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The authors test the hypothesis that product standards harmonized to de facto international standards are less trade restrictive than ones that are not. To do this, the authors construct a new database of European Union (EU) product standards. The authors identify standards that are aligned with ISO standards (as a proxy for de facto international norms). The authors use a sample-selection gravity model to examine the impact of EU standards on African textiles and clothing exports, a sector of particular development interest. The authors find robust evidence that non-harmonized standards reduce African exports of these products. EU standards which are harmonized to ISO standards are less trade restricting. Our results suggest that efforts to promote African exports of manufactures may need to be complemented by measures to reduce the cost impacts of product standards, including international harmonization. In addition, efforts to harmonize national standards with international norms, including through the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement, promise concrete benefits through trade expansion.

Article --- Bibliographic Database --- Catalogue --- Description --- Documents --- Education --- Information and Communication Technologies --- Information Management --- Information Security and Privacy --- Probability --- Science and Technology Development --- Science Education --- Scientific Research and Science Parks --- Standardization --- Standards and Technical Regulations --- Terminology --- Web --- Website

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This paper presents the first critical review of literature on poverty published in Russia between 1992 and 2006. Using a dataset of about 250 publications in Russian scientific journals, the authors assess whether the poverty research in Russia satisfies the general criteria of a scientific publication and if such studies could provide reliable guidance to the Russian government as it maps out its anti-poverty policies. The findings indicate that only a small proportion of papers on poverty published in Russia in 1992-2006 follow the universally-recognized principles of the scientific method. The utility of policy advice based on such research is questionable. The authors also suggest steps that could, in their view, improve the quality of poverty research in Russia.

Education --- Information Security and Privacy --- Literature --- Papers --- Poverty Monitoring and Analysis --- Poverty Reduction --- Research findings --- Researchers --- Science and Technology Development --- Science Education --- Scientific journals --- Scientific knowledge --- Scientific papers --- Scientific research --- Scientific Research and Science Parks --- Scientists --- Social science --- Tertiary Education

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The authors test the hypothesis that product standards harmonized to de facto international standards are less trade restrictive than ones that are not. To do this, the authors construct a new database of European Union (EU) product standards. The authors identify standards that are aligned with ISO standards (as a proxy for de facto international norms). The authors use a sample-selection gravity model to examine the impact of EU standards on African textiles and clothing exports, a sector of particular development interest. The authors find robust evidence that non-harmonized standards reduce African exports of these products. EU standards which are harmonized to ISO standards are less trade restricting. Our results suggest that efforts to promote African exports of manufactures may need to be complemented by measures to reduce the cost impacts of product standards, including international harmonization. In addition, efforts to harmonize national standards with international norms, including through the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement, promise concrete benefits through trade expansion.

Article --- Bibliographic Database --- Catalogue --- Description --- Documents --- Education --- Information and Communication Technologies --- Information Management --- Information Security and Privacy --- Probability --- Science and Technology Development --- Science Education --- Scientific Research and Science Parks --- Standardization --- Standards and Technical Regulations --- Terminology --- Web --- Website

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This paper investigates how land size measurements vary across three common land measurement methods (farmer estimated, Global Positioning System (GPS), and compass and rope), and the effect of land size measurement error on the inverse farm size relationship and input demand functions. The analysis utilizes plot-level ata from the second wave of the Nigeria General Household Survey Panel, as well as a supplementary land validation survey covering a subsample of General Household Survey Panel plots. Using this data, both GPS and self-reported farmer estimates can be compared with the gold standard compass and rope measurements on the same plots. The findings indicate that GPS measurements are more reliable than farmer estimates, where self-reported measurement bias leads to over-reporting land sizes of small plots and under-reporting of large plots. The error observed across land measurement methods is nonlinear and results in biased estimates of the inverse land size relationship. Input emand functions that rely on self-reported land measures significantly underestimate the effect of land on input utilization, including fertilizer and household labor.

Agriculture. --- E-Business. --- Education. --- Land Measurement. --- Private Sector Development. --- Rural Development Knowledge and Information Systems. --- Rural Development. --- Science and Technology Development. --- Science Education. --- Scientific Research and Science Parks. --- Standards and Technical Regulations. --- Survey Methods.

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A recent survey of rigorous impact evaluations of programs to help small and medium-size firms to formalize indicates that the programs do not seem to work for most informal firms. One of the few exceptions finds large effects of a tax simplification program in Brazil called SIMPLES on firms' formalization rates and performance indicators. Using the same data set but a different identification strategy, another study concludes that the program had limited effect on formalization rates. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, it revisits the two studies to reconcile their conflicting conclusions. Second, it investigates the validity of the identification strategy of both studies. The findings suggest that the conflicting results between the two studies are caused by the dates each used to identify when the program was put into effect. A robustness check indicates that data heaping and seasonality around November cast doubts on the identification strategy used in both studies to estimate the effect of this particular program.

Business Environment. --- Business Taxation. --- E-Business. --- Education. --- Finance and Financial Sector Development. --- Private Sector Development. --- Regression Discontinuity Design. --- Science and Technology Development. --- Science Education. --- Scientific Research and Science Parks. --- Simples Program. --- Small Scale Enterprise. --- Sme Development.