Size-based industrial policy (support for small firms) has long been provided by the government i... more Size-based industrial policy (support for small firms) has long been provided by the government in Pakistan while age-based policy (support for young firms) has become prominent in recent years. Both policies are typically justified by reference to positive effects on labour absorption. Despite their popularity among policymakers, however, the empirical basis for such policies has not been adequately analysed at the national level. We address this issue using data from a large, multisector, random sample of manufacturing firms and find empirical support for size-based policies but not for age-based ones. We also find that sizebased policies appear most relevant for firms with less than fifty workers. JEL Classification: Firm Performance: Size, Diversification and Scope (L25); Industrialisation. Manufacturing and Service Industries. Choice of Technology (O14) Keywords: Firm Size, Firm Age, Employment Growth, Manufacturing; Pakistan, Industrial Policy
bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su r... more bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Produced by the Research Support Team
bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su r... more bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed The Demands for Funds by Agricultural Households:
Discussion papers are not formal publications of the World Bank. They represent preliminary and o... more Discussion papers are not formal publications of the World Bank. They represent preliminary and often unpolished results of country analysis and research. Circulation is intended to encourage discussion and comments; citation and the use of the paper should take account of its provisional character. The findings and conclusions of the paper are entirely those of the authors and should not be attributed to the World Bank, its affiliated organizations, or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the
It is estimated that Egypt's microfinance industry currently reaches only about 5 percent of ... more It is estimated that Egypt's microfinance industry currently reaches only about 5 percent of the more than 2 million potential borrowers. In this situation, commercial banks could play an important role since they have the advantage of both outreach capacity through their branch networks and fundraising capacity through their legal ability to accept savings deposits. Traditionally, commercial banks in Egypt, as in many other developing countries, have shied away from microfinance, perceiving it to be characterized by high risks and low rewards. The National Bank for Development (NBD) in Egypt, however, has had a different experience. A private commercial bank, NBD has successfully run a microlending program for over 16 years. Microlending programs have existed in Egypt since the mid-1960s. Most microfinance services are delivered through government and nongovernmental organization (NGO) programs and some are conducted through business associations, development intermediaries, an...
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has performed the best among all regions in improv... more The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has performed the best among all regions in improving education attainment over the past four decades (1970–2010). Using econometric analysis, we show that this was due in large part to a convergence process in which countries that had low levels of education in 1970 increased their stocks much faster than those with higher initial education. Since MENA had the second lowest education stock among all regions in 1970, it benefited substantially from convergence over the next four decades. We also show that MENA obtained a comparative edge from having had the highest rate of public spending on education among all developing country regions. Such spending, however, was of middling efficiency and did little to produce education of good quality.
This Special Issue presents a collection of papers which examine the evolution of small and mediu... more This Special Issue presents a collection of papers which examine the evolution of small and medium enterprises (hereafter SMEs) in East Asia over the past quarter century or so. East Asia is of interest because this region has experienced, on average, the highest economic growth rates in the world during this period. This has been accompanied by dramatic transformations in
This paper provides an overview of salient characteristics of the Japanese local government syste... more This paper provides an overview of salient characteristics of the Japanese local government system paying special attention to the following: (a) the strong preference for regional balance in fiscal transfer rules; (b) the lack of systematic influence by individual politicians in grant allocations; (c) the practice of exchanging staff across different levels of government; (d) the use of attractive work
Size-based industrial policy (support for small firms) has long been provided by the government i... more Size-based industrial policy (support for small firms) has long been provided by the government in Pakistan while age-based policy (support for young firms) has become prominent in recent years. Both policies are typically justified by reference to positive effects on labour absorption. Despite their popularity among policymakers, however, the empirical basis for such policies has not been adequately analysed at the national level. We address this issue using data from a large, multisector, random sample of manufacturing firms and find empirical support for size-based policies but not for age-based ones. We also find that sizebased policies appear most relevant for firms with less than fifty workers. JEL Classification: Firm Performance: Size, Diversification and Scope (L25); Industrialisation. Manufacturing and Service Industries. Choice of Technology (O14) Keywords: Firm Size, Firm Age, Employment Growth, Manufacturing; Pakistan, Industrial Policy
bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su r... more bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Produced by the Research Support Team
bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su r... more bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed Pu bl ic Di sc lo su re A ut ho riz ed The Demands for Funds by Agricultural Households:
Discussion papers are not formal publications of the World Bank. They represent preliminary and o... more Discussion papers are not formal publications of the World Bank. They represent preliminary and often unpolished results of country analysis and research. Circulation is intended to encourage discussion and comments; citation and the use of the paper should take account of its provisional character. The findings and conclusions of the paper are entirely those of the authors and should not be attributed to the World Bank, its affiliated organizations, or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the
It is estimated that Egypt's microfinance industry currently reaches only about 5 percent of ... more It is estimated that Egypt's microfinance industry currently reaches only about 5 percent of the more than 2 million potential borrowers. In this situation, commercial banks could play an important role since they have the advantage of both outreach capacity through their branch networks and fundraising capacity through their legal ability to accept savings deposits. Traditionally, commercial banks in Egypt, as in many other developing countries, have shied away from microfinance, perceiving it to be characterized by high risks and low rewards. The National Bank for Development (NBD) in Egypt, however, has had a different experience. A private commercial bank, NBD has successfully run a microlending program for over 16 years. Microlending programs have existed in Egypt since the mid-1960s. Most microfinance services are delivered through government and nongovernmental organization (NGO) programs and some are conducted through business associations, development intermediaries, an...
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has performed the best among all regions in improv... more The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has performed the best among all regions in improving education attainment over the past four decades (1970–2010). Using econometric analysis, we show that this was due in large part to a convergence process in which countries that had low levels of education in 1970 increased their stocks much faster than those with higher initial education. Since MENA had the second lowest education stock among all regions in 1970, it benefited substantially from convergence over the next four decades. We also show that MENA obtained a comparative edge from having had the highest rate of public spending on education among all developing country regions. Such spending, however, was of middling efficiency and did little to produce education of good quality.
This Special Issue presents a collection of papers which examine the evolution of small and mediu... more This Special Issue presents a collection of papers which examine the evolution of small and medium enterprises (hereafter SMEs) in East Asia over the past quarter century or so. East Asia is of interest because this region has experienced, on average, the highest economic growth rates in the world during this period. This has been accompanied by dramatic transformations in
This paper provides an overview of salient characteristics of the Japanese local government syste... more This paper provides an overview of salient characteristics of the Japanese local government system paying special attention to the following: (a) the strong preference for regional balance in fiscal transfer rules; (b) the lack of systematic influence by individual politicians in grant allocations; (c) the practice of exchanging staff across different levels of government; (d) the use of attractive work
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Papers by Farrukh Iqbal