scholarly journals Dimensions of distance

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Babalwa Nonkenge ◽  
John Manuel Luiz
Keyword(s):  
International Business ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Business Networks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Relations ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to examine how distance manifests in terms of air passenger transport links between countries and focuses on the 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It asks to what extent do existing flight connections reflect economic relations between countries, and if so, do they represent past, current or future relations? It asks whether the impact of distance is similar for all countries and at different stages of development. Design/methodology/approach Passenger flight connection data were extracted to generate map images and flight frequencies to observe interrelationships between different locations and to observe emerging patterns. The paper uses ESRI’s ArcGIS software to visualise all these data into maps. Findings SSA is poorly connected both intra- and inter-continentally. Cultural and historical ties dominate and elements of historical determinism appear within flight connections in SSA reflecting the biases associated with colonialism. Larger economies in SSA are less dependent on these past ties, and their flight connections reveal a greater level of diversity and interests. SSA has generally been slow to develop flight routings to the new emerging markets. Originality/value Its contribution lies not only in examining these flight patterns for an under-researched region but also in aiding future work on SSA and its integration into the global economy and international business networks. It argues that whilst distance matters, how it matters varies.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Rhys Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Economic Relations ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Direct And Indirect Impacts ◽  
Indirect Impacts ◽  
The Impact

This is a brief introduction to the re-emergence of China as a global economic power, emphasizing the role played by changes in the global economy from the 1970s and the internal reforms in China from the end of the 1970s. It describes briefly the importance of economic relations with China for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and introduces contrasting views of the impact of China on SSA and LAC. It emphasizes a framework which highlights both the direct and indirect impacts of China on the two regions, and identifies both positive and negative effects. It provides an outline of the main parts and chapters of the book.

A critical analysis of water PPP failures in sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Salman Tariq ◽  
Xueqing Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Construction Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rigorous Approach ◽  
First Case ◽  
Management Perspective ◽  
Sub Saharan

PurposeTop-down pressure from donors, public sector inefficiencies and fund deficits have steered the introduction of public–private partnerships (PPPs) in sub-Saharan Africa. However, PPP activities in the water sector have been quite insignificant compared to other infrastructure sectors in this region. In addition, a number of water PPPs have encountered great difficulties and subsequent failures. This study aims at unveiling the underlying reasons behind failures.Design/methodology/approachThis study has classified the failure types of water PPPs and reviewed the development of water PPPs in sub-Saharan Africa to identify failed ones. Eight failed case studies are completed through the rigorous approach of event sequence mapping.FindingsNine root causes of water PPP failure are identified through a thorough examination of these failed water PPP cases and the interrelationships between these failure causes are established. The failure causes are further generalized through literature focusing on water PPP failures in developing countries and problematic issues that hinder the implementation of successful water PPPs across different Sub-Saharan African countries. Recommendations are provided for future improvements in carrying out water PPPs in Sub-Saharan Africa by learning past lessons and drawing experiences.Originality/valueThis is the first case study on water PPP failures in Sub-Saharan Africa from a construction management perspective. This study will help governments and the private sector in developing stronger future water PPPs.

China’s Economic Expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa

2018 ◽  
pp. 113-148
Author(s):  
Rhys Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Economic Expansion ◽  
Economic Relations ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Engineering Projects

The chapter documents the growth of economic relations between China and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), focussing on trade, foreign direct investment, Chinese construction and engineering projects, loans, and aid. The chapter highlights the way in which these are sometimes combined in resources-for-infrastructure deals. It shows the variety of different actors involved in these relationships, including state and non-state actors, on both the Chinese and African sides. It then discusses the role of strategic diplomatic, strategic economic, and commercial objectives in the growing Chinese involvement in SSA. It also addresses questions of African agency and the interests of African actors in economic relations with China. The impact of political, strategic economic and commercial factors on different types of economic relations is then analyzed econometrically.

