ABSTRACT The goal of this article is to provide an in-depth analysis of the channels through which women acquire land in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the inherent obstacles and the relevance of land ownership to gender equality and women’s economic and social outcomes; and provide suggestions to inform effective gender-sensitive land policies. Emphasis of this study is on the inheritance channel through birthright with a conviction that it is socially and economically empowering. The descriptive analysis shows that the proportion of women who own land in SSA is 40% points lower than that of men regardless of how the land was acquired, whereby about 30% of women own land in SSA, compared to 70% of men. Nonetheless, women are more likely to acquire land either through purchase from the market system or marriage, and even then, their rights of ownership are usually very limited and precarious compared to the rights of men.

ABSTRACT This article investigates how migration and remittances affect labor market, and how remittances influence human capital in Senegal. Using parametric and nonparametric estimation procedures for the correction of selection bias, the results reveal that migration and remittances reduce labor market participation of household members left behind, and that remittances increase human capital development of the left-behind. The study suggests that both the migration status and the level of remittances are relevant in understanding labor market participation and human capital formation.

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effect of time zone differences on service exports (total and nine categories—travel, transport, computer and information, construction, financial, insurance, government, other business services, and personal, cultural, and recreational services) from Kenya. Estimates from the Poisson Pseudo-Maximum Likelihood (PPML) estimator of the gravity model on bilateral service exports data from Kenya to 176 countries, for the period 2005–2019, show that the effects of time zone differences between Kenya and partner countries is positive and statistically significant in technology-sensitive service exports (computer and information) while negative for construction and government service exports. Further analysis shows that these results are robust when an alternative model is employed and overlapping workday hours are used. The authors also find that the effect of time zone differences on services is nonlinear and sensitive to regulations and physical infrastructure (particularly mobile subscriptions). Attracting investment in technology-sensitive sectors should be encouraged through appropriate policy, given the positive impact of time zone differences on their exports. Traders in these sectors can also create networks with foreign firms. Deregulating and developing information and communication infrastructure, to expand mobile subscriptions, should also be encouraged.

ABSTRACT In many parts of the world, women face barriers to accessing improved agricultural inputs. In Tanzania, a program called the National Agricultural Input Voucher Scheme (NAIVS) was implemented from 2008 to 2014 to provide smallholder farmers with vouchers to purchase inputs at a subsidized price, with the goal of improving productivity and increasing income and food security. Using data from the Tanzania Living Standards Measurement Study panel, we analyzed the effects of NAIVS on female-headed households’ market participation, sales, and profitability. The analysis showed that NAIVS increased market participation of female-headed households by 11%, particularly in downstream positions in domestic value chains. However, there were no discernible effects on sales and profitability, indicating that although the program reduced input costs, production costs remained high enough to offset the efficiency gains from the subsidized inputs.

ABSTRACT Procuring for the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa has been devastating. The virus resulted in an unprecedented surge in demand for medicines, medical equipment, and relevant technologies, making individual country orders for health supplies impossible and requiring creating the need for an interstate pooled strategy. This article examines the working of Joint Procurement Association (JPA), an interstate pooled sourcing strategy in the European Union (EU) and to draw lessons for regional blocs like the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC). This article indicates that while the EU has implemented and enjoyed JPA, regional blocs like the SADC and EAC have not and could be missing on the benefits provided by JPAs. The article concludes that while JPAs have not been adopted in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), they possess the potential to improve access to medical drugs equipment and technologies in pandemic times. To implement JPAs, political will, legal and regulatory frameworks, and governance structures are required. The outcome of the article is important to SADC and EAC Secretariats since the understanding and implementation of JPAs can enable member states whose budgets are stressed to derive economies of scale.

Sarcopenia is associated with the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Given their diverse physiological activities, we hypothesized that plasma fatty acids might influence the progression of sarcopenia. This study aimed to clarify the association between fatty acids and sarcopenia in cirrhotic patients with HCC. In this single-center retrospective study, we registered 516 cases and analyzed 414 cases of liver cirrhosis and HCC. The skeletal muscle mass index was measured using a transverse computed tomography scan image at the third lumbar vertebra. The cutoff value for sarcopenia followed the criteria set by the Japan Society of Hepatology. Fatty acid concentrations were measured by gas chromatography. Fatty acid levels, particularly omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), were lower in patients with poor liver function (Child-Pugh grade B/C) and were negatively correlated with the albumin-bilirubin score (p<0.0001). The prognosis of HCC patients with low PUFA levels was significantly worse. Among the different fatty acid fractions, only n-3 PUFAs significantly correlated with skeletal muscle mass index (p=0.0026). In the multivariate analysis, the n-3 PUFA level was an independent variable associated with sarcopenia (p=0.0006). A low level of n-3 PUFAs was associated with sarcopenia in patients with liver cirrhosis and HCC.

The thermodynamics and kinetics of nanoparticle crystallization, as opposed to bulk phases, may be influenced by surface and size effects. We investigate the importance of such factors in the crystallization process of gold, silver, and iron nanodroplets using numerical simulations in the form of molecular dynamics combined with path sampling. This modeling strategy is targeted at obtaining representative ensembles of structures located at the transition state of the crystallization process. A structural analysis of the transition state ensembles reveals that both the average size and location of the critical nucleation cluster are influenced by surface and nanoscale size effects. Furthermore, we also show that transition state structures in smaller nanodroplets exhibit a more ordered liquid phase, and differentiating between a well-ordered critical cluster and its surrounding disordered liquid phase becomes less evident. All in all, these findings demonstrate that crystallization mechanisms in nanoparticles go beyond the assumptions of classical nucleation theory.