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on Africa |
| By: | Martyshev, Pavlo; Grigoriadis, Theocharis; Nivievskyi, Oleg; Kolodiazhnyi, Ivan |
| Abstract: | The weaponization of agricultural trade has once again emerged as critical in the study of modern geopolitics due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Although Russia has used its wheat exports as a means of enhancing its geopolitical influence over countries in the Global South, evidence on the impact of such a policy is scarce. This paper assesses the impact of reliance on Russian and Ukrainian wheat imports on food security and political development in sub-Saharan African countries. The panel data for the analysis come from 35 African countries between 2005 and 2024. The Bartik-style shift-share instrumental variables (IV) model utilizes exogenous variables derived from the historical shares of wheat that African countries imported from Russia and Ukraine multiplied by the export contractions caused by geopolitical conflicts in 2014 (Crimea annexation) and 2022 (full-scale invasion of Ukraine). The dependence on Russian wheat has had a uniquely adverse impact upon the development of sub-Saharan Africa, whereas this has not been the case for the dependence on Ukrainian wheat. Prior to 2022, the dependence on Russian wheat had no significant impact upon the reduction of undernourishment in Africa, but had a significant impact on the rise of political instability. After 2022, though, the Russian wheat played a crucial role in the food insecurity within the region. While democratic indices remained unaffected by Russian wheat, other geopolitical factors such as U.S. development aid and Chinese development finance were not able to counter the negative effects of Russian wheat exports. Our findings identify an independent vector of autocratic influence enabled through Russian agricultural exports. For sustainable political development within sub-Saharan Africa, the diversification of staple food suppliers is urgently required. |
| Keywords: | development, food security, political stability, democracy, wheat, Russia, Africa |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:fubsbe:340110 |
| By: | Azzeddine Allioui (ESCA Ecole de Management, Morocco) |
| Abstract: | The resilience of family businesses in Africa during crises is often attributed to their ability to blend tradition with innovation, leveraging the strengths of their leadership to navigate uncertainty. Within this context, female leaders are emerging as pivotal figures, bringing distinctive emotional intelligence and innovative crisis-management approaches to crisis management. This study examines the extent to which female leadership, through proactive emotional management, fosters innovation and effective crisis resolution in African family businesses. Drawing insights from 33 semi-structured interviews with female leaders, family business members, and crisis management experts, the research highlights how emotional regulation, empathy, and collaborative decision-making contribute to addressing crises while ensuring organizational sustainability. The findings reveal that female leaders harness their socioemotional strengths to build trust, inspire teams, and innovate under pressure, creating pathways for resilience and long-term success. By exploring these dynamics, the study provides theoretical and practical contributions to understanding the role of gendered leadership in shaping the future of family businesses in Africa. |
| Keywords: | Female Leadership, Family Businesses, Crisis Management, Emotional Intelligence, Organizational Sustainability, African Business, Gendered Leadership, Resilience Strategies |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:smo:raiswp:0627 |
| By: | Mr. Antonio David; Elisee Wendlassida Miningou; Rasmané Ouedraogo; Makoto Tanaka; Alex Vaval Pierre-Charles |
| Abstract: | This paper quantifies the effects of increases in military expenditures on education and health spending using local projections and different strategies to identify exogenous changes in military spending based on data for 33 sub-Saharan African (SSA) economies over the period 1990-2023. Specifications with shocks identified through military spending surges and through a fiscal reaction function yield mixed results that typically are neither economically nor statistically significant. But instrumental variables estimates that tackle endogeneity concerns indicate that a one-standard-deviation increase in the share of military spending in total government expenditure reduces the shares of education and health spending by about 1 percentage point over the medium-term. The crowding-out effects tend to materialize sooner for health expenditures, likely because they have a larger discretionary component, while education spending is marked by rigidities. In addition, we find that military spending shocks tend to crowd-out health expenditures when access to international aid is limited, while there is no evidence of crowding-out when aid is relatively amply available. In contrast, it appears that overall debt levels and the state of the business cycle are not significant factors in determining the extent of crowding-out effects of military expenditure. |
| Keywords: | Military Spending; Crowding-Out; Social Spending; Sub-Saharan Africa; crowding-out effect; spending shock; IMF working papers; spending response; spending surge; development spending; Defense spending; Health care spending; Education spending; Africa; Global; Southern Africa |
| Date: | 2026–04–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2026/069 |
| By: | Azzeddine Allioui (ESCA Ecole de Management, Morocco) |
| Abstract: | Climate change poses rising threats to family enterprises, compromising their operational continuity and financial stability as well. This paper investigates how these companies may create resilience plans to lower these risks while preserving financial success. This paper emphasizes the need for adaptive governance, long-term planning, and sustainable practices by means of a qualitative technique grounded on 33 semi-structured interviews with owners and managers of family companies. The results imply that family companies that are highly committed to environmental, social, and governance standards are more suited to negotiate climate-related problems. This study advances knowledge of how family firms could be resilient at a time of environmental instability by means of analysis of their experiences and strategic approaches. Our findings emphasize the requirement of proactive risk management and ongoing adaptation in order to strike sustainability with financial goals. |
| Keywords: | Family Business, Resilience, Climate Change, Financial Performance, Sustainability, ESG Standards |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:smo:raiswp:0641 |
| By: | Matungulu T., Bienvenu; De Herdt, Tom; Kaghoma, Kamala C. |
| Abstract: | This study questions the �stylized fact� (Olken & Singhal, 2011) that informal taxes are redistributive yet regressive by analyzing the redistributive nature of informal taxes in the education sector in the DRC. Although it has been argued that informal taxes, like other indirect taxes, are regressive since they disproportionately affect low-income families, we f ind that informal taxes are progressively distributed in the case of education sector in the DRC, with the 20% richest households paying four-fifths of the total tax burden in the sector. Although being progressive in the income space, informal taxation cannot be considered �fair� or �equitable� however: the richer households are financing a disproportionally higher part of total education costs, both because children of poorer households drop out of school earlier and because richer households can pay for higher quality schools. The redistributive nature of informal taxes disappears after controlling for both effects. |
| Keywords: | informal taxes, progressivity/regressiveness, access, quality education, DRC, DR Congo |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iob:dpaper:202502 |