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on Africa |
| By: | Hamza El Guili (University Abdelmalek Essadi) |
| Abstract: | The Small and Medium sized enterprises are an essential component of the world’s economy. They represent more than 95% of the global existing companies and they largely contribute to the jobs creation inside many countries. In Morocco for example, the SMEs represent the large majority of active companies in the market and contribute to 40% of private investments and to 30% of exportations. The aim of this paper is to perform a systematic and recent literature review to determine the different theories of the internationalization of SMEs. The selected theories are treated from three major perspectives. In addition, this paper discusses the Moroccan recent politic of integration in Africa and the eventual adhesion of the country to the Economic Community of West African States. This adhesion will offer more opportunities to the Moroccan SMEs in West Africa. |
| Keywords: | SMEs, Morocco, Internationalization process, ECOWAS |
| Date: | 2017 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:smo:opaper:06&r=afr |
| By: | Ahimbisibwe, Frank; Ingelaere, Bert; Vancluysen, Sarah |
| Abstract: | Despite multiple attempts over the last 15 years, Uganda has been unable to find a durable solution for a group of approximately 17,000 Rwandan refugees living on its soil. The cessation of their refugee status has been repeatedly postponed and is about to come into effect at the end of December 2017. If invoked, Rwandan refugees will become illegal immigrants under Ugandan law and can face deportation. This paper argues instead that a policy facilitating local integration in the host country, even if not perfect, offers the best outlook for many Rwandan refugees currently residing in Uganda. In addition, taking into account the voices of these Rwandan refugees themselves, the paper analyses which obstacles still need to be overcome before local integration can be a real durable solution. Two suggestions are made. First, it is needed to move towards a situation of inclusive development for both refugee and host populations in order to guarantee socio-economic integration and avoid potential xenophobia and resentment. Second, Uganda’s conflicting laws need to be addressed in order for refugees to acquire citizenship, an essential dimension of local integration as a durable solution. |
| Keywords: | Rwanda; Uganda; refugees |
| Date: | 2017–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iob:dpaper:2017002&r=afr |
| By: | Mehmet Balcilar (Department of Economics, Eastern Mediterranean University, Famagusta, Northern Cyprus, Turkey; Department of Economics, University of Pretoria, South Africa and Montpellier Business School, Montpellier, France.); Rangan Gupta (Department of Economics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa); Chien-Chiang Lee (Department of Finance, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan); Godwin Olasehinde-Williams (Department of Economics, Eastern Mediterranean University, Famagusta, Northern Cyprus, Turkey) |
| Abstract: | Economic growth may be influenced by insurance-market activity through risk pooling, financial intermediations, indemnification against losses, mobilization of savings and provision of investment opportunities. Over the past few decades, there has been increasing interest in the role of the insurance sector in the economic growth of Africa. This study examines whether there is a causal relationship between the continent’s economic growth and insurance-market activity (life, non-life, and total). Applying panel-estimation techniques that are robust to heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence to a model of panel data for 11 African countries between 1995 and 2016, we find significant evidence in support of such a relationship. Total-insurance penetration has a long-term impact on economic growth, and when disaggregated into its components (life- and non-life-insurance penetration), we find evidence in support of short-term and long-term impacts on economic growth in both cases. Our study also confirms the feedback hypothesis, as we find a positive, bi-directional causality between insurance-market activity and economic growth. We also find that the contribution from non-life-insurance market activity toward economic growth far outweighs that of life-insurance market activity. |
| Keywords: | Insurance penetration, growth, Africa |
| JEL: | C33 G22 |
| Date: | 2018–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pre:wpaper:201801&r=afr |
| By: | Megbowon Funmilola Kemi (University of Fort Hare, South Africa); Uwah Chijioke (University of Fort Hare, South Africa) |
