China’s Investment in African Special Economic Zones: Prospects, Challenges, and Opportunities

China’s recent moves to establish special economic zones (SEZs) in several African countries can make a significant contribution to industrialization in Africa. But the success of these projects is by no means guaranteed. Meeting the objectives of both China and African countries will require an active partnership and a framework for collaboration that includes engagement from host governments, processes for phasing-in local control, communication and enforcement of standards, and support for integration with local economies.China, investment, Africa, special economic zone, SEZ, industrialization, partnership, development, World Bank, foreign direct investment

PRICE AND NON-PRICE COMPETITIVENESS FACTORS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. A PVAR APPROACH

The present study aims at identifying the link between economic growth and a wide variety of external competitiveness indicators, related to both price and non-price factors. Using data for European Union, we estimate a series of panel Vector Autoregression (PVAR) models and find that non-price indicators have a higher contribution in explaining GDP developments compared to traditional price and cost based measures of competitiveness. On the other hand, the results underline the broadness of competitiveness concept, as economic growth alone is found not to determine significant effects on the competitive capacity of economies

PRICE AND NON-PRICE COMPETITIVENESS FACTORS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. A PVAR APPROACH

The present study aims at identifying the link between economic growth and a wide variety of external competitiveness indicators, related to both price and non-price factors. Using data for European Union, we estimate a series of panel Vector Autoregression (PVAR) models and find that non-price indicators have a higher contribution in explaining GDP developments compared to traditional price and cost based measures of competitiveness. On the other hand, the results underline the broadness of competitiveness concept, as economic growth alone is found not to determine significant effects on the competitive capacity of economies

Innovative activities of SMEs in Russia : constraints and growth factors

Puprose: The article is aimed at comprehensive study of small enterprises’ innovative activity in Russia and highlights the key constraints factors as well as factors promoting small business innovative activity. Design/Methodology/Approach: We conduct a review of modern domestic and foreign studies on innovative development of SMEs their components and factors to give a comparative description of the innovation activity of SMEs in Russia and the EU countries. We also consider the factors of innovation activity of SMEs in Russia, to identify their regional differences, and to determine the prospects for the innovation activity of small businesses in Russia. The methodological approach is based on the exploration analysis procedures, principal component analysis (PCA), multidimentional classification and logicitic regression. Findings: This analysis revealed that Russian small enterprises are characterized by lower indicators of innovation activity than in many developed countries. The constraints to the growth of the innovation activity of small businesses in Russia are the insufficient level of development of credit financing and the backlog of the production and technological bases. Practical implications: This approach could be used in the development of promotion measures for new innovative process participants, taking into account the regional context. Originality/Value: The main contribution of this study is that the approach can be used in the course of the study to confirm regional differences in the innovative development of small enterprises and allows to identify three clusters with different indicators of the innovative activity of small businesses.The research was supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project № 18-01000960).peer-reviewe

Agriculture as the Potential Engine for African Growth and the Role of NEPAD

Landwirtschaftliche Entwicklung; Entwicklungskooperation; Wirtschaftswachstum; Afrika

Comparative Analysis of the Productivity and Efficiency of Cluster and Individual Farming in East Shewa Zones of Oromia

The main objective of this study was to compare the productivity and efficiency of clustered and individual farming; to identify factors affecting clusters farming practice and to know the view/perception of farmers for clustered farming approach in East Shewa zone. To conduct the study, primary data was collected from 215 randomly selected household heads through semi-structured questionnaire. Secondary data were also collected from different sources including CSA, ZOANR, DOANR, and from published and unpublished sources to supplement primary data. In this study both descriptive statistics and econometric analysis were employed. The primary data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and stochastic efficiency decomposition method to decompose TE. Stochastic Frontier approach (SFA) was used for its ability to distinguish inefficiency from deviations that are caused by factors beyond the control of farmers. The productivity of Maize per hectare was 46.42 and 25.982 quintal for cluster and individual farming respectively which is statically significant at 1% level. The productivity of Teff per hectare was 16.076 and 11.043 quintal for cluster and individual farming respectively which is statically significant at 5% level. The study result revealed that the mean of TE was about 70.22% and 64.64% of for teff and maize production respectively for cluster farming and 58.22% and 53.58% for teff and maize production respectively for individual farming as the Cobb-Douglas functional form indicate that. As the result of research analysis indicates that, the cumulative sum of farmers’ perception towards the compatibility of cluster farming with the socio-economic situational circumstances was 4.093 suggesting farmers perceive positively that it was compatibility with their socio-economic situational circumstances. The likelihood of farmers to practice cluster farming positively influenced by cultivated land, access to extension, participation on field visit and perception of farmers in the zone. The study suggested that farmer adoption decisions are affected by above mentioned factors and policies addressing each decision process and cross-cutting issues are required to improve farmer participation in cluster farming. In addition, the study suggested the need for policies to discourage land fragmentation and promote education, extension visits, participation in field visit, and strengthening social network of farmers, increase wealth of farmers and changing farmer’s perception towards cluster farming to increase participation of farmers in cluster farming in both zones. Keywords: Cluster and Individual farming, Productivity, Technical efficiency, Stochastic Frontier approach, and probit model. DOI: 10.7176/JESD/14-11-03 Publication date:June 30th 202

