Growth and Development Commons^™

Innovative Solution For Energy Supply In Rural Communities In Africa, Shilda Cardoso

International Programs

This research is a proposition of an innovative solution for energy supply in rural locations across Africa to stimulate social and economic growth. In the continuing unsolved problems in energy supply for rural communities across Africa, an Innovative solutions like solar energy can help change this status quo, and improve the lives of many people throughout the continent.

Colonial Legacies And Institutional Legitimacy: Explaining Variation In State-Level Informal Economy Size, Makayla Barker

Political Science Honors Projects

Abstract: Why are some states’ economies more formal than others? This question has critical significance for policy-makers who endeavor to tap into the reservoir of tax revenue and entrepreneurship that informal economies contain. More importantly, large informal economies inhibit public good provision and perpetuate the impoverishment, marginaliza- tion, and political instability of select communities. Despite major variation in the size of informal economies across states, most scholarship on the informal economy concentrates only on the causes and consequences of the phenomenon, while neglecting to address its variation. This thesis builds on a canon of scholarship surrounding colonial legacies, new- institutional …

Finding A “True Morocco:” How Tourists Change Moroccan Economies, Infrastructure And Cultures, Emily Federico

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The overall purpose of this study was to research the effects of adventure tourism on rural towns and villages, notably their financial cultural and physical aspects. Issues such as the commodification of lived experiences in a post-colonial context will be examined. The study was conducted via interviews from hotel workers and guides in major tourist cities (Fes, Rabat and Merzouga). I found that most international tourists hailed from Western countries; thus, English or French were the primary languages used in the tourism business. Also, significant modes of craftsmanship that faced a cultural extinction, such as folk music, rugs, and pottery, …

Good Intentions, Mixed Results: Why Aid In Uganda Is Fragmented And What Can Be Done About It, Samuel D. Johnston

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper examines the phenomenon of aid fragmentation and donor proliferation in Uganda. As the development cooperation landscape has become increasingly complex in recent years, there is significant interest in examining how this complexity, also called fragmentation, affects development outcomes in recipient countries. Specifically, this paper sets out to understand the driving forces behind aid fragmentation in Uganda, the recent trends in fragmentation and coordination, and potential pathways forward to address the problem.

Research for this paper came from a series of interviews with economic experts in Uganda, an exploratory study of quantitative indicators of fragmentation over the last decade, …

A Comparison Of Entrepreneurship: Uganda And The United States Of America, Jordan Killen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this preliminary research assignment I compared and contrasted entrepreneurship and what it means to be an entrepreneur or small business owner in the United States and Uganda as well as offer suggestions that could potentially strengthen the Ugandan economy using American business practices and solutions. I utilized both secondary sources and my own experiences and knowledge about small businesses and entrepreneurs in Uganda. This data is compared to both my own experiences in the United States as well as information provided by scholarly articles to provide a more complete and well-rounded comparison of the two countries. Uganda, being a …

Bottlenecks Or Growth Zones? A Study Of The Chirundu And Beitbridge Border Economies, Anna Ngarachu, Christopher Wood, Heinrich Krogman, Elisha Tshuma, Dale Mudenda

Southern African Journal of Policy and Development

Land borders in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region are critical zones for unlocking regional value chains, trade and economic development. The Beitbridge and Chirundu border posts represent important links in the North–South Corridor. They are vital in both regional development and bilateral initiatives. It is at these borders that many issues related to regional integration intersect. Understanding the major complications that prevent competitive trade and undermine trade facilitation initiatives is, therefore, essential. This policy brief examines the causes of standing time – a major contributor to transport costs in sub-Saharan Africa – and discusses the softer issues such …

Community Forest In Liberia: The Interface Between Sustainable Charcoal Production And Deforestation, Amavie Clement

Capstone Collection

The available data establishes a direct correlation between charcoal production and forest degradation and deforestation in Liberia. Charcoal is the primary energy source for Liberians, especially in urban areas where the bulk of the population lives. It is expected to be the mainstay energy source for years to come because it is affordable, accessible, and convenient to use compared to other forms of energy (i.e. electricity and petroleum gas). However, the current model of charcoal production, based on indiscriminate felling of trees, poses a danger to the environment as it results in widespread forest degradation and deforestation. Therefore, any successful …

Foreign Direct Investment In Kigali’S Special Economic Zone And Its Impact On Rwanda’S Economic Reconstruction, Sabrina Roberts

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Vision 2020 is a development strategy implemented by the Rwandan government. It aims to make Rwanda a middle-income country with a per capita income of $1240 USD. One pillar of this strategy is increasing regional and international integration. The Kigali Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) was created in direct response to this pillar.

