| 1. |
- Abu Hatab, Assem, et al.
(författare)
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COVID-19 risk perception and public compliance with preventive measures : Evidence from a multi-wave household survey in the MENA region
- 2023
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 18:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study investigates the association between individuals’ concern about contracting COVID-19 and their compliance with recommended preventive and mitigation measures, namely wearing face masks, maintaining social distancing and handwashing, in the context of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The empirical analysis is based on a panel dataset from the Combined COVID-19 MENA Monitor Household Survey, which was carried out in Jordan, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia and Egypt. Applying a probit estimation technique, a positive and statistically significant association was found between the level of COVID-19 worries and individuals’ compliance with the mitigation measures. Notably, the results revealed that this association followed a “first-up-then-down” trend, showing that compliance with the three mitigation measures rose as individuals’ worries about contracting the virus increased, and then markedly decreased after they had been infected. Socio-demographic characteristics contributing to lower levels of compliance included being male, being over 60, having lower levels of education and having a lower household income. A cross-country analysis revealed remarkable differences between the five countries, with the strongest association between COVID-19 concerns and adherence to mitigation measures observed in Tunisia and Sudan, and the weakest association seen in Jordan and Morocco. Policy implications are outlined for effective risk communication and management during disease outbreaks and public health emergencies to encourage appropriate public health behaviours.
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| 2. |
- Amuakwa-Mensah, Franklin, et al.
(författare)
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Unveiling the energy saving role of banking performance in Sub-Sahara Africa
- 2018
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Ingår i: Energy Economics. - : Elsevier. - 0140-9883 .- 1873-6181. ; 74, s. 828-842
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article examines the effect of commercial bank performance on an indicator of energy efficiency (i.e. energy intensity) while controlling for the mediating effect of political institution. To achieve this goal, the study develops a theoretical model based on the neoclassical theory of the firm that links energy efficiency to bank sector development, and a unique bank-based data by Andrianova et al. (2015) for 43 Sub-Saharan African countries from 1998 to 2012. The principal component analysis is used to derive a composite bank-based development index from different bank balance sheet performance indicators- return on asset, asset quality, bank capitalization, managerial inefficiency and financial stability. The two-stage system generalized method of moment (Sys-GMM) technique was used. The results reveal that, both in the short- and long-run, improved banking performance fosters energy efficiency improvements in sub-Saharan Africa, but this is compromised by democracy (institutional quality). Thus, to achieve energy efficiency improvements, specific initiatives should be implemented to boost the development of the banking sector while also ensuring that democratic governance in the sub-region weans itself off things that impede the progress of the real sector. More ambitiously, creating a Green Bank may be necessary to stimulate energy efficiency investments in the sub-region.
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| 3. |
- Asante, Felix A., et al.
(författare)
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Climate Change and Variability in Ghana: Stocktaking
- 2015
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Ingår i: Climate. - : MDPI. - 2225-1154. ; 3:1, s. 78-99
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper provides a holistic literature review of climate change and variability in Ghana by examining the impact and projections of climate change and variability in various sectors (agricultural, health and energy) and its implication on ecology, land use, poverty and welfare. The findings suggest that there is a projected high temperature and low rainfall in the years 2020, 2050 and 2080, and desertification is estimated to be proceeding at a rate of 20,000 hectares per annum. Sea-surface temperatures will increase in Ghana’s waters and this will have drastic effects on fishery. There will be a reduction in the suitability of weather within the current cocoa-growing areas in Ghana by 2050 and an increase evapotranspiration of the cocoa trees. Furthermore, rice and rooted crops (especially cassava) production are expected to be low. Hydropower generation is also at risk and there will be an increase in the incidence rate of measles, diarrheal cases, guinea worm infestation, malaria, cholera, cerebro-spinal meningitis and other water related diseases due to the current climate projections and variability. These negative impacts of climate change and variability worsens the plight of the poor, who are mostly women and children.
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| 4. |
- Hajdu, Flora, et al.
