Miria Pigato - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Miria Pigato

Technology Transfer and Innovation for Low-Carbon Development

The objectives of the paper are: to examine patterns of utilization, ownership and affordability ... more The objectives of the paper are: to examine patterns of utilization, ownership and affordability of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia; to discuss applications of ICTs to the poor by the private sector, the Government and external donors; and to suggest ways in which ICTs can best be used in poverty alleviation strategies. The paper finds that SSA and South Asia have the lowest access to ICTs resources. There are two critical access gaps, between urban and rural areas, and between the poorest and the richest 20% of the population. For their information needs, the poor rely mostly on the informal networks that they trust, such as family, friends and local leaders. By contrast, formal sources of information, such as NGOs, newspapers or politicians, are less trusted and used. The new forms of ICTs, including Internet, fax and computers, have touched only some 2% of low-income households, mostly in urban areas. Evidence indicate ...

The paper examines the magnitude, origins and destination of recent foreign direct investment flo... more The paper examines the magnitude, origins and destination of recent foreign direct investment flows to Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as changes in the sectoral composition of FDI and the relationship between economic reform and FDI. The paper aims to re-examine the "old tales" claiming that except for natural resources sector, African countries fail to attract significant FDI flows. While it is still true that much of the FDI goes into mining and oil, recent evidence and current analysis show that reforming countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are attracting significant inflows of FDI, particularly through privatization. These countries do not seem to suffer from the unfavorable image and pessimistic perceptions about the continent. However, by and large Sub-Saharan Africa is still failing to attract the kind of manufacturing investment that provides technology, skills and market access. AUTHOR'S AFFILIATION AND SPONSORSHIP Miria Pigato, AFTM2, Africa Region, The World Bank. ...

The objectives of the paper are: to examine patterns of utilization, ownership, and affordability... more The objectives of the paper are: to examine patterns of utilization, ownership, and affordability of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia; to discuss applications of ICTs to the poor by the private sector, the Government, and external donors; and to suggest ways in which ICTs can best be used in poverty alleviation strategies. The paper finds that SSA and South Asia have the lowest access to ICTs resources. There are critical access gaps between urban and rural areas, and between the poorest and the richest. Evidence indicate that in a sufficiently competitive and liberalized market the private sector is most effective in providing commercially viable communications services, even in rural or less viable areas. The paper proposes some principles for using ICTs in poverty alleviation strategies: 1) Tnformation is a dynamic process of acquisition and use. 2) The effective use of information by the poor may be constrained by lack ...

The World Bank Group prepared this report, Climate Change in APEC: Assessing Risks, Preparing Fin... more The World Bank Group prepared this report, Climate Change in APEC: Assessing Risks, Preparing Financial Markets, and Mobilizing Institutional Investors to inform policymakers, financial sector regulators, and investors from across APEC member economies about the interconnected climate change challenges that they face. This report aims to help these stakeholders better understand the human and economic risks that climate change poses to the region and to provide them with a starting point for discussions about opportunities for action. This report outlines the potential human and economic impacts of climate change on APEC member economies and the benefits to mitigating these impacts. It then outlines the climate-related risks to financial institutions and how financial system regulators can help institutions to manage these risks. It concludes with a discussion of the policy, regulatory and market barriers to scaling-up institutional investors' contributions to climate finance an...

The rapid economic rise of China over the last twenty years has sustained high global demand and ... more The rapid economic rise of China over the last twenty years has sustained high global demand and prices for primary commodities such as oil and minerals, greatly benefitting Sub-Saharan (SSA) African countries. China now represents more than 20 percent of SSA's trade, up from just 2.3 percent in 1985. West Africa's share in China's trade is still quite low, 0.6 percent in 2012, but it is rising rapidly. Exports to China - oil, iron, phosphates, gold, cotton, cocoa and cashew nuts, have grown fast. However, they have not grown as rapidly as imports, resulting in a large trade deficit with China (13 percent of West Africa's GDP over 2009-2012). Reasons include a strong consumption demand for inexpensive Chinese products as well as the import-content requirements in development assistance agreements. Looking at the impact of China on West Africa, it appears that West African producers do not compete with China on third markets; by and large their products are complement...

Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita... more Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of about $ 691 in 2010. Mali's steady per capita GDP growth was accompanied with a significant decline in the poverty rate, from 55.6 percent in 2001 to 43.6 percent in 2009-10. Mali's rapid population growth still has led to an increase of the overall number of people living in poverty, and is constraining progress in terms of per capita health and education outcomes. High fertility rates and gender imbalances are key drivers of Mali's poverty dynamics. The present report compiles three different notes, emphasizing the interrelation between poverty, demographics and gender imbalances. The first note discusses the evolution of poverty in Mali since 2001. The second note reviews recent demographic trends and related policies. The third note reports on the latest available data on females in business and employment within the formal sector. The compilation of these three notes...

The objectives of the paper are: to examine patterns of utilization, ownership and affordability ... more The objectives of the paper are: to examine patterns of utilization, ownership and affordability of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia; to discuss applications of ICTs to the poor by the private sector, the Government and external donors; and to suggest ways in which ICTs can best be used in poverty alleviation strategies. The paper finds that SSA and South Asia have the lowest access to ICTs resources. There are two critical access gaps, between urban and rural areas, and between the poorest and the richest 20% of the population. For their infornation needs, the poor rely mostly on the informal networks that they trust, such as family, friends and local leaders. By contrast, formal sources of infonnation, such as NGOs, newspapers or politicians, are less trusted and used. The new forms of ICTs, including Internet, fax and computers, have touched only some 2% of low-income households, mostly in urban areas. Evidence indicate ...

This paper discusses the legal, business and economic environment for Foreign Direct Investment (... more This paper discusses the legal, business and economic environment for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Sub-Saharan Africa. It finds that despite recent improvements the FDI environment is still inadequate to attract high quality, efficiency-seeking, globalizing FDI; and that Africa is lagging behind in the development of its competitive factors of production. It suggests a way forward which includes improving the competitiveness of the investment climate; attracting FDI into existing areas of comparative advantage, such as extractive and other natural resource activities; developing regional networks and integration; and accelerating privatization. Authors' Affiliation and Sponsorship Miria A. Pigato, Senior Economist, AFTM2, Africa Region, The World Bank Email: mpigato@worldbank.org THE WORKING PAPER SERIES The Africa Region Working Paper Series expedites dissemination of applied research and policy studies with potential for improving economic performance and social conditio...

Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has averaged roughly 5 percent per year over the past... more Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has averaged roughly 5 percent per year over the past decade, improving living standards and bolstering human development indicators across the continent. Stronger public institutions, a supportive, private sectorfocused policy environment, responsible macroeconomic management, and a sustained commitment to structural reforms have greatly expanded opportunities for countries in SSA to participate in global markets. In recent years, many countries in the region have benefited from an increasingly favorable external environment, high commodity prices, and an especially strong demand for natural resources by emerging economies, particularly China. Over the longer term, leveraging Chinese investment to support broad-based growth will require policies designed to boost the competitiveness of sectors in which Chinas economic rebalancing may create a comparative advantage for SSA. To date, few African countries have been able to benefit from la...

Fiscal Policies for Development and Climate Action

China and India's spectacular economic rise over the last two decades has accelerated their t... more China and India's spectacular economic rise over the last two decades has accelerated their trade with Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Their demands for oil, gas, and other natural resources have been driving new relationships with MENA countries based not only on energy but on trade, investment, and political ties. The report's main messages are as follows: 1) MENA is becoming a region of winners from the oil windfall, and of non-oil producers on the sidelines. Rising demand for energy from China and India has greatly contributed to the increase in oil price and is likely to sustain the oil boom in the future; 2) the winners in the Gulf are laying big bets on economic diversification and knowledge enterprises, bets they might win, but with lots of risk along the way. Dutch disease effects of the oil boom may threaten the sustainability of the current expansion; 3) the non-oil producers on the sidelines, especially in the Maghreb, are find...

Technology Transfer and Innovation for Low-Carbon Development

The objectives of the paper are: to examine patterns of utilization, ownership and affordability ... more The objectives of the paper are: to examine patterns of utilization, ownership and affordability of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia; to discuss applications of ICTs to the poor by the private sector, the Government and external donors; and to suggest ways in which ICTs can best be used in poverty alleviation strategies. The paper finds that SSA and South Asia have the lowest access to ICTs resources. There are two critical access gaps, between urban and rural areas, and between the poorest and the richest 20% of the population. For their infornation needs, the poor rely mostly on the informal networks that they trust, such as family, friends and local leaders. By contrast, formal sources of infonnation, such as NGOs, newspapers or politicians, are less trusted and used. The new forms of ICTs, including Internet, fax and computers, have touched only some 2% of low-income households, mostly in urban areas. Evidence indicate ...

Fiscal Policies for Development and Climate Action