Miriam Katunze

Research

I am open to development economics projects although my research interest lies in service delivery in the transport sector. My PhD thesis investigated the determinants of road maintenance efficiency in Uganda and the results can be used for developing countries. In the future, I hope to continue researching efficiency in service delivery. I however have an interest in agricultural finance, and the care economy. I am more inclined to micro datasets although I can use other levels of data" .

In November 2021 , i graduated with a Ph.D in Economics from Lingnan University ,Hong Kong .I hold a master's in International Economics from Kingston University London and a bachelor’s degree in Education from Makerere University, Uganda.

Publications

Uganda Warehousing Receipt System: Improving Market Competitiveness and Service Delivery,African Development Review, 29(S2), 135-146,
with Kuteesa Annette ,Mujumbi Theresa ,Mahebe Denis,

Warehouse Receipt Systems (WRS) allow farmers and traders to access markets and financial Systems. While this system is not new in Uganda, as seen through both public and private efforts since 2004 during its pilot, little is known as to why it failed to ensure market access and credit. With the Uganda Warehouse Receipt System Authority in place, the government of Uganda seeks to reinstate the public warehouse receipt system with a concentration on the electronic-WRS. This study, therefore, critically reviews the evolution of the WRS, reviews the current policy support for the WRS and documents the perceived benefits and challenges of private sector stakeholders of the WRS in Uganda. This paper relies on both quantitative and qualitative analyses to respond to the objectives. The Agricultural Technology and Agribusiness Advisory Services (ATAAS) database by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) is used for quantitative analysis, while the Structure Conduct Performance (SCP) framework is used for qualitative analysis. The results reveal that while the market structure and conduct of the pilot WRS was implemented as theorized, it faced various barriers that led to poor market performance. Overall, the actors perceive that the benefits of the WRS are numerous, including stable and high prices, thereby reducing price exploitation, especially on smallholder farmers. They also perceive that the system will enable access to secure and stable markets using a secure and transferable warehouse receipt. However, the actors perceive that more people will be attracted to the WRS if there is mass sensitization and a revision of the costs of storage, cleaning, and other marketing costs. This paper highlights an important policy implication for the implementation of the WRS, including the need for the government to spearhead the promotion of standards, strengthen the capacity of collective action, and stress the importance of increasing the sensitization of all aspects of the WRS.

Uganda’s Revealed Comparative Advantage in COMESA,Journal of Sustainable Development; Vol. 9, No. 3; 2016,
with Kuteesa Annette

Most recently, Uganda increased its trade engagements with COMESA as demonstrated by its submission of accession instruments to COMESA Secretariat in order to access the Free Trade Area (FTA). It is envisaged thattrade with COMESA can compensate for the low export demand elsewhere by enabling diversification of th eexport basket and facilitating value addition to traditional exports. It is also expected to enhance producer competitiveness and consumer welfare. Full exploitation of this requires information on where and in what commodities Uganda’s trade niche lies. This study assesses the country competiveness within COMESA based on the concept of Revealed Comparative advantage (RCA). The paper also evaluates the stability of Uganda’s RCA in COMESA from 1997-2014 using HS6-digit level export and re-exports data obtained from the WorldIntegrated Trade System. Findings reveal that Uganda’s RCA is in all 16 industries at the product chapter level. It is stable in exports of animals, vegetables, food production, wood, textiles, & cloth, stone & glass and metals. Policies for further development of these sectors should aim at addressing sectoral challenges including the low productivity, marketing, and processing capacity in the animal sector, low capacity to test phytosanitary and sanitary certification in the vegetable sector. Additionally, tackling market and low production challenges for the textile sector and, high costs of production for the metals sector will further boost exports to the region

Working Papers

Socio Economic Effects of Gambling: Evidence from Kampala City, Uganda,
with Gemma Ahaibwe , Corti Paul Lakuma and Joseph Mawejje