Russian Companies do Innovate

Innovation is a vital process for organizations and countries in order to be able to evolve and have a competitive position in the international markets. This paper is based on a research designed to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the national innovation system in Russia. The objective of the survey was to evaluate innovation activity and innovation performance in Russia, as well as to identify the priorities of the government policy to promote innovation.Russia; innovation; national innovation system; performances.

Education and Development Disconnect in Nigeria: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as the 21st Century Imperative for Nigeria’s National Transformation, Sustainable Development and Global Competitiveness

The paper examines Education and Development Disconnect in Nigeria and makes a case for education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as the critical path to Nigeria’s sustainable development and global competitiveness. The paper submits that education is the pivot of national transformation and development, but Nigeria’s dysfunctional educational system perpetuates and deepens poverty and underdevelopment and consequently, the resource-rich Nigeria is ashamedly described as a low human development country and as a country with blunted edges in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Reports and the World Economic Forum Africa and Global Competitiveness Reports, respectively. Relying on secondary data, the paper argues that a human-rights-approach-to-education, investment in quality education, environmental education, research and innovation, achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs) and science and technology are prerequisites for Nigeria’s sustainable development and global competitiveness. Essentially, that Nigeria’s educational system, policies and practices should be reoriented towards sustainable development, which is a tripod of interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars of economic growth, human development and environmental conservation, in an equitable and sustainable manner, for present and future generations. The paper submits that all curricula and taxonomies of education, including environmental education are subsumable under ESD which equips individuals and societies with the knowledge, values and skills to live and work in an equitable secure and sustainable manner and balances economic well-being and human development with cultural tradition and respect for and protection of earth’s natural resources and environment. To achieve this, the paper among other recommendations, posits a Virtuous Cycle of Education for Sustainable Development (VCESD) Model for Nigeria’s national transformation, sustainable development and global competitiveness.  Keywords:Education, Development, Sustainable Development, Education for Sustainable Development,   Global Competitivenes

Unlocking Productive Entrepreneurship in Ethiopia: Which Incentives Matter?

Twenty years after the launch of market reforms, productive entrepreneurship and vibrant small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ethiopia remain limited, the recent growth acceleration notwithstanding. This paper develops a model of entrepreneurial start ups in an economy with frictions in the product and labor markets and a large informal sector, which characterize the Ethiopian institutional landscape. It then examines several mitigating policies that could improve the suboptimal outcomes. The main findings are that search subsidies would be more effective in encouraging entrepreneurial start ups than wage subsidies, although fewer entrepreneurs may choose to operate in the formal sector than under the latter. Regarding the reform agenda,priority should be put on removing rigidities and establishing property rights. To be effective,both types of subsidies should have a time limit and be phased out with reforms of the business environment, strengthened property rights, and improved labor markets.Model of skills and start ups, labor markets, frictions, informal sector, Africa

A New Socio-Economy in Africa? Thintegration and the Mobile Phone Revolution

Much has been written about the impacts of information and communication technology (ICT) in Africa and its transformational socio-economic potential. The penetration of mobile phones in particular has been particularly marked in recent years. This paper seeks to interrogate the hypothesis of transformation by examining the ways in which Africa is integrated into global mobile phone value chain, and the uses to which this technology is put on the continent. While mobiles are having significant, and sometimes welfare enhancing impacts, their use is also embedded in existing relations of social support, resource extraction and conflict. Consequently their impacts are dialectical, facilitating change but also reinforcing existing power relations. As Africa is still primarily a user, rather than a producer or creator of ICT, this represents a form of thin integration (“thintegration”) into the global economy, which does not fundamentally alter the continent’s dependent position.