Estimating the Health Cost of Air Pollution: The Case of Morocco

Globally, ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is the fifth leading cause of death. Household air pollution from use of solid fuels is the tenth ranked cause of death. Together, ambient and household air pollution caused 6.4 million deaths worldwide. In the Middle East and North Africa region, an estimated 125,000 lives are lost annually to diseases associated with ambient and household air pollution. This paper estimates the economic cost of air pollution in Morocco, a country marked by rapid economic development and urbanization. Using the most updated causal relationships between long-term exposure to PM2.5 and premature mortality, the paper estimates that air pollution costs society about US$1.14 billion annually, or 1.05 percent of the country’s GDP in 2014. Ambient air pollution is responsible for nearly three quarters of this cost, as a result of large exposure to high PM2.5 levels in cities like Casablanca, Tangier, and Marrakesh. Household air pollution is a problem particularly for rural households using solid fuels for cooking and heating. Based on these results, the paper identifies the most affected areas and the most vulnerable groups in the country.

How Much Does Environmental Degradation Cost? The Case of Morocco

Environmental degradation is costly—to individuals, to societies and to the environment. This paper makes these costs clear in the context of Morocco, a country marked by rapid economic development and urbanization. Although Morocco has made impressive efforts to strengthen its policies and strategies to protect its environment and natural resources, environmental degradation is still an issue. Using the most updated methodology and data sources, the paper estimates that environmental degradation imposed costs on Moroccan society of about US$3.9 billion, or 3.5 percent of the country’s GDP in 2014. Water-related problems and air pollution are the most pressing challenges, followed by agricultural land degradation. Based on these findings, the paper provides guidance for an improved management of the country’s environmental priority areas.

The Health Cost of Ambient Air Pollution in Lagos

Globally, air pollution is a significant cause of death, illness and social discomfort. The problem is particularly severe in Nigeria, the country with the highest number of premature deaths due to ambient particulate matter pollution in Sub Saharan region. It is especially worrying in Lagos, the country’s commercial capital and one of the world’s fastest growing megacities. Despite growing concerns about its deadly impacts, there is currently no reliable monetary estimate of the effects of ambient air pollution, nor a comprehensive control plan in Lagos. Using available ground-level monitored data and the most recent valuation techniques, this paper estimates that in 2018 alone, ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) caused about 11,200 premature deaths, and generated a health cost of US$2.1 billion in Lagos. This is equivalent to about 2.1 percent of Lagos’ GDP in the same year. These results call for an urgent plan of action to improve air quality in the city, with primary focus on the main pollution sources: road transport, industrial emissions, and power generation.

Measuring the Targeting Accuracy of China’s Urban Dibao System

After China eradicated absolute poverty in 2020,the problems of relative poverty and urban poverty will draw more attention.Social protection system in urban areas lays the groundwork for economic transition and social stability.The targeting accuracy of urban minimum livelihood guarantee(Dibao)system is the key to the success of the system.After analyzing urban Dibao’s targeting practice and performance with household survey data,this study found that the issuance of Dibao payments took account of household income,assets and demographic characteristics to ensure minimum livelihood guarantee and meet recipients’urgent needs.This practice is of great importance during China’s economic transition.Under the multidimensional review mechanism,the exclusion error of urban Dibao is in the range of 38.45% and 66.28%,and the inclusion error is between 54.59% and 69.17%.By 2013,Dibao’s targeting efficiency improved significantly over 2007.In evaluating Dibao’s targeting efficiency,it is more appropriate to adopt multidimensional criteria instead of income alone.Multidimensional evaluation is also of great importance for evaluating Dibao’s targeting policy.

