The Economic Effect of Refugee Crises on Neighbouring Host Countries: Empirical Evidence from Pakistan

There is a considerable debate in terms of opportunities and challenges about the presence of refugees in the neighbouring host countries. Most of the existing discourse has focused only on their humanitarian and security implications. This article, on the other hand, seeks to uncover this issue through a purely economic lens, focusing on the economic impact of more than three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Utilizing data for the period 1979–2014 and the ARDL bounds testing approach, we arrive at few important conclusions. The empirical results indicate that Afghan refugees have a strong negative impact on economic growth in Pakistan. The effect holds in both the short run and the long run, suggesting that the influx of refugees lowers real economic activity in the country. Ultimately, the study implies that hosting refugees can never be a boon to Pakistan's economy.     

Creating intentional spaces for sustainable development in the Indian trans-Himalaya: reconceptualizing globalization from below

In an era of globalization, multifaceted and complex changes have increasingly interconnected geographically dispersed places. A central question of globalization studies concerns whether top-down forces of globalization are forging a global culture or whether processes of globalization from below are able to push back against homogenization by appropriating global forces rather than simply being overwhelmed by them. In this paper, I develop the concept of intentional spaces to show how ideas move globally and how local communities appropriate these ideas, revealing the actual practices that happen in the middle of top-down and bottom-up processes of globalization. I identify three types of ‘intentional spaces’ – physical, pedagogical, and ideological – to document the middle: where top down global forces meet local responses, and how these processes unfold. These intentional spaces enable processes of globalization from below, particularly the development of a mode of critical education that is both political and anti-hegemonic. This critical education empowers local people to adapt global/Western perspectives and influences to indigenous perspectives and practices, creating its own discourses of globalization. I use the context of the trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh to consider how national and international forces intersect with the local, and how local communities re-envision their participation in a modern, global economy.     

Consanguinity and child mortality: The risk faced by families

Previous research reveals that the characteristics and practices of a child's family are important determinants of its chances of surviving beyond childhood. This study investigates the effects of consanguinity on a family's odds of experiencing the death of a child in Pakistan, a society in which marriage among close relatives is common. Analysis of data from the 1991 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey reveals that first cousin marriages increase a couple's risk of enduring the death of one or more of their children. These couples are 1.18 times as likely to have a child die by its fifth birthday than couples not related by blood net of other factors associated with child mortality. Elimination of first cousin marriages would contribute to a modest decrease in the proportion of Pakistani families suffering the death of a child.     

Simultaneous estimation of Cronbach’s alpha coefficients

The simultaneous estimation of Cronbachs alpha coefficients from q populations under the compound symmetry assumption is considered. In a multi-sample scenario, it is suspected that all the Cronbachs alpha coefficients are identical. Consequently, the inclusion of non-sample information (NSI) on the homogeneity of Cronbachs alpha coefficients in the estimation process may improve precision. We propose improved estimators based on the linear shrinkage, preliminary test, and the Steins type shrinkage strategies, to incorporate available NSI into the estimation. Their asymptotic properties are derived and discussed using the concepts of bias and risk. Extensive Monte-Carlo simulations were conducted to investigate the performance of the estimators.     

Bayesian estimation of parameters of mixed geometric failure models from Type I group censored sample

The estimation problem of the parameters of a mixed geometric lifetime model, using Bayesian approach and Type I group censored sample, will be investigated in the case of two subpopulations. The Bayes estimates are derived for squared error, minimum expected, general entropy and linex loss functions under informative and diffuse priors. A practical example given by Nelson (W.B. Nelson, Hazard plotting methods for analysis of the life data with different failure models, J. Qual. Technol. 2 (1970), pp. 126–149) is considered. A simulation study is carried out along with risk.     

Distribution of home help services in an elderly urban population: data from the Kungsholmen Project

Data from the total urban population 75 years and older in Kungsholmen, Stockholm were used to calculate the distribution of home help services. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information about education, occupation, living conditions, Katz Activities of Daily Living Scale, contact with the family, medical treatment and also questions about help needed and functional ability. Home help was considered to be provided when the subjects reported receiving home help service from the municipality. The number of hours of home help and the services received were registered. The results show that 86% of the elderly population in the Municipality of Kungsholmen live in their own homes, even when they are very old. Twenty-seven percent of those over 74 years and 33% of those over 80 years received home help services. The people receiving help were mostly women, single living, older and with disability detected by the Katz Activities of Daily Living Scale. The predicting factors of hours of home help are older age, condition of single living, disability detected by the Katz Activities of Daily Living Scale and less years of education. Our results also show that, among those who receive home help service, those with disability in the activities of daily living get more hours of help. However, a considerable group of elderly people are disabled but do not receive any home help. Our data stress the need for more attention by health care planners of domiciliary and intensive care and residential facilities for the high risk population (very old, living alone and with disability).     

Structural changes in the receiving country and future labor migration--the case of Kuwait

This article describes changes in the volume, age and sex composition, retention, productivity, types of occupation, and economic sector of the labor force in Kuwait. The focus is on the structural changes in the indigenous labor force. Data were obtained from censuses and labor force surveys during 1965-93. Policies after the 1990 invasion pertained primarily to security of public employment sector among natives. Over 98% of private sector employment is among non-Kuwaitis. Government programs support high fertility. Female illiteracy has declined, and the proportion of women with a higher education has increased. Natives comprised 20.4% of the total labor force in 1993. About 90% of native males work in the public sector. 45% of total male employment is in the production sector. Around 50% of non-Kuwaiti males have been employed in production work over the decades. Over 90% of Kuwaiti females in 1993 worked in professional or clerical work. Over 50% of total female labor force participation is in the service sector. Concentration in the public sector increased for Kuwaitis and declined for non-Kuwaitis. Labor force participation declined with increasing age. Retirement benefits encouraged early retirement. The private sector is experiencing the departure of long-term migrants and more rapid turnover of labor. Hours of work are longer in the private sector. Kuwait is still dependent on foreign workers in the production and service industries. It is likely that native male workers will replace foreign workers in professional work and administrative/clerical work. Policies that will assure future reliance on imported labor include the assurance of government jobs for Kuwaitis, retirement rules, and the profitability of the trade in labor.