Essays in Examining the Impediments to Economic Growth and Development

The dissertation is an amalgamation of empirical work done to determine hindrances to economic growth and development, mainly focussing on multidimensional poverty (Chapter 1), natural hazards (Chapter 2), and epidemiological events (Chapter 3). The Chapters contribute to the bodies of work in various ways. The evaluation and assessment of these issues are addressed by employing an investigative approach while highlighting the heterogeneous and dynamic nature of the issues that countries face on an applied microeconometric and geospatial level, unlike other work that may generalize theories, effects, and consequences on an aggregated level.

Chapter 1 derives multidimensional poverty at the community level using geospatial techniques.

We use Jamaica as a case study by utilizing data from the Jamaica Standard of Living Conditions (JSLC) survey between 1993 and 2014 augmented by the ?ndings from four decennial years of Census data (1982, 1991, 2001, and 2011). Relative to previous work on MPI in Jamaica, this Chapter contributes to the literature by capturing the micro-level geographic and socioeconomic concentration of deprivations, using community-based geospatial data instead of an aggregated assessment. This methodological approach is deemed quite helpful for countries with limited data, as through these techniques, poverty concentration in small developing states can be identi?ed and could help improve poverty eradication initiatives.

Chapter 2 uses an advanced wind model and nightlight imagery to ascertain the short to longrun effects of hurricane strikes on a developing economy. This is done by assessing the impact of tropical storms between 1993 - 2012 in a quasi-experimental design to understand the effects with geographical precision. In addition, Chapter 2 contributes to the literature by incorporating an asymmetric wind model relative to the famous Holland symmetric wind model. This methodological difference enhanced the evaluation of surface-level wind speed and its consequent impact through the development of the hurricane destruction index. Results suggest that hurricane shocks have persistent adverse effects on Jamaican communities, lasting at least ?fifteen years.

For Chapter 3, we conduct a cross-country examination into COVID-19 outcomes in response to changes in timing and the underlying structure of each country by employing the Bayesian Model Averaging techniques. The posterior coefficient estimates suggest that government behaviors, some non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), health and demographic factors played a vital role in countries' successful and unsuccessful responses to COVID-19 outcomes. Chapter 3 shows consistent covariates that explain the international differences related to epidemiological events among developed and developing countries, which addresses the model uncertainty problem for researchers.

In summary, the birth of this dissertation comes at an opportune time as government, policy-makers, and, to a more considerable extent, international organisations search to fi?nd solutions, gather information, and implement suitable policies to tackle the problems discussed in each Chapter. I hope that the results and discussions surrounding these problems contribute significantly to the think-tank of leaders in informing and shaping their knowledge base.