Displaced, excluded, moving on: a study of refugee entrepreneurship in Kenya

The global refugee crisis has grown in scale over the last 30 years. There are currently 25.4million refugees worldwide of whom 85 percent reside in developing countries (UNHCR, 2019). As a result of the protracted violence and instability in the East African region, Kenya has been on the frontier of receiving refugees and asylum seekers since the 1970s. However, the official approach of the Kenyan government has been to enact a unique encampment policy that has effectively stripped the refugee community of the right to free movement and employment across the country. Most refugees are restricted to camps located in predominantly arid and semi-arid areas that have often been subjected to socio-political marginalisation (Campbell et al, 2011). In effect, these refugees are denied the opportunity to contribute to the economy of the host country by using their entrepreneurial skills and resources to create value and enhance national productivity. In the same vein, the imposed restrictions make it difficult for the refugee households to support themselves, raise household income, and forge a path to long term resettlement or return. However, in spite of these constraints, the refugees are employing new strategies to overcome institutional and infrastructural barriers and challenges. This paper therefore presents a study of refugee entrepreneurs within Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. We examine the role of social capital- in its bonding, bridging and linking forms. We draw from in-depth interviews of key stakeholders, supplemented with archival documents and policy papers, to review existing policies and interrogate the models of refugee entrepreneurship in Kenya. We also examine the link between refugee resilience, self-reliance and ingenuity on the one hand, and entrepreneurial success and livelihood recovery on the other hand. We then propose a conceptual framework that highlights the role of social capital in overcoming institutional and infrastructural constraints to entrepreneurship among refugee populations

New numerical approach for fractional differential equations

In the present case, we propose the correct version of the fractional Adams-Bashforth methods which take into account the nonlinearity of the kernels including the power law for the Riemann-Liouville type, the exponential decay law for the Caputo-Fabrizio case and the Mittag-Leffler law for the Atangana-Baleanu scenario. The Adams-Bashforth method for fractional differentiation suggested and are commonly use in the literature nowadays is not mathematically correct and the method was derived without taking into account the nonlinearity of the power law kernel. Unlike the proposed version found in the literature, our approximation, in all the cases, we are able to recover the standard case whenever the fractional power $\alpha=1$.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figure

Adsorptive reactor technology for VOC abatement.

Imperial Users onl

Impact of cooperative membership on farmers’ uptake of technological innovations in Southwest Nigeria

© 2014 The Author(s). Published by Routledge. The underutilization of agriculture in Nigeria with attendant low yield per hectare is generally attributed to lack of innovation to cope with the challenges of climate change and land degradation. In this study, using information from 326 farmers in Southwest Nigeria, we examined the relative impact of cooperative membership compared with the effects of other socioeconomic factors on farmers’ adoption of technological innovations. Cooperative membership has a high impact compared to other socioeconomic factors such as land access, gender, and educational status. It is recommended that intervention programs in the agricultural sector should focus more attention on strengthening and expanding farmers’ cooperatives for better diffusion and use intensity of innovations and better linking social capital with extension agencies, banks, markets, and agricultural value chains

Universal basic education in Nigeria: can non-state actors make a difference?

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Against the backdrop of falling standards and failing government policies in the education sector in Nigeria, this paper investigates how and why non-state actors can make significant impact towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals for Universal Basic Education. This study draws from semi-structured interviews of 15 heads and proprietors- six state-funded schools, six faith schools and three other privately owned schools- to examine and compare the different motivations, guiding principles and overall impact of these actors in the education sector. Religious actors are, along with private providers, making significant contribution to the provision of basic education in Nigeria. Students from Faith schools tend to perform better academically, and they also tend to be more disciplined and resourceful. However, because they are fee paying, fewer households are able to access them. The findings highlights the need to facilitate better cooperation and knowledge transfer activities between public, private and faith schools. It also emphasises the need for better government commitment and investment in provision of resources and facilities,curriculum regulations, and regular inspection and quality monitoring of public schools. The study highlights, on the one hand, the superior capacity of non-state actors- especially religious actors- to deploy their vast social capital towards the mobilisation of funds and human resources. On the other hand, while they have made inroads in their share of total national school enrolment, non-state actors have not made significant impact on access to quality education, due to high fees and entry barriers faced by poorer households

Venturing under fire: Entrepreneurship education, venture creation, and poverty reduction in conflict-ridden Maiduguri, Nigeria

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI linkPurpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine how a new entrepreneurship education (EE) intervention offered at conflict-ridden Maiduguri, Nigeria, is having transformative impacts through new venture creation and poverty reduction. Design/methodology/approach: The paper adopts a single case study approach, drawing from in-depth interviews of participants, experts, and facilitators of the entrepreneurship training, in addition to relevant memos and documents. Findings: The findings indicate that the EE programme is, by generating awareness and facilitating skill development, contributing to new venture creation, poverty reduction, and positive change in mindset. However, the impact is limited by inadequate support through venture capital and limited facilities for business incubation. Research limitations/implications: This study is limited in its focus on EE provided for university undergraduates and graduates. Further research should explore interventions aimed at less-educated youth in the region, and in other conflict contexts. Social implications: The study suggests that EE facilitates youth empowerment through venture creation, in the process transforming them from aggrieved outsiders to active stakeholders in societal peace and national prosperity. Originality/value: The nascent theory of transformative entrepreneuring identifies poverty reduction and conflict resolution as the main mechanisms. This paper focuses on how EE triggers new venture creation, which in turn contributes to poverty reduction and overall change in mindset of otherwise unemployed and aggrieved youths

Investigating the Impact of Proxy Advisor Conflicts Of Interest on Shareholder Value

This paper examines the economic consequences of proxy voting results perceived by some investors to have been influenced by conflicts of interest. The proxy advisory industry operates as a duopoly, with Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis estimated to hold a combined market share of 97%. These firms primarily sell voting recommendations on proxy proposals to institutional investors. However, ISS has a subsidiary, ISS Corporate Solutions, that sells consulting services to corporations seeking assistance with proposals to be presented to shareholders. Glass Lewis does not have a similar business. This paper examines the stock market reaction to voting outcomes in favor of management where ISS fully supported management and Glass Lewis did not. This paper finds that the excess return on the meeting date for this voting outcome is statistically negative, decreasing shareholder value, on average, by 0.15% (t-stat= -1.914). This significant negative excess returns is observed only on the meeting date; no estimate of excess returns within a trading week (-4 trading days, +4 trading days) of the meeting were statistically different from zero. Further, an ANOVA indicated none of the 7 other voting outcomes exhibited significant excess returns. A regression analysis comparing this “Conflict” scenario with a clustered group of all other voting outcomes shows a negative effect that is not statistically significant

Picking up the pieces: social capital and entrepreneurship for livelihood recovery among displaced populations in Northeast Nigeria

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version.In the past few decades, there has been a significant increase in the rate of forced displacement, often precipitated by persecution, civil wars, terrorism, transborder conflicts, as well as natural disasters. The United Nations High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR) reports that there are 25.4 million refugees and 68.5 million forcibly displaced people, and only a small fraction are able to return to their former homes (UNHCR 2019). Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria has precipitated humanitarian tragedy on a scale comparable to the Nigerian civil war (1967-1970) and arguably the worst of any manmade or natural disaster in Nigeria's history. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre estimates that up to 3.3 million people have been internally displaced due to terrorist violence perpetrated by the Boko Haram (International Displacement Monitoring Centre 2015). The number of people displaced by the conflict is the largest in Africa and the third largest in the world. Using quantitative and qualitative data obtained from questionnaires and interviews conducted with respondents in Northeast Nigeria, the study examines the extent to which the displaced populations are drawing on social capital and human capital to withstand, cope with and recover from the adverse experiences and consequences of the insurgency and counterinsurgency. Given that most forced displacements occur in developing countries like Nigeria, government resources are increasingly stretched to deal with the crisis, and there are calls for fundamental rethink of the traditional approach to interventions in disaster situations. In particular, scholars and practitioners are highlighting the need to shift from the current emphasis on technological solutions and financial input, to an approach that combines both technological solutions and social solutions, bringing people and communities to the forefront of interventions (Aldrich & Meyer 2014; Wind & Komproe 2012; Johnson et al. 2013). Forced migration is a social process in which human agency and social networks play a major part. These networks can be instrumental in the construction and (re)-construction of livelihood systems and communities shattered by insurgencies and protracted conflicts

Event Presentation - Picking Up the Pieces: Social Capital, Human Capital and Coping Strategies of Households Displaced by Boko Haram Insurgency in Northeast Nigeria

Boko Haram insurgency has precipitated humanitarian tragedy on a scale comparable to the Nigerian civil war (1967-1970) and arguably the worst of any man-made or natural disaster in Nigeria's history. At its peak in 2014, more than 3 million people were displaced. The insurgency has since escalated beyond the Nigerian border to other countries in the Lake Chad Basin (Cameroon, Niger and Chad)- with 2.5 million forcibly displaced. The project places a strong emphasis on the agency of displaced peoples, and how this is developed and expressed at the individual level (human capital) and the communal level (social capital). This project examines the extent to which the displaced and host populations are drawing on social and human capital to withstand, cope with and recover from the adverse experiences and consequences, as well as to rebuild their livelihoods