Welfare In Africa Research Articles

Measuring innovation in the informal economy – formulating an agenda for Africa

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review options for measuring innovation in the informal sector and proposes an agenda for future work.Design/methodology/approachIt starts with a review of surveys of innovation in the formal business sector, and related definitions, as sources of questions and definitions which could be applied to the informal sector. Then, labor force surveys, and those that are combined with establishment surveys to measure informal sector activities, are examined with a view to adding questions, or modules, on the measurement of innovation in the informal sector. In addition, the advantages of using semi-structured interviews and ad hoc questionnaires in specific sub-sectors of the informal sector are explored.FindingsThe discussion leads to a possible agenda for future work on the development of policy relevant indicators of innovation in the informal economy. Two viable scenarios emerge: first, adding innovation questions to existing large-scale surveys of the informal economy; and/or second, conducting ad hoc questionnaire- and interview-based sectoral studies in selected countries.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed course of actions suffers from a few shortcomings: first, amending existing surveys as proposed here is always a challenging undertaking. A new survey questions have to be tested (cognitive and other testing); their deployment also depends on the willingness of countries to include new questions. Second, surveying the informal economy and applying proper sampling will remain an issue, no matter how good the survey design, and not matter how sincere the effort. Third, and finally, conducting these new survey techniques will require substantial resources over time.Practical implicationsIn the coming years, new efforts are planned to gather data and better measure innovation in developing countries, such as the third edition of the African Innovation Outlook. This will widen the scope of reporting and analysis to include coverage of innovations in the informal sector (AU-NEPAD 2014). The suggestions in this chapter are intended to lay important groundwork for future empirical work, to help develop appropriate indicators and support new approaches to innovation policy in developing countries. Pragmatic suggestions are formulated, pointing to potential opportunities and challenges.Social implicationsThe informal economy is a hugely important contributor to economic growth and social well-being in Africa and other developing countries. Better measurement and contributing to a better understanding of innovation in the informal economy will be important progress.Originality/valueThe contribution of the paper lies in the novel combination of tested approaches in informal sector surveys, on the one hand, and innovation surveys in the formal sector, on the other hand. The approaches provide ways forward to gain better understanding of the innovation in the informal economy, and to support innovation policy in African countries and beyond.

Psychological proximity as a predictor of participation in a social media issue campaign

Understanding how to motivate people's engagement in global or social issues has been challenging. Using Construal Level Theory, this study explored the role of psychological proximity as a predictor of individuals' willingness to engage in supportive behaviors related to a social media issue campaign. Two dimensions of psychological proximity (i.e., cognitive and emotional proximity) were developed and measured to determine whether they are predictors of participation intentions related to a Facebook campaign about child welfare in Africa. Structural Equation Modeling tested the proposed model with survey data collected from 408 U.S. adult residents via Amazon's MTurk. Results indicated that salience, knowledge, and relevance were strong indicators of cognitive proximity, whereas emotional connectedness and empathy were determinants of emotional