Government Policy, Foreign Direct Investment and Unemployment in Emerging Economies

The broad objective of this study is to determine how government policy influences FDI as well as how FDI affects the level of unemployment as a proportion of labour force in emerging economies. The techniques of analysis are a descriptive statistic and panel regression based on Ordinary Least Squares Method. Evidence from the descriptive analysis affirms that the variables of the study for each country exhibit contradictory behaviour in 1991-2016. In the same period, the big beneficiaries of the net inflow FDI are not experiencing the lowest unemployment rate. Panel regression results (2000-2015) suggest that net inflow of FDI has a negative influence on unemployment while government policy has no significant effect on the net inflow of FDI. The study concludes that a continuous inflow of net foreign investment is a good source of creating jobs in emerging economies. Due to the lack of influence of government policy on the net inflow of FDI, the study recommends that emerging economies should revise the regulation on the freedom to trade internationally so as to enhance the continuous flow of foreign direct investment.  &nbsp

Comparing the illicit financial flows in some African countries: implications for policy

Due to the deleterious effect of the illicit transfer of funds on Africa economies the paper determines and compares the volume of illicit funds which should have been used for development but otherwise channeled into private benefits in seven African countries during 2005-2015. Using the World Bank Residual Model, we found that illicit financial flows are being experienced in all the sample countries otherwise unabated. In quantum terms, illicit transfers of funds are more in upper-middle-income countries while and it was highest in low- income countries as a proportion of the country’s GDP. The study concluded that relative to aggregate income low-income countries engage more in illicit financial transfers that the other income groups whereas in quantum terms it was substantial in upper-middle-income group. We recommend that all income groups should improve on regulatory controls in order cub illicit transfers in Africa, more importantly, the low-income group.Keywords: Illicit financial flows, Gross domestic Product, World Bank Residual ModelJel Classification: B22, E01, E6

The Response of Banking Sector Development to Financial and Trade Openness in the presence of Global Financial Crisis in Africa

Africa’s financial system is strongly bank-based and so this paper investigate whether economic growth, financial openness and trade openness contribute to the development of the banking sector in the presence and absence of global financial crisis. The results from PMG/ARDL suggest that banking sector develops independently of economic growth in lower-middle and high income countries while it develops as demand for finance increases in low and uppermiddle income countries in Africa. Being cautious of global financial crisis, trade openness is found to be more effective in high and lower-middle income countries, financial openness is more effective in low income countries and neither is more effective in upper-middle income countries. It is also discovered that, in the long run, global financial crisis generally reduce banking sector development in Africa but not in high income countries however the banking sectors of lower-middle and low income countries suffer the most from such crisis

Economics of the Environment and Infant Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa

Studies have used ambient air pollutant concentrations to explain infant mortality. Thus, this study investigates the impact of carbon dioxide emission on infant mortality, while controlling for other covariates of human well-being in sub-Sahara Africa using a panel FGLS and GMM for the period 1990-2012. Our findings reveal that: there is a positive relationship between carbon dioxide emission and infant mortality; access to water has a significant negative impact on infant mortality rate; there is a significant positive relationship between access to sanitation and infant mortality rate; food production index has a significant negative impact on infant mortality rate; GDP per capita has a significant negative relationship with infant mortality rate; urban population as a percentage of total population is significantly positively related with infant mortality rate; and fertility rate has a significantly positive relationship with infant mortality rate while relative change in fertility rate has a significant inverse relationship with relative change in infant mortality rate

Queer Nigerian twitter can challenge homophobia and assert sexual agency

Sexual minorities in Nigeria use Twitter to contest the invisibility Nigerian society forces upon them. By examining the linguistic advocacy of ‘coming out’ and ‘reaching out’ on the social media platform, users can establish a sense of community while challenging heteronormative values by asserting individual and group sexual agency

The Impact of Interest Rate Channel of Monetary Policy on Output and Prices in Nigeria: An Unrestricted VAR Approach