The paper begins with an introduction to Rwanda’s post-conflict economic situation and goes on to describe and explain the role that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the KSEZ has played in reconstructing the Rwandan economy. The study focuses on the impacts of the KSEZ and the significance of …

Intergovernmental Authority On Development And East African Community: Viability Of Merger, Andualem Zewdie

International Journal of African Development

Constituting a regional economic community has immense benefits to the societies within a given region. Regional Economic Communities (RECs) would play an inevitable role in increasing people to people interactions and gradually forging interdependence in different sectors, which used to limit government to government. Often, such bondage within given RECs among states in general and societies in particular paves the way to address the ills of the respective societies in a collaborative manner. In fact, it is plausible to argue that there is a conducive environment to constitute and build up RECs in the present globalizing world. Parallel to the …

Opportunities And Challenges For Community-Based Ecotourism Development: The Case Of Alatish National Park, Northwest Ethiopia, Kassegn Berhanu

International Journal of African Development

Contrary to traditional forms of tourism such as mass tourism, ecotourism has widely been recognized as an economic diversification and developmental tool, and an appropriate approach for conservation of natural resources for destinations with tourism heritage possessions as it provides protection and economic incentives. The aim of this study is to assess opportunities and challenges for community-based ecotourism development. A mixed research approach was devised and a cross-sectional research design was used. Tools of primary data collection were questionnaires, focus group discussions, interviews and observation checklists. Secondary data were collected from related articles, research and documents obtained from offices. Quantitative …

Listen To The Voices Of Maasai Women In Kenya: Ensuring The Well-Being Of Their Families Through Collective Actions, Taeko Takayanagi

International Journal of African Development

This is an ethnographic study that provides insight into grassroots activities managed by Maasai women leaders in the Narok area of Kenya. Four women’s narratives were used as a basis of analysis to demonstrate their roles in facilitating grassroots activities to improve village women’s well-being despite gender discrimination and multidimensional constraints. The women’s group leaders commented that low literacy had a negative influence on Maasai women’s development; however, the issue of illiteracy could be overcome through cooperative learning during women group activities in their village. The results showed that the women’s group leaders played a facilitative role in improving women’s …

Nutrition And Trade Liberalization In Africa, Ismaelline Eba Nguema

International Journal of African Development

Trade openness and nutrition are concepts that are closely related. Openness could contribute to an improvement in nutrition under only certain conditions. These include improved export earnings, ultimately the import capacity of the countries participating in the exchange, and maintaining a sufficient level of agricultural production. The objective of this article is to analyze the link between trade liberalization and nutrition in Africa.

Trade openness and nutrition are concepts that are closely related. Openness could contribute to an improvement in nutrition under only certain conditions. These include improved export earnings, ultimately the import capacity of the countries participating in the …

Understanding Remittances In Eritrea: An Exploratory Study, Fikresus Amahazion

International Journal of African Development

Migration has been characterized as a fundamental component of the human experience, and today there are several hundred million international migrants around the world. Although migrants leave their home country, they maintain links, particularly through remittances. Economic remittances supplement the domestic incomes of millions of poor families and are vital for many developing countries. This paper explores economic remittances into Eritrea, examining the particular trends, amounts received, and how remittances are generally consumed. Additionally, the paper explores general perceptions about remittances and their impact upon society in Eritrea. Based on interviews and focus group discussions with individuals and households across …

Editorial Note, Sisay Asefa

International Journal of African Development

Chief Editor Sisay Asefa discusses the articles in Vol 5 n. 2 of the International Journal of African Development.

International Journal Of African Development, Vol. 5, Issue 2

International Journal of African Development

Complete issue of International Journal of African Development, Volume 5, Issue 2 - Spring 2019.

