| 1. |
- Adom, P. K., et al.
(författare)
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Degree of financialization and energy efficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa: do institutions matter?
- 2020
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Ingår i: Financial Innovation. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2199-4730. ; 6:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 emphasizes the need for economies around the world to double their efforts in energy efficiency improvements. This is because improvements in energy efficiency can trigger economic growth and considered as one of the 'green' growth strategies due to its carbon free content. To this end, some empirical studies have investigated the nexus between economic growth and energy efficiency, but the effects of the latter on financial indicators have not been sufficiently studied in the literature, at least in developing economies like Africa. This study examines the effect of energy efficiency improvements on commercial bank profitability under different political regimes (i.e., autocratic and democratic political regimes); something previous literature had neglected. The study uses panel data, consisting of 43 African countries and the simultaneous System Generalized Method of Moments. We found that energy efficiency improvement is more likely to induce higher bank profitability in political institutions with the characteristics of centralization of power compared with those with decentralization of power. Furthermore, for the banking sector, the findings suggest that energy utilization behavior of clients should be included in the loan or credit valuation process. For the government, the agenda of energy efficiency should be aggressively pursued while taking cognizance of creating a political environment that weans itself from a 'grandfathering' behavior.
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| 2. |
- Amaechina, Ebele, et al.
(författare)
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Policy Note : Policy Responses to Ensure Access to Water and Sanitation Services during COVID-19: Snapshots from the Environment for Development (EfD) Network
- 2020
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Ingår i: Water Economics and Policy. - : World Scientific. - 2382-624X .- 2382-6258. ; 6:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This policy note provides a snapshot of water and sanitation measures implemented by governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 14 countries in the Global South: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Panama, South Africa, Uganda and Vietnam. We find that many countries have taken action to stop utility disconnections due to non-payment. With the exception of Ghana and Vietnam, few countries are instituting new water subsidy programs, and are instead choosing to defer customers’ bills for future payment, presumably when the pandemic recedes and households will be able to pay their bills. It is easier for the utilities’ COVID-relief policies to target customers with piped connections who regularly receive bills. However, the situation for unconnected households appears more dire. Some countries (e.g., Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda) are attempting to provide unconnected households temporary access to water, but these households remain the most vulnerable. This health crisis has accentuated the importance of strong governance structures and resilient water service providers for dealing with external health, environmental and economic shocks.
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| 3. |
- Amaechina, E., et al.
(författare)
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Policy Note: Policy Responses to Ensure Access to Water and Sanitation Services During COVID-19: Snapshots from the Environment for Development (EfD) Network
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Water Economics and Policy. - : World Scientific Pub Co Pte Lt. - 2382-624X .- 2382-6258. ; 6:4
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This policy note provides a snapshot of water and sanitation measures implemented by governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 14 countries in the Global South: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Panama, South Africa, Uganda and Vietnam. We find that many countries have taken action to stop utility disconnections due to non-payment. With the exception of Ghana and Vietnam, few countries are instituting new water subsidy programs, and are instead choosing to defer customers' bills for future payment, presumably when the pandemic recedes and households will be able to pay their bills. It is easier for the utilities' COVID-relief policies to target customers with piped connections who regularly receive bills. However, the situation for unconnected households appears more dire. Some countries (e.g., Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda) are attempting to provide unconnected households temporary access to water, but these households remain the most vulnerable. This health crisis has accentuated the importance of strong governance structures and resilient water service providers for dealing with external health, environmental and economic shocks.
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| 4. |
- Amuakwa-Mensah, Franklin, et al.