“Does the poor matter” in pro-poor driven sub-Saharan African cities? towards progressive and inclusive pro-poor tourism

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 392-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regis Musavengane ◽  
Pius Siakwah ◽  
Llewellyn Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Urban Tourism ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
African Cities ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to question the extent to which Sub-Saharan African cities are progressing towards promoting pro-poor economies through pro-poor tourism (PPT). It specifically examines how African cities are resilient towards attaining sustainable urban tourism destinations in light of high urbanization. Design/methodology/approach The methodological framework is interpretive in nature and qualitative in an operational form. It uses meta-synthesis to evaluate the causal relationships observed within Sub-Saharan African pro-poor economies to enhance PPT approaches, using Accra, Ghana, Johannesburg, South Africa, and Harare, Zimbabwe, as case studies. Findings Tourism development in Sub-Saharan Africa has been dominantly underpinned by neoliberal development strategies which threaten the sustainability of tourism in African cities. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to three Sub-Saharan African countries. Further studies may need to be done in other developing countries. Practical implications It argues for good governance through sustainability institutionalization which strengthens the regulative mechanisms, processes and organizational culture. Inclusive tourism approaches that are resilient-centered have the potential to promote urban tourism in Sub-Saharan African cities. These findings contribute to the building of strong and inclusive Institutions for Sustainable Development in the Sub-Saharan African cities to alleviate poverty. Social implications These findings contribute to the building of strong and inclusive institutions for sustainable development in the Sub-Saharan African cities to alleviate poverty. Originality/value The “poor” are always within the communities, and it takes a community to minimise the impact of poverty among the populace. The study is conducted at a pertinent time when most African government’s development policies are pro-poor driven. Though African cities provide opportunities of growth, they are regarded as centres of high inequality.

Innovation, institutions and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa – an IV estimation of a panel threshold model

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Ato Forson ◽  
Rosemary Afrakomah Opoku ◽  
Michael Owusu Appiah ◽  
Evans Kyeremeh ◽  
Ibrahim Anyass Ahmed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Innovation Policy ◽  
Threshold Model ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Panel Regressions ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe significant impact of innovation in stimulating economic growth cannot be overemphasized, more importantly from policy perspective. For this reason, the relationship between innovation and economic growth in developing economies such as the ones in Africa has remained topical. Yet, innovation as a concept is multi-dimensional and cannot be measured by just one single variable. With hindsight of the traditional measures of innovation in literature, we augment it with the number of scientific journals published in the region to enrich this discourse.Design/methodology/approachWe focus on an approach that explores innovation policy qualitatively from various policy documents of selected countries in the region from three policy perspectives (i.e. institutional framework, financing and diffusion and interaction). We further investigate whether innovation as perceived differently is important for economic growth in 25 economies in sub-Saharan Africa over the period 1990–2016. Instrumental variable estimation of a threshold regression is used to capture the contributions of innovation as a multi-dimensional concept on economic growth, while dealing with endogeneity between the regressors and error term.FindingsThe results from both traditional panel regressions and IV panel threshold regressions show a positive relationship between innovation and economic growth, although the impact seems negligible. Institutional quality dampens innovation among low-regime economies, and the relation is persistent regardless of when the focus is on aggregate or decomposed institutional factors. The impact of innovation on economic growth in most regressions is robust to different dimensions of innovation. Yet, the coefficients of the innovation variables in the two regimes are quite dissimilar. While most countries in the region have offered financial support in the form of budgetary allocations to strengthen institutions, barriers to the design and implementation of innovation policies may be responsible for the sluggish contribution of innovation to the growth pattern of the region.Originality/valueSegregating economies of Africa into two distinct regimes based on a threshold of investment in education as a share of GDP in order to understand the relationship between innovation and economic growth is quite novel. This lends credence to the fact that innovation as a multifaceted concept does not take place by chance – it is carefully planned. We have enriched the discourse of innovation and thus helped in deepening understanding on this contentious subject.

Does economic freedom improve health outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa?

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 1633-1649
Author(s):  
Anand Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Economic Freedom ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of economic freedom on four key health indicators (namely, life expectancy, infant mortality rate, under-five mortality rate and neonatal mortality rate) by using a panel dataset of 34 sub-Saharan African countries from 2005 to 2016.Design/methodology/approachThe study obtains data from the World Development Indicators (WDI) of the World Bank and the Fraser Institute. It uses fixed effects regression to estimate the effect of economic freedom on health outcomes and attempts to resolve the endogeneity problems by using two-stage least squares regression (2SLS).FindingsThe results indicate a favourable impact of economic freedom on health outcomes. That is, higher levels of economic freedom reduce mortality rates and increase life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa. All areas of economic freedom, except government size, have a significant and positive effect on health outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThis study analyses the effect of economic freedom on health at a broad level. Country-specific studies at a disaggregated level may provide additional information about the impact of economic freedom on health outcomes. Also, this study does not control for some important variables such as education, income inequality and foreign aid due to data constraints.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that sub-Saharan African countries should focus on enhancing the quality of economic institutions to improve their health outcomes. This may include policy reforms that support a robust legal system, protect property rights, promote free trade and stabilise the macroeconomic environment. In addition, policies that raise urbanisation, increase immunisation and lower the incidence of HIV are likely to produce a substantial improvement in health outcomes.Originality/valueExtant economic freedom-health literature does not focus on endogeneity problems. This study uses instrumental variables regression to deal with endogeneity. Also, this is one of the first attempts to empirically investigate the relationship between economic freedom and health in the case of sub-Saharan Africa.

