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Previous aid effectiveness literature is subject to aggregation bias and does not discuss aid spillover effects. Using spatial analysis and data from geocoded World Bank aid projects, this article investigates international aid effectiveness and aid spillovers at the sub-national level in 3,764 second-order administrative divisions (ADM2) in 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa over the period of 1995-2014. The empirical analysis is based on an instrumental variable approach and relies on nightlights data as a proxy for economic activity. The empirical results reveal three previously undocumented findings on aid effectiveness. First, we find that aid at the local level (ADM2) promotes economic growth at an economically and statistically significant level. Second, we uncover significantly positive aid spillovers across adjacent localities (ADM2). Third, aid flows at more aggregate levels (ADM1 and country level) have the opposite effect and reduce economic growth. The net effect of all aid variables is near zero and is within the range of coefficient estimates reported at the country level by previous papers. These results suggest that targeted aid projects can be effective in promoting economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What explains changes in export sophistication across firms and destinations? This paper studies the effects of institutional similarity and firm heterogeneity on export sophistication using revealed product mix and firm‐level data from China and establishes eight stylised facts. First, firms export more sophisticated products to destinations with more similar institutions. Second, the positive effect of institutional similarity is weaker for higher productivity firms. Third, whilst exports of private, foreign, and joint‐venture firms are more sophisticated, they are less sensitive to institutional similarity than public firms. Fourth, export‐oriented firms export more sophisticated products and are more sensitive to institutional similarity. Fifth, whilst remoteness to export markets does not affect export sophistication, firms that export to further destinations are less sensitive to institutional similarity. Sixth, although multiproduct firms and firms with lower export skewness export more sophisticated products, they are more sensitive to institutional similarity. Seventh, the effect of institutional similarity is asymmetric and is less important when exporting to countries with better institutions. Eight, firms that are more dependent on contract enforcement export more sophisticated products, and more so to markets with similar institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper surveys the theoretical and empirical literature on the effects of the real exchange rate (RER) on international trade, economic development and growth. We summarize the main conceptual issues, briefly discuss the relevance of the RER as an instrument of development policy, provide an overview of the macroeconomic and microeconomic mechanisms that link the RER to trade and long‐run growth and development, analyse the challenges – especially the disconnect between theory and data – that often arise in empirical applications, and discuss new avenues for future research. In the process, we present some updated estimates and illustrative figures. The mechanisms through which the RER influences long‐run growth and structural change remains a promising area of research and the relevance of individual channels in different contexts deserves much more careful investigation. Greater data availability should help fill some of these gaps in our understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defining an optimal treatment approach for TB-IRIS is difficult due to the absence of a guideline on the standard treatment for TB-IRIS.[[7]] Treatment practices can vary according to the severity and site of this condition. A case of immunocompetent tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome treated with a novel strategy-zipper method plasma exchange In view of the worsening of TB-related symptoms and radiologic findings at new locations during anti-TB treatment, the possibility of TB-IRIS was considered. Tuberculosis (TB)-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (TB-IRIS) is an excessive inflammatory response that can rarely occur in immunocompetent patients. [Extracted from the article]

The number of cultural institutes from major developed and developing countries increased significantly in the last twenty years. In this paper, using cross‐sectional and panel data analysis on bilateral trade in goods and services, and FDI inflows and outflows, we examine the economic effects of 1,266 cultural institutes from China, France, Germany, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and UK for the period of 1990–2015. The empirical results suggest that cultural institutes have significantly positive trade and FDI enhancing effects, which are persistent over time. However, these effects are most robust only with goods exports and FDI outflows. Furthermore, the economic effects of cultural institutes are not homogenous across destinations and are the strongest for developed rather than developing host countries. There is also significant heterogeneity among cultural institutes with significant differences in their economic effects on different types of bilateral trade and FDI flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the asymmetric effects of institutional differences on bilateral foreign direct investment ( FDI) flows conditional on countries' development levels, previous experiences of foreign investors and bilateral trade relations. The empirical results using bilateral FDI data from 134 countries during 1990-2009 suggest that institutional differences create entry barriers for foreign investors only in North-South and South-North directions, and more so for the former. Furthermore, Southern investors appear to have a comparative advantage in institutionally different developing countries. Finally, we find no evidence that investor experiences in other institutionally different countries or existing trade linkages negate the negative effect of institutional distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]