(författare)
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Stockpiling and food worries: Changing habits and choices in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic
- 2022
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Ingår i: Socio-Economic Planning Sciences. - : Elsevier. - 0038-0121 .- 1873-6041. ; 82 A
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Albeit, governments have instituted strong containment measures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns of continuous local spread and economic impact of the virus are impacting global food chains and food security. This paper investigates the effect of concern about the i) local spread and ii) economic impact of COVID-19, on the change in the amount of food and necessities bought in twelve Sub-Sahara African countries. In addition, we examine if these effects are channeled through food worries. The study uses a unique survey dataset by GeoPoll collected in April 2020 (first round) and May 2020 (second round) and employs a multinomial logit and generalized structural equation models. We find significant effect of concern about COVID-19 on change in the package size of food and necessities bought, which is heterogeneous across gender group and rural-urban divide. Our results reveal that concerns of COVID-19 might be promoting stockpiling behavior among females and those with no food worries (due to having sufficient money or resources). This if not properly managed could in the medium to long-term affect the food supply chain, food waste and exacerbate food worries problem especially for already food deprived homes. We discuss the policy implications.
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| 5. |
- Karltun, Linley Chiwona, et al.
(författare)
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COVID-19: From health crises to food security anxiety and policy implications
- 2021
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Ingår i: Ambio. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-7447 .- 1654-7209. ; 50, s. 794-811
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Like the rest of the world, African countries are reeling from the health, economic and social effects of COVID-19. The continent's governments have responded by imposing rigorous lockdowns to limit the spread of the virus. The various lockdown measures are undermining food security, because stay at home orders have among others, threatened food production for a continent that relies heavily on agriculture as the bedrock of the economy. This article draws on quantitative data collected by the GeoPoll, and, from these data, assesses the effect of concern about the local spread and economic impact of COVID-19 on food worries. Qualitative data comprising 12 countries south of the Sahara reveal that lockdowns have created anxiety over food security as a health, economic and human rights/well-being issue. By applying a probit model, we find that concern about the local spread of COVID-19 and economic impact of the virus increases the probability of food worries. Governments have responded with various efforts to support the neediest. By evaluating the various policies rolled out we advocate for a feminist economics approach that necessitates greater use of data analytics to predict the likely impacts of intended regulatory relief responses during the recovery process and post-COVID-19.
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| 6. |
- Karimu, Amin, et al.
(författare)
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Natural resource revenues and public investment in resource-rich economies in sub-Saharan Africa
- 2016
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Rapport (refereegranskat)abstract
- The general policy prescription for resource-rich countries is that, for sustainable consumption, a greater percentage of the windfall from resource rents should be channelled into accumulating foreign assets such as a sovereign public fund as done in Norway and other developed but resource-rich countries. This might not be a correct policy prescription for resource-rich sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, where public capital is very low to support the needed economic growth. In such countries, rents from resources serve as opportunity to scale-up the needed public capital. Using panel data for the period 1990–2013, we find in line with the scaling-up hypothesis that resource rents significantly increase public investment in SSA and that this tends to depend on the quality of political institutions. We also find evidence of a positive effect of public investment on economic growth, which also depends on the level of resource rents. Using some of the components of public investment, such as health and education expenditure, we find a negative effect of resource rents, suggesting among other things that public spending of resource rents is directed more to other infrastructure investments.
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| 7. |
- Karimu, Amin, et al.
(författare)
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Natural Resource Revenues and Public Investment in Resource-rich Economies in Sub-Saharan Africa
- 2017
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Ingår i: Review of Development Economics. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1363-6669 .- 1467-9361. ; 21:4, s. 107-130
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The general policy prescription for resource-rich countries is that, for sustainable consumption, a greater percentage of the windfall from resource rents should be channeled into accumulating foreign assets such as a sovereign public fund as done in Norway and other developed but resource-rich countries. This might not be a correct policy prescription for resource-rich sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, where public capital is very low to support the needed economic growth. In such countries, rents from resources serve as an opportunity to scale-up the needed public capital. Using a panel data for the period 1990–2013, we find in line with the scaling-up hypothesis that resource rents significantly increases public investment in SSA and that this tends to depend on the quality of political institutions. Moreover, we also find evidence of a positive effect of public investment on economic growth, which also depends on the level of resource rents.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Lagerkvist, Carl-Johan, et al.
