Kalle Elias*
This study investigates the impact of the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) on household food calorie intake using a Propensity Score Matching (PSM) approach. The PSNP is a social protection program designed to enhance food security and alleviate poverty. The PSM method is employed to estimate the causal effect of the PSNP by matching treated and control households based on their propensity scores, which represent the likelihood of participating in the program. The analysis utilizes household-level data on participation in the PSNP and food calorie intake. The results provide insights into the program's effectiveness in improving household food calorie intake and contribute to the broader understanding of the role of social protection programs in addressing food insecurity.
Jonathan Zaerpour*
This analysis explores the nature of money supply in India and its expected causes, providing valuable insights for policymakers, economists, and investors. It examines the components of money supply, factors influencing its growth, and the role of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in controlling it. The analysis highlights the implications of money supply growth for the economy and various stakeholders, as well as the challenges in managing it effectively. Recent trends, policy recommendations, and future outlook are also discussed, along with a comparative analysis with other economies. Additionally, the analysis considers the implications for financial markets, investors, and socioeconomic factors. The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of continuous monitoring and adaptation to promote stable and balanced money supply growth.
Smith Johnson*
A Safety-First Principle is used to derive models of the portfolio composition of the commercial banking sector in Pakistan. For econometric estimation we use data and for forecasting various models are estimated, with and without restrictions implied by the theory, such as symmetry on asset characteristics and the equivalent of Engel conditions. The best specification of the system of asset demand equations is a dynamic version which allows for adjustment costs or adjustment constraints in the alignment of the portfolio and which also disaggregates the various types of bank loans rather than treating them as perfect substitutes. That model provides information on the complements and substitutes amongst the assets that conforms to economic intuition. It also fits the data well and is a good forecaster and is shown to provide information that can assist the SBP in forecasting, as an example, real GDP. It is also noted that it dominates the expected utility model on all criteria.