This paper uses the vector auto-regression analytical method to examine the interest rate channel of monetary policy and to compare the period after the Structural Adjustment Period (1986Q1-1999Q1) with the period of the civilian administration (1999Q2-2012Q4) in Nigeria. The results of the second period indicated that monetary tightening leads first to an immediate fall in real output in the first 3 months reaching a maximum decline in 9 months. The first period indicated that real output start to decline after 6 months reaching a maximum decline in 12months. In response to monetary policy, for the second period, domestic prices did not start to decline until after 6months and it never returns to equilibrium. The findings for the first period indicate that prices started to rise after 4months and reach its peak in 12 months after the shock. We found evidence of interest channel in the two periods but monetary policy is more effective in the latter period compared to the earlier period

Economics of the Environment and Infant Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa

Studies have used ambient air pollutant concentrations to explain infant mortality. Thus, this study investigates the impact of carbon dioxide emission on infant mortality, while controlling for other covariates of human well-being in sub-Sahara Africa using a panel FGLS and GMM for the period 1990-2012. Our findings reveal that: there is a positive relationship between carbon dioxide emission and infant mortality; access to water has a significant negative impact on infant mortality rate; there is a significant positive relationship between access to sanitation and infant mortality rate; food production index has a significant negative impact on infant mortality rate; GDP per capita has a significant negative relationship with infant mortality rate; urban population as a percentage of total population is significantly positively related with infant mortality rate; and fertility rate has a significantly positive relationship with infant mortality rate while relative change in fertility rate has a significant inverse relationship with relative change in infant mortality rate

An Examination of Important Competencies Necessary for Vocational Agriculture in Selected Senior Secondary Students in Ijebu North Local Government Area, Nigeria

The study analyses the relationship existing between some specified competencies important to vocational agriculture and preparation for occupation between male and female students in senior secondary schools in Ijebu-North Local Government Area, Nigeria. It adopted the classical design for change experiment (i.e. before and after measures) with eighty-eight subjects (60 males and 28 females) from two schools purposively selected while the classes remained intact. Three objectives and one null hypothesis were formulated to conceptualize the study. The instruments used for the study were two, namely: Agricultural Skill Performance Test (ASPT) and Observer’s Rating Scale (ORS); and the data obtained were analyzed using frequency, percentages, graphs and point-biserial correlation co-efficient. The results revealed that 47.73% of the subjects received occupational work experience in schools whereas 52.27% did not; and out of the proportion of (52.27%) representing 46 subjects, 60.87% received outside the school but 39.13% had no opportunity at all. It also showed that a moderately low positive correlation existed between specified competencies important to vocational agriculture and preparation for occupation with a rpb value of 0.34. The study advocated amidst others, for a general change of attitude among stakeholders towards agricultural science being perceived as mere academic rather than being both vocational and academic. Keywords: Important Competencies, Vocational Agriculture, Senior Secondary Students, Ijebu-North Local Government Area

The Impact of Interest Rate Channel of Monetary Policy on Output and Prices in Nigeria: An Unrestricted VAR Approach

This paper uses the vector auto-regression analytical method to examine the interest rate channel of monetary policy and to compare the period after the Structural Adjustment Period (1986Q1-1999Q1) with the period of the civilian administration (1999Q2-2012Q4) in Nigeria. The results of the second period indicated that monetary tightening leads first to an immediate fall in real output in the first 3 months reaching a maximum decline in 9 months. The first period indicated that real output start to decline after 6 months reaching a maximum decline in 12months. In response to monetary policy, for the second period, domestic prices did not start to decline until after 6months and it never returns to equilibrium. The findings for the first period indicate that prices started to rise after 4months and reach its peak in 12 months after the shock. We found evidence of interest channel in the two periods but monetary policy is more effective in the latter period compared to the earlier period

Modelling resilience to extreme climate events: A household-based study of flood disaster in Nigeria

This article examines the relationship between households’ flood resilience and predictors of their resilience in Nigeria, with a view to improving their flood risk management capacities. This study utilises a quantitative research design whereby a cross-sectional survey method is used to randomly select 512 households for questionnaire administration through a multistage sampling procedure. Data was analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The study shows that environmental, institutional, and socio-economic factors have statistically significant positive effects on household flood resilience, while the behavioural factor has a negative effect. The highest predictor of households’ resilience to flood disaster is the socio-economic factor. The implication is that low socio-economic status indicates a high level of poverty that worsens households’ flood resilience. This suggests that the poor do not have the needed economic resources and social nets to prevent, adapt to, and/or transform from the impact of flood disaster