(författare)
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How consumer confidence in food safety practices along the food supply chain determines food handling practices: Evidence from Ghana
- 2018
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Ingår i: Food Control. - : Elsevier. - 0956-7135 .- 1873-7129. ; 93, s. 265-273
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The relationship between consumer confidence in food safety measures for vegetables sold in open markets and their use of safe food handling practices in the domestic environment was investigated for a set of 332 randomly sampled vegetable consumers within the suburbs of Accra, Ghana. More specifically, the confidence of consumers in twelve food safety measures employed by farmers, middlemen and traders was assessed, together with the frequency of treatment of vegetables with salt or vinegar and whether or not vegetables were stored in a hygienic and ventilated place. The results suggest that the level of consumer confidence in food safety measures along the value chain of vegetable production influences their food safety actions. Principal component analysis identified two factors determining confidence: (a) cleanliness and contact exposure, and (b) safe practices related to water, pesticides and fertilisers in production and general hygiene at the selling point. Structural equation modelling showed that confidence was significantly related to the cleanliness and contact exposure component (path coefficient = 0.41, p = 0.002), but only indirectly to the safe production practices and hygiene component (r = 0.71). Moreover, confidence then directed storage (path coefficient = 0.54, p < 0.001), but impaired use of salt or vinegar (path coefficient = −0.29, p = 0.0015). Furthermore, multinomial logit modelling revealed a significant association between delayed vegetable consumption and frequency of treatment of vegetables with salt or vinegar before cooking or eating (χ2 = 13.2, p < 0.05). It also showed that the marginal effects of changes in the two principal components of confidence operated differently for groups of consumers who differed in their combined use of storage and treatment. These findings have implications for food risk communication and actions to improve local conditions under which food is sold.
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| 10. |
- Abu Hatab, Assem, et al.
(författare)
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COVID-19 risk perception and food security in the MENA region: evidence from a multi-wave household survey
- 2024
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Ingår i: Food Security. - 1876-4517 .- 1876-4525.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic had disruptive consequences for MENA countries’ agri-food value chains that exacerbated poverty and jeopardized food security. This study examines the relationship between individuals’ perception of contracting COVID-19 and their experience of food insecurity, using longitudinal data from the Combined COVID-19 MENA Monitor Household survey. It also investigates the underlying mechanisms of COVID-19 concerns and explores coping strategies employed by households to identify vulnerabilities in food security. The results provide compelling evidence of a strong association between individuals’ concern about the virus and various dimensions of food security, particularly reduced purchasing power and decreased meal frequency. Notably, this association follows an inverted U-shaped curve, with food insecurity initially increasing as worry grows, but declining after individuals contract the virus. High levels of concern were also linked to significant income decreases and worsening economic conditions. Moreover, individuals with higher concerns were more likely to rely on specific coping strategies, particularly spending savings and obtaining funds from relatives or friends. These findings underscore the need for government interventions during disease outbreaks and economic downturns to focus on alleviating individuals’ worry and fear to facilitate informed decision-making that minimizes food insecurity consequences. Additionally, the findings emphasize the need to strengthen social protection systems during public health and economic challenges to ensure food security for vulnerable populations.
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| 11. |
- Abu Hatab, Assem, et al.
(författare)
-
COVID-19 risk perception and food security in the MENA region: evidence from a multi-wave household survey
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Food security. - 1876-4517 .- 1876-4525.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic had disruptive consequences for MENA countries’ agri-food value chains that exacerbated poverty and jeopardized food security. This study examines the relationship between individuals’ perception of contracting COVID-19 and their experience of food insecurity, using longitudinal data from the Combined COVID-19 MENA Monitor Household survey. It also investigates the underlying mechanisms of COVID-19 concerns and explores coping strategies employed by households to identify vulnerabilities in food security. The results provide compelling evidence of a strong association between individuals’ concern about the virus and various dimensions of food security, particularly reduced purchasing power and decreased meal frequency. Notably, this association follows an inverted U-shaped curve, with food insecurity initially increasing as worry grows, but declining after individuals contract the virus. High levels of concern were also linked to significant income decreases and worsening economic conditions. Moreover, individuals with higher concerns were more likely to rely on specific coping strategies, particularly spending savings and obtaining funds from relatives or friends. These findings underscore the need for government interventions during disease outbreaks and economic downturns to focus on alleviating individuals’ worry and fear to facilitate informed decision-making that minimizes food insecurity consequences. Additionally, the findings emphasize the need to strengthen social protection systems during public health and economic challenges to ensure food security for vulnerable populations.
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| 12. |
- Abu Hatab, Assem, et al.
(författare)
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COVID-19 risk perception and food security in the MENA region: evidence from a multi-wave household survey
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Food Security. - : Springer Nature. - 1876-4517 .- 1876-4525. ; 16, s. 989-1008
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic had disruptive consequences for MENA countries’ agri-food value chains that exacerbated poverty and jeopardized food security. This study examines the relationship between individuals’ perception of contracting COVID-19 and their experience of food insecurity, using longitudinal data from the Combined COVID-19 MENA Monitor Household survey. It also investigates the underlying mechanisms of COVID-19 concerns and explores coping strategies employed by households to identify vulnerabilities in food security. The results provide compelling evidence of a strong association between individuals’ concern about the virus and various dimensions of food security, particularly reduced purchasing power and decreased meal frequency. Notably, this association follows an inverted U-shaped curve, with food insecurity initially increasing as worry grows, but declining after individuals contract the virus. High levels of concern were also linked to significant income decreases and worsening economic conditions. Moreover, individuals with higher concerns were more likely to rely on specific coping strategies, particularly spending savings and obtaining funds from relatives or friends. These findings underscore the need for government interventions during disease outbreaks and economic downturns to focus on alleviating individuals’ worry and fear to facilitate informed decision-making that minimizes food insecurity consequences. Additionally, the findings emphasize the need to strengthen social protection systems during public health and economic challenges to ensure food security for vulnerable populations.
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| 13. |
- Abu Hatab, Assem, et al.
(författare)
-
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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| 14. |
- Abu Hatab, Assem, et al.
(författare)
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Risk prevention and public compliance in MENA during the disease outbreaks : Takeaways from the Covid-19 pandemic
- 2023
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Ingår i: Economic Research Forum (ERF). ; :2023-10-31
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Public health measures introduced in early 2020 to curb the spread of Covid-19 played a critical role in mitigating the worst effects of the pandemic. This column highlights how to understand the effectiveness of these policies in MENA, and the importance of evaluating the relationship between risk perception and compliance. People’s risk perception and attitudes towards the disease varied over time and between countries, and assessing the drivers of these variations, and how they affected levels of compliance, is vital for understanding what happened and for building resilience to future crises in the region.
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| 15. |
- 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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| 16. |
- Adom, Philip Kofi, et al.
(författare)
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Energy efficiency as a sustainability concern in Africa and financial development: How much bias is involved?
- 2023
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Ingår i: Energy Economics. - : Elsevier. - 0140-9883 .- 1873-6181. ; 120
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study contributes to the literature on whether financial development stimulates technical energy efficiency (TEE) or not, by addressing core biases that creep into the relationship and thereby reducing the ability to draw causal inferences from financial development to TEE. Our approach is based on the instrumental stochastic frontier technique, where biases in the frontier and inefficiency equations are dealt with using external instrumental variables. The legal system origin of the country and life expectancy at birth were used as instruments for financial development and income, respectively. The current study demonstrates substantial bias in income elasticity, the estimate of energy efficiency, and the effect of financial development on energy efficiency. Both income elasticity and energy efficiency estimate risk upward bias. Equally, the effect of financial system development and financial institution development on TEE risk downward bias. Other results show that all aspects of financial institution development stimulate TEE, but access to financial institutions is more important. These results raise caution about future studies' estimates of the effect of financial development on TEE. Though this study has demonstrated the potency of external instruments in dealing with the bias in the coefficient estimates, we consider this might prove to be a luxury solution in some cases due to data limitation, context differences, and theory. In those circumstances, reliance on internal instruments might prove to be the second-best option.
