Afzal Department of Management Sciences, KASBIT, Karachi.. Abstract: The focus of this study is to estimate an equation explaining the determinants of dowry. In this paper, we address a very common socio-economic problem for sub-continent, the problem of dowry. From a social planner's perspective, who wants to reduce overall dowry transfers, we consider the effect of change in a few relevant parameters like husband height, wife height, wet land, dry land, years of marriage and years of education for women and men on these decisions. According to the various studies the dowry phenomenon is exist heavily in rural sub-continent, at the same time research related to this system is very rare. The aim of this paper is to estimate an equation explaining the determinants of dowry. Several interpretations for dowry are distinguished using a simple theoretical framework and the predictions of this model are tested. Using the data provided us for this project is tested and reliable so that we will be able to draw our own testable relationships and determinants of dowry. The data will be use in the following sections for further analysis by estimating the determinants of dowry using multiple regression analysis. The study suggests that even though there are religious and cultural differences, the system of dowry in Pakistan appears to be for the same reasons as in India. A theoretical framework was developed that was inclusive of all the required variables by testing through the multiple regression analysis and the experimental findings shows the independent variable used to test have an impact on dowry by applying multiple regression step-wise method. The focus of this study is to estimate an equation explaining the determinants of dowry. In this paper, we address a very common socio-economic problem for sub-continent, the problem of dowry. From a social planner's perspective, who wants to reduce overall dowry transfers, we consider the effect of change in a few relevant parameters like husband height, wife height, wet land, dry land, years of marriage and years of education for women and men on these decisions. According to the various studies the dowry phenomenon is exist heavily in rural sub-continent, at the same time research related to this system is very rare. The aim of this paper is to estimate an equation explaining the determinants of dowry. Several interpretations for dowry are distinguished using a simple theoretical framework and the predictions of this model are tested. Using the data provided us for this project is tested and reliable so that we will be able to draw our own testable relationships and determinants of dowry. The data will be use in the following sections for further analysis by estimating the determinants of dowry using multiple regression analysis. The study suggests that even though there are religious and cultural differences, the system of dowry in Pakistan appears to be for the same reasons as in India. A theoretical framework was developed that was inclusive of all the required variables by testing through the multiple regression analysis and the experimental findings shows the independent variable used to test have an impact on dowry by applying multiple regression step-wise method. Board Meeting Density and Corporate Performance (Social Network Analysis of Lahore Stock Exchange Index Companies) Muhammad Abdul Majid Makki and Suleman Aziz Lodhi Lecturer, Department of Commerce, The Islmaia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan and Associate Professor, National College of Business Administration & Economics, Lahore, Pakistan Abstract Philosophy of social network analysis (SNA) has captured the attention of researchers and relational capitalists in 21 century. SNA has been recognized as important tool to analyze the structural relations and consequences. In this study SNA has been used to analyze the involvement of directors at the event of board meetings. Through affiliation networks it is evaluated that how directors and meetings are simultaneously interrelated. This study measures the density of directors and meetings of Lahore Stock Exchange Index companies (LSE-25). Regression model has been constructed to explore the affiliation network density on operating performance of LSE-25 companies. Data for the year 2007 were collected through audited financial reports of companies to calculate directors and meeting density. Results support that directors and meeting density calculated through affiliation network matrices has marginally significant impact on operational performance of companies.Philosophy of social network analysis (SNA) has captured the attention of researchers and relational capitalists in 21 century. SNA has been recognized as important tool to analyze the structural relations and consequences. In this study SNA has been used to analyze the involvement of directors at the event of board meetings. Through affiliation networks it is evaluated that how directors and meetings are simultaneously interrelated. This study measures the density of directors and meetings of Lahore Stock Exchange Index companies (LSE-25). Regression model has been constructed to explore the affiliation network density on operating performance of LSE-25 companies. Data for the year 2007 were collected through audited financial reports of companies to calculate directors and meeting density. Results support that directors and meeting density calculated through affiliation network matrices has marginally significant impact on operational performance of companies. Diversion of Bank Loans: A Study of Central Cooperative Bank in Punjab Gurpreet Randhawa Lecturer, Department of Business Management, Guru Nanak Dev University, Regional Campus, Gurdaspur, India. e-mail: [email protected]