published_or_final_version / abstract / China Development Studies / Master / Master of Arts

Public opinion tends to look at Zambia as some mythical land of promise, predestined to enjoy for years to come the same sort of economic bliss as during the copper price boom of 1964 -75. But there can be little doubt that one of the most striking facts of Zambia's economic history since 1964 has been poor macroeconomic performance. Since the mid 1970's Zambia's economy has experienced negative economic growth, high unemployment, rapid inflation and a weak balance of payments. This problem is crucial in the context of two-gap models. This thesis discusses the main facts about this worrying development and advances a line of argument which may well account for most of the observed facts. Prior to the Third Republic Zambian politicians tended to blame external forces for the current problems. My main contention is that that is wrong Economic difficulties arose from a combination of policy failures: growth of 'nonmarketable output', the government's politically induced tendency for crisis management, coupled with its well known propensity to delay taking corrective action, against a background of difficult initial conditions. However, since this is a thesis, both the scope and the method of investigation are limited by the time allowed for the study. What we do is to use historical data and use econometric analysis to shape my arguments, and to make them plausible. Inadequate domestic savings reflected in investment slumps, coupled with foreign exchange shortages, are shown to be the ultimate constraint on economic growth performance. The new government's liberal attitude and the fact that there is export potential in the economy offers some hope for success but the thesis draws attention to the structural rigidities which will remain a major constraint to export diversification in the short to medium term. In the long run, non-traditional exports would have to grow by some 30 percent annually if they were to become the new engine of growth. We stress that success will depend crucially on the government's macroeconomic policies being both conducive to the promotion of investment spending and supportive to the objective of restoring viability in the balance of payments.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Thesis (M. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

This research presents an attempt to geolocate postmodern urban development within Canadian urban space using changes in the form and structure of the rural-urban fringe areas as a diagnostic tool. The main argument presented herein is that conceptualizations of postmodern urban form and structure, and particularly their treatment in the urban geographic literature, mask the high level of diversity occurring across the Canadian urban hierarchy. A two-stage methodology linking the models describing postmodern urban form and structure found in the North American geographic literature with the theoretical contributions dealing with factors and forces of urban development is employed. First, investigation of the current patterns of differentiation of the urban social space in Canadian metropolitan areas is conducted. This stage of the analysis is informed by a structural approach to urban geography and carried out by means of factorial ecology. A typology of Canadian rural-urban fringe CSDs is developed using data from 1991 and 1996 censuses of population. Second, two indicators of functional relationships existing between urban fringe and urban core areas the geographic extent of personal networks of individuals and the activity spaces of households are investigated in the exemplar rural-urban fringe CSDs. This stage of the analysis is informed by propositions of structuration theory, although it remained compositional with regards to the main focus of analysis. The results of this research suggest that models of postmodern urban form and structure, which have developed in the context of the recent socio-economic restructuring taking place in the United States, do not adequately describe the situation in Canada. While the current context of urban development in Canada shows certain similarities to that in the United States, it also exhibits some unique features that have important implications for the urban development. Variation in urban form and structure in Canada appears to follow two axes the regional location of metropolitan areas and their positions within the national urban hierarchy. Although Canada exhibits a strong spatial differentiation into heartland and hinterland regions, no shift in focus of the socio-economic space comparable to that of the American Frostbelt-Sunbelt dichotomy is observed here. The majority of rural-urban fringe areas that have elements of postmodern form and structure were found at the top of the urban hierarchy and in the region that has historically been the economic and political core of Canada. Urban areas positioned in the middle of the urban hierarchy appear to have a monocentric structure with a significant degree of centrality.

This research presents an attempt to geolocate postmodern urban development within Canadian urban space using changes in the form and structure of the rural-urban fringe areas as a diagnostic tool. The main argument presented herein is that conceptualizations of postmodern urban form and structure, and particularly their treatment in the urban geographic literature, mask the high level of diversity occurring across the Canadian urban hierarchy. A two-stage methodology linking the models describing postmodern urban form and structure found in the North American geographic literature with the theoretical contributions dealing with factors and forces of urban development is employed. First, investigation of the current patterns of differentiation of the urban social space in Canadian metropolitan areas is conducted. This stage of the analysis is informed by a structural approach to urban geography and carried out by means of factorial ecology. A typology of Canadian rural-urban fringe CSDs is developed using data from 1991 and 1996 censuses of population. Second, two indicators of functional relationships existing between urban fringe and urban core areas the geographic extent of personal networks of individuals and the activity spaces of households are investigated in the exemplar rural-urban fringe CSDs. This stage of the analysis is informed by propositions of structuration theory, although it remained compositional with regards to the main focus of analysis. The results of this research suggest that models of postmodern urban form and structure, which have developed in the context of the recent socio-economic restructuring taking place in the United States, do not adequately describe the situation in Canada. While the current context of urban development in Canada shows certain similarities to that in the United States, it also exhibits some unique features that have important implications for the urban development. Variation in urban form and structure in Canada appears to follow two axes the regional location of metropolitan areas and their positions within the national urban hierarchy. Although Canada exhibits a strong spatial differentiation into heartland and hinterland regions, no shift in focus of the socio-economic space comparable to that of the American Frostbelt-Sunbelt dichotomy is observed here. The majority of rural-urban fringe areas that have elements of postmodern form and structure were found at the top of the urban hierarchy and in the region that has historically been the economic and political core of Canada. Urban areas positioned in the middle of the urban hierarchy appear to have a monocentric structure with a significant degree of centrality.

