Savings-investment-financial development trilogy: evidence from SSA

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-33
Author(s):  
Ibrahim D. Raheem ◽  
Mutiu Abimbola Oyinlola

Purpose The study seeks to examine the role of financial development (FD) in the Feldstein–Horioka (FH) puzzle. The novelty of this study is based on the fact that the measures of FD are expanded to account for the qualitative nature of the financial sector (“better finance”). Design/methodology/approach The study used annual dataset for 37 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for the period 1999 through 2010 and relied on the system generalised method of moments (GMM) technique, which takes accounts of endogeneity-related issues. Findings The estimated FH coefficients ranged between 0.419 and 0.720. The qualitative measures of FD have higher FH coefficient relative to the traditional or quantitative measure of FD (“more finance”). Hence, improvement in both the quantity and quality of the financial sector might be helpful in the mobilization, distribution and utilization of savings for investment purposes within these economies. The high FH coefficients obtained suggest that the FH puzzle does not hold in the SSA region. Practical implications Policymakers should formulate and design policies that would seek to ensure the development of the financial sector both in terms of quantity and quality. While taking this into consideration, special attention should be devoted to the qualitative measure of finance. Originality/value The study extends the work of Adeniyi and Egwaikhide (2013) by providing different and, possibly better proxies for FD to capture the efficiency and the qualitative nature of the financial system. This crux of the study serves as the value addition to the literature, as no other study the authors are aware of, has considered the importance of “better finance” indicators in the saving – investment nexus investigation.

2017 ◽  
Vol 137 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 173-192
Author(s):  
Ngozi Adeleye ◽  
Evans Osabuohien ◽  
Ebenezer Bowale

This study contributes to the literature on income inequality by providing evidence that financial development not only impacts income distribution, but the effects can improve when there is a strong institutional framework. Using the system-generalised method of moments (sys-GMM) technique on a sample of 42 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries from 1996 to 2015, our major findings are summarised as follows: (1) inequality is persistent in the region (2) financial development does not significantly reduce income inequality; and (3) the control of corruption and its interaction with domestic credit exhibit an inverted-U relation with income inequality. Thus, policies that will reduce income inequality require that corruption be controlled given increase in domestic credit. JEL Codes: F36; G21; O15


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simplice Asongu ◽  
Ibrahim Raheem ◽  
Venessa Tchamyou

Purpose Financial dollarisation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is most persistent compared to other regions of the world. The purpose of this paper is to complement the existing scant literature on dollarisation in Africa by assessing the role of information sharing offices (public credit registries and private credit bureaus) on financial dollarisation in 25 SSA countries for the period 2001-2012. Design/methodology/approach The empirical evidence is based on ordinary least squares and generalised method of moments (GMM). Findings The findings show that information sharing offices (which are designed to reduce information asymmetry) in the banking industry are a deterrent to dollarisation. The underpinning assumption that financial development reduces financial dollarisation is confirmed. Originality/value There is scant literature on the relevance of information sharing offices in development outcomes in Africa. While the establishment of these offices in most countries in the continent began in 2004, scholarship on the importance of these offices in financial development is sparse.


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1192-1210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muazu Ibrahim