Are Menstrual Cycles A Biological Determinant Of Well-Being Amongst Sierra Leonean Schoolchildren?, Ashwini Shridhar

Master's Theses

The influence of hormones and biology on behavior is a topic that is rife with controversy, especially when it comes to sexual hormones. There is even more murkiness when it comes to the topic of menstruation and knowledge about women’s menstrual cycles. Recent research on this topic have seen a link between the hormonal fluctuations during menstrual cycles and various behavioral implications on competition, cooperation, and risk behavior. This study tries to expand existing knowledge by examining whether there is a link between hormonal fluctuations during menstrual cycles and risk preferential behavior using economic experiments in the largely understudied context …

The Effect Of Foreign Aid On Political Violence: Learning From Case Studies Of Nigeria And Sierra Leone, Charlotte Rohrer

Politics Honors Papers

Policymakers in OECD countries regularly cite reducing political violence as a fundamental purpose of foreign aid. For example, countries such as Pakistan and Iraq have received considerable amounts of aid meant to address the root causes of political violence. This project analyzes quantitative and qualitative evidence to assess whether foreign aid can reduce political violence. The quantitative and qualitative analyses study Boko Haram in Nigeria and the Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone to focus on regional and country-wide political violence. The study further focuses on aid projects in Sierra Leone and Nigeria as a means to reduce or curb …

Humanitarian Assistance In Protracted Emergencies: Rethinking The Role Of Food Aid In Adjumani, Victoria Puglia

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Humanitarian food assistance is incredibly susceptible to funding cuts, which reduces the quantity of food available to refugees. If refugees depend solely on food aid for survival, the implication of reductions is increased food insecurity at a household level. The Government of Uganda champions a self-reliance strategy that has failed to support refugees to the desired extent, especially when food rations are low. This study aims to assess the impact of humanitarian food assistance on the socioeconomic structures of refugee settlements in Adjumani, Uganda to understand the consequences of unstable food aid. The research was conducted over a four-week period. …

The Importance Of Property Rights In The Developing World: A Study And Comparison Of Zimbabwe And Botswana, Luke A. Scarpa

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Analysis On Output Gap - Inflation Relation: The New Keynesian Approach, Oladimeji Tomiwa Shodipe

Masters Theses

The thrust of this research paper is to examine the inflation information that is contained in the output gap using the New Keynesian Phillips Curve framework. As informed by the model, the study also sets to investigate inflation persistence and the influence of forward inertia on the current inflation. This paper follows the Gali and Monacelli (2005) of the small open-economy type of model. However, the current study differs by introducing external factors (trade and real exchange rate) not only on the hybrid model, also on the backward, forward and the hybrid restricted models for time-series data (1971-2017) of all …

The Spirit Is Willing, But The Flesh Is Weak: Contemporary Pan-Africanism And The Challenges To A United States Of Africa, Adesola Adeyemo

Master's Theses

Establishing a ‘United States of Africa’ to the average individual is deemed as a mythical idea in contemporary Africa, irrespective of the popularity of this idea several years ago. Today, the idea is idealized as overambitious – considering the balkanized state of the continent post-colonialization. Because of this, attempts made since then have favored enforcing regional integration over continental integration. Undeniably, this idea would not have come into being if it wasn’t for the concept of Pan-Africanism - which has for long guided the political and socio-economic policies created on the continent. The goal of this research is …

A Literature Significance Of Formal Education, Informal Education And Religion As A Growth Mechanism In Africa, Aliu Olamide Oyedun

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

This paper aims to give a literature view on the importance of religion, formal tertiary education and informal education on the communal growth and human development in Africa. The study shows that different religions in Africa have similar ethical standards and preaches the fundamental principles of good morals. Also, formal and informal education has a pivotal role in the collective development of human minds leading the subsequent national development. Again, if these principles of good morals and good human values are upheld in every human rather than the religious background which these morals came from, it will give a levelled …

The African Human Rights System: An Overview Of The Admissibility Of Ngos Applications Before The African Court, Yusuf Sulayman Esq., Llm

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Rights are sacrosanct and one of the most cardinal functions/objectives of the African Union (AU), being a regional organization, is the protection of rights of citizens of member states. The African Court on Human and People's Rights is the channel through which the African Union entertains and determines complaints of human rights in frin gements/abuses within the region. Among other categories of applicants, relevant NGOs can invoke the jurisdiction of the Court upon satisfaction requisite pre-conditions. Adopting a doctrinal approach, this paper seeks to shed light on the extent of the admissibility of applications by NGOs before the Court. This …

