scholarly journals Crime and social media

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 1215-1233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simplice Asongu ◽  
Jacinta Nwachukwu ◽  
Stella-Maris Orim ◽  
Chris Pyke
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Quantile Regressions ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Income Levels ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Development Outcomes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to complement the scant macroeconomic literature on the development outcomes of social media by examining the relationship between Facebook penetration and violent crime levels in a cross-section of 148 countries for the year 2012.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical evidence is based on ordinary least squares (OLS), Tobit and quantile regressions. In order to respond to policy concerns on the limited evidence on the consequences of social media in developing countries, the data set is disaggregated into regions and income levels. The decomposition by income levels included: low income, lower middle income, upper middle income and high income. The corresponding regions include: Europe and Central Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.FindingsFrom OLS and Tobit regressions, there is a negative relationship between Facebook penetration and crime. However, quantile regressions reveal that the established negative relationship is noticeable exclusively in the 90th crime quantile. Further, when the data set is decomposed into regions and income levels, the negative relationship is evident in the MENA while a positive relationship is confirmed for Sub-Saharan Africa. Policy implications are discussed.Originality/valueStudies on the development outcomes of social media are sparse because of a lack of reliable macroeconomic data on social media. This study primarily complemented three existing studies that have leveraged on a newly available data set on Facebook.

scholarly journals Inclusive human development in sub-Saharan Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-200
Author(s):  
Simplice Asongu ◽  
Joseph Nnanna
Keyword(s):  
Human Development ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Inclusive Development ◽  
Economic Governance ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Income Levels ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Political Governance

Purpose This study aims to assess the role of income levels (low and middle) in modulating governance (political and economic) to influence inclusive human development. Design/methodology/approach The empirical evidence is based on interactive quantile regressions and 49 countries in sub-Saharan Africa for the period 2000-2002. Findings The following main findings are established. Firstly, low income modulates governance (economic and political) to positively affect inclusive human development exclusively in countries with above-median levels of inclusive human development. It follows that countries with averagely higher levels of inclusive human development are more likely to benefit from the relevance of income levels in influencing governance for inclusive development. Secondly, the importance of middle income in modulating political governance to positively affect inclusive human development is apparent exclusively in the median while the relevance of middle income in moderating economic governance to positively influence inclusive human development is significantly apparent in the 10th and 75th quantiles. Thirdly, regardless of panels, income levels modulate economic governance to affect inclusive human development at a higher magnitude, compared to political governance. Policy implications are discussed in light of the post-2015 agenda of sustainable development goals and contemporary development paradigms. Originality/value This study complements the extant sparse literature on inclusive human development in Africa.

Does credit market inefficiency affect technology adoption? Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 494-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul-Hanan Abdallah
Keyword(s):  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Credit Market ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
Agricultural Technologies ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Unique Data ◽  
Market Inefficiency ◽  
Sub Saharan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors affecting the adoption of agricultural technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa, specifically the role of credit market inefficiency in adoption of agricultural technologies in the region. Design/methodology/approach Most importantly, the paper applies a 2SLS model on a unique data set on nine agrarian countries from Sub-Saharan Africa’s intensification of food crops agriculture (Afrint) to provide evidence on how credit market inefficiency affects adoption of technologies in the sub region. Findings The study finds that the relationship between credit and technology adoption is one-way causal relation (i.e. credit access leads to technology adoption) as opposed to a two-way relation (i.e. mutual dependent relation). Further, the results indicate that credit market inefficiency can be a major barrier to the adoption of yield enhancing technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Further, the study showed mixed results for household variables. The results give credence to studies that highlight the importance of infrastructure and risk control in the adoption of new technologies. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to only nine countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, the findings and interpretations should be considered as such. Further, there is the need for further research that considers all the region so as to establish whether or not there is a relationship between credit market inefficiencies and technology adoption in the region. Practical implications The policy implication is that microfinance institutions should consider scaling up their credit services to ensure that more households benefit from it, and in so doing technology adoption will be enhanced. Originality/value The main contribution of the study lies in its use of a unique data set from Sub-Saharan Africa’s intensification of food crops agriculture (Afrint) to investigation relationship between credit market inefficiency and technology adoption.

