scholarly journals Land Administration, Chiefs, and Governance in Ghana

2021 ◽  
pp. 21-39
Author(s):  
Kojo S. Amanor
Keyword(s):  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Capital Accumulation ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Land Administration ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Traditional Authorities ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Present Role ◽  
Governance Reforms

AbstractThis chapter examines the role of chiefs in the administration of land in Ghana within a historical framework dating back to the pre-colonial period. It examines the relationship between the dynamic of internal political factors and of international pressures for governance reforms. It argues that while present land governance reforms fit into the framework of market liberal governance reforms advocated by international financial institutions and the USA, the origins of the present role of chiefs in land administration date back to the political coalitions that came to dominance following the overthrow of Nkrumah in 1966. Although these appeal to notions of community, they are also based on a coalition of national elites with traditional authorities, which enables rural resources to be appropriated for capital accumulation with the connivance of chiefs who give legal authority to these transactions, through the customary notion that they are the owners of the land. The chiefs are closely connected with national elites, and many prominent politicians originate from chiefly families. It is argued that current reforms strengthen the process of private acquisition of land rather than the user rights of smallholders and their ability to resist expropriation.

scholarly journals Non-bank financial institutions and economic growth: Evidence from Africa’s three largest economies

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Rateiwa ◽  
Meshach J. Aziakpono
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Time Series Data ◽  
Bank Lending ◽  
Series Data ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Relationship

Background: In order for the post-2015 world development agenda – termed the sustainable development goals (SDGs) – to succeed, there is a pronounced need to ensure that available resources are used more effectively and additional financing is accessed from the private sector. Given that traditional bank lending has slowed down, the development of non-bank financing has become imperative. To this end, this article intends to empirically test the role of non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) in stimulating economic growth.Aim: The aim of this article is to empirically test the existence of a long-run equilibrium relationship between economic growth and the development of NBFIs, and the causality thereof.Setting: The empirical assessment uses time-series data from Africa’s three largest economies, namely, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa, over the period 1971–2013.Methods: This article uses the Johansen cointegration and vector error correction model within a country-specific setting.Results: The results showed that the long-run relationship between NBFI development and economic growth is relatively stronger in Egypt and South Africa, than in Nigeria. Evidence in respect of Nigeria shows that such a relationship is weak. The nature of the relationship between NBFI development and economic growth in Egypt is positive and significant, and predominantly bidirectional. This suggests that a virtuous relationship between NBFIs and economic growth exists in Egypt. In South Africa, the relationship is positive and significant and predominantly runs from NBFI development to economic growth, implying a supply-leading phenomenon. In Nigeria, the results are weak and mixed.Conclusion: The study concludes that in countries with more developed financial systems, the role of NBFIs and their importance to the economic growth process are more pronounced. Thus, there is need for developing policies targeted at developing the NBFI sector, given their potential to contribute to economic growth.

scholarly journals The role of cultural and structural factors in the explanation of marginal social position in the USA: Scopes and dilemmas

Sociologija ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-416
Author(s):  
Stefan Jankovic
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Factors ◽  
Social Position ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Historical Account ◽  
Culture Of Poverty ◽  
Behavioural Patterns ◽  
Cultural Grounding ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Relationship

The paper gives a historical account of the genesis of marginal social position explanations in the USA, with special emphasis on the characteristics, related to the generating of cultural factors in explanation. In this light, the two fundamental and interrelated concepts are being indentified - the culture of poverty and the underclass, whose conceptual genesis, in a causal manner, varies between structural and cultural grounding. Due the translation of perceived minority behavioural patterns into the dimensions used for defining the marginal social position, conceptual validity of the underclass has been heavily disputed. At the same time, dilemmas created by the implementation of cultural factors constructed in that way open up broader issues of the relationship between culture and structure, lines of determination and the possibility of a consistent explanation of marginal social position.

