nep-afr New Economics Papers
on Africa
Issue of 2024‒06‒17
seven papers chosen by
Sam Sarpong, Xiamen University Malaysia Campus


  1. The motives for Chinese and Western countries' sovereign lending to Africa By Bode, Eckhardt
  2. Money Talks, Green Walks: Does Financial Inclusion Promote Green Sustainability in Africa? By Samuel Fiifi Eshun; Evzen Kocenda
  3. Bank profitability determinants in Africa: A review of literature By Ozili, Peterson K
  4. Her Job, her Safety? Domestic Violence and Women's Economic Empowerment: Evidence from Ethiopia By Bedaso, Fenet Jima
  5. Market power and merger control in South Africa By C. Friedrich Kreuser; Michael Kilumelume; Rulof Burger
  6. "Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Food Security in Africa: Regional Variations and Socio-Economic Perspectives" By Asuamah Yeboah, Samuel
  7. Cooperative Entrepreneurship in Morocco: The Case study of Women's Cooperatives in the Souss Massa Region By Khadija ANGADE

  1. By: Bode, Eckhardt
    Abstract: This paper is one of the first to show systematically that the motives for sovereign lending to African countries differed considerably between China and Western countries during the last two decades. While Chinese lending mainly served its own economic or geopolitical objectives, which is well-known from the existing literature, Western countries' lending also pursued objectives that appear to be at odds with their self-interests but whose precise nature is not yet well-understood. While China lent to African countries with richer resources, lower risk of default and higher willingness to pay for credit, Western countries lent preferably to less resource-rich and more indebted African countries. Using a new, dataset on loans from China, Western countries and multilateral organizations to African countries, I empirically examine a broad variety of potential motives, aim at separating the motives pursued by the national governments from those pursued by their lending agencies, and employ an estimation strategy with increasingly complex fixed effects that yields additional interesting insights into the specificities of the motives.
    Keywords: Sovereign lending, Economic motives, Geopolitical motives, Africa, China, Western countries
    JEL: F21 F34 F35 F55 H63
    Date: 2024
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifwkwp:295226&r=
  2. By: Samuel Fiifi Eshun (Institute of Economic Studies, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic); Evzen Kocenda (Institute of Economic Studies, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; CESifo, Munich, Germany; IOS, Regensburg, Germany; Department of Banking and Insurance, Faculty of Finance and Accounting; Institute of Information Theory and Automation of the CAS, Prague; the Euro Area Business Cycle Network)
    Abstract: This study explores the dynamic relationship between financial inclusion and green sustainability across 38 African countries. We constructed an environmental pollution index and a financial inclusion index covering the period 2000-2021 to account for the several dimensions within both indicators and employed them in the System GMM approach. We also tested for intra-regional heterogeneity in Africa. Our empirical results show that financial inclusion, while economically beneficial, poses a significant risk of environmental degradation and has a distinctive inverted U-shaped relationship. A direct link between increases in financial inclusion and pollution alters at a turning point, beyond which further increments in financial inclusion enhance green sustainability. The same pattern is observed for aggregate output. The results hold even when we control for a score of macro-level determinants. Our findings indicate the existence of an intra-regional heterogeneity in that Southern and Western African states exhibit a more significant negative impact on environmental pollution than Eastern Africa. These results remain robust for alternative proxies of green sustainability. We offer valuable insights for policymakers to promote sustainability through inclusive financial practices and policies in Sub-Saharan Africa.
    Keywords: Environmental Pollution Index, Financial Inclusion Index, Green Sustainability, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), System Generalized Methods of Moments (GMM)
    JEL: C23 E44 F64 K32 O55 Q43
    Date: 2024–05
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fau:wpaper:wp2024_23&r=
  3. By: Ozili, Peterson K
    Abstract: The study presents a review of existing research on bank profitability determinants in Africa. Using the literature review methodology, it was found that bank profitability determinants differ across countries in all regions of Africa. Some suggested areas for future research are to explore the impact of circular economy, fintech activities, the pandemic, and economic uncertainty on the profitability of African banks. The implication of the review findings is that bank profitability determinants will remain a contested research agenda in the banking literature.
    Keywords: African banks, profitability determinants, banks, bank profitability, Europe, Africa, regulation
    JEL: G00 G20 G21 G28
    Date: 2024
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:120777&r=
