Journal of Development Perspectives

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Challenges of economic and social development are, by their nature, diverse. They cover the coordination of action through social and political institutions, as well as actions of individuals and of organizations. Its welfare dimensions are also broad, ranging from narrowly defined economic interests to broader conceptions of human progress. Constraints and enabling mechanisms arise from both human agency, and the environment within which humans exercise their agency. Inevitably, this means that a range of disciplines are relevant to scholars interested in development, from the social sciences such as economics, political science, and sociology, through management disciplines, and an ever-increasing set of the natural sciences, from genetics to environmental sciences and beyond. Following relevant progress across such a wide array of disciplines, each with their specific sets of methodologies and styles of presenting evidence and assessing its robustness, is non-trivial in and of itself, and made more challenging by ever-increasing specialization in each area of enquiry.

The Journal of Development Perspectives intends to provide an opportunity for scholars interested in development to contribute to improved communication across disciplines. It does so by providing a platform both for the publication of new research findings presented in a manner accessible to a generalist audience, and by actively encouraging synoptic assessments of the state of knowledge in areas of interest to scholars of development. In doing so, it invites contributions from all disciplines that are relevant to development questions.

CALL FOR PAPERS:
1. Special Issue: Green Transitions and Fiscal/monetary implications.
2. Special Issue: Socio-economic and environmental implications of climate-smart agriculture in developing countries. See Submissions for details.
3. Special Issue: Finance, Business Cycle and Economic Growth in Developing Countries. See Submissions for details.
4. Special Issue: Central Bank Independence and Macroeconomic Performance in Developing Countries. See Submissions for details.
5. Special Issue: Multinational Enterprises and Developing Countries. See Submissions for details.

Editor in Chief
Johannes Fedderke, The Pennsylvania State University, US

Editors
Biniam Bedasso, Centre for Global Development, US
Manoel Bittencourt, University of Pretoria, ZA
Terrence Guay, The Pennsylvania State University, US
Uma Kambhampati, University of Reading, UK
Edouard Mensah, The Pennsylvania State University, US
Mare Sarr, The Pennsylvania State University, US
Kaj Thomsson, University of Maastricht, NL
Sechindra Vallury, University of Georgia, US

Managing Editor
Astrid Meyer, The Pennsylvania State University, US

Articles are normally solicited by the editors of the journal, though proposals for topics can be directed to the journal office.

If you would like to submit an article to Journal of Development Perspectives, please visit http://www.editorialmanager.com/jdp and create an author profile. The online system will guide you through the steps to upload your article for submission to the editorial office.

2. Special Issue: Socio-economic and environmental implications of climate-smart agriculture in developing countries
Guest Editors
Mare Sarr, Pennsylvania State University
Edouard Mensah, Pennsylvania State University
Sechindra Vallury, University of Georgia
Ange Kakpo, Seattle Pacific University
Martin Paul Jr Tabe Ojong, World Bank

As the world grapples with the escalating impacts of climate change, the need for innovative solutions in agriculture and sustainable resource management has never been more urgent. This special issue seeks to provide a comprehensive exploration of whether and how climate-smart agriculture can offer the trifecta wins of increasing yields with ensuing impacts on income, consumption, and food security, reducing the emission of greenhouse gas and building farm system resilience, particularly in developing countries.

Background and Motivation
Climate change poses a formidable threat to global agriculture, disproportionately affecting developing nations despite contributing less to the problem. These regions often face severe climate and weather anomalies, such as high temperatures, droughts, floods, and erratic rainfall patterns, which affect crop yields, disrupt food supply chains, and undermine rural livelihoods while negatively impacting biodiversity and the environment. Climate-smart agriculture which is based on contextual realities and local knowledge offers the opportunity to reverse some of these disturbing trends by leveraging different sustainable practices and technologies to enhance productivity, mitigate risks, and build resilience. These include various aspects of conservation agriculture, regenerative agriculture, precision farming, use of drought-resistant crop varieties, water saving and water harvesting technologies, and advanced irrigation systems as well as many others.

Furthermore, water security is intricately linked to agricultural productivity and climate change adaptation. In many developing countries, water scarcity and poor water management exacerbate the vulnerability of agricultural systems. Ensuring sustainable water governance and investing in water-saving technologies are crucial steps towards securing both food and water resources for future generations. Despite their potential and promise, the adoption of these technologies has been hindered by socio-economic barriers, limited access to information, and inadequate infrastructure in low-income countries and a myriad of demand and supply-side constraints. Understanding and addressing these barriers is essential for promoting widespread adoption of these technologies for enhanced impacts.

Themes and Scope
This Special Issue is organized around two key themes that collectively address the critical intersections of climate change, agriculture, and water security:

A. Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security in Developing Countries

The first theme focuses on the impacts of climate change on agriculture and food security. Papers in this theme explore the following issues:
• Assessing the effects of weather shocks on crop yields, food prices, food consumption, poverty, and rural livelihoods
• Evaluating the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (e.g., use of climate-resilient farming practices, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides; adoption of conservation agriculture, technologies, and innovations; agriculture-livestock integration; nonfarm diversification; migration)
• Analyzing the role of climate information services in promoting climate-smart agriculture.
• Analyzing changes in on-farm and off-farm labor supply and demand, time allocation, and intrahousehold labor division as a response to climate change.
• Studying the intersections and tensions between climate adaptation, agricultural productivity, and poverty reduction

B. Water Security and Sustainable Governance in Low-Income Countries

This theme addresses the critical role of water security in advancing sustainable development in low-income countries. Potential sub-themes include:
• Assessing the impacts of water insecurity on health, education, and economic outcomes.
• Analyzing the determinants of household willingness to pay for improved water services.
• Investigating the linkages between water stress, migration, and conflict.
• Examining the role of water infrastructure investments in promoting economic growth and poverty reduction
• Assessing adoption and impacts of irrigation, water-saving technologies and innovations.
• Studying the design and effectiveness of community-based water institutions.
• Analyzing options to reduce farmer-herder conflicts due to land degradation and water scarcity.

