Adoption, returns and variation of information and communication technology in Sub-Sahara Africa

Increased competition in the modern economy has driven firms to search for increased efficiency, as well as an increased access to information. This, in conjunction with the continual advancement in information and communication technologies (ICTs), and coupled with falling prices, has inspired firms to adopt different types of ICTs in order to be competitive. This has heightened and provoked research interest in the effectiveness of ICT at the firm level. However, most studies on the use and effectiveness of ICTs in firm development have focused on developed economies, with mainly anecdotal evidence on many developing countries. Using data collected on 3,996 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across 14 Sub-Saharan African countries, the thesis examines the factors that motivates the adoption, usage and the contribution of ICTs to turnover of firms. The thesis uses a seemingly unrelated bivariate probit model and meta-analysis technique to determine the factor that influence SMEs decision to adopt ICT. We also employ two different production function specifications to ascertain the effect of ICT adoption on turnover of SMEs, as well as on technical efficiency. The effect of ICT on turnover is thoroughly examined also employing quantile regression technique to ascertain the productivity effect of ICT along the entire distribution. The thesis assesses the contribution of ICT adoption to turnover differential among various types of SMEs using a recently proposed decomposition technique. The factors influencing adoption decisions of firm vary significantly across the countries. Nonetheless, the meta-analysis identifies common determinants of ICT adoption among SMEs in these countries. The findings indicate that the ratio of users of computer and the Internet in an industry and perceived national competition influences adoption decisions of firms. Our findings also indicate that ICT capital have a positive and significant effect on firm’s output, suggesting that there is no ICT productivity paradox among SMEs in Africa. We also find that ICT adoption positively influences technical efficiency of firms. Further, the results show that the contribution of returns to ICT adoption to turnover differential varies considerable across income groupings of countries as well as various types of firms

Adoption, returns and variation of information and communication technology in Sub-Sahara Africa

Increased competition in the modern economy has driven firms to search for increased efficiency, as well as an increased access to information. This, in conjunction with the continual advancement in information and communication technologies (ICTs), and coupled with falling prices, has inspired firms to adopt different types of ICTs in order to be competitive. This has heightened and provoked research interest in the effectiveness of ICT at the firm level. However, most studies on the use and effectiveness of ICTs in firm development have focused on developed economies, with mainly anecdotal evidence on many developing countries. Using data collected on 3,996 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across 14 Sub-Saharan African countries, the thesis examines the factors that motivates the adoption, usage and the contribution of ICTs to turnover of firms. The thesis uses a seemingly unrelated bivariate probit model and meta-analysis technique to determine the factor that influence SMEs decision to adopt ICT. We also employ two different production function specifications to ascertain the effect of ICT adoption on turnover of SMEs, as well as on technical efficiency. The effect of ICT on turnover is thoroughly examined also employing quantile regression technique to ascertain the productivity effect of ICT along the entire distribution. The thesis assesses the contribution of ICT adoption to turnover differential among various types of SMEs using a recently proposed decomposition technique. The factors influencing adoption decisions of firm vary significantly across the countries. Nonetheless, the meta-analysis identifies common determinants of ICT adoption among SMEs in these countries. The findings indicate that the ratio of users of computer and the Internet in an industry and perceived national competition influences adoption decisions of firms. Our findings also indicate that ICT capital have a positive and significant effect on firm’s output, suggesting that there is no ICT productivity paradox among SMEs in Africa. We also find that ICT adoption positively influences technical efficiency of firms. Further, the results show that the contribution of returns to ICT adoption to turnover differential varies considerable across income groupings of countries as well as various types of firms

Distributional analysis of rural-urban household healthcare expenditure differentials in developing countries: evidence from Ghana

Equity in access to and use of healthcare resources is a global development agenda. Policy makers’ knowledge of the sources of differences in household healthcare spending is crucial for effective policy. This paper investigates the differences in the determinants of household healthcare expenditure across space and along selected quantiles of healthcare expenditure in Ghana. The determinants of rural-urban healthcare expenditure gap are also explored. Data was obtained from the sixth round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS 6) conducted in 2013. An unconditional quantile regression (UQR) and a decomposition technique based on UQR, adjusted for sample selection bias, were applied. Findings indicate that differences in the determinants of household healthcare expenditure across space and along quantiles are driven by individual-level variables. Besides, the rural-urban health expenditure gap is greatest among households in the lower quantiles and this gap is largely driven by differences in household income per capita and percentage of household members enrolled on health insurance policies. To reduce rural-urban healthcare expenditure inequality, targeted policies should be prioritised in addition to efforts to narrow rural-urban differences in household per capita income and enrolment in health insurance policies

