scholarly journals South Africa as a Development Partner: An Empirical Analysis of the African Renaissance and International Cooperation Fund

Author(s):  
Philani Mthembu

AbstractAs South Africa looks to consolidate its role as a development partner, it remains an open question whether it can maintain a strong presence in Africa while facing significant challenges at home. With the economy struggling to grow and the government increasingly cutting back on expenditure, one has to wonder whether these cuts are translating into a reduction of its role as a development partner in Africa. With the eagerly awaited South African Development Partnership Agency in mind, this chapter examines data from the African Renaissance and International Cooperation Fund (ARF) between 2003 and 2015. It shows empirically that, despite increasing allocations and disbursements in the years following its inception, the global financial crisis and domestic challenges have taken their toll on the ARF’s activities.

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matabane T. Mohohlo ◽  
Johan H. Hall

The financial leverage-operating leverage trade-off hypothesis states that as financial leverage increases, management of firms will seek to reduce the exposure to operating leverage in an attempt to balance the overall risk profile of a firm. It is the objective of this study to test this hypothesis and ascertain whether operating leverage can indeed be added to the list of factors that determine the capital structure of South African firms. Forty-six firms listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange between 1994 and 2015 are analysed and the impact of operating leverage is determined. The results are split into two periods, that is, the period before the global financial crisis (1994–2007) and after the global financial crisis (2008–2015). The impact of operating leverage during these two periods is then compared to determine whether a change in the impact of operating leverage on the capital structure can be observed especially following the crisis. The results show that the conservative nature of South African firms leading up to 2008 persisted even after the global financial crisis. At an industry level, the results reveal that operating leverage does not have a noticeable impact on capital structure with the exception of firms in the industrials sector of the South African economy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 45-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efthalia Tabouratzi ◽  
Christos Lemonakis ◽  
Alexandros Garefalakis

The globalization and the global financial crisis provide a new extremely competitive environment for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). During the latest years, the increased number of firms’ default has generated the need of understanding the factors of firms’ default, as SMEs in periods of financial crisis suffer from lack of financial resources and expensive bank lending. We use a sample of 3600 Greek manufacturing firms (9 Sectors), covering the time period of 2003-2011 (9 years). We run a panel regression model with correction for fixed effects in both the cross-section and period dimensions using as dependent variable the calculated Z-Score of each firm, and as independent variables several financial ratios, as well as the exporting activity and the use of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS Accounting Standards).We find that firms presenting higher performance in terms of ROA and sales and higher leverage levels that enhance their liquidity as well are healthier in terms of Z-score than their less profitable counterparts and acquire lower rates of probability of default: in other words, less risk. The results of the study can lead to policy implications for both Managers and the Government in order to enhance the growth of Greek manufacturing sector.


Author(s):  
Tu T. T. Tran ◽  
Yen Thi Nguyen

Project 254 signed in November 2011 which is relating to “Restructuring the system of credit institutions in the period of 2011–2015” has been considered as a milestone in marking the Vietnamese government to prevent the influence of the financial crisis of 2008. This paper identifies hypotheses evaluating the impact of restructuring measurements on the risk of the Vietnamese’s commercial banks in 10 years, starting from 2008. Using the OLS regression method for analysis by running Eviews and ANOVA test in SPSS with a unique database of 216 observations of 31 commercial banks in Vietnam, it was found that: (i) The bail-out activities of the State Bank of Vietnam in 2015 does not influence on bank risk, (ii) The mergers and acquisitions (M&A) do not support the bank to reduce risk, it increases the risk for acquiring banks, (iii) The global crisis 2008 exerts dire consequence on the bank system in Vietnam, (iv) There is the difference of risk among the groups of the bank experiencing a different number of years of operation. Basing on this result, the paper also makes recommendations to the Government, The State Bank of Vietnam and the commercial banks for effective risk management toward the development of the Vietnamese banking system.


Author(s):  
Chika Sehoole

This article makes case of how South Africa has been able to use its laws and policies to achieve its objectives of regulating private higher education. This happened in the context of an ascendancy of neo-liberal policies which favoured deregulation and the rolling back of the state. Through these policies the government was able to protect the public even during the global financial crisis as it had registered credible and financially sound institutions which could weather off the financial crises which affected many private companies worldwide.


2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederic S Mishkin

The financial crisis of 2007 to 2009 can be divided into two distinct phases. The first and more limited phase from August 2007 to August 2008 stemmed from losses in one relatively small segment of the U.S. financial system—namely, subprime residential mortgages. Despite this disruption to financial markets, real GDP in the United States continued to rise into the second quarter of 2008, and forecasters were predicting only a mild recession. In mid-September 2008, however, the financial crisis entered a far more virulent phase. In rapid succession, the investment bank Lehman Brothers entered bankruptcy on September 15, 2008; the insurance firm AIG collapsed on September 16, 2008; there was a run on the Reserve Primary Fund money market fund on the same day; and the highly publicized struggle to pass the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) began. How did something that appeared in mid-2008 to be a significant but fairly mild financial disruption transform into a full-fledged global financial crisis? What caused this transformation? Did the government responses to the global financial crisis help avoid a worldwide depression? What challenges do these government interventions raise for the world financial system and the economy going forward?


2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anmar Pretorius ◽  
Jesse De Beer

This paper compares the South African stock markets response to two periods of distinct instability, namely the East Asian and Russian crisis of 1997-98 and the global financial crisis of 2007-09. Considering share prices, the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE) was more severely affected by the earlier crisis, when the domestic fundamentals were weaker. The low levels of foreign reserves were the main cause of concern. The paper further empirically investigates volatility spillover between the JSE and various developed and emerging stock markets during the two crisis periods, employing twelve separate bi-variate GARCH models. The main contributors to volatility spillover during the East Asian and Russian crisis were Mexico, Thailand, Brazil, and Germany predominantly emerging markets. During the second crisis period, Germany, US, Brazil, and UK played the dominant parts predominantly developed markets. The importance of Germany in both periods can be attributed to the countrys role as main export destination of South African goods in Europe.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 202-208
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Korczyc

Purpose of the study: This study aims to present the specifics of the global financial crisis, the threats it brings for Poland in the legal sphere, and possible actions to be taken in this area, particularly at the European Union and Poland level. Methodology: The article uses the historical method and the analysis of documents both at the Polish and European Union levels, including laws, regulations, and decisions. Main Findings: The scope of the financial crisis in question and its relatively easy transfer between markets entails the necessity to apply extraordinary remedial actions. Poland, through its participation in the European Union, seems to be relatively well protected against the effects of the financial crisis. However, it needs to undertake further structural reforms, in particular reforms of public finances. Applications of this study: The current study is highly significant for the government of the day in this modern world; the study could be quite effective and meaningful for Higher Education Institutions, government, banks, financial institutions. Novelty/Originality of this study: Description of the essence of the financial crisis, possibilities of its prevention - earlier possibilities of remedial actions at the institutional and legal level, possibilities of obtaining financial support, global analysis of the problem, including its causes.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document