Comparative Politics Commons^™

The Future Of Monetary Integration In Southern Africa: Lessons From The European Union?, Richard Dutu, Donald L. Sparks

Journal of African Policy Studies

The 14-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) has a long-term goal of becoming a full common market. A major component of fuller integration would be a common currency arrangement. The states of southern Africa, however, face a dilemma: While the region already sustains a successful and long-running monetary union, the Common Monetary Area (CMA, known as the "Rand Zone"), the region's leading economic integration organization, the SADC, is opposed to joining the union.

The Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA)—a less successful, but rival economic organization—favors, for its part, a monetary union. Is the SADC ready for monetary …

Smes In Developing Countries And The Problem Of Exporting: Market Entry Costs, Exchange Rate Shocks And The Capital Structure Of Firms, Trond-Arne Borgersen

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper integrates a sunk-cost model of foreign trade with a discussion on the capital structure of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries. A model of foreign trade where firms have to incur irrecoverable market entry costs in international markets is presented. As a result of the market entry costs the foreign trade structure is non-linear. This non-linearity complicates the relationship between foreign trade flows and exchange rates, compared to the predictions of conventional foreign trade theory. Both the entry and the operating decision are affected, as the non-linearity puts pressure on the capital structure of firms. In …

Cover And Table Of Contents, Institute On African Affairs

Journal of African Policy Studies

No abstract provided.

Civil Conflict And Aids: Implications For Post-Conflict Sierra Leone, Marda Mustapha

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper discusses the civil conflict in Sierra Leone and its role in the transmission of HIV in the country, including the activities and role of the military population in the conflict and the spread of HIV. The paper also assesses the present capacity of the government of Sierra Leone to handle a possible explosion of the disease and the implications for HIV/AIDS in post-conflict Sierra Leone. The paper concludes with some policy suggestions for post-conflict Sierra Leone regarding possible responses to the pandemic.

Regional Dimensions And Consequences Of Africa's Internal Wars: The Case Of Liberia And Sierra Leone, F. Ugboaja Ohaegbulam

Journal of African Policy Studies

Demonstrably, internal conflicts within individual African states have tended to set off chain reactions and spillover effects in their specific regions. Indeed, this was the experience of the African continent throughout the last two decades of the twentieth century. As a result every region of Africa became a victim of several of the consequences and effects of those internal conflicts that began in specific states within it. Beyond Africa, the series of internal conflicts played into the hands of Afro-pessimists and Africa's detractors who lost faith in the continent's present and its future. This study succinctly examines the regional dynamics …

What Model For Language Planning In Education And Development?, Raymond Mopoho

Journal of African Policy Studies

The implementation of language policies by African countries after independence was very similar to what prevailed in the colonial era in that its centerpiece was the promotion of European languages, to the exclusion of native languages. The official rationale for such policies was political and economic in nature: In a multiethnic context, imposing a foreign language would promote national unity and foster the acquisition of the technical know-how necessary for development. Such a policy was characterized by several weaknesses. In its implementation, for many years, the school system seemed content with being a graduate generating machine, with little attention being …

Nigeria, Globalization And The Development Of Underdevelopment In The Third World, Kema Lrogbe

Journal of African Policy Studies

There are two contending opinions on the issue of globalization. There are some observers who believe that globalization has brought rapid prosperity to the underdeveloped countries while others argue that globalization serves the needs of the metropolitan countries at the expense of the peripheral countries. This paper posits that globalization is economic terrorism. Using a dependency theory to analyze the asymmetric relationships between the developed and the underdeveloped countries, the writer applies some economic indicators to highlight the widening gap between the two worlds. In doing so, it is argued that the socio-economic and political structure of the peripheral countries …

Cover And Table Of Contents, Institute On African Affairs

Journal of African Policy Studies

No abstract provided.

Globalization And Sub-Saharan Africa: Will The Promise Of Shared Prosperity Ever Be Realized?, Donald L. Sparks

Journal of African Policy Studies

Globalization, the accelerated economic integration among nations, clearly has brought benefits in terms of worldwide economic growth. However, these benefits have not been evenly distributed, and income disparities between rich and poor countries, and even within countries, have increased. This is most pronounced in sub-Saharan Africa. Globalization was supposed to provide gains for all, or at least the gains were supposed to outweigh the losses. Despite adherence to market liberalization and the rapid pace of globalization, during the past three decades sub-Saharan Africa has continued to be marginalized in the world economic system. At the same time, however, many other …

Rationale Underlying The Conceptualization Of The Component Of The Model M-D Dem, Girmay Berhie

Journal of African Policy Studies

The purpose of the study is to show the need of developing an evaluation model called The Multi-Dimensional Developmental Evaluation Model (M-D DEM) for Third World countries and what structural components to include and the rationale of why these structural components for the evaluation model are crucial to be included.