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the interactive effect of human capital in financial development–economic growth nexus. Relative to the quantity-based measure of enrolment rates, the main aim was to determine how quality of human capital proxied by pupil–teacher ratio influences the relationship between domestic financial sector development and overall economic growth. Design/methodology/approach Data are obtained from the World Development Indicators of the World Bank for 29 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries over the period 1980–2014. The analyses were conducted using the system generalised method of moments within the endogenous growth framework while controlling for country-specific and time effects. The author also follows Papke and Wooldridge procedure in examining the long-run estimates of the variables of interest. Findings The key finding is that, while both human capital and financial development unconditionally promotes growth in both the short and long run, results from the interactive terms suggest that, irrespective of the measure of finance, financial sector development largely spurs growth on the back of quality human capital. This finding is also confirmed by the marginal and net effects where the interactive effect of pupil–teacher ratio and indicators of finance are consistently huge relative to the enrolment. Statistically, the results are robust to model specification. Practical implications While it is laudable for SSA countries to increase access to education, it is equally more crucial to increase the supply of teachers at the same time improving on the limited teaching and learning materials. Indeed, there are efforts to develop rather low levels of the financial sector owing to its unconditional growth effects. Beyond the direct benefit of finance, however, higher growth effect of finance is conditioned on the quality level of human capital. The outcome of this study should therefore reignite the recognition of the complementarity role of human capital and finance in economic growth process. Originality/value The study makes significant contributions to existing finance–growth literature in so many ways: first, the auhor extend the literature by empirically examining how different measures of human capital shape the finance–economic growth nexus. Through this the author is able to bring a different perspective in the literature highlighting the role of countries’ human capital stock in mediating the impact of financial deepening on economic growth. Second, the author makes a more systematic attempt to evaluate the relative importance of finance and human capital in growth process while controlling for several ancillary variables.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simplice Asongu ◽  
Nicholas Odhiambo

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of inequality on female employment in 42 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for the period 2004–2014. Design/methodology/approach Three inequality indicators are used, namely, the: Gini coefficient, Atkinson index and Palma ratio. Two indicators of gender inclusion are also employed, namely: female employment and female unemployment rates. The empirical analysis is based on the generalised method of moments. Findings The following main findings are established. First, inequality increases female unemployment in regressions based on the Palma ratio. Second, from the robustness checks, inequality reduces female employment within the frameworks of the Gini coefficient and Palma ratio. Originality/value Studies on the relevance of income inequality on female economic participation in SSA are sparse.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 895-913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nura Sani Yahaya ◽  
Mohd Razani Mohd‐Jali ◽  
Jimoh Olajide Raji

PurposeThis study examines the role of financial development and its interaction with corruption in the environmental degradation of eight Sub-Saharan African countries from 2000–2014.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilizes Pedroni cointegration and fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) techniques for the estimation of the models.FindingsThe results of the cointegration test reveal that there exist long-run relationships among the variables in the model with the interaction of financial development and corruption, and in the model without interaction. The FMOLS estimates show that in the former model, the interaction of financial development with corruption is positively significant in determining the level of environmental degradation in those countries. Moreover, in the latter, financial development, trade openness, and corruption have a positive effect on their environmental degradationResearch limitations/implicationsUnavailability of data, the study was limited to only eight Sub-Saharan African nationsPractical implicationsThe finding that financial development and its interaction with corruption have an adverse effect on the environments of the Sub-Saharan African countries implies the need to focus on how efficient credits are being allocated in those countries. For better management of environmental quality, this may require the implementation of policies that enhance credit allocation to users with energy-efficient technology and appliances that promote the quality of environments. In addition, stringent policies could be embarked upon to curtail all acts of corruption in the region for an efficient credit allocation and a better environment in the development of Sub-Saharan African society.Originality/valueThe dearth in empirical studies on the Sub-Saharan African countries motivates this study. In particular, little is known about the interaction effect of corruption and financial development on the environmental degradation of those countries, as the work on this is limited in the existing literature.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 749-774
Author(s):  
George Okello Candiya Bongomin ◽  
Atsede Woldie ◽  
Aziz Wakibi

PurposeGlobally, women have been recognized as key contributors toward livelihood and poverty eradication, especially in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This is due to their great involvement and participation in micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that create employment and ultimately economic growth and development. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to establish the mediating role of social cohesion in the relationship between microfinance accessibility and survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Northern Uganda where physical collateral were destroyed by war.Design/methodology/approachThe data for this study were collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire from 395 women MSMEs who are clients of microfinance institutions in post-war communities in Northern Uganda, which suffered from the 20 years' Lord Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency. The Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) software was used to analyze the data and the measurement and structural equation models were constructed to test for the mediating role of social cohesion in the relationship between microfinance accessibility and survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities.FindingsThe results revealed that social cohesion significantly and positively mediate the relationship between microfinance accessibility and survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities in Northern Uganda. The results suggest that the presence of social cohesion as a social collateral promotes microfinance accessibility by 14.6% to boost survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities where physical collateral were destroyed by war amidst lack of property rights among women. Similarly, the results indicated that social cohesion has a significant influence on survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities in Northern Uganda. Moreover, when combined together, the effect of microfinance accessibility and social cohesion exhibit greater contribution towards survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities in Northern Uganda. Indeed, social cohesion provides the social safety net (social protection) through which women can access business loans from microfinance institutions for survival and growth of their businesses.Research limitations/implicationsThis study concentrated mainly on women MSMEs located in post-war communities in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa with a specific focus on Northern Uganda. Women MSMEs located in other regions in Uganda were not sampled in this study. Besides, the study focused only on the microfinance industry as a major source of business finance. It ignored the other financial institutions like commercial banks that equally provide access to financial services to micro-entrepreneurs.Practical implicationsThe governments in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where there have been wars should waive-off the registration and licensing fees for grass-root associations because such social associations may act as social protection tools through which women can borrow from financial institutions like the microfinance institutions. The social groups can provide social collateral to women to replace physical collateral required by microfinance institutions in lending. Similarly, the governments, development agencies, and advocates of post-war reconstruction programs in developing countries where there have been wars, especially in sub-Saharan Africa should initiate the provision of group business loans through the existing social women associations. This may offer social protection in terms of social collateral in the absence of physical collateral required by the microfinance institutions in lending. This may be achieved through partnership with the existing microfinance institutions operating in rural areas in post-war communities in developing countries. Additionally, advocates of post-war recovery programs should work with the existing microfinance institutions to design financial products that suit the economic conditions and situations of the women MSMEs in post-war communities. The financial products should meet the business needs of the women MSMEs taking into consideration their ability to fulfil the terms and conditions of use.Originality/valueThis study revisits the role of microfinance accessibility in stimulating survival of women MSMEs as an engine for economic growth in the presence of social cohesion, especially in post-war communities in sub-Saharan Africa where physical collateral were destroyed by war. It reveals the significant role of social cohesion as a social protection tool and safety net, which contributes to economic outcomes in the absence of physical collateral and property rights among women MSMEs borrowers, especially in post-war communities.


2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 787-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen D. Lawn

ABSTRACTIn this issue ofClinical and Vaccine Immunology, Siev and colleagues present an evaluation of antibody responses to four immunodominant proteins ofMycobacterium tuberculosisin patients with HIV-associated pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in South Africa (M. Siev, D. Wilson, S. Kainth, V. O. Kasprowicz, C. M. Feintuch, E. Jenny-Avital, and J. J. Achkar, 21:791–798, 2014, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00805-13). This commentary discusses the enormous need for simple point-of-care assays for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis in patients with and without HIV coinfection in high-burden settings and considers the potential role of serological assays and the huge challenges inherent in developing and validating such assays.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Fiador ◽  
Lordina Amoah ◽  
Emmanuel Abbey

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to explore the implications of global financial integration on host economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The study tests the competing views on the impact of foreign bank penetration on private sector access to credit in developing host economies.Design/methodology/approachUsing data on a panel 25 SSA economies over a period of 22 years from 1995 to 2016, the study employs fixed effects and Prais-Winsten estimations as well as generalized methods of moments (GMM) to test the foreign bank impact.FindingsThe findings show support for the hypothesis that global financial integration has positive implications for participating economies. In other words, financial sector liberalization and deregulation leading to the influx of foreign banks has positive implications for access to credit by the private sector in SSA economies. The study also finds other standard determinants of access to credit like lending rate and broad money supply conforming to the existing literature in terms of impact.Originality/valueOverall, the findings hold relevant implications for banking sector policies and the financial sector in general regarding the priority that policy makers and advisors attach to reforming financial sector policies.


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