The Measurement and Determinants of Economic Efficiency of Microfinance Institutions in Ghana: A Stochastic Frontier Approach

Microfinance institutions have become central players in socio-economic development especially in developing countries. This paper investigates empirically the economic efficiency of microfinance institutions in Ghana using a Cobb-Douglas Stochastic frontier model. A total of 135 MFIs were sampled for the period from 2007-2010. The underpinning assumption is that there is a possibility for economies of scale in lending if only firms improve strategies of mobilizing savings and provide good quality service to their clients. The estimated results showed an overall average economic efficiency of 56.29%; indicating a high degree of inefficiency in the economic behaviour of the units in the industry. The study further exposed that age and savings indicators of outreach and productivity, and cost per borrower were significant determinants of economic efficiency. It is therefore recommended that practitioners improve upon technical training programmes, operate diversified savings products to improve on portfolio quality and ensure sustainability; and also heighten the extent of social commitment to both staff and client

Plantations, outgrowers and commercial farming in Africa: agricultural commercialisation and implications for agrarian change

Whether or not investments in African agriculture can generate quality employment at scale,avoid dispossessing local people of their land,promote diversified and sustainable livelihoods, and catalyse more vibrant local economies depends on what farming model is pursued. In this Forum, we build on recent scholarship by discussing the key findings of our recent studies in Ghana, Kenya and Zambia. We examined cases of three models of agricultural commercialisation, characterised by different sets of institutional arrangements that link land, labour and capital. The three models are: plantations or estates with on-farm processing; contract farming and outgrower schemes; and medium-scale commercial farming areas. Building on core debates in the critical agrarian studies literature, we identify commercial farming areas and contract farming as producing the most local economic linkages, and plantations/estates as producing more jobs, although these are of low quality and mostly casual. We point to the gender and generational dynamics emerging in the three models, which reflect the changing demand for family and wage labour. Models of agricultural commercialisation do not always deliver what is expected of them in part because local conditions play a critical role in the unfolding outcomes for land relations, labour regimes, livelihoods and local economies

The new enclosures: critical perspectives on corporate land deals

The contributions to this collection use the tools of agrarian political economy to explore the rapid growth and complex dynamics of large-scale land deals in recent years, with a special focus on the implications of big land deals for property and labour regimes, labour processes and structures of accumulation. The first part of this introductory essay examines the implications of this agrarian political economy perspective. First we explore the continuities and contrasts between historical and contemporary land grabs, before examining the core underlying debate around large- versus small-scale farming futures. Next, we unpack the diverse contexts and causes of land grabbing today, highlighting six overlapping mechanisms. The following section turns to assessing the crisis narratives that frame the justifications for land deals, and the flaws in the argument around there being excess, empty or idle land available. Next the paper turns to an examination of the impacts of land deals, and the processes of inclusion and exclusion at play, before looking at patterns of resistance and constructions of alternatives. The final section introduces the papers in the collection.ESR

Mind the (yield) gap(s)

This paper explores the origin of the notion of “yield gap” and its use as a framing device for agricultural policy in sub-Saharan Africa. The argument is that while the yield gap of policy discourse provides a simple and powerful framing device, it is most often used without the discipline or caveats associated with the best examples of its use in crop production ecology and microeconomics. This argument is developed by examining how yield gap is used in a selection of recent and influential agricultural policy documents. The message for policy makers and others is clear: “mind the (yield) gap(s)”, for they are seldom what they appear

Towards Customary Legal Empowerment

Rule of Law and Development: Formation, Implementation and Improvement of Law and Governance in Developing Countrie

The importance of therapist/client ethnic/racial matching in couples treatment for domestic violence

Outcome research indicates a relative degree of variability regarding the effectiveness of client and therapist ethnic/racial matching (see Cabral and Smith 2011, Shin et al. 2005). Considering these findings, our study hopes to further understand the complexity behind ethnic/racial matching in treatment. In this study, we examined interviews with clients and therapists regarding ethnic/racial matching in couples treatment for domestic violence (e.g., McCollum and Stith 2008). Our findings indicated that ethnic/racial matching is a complex multi-faceted issue and connected ethnic/racial matching with issues of culture, human experience, and others. We recommend clinicians consider the complexity of ethnic/racial matching in practice

Cultivating knowledge: genetic diversity, farmer experimentation and crop research

Contains papers originally presented at a seminar in Zimbabwe in October 1993, presented in four sections: understanding farmers\u27 knowledge, developing local crops, building linkages and challenging policy. These reflect the broad perspectives of the seminar participants on the relationship between farmers and researchers in local crop development: the socio-cultrual environment, the biological and genetic rationales underlying farmer resource use, and the policy and political economic frameworks. All papers are abstracted separately in International Development Abtracts. -M.Amo

Analytical abstracts on farmer participatory research

7.95SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:6211.77(ODI-AAU-OP--10) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo