The causal relationship between savings and economic growth in the Southern African development community

Promoting high domestic savings rates in order to boost economic growth is one of the SADC macroeconomic targets. Based on both the Solow’s (1956) and the endogenous “AK” growth models that predict a positive relationship between savings and economic growth in a closed economy, and on the Aghion-Comin-Howitt’s (2006) hypothesis that assumes a positive relationship between savings and economic growth in an open economy, two separate empirical models were constructed to test the long-run relationship and the causality between savings and economic growth in the SADC region. To this end, annual time series data for ten SADC member states obtained from the World Bank Indicators over the period 1985-2015 were pooled. The Panel ARDL/Pooled Mean Group estimator developed by Pesaran, Shin and Smith (1997) was performed to analyse the data. The main findings are that domestic savings is positively related to GDP in an open economy, whereas in a closed economy, it is insignificant. In addition, the speed of adjustment revealed a bi-directional causality between savings and economic growth. However, the speed of adjustment is much slower when the model is estimated with savings as the dependent variable but faster when GDP is regressed as the dependent variable. Thus, SADC member states are encouraged to implement policies that promote domestic savings as well as attract foreign direct investments, in order to boost economic growth. GDP growth will, in turn, increase the level of domestic savings

Population-Level Determinants of Cholera Incidence in African countries

Cholera remains endemic in Africa, with limited access to safe drinking water and inadequate sanitation as 2 of the main drivers of its dissemination. Few studies have examined the impact of health system capacity, even though it plays an important role in prevention, early detection, and response to a cholera outbreak. Grounded in the ecosocial theory of infectious disease dissemination, this quantitative ecological study explored the effect of social vulnerability (as measured by access to safe drinking water and sanitation, rate of open defecation, poverty, income inequality, gender inequality, and adult literacy) and health system (as measured by health financing and density of human resources for health) capacity on incidence of cholera in the 47 countries of the African region of the World Health Organization. Logistic regression results showed that only access to improved sanitation [p \u3c .05; OR = .904; 95% CI: .823 – .992; N= 47], rate of open defecation [p \u3c .05; OR = .894; 95% CI: .822 – .973; N= 47], and health system capacity [p \u3c .05; OR = .792; 95% CI: .630 – .995; N=47] had a statistically significant association with incidence of cholera. The components of social vulnerability [p \u3c .05; OR = 1.080; 95% CI: 1.004 – 1.162; N=47] and the interaction between social vulnerability and health system capacity [p \u3c .05; OR = 1.004; 95% CI: 1.002 – 1.009; N= 47] were also significantly associated with the outcome. These findings can impact social change by guiding the development of effective multisectoral programs for cholera prevention and elimination

Managing COVID-19 Challenges: Strategies to Keep students Engaged in Online Learning - A Case study of Kepler

This article is about strategies devised by Kepler in reaction to challenges brought in by the covid-19 outbreak since its occurrence in 2019. Kepler instructors have devised a number of tools and strategies in order to cope up with the challenges and keep students engaged as the institution, like many others, had shifted from blended to online (or remote) learning. The study analyzed the effectiveness of the tools and strategies used to keep students engaged in remote learning. We collected data from 169 out of 174 students who were in the program, and 18 out of 25 instructors who were teaching during the pandemic time. Online surveys were sent to both students and teachers to collect quantitative data. The students and teachers involved in this study gave their views about the usefulness of the tools and strategies used, and the report shows that the tools contributed to students\u27 engagement and helped them to curb the challenges they had faced. The study recommends the use of recording online tools such as vocaroo.com, speakpipe.com; self-paced quizzes, videos, podcasts, discussion boards, shared google docs,  and strategies like peer reviews, feedback, icebreakers, warm up prompts, higher order thinking questions, and class final reflections, as the respondents reported that they helped them stay engaged, which would not have been possible if the instructors used  the traditional lecture method and online group assignments only during the virtual teaching and learning. The findings in this paper will contribute to the improvement of online teaching and learning strategie

On Reflecting and Making in Artistic Research

Following the integration of artistic disciplines within the university, artists have been challenged to review their practice in academic terms. This has become a vigorous epicentre of debates concerning the nature of research in the artistic disciplines. The special issue "On Reflecting and Making in Artistic Research Practice" captures some of this debate. This editorial article presents a broad-brush outline of the debates raging in the artistic disciplines and presents three discernible trends in those debates. The trends highlight different core questions: (1) Art as research: Can artistic practice represent forms of inquiry acceptable within academic settings? (2) Academically-attuned practice-led research: Can art practice and research practice cooperate as equal partners within the university context? (3) Artistic research: Can the academic notion of research be extended to include the unique results possible through artistic research? The articles in the special issue offer a discussable overview of the current stage in the development of artistic research, demonstrating how creative practice and research practice can come together

Separate and Somewhat Equal: Racial Disparity in the Prescription of Peripheral Nerve Block and Pharmacotherapy to Treat Postoperative Breast Cancer Pain

Existing research on health disparities in breast cancer is heavily focused on outcomes for poor or low-income women. Little is known about the experience of privately insured Black breast cancer patients that have moderate to high SES. As a result, the present study was conducted to learn more about their experiences. It examines differences in physician prescribing of two breast cancer pain treatments, peripheral nerve block (PNB) and opioids, for Black and White women with like levels of health insurance coverage and socioeconomic status (SES). Three specific questions are addressed: 1. What, if any, race-based disparities exist in usage of PNBs at time of total mastectomy? 2. What, if any, race based disparities exist in the prescription of opioids for postoperative pain following total mastectomy? 3. What, if any, changes have occurred in the frequency of orders placed for PNBs and prescription opioids over time, to treat postoperative pain resulting from mastectomy? A cross-sectional designed was used relying on an existing national dataset, Optum Clinformatics Data Mart. The study period was January 1, 2012, through December 31, 2019. Study results revealed that while moderate to higher SES Black women have equitable access to PNB and opioids - a kind of shield from long established physician bias against Black women – this protection is quite porous. They still do not have open and ready access to PNB as a more advanced pain treatment. Nor do they have assurance that they are protected from the overprescribing of opioids, a class of drugs with serious and well-known safety risks. Therefore, on the surface, it appears that equity and racial inclusion are hallmarks of physician prescribing of postoperative breast cancer pain treatment. However, further interrogation reveals that ‘separate and somewhat equal’ is a more accurate characterization of their prescribing practices, based both on race and SES

Problématique de l’utilisation des Moustiquaires Imprégnées d’insecticide à Longue Durée (MILD) chez les enfants de moins de 5 ans en République Démocratique du Congo

Introduction: Le paludisme est une maladie parasitaire à transmission vectorielle qui constitue un problème majeur de santé publique dans les pays tropicaux, particulièrement les pays de l'Afrique Subsaharienne. La présente étude avait pour objectif d'identifier le niveau d'utilisation de la MILD chez les enfants de moins de 5 ans dans la zone de santé de Mumbunda. Méthodes: L'étude, de type transversal, a été mené du 25 au 27 octobre 2013 et a porté sur un échantillon de 410 ménages tirés au hasard et ayant au moins un enfant de moins de 5 ans. Résultats: Parmi les ménages qui avaient déclaré possédaient la MILD 13,1% (n=54) des répondant avaient déclaré les utilisé chez les enfants de moins de 5ans et 80,2% pour tout le monde. Dans 22,0% des cas, les répondants ont évoqué le manque d'argent comme motif de la non possession de la MILD. Les répondants savaient déclarer à 79,8% avoir utilisé la MILD pour se protéger contre la malaria et à 66,3% pour se protéger contre les piqures des moustiques. La MILD a été étalée à l'ombre pendant 24h avant d'être utilisée pour la première fois par 77,9% des ménages. Les répondants avaient déclaré à 15,3% (n=63) avoir reçu les conseils par les médias pour l'usage de la moustiquaire. Et le personnel médical était la source la plus importante pour expliquer le mode d'emploi de la MILD pour 51,2% des ménages. Conclusion: La réussite pour faire reculer le paludisme doit nécessairement passer par la prévention, le suivi et l'évaluation de l'utilisation des moustiquaires imprégnées au niveau de la zone de santé de Mumbunda.Pan African Medical Journal 2016; 2

Effectiveness of human capital management information system in public servants’ management.

The study explored the effectiveness of human capital information management system in public servants’ management, case of Judiciary of Tanzania. The study was descriptive due to its qualitative nature, it aimed to explore the factors influencing the use HCMIS in the judiciary, to assess employees’ involvement in the implementation of HCMIS in the Judiciary and to identify challenges affecting the effective use of HCMIS in the Judiciary of Tanzania. The study employed interview data collection. 40 respondents were purposively selected as respondents during data collection. The study revealed the factors that influence the use of HCIMS in the Judiciary system of Tanzania such as the system HCIMS solve the problem of Ghost workers, reduction of the inefficient paper work. The risk associated with manual system of data management was among of the motivating factors for use of HCIMS in the Judiciary. Furthermore, HCIMS had been used to hold the judiciary does away with the cost related to have data. There is a culture of employee involvement and interaction on HCIMS before an employee starts their role in the Judiciary system. The first interaction of an employee with the system HCIMS is through the induction training that is normally conducted by the HR team. Findings revealed various challenges with regard to the use of HCIMS including employees’ limited exposure to the use of HCIMS, inaccurate data submitted to HRs by employees, network slowdown, electrical power shortage, and shortage of trained IT personnel to provide backup support for effectiveness of the system whenever need arise. The study recommends the judiciary system to scale-up the HCIMS system at all level which include the district, ward, village level for effectiveness in HRM. Keywords: Human Capital Management, Information Systems, Public Servants, Judiciar