The Path to Reaching Economic Growth Targets

IN 2013 China’s new leadership steered the country onto a fast and stable development track in accordance with the people’s expectations.Aiming for an economic growth rate of about 7.5 percent for2014 is both achievable and necessary.To reach this goal against the backdrop of a sluggish global economy,China needs to rely on domestic demand,which in large part arises through investment.To spur investment by local governments,the

China： Global Crisis Avoided, Robust Economic Growth Sustained （II）

III. Gtobal crisis： impact and poticy response

Macroeconomic effects of Mobile money:evidence from Uganda

This study examined the effects of mobile money-a recent innovation in Uganda’s financial-sector landscape-on aggregate economic activity and other macroeconomic variables.We first estimated the long-run mobile-money demand function using vector error correction(VEC)techniques,distinguishing between balances and transfers/transactions.We then estimated the short-run effects of mobile money on selected macroeconomic variables using structural vector autoregressive(SVAR)methods.The results showed that mobile money had moderate positive effects on monetary aggregates,consumer price index,private-sector credit,and aggregate economic activity.Mobile money balances responded to changes in monetary policy instruments,signaling possible ameliorating effects for the conduct of monetary policy.Finally,the results showed that transactional motives related to mobile money had stronger macroeconomic effects than savings motives.

China:Global Crisis Avoided,Robust Economic Growth Sustained

I.Introduction The financial and then economic crisis,which has engulfed the world since 2008, will shape the growth and development prospects of developing countries for the foreseeable future. This paper explores how the

An Assessment of Aquifer Potential in and around a Proposed Well Field Area near Madunaghat, Chattogram Using Isotopic Techniques

The study was undertaken for understanding the potential of deep aquifers as a source of safe drinking water and for assessing the status of groundwater aquifer near Madunaghat area, Chattogram. The specific issues are salinity, interconnectivity of the shallow and deep aquifers, mixing of groundwater with the adjacent Halda river water, recharge condition and groundwater age. The isotopic data suggest that most of the groundwater results from a mixture between recent recharge and an older component recharge under climatic conditions cooler than at present. The interconnectivity between shallow aquifers and river waters are mostly found in the line wells installed particularly in shallow depth (16 m) close to Halda river as evidenced from the similar tritium values of sampled line well water with that of the Halda river water. The groundwater in Madunaghat well field area is not affected by salinity, as it is evidenced by higher values of Na/Cl ratio of the groundwater samples compared to the sea water fresh water mixing line. The geochemistry of intermediate and deep groundwater is dominated by Na-Mg-HCO3 and Na-HCO3 type waters. Even the relationship between chloride and oxygen-18 (Cl-δ18O) depicts that the waters from the deep, intermediate and shallow wells do not fall on the seawater mixing line. The Carbon-14 contents of intermediate to deep groundwater samples vary from 16.2 to 59.3 pMC indicating the residence time in the range of 4300 to 15,000 years BP, i.e., the sourced water recharged the aquifers a long time ago. The intermediate and deep wells have water with arsenic concentrations less than the detection limit of 3.0 μg/L. Only a few shallow wells have arsenic concentrations greater than the detection limit varying from 13.7 - 47.4 μg/L, which is less than the DoE permissible limit (50 μg/L) implying that the groundwater at Madunaghat area is not affected by Arsenic contamination.

Well-Based Quantitative Reservoir Characterization of Eocene Sokor-1 Formation, Termit Basin, Niger

The Eocene Sokor1 Formation is proven oil reservoir rocks in the Termit sub-basin. These sandstone intervals are deeply buried, highly heterogeneous in character and characterized by Low Contrast Low Resistivity (LCLR) log responses. Petrophysical and quantitative well-based rock physics interpretations were integrated for property estimations, fluid and lithology typing in reservoir characterization. Six (6) reservoir sandstone intervals were identified, delineated and correlated across five (5) wells. The estimated petrophysical properties showed that the Eocene Sokor1 sandstones have averagely good reservoir properties with sand_5 interval exhibiting exceptional reservoir properties. Vp/Vs vs. AI and μρ vs. λρ elastic cross-plots color coded with reservoir properties (Vsh and Φ), show distinct and well separated data clusters signifying hydrocarbon bearing sandstones, brine sandstones and shales/mudstones in the 3D crossplot planes with varying seismic elastic property values in each well thereby, enhancing reservoir characterization and providing information’s about the burial history, reservoir quality and property distribution in the sub-basin. The analysis suggests that, although the reservoir interval has averagely good petrophysical properties in all wells, the seismic elastic crossplots show that these properties are much better distributed in wells 2 and 3 than in wells 4, 5 and 9. Therefore, sand_5 reservoir interval in wells 2 and 3 is likely to be more hydrocarbon bearing and productive than wells 4, 5 and 9 in the sub-basin.

