scholarly journals Agricultural Cooperatives and COVID-19 in Southeast Africa. The Role of Managerial Capital for Rural Resilience

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1046
Author(s):  
Nicola Francesconi ◽  
Fleur Wouterse ◽  
Dorothy Birungi Namuyiga
Keyword(s):  
Health Impact ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Agricultural Cooperatives ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Elite Capture ◽  
Innovative Solutions ◽  
Reduced Mobility ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Food Value

While the health impact of COVID-19 in most African countries appears modest, the impact of social distancing measures, closing of markets and reduced mobility is felt across the board. Domestic, labor-intensive and traditional food value chains and the smallholders they serve appear to be particularly affected. During a systemic shock where idiosyncratic risk coping strategies fail, collective or organizational resilience becomes of the essence to protect the livelihoods of smallholders. In this study, we have used pre- and during-shock data on agricultural cooperatives from Southeast Africa to understand how resilient these smallholder-owned organizations are. We find that many organizations could not countervail market-disruptions and fell into a state of dormancy during the pandemic. One reason for this is that collective decision-making was heavily affected by the banning of gatherings. Only a few organizations devised innovative solutions to maintain the market linkages of rural smallholders. The lack of resilience demonstrated by most cooperatives appears to be associated with organizational immaturity, large membership size, elite capture and limited business-orientation, which underscore a general lack of managerial capital.

scholarly journals Mental Health of Refugees and Migrants during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Experienced Discrimination and Daily Stressors

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6354
Author(s):  
Eva Spiritus-Beerden ◽  
An Verelst ◽  
Ines Devlieger ◽  
Nina Langer Primdahl ◽  
Fábio Botelho Guedes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Daily Stressors ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Migrant Groups

The COVID-19 pandemic is a defining global health crisis of our time. While the impact of COVID-19, including its mental health impact, is increasingly being documented, there remain important gaps regarding the specific consequences of the pandemic on particular population groups, including refugees and migrants. This study aims to uncover the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of refugees and migrants worldwide, disentangling the possible role of social and daily stressors, i.e., experiences of discrimination and daily living conditions. Descriptive analysis and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the responses of N = 20,742 refugees and migrants on the self-reporting global ApartTogether survey. Survey findings indicated that the mental health of refugees and migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly impacted, particularly for certain subgroups, (i.e., insecure housing situation and residence status, older respondents, and females) who reported experiencing higher levels of increased discrimination and increases in daily life stressors. There is a need to recognize the detrimental mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on particular refugee and migrant groups and to develop interventions that target their unique needs.

Conclusion

2021 ◽  
pp. 213-244
Author(s):  
Leonardo R. Arriola ◽  
Martha C. Johnson ◽  
Melanie L. Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Financial Constraints ◽  
Future Research ◽  
National Politics ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Gendered Institutions ◽  
The Impact

The concluding chapter revisits the main hypotheses regarding women’s experiences as aspirants, candidates, and legislators. Complemented by tables summarizing key findings, the chapter identifies where and how the book’s studies of Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Uganda, and Zambia either uphold or contradict hypotheses from the existing literature. Building on this summary, the chapter presents an agenda for future research on women’s political participation in African countries focused on the importance of financial constraints for women’s candidacies, the role of violence in shaping women’s political options, and the impact women in power have on gendered institutions. The book ends on an optimistic note, arguing that despite these barriers, the case studies clearly demonstrate that women are adept at securing a place for themselves, and asserting their voice, in local and national politics.

The Dynamics of the Global Value Chains and Disruptive Technologies

2021 ◽  
pp. 203-217
Author(s):  
Michael Oluwaseun Olomu
Keyword(s):  
Large Population ◽  
Spillover Effect ◽  
Global Value Chains ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Disruptive Technologies ◽  
Conceptual Shift ◽  
Innovation Practices

The advents of GVCs and disruptive technologies have provided alternative paths to industrialization and economic development for African countries, and with the transformation to digitalization now well under way, another conceptual shift is required to understand the evolving role of disruptive technologies in GVCs. It is evident that technological breakthroughs in the global markets have a spillover effect in the structural settings of African economies value chains, as lower tariffs and rapid technological changes have fragmented production across borders, but some African countries remain marginalized in GVCs. This study, therefore, attempts to preliminarily explain how African economies and markets capture value from disruptive technologies and create their competitive advantages within the global value chains context from the perspective of business-model innovation practices in African markets. Thus, developing African firms should not ignore those disruptive growth opportunities within the large population of mass customers and non-consumers in emerging economies.