scholarly journals Tourism and social media in the world: an empirical investigation

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 1319-1331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simplice Asongu ◽  
Nicholas M. Odhiambo
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Development Outcomes ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between tourism and social media from a cross section of 138 countries with data for the year 2012. Design/methodology/approach The empirical evidence is based on Ordinary Least Squares, Negative Binomial and Quantile Regressions. Findings Two main findings are established. First, there is a positive relationship between Facebook penetration and the number of tourist arrivals. Second, Facebook penetration is more relevant in promoting tourist arrivals in countries where initial levels in tourist arrivals are the highest and low. The established positive relationship can be elucidated from four principal angles: the transformation of travel research, the rise in social sharing, improvements in customer service and the reshaping of travel agencies. Originality/value This study explores a new data set on social media. There are very few empirical studies on the relevance of social media in development outcomes.

What determines financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa?

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sydney Chikalipah
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
World Bank ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Ssa Countries

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of financial inclusion (FI) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Design/methodology/approach The paper uses the World Bank country-level data from 20 SSA countries for the year 2014. Findings The empirical findings in this study indicate that illiteracy is the major hindrance to FI in SSA. The findings provide useful information to government agencies and international development organisations. Also, the findings can help accelerate and strengthen FI strategies among SSA countries. Research limitations/implications Some countries were excluded from the final analysis due to lack of data. Practical implications In the last two decades, there has been renewed interest in fighting financial exclusion in Africa. Therefore, this study provide evidence which clearly shows that enhancing literacy levels in a country can immensely contribute towards building the financially inclusive societies in the SSA region. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to empirically test the determinants of FI in SSA using the World Bank FI data set. Furthermore, this is the first attempt to estimate the determinants of FI with a combined data of SSA countries.

Political anxiety over social media in Africa to grow

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Presidential Elections ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Virtual Private Networks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Sub Saharan

Subject Outlook for social media in sub-Saharan Africa. Significance Across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in recent months, several high-profile protests have been coordinated using social media platforms, including the #ThisFlag demonstrations in Zimbabwe and opposition unrest following Uganda's presidential elections. This is spurring governments to tighten rules governing online platforms and content, and block platforms such as Twitter and Whatsapp. Impacts Opposition activists will increase use of virtual private networks to circumvent blocks on censored websites. Initiatives such as the Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation will help governments to police online content. Nevertheless, some Western donors will continue to sponsor initiatives, such as radio call-in shows, encouraging free speech. Clampdowns on social media will mainly affect political mobilisation in urban areas, for now, given poor rural internet penetration. Unit and subscription-related costs for web-enabled phones will continue to fall, increasing social media usage.

Slow reform may hurt West African monetary bloc's rise

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Integration ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
West African ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Economic And Monetary Union ◽  
The West ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Income Status ◽  
Sub Saharan

Subject Prospects for the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) Significance Economic growth in WAEMU reached 6.1% in 2016, outperforming peer regional blocs including its closest rival, the East Africa Community (EAC), which (excluding South Sudan) grew by 5.8%. However, business environment reforms lag those of the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, which could dampen longer-term growth. Impacts Despite recent progress, growth rates need to increase above 7% for at least 20 years for the zone to reach middle-income status. The structural depreciation of Nigeria's naira could erode regional integration as importing within the zone becomes more expensive. Security fears in Ivory Coast could shift investors' focus to Senegal -- despite Yamoussoukro's recent eurobond success.

scholarly journals New Technologies Create Opportunities

2018 ◽  
pp. 27-47
Author(s):  
Sally Murray
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Advantage ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Middle Income Country ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Energy Prices ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Income Levels ◽  
Sub Saharan

Manufacturing sector growth is a well-trodden path from lower- to middle-income country status, yet its performance in sub-Saharan Africa has been weak. Scholars have opined that a weak comparative advantage in manufacturing is likely to stunt Africa’s development, and others that Industry 4.0 will deepen that disadvantage further. This chapter discusses how new technologies can be positively disruptive—to overcome drivers of weak comparative advantage in manufacturing, create new opportunities in ‘industries without smokestacks’ such as service exports, and raise living standards at given income levels. Technology can help to bring down the costs of living to make wages competitive, bridge and overcome gaps in human capital, make energy prices competitive, and overcome distances between producers and consumers. However, new technologies will not deliver these gains unaided: supportive policies are required to create an environment where these new technologies can deliver on their potential, and these are also discussed.