(författare)
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Cash transfers for sustainable rural livelihoods? Examining the long-term productive effects of the Child Support Grant in South Africa
- 2020
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Ingår i: World Development Perspectives. - : Elsevier BV. - 2452-2929 .- 2468-0532. ; 19
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cash transfers have received increased scholarly and policy attention, as a means of reducing poverty in the global South. While cash transfers are primarily intended to prevent impoverishment and deprivation, several studies suggest they can have 'productive' impacts, contributing to building sustainable livelihoods. However, pilot projects of unconditional cash transfers have often been too brief or too recent to determine how small, but regular, transfers can improve rural livelihoods over time. This paper explores potential long-term productive effects of cash transfers on rural household's livelihoods. This is done through revisiting, after 14 years, all (273) households in two South African villages included in an extensive livelihood and asset survey in 2002. That survey predated the phasing in of the Child Support Grant (CSG), targeted at impoverished children. When re-surveyed in 2016, some households had cumulatively received significant, while others little or no CSG income. Multivariate regression analysis shows how households that received more CGS income were more likely to invest in productive assets (e.g. small ploughs), and engage in poultry, staple crop and vegetable production. We also found a statistically significant correlation between CSG incomes and growing a larger variety of crops, in an environment generally marked by deagrarianization. However, correlations between receiving more CSG and employment or engagement in informal small-scale trade were not significant. We use data from interviews and observations to explain these processes further. Compared with the paucity of outcomes from other concurrent and costly development interventions in the focal villages, cash transfers have improved livelihoods and living conditions significantly. However, the structural and contextual factors that cause and reproduce poverty remain unaltered, limiting the effects of comparatively small cash transfers. While we show that the cash transfers generate productive livelihood-enhancing effects, they remain insufficient to lift most households out of poverty without further structural changes and developmental interventions. © 2020 The Authors
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| 5. |
- Amuakwa Mensah, Franklin
(författare)
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Gender dimension of migration decisions in Ghana: the reinforcing role of anticipated welfare of climatic effect
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics. - 1757-1170. ; 9, s. 181-201
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The concept of migration has been a male phenomenon in time past, however, there has been a change in events as females are gradually gaining dominance in migration patterns in recent times. Using nationwide survey data this paper investigates the determinants of internal migration decisions for males and females in Ghana. We examined whether there is any significant differences in how climate elements together with anticipated welfare gains and socio-economic factors explain internal migration decision of males and females. We find some variations in the determinants of migration decisions for males and female, though these decisions are significantly affected by anticipated welfare gain, socio-economic factors and climate conditions. We observed that females respond more to climate or environmental elements than males. Moreover, the effect of climate on migration decisions for both males and females is reinforced by anticipated welfare gain.
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| 6. |
- Abu Hatab, Assem, et al.
(författare)
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Who moves and who gains from internal migration in Egypt?: Evidence from two waves of a labor market panel survey
- 2022
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Ingår i: Habitat International. - : Elsevier. - 0197-3975 .- 1873-5428. ; 124
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent decades, Egypt has experienced rapid internal migration movements triggered by urbanization, socioeconomic development, and environmental changes. From a literature perspective, few scholarly studies have empirically examined the drivers and welfare impacts of internal migration in Egypt, despite the increasing recognition of its inextricably links to urban sustainability. The present study utilized data from two waves of an Egyptian Labor Market Panel Survey (ELMPS) conducted in 2012 and 2018 and consisting of 63,909 observations to examine factors that determine internal migration decisions and their subsequent welfare effects. The results of the two-stage Heckman selection model indicate that both the determinants of internal migration decisions and welfare outcomes differ appreciably depending on migration stream as well as the socioeconomic characteristics of the migrants. In particular, females were found to be more likely to migrate from rural to urban areas, lending support to the growing literature on the “feminization of migration” in developing countries. The OLS regression results, after correcting for self-selection, make a strong case for the positive welfare gains from internal migration in Egypt. Specially, we found that the welfare gains for older and female migrants are much higher than other age and gender groups. A comparison of the welfare effects between different migration streams shows that all migratory movements were associated with positive and statistically significant welfare gains, except for rural-to-urban migration that was surprisingly found to be associated with significant welfare loss for the migrants. Urban-to-urban migration was found to have the strongest welfare enhancing effects on all migrant groups. The empirical findings underline a number of research and policy implications for a sustainable management of internal migration in Egypt and other countries with similar internal migration trends.
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| 7. |
- Adom, Philip Kofi, et al.
(författare)
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What drives the energy saving role of FDI and industrialization in East Africa?
