Migration has a long history in Afghanistan, but it has increased remarkably over the last decade... more Migration has a long history in Afghanistan, but it has increased remarkably over the last decade. This study examines the actual data of 1060 households in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of the Balkh province in Afghanistan to evaluate the main causes and benefits of migration. The data used in this study was obtained from a strictly random process. The study finds that the main reasons for internal and international migration are unemployment and income inequality, in addition to war and poverty, as international motivations for migration. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that households receive benefit from migrant remittances to increase their income and smooth consumption. Thus, the study suggests that to manage migration in Afghanistan, the government and international organizations should work together for peace and the reduction of poverty in Afghanistan to mitigate a further migration crisis in the future.
Poverty was already a main problem in Afghanistan even before, but it has exacerbated due to the ... more Poverty was already a main problem in Afghanistan even before, but it has exacerbated due to the pandemic. However, the actual impact of the pandemic on households had not been investigated. This study provides such analysis using data obtained from a strictly random survey of 1060 households in the capital of Balkh, the fourth most populated province in Afghanistan. Using headcount ratio and poverty gap measures and both income and expenditure approaches, the results show that an additional 12% of households fell below the poverty line, from an already high of 75% before the pandemic. The poverty gap index rises to 34%, but the computed Gini coefficient indicates no significant change in inequality. Poor governance and corruption in Afghanistan are major impediments to address the issue of poverty. This paper suggests several measures which can be implemented to have effective policies and governance to alleviate poverty.
This article examines the structural responses of foreign exchange and equity markets to the COVI... more This article examines the structural responses of foreign exchange and equity markets to the COVID-19 pandemic in seven Asian countries over its first 4 months (31 December 2019 to 1 May 2020). Marginal effects derived from a structural vector autoregression (SVAR) model suggest that a 1% increase in incidence of COVID-19 cases significantly diminished Indonesia’s equity market returns by 4.7%, depreciated the Indian rupee against the US dollar by 4.8%, but improved equity prospects in South Korea by 4.1%. For the other financial markets, the effect of COVID-19 was found to be insignificant. Further, the impulse response analyses imply that the influence of COVID-19 on foreign exchange and equity markets is only transitory in nature. Additional SVAR analysis for India and Indonesia over recent months (2 May 2020 to 22 January 2021) showed that their financial markets remained (or became) resistant to the escalating incidence of COVID-19 inflections and deaths. JEL Code: G15
Migration has a long history in Afghanistan, but it has increased remarkably over the last decade... more Migration has a long history in Afghanistan, but it has increased remarkably over the last decade. This study examines the actual data of 1060 households in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of the Balkh province in Afghanistan to evaluate the main causes and benefits of migration. The data used in this study was obtained from a strictly random process. The study finds that the main reasons for internal and international migration are unemployment and income inequality, in addition to war and poverty, as international motivations for migration. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that households receive benefit from migrant remittances to increase their income and smooth consumption. Thus, the study suggests that to manage migration in Afghanistan, the government and international organizations should work together for peace and the reduction of poverty in Afghanistan to mitigate a further migration crisis in the future.
Poverty was already a main problem in Afghanistan even before, but it has exacerbated due to the ... more Poverty was already a main problem in Afghanistan even before, but it has exacerbated due to the pandemic. However, the actual impact of the pandemic on households had not been investigated. This study provides such analysis using data obtained from a strictly random survey of 1060 households in the capital of Balkh, the fourth most populated province in Afghanistan. Using headcount ratio and poverty gap measures and both income and expenditure approaches, the results show that an additional 12% of households fell below the poverty line, from an already high of 75% before the pandemic. The poverty gap index rises to 34%, but the computed Gini coefficient indicates no significant change in inequality. Poor governance and corruption in Afghanistan are major impediments to address the issue of poverty. This paper suggests several measures which can be implemented to have effective policies and governance to alleviate poverty.
This article examines the structural responses of foreign exchange and equity markets to the COVI... more This article examines the structural responses of foreign exchange and equity markets to the COVID-19 pandemic in seven Asian countries over its first 4 months (31 December 2019 to 1 May 2020). Marginal effects derived from a structural vector autoregression (SVAR) model suggest that a 1% increase in incidence of COVID-19 cases significantly diminished Indonesia’s equity market returns by 4.7%, depreciated the Indian rupee against the US dollar by 4.8%, but improved equity prospects in South Korea by 4.1%. For the other financial markets, the effect of COVID-19 was found to be insignificant. Further, the impulse response analyses imply that the influence of COVID-19 on foreign exchange and equity markets is only transitory in nature. Additional SVAR analysis for India and Indonesia over recent months (2 May 2020 to 22 January 2021) showed that their financial markets remained (or became) resistant to the escalating incidence of COVID-19 inflections and deaths. JEL Code: G15
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