What determines bank interest rate spread? Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Kipkirong Tarus ◽  
Philip Otieno Manyala
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rate ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Institutional Variables ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Interest Rate Spread ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Interest Rate

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of bank interest rate spread in Sub-Saharan African countries, which were categorized into macro-specific, bank-specific and institutional variables. Design/methodology/approach The authors used fixed effects estimations to analyze the data. The data were drawn from a pool of 20 Sub-Saharan African countries for a period of ten years spanning 2003–2012. The countries were categorized into low-income, lower middle-income and upper middle-income countries based on World Bank income classifications. Findings The results show that inflation has a negative and significant effect on interest rate spread, while operating costs and bank concentration have a positive and significant effect on interest rate spread. Similarly, government effectiveness, rule of law and political stability are negatively related to the interest rate spread. Practical implications The paper provides evidence that interest rate spread is determined by both bank-specific, macro-economic and institutional variables. The paper also indicates that the income status of a country is important in explaining the variations in the interest rate spread across the region. Therefore, the policy makers should design policies that take into account the variables in order to help in planning by all economic agents, including banks. Originality/value The paper uses data from Sub-Saharan Africa and introduces institutional variables in the model, which have been found to be critical in the context.

Twitter and Olympics

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 370-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Li ◽  
Olan K.M. Scott ◽  
Stephen W. Dittmore
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Olympic Games ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Media Messages ◽  
Demand Theory ◽  
Significant Negative Relationship ◽  
Tv Broadcasting

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how Olympic audiences utilized Twitter to follow American National Governing Bodies (NGBs) during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.Design/methodology/approachGuided by economic demand theory, the researchers sought to explore whether factors such as the content of social media messages, athlete’s performance, event presentation, scheduling, and TV broadcasting contribute to enhancing fans’ interests in following NGBs on Twitter during the Olympic Games. In total, 33 American NGB Twitter accounts formed the data set for this study. Each of NGBs’ Twitter data was collected every night at midnight from August 7 to 23, 2016. Data collected from each NGB account included number of followers, number of accounts followed, number of tweets, and number of “likes.”FindingsResults of this study revealed that team’s performance and the number of tweets had direct and positive relationships with increasing the number of NGB’s Twitter followers on each competition day. The number of “likes,” however, had a significant negative relationship with fans’ interests in following NGBs’ Twitter.Originality/valueThe results of the study are expected to help Governing Bodies in the Olympic sports have a better understanding of fans’ social media usage.

Entrepreneurship in microfranchising: an emerging market perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harrison Esam Awuh ◽  
Marleen Dekker
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Market ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
Doing Business ◽  
Fertile Ground ◽  
Sub Saharan

Purpose Building on the limitations of the efforts of aid agencies and non-governmental organisations to pull the poor out of poverty in low- and middle-income countries and declining opportunities for market expansion in high-income countries, microfranchising is being promoted as a pro-poor business model, which promotes entrepreneurship. Sub-Saharan Africa has become a fertile ground for the propagation of this model. However, contemporary studies on microfranchising have not sufficiently explored what motivates people to turn to this method of doing business. Design/methodology/approach Through the case of a microfranchise in Ghana (FanMilk), the purpose of this paper is to use qualitative methods to study motivations for engaging in entrepreneurship ventures in a microfranchise. Findings The findings reveal whether motivations for becoming microfranchise entrepreneurs change over time or are varied, and these changes are moderated by changing opportunities, challenges and demographic factors. Originality/value These findings contribute to knowledge on microfranchising in terms of theory, policy and practice. The findings also seek to stimulate further inquiry into microfranchising and its ability to create value for multiple parties when operating in emerging markets such as Africa.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document