The Key Constraints Facing African Countries In Mobilizing Their Resources For Development: A Case Study On Ghana And Zambia, Albert Mcbell Ninepence

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Domestic Resource Mobilization (DRM) is "the generation of government revenue from domestic resources, from tax and non-tax sources (royalties, licenses, levies or other income)" (European Commission, 2010). Major scholars have exchanged contrasting views on the barriers to resource mobilization in Africa. While Di John (2006) asserts weak state capacity to mobilizing resources and the need for reconstruction of a viable state, Von (2007) contends that neopatrimonialism has inhibited African state's revenue. Furthermore, Elbadawi (2000) maintains that low savings and investments are the impediments of resource generation and the declining performance of Africa. This paper therefore argues that the weak state …

Front Matter, Yaljod 2.1, Prince Ifoh

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Includes: Forewords from Amb. Dr. Salah Siddig Hammad (Ag Head, African Governance Architecture, African Union Commission), Dr. Patricia Rodney, MPH (Chair, The Walter Rodney Foundation; Adjunct Professor, Morehouse School of Medicine; Atlanta, GA, USA), and Vasu Gounden (Founder and Executive Director, The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Dispute, Durban, South Africa); Introduction from Prince Ifoh (Founder, YALF); and Acknowledgements.

Internally Displaced Persons-Idps Stereotypes And Perceptions In Nigeria, Raymond Inkabi Nwalieli

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

As Nigeria continues to grapple with the unprecedented rise in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), interventions for IDPs is now a humanitarian priority. This paper examines the social perceptions of IDPs, humanitarian responses bordering around building long term solutions, provision of specific needs for integration, voluntary return, fighting trauma, and economic isolation. It further recommends how responses should be better harmonized for sustained impact, with an ultimate goal to have IDPs return back home to normal or improved levels oflife - providing safety and security, sustained livelihoods, employment, housing and shelter, as against settling perpetually in camps.

Emerging Trends Of African Women's Involvement In Politics, Tochukwu Benedict Ezeifekwuaba

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Women have been deprived from the structures of countries that determine legislative and political priorities. In the past years, Africa has experienced an increase in political representation of female. This paper emphasizes on the emerging trends that have been observed in women political involvement in Africa. These changes have resulted to the potential for the rise of women's entry to political post. The present trends of women involvement in politics have been successful by an amalgamation of various factors. This paper looked at the factors that have resulted to the optimistic changes in the political involvement of women. Africa Women …

Youths And Peace-Building In Africa: Socio-Political & Economic Exclusion And The Role Youths Play In Peace-Building In Africa, Mungwe Regina Ekoa Mbella, Aquegho Felicitas Yari, Ruud Bedga Sama-Lang

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Peacebuilding consists of a set of physical, social, and structural initiatives that are often an integral part of post-conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation. It actively works to promote a culture of peace, intercultural dialogue and non-violent conflict transformation. Because of social exclusion, lack of opportunities, slow implementation of public policies that promote reparation and reconciliation, young people become exposed and vulnerable to armed or political recruitment, as a result, they are considered perpetrators of crime instead of peacebuilders. This paper portrays the unique potentials and actual contributions the youths of Africa have demonstrated in building peace in different African communities.

Yaljod Full Issue 2.1, Prince Ifoh

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

The Young African Leaders Journal of Development (YALJOD) is a biennial journal and an official publication of the Young African Leaders Forum (YALF). It was established in 2015 to host scholarly analysis and competing viewpoints about the development of Africa; and it’s multidisciplinary approach makes it more formidable. YALJOD accepts papers from varied disciplinary areas — including Social Sciences, Physical Sciences and Humanities — that show direct relevance to the development of Africa. It publishes researches understood as the social, economic, political, cultural and technological processes of change in Africa. The intended audience of the journal remains the entire African …

Sustainable Prosperity And Human Potentials, Sara Haddou Amar

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Sustainable prosperity is a new concept combining various principals such as providing basic needs, dignity, life satisfaction and happiness. It is an indicator used to measure and evaluate social progress among communities. In fact, the purpose behind the aggregation between the terms of sustainability and prosperity is the rehabilitation of the environmental strength and health system while providing an effective comfort and welfare system to the human being. In this paper, we explore the impact of human potential on reaching and achieving a high level of prosperity. We discuss, also, the evolution and automation effect on the improvement of human …