Collective action among rural poor

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-43
Author(s):  
George Okello Candiya Bongomin ◽  
John C. Munene ◽  
Joseph Mpeera Ntayi ◽  
Charles Akol Malinga
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Financial Intermediation ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Bootstrap Approach ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to establish the mediating role of collective action in the relationship between financial intermediation and financial inclusion of the poor in rural Uganda.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses structural equation modeling (SEM) through bootstrap approach constructed using analysis of moment structures to test for the mediating role of collective action in the relationship between financial intermediation and financial inclusion of the poor in rural Uganda. Besides, the paper adopts Baron and Kenny’s (1986) approach to establish whether conditions for mediation by collective action exist.FindingsThe results revealed that collective action significantly mediates the relationship between financial intermediation and financial inclusion of the poor in rural Uganda. The findings further indicated that the mediated model had better model fit indices than the non-mediated model under SEM bootstrap. Furthermore, the results showed that both collective action and financial intermediation have significant and direct impacts on financial inclusion of the poor in rural Uganda. Therefore, the findings suggest that the presence of collective action boost financial intermediation for improved financial inclusion of the poor in rural Uganda.Research limitations/implicationsThe study used quantitative data collected through cross-sectional research design. Further studies through the use of interviews could be adopted in future. Methodologically, the study adopted use of SEM bootstrap approach to establish the mediating effect of collective action. However, it ignored the Sobel’s test and MedGraph methods. Future studies could adopt the use of alternative methods of Sobel’s test and MedGraph. Additionally, the study focused only on semi-formal financial institutions. Hence, further studies may consider the use of data collected from formal and informal institutions.Practical implicationsPolicy makers and managers of financial institutions should consider the role of collective action in promoting economic development, especially in developing countries. They should create structures and design financial services and products that promote collective action among the poor in rural Uganda.Originality/valueAlthough several scholars have articulated financial inclusion based on both the supply and demand side factors, this is the first study to test the mediating role of collective action in the relationship between financial intermediation and financial inclusion of the poor in rural Uganda using SEM bootstrap approach. Theoretically, the study combines the role of collective action with financial intermediation to promote financial inclusion. Financial intermediation theory ignores the role played by collective action in the intermediation process between the surplus and deficit units.

A Conceptual Framework of the Relationship between Institutional Framing and Innovativeness

2015 ◽  
pp. 100-122
Author(s):  
Anna Szopa ◽  
Justyna Bandola
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Institutional Network ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter's objective is to analyze the institutional networks of the spin-off companies. To meet this objective cases of three universities are being evaluated and compared. The comparison of cases from the USA, Denmark and South Korea suggests that the institutional network has a significant impact on the development of the spin-off company. The role of different agents (for example universities) change with time during different stages of the development of the spin-off. The study suggests that there are certain similarities between different institutional networks, including the dependence on context, importance of intermediaries and similar roles of the institutions within the networks.

scholarly journals Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts’ Functional Heterogeneity in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Awaji ◽  
Rakesh Singh
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Adverse Outcome ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Cancer Associated Fibroblasts ◽  
Functional Heterogeneity ◽  
Paracrine Factors ◽  
Myofibroblast Phenotype ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Relationship

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the USA. Desmoplasia and inflammation are two major hallmarks of PDAC. Desmoplasia, composed of extracellular matrix (ECM), cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and infiltrating immune and endothelial cells, acts as a biophysical barrier to hinder chemotherapy and actively contributes to tumor progression and metastasis. CAFs represent a multifunctional subset of PDAC microenvironment and contribute to tumor initiation and progression through ECM deposition and remodeling, as well as the secretion of paracrine factors. Attempts to resolve desmoplasia by targeting CAFs can render an adverse outcome, which is likely due to CAFs heterogeneity. Recent reports describe subsets of CAFs that assume more secretory functions, in addition to the typical myofibroblast phenotype. Here, we review the literature and describe the relationship between CAFs and inflammation and the role of the secretory-CAFs in PDAC.

Interdisciplinary organization as a basic academic unit?

2020 ◽  
pp. 095042222095695
Author(s):  
Liu Yang ◽  
Ekaterina Albats ◽  
Henry Etzkowitz
Keyword(s):  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Start Up ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Departmental Chairs ◽  
Zero Sum ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
University Industry

Academic interdisciplinarity has become a powerful means of addressing challenges facing contemporary society as well as offering opportunities to advance knowledge. To better understand the role of university interdisciplinary organizations (IDOs), the authors studied 18 IDOs at Stanford University in the USA. They propose that IDOs not only enhance researchers’ interdisciplinary collaboration but, counterintuitively, also serve departmental and disciplinary interests. While IDOs are traditionally believed to threaten traditional disciplinary departments, the authors find a “more the more” dynamic in which, by bringing shared university resources and faculty to bear on new themes, significant new resources are generated to the benefit of both actors. Traditionally, the relationship between departments and IDOs has been seen as a zero-sum game with winners and losers. This research suggests, to the contrary, a win–win dynamic in which the two formats are mediated by the research group. Some faculty members are alternately departmental chairs and IDO organizers as well as start-up founders, industrial consultants and holders of high governmental advisory positions during their careers, integrating Triple Helix university–industry–government interactions with IDOs and IDOs with departments. The authors examine how these two entities coexist and benefit one another in a cooperative academic ecosystem and consider the implications for the future of the university.

