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How to address regional and sector-specific regulatory issues? A case study from Mozambique
01.09.2008
This article discusses empirical results from a business climate survey (BCS) and from value chain analyses for Mozambique and draws conclusions for practical policy advice. The analysis of the data shows that the business and investment climate (BIC) differs markedly between regions and sectors. It is argued that tools relying exclusively on national approaches for assessing the BIC, such as the World Bank Doing Business surveys, are not able to capture this heterogeneity and therefore have to be complemented by BCSs or value chain analyses in order to provide relevant and specific guidance for BIC reforms. Moreover, the article discusses the usefulness of BCSs as tools for creating ownership and leverage in policy advocacy. -
Imp-Act cost-effectiveness study of Small Enterprise Foundation, South Africa
01.09.2004
In one of the poorest areas of South Africa, Small Enterprise Foundation (SEF) runs a microfinance programme targeted at poor women. For about six years SEF has run an impact monitoring programme using indepth interviews aimed at improving SEF's performance as a developmental MFI. The emphasis is on predicting trends in client well-being rather than objective indicators of client poverty levels. SEF uses ongoing monitoring tools such as client-level indicators, drop-out monitoring, vulnerable groups and centres, and a management information system (MIS) which readily identify problems before they become serious, such as increased client drop-out associated with negative client impact. This article describes some of the client impact results produced by this impact management programme, and outlines how the system works. It describes how SEF was able to take corrective action when increased levels of drop-outs were identified in 2002, and demonstrates that the preventive action stimulated by the programme more than covered the costs of the impact management programme itself. -
The South African Homeless Peoples' Federation – investing in the poor
01.03.2003
Much emphasis has been placed in microfinance on organizational sustainability. An alternative measure of success is related to the benefits generated. This paper assesses and discusses the successes of the South African Homeless People'sFederation to achieve housing delivery for the poor. The Federation works with locally established savings groups, facilitating their access to housing (and the state housing subsidy) with both loan finance and skill sharing through community exchanges. The authors argue that the successes of the policy should be understood in terms of the assets that have been created for and by the poor.An estimated benefit of R540 million (net present value) has been secured mainly as a result of the improved housing constructed, and the emphasis on savings and loan finance is now being considered for replication by the state. The approach is not without its own limitations, however. The pro-poor stance has been weakened by the role of the state housing subsidy system and its approach to housing construction and management. -
SMEs adjusting to the CFA franc devaluation in Senegal
01.09.1997
The devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994 was economically necessary in order to initiate a reorientation of patterns of consumption and production and thus to improve international competitiveness in the African franc zone countries. The example of Senegalese small and medium-sized enterprises shows that, contrary to initial expectations, the favourable effects of the devaluation in terms of market share and employment at enterprise level have remained limited even after two years of adjustment. The openness of the economy, price movements independent of the devaluation, certain accompanying measures of the government as well as unresolved structural problems have restricted the enterprises' room for manoeuvre in factor and product markets. Moreover, intermediary institutions have often failed to play their role as catalysts of structural change. Thus, established socio-political structures at the various levels have once again proved to be barriers to desired economic effects. -
Co-operative Sanitation Project Pellsrus Township South Africa
01.10.2007
A lack of sanitation in the township next to Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, means that not only is the beach strewn with waste, but the township dwellers are faced with health hazards. Some possible solutions are presented here. -
Do operation and maintenance pay?
01.07.2006
Life-cycle costing can help planners estimate not only how much handpumps cost to install, but how much they cost to maintain. This article shows how it is done, and demonstrates that spending more on regular maintenance often works out cheaper in the long run. -
The Rural Water Supply Network
01.07.2006
There is more to improving rural water supplies in Africa than just concentrating on handpumps. The Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) has broadened its original focus and now has three areas of research and information provision: self-supply, cost-effective boreholes and sustainable handpumps. -
Menstrual management in low-income countries: needs and trends
01.12.2024
Access to appropriate facilities for menstrual hygiene and management (MHM) is recognized as a neglected need within the sanitation sector globally. However, little is known about the magnitude or trajectory of this need. Further, the particular services and facilities required to meet MHM needs depend on the practices and products employed by women and girls. We use nationally representative data from 58 low and lower-middle income countries to estimate that 800 million women in such countries menstruate regularly. Positive correlations between menstruation and nutritional status, as well as menstruation and household wealth, imply a growing need for menstrual management solutions as poverty declines, but both effects are dwarfed by the impact of declining fertility rates. Data on imports of disposable menstrual products reveal exponential growth in their use in low and especially lower-middle income countries. This trend is likely to continue as incomes grow and markets develop, making ever greater the need for provision of appropriate disposal facilities.