- 2016
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Ingår i: Renewable & sustainable energy reviews. - : Elsevier. - 1364-0321 .- 1879-0690. ; 65, s. 925-942
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Analysis of the unconditional impacts of foreign direct inflows (FDIs) and industrialization on energy intensity does not show the hidden roles of some economic conditions such as income and trade openness. In this study, we focused on the conditional impacts of FDIs and industrialization on energy productivity using a panel data consisting of thirteen (13) East African countries covering 1980–2011. The baseline result shows that higher income and a well-integrated economy are pro-energy productive, but FDIs and intense industrialization are anti-energy productive in the sub-region. This result remains robust even when we exclude the high income group and control for income group effects. Income significantly promotes energy productivity more in low income group than middle income group. Intense industrialization and FDIs significantly decreases energy productivity only in low income countries. Trade openness significantly promotes energy productivity only in middle income group. We have shown that FDIs and income, intense industrialization and FDIs, and intense industrialization and globalization are complementary forces that promote energy productivity in East Africa but this is more evident for the middle income group than the low income group in the sub-region. Based on the result, we recommend a quadruplet programme called the “Growth, Industrial, Foreign investment and Trade programme” (GIFTP). Last, our result suggests that unconditional analysis of energy productivity should not be seen as an end in itself but a basis for further analysis.
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| 8. |
- Amuakwa-Mensah, Franklin, et al.
(författare)
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Climate variability and infectious diseases nexus: Evidence from Sweden
- 2017
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Ingår i: Infectious Disease Modelling. - : KeAi Publishing. - 2468-0427. ; 2:2, s. 203-217
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many studies on the link between climate variability and infectious diseases are based on biophysical experiments, do not account for socio-economic factors and with little focus on developed countries. This study examines the effect of climate variability and socio-economic variables on infectious diseases using data from all 21 Swedish counties. Employing static and dynamic modelling frameworks, we observe that temperature has a linear negative effect on the number of patients. The relationship between winter temperature and the number of patients is non-linear and “U” shaped in the static model. Conversely, a positive effect of precipitation on the number of patients is found, with modest heterogeneity in the effect of climate variables on the number of patients across disease classifications observed. The effect of education and number of health personnel explain the number of patients in a similar direction (negative), while population density and immigration drive up reported cases. Income explains this phenomenon non-linearly. In the dynamic setting, we found significant persistence in the number of infectious and parasitic-diseased patients, with temperature and income observed as the only significant drivers.
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| 9. |
- Amuakwa Mensah, Franklin, et al.
(författare)
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Credit Risk and Universal Banking: Evidence from the Banking Industry in Ghana
- 2015
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Ingår i: International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics. - 1757-1170. ; 5, s. 406–429-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Using a dynamic panel data and an Arellano-Bond estimation technique, we estimate the determinants of credit risk and the effect of the introduction of universal banking licence on credit risk in the banking industry of Ghana. We find that the effect of universal banking policy on credit risk in the banking industry depends on the definition of credit risk. Using total loan to total asset ratio as a proxy for credit risk, we observe a positive effect of universal banking policy on credit risk in all our models, indicating that universal banking policy has the potential of increasing credit risk. However, there is a mixed and weak effect of universal banking policy on credit risk when we define credit risk as bad debt to total loan ratio. Also, we find that both bank-specific and macroeconomic variables do explain credit risk in the banking industry of Ghana.
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| 10. |
- Amuakwa-Mensah, Franklin, et al.
(författare)
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Deriving a Benefit Transfer Function for Threatened and Endangered Species in Interaction with Their Level of Charisma
- 2018
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Ingår i: Environments. - : MDPI. - 2076-3298 .- 0711-6780. ; 5:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biodiversity and species conservation are among the most urgent global issues. Both are under serious threat because of human intrusion and as a result, it is likely that present and future projects will affect threatened and endangered species. Thus, it is important to account for these impacts when evaluating and conducting cost and benefit analyses of projects. Due to their public good character and non-tradability, the total economic value of threatened and endangered species cannot be reflected by a market price and therefore, alternative approaches (stated preference method) are needed to determine their monetary value. This paper reviews and compares the valuation literature on threatened and endangered animals and conducts a meta-analysis regression to identify explanatory variables for the variation in willingness to pay for threatened and endangered species. The main findings of the meta-analysis show that the interaction of the level of threat and charisma have a positive effect on willingness to pay. Furthermore, developed countries have a higher willingness to pay compared to developing countries. Similarly, visitors of conservation sites have higher willingness to pay than residents. The provided example of a benefit transfer of the estimated function shows the practicability of our results.
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