Can financial inclusion reduce the presence of corruption? Evidence from selected countries in Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 1345-1362
Author(s):  
Folorunsho M. Ajide
Keyword(s):  
Random Effect ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Least Square ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Control Of Corruption

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of financial inclusion (FI) on control of corruption in selected African countries.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs secondary data spanning over a period of 2005–2016. These data are sourced from IMF's International Financial Statistics, World Bank Development Indicators, Global Financial Development Database, Transparency International and International Country Risk Guide. The author uses Sarma (2008) approach to construct the FI index for 13 countries in Africa. The author applies random effect, robust least square and instrumental variable (IV) estimations to examine the impact of FI on control of corruption in Africa.FindingsThe author finds that financial inclusion improves the control of corruption. The author tests for possible FI threshold to avoid the case of extreme FI in Africa. The results show that there is a threshold level if reached, FI would have negative impacts in the control of corruption. This may likely happen mainly due to weak institutions in Africa. The results are robust to alternative proxy for control of corruption and various alternative estimation techniques.Practical implicationsThe finding indicates that FI can serve as part of toolkits for reducing corruption in Africa.Originality/valueThis study stresses the important role of FI in the economic system. It is the first paper that empirically suggests the role of FI in controlling corruption in Africa.

Meta-analysis of U.S. intermediated food markets: Measuring what matters

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Blake E. Angelo ◽  
Becca B.R. Jablonski ◽  
Dawn Thilmany
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Food Value ◽  
Study Development

Purpose A body of literature and case studies has developed as part of the reporting, outreach and evaluation of the local and regional food system projects supported by grants and other funders. Yet, there is concern that food value chains are promoted without adequately evaluating the viability of these businesses, or how these markets affect the performance and welfare of key stakeholders: farm vendors and local communities/economies. Design/methodology/approach This paper reviews and summarizes a comprehensive set of U.S.-based case studies focused on food value chains. We conduct a meta-analysis to systematically capture what available case study evidence tells us about: 1) trends in the viability of food value chain businesses; 2) the impact of these businesses on participating farm vendors; and, 3) the associated community economic development outcomes (framed in terms of ‘wealth creation’). Findings In addition to sharing findings from the meta-analysis, we demonstrate how the lack of standardized protocols for case study development is a barrier to learning about metric comparisons, best practices, and what impacts these food value chain businesses may have. We conclude with some recommendations of how the field can move forward to evaluate and share lessons learned using more uniform, project-driven case study development. Originality/value This is the first study to conduct a systematic meta-analysis of U.S. food value chain businesses.

scholarly journals Education and Politics in Africa

2020 ◽  
pp. 71-81
Author(s):  
Valentina Gribanova
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Boko Haram ◽  
Terrorist Organizations ◽  
Military Conflicts ◽  
The Impact

The article is devoted to the characterization of the models and the stages of formation of education systems in African countries and of their current status. The aim of the work was to analyze the impact of various factors on the development of education in Africa. In particular, the impact of military conflicts and the activities of terrorist organizations on the field of education were investigated. It also analyzes the increasing role of the world community in the development of education in African countries in recent decades. The main examples are the aspects of the activities of the terrorist organization Boko Haram, aimed at destabilizing and directly destroying the education system of Nigeria, and the impact of the Mali conflict of 2012-2013 on education. The activities of Boko Haram are widely covered in the scientific literature, but the article focuses on its aspects that are connected precisely with the negative impact on the educational system in Nigeria. The work broadens the perception of the challenges currently facing educational systems in Africa.

scholarly journals The Role Of School Life Expectancy And Urbanization On Adult Literacy Rates In Sub-Saharan Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 329
Author(s):  
Amon Okpala ◽  
Comfort Okpala
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Adult Literacy ◽  
Percent Level ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
School Life ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

It is important to examine the role of urbanization, government, and school life expectancy (the years of schooling a child is expected to have) on adult literacy because literacy contributes to economic success. Using cross-sectional data on 46 Sub-Saharan African countries, this study examines 1) the impact of school life expectancy on adult literacy, 2) the influence of urban population on adult literacy, and 3) the effectiveness of government educational expenditure on adult literacy. OLS regression analysis showed that the percentage of the population residing in urban centers and the school life expectancy were positively significant at the 5 percent level. Government expenditure, as a percentage of GDP, was positively significant at the 1 percent level.

scholarly journals The Impact of Plant Variety Protection Regulations on the Governance of Agri-Food Value Chains

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella Di Fonzo ◽  
Vanessa Nardone ◽  
Negin Fathinejad ◽  
Carlo Russo
Keyword(s):  
Bargaining Power ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Plant Variety Protection ◽  
Plant Variety ◽  
Long Run ◽  
New Varieties ◽  
Variety Protection ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Food Value

More than 25 years after the 1991 reform of the Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties (UPOV) treaty, the regulation of Plant Variety Protection (PVP) is still controversial. While the incentives to private innovations are unquestionable, concerns have been raised about farmers’ access to resources, the weakening of their bargaining power, their entrepreneurial freedom, and ultimately their welfare. Our paper investigates the effect of PVP regulation on the governance of agri-food value chains (AFVC) with a small-scale survey of kiwi producers in Italy. We found that AFVC trading-protected (club) plant varieties are more likely to exhibit captive governance forms than those trading the free varieties. Nevertheless, the producers of club kiwis achieve higher returns from their investments and bear less risk than others. Because of the high demand for the club fruits, the breeders must give farmers highly profitable contract terms in order to elicit the production and to promote the adoption of the new cultivar. As a consequence, farmers are capturing a share of the value of innovation, even if the breeders have a strong protection. The long-run sustainability of this win-win agreement between breeders and farmers might be jeopardized should the demand for the new varieties fall.

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