THE ROLE OF THE UNITED STATES IN RESOLVING THE FIRST NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR CRISIS

2021 ◽  
pp. 32-38
Author(s):  
Radmila S. Ayriyan ◽  
Anastasia A. Komarova
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Nuclear Program ◽  
Nuclear Problem ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Nuclear Crisis ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

The article examines the relationship between the United States and the DPRK during the first North Korean nuclear crisis. It discusses the events leading up to the crisis and the behavior of both sides and international organizations before and during the crisis. The article draws up the role of South Korea during the escalation of the crisis, as well as influence of other countries interested in resolving the crisis. It analyzes the U.S.-North Korea relationship and the impact of the UN and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the international situation at that time. In this aspect, the study of the Korean nuclear program and the role of the United States has not previously been carried out in Russian historiography. The discussion leads to the design and stages of the KEDO creation with attention to the documents on this international consortium. The situation demonstrates different visions on the USA foreign policy strategy chosen in relation to the DPRK nuclear problem in 1990s, namely the opinion of the United States diplomats working on relations with the DPRK, and American researchers in humanities and technology. The paper concludes with the reasons of the Framework Agreements’ failure that led to the crises.

Regulatory relationships and incentives: from Riggs Bank to HSBC

2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 729-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick John O’Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Financial Institution ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Regulatory Relationship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The One ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The aim of the paper is to examine what type of relationship existed between the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and Riggs Bank in respect of anti-money laundering (AML) compliance. Different commentators have established certain trends in the interaction between a regulator and a regulated entity, and this paper seeks to apply these findings to the relationship between the OCC and Riggs Bank and ascertain where this example lies in the wider domain of regulatory relationships. The paper then examines whether the relationship between the OCC and HSBC United States was similar to the one between the OCC and Riggs Bank or did the regulator adopt a more aggressive supervisory stance. Throughout this work, there is also a focus on the underlying incentives which may adversely affect how a financial institution interacts with a financial regulator and possible solutions to this problem proposed. Design/methodology/approach Research undertaken by commentators was assessed and their findings as the different regulatory relationships that may develop between a regulator and a regulated entity were applied to the interactions between the OCC and two different financial institutions, namely, Riggs Bank and HSBC United States. Examples from the Senate Subcommittee Reports into the AML failings into these financial institutions were examined through the prism of pre-existing regulatory relationship categories. Findings The paper ultimately concludes that the OCC was far too passive in its interactions with both Riggs Bank and HSBC United States and that the primary underlying motivations for both institutions were profit- rather than compliance-led. Research limitations/implications One of the main limitations to this research was the absence of direct input from either personnel from the banking sector in the USA or of regulators from the same jurisdiction. Practical implications This paper proposes a number of practical solutions to recast the relationship between financial regulators and regulated institutions away from the former deferring to the latter to one where the former dictates to the latter. Originality/value This paper seeks to examine an actual regulatory relationship between a financial regulator and two different institutions that is reported in the public domain by applying pre-existing academic research on question of regulatory relationships and see how the practice differs or corresponds with the theory.

Living in a tinderbox: wildfire risk perceptions and mitigating behaviours

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Champ ◽  
Geoffrey H. Donovan ◽  
Christopher M. Barth
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Wildfire Risk ◽  
Prone Area ◽  
The Usa ◽  
In Fire ◽  
The Relationship

The loss of homes to wildfires is an important issue in the USA and other countries. Yet many homeowners living in fire-prone areas do not undertake mitigating actions, such as clearing vegetation, to decrease the risk of losing their home. To better understand the complexity of wildfire risk-mitigation decisions and the role of perceived risk, we conducted a survey of homeowners in a fire-prone area of the front range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. We examine the relationship between perceived wildfire risk ratings and risk-mitigating behaviours in two ways. First, we model wildfire risk-mitigation behaviours as a function of perceived risk. Then, we model wildfire risk-mitigation behaviours and perceived risk simultaneously. The results of the simultaneous model suggest that perceived risk and wildfire risk-mitigating behaviours are jointly determined. By correctly specifying the relationship between risk perceptions and mitigating behaviours, we are better able to understand the relationship between other factors, such as exposure to a wildfire-mitigation program and wildfire risk-mitigating behaviours. We also find that having a wood roof, as well as homeowner age, income and previous experience with living in a fire-prone area, are associated with wildfire risk-mitigating behaviours.

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