By highlighting these critical areas, this Special Issue aims to foster a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics at the intersection of technology, agriculture, and climate change adaptation. It seeks to contribute to the development of more resilient and sustainable agricultural systems, ultimately supporting vulnerable communities in their efforts to adapt to a changing climate.

Please submit manuscripts by October 20, 2024, via the journal submission portal at http://www.editorialmanager.com/jdp for full consideration.
Please direct any questions to Editors Mare Sarr, and Edouard Mensah, .

3. Special Issue: Finance, Business Cycles and Economic Growth in Developing Countries
Editor: Manoel Bittencourt, University of Pretoria, email:

Background and scope:
This special issue seeks to fill a gap between the general interest press and most other academic economics journals. The issue aims to publish articles that will serve several goals: to synthesize and integrate lessons learned from active lines of economic research in finance, the business cycle and economic growth in developing countries; to provide analysis of related public policy issues; to encourage cross-fertilization of ideas among the fields of finance, the business cycle and economic growth; to offer readers an accessible source of state-of-the-art economic thinking on the subject; and to suggest directions for future research.

Submission topics:
• financial factors (balance sheets) in recessions
• finance and business cycles
• heterogeneity/inequality (micro data availability) and macroeconomic shocks
• finance and entrepreneurship
• financial development and economic growth
• financial regulation
In addition to empirical papers that establish causal relationships, we welcome descriptive studies, literature reviews, and replications that significantly enhance our collective comprehension of the above themes.

Submission details:
• submission deadline: initial submissions must be received by January 31th, 2025 via the journal submission portal at http://www.editorialmanager.com/jdp.
• peer review: submitted manuscripts will undergo the standard peer-review process.
• We invite scholars from diverse research methodologies to contribute to this special issue.

For questions or to explore the suitability of a research topic or paper for this special issue, please contact the issue editor: Manoel Bittencourt, University of Pretoria, email:

4. Special Issue: Central Bank Independence and Macroeconomic Performance in Developing Countries

Editor: Manoel Bittencourt, University of Pretoria, email:

Background and scope:
This special issue seeks to fill a gap between the general interest press and most other academic economics journals. The issue aims to publish articles that will serve several goals: to synthesize and integrate lessons learned from active lines of economic research in central bank independence dynamics and macroeconomic performance in developing countries; to provide analysis of related public policy issues; to encourage cross-fertilization of ideas among the fields of central bank independence and macroeconomic performance; to offer readers an accessible source of state-of-the-art economic thinking on the subject; and to suggest directions for future research.

Submission topics:
• inflation and macroeconomic performance
• institutional development (e.g. redemocratization) and inflation
• central bank independence and inflation
• institutional development and central bank independence over time
• central bank independence and macroeconomic performance
• financial regulation
In addition to empirical papers that establish causal relationships, we welcome descriptive studies, literature reviews, and replications that significantly enhance our collective comprehension of the above themes.

Submission details:
• submission deadline: initial submissions must be received by March 31st, 2025 via the journal submission portal at http://www.editorialmanager.com/jdp.
• peer review: submitted manuscripts will undergo the standard peer-review process.
• We invite scholars from diverse research methodologies to contribute to this special issue.

For questions or to explore the suitability of a research topic or paper for this special issue, please contact the issue editor: Manoel Bittencourt, University of Pretoria, email:

5. Special Issue: Multinational Enterprises and Developing Countries
Editor: Terrence Guay, Pennsylvania State University, email:

Background and scope:
This special issue seeks to assess the impact of multinational enterprises (MNEs) on developing countries. In 2004, Klaus E. Meyer published “Perspectives on multinational enterprises in emerging economies” (Journal of International Business Studies, 35, 259-276). In that seminal article, Meyer encouraged scholars “to engage in research on positive and negative spillovers from foreign direct investment (FDI) in emerging economy societies.” The global business environment has experienced significant changes and disruptions over the past two decades, and it is timely to assess how these factors have shaped the wide-ranging influence of MNEs on developing countries. This issue of Journal of Development Perspectives aims to publish 6-8 articles that advances our understanding of this theme from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. In addition to empirical papers that establish causal relationships, we welcome descriptive studies, literature reviews, case studies, or cross-country/regional comparisons that significantly enhance our collective comprehension of the above theme.

Possible submission topics:
• Impact of MNEs on the politics of developing countries, including corruption and democratization
• Impact of MNEs on developing countries’ economies, such as domestic competition and industry diversification
• Impact of MNEs on technology transfer and innovation in developing countries
• Impact of MNEs on developing countries’ societies, including inequality and participation by women in the workforce
• Impact of MNEs on environmental issues and sustainable development
• How the nationality of MNEs, particularly those from “great powers,” impacts the domestic environment or external relations of developing countries

Submission details:
• submission deadline: initial submissions must be received by January 31th, 2026.
• peer review: submitted manuscripts will undergo the standard peer-review process.
• We invite scholars from diverse research methodologies to contribute to this special issue.

For inquiries and submission:
For questions or to explore the suitability of a research topic or paper for this special issue, please contact the issue editor: Terrence Guay, Pennsylvania State University, email:

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