  4. By: Bedaso, Fenet Jima
    Abstract: Domestic violence against women is a pervasive public health problem in all countries regardless of cultural, economic, and political background. Yet, the prevalence of domestic violence is very high in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this paper, I examine the effect of women's employment on domestic violence using the Demographic and Health Survey in Ethiopia. To address the endogeneity of women's employment decisions due to reverse causality, the study employs an Instrumental Variables approach by exploiting exogenous geographical variation of women's employment rate at the community level. Moreover, the estimation accounts for the characteristics of socioeconomic and climate variations at the community level using external geospatial satellite information. After accounting for the endogeneity issue, the estimation result shows that women's employment significantly reduces the risk of domestic violence. This result holds robust across different dimensions of domestic violence such as physical, sexual, and emotional violence, and for urban and rural places of residence.
    Keywords: Domestic violence, women employment, IV estimations, Ethiopia
    JEL: J12 J16 J21
    Date: 2024
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1436&r=
  5. By: C. Friedrich Kreuser; Michael Kilumelume; Rulof Burger
    Abstract: We estimate structural, materials, and labour markups for the South African economy at the three-digit industry level for 2012-19. The fall in structural labour and materials markups found for the numerical majority of industries are generally isolated to smaller industries, with industries accounting for a higher proportion of sales generally experiencing smaller downward shifts. We show that materials-based markups are increasing over this period.
    Keywords: Market power, Markups, Competitiveness
    Date: 2024
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2024-31&r=
  6. By: Asuamah Yeboah, Samuel
    Abstract: The systematic review delves into the multifaceted impacts of climate change on food security across Africa, analysing variations across regions and socio-economic contexts. It identifies threats such as altered precipitation patterns, temperature rises, and intensified extreme weather events, each affecting different regions differently. Socio-economic factors, including resource access and infrastructure, shape vulnerability to climate-induced food insecurity. By synthesising existing literature, the review aims to provide insights into the intricate interplay between climate change and food security in Africa, informing targeted interventions and policies to bolster resilience and foster sustainable food systems. The study's originality lies in its comprehensive synthesis of diverse literature, consolidating evidence from academic databases and grey literature sources to offer fresh insights and guide future research and policy initiatives in the realm of climate change adaptation and food security in Africa.
    Keywords: Climate change, Food security, Africa, Regional variations, Socio-economic contexts, Adaptation strategies, Vulnerability, Resilience
    JEL: I32 O55 Q18 Q54 Q56
    Date: 2024–03–15
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:120918&r=
  7. By: Khadija ANGADE (Ibn Zohr University Agadir, (Morocco))
    Abstract: The cooperative sector is currently an important lever for local, regional and national development. Due to their legal form and associated social and tax advantages, cooperatives actively contribute to reducing unemployment and improving living conditions in various regions, especially in rural areas. The positive impact also extends to individuals, with women primarily benefiting. This explains the rapid growth of this sector in Morocco. The Office for the Development of Cooperatives (ODCo) recently published statistics on Morocco’s cooperative sector for the end of 2021. In six years (from 2015 to 2021), the number of cooperatives has tripled, from 15, 735 to 47, 609, bringing the total number of members to 689, 617 (ODCo, 2023). This article highlights the characteristics of women cooperatives in Morocco through the case study of women’s cooperative of Souss Massa region. Unique aspects of women's participation will be explored by presenting the results of a comprehensive survey of cooperatives in the Souss Massa region (SM), covering all genders. The results of this survey represent the first phase of a research project entitled “Collective entrepreneurship as a driver of sustainable development: a case study of cooperatives in the Souss Massa region.†In the first part we will review the history of the cooperative movement in Morocco from independence to today. This will allow us to better understand the special entrepreneurial spirit that characterizes this industry. Subsequently, through the above survey results, an overview of women's cooperatives is revealed.
    Keywords: Cooperative, SSE, Gender, Entrepreneurship, Morocco, Souss Massa, Management, development policy
    JEL: A3 L3 M2 O1 R1 Z1
    Date: 2024–02
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crc:wpaper:2402&r=

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