nep-afr New Economics Papers
on Africa
Issue of 2020‒10‒12
four papers chosen by
Sam Sarpong
The University of Mines and Technology

  1. Social protection in East Africa: harnessing the future By Alexander Pick
  2. The Impact of Business Group Affiliation and Country-Level Institutions on Corporate Governance of Emerging Market Firms By Hearn, Bruce; Oxelheim, Lars; Randoy, Trond
  3. Selfitis and Motivation for Self-portrayal Among Young Nigerians By Olanrewaju O. Akinola; Akintayo A. Ogunsanya; Oluwakemi D. Okunade; Ibrahim A. Adekunle
  4. The Effect of Finance on Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa: Avoidable CO2 emissions Thresholds By Asongu, Simplice; Vo, Xuan

  1. By: Alexander Pick (IPC-IG)
    Abstract: "The European Union Social Protection Systems (EU-SPS) project has recently published a report on the future of social protection in six countries in East Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia (OECD 2017). The report examines key demographic, economic, social and environmental trends that are likely to affect the demand for social protection between now and 2065, a timeframe aligned to the African Unions Agenda 2063—its vision for the future of the continent in which social protection has a key role to play". (...)
    Keywords: Social protection, East Africa, harnessing, future
    Date: 2020–04
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipc:oparab:362&r=all
  2. By: Hearn, Bruce (University of Bradford); Oxelheim, Lars (Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN)); Randoy, Trond (School of Business and Law)
    Abstract: This study outlines how the corporate governance of emerging market firms is influenced by corporate affiliation and institutional embeddedness. We argue that the stronger the business group affiliation, the less likely is the emerging market firm to adopt shareholder value-enhancing corporate governance and that this relationship is moderated by institutional quality and tribalism. Based on189 initial public offerings (IPOs) from 22 African countries between 2000 and 2016, we find a significant negative relationship between business group ownership and IPO firms’ quality of corporate governance. We also find this relationship to be significantly negatively moderated by country-level institutional quality and positively by indigenous tribalism. The result adds to the understanding of barriers toa convergence towards one uniform global corporate governance model.
    Keywords: Corporate Governance Practice; Africa; Emerging Economies; IPO; Business Groups
    JEL: G23 G38 M12 M14 M16
    Date: 2020–09–30
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:1360&r=all
  3. By: Olanrewaju O. Akinola (Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Nigeria); Akintayo A. Ogunsanya (North West University, South Africa); Oluwakemi D. Okunade (University of Ibadan, Nigeria); Ibrahim A. Adekunle (Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria)
    Abstract: Since contemporary technological developments led to an explosion in different media of communication allowing individuals to actively create and publish whatever content they desire, scholars have been investigating trends, activities and implications thereof linked to this advancement. Whereas the literature on selfie is robust, little is known about motivations for taking selfies from a Nigerian perspective. Yet, the rate at which young Nigerians take and share selfies is both intense and passionate suggesting possible obsession, warranting the need to investigate if this critical segment of the national population is aware and mindful of mental illnesses associated with compulsive and excessive selfie-taking and sharing. Consequently, this study investigated motivations that drive young Nigerians\' selfie-taking and sharing habit, including gender disparity associated with the activity. A total of 487 questionnaires and 21 interviews, administered on young Nigerians between the ages of 16 and 24 from two tertiary institutions revealed that a substantial number of young Nigerians take, store and share selfies habitually. The study established that young female Nigerians take more selfie than their male counterparts while there is no gender disparity noticed in sharing. An overwhelming majority (85.7 percent) confessed to being obsessed with selfie-taking and sharing, while a corresponding percentage of respondents are not aware of the health-related dangers associated with the activity. In the light of these findings, coupled with the increasing rate of depression and suicide among young people, we conclude that the Selfitis disposition observed in a sizeable percentage of young Nigerians is ill-motivated and requires some urgent intervention.
    Keywords: Selfitis, Obsession, Selfie, Nigeria
    Date: 2020–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:agd:wpaper:20/068&r=all
  4. By: Asongu, Simplice; Vo, Xuan
    Abstract: There is a glaring concern of income inequality in the light of the post-2015 global development agenda of sustainable development goals (SDGs), especially for countries that are in the south of the Sahara. There are also concerns over the present and future consequences of environmental degradation on development outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study provides carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions thresholds that should be avoided in the nexus between financial development and income inequality in a panel of 39 countries in SSA over the period 2004-2014. Quantile regressions are used as an empirical strategy. The following findings are established. Financial development unconditionally decreases income inequality with an increasing negative magnitude while the interactions between financial development and CO2 emissions have the opposite effect with an increasing positive magnitude. The underlying nexuses are significant exclusively in the median and top quantiles of the income inequality distribution. CO2 emission thresholds that should not be exceeded in order for financial development to continuously reduce income inequality are 0.222, 0.200 and 0.166 metric tons per capita for the median, 75th quantile and 90th quantile of the income inequality distribution, respectively. Policy implications are discussed with particular relevance to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
    Keywords: Renewable energy; Inequality; Finance; Sub-Saharan Africa; Sustainable development
    JEL: H10 O11 O55 Q20 Q30
    Date: 2020–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:103233&r=all

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