The Work-School Trade-Off among Children in West Africa: Are Household Tasks More Compatible with School Than Economic Activities?

2013 ◽  
pp. 349-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe De Vreyer ◽  
Flore Gubert ◽  
Nelly Rakoto-Tiana
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Household Tasks

Economics of Agglomeration

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques-François Thisse
Keyword(s):  
Urban Economics ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Consumer Welfare ◽  
Increasing Returns ◽  
Dispersion Force ◽  
Differentiated Products ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Production Factors ◽  
Space Economy

Despite the drop in transport and commuting costs since the mid-19th century, sizable and lasting differences across locations at very different spatial scales remain the most striking feature of the space-economy. The main challenges of the economics of agglomeration are therefore (a) to explain why people and economic activities are agglomerated in a few places and (b) to understand why some places fare better than others. To meet these challenges, the usual route is to appeal to the fundamental trade-off between (internal and external) increasing returns and various mobility costs. This trade-off has a major implication for the organization of the space-economy: High transport and commuting costs foster the dispersion of economic activities, while strong increasing returns act as a strong agglomeration force. The first issue is to explain the existence of large and persistent regional disparities within nations or continents. At that spatial scale, the mobility of commodities and production factors is critical. By combining new trade theories with the mobility of firms and workers, economic geography shows that a core periphery structure can emerge as a stable market outcome. Second, at the urban scale, cities stem from the interplay between agglomeration and dispersion forces: The former explain why firms and consumers want to be close to each other whereas the latter put an upper limit on city sizes. Housing and commuting costs, which increase with population size, are the most natural candidates for the dispersion force. What generates agglomeration forces is less obvious. The literature on urban economics has highlighted the fact that urban size is the source of various benefits, which increase firm productivity and consumer welfare. Within cities, agglomeration also occurs in the form of shopping districts where firms selling differentiated products congregate. Strategic location considerations and product differentiation play a central role in the emergence of commercial districts because firms compete with a small number of close retailers.

scholarly journals The influence of minisett size and time of planting on the yield of seed yam (Dioscorea Rotundata)

2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 469-481
Author(s):  
Beatrice Aighewi ◽  
Norbert Maroya ◽  
Djana Mignouna ◽  
Daniel Aihebhoria ◽  
Morufat Balogun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Seed Tuber ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Dioscorea Rotundata ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Planting Material ◽  
Tuber Crop ◽  
Equivalent Area

AbstractIn traditional yam (Dioscorea spp.) production systems in West Africa, finding sole seed yam producers is rare and up to 30% of harvested tubers from the ware tuber crop is reserved to plant an equivalent area of the harvested crop during the next season. Many farmers typically must make a trade-off between food and seed in the use of available tubers. A study was carried out using a factorial experiment in a randomised complete block design to investigate the influence of planting different minisett sizes at different planting periods on the yield of seed yam with the aim of improving the availability of this expensive input and saving more ware tubers for food or sale. Results showed that by doubling or tripling the minisett size from 30 to 60 or 90  g, yields of seed yam increased by 61.1 and 103.3%, respectively. The 90 g minisetts had the highest values for all traits studied but had the least sett multiplication ratio. The early planted crop yielded 137% more than the late-planted crop. Significant interactions between minisett size, planting period and season were found. In 2016, although the highest yield of seed tubers was from early planted 90  g minisetts (35.6 t ha−1), the yield of early planted 30 g minisetts (23.8 t ha−1) was similar to those of 60 g planted mid-season (28.7 t ha−1) and 90 g planted late (20.0 t ha−1). To produce a high proportion of seed size tubers with less planting material, early planting of 30  g minisetts is recommended. Such practice will enhance seed tuber availability and food security by saving 1–2 t ha−1 of tubers that would have been used as seed instead of food.