Planning and Development of Social Services for Persons with Disabilities

Soziale Dienste zur Unterstützung von Menschen mit Behinderungen haben sich in den letzten Jahren dynamisch entwickelt und unterliegen auch aktuell einem erheblichen Veränderungsdruck. Die Forschungsarbeiten, die in diesem Band versammelt sind, haben die Entwicklung hin zu einer inklusionsorientierten Unterstützung in zahlreichen Projekten auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen aktiv begleitet.Social services to support persons with disabilities have developed dynamically in recent years and are currently subject to considerable pressure to change. The research work collected in this volume has actively accompanied the development towards inclusion-oriented support in numerous projects at different levels

Disability and Household Welfare in Ghana : Costs and Correlates

Persons with disabilities face substantial barriers that impede their integration and participation in social and economic activities. Households with disabled members may be vulnerable to poverty due to the extra cost of living with a disability. However, there exists a knowledge gap in the magnitude of the extra cost of disabilities in sub Saharan Africa. Using data from a nationally representative household survey, this paper estimates the extra cost of disabilities in Ghana. The paper further examines the welfare effects of households with persons with disabilities. Based on the standard of living approach, we estimate the extra cost to households with a person with disability to be 26% of annual household consumption expenditures. Adjusting for the extra cost of poverty, the incidence of poverty increases from 38.5 to 52.9% amongst households with a disabled member. Our findings suggest the need to improve the efficiency of support programs to persons with disabilities to mitigate the extra costs of disabilities and reduce their vulnerability to poverty. In addition, enhancing access to economic opportunities and social services for persons with disabilities will be imperative to improve their quality of life and dignity

Multidimensional Child Poverty in Ghana : Measurements, Determinants, and Inequalities

Early childhood deprivations and inequalities have social and economic implications in adulthood and thus, their elimination is essential for child development. However, child-level estimates of poverty are rare in low income countries. Using data from two recent rounds of the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, we measure the extent and sources of childhood deprivations in Ghana and examine subgroup differentials in child poverty. In addition, we examine the child quality-quantity by estimating the causal relationship between number of children and child poverty. Finally, we assess the sources of rural-urban inequalities in child poverty. We find that despite declining incidence and intensity of multidimensional child poverty, significant subgroup differentials persist in Ghana. The findings of the paper reveal that living standards is the main contributor to multidimensional poverty in early childhood in Ghana. Our findings also confirm a significant causal relationship between child quality and quantity in Ghana, there exist a positive relationship between the number of children and the intensity of child poverty in Ghana. Finally, we find that rural-urban inequalities in child multidimensional poverty in Ghana are attributable to differences in observed maternal and household characteristics between rural and urban areas. The persistence of subgroup disparities in child poverty may be detrimental to achieving equitable and inclusive growth in the country. There is the need for considerations of equity, fairness and social justice in the distribution and development of social services and economic infrastructure to ensure even distribution of social and economic opportunities and promote social mobility across groups

An Unconditional Quantile Regression Based Decomposition of Spatial Welfare Inequalities in Ghana

<p>Ghana has witnessed tremendous economic growth since the 1990s and attained the Millennium Development Goals target of halving poverty. This notwithstanding, inequality in Ghana increased over the same period, suggesting growth benefits were not equitably distributed. This study provides evidence on the determinants of household consumption expenditure and factors that explain rural-urban welfare gaps between 1998 and 2013. The study employs an unconditional quantile regression and recently proposed decomposition technique based on re-centred influence functions. We find significant spatial differences in consumption expenditure across selected quantiles, with rural-urban inequalities driven largely by differences in returns to households’ endowments.</p

Assessment of the determinants that influence the adoption of sustainable soil and water conservation practices in Techiman Municipality of Ghana

This paper assesses the relationship between farmer characteristics and the degree to which nine soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs) are adopted by 300 maize farmers in Techiman Municipality, Ghana. Farmers were surveyed for their adoption of nine SWCPs, and 24 other characteristics including demographics, socio-economic factors, risk factors and costs of production. Sustainable soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs) in sub-Saharan Africa such as Ghana are important because they have positive effects on yield, increase sustainability of farming, stop degradation and reduce soil erosion. The adoption of sustainable soil and water conservation practices in the agricultural industry of Ghana has been variable. This study aims to explain differences in farmer adoption of SWCPs, by assessing factors that vary with the number of different SWCPs used by farmers. Hence, the Poisson model was used. The results show that farmer's household size, farm size, access to credit services and formal training of maize farmer have a positive significant association with the number of soil and water conservation practices adopted by maize farmers while distance to nearest output market, distance to input center, access to extension services, and risk of pest and diseases have a negative significant association with the number of soil and water conservation practices adopted by maize farmers at 5% significance level. The study concludes that any further research in Techiman Municipality on soil and water conservation practices should acknowledge the mixture of personal and demographic, institutional, socio-economic and risk factors. This suggests that agricultural policies formulated by the government should be aimed at supporting maize farmers to have access to extension service contact for frequent disseminating of agricultural technology information which is likely to increase the rate of adoption of soil and water conservation practices. Keywords: Sustainable soil and water conservation practices, Adoption, Correlation, Poisson regressio