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| 17. |
- Adom, Philip Kofi, et al.
(författare)
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Energy poverty, development outcomes, and transition to green energy
- 2021
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Ingår i: Renewable Energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0960-1481 .- 1879-0682. ; 178, s. 1337-1352
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is a close connection between energy and development outcomes. Therefore, energy constraints could adversely influence development outcomes. Consequently, building resilience to energy constraints could be one effective channel to improve development outcomes. This study analyses the effect of energy poverty, while considering the influence of green energy transition, on several development outcomes. Our approach delineates the short and long run dynamics of the net effects of energy poverty and renewable energy transition on development outcomes. First, as a direct effect, we find that energy poverty (renewable energy) has a negative (positive) effect on income, education, life expectancy, employment and mobile phone subscription and a positive (negative) effect on poverty, income inequality, sanitation risk and risk of drinking unsafe water. Conditioning the effect of energy poverty on renewable energy, we find that the transition to green energy partially compensates the adverse effects of energy poverty on the various development outcomes considered in this study. Further, we find that, for several of the development outcomes, the risk of inflated energy cost associated with renewable energy transitions in the short-term is likely to neutralise in the long run, except for income poverty and environmental risk factors. We discuss the policy implications.
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| 18. |
- 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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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- 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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| 21. |
- Amuakwa-Mensah, Franklin, et al.
(författare)
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COVID-19 and handwashing: Implications for water use in Sub-Saharan Africa
- 2021
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Ingår i: Water Resources and Economics. - : Elsevier BV. - 2212-4284. ; 36
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Because the main modes of transmission of the COVID-19 virus are respiration and contact, WHO recommends frequent washing of hands with soap under running water for at least 20 s. This article investigates how the level of concern about COVID-19 affects the likelihood of washing hands frequently in sub-Saharan Africa. We discuss the implication of the findings for water-scarce environment. The study makes use of a unique survey dataset from 12 sub-Saharan African countries collected in April 2020 (first round) and May 2020 (second round) and employs an extended ordered probit model with endogenous covariate. The results show that the level of concern about the spread of the virus increases the likelihood of washing hands with soap under running water for a minimum of 20 s at least five times a day. The increase in the probability of handwashing due to concern about COVID-19, ranges from 3% for Benin to 6.3% for South Africa. The results also show heterogeneous effects across gender- and age-groups, locality and various water sources. However, in Africa, the sustainability of the handwashing protocol could be threatened by the severe water scarcity that exists in the region. To sustain frequent handwashing, sub-Saharan Africa needs an effective strategy for water management and supply.
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- 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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| 24. |
- 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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| 25. |
- Amuakwa Mensah, Franklin
(författare)
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Determinants of non-performing loans in Ghana banking industry
- 2015
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Ingår i: International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics. - 1757-1170. ; 5, s. 35-54
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The detrimental effect non-performing loans (NPLs) have on banks’ income and the economy makes it necessary to examine the determinants of NPLs in the banking industry in Ghana. Using panel regression model, it was found that both bank-specific variables (i.e., previous year’s NPL, bank size, net interest margin (NIM), and current year’s loan growth) and macroeconomic variables (i.e., previous year’s inflation, real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita growth and real effective exchange rate) significantly affect NPLs in the banking industry. Also the sub-sample estimations showed that both bankspecific (i.e., previous year’s NPLs and current year’s loan growth) and macroeconomic factors (i.e., real effective exchange rate, real GDP per capita growth, and previous year’s inflation rate) affect NPLs of large banks. However, whereas bank-specific variables (i.e., previous year’s NPLs and current year’s loan growth) are important in explaining NPLs, macroeconomic factors are not important in explaining NPLs for small banks.
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