| Abstract: | The role of religion and culture in socio-economic development cannot be underestimated. Coupled with socio-economic advancement, the postcolonial and contemporary African society is characterised by unprecedented rise in the level of religious movements with diverse contradicting beliefs championed by so called spiritual and religious leaders. The overwhelming socio-economic downturn in the society has meant that people have turned to religion for solutions to their problem but the church has not really lived up to expectation which writer like Soyinka portrayed in his text. Considering the above mentioned, this study textually analysed Wole Soyinka’s The Trials of Brother Jero from a postcolonial theoretical perspective with the aims of exploring religious dynamics vis-Ã -vis cultural /moral degradation as portrayed in the text. It further resonate the place of culture in the contemporary religious environment. Moral degradation is captured from the characters of brother Jero, the old prophet, Jeroboam and the drummer boy where lack of respect for elders, covetous exploitation by spiritual leaders, materialism, falsehood and deceit are exemplified in religious setting as depicted in the text. All these delinquencies are contrary to indigenous cultural and moral values of the traditional Nigeria society. With the above highlighted current delinquency trend, the study concludes that the place of culture in the future of religion cannot be underplayed. This is so because indigenous cultural values place high emphasis on uprightness, truth, contentment, respect, which are needed in making contemporary religion worthy to practice, religious leaders more respected and peoples trust on their leaders justifiable. |
| Keywords: | Religion, Postcolonial, Materialism, Merchandise, Politics |
| Date: | 2017 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:smo:opaper:15&r=afr |
| By: | ABDULLAHI, SHAFIU IBRAHIM |
| Abstract: | This paper studied portfolio-investments diversification, stock market linkage and negative integration in Nigerian stock exchange. Like many other stock exchanges around the world, Nigerian stock exchange was devastated by the global financial crisis of 2008. That single crisis has changed the mode of operations of the market by affecting market capitalisation, efficiency and profit. Ten stock market indices are involved in this study, where the aim is to find out how Nigerian stock markets relate with counterparts around the world. The study covered the period from September 2009 to August 2016. The study used Generalised Impulse response function, Engel-Granger cointegration and Johansen cointegration analysis to measure integration between Nigerian stock exchange and selection of nine stock exchanges around the world. The results from cointegration analysis show lack of cointegration. This means despite globalisation Nigerian stock exchange is less integrated with the rest of the stock markets providing ample opportunities for portfolio diversification. This also further support previous studies that found out that developed countries stock markets tend to correlate with their developed countries counterparts than emerging and developing markets. |
| Keywords: | Integration, Linkage, Contagion, Portfolio, Cointegration, Impulse response, Comovement, Stock markets, International finance |
| JEL: | F3 F36 G12 G15 |
| Date: | 2017–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:83455&r=afr |
| By: | Christophe Jalil Nordman (LEDa - Laboratoire d'Economie de Dauphine - Université Paris-Dauphine); Laure Pasquier-Doumer (LEDa - Laboratoire d'Economie de Dauphine - Université Paris-Dauphine) |
| Abstract: | This paper sheds light on the role of social networks in the dynamics of a West African labour market, i.e. in the transitions from unemployment to employment, from wage employment to self-employment, and from self-employment to wage employment. It investigates the effects of three dimensions of the social network on these transitions: its structure, the strength of ties and the resources embedded in the network. For this purpose, we use a first-hand survey conducted in Ouagadougou on a representative sample of 2000 households. Using event history data and very detailed information on social networks, we estimate proportional hazard models for discrete-time data. We find that social networks have a significant effect on the dynamics of workers in the labour market and that this effect differs depending on the type of transition and the considered dimension of the social network. The network size appears to not matter much in the labour market dynamics. Strong ties however play a stabilizing role by limiting large transitions. Their negative effect on transitions is reinforced when they are combined with high level of resources embedded in the network. |
| Abstract: | Dans cet article, nous analysons le rôle des réseaux sociaux dans la dynamique d'un marché du travail en Afrique de l'Ouest, en nous intéressant aux transitions du chômage vers l'emploi, de l'emploi salarié vers l’emploi indépendant et enfin de l’emploi indépendant vers l’emploi salarié. Les données d’une enquête originale que nous utilisons permettent d’appréhender les réseaux sociaux dans trois de leurs dimensions, à savoir sa structure, la force des liens et des ressources intégrées dans le réseau, et d’analyser les effets différenciés de chacune de ces dimensions sur ces transitions. Ces données, collectées à Ouagadougou en 2009, rassemblent les biographies professionnelles de 2000 ménages et sont représentatives à l’échelle de la ville. En nous appuyant sur des modèles de risques proportionnels, nous constatons que les réseaux sociaux ont un effet significatif sur la dynamique des travailleurs et que cet effet diffère selon le type de transition et la dimension considérée du réseau social. La taille du réseau semble joué un rôle mineur au regard des deux autres dimensions. Des liens forts jouent un rôle stabilisateur en limitant les grandes transitions. Leur effet négatif sur les transitions est renforcé quand ces liens forts sont combinés à un niveau élevé de ressources du réseau. |
| Keywords: | Social Network,Kinship,Labour Market Dynamics,Event History Data,Survival Analysis,Burkina Faso |
| Date: | 2017–10–20 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-01620160&r=afr |