El Nino spells multiple humanitarian crises for Africa

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Weather System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Crises ◽  
Cocoa Production ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

Subject Outlook for El Nino in sub-Saharan Africa. Significance The current El Nino weather system, one of the three strongest since 1950, is causing drought in some areas and flooding in others. Past instances have resulted in significant drops in agricultural production, livestock deaths, infrastructure damage and lost income. Together with likely higher incidence of disease, similar effects could trigger humanitarian crises across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Impacts Poor sanitation infrastructure in many major SSA cities will facilitate the spread of water-borne diseases such as cholera. In Southern Africa, strong institutions overseeing intra-regional water sharing will limit prospects for diplomatic disputes over water. Unusual rain and wind patterns in West Africa could curb cocoa production, creating shortages that will push up global prices. Likely lower agricultural output across SSA will compound the impact of low commodity prices on cooling GDP growth.

Nutrition and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa: a causality test using panel data

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-189
Author(s):  
Kolawole Ogundari ◽  
Adebayo Aromolaran
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Dynamic Panel ◽  
Causality Test ◽  
Panel Causality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Causality Tests ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Sub Saharan

Purpose This study aims to investigate the causal relationship between nutrition and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. Design/methodology/approach A dynamic panel causality test based on the Blundell-Bond’s system generalized methods-of-moment was used. To make efficient inference for the estimates, the authors check for the panel unit root and co-integration relationship amongst the variables. Findings The variables were found to be non-stationary at level, stationary after first difference and co-integrated. The results of the causality tests reveal evidence of long and short-run bidirectional causality between nutrition and economic growth, which implies that nutritional improvement is a cause and consequence of economic growth and vice versa. Originality/value This is the first study to consider causality between nutrition and economic growth in the region.

Impact of globalization on human rights: evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 1453-1480
Author(s):  
Aman Takiyar ◽  
N.V.M. Rao
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Political Dimension ◽  
Economic Dimension ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of globalization and its multiple dimensions on human rights in Sub-Saharan Africa.Design/methodology/approachThe study extends the Poe and Tate (1994) model, which enumerates the various determinants of human rights. Ordered probit estimation is used to estimate the impact of globalization and its dimensions. For the purpose of empirical analysis, the period has been divided into three phases: short, medium and long term. This helps in understanding how the impact of the different dimensions of globalization has evolved over a period of time. Furthermore, analysis has been carried out to detect causality between human rights and globalization.FindingsAs per the results, overall globalization and social dimension of globalization do have a positive impact on human rights in long and medium term and, also, Granger-cause human rights. The political dimension of globalization has a positive relation with human rights, though there exists no causality between the two. On the other hand, the economic dimension of globalization fails to have a statistically significant impact on human rights. Impact of the social dimension of globalization dominates that of other dimensions of globalization.Originality/valueThis is one of the few studies that examine, in an empirical fashion, the impact of globalization on human rights in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Trade liberalization and technology absorption in a less developing country context

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-170
Author(s):  
Alamedin Bannaga
Keyword(s):  
Trade Liberalization ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Panel Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Technology Absorption ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The paper aims to investigate the relationship between trade liberalization and technology absorption in a less developing country context. The objective is to empirically test the relationship between these two variables. This analysis was conducted in Sub-Saharan African economies. Design/methodology/approach – A panel regression of 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa was estimated based on a model that takes into account both trade policy and non-policy factors affecting technology absorption. Findings – A positive and significant relationship was found between trade liberalization and technology absorption. This relationship is valid across a variety of model specifications, technology absorption proxies and estimation techniques. Moreover, non-policy factors such as geographical spillover play significant role in technology absorption. Originality/value – The paper examines the link between the trade liberalization and the technology absorption in Sub-Saharan Africa. The analysis is empirical in nature and builds on panel estimations. The novelty of the paper comes from the topic investigated and the focus on a region which has not attracted much attention in the literature.

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