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on Africa |
| By: | Daniel Tuki; |
| Abstract: | This study examined the effect of ethnic discrimination on Nigerians’ sense of national identification relative to ethnic identification. The regression results revealed that the experience of discrimination prompts Nigerians to prioritize their ethnic identity over their national identity. The regressions also showed that the negative effect of discrimination on national identification is larger than its positive effect on ethnic identification. These findings are robust to different operationalizations of discrimination and to the use of individual survey data covering 34 African countries. Among the Nigerian population, Igbo ethnicity increased the likelihood of individuals prioritizing their ethnic identity over their national identity, while Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani ethnicities had the opposite effect. |
| Keywords: | africa, discrimination, ethnicity, intergroup conflict, national belonging, nigeria, religion |
| JEL: | D74 J15 N74 Z12 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hic:wpaper:415 |
| By: | Ho, Sin Yu; Beri, Parfait Bihkongnyuy |
| Abstract: | Although small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) finance and technical support have become critical economic development strategies for many countries in Africa and numerous micro-level studies have examined their effects on firm performance, evidence of how SMEs impact economic growth and the causal pathways remains mixed and largely debatable. Based on different strands of the literature, this study hypothesises a nonlinear relationship between SMEs and economic growth. Regressing growth on SME data as measured by the number of newly registered businesses in 40 African countries from 2006 to 2022, we find support for a nonlinear relation of an inverted U-shape. The results suggest that African countries may pursue policies aimed at boosting SME support as a tool for macro-level development. However, the transient effects of SMEs also suggest the need to consider strategies to ensure that its effects remain positive and sustainable over the long run. While policymakers could consider country-specific studies to understand and design innovative strategies to support the SME sector, more research is required on the types of SMEs and the conditions under which they may influence growth in Africa. |
| Keywords: | Small and medium-size enterprises, SMEs, entrepreneurship, economic growth |
| JEL: | M21 O3 O4 O47 P5 P52 |
| Date: | 2024–10–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:122552 |
| By: | Dabalen, Andrew (World Bank); Paul, Saumik (University of Manchester) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines if ownership control - the share of largest owner in the firm - explains the difference in the adoption of management best practices between Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and rest-of-the-world (ROW). Using a sample of 156, 833 firms from 130 countries, of which 25, 005 are in SSA, we estimate the average management practices score in SSA and ROW as -0.096 and 0.023, respectively. The average treatment effect on management practices scores of going from less than 50 percent ownership control to full ownership control is negative, and it is comparable between SSA (-0.136) and ROW (-0.147). However, the share of sole proprietorships characterized by full ownership control is 52 percent in SSA compared to only 30 percent in ROW. A lower average of management practices score in SSA compared to ROW is largely driven by preponderance of sole proprietorship, in addition to lack of awareness about management best practices in SSA. |
| Keywords: | business practices, productivity, management, Sub-Saharan Africa |
| JEL: | D24 E25 G31 L11 O30 O47 |
| Date: | 2024–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17433 |
| By: | Scharlin-Pettee, Sophie; Admasu, Yeshwas; Alkire, Sabina |
| Abstract: | This paper examines multidimensional poverty among forcibly displaced populations and their host communities using a gendered lens. Some previous studies have explored poverty in forcibly displaced contexts, and others have looked at the relationship between multidimensional poverty and gender, but none have analysed multidimensional poverty and forced displacement from a gender perspective. A tailored measure of multidimensional poverty is applied to refugees and internally displaced populations in five Sub-Saharan African settings substantially affected by forced displacement – Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan. Our gendered analysis builds on prior analyses using the MPI, examining individual-level deprivations of women and men living in households that have been forcibly displaced and host communities, as well as synthesizing intrahousehold dynamics of multidimensional poverty in forcibly displaced communities. The results provide insights into the educational constraints of boys and girls living in households that have been displaced, the labour market inequalities experienced by men and women in these communities, and their differential access to legal documentation and employment. |
| Keywords: | multidimensional poverty; forced displacement; gender inequality; intrahousehold; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| JEL: | N0 |
| Date: | 2024–11–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:126053 |
| By: | Salman Asim; Stefan Dercon; Ravinder Gera Casley; Donna Harris |
| Abstract: | Evidence from high-income countries suggests that the quality of school leadership has measurable impacts on teacher behaviors and student learning achievement. However, there is a lack of rigorous evidence in low-income contexts, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study tests the impact on student progression and test scores of a two-year, multi-phase intervention to strengthen leadership skills for head teachers, deputy head teachers, and sub-district education officials. The intervention consists of two phases of classroom training along with follow-up visits, implemented over two years. It focuses on skills related to making more efficient use of resources; motivating and incentivizing teachers to improve performance; and curating a culture in which students and teachers are all motivated to strengthen learning. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 1, 198 schools in all districts of Malawi, providing evidence of the impact of the intervention at scale. The findings show that the intervention improved student test scores by 0.1 standard deviations, equivalent to around eight weeks of additional learning, as well as improving progression rates. The outcomes were achieved primarily as a result of improvements in the provision of remedial classes. |
| Keywords: | Education Quality; Primary School; Education Policy; Field Experiment |
| JEL: | I21 I28 C93 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:csa:wpaper:2024-05 |