Bubbly Recessions

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 33-70
Author(s):  
Siddhartha Biswas ◽  
Andrew Hanson ◽  
Toan Phan
Keyword(s):  
Lower Bound ◽  
Wage Rigidity ◽  
Nominal Wage ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Financial Friction ◽  
Secular Stagnation ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Rigidity Constraint ◽  
Ex Ante ◽  
Nominal Wage Rigidity

We develop a tractable bubbles model with financial friction and downward wage rigidity. Competitive speculation in risky bubbles can result in excessive investment booms that precede inefficient busts, where post-bubble aggregate economic activities collapse below the pre-bubble trend. Risky bubbles can reduce ex ante social welfare, and leaning-against-the-bubble policies that balance the boom-bust trade-off can be warranted. We further show that the collapse of a bubble can push the economy into a “secular stagnation” equilibrium, where the zero lower bound and the nominal wage rigidity constraint bind, leading to a persistent recession, such as the Japanese “lost decades.” (JEL E22, E24, E32, E44, L26)

scholarly journals Modeling the Underlying Drivers of Natural Vegetation Occurrence in West Africa with Binary Logistic Regression Method

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4673
Author(s):  
Beatrice Asenso Barnieh ◽  
Li Jia ◽  
Massimo Menenti ◽  
Min Jiang ◽  
Jie Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Natural Vegetation ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Probability Of Occurrence ◽  
Year 2000

The occurrence of natural vegetation at a given time is determined by interplay of multiple drivers. The effects of several drivers, e.g., geomorphology, topography, climate variability, accessibility, demographic indicators, and changes in human activities on the occurrence of natural vegetation in the severe drought periods and, prior to the year 2000, have been analyzed in West Africa. A binary logistic regression (BLR) model was developed to better understand whether the variability in these drivers over the past years was statistically significant in explaining the occurrence of natural vegetation in the year 2000. Our results showed that multiple drivers explained the occurrence of natural vegetation in West Africa at p < 0.05. The dominant drivers, however, were site-specific. Overall, human influence indicators were the dominant drivers in explaining the occurrence of natural vegetation in the selected hotspots. Human appropriation of net primary productivity (HANPP), which is an indicator of human socio-economic activities, explained the decreased likelihood of natural vegetation occurrence at all the study sites. However, the impacts of the remaining significant drivers on natural vegetation were either positive (increased the probability of occurrence) or negative (decreased the probability of occurrence), depending on the unique environmental and socio-economic conditions of the areas under consideration. The study highlights the significant role human activities play in altering the normal functioning of the ecosystem by means of a statistical model. The research contributes to a better understanding of the relationships and the interactions between multiple drivers and the response of natural vegetation in West Africa. The results are likely to be useful for planning climate change adaptation and sustainable development programs in West Africa.

scholarly journals An agent-based model of the interrelation between the COVID-19 outbreak and economic activities

2021 ◽  
Vol 477 (2245) ◽  
pp. 20200604
Author(s):  
Takeshi Kano ◽  
Kotaro Yasui ◽  
Taishi Mikami ◽  
Munehiro Asally ◽  
Akio Ishiguro
Keyword(s):  
Computational Simulation ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Agent Based Model ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Human Contact ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Voluntary Restraint

As of July 2020, COVID-19 caused by SARS-COV-2 is spreading worldwide, causing severe economic damage. While minimizing human contact is effective in managing outbreaks, it causes severe economic losses. Strategies to solve this dilemma by considering the interrelation between the spread of the virus and economic activities are urgently needed to mitigate the health and economic damage. Here, we propose an abstract agent-based model of the COVID-19 outbreak that accounts for economic activities. The computational simulation of the model recapitulates the trade-off between the health and economic damage associated with voluntary restraint measures. Based on the simulation results, we discuss how the macroscopic dynamics of infection and economics emerge from individuals’ behaviours. We believe our model can serve as a platform for discussing solutions to the above-mentioned dilemma.

scholarly journals Integrated Economic and Environmental Assessment of Nitrogenous Fertilizer Application in Canadian Prairies

2010 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 70-82
Author(s):  
Suren Kulshreshtha
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fertilizer ◽  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Farm Income ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Canadian Prairie ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Trade Offs

Adoption of mitigation measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions may affect other members of the society, producing a situation of trade-offs. In this study, such a trade-off is has been analyzed using three aspects of the Canadian society: producers (farm level adopter), environment (through reduction in the GHG emissions),; and regional economy (including rest of the society through lost / gained economic activities). The nutrient management strategy involving the switching nitrogen fertilizer application from a combination of fall and spring application to a 100 percent spring application. Results suggest that the adoption of such a measure creates a 'win-win' situation, being both environmentally and economically desirable. Under the scenario, fertilizer expenditures decreased by $43 million (giving rise to an equivalent increase in farm income), GHG emissions (in CO2E) by 2.15 percent of the 2000 level of emissions, Canadian economy as a whole showed improvements, although on a regional basis the results were mixed.Key words: Canadian prairie agriculture; Greenhouse gases; Mitigation; Nitrogen fertilizer Use; Trade-off analysisThe Journal of AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT Vol. 11, 2010Page: 70-82Uploaded date: 15 Septembre, 2010