Since the year 2000, the gambling industry in Uganda has experienced a rapid increase in activity, with various new modes and facilities being introduced. The proliferation of gambling has seen the industry diversify from the early forms of gambling like casino gambling and national lotteries to new modes like sports betting and online betting among other forms. Regarding gambling related tax revenues, the industry has equally grown at an unprecedented rate, with tax collections growing from UGX 0.24 billion in 2002/3 to UGX 11.1 billion in 2013/14. While this growth in tax revenue is a welcome development, there is still considerable concern about the potential for the gambling sector to cause harm in form of addictions, loss of savings, idleness and increased crime. Hence, as the gambling industry continues to grow in popularity and prevalence, a well-founded understanding of its operations and socio economic implications is imperative. This study sought to fill this void by investigating three questions: 1) What is the level of participation in the gambling industry in Kampala city?; 2) How does gambling affect various aspects of welfare and the economy and 3) What is the adequacy and effectiveness of the current regulatory framework in regulating the gambling sector?. Based on a household survey conducted in Kampala city in April 2015, we find that approximately one in every four adults had engaged in some form of gambling in the twelve months preceding the survey. Age, income, employment status and gender are major determinants in gambling participation. Additionally, we find that, on average, the poorest in society spend a higher proportion of their personal income on gambling compared to their richer counterparts. Gambling also has the greatest displacement effect on household necessities and savings and has to some extent led to problem gambling. In terms of revenue, the percentage contribution of the gambling industry to total revenue is still low (0.15% in 2013/14) but growing. Furthermore, qualitative evidence revealed that many facets of the law relating to lottery and gaming have become obsolete and are not sensitive to the new modes of gambling and the unprecedented growth of the industry. Similarly, the regulatory body (National Lotteries Board) has substantial capacity problems and limited statutory powers and is not always able to effectively exercise its mandate herein inhibiting its ability to comprehensively regulate the gambling industry. On the policy front, we propose that the public should be protected from over stimulation of latent gambling through limitation of gambling opportunities: by imposing tighter restrictions on advertising; tighter restrictions on entry into gambling establishments, based on age; and limitation of opening hours among others. In congruence, parliament should expedite the passage of the Lottery and Gaming Bill (2013) into law to empower the National Lotteries Board with more statutory powers and provide a basis for addressing capacity and financial challenges that they currently face. In line with this, there is a need to minimize the negative social and economic impacts of gambling by promoting responsible gambling and providing support and counselling to problem gamblers.

Assessment of the Effect of the EAC Common External Tariff Sensitive Products List on the Performance of Domestic Industries, Welfare, Trade and Revenue,
with Shinyekwa Isaac

The paper aims to establish whether the protection given to the list of sensitive products since 2005 has increased the regional capacity of the East African Community (EAC) to produce, reduced the importation of the same products from the rest of the world, increased intra-EAC trade, and/or improved welfare. This paper adopts two analytical approaches: a trends analysis of intra-EAC exports and the SMART WITS analytical framework. The results demonstrate a significant increase in intra-EAC export trade after 2005, although Partner States performance is not uniform, with Kenya dominating the other member states. Imports of the same products from outside the EAC region increased by an even larger factor. This increase implies that the demand for sensitive products exceeds the intra-EAC regional supply, resulting in a deficit that is met by imports from the rest of the world. Notwithstanding the growth in intra-EAC exports of the sensitive list products, there is a deficiency in the regional capacity to produce within the bloc. The total welfare effect is equivalent to US $3.1 billion; however, this amount is disproportionately distributed, with Kenya being the main beneficiary. It is recommended that the EAC review the CET sensitive products list considering the negative effects it is likely to have on manufacturing and on consumption welfare, that they design and formulate strategies to support the development of regional supply capacities to enhance the production of products in the sensitive list and that they develop a rational framework that is empirically based to determine which commodities should be included or excluded from the list.

Work in Progress

China-Africa EcoPolitical issues.

Teaching

I teach the following classes at Uganda Christian Univeristy.

Energy Economics and Finance.