A number of evaluation research guidelines for use in Third World countries can be found for conducting evaluation research on social programs and projects. However, no systemic approach could be found in the literature review for appraising the systemic impact of the social programs, the relevance of the program to …

Sudan-Ethiopia Relations And Islamization Policy, Solomon Hailu

Journal of African Policy Studies

The central focus of this paper is on Sudan's islamization policy under Al-Bashire's regime and its regional impact. In the past, some African countries have officially protested against Sudan's Muslim fundamentalism policy while other states have officially broken relations with Sudan and have come close to taking military measures against it. Ethiopia has become one of Sudan's neighbors which had her relations severely stained due to Sudan's cross-border Islamic expansionist agenda. The study will analyze the fact that the quest for Ethiopia's internal opposition have always been characterized as having fully political motives rather than religious ambitions. It would appear …

Globalization And The Impact Of Multinational Corporations On Developing Economies: A Case Study Of Nigeria's Oil Sector, Dennis A. Ogirri

Journal of African Policy Studies

This study examines the meaning and significance of globalization, especially the role and impact of multinational corporations on developing economies. Specifically, there is more emphasis on the impact of globalization and multinational corporations on Africa in general, and specific focus on Nigeria as a case study because of the large and significant role of foreign multinational corporations, such as Shell, Elf, Agip, Chevron, Mobil, Texaco, Phillips, and Ashland, in the exploration, production, refining, management, and marketing of the country's crude oil reserves. The environmental impact of the multinational oil corporations on Nigeria's oil sector receives special attention.

The Technological Dimension Of Africa's Crsis Of Development: An Agenda For The 21st Century, Osita Agbu

Journal of African Policy Studies

This article critically examined the ways that technological underdevelopment had contributed to the deepening crises of Africa's technological backwardness. Adopting a holistic and historical approach, it tried to show how technological underdevelopment and the dearth of technologically driven approaches to addressing developmental questions had adversely affected the continent.

The article opines that beyond the technological is the fundamental understanding that the problem which Africa is facing is not just a technical one, but involves also a polical dimension which must not be ignored. It sought to explicate the question of whose technology for what, and in whose interest? It maintained …

Cover And Table Of Contents, Institute On African Affairs

Journal of African Policy Studies

No abstract provided.

National Population Policy And Fertility Decline In Senegal, Keita Ohashi

Journal of African Policy Studies

This study reviews the relationship between population policy and fertility decline in Senegal. In 1988, Senegal officially announced a national population policy, the first such population policy declaration among Francophone sub-Saharan African countries. Shortly thereafter, in the early 1990s, Senegal's total fertility rate did in fact start to decline. The establishment of the national population policy, however, did not directly influence the current fertility decline. Rather, effective population policies in the areas of education, reproductive health, and family planning services together are likely to determine the pace of overall fertility decline in Senegal. In this study, current fertility trends are …

Fertility Transition In Urban And Rural Sub-Saharan Africa: Preliminary Evidence Of A Three-Stage Process, David Shapiro, B. Oleko Tambashe

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper provides an overview and analyses of the relatively recently-emerged and ongoing fertility transition in sub-Saharan Africa. We use data from 49 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) that have been carried out in 29 different countries to examine fertility levels and trends, overall and separately for urban and rural settings. We also look at levels and changes in age-specific fertility for a selected subset of these countries. Our examination of trends, using the 15 countries in which multiple DHS surveys have been carried out, suggests that there may be a three-stage transition process, with fertility initially declining in urban …

Patterns And Determinants Of Fertility In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 1974-1998, Asfaw Yitna

Journal of African Policy Studies

Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, reported a surprisingly low TFR level of 1.8 births per woman in the year 1994. Such a low level has never been experienced by any other large African city. In this paper, we attempt to confirm the adjusted level fertility of 2.1 births per woman and thus the fertility decline reported by the Central Statistical Authority (CSA), and to explore the important demographics, socio-economic and proximate determinants of fertility decline of Addis Ababa from 1974 to 1998.

We use data from fertility surveys of 1990 and 1995, conducted in Addis Ababa by CSA, …

Fertility Transition In West Africa, Samuel Agyei-Mensah

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper examines the fertility transition in West Africa against the background of recent declines in fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa. Two major questions are addressed: First, what is the status of the West African fertility transition at the end of the 20th century? Second, what are the facilitators of the West African fertility transition? Using data from Demographic and Health Surveys as well as localized studies the paper provides insights into the historical pattern of the West African fertility transition. It attempts to push the interpretation of the West African fertility transition into new theoretical directions by highlighting the importance …

The Persistence Of High Fertility In Sub-Saharan Africa, Ellen Brennan-Galvin, Elizabeth Gould

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper examines the factors that have contributed to the persistence of high fertility in sub-Saharan Africa. It begins with an overview of the current fertility situation. It then traces historical colonial trends that are still influencing population growth in present-day Africa and examines traditional cultural supports for high fertility, such as the practice of polygyny and the strong aversion to childlessness. Some countries in sub-Saharan Africa already have begun a transition to lower fertility, whereas in others, women still bear an average of seven or eight children.

Even if there were greater demand for family planning services, the disruptions …

Fertility Decline In Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa: 1980-2010, Pierre Ngom, Soukeynatou Fall

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper examines fertility levels (1990-2000) and trends (1980-2000) in francophone sub-Saharan Africa, and suggests likely prospects for further decline during the 2000-2010 period. Data are from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), the World Fertility Surveys (WFS), and the World Bank. Fertility levels are still high in francophone sub-Saharan Africa, but vary widely from a total fertility rate (TFR) of 4.6 children per woman in Cameroon (1998) to 7.2 in Niger (1998). Overall, fertility has been declining in francophone sub-Saharan Africa, although the pace has been much slower than the one prevailing in English-speaking countries. Age at marriage, but …