Modeling the impact of 1.5 and 2.0◦C global warming on the hydrology of the Faleme river basin (West Africa)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamadou Lamine Mbaye ◽  
Khadidiatou Sy ◽  
Bakary Faty ◽  
Saidou Moustapha Sall
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Hydrological Model ◽  
Cumulative Distribution ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Calibration And Validation ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

&lt;p&gt;Climate change raises many questions about the future availability of water resources in West Africa. Indeed, water in this region is a fundamental element for many socio-economic activities. This study proposes an assessment of the impact of climate change on the hydrology of the Faleme basin, located in the Sahel (West Africa). The applied methodology consists in calibrating and validating the hydrological model GR4J before simulating the future evolution of flows in this catchment under of 1.5 and 2&amp;#176;C global warming. &amp;#160;Observed rainfall, potential evapotranspiration (PET), and river flows were used for calibration and validation of the GR4J model. Furthermore, output of three regional climate models (DMI-HIRHAM, SHIM-RCA, and BCCR-WRF) were bias corrected with the cumulative distribution function-transform (CDF-t) before used as input to the GR4J hydrological model to simulate future flows at the watershed scale. During the historical period the results shows a good correspondence between the simulated flows and those observed during calibration and validation, with Nash&amp;#8211;Sutcliffe efficiencies (NSE) greater than 70%. Projections show a general increase in mean annual temperature and PET; a decrease in mean annual rainfall is projected by the DMI-HIRHAM, BCCR-WRF models and the overall mean; while a slight increase is noted with the SMHI-RCA model. As for future flows, a downward trend in annual and monthly average flows is expected in the two sub-basins of the Faleme (Kidira and Gourbassi) with input from the DMI-HIRHAM, BCCR-WRF models and the overall mean; however,&amp;#160; the GR4J forced by the SMHI-RCA model output, project increased flows. Furthermore, the decrease is more pronounced at Gourbassi sub-basin than at Kidira sub-basin. Thus, recommendations were made to mitigate the likely impacts of climate change on socio-economic activities that use water resources.&lt;/p&gt;

Trade networks in West Africa: a social network approach

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier J. Walther
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Geographic Scale ◽  
Regional Trade ◽  
Trade Networks ◽  
Recent Developments

ABSTRACTTo date, most of the literature on trade networks in West Africa has considered networks in a metaphorical way. The aim of this paper is to go one step further by showing how social network analysis may be applied to the study of regional trade in West Africa. After a brief review of the literature, this exploratory paper investigates two main issues related to regional trade. We start by discussing how recent developments in regional trade in West Africa have contributed to challenging the social structure of traders. We then discuss the changes that have affected the spatiality of regional trade by looking at the influence of spatial location and geographic scale on traders' abilities to trade. In both cases, we argue that the value of social network analysis in exploring how traders have progressively adapted to social and spatial changes in economic activities has been greatly underestimated. Our discussion is illustrated with the case of two trade networks located between Niger, Benin and Nigeria.

scholarly journals Positive effect of seed size on seedling survival in fire-prone savannas of Australia, Brazil and West Africa

2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 719-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaëlle Lahoreau ◽  
Sébastien Barot ◽  
Jacques Gignoux ◽  
William A. Hoffmann ◽  
Samantha A. Setterfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Size Effect ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
The Face ◽  
In Fire ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Survival Of Seedlings

All plant species face a fundamental reproductive trade-off: for a given investment in seed mass, they can produce either many small seeds or few large seeds. Whereas small seeds favour the germination of numerous seedlings, large seeds favour the survival of seedlings in the face of common stresses such as herbivory, drought or shade (Leishman et al. 2000). One mechanism explaining the better survival of large-seeded species is the seedling size effect (SSE) (Westoby et al. 1996): because seeds with large reserves result in bigger seedlings, seedlings from large-seeded species would have better access to light and/or to reliable water supply than seedlings from small-seeded species.

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