Valuing Water Resources in Turkey: A Case Study of Beyşehir Lake

Water resource management is critical to Turkey’s economy and environment. The country has about 112 billion m3 per year of economically exploitable water. However, population growth, climate change and pollution of water bodies are putting increasing pressure on these resources. In this context, understanding the contribution of water to the economy and environment is crucial for its conservation. To meet this need, the World Bank launched a program aiming at improving valuation and accounting systems of natural resources in Turkey. As part of this program, this article estimates in monetary terms the economic value of water in Bey?ehir Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Turkey. Valuation is based on the Total Economic Value concept, which includes use and non-use values. The results show that the economic value of water is about seven times higher than its financial value. In addition, the economic value of water allocated for municipal use (TL5/m3) is substantially greater than that supplied for irrigation (TL0.5/m3). The analysis suggests that allocation of water from Bey?ehir Lake among different uses is inefficient. To validate this conclusion and improve allocation, a more comprehensive assessment of the economic benefits of water resources is needed, particularly of water supply for irrigation, municipal use, recreation and biodiversity. The analysis also indicates that economic valuation can be a powerful tool to improve water management at the river basin level.

Economic and Land Use Impacts of Improving Water Use Efficiency in Irrigation in South Asia

This paper modifies and uses an advanced computable general equilibrium model coupled with biophysical data on land and water resources by Agro-Ecological Zone (AEZ) at the river basin level to examine the economy-wide consequences of im-provements in water use efficiency (WUE) in irrigation in South Asia. This is the first time the benefits of such improvements have been evaluated in an economy-wide context. It shows that such improvements increase production of food items, enhance food exports, and significantly improve food security in South Asia. Improvement in water use efficiency also leads to lower food prices, provides the opportunity to extend irrigated areas, decreases demand for cropland, and enhances reforestation. Im-provement in water use efficiency in irrigation also generates important net GDP gains across the South Asia region. Investments in improved WUE of up to 40% can be economically justified in Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka. However, in Nepal, for an improvement of more than 20% in WUE, the economic gains are smaller than costs from the associated investments. In Pakistan and rest of South Asia, an improvement in WUE of up to 30% appears to be economically profitable.

Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from municipal wastewater treatment in China

Municipal wastewater treatment plays an indispensable role in enhancing water quality by eliminating contaminants.While the process is vital,its environmental footprint,especially in terms of greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions,remains underexplored.Here we offer a comprehensive assessment of GHG emissions from wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs)across China.Our analyses reveal an estimated 1.54(0.92-2.65)×10^(4)Gg release of GHGs(CO_(2)-eq)in 2020,with a dominant contribution from N_(2)O emissions and electricity consumption.We can foresee a 60-65%reduction potential in GHG emissions with promising advancements in wastewater treatment,such as cutting-edge biological techniques,intelligent wastewater strategies,and a shift towards renewable energy sources.

Will the ‘China Miracle’ Continue?

China’s economic growth rate has been declining since 2010,faling to a six-year low of 7.3 percent in the third quarter of 2014.This has been the longest growth slowdown since the country adopted the reform and opening-up policy in 1978.In

Understanding the impact of sustainable land-scape management practices on farm productivity under intensifying tropical cyclones: Evidence from Southern Malawi