Various sources on Kazakh history demonstrate that a Kazakh culture was generated out of the predominantly pastoral experiences of its people. For centuries, Kazakh communities were engaged in a definite set of practices prescribed by pastoralism. Firmly incorporated into the all-Union structure of Soviet republics, Kazakhstan made an impressive transformation from a predominantly pastoral to an agroindustrial region with one of the most vibrant economies in Central Asia. Sovereignty in 1991 pushed the historic trajectory of the Kazakh nation further ahead, prompting its citizens to engage in self-reflection, and attuning their collective memories to a new set of social and political realities. It also brought the country closer to the city, as hundreds of thousands Kazakh villagers left their homes for urban areas following the downfall of the 'transitional' economy that ensued in the wake of the demise of socialism. This thesis presents an analysis of data that was collected during twelve months of ethnographic fieldwork carried out primarily in Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan, in 1999. A principal aim in this study is to unravel emerging subjectivities and congealed meanings that have developed within the context of Kazakh rural to urban migration, especially that which occurred after the breakdown of the Soviet Union. It centers on important themes relating to Kazakh historic ancestry and culture, the colonial encounter, the city and its populace, as well as the recently achieved national independence, as they have unfolded in the narratives of recent arrivals to the city. How have the discourses of ancestry and modernity, mediated by their experiences of migration and displacement, been implicated in migrants' understandings of themselves and their nation? Special attention in my discussion is paid to the issue of whether the recent encounter of rural and urban worlds fostered the contemplation of specific narratives of the Kazakh nation, as it emerges from Socialism.

Rural-urban migration in Sub-Saharan African countries has been increasing since the 1960s. In Senegal from 1961 to 1996, it grew 7.6% per annum. Labour market in the modern industrial and service sectors is so depressed that urban workers face high unemployment and poverty rates, and live in substandard conditions in the fringe urban sector. The purpose of this study is to examine policies needed to reduce rural-urban migration through selected agricultural investments, especially given that a long run of low agricultural productivity has been a major cause of rural-urban migration flows. / Based on a recursive system of equations, an estimate was made of rural-urban migration elasticity caused by agricultural inputs and their impact on migration. The model used combines a Cobb-Douglas agricultural production equation along with a rural-urban migration equation with agricultural output as an explanatory variable. The study period is 36 years from 1961 to 1996. / Our findings support the hypothesis that rural-urban migration is a positive outcome function of the urban-rural wage ratio that is proxied by the ratio of urban per capita income to rural per capita income. The results justify the design of a policy aimed at reducing rural-urban migration flows through increasing per capita earnings by means of increased agricultural investments. For instance, 10% increase of fertiliser lowers rural-urban migration by 20.5% while 10% increase of agricultural infrastructure reduces rural-urban migration of about 32.2%. If one extrapolates these results, fertiliser and infrastructure need to be increased respectively by 36% and 25% or both inputs by 13.09% to reach rural-urban migration annual rate of 2%, the level of industrial labour demand.

No abstract available. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Durban-Westville, 2000.

Search Frictions, Unemployment, and Housing in Cities: Theory and Policies We propose an urban search-matching model with land development. We characterize the steady-state equilibrium and then discuss the issue of efficiency. We find that the transportation and housing policies are more efficient if the unemployment rate is low, while the entry-cost policy is more efficient if the unemployment rate is high. Land Development, Search Frictions, and City Structure This paper analyzes the interactions between labor and housing (and land) markets in a city. Unemployment, the spatial structure of a city, land development, housing demand, prices of housing and land are all endogenously determined. Then, we characterize two different spatial configurations. To better understand how two equilibria are affected by land and labor market parameters, we implement a comparative steady state analysis. We further explored the effects of policies. Search for Jobs or Crimes? This paper develops a competitive search model where unemployed workers allocate their time between the search for legal jobs and opportunities for committing crimes. We analyze the effects of labor market policies and crime policies. We show that the market equilibrium is socially inefficient when there is crime. We also find that workers' individual choice of years of education is less than the socially efficient one. Rural-Urban Migration in Developing Countries: Labor Market Institutions and Policies The paper studies rural-urban migration under different labor market institutions in developing countries. Specifically, we consider two types of labor market institutions where workers in urban firms are unionized or not. We find that unionization of workers raises unemployment, urban wages, and rural employment, reduces rural wages and urban employment and increases inequality between the rural and the urban sector. We also compare two institutions under different policies.