Southern Malawi is continuously affected by tropical cyclone-related floods(TCRFs),which have negative consequences on households'livelihoods,thereby displacing most households to neighbouring communities of Mozambique.The TCRFs have further threatened national,regional,community,and household food security agenda,which is already constrained by poverty,poor agricultural practices,low use of improved varieties,unaffordable inorganic fertilizers,and fragmenting landholding sizes.Accordingly,households have indigenously engineered resilience-based Sustainable Landscape Management(SLM)practices,like intercropping,agroforestry,cover cropping,and soil and water conservation practices,against the adverse effects of TCRFs on-farm productivity.Hence,this study examines the effect of TCRFs and SLM adoption on-farm productivity.While using rigorous endogenous switching regression econometric tools,the study finds TCRFs reducing farm productivity by 27 percent.After SLM adoption,the study observes farm productivity enhancement by 29-126 percent when households adopt at least one SLM practices under varying degrees of TCRFs.Despite the highlighted advantages of SLM adoption,female farmers are less likely to adopt SLM practices because they do not have access to productive resources.Hence,the study proposes the need of gender targeted extension services,accompanied by some seed capital for SLM adoption.Besides,there is need to sensitize farmers on the complementarities between inorganic fertilizer and SLM practices.Lastly,future studies should assess the effect of sustained SLM adoption or dis-adoption and input intensification on farm productivity.

Estimating the Economic Value of Statistical Life in China： A Study of the Willingness to Pay for Cancer Prevention

This paper reports the results of a Contingent Valuation （CV） study on cancer prevention where Multiple-Bounded Dichotomous Choice （MBDC） questions are asked of rural residents in China about their willingness to pay （WTP） for a hypothetical cancer vaccine which is expected to be effective for one year. The WTP data are analyzed with region-, age- and gender-specific cancer morbidity and mortality risk statistics; an upper and lower bound of the Value of a Statistical Life （VSL） are then estimated. The estimated VSL is between 481 and 814 thousand yuan （or 58 and 98 thousand US dollars） at 2000 constant prices, which is compatible with the results of previous studies.

Economic Value of Water Quality Improvement by One Grade Level in Erhai Lake： A Willingness-to-Pay Survey and a Benefit-Transfer Study

Water quality in China has seriously deteriorated in recent years. However, very few valuation studies have been conducted to estimate the monetary values associated with water quality changes. As a result, the decision makers can hardly make rational choices with regard to investments in water quality improvement. This paper presents a valuation study conducted in Dali, Yunnan Province, which aims to estimate the total economic value of improving the water quality of Erhai Lake by one grade level. Both the contingent valuation method and the benefit transfer approach are employed in this study. The contingent valuation estimation strategy reveals that, on average, a household located in Dali is willing to pay about 27 yuan per month continuously for 5 years for the water quality improvement, equivalent to 1.7% of the household monthly income. The elasticity of willingness-to-pay with respect to income is estimated to be 0.28. The internal rate of economic return of the proposed pollution control project is estimated to be 13%. The benefit transfer exercise produces a similar estimation on willingness to pay （WTP） values, with a difference of less than 2% compared with the contingent valuation approach. The results indicate the potential reliability of using the benefit transfer approach for valuation estimations in Chinese provinces.

Clientelism and identity

Electoral clientelism or vote buying has been regarded as undermining democratic institutions and weakening the accountability of the state towards its citizens,especially the poor.Social identity as a form of political mobilisation may contribute to this,enabling support to be won with clientelist transfers.This paper reports data from a novel laboratory experiment designed to examine whether clientelism can be sustained as a political strategy,and whether identity impacts the nature or efficacy of clientelism.Specifically,we design a voting and leadership game in order to examine whether individuals vote for clientelist allocations by a leader even at the expense of more efficient and egalitarian allocations.We find group identity does not significantly impact the prevalence of clientelist plans.Leaders are more likely,however,to choose allocations that provide fewer benefits(lower rents)to themselves when they are part of the majority in-group than when they are in the minority.

An Overview of China’s Bond Markets

This paper introduces the current structure and practice of China＇s bond markets in general and corporate bond market in particular. It analyses the factors behind the slow development of China＇s bond markets： heavy government intervention, underdevelopment of direct financing, etc. It also puts forward policy options in promoting bonds markets development, including reform of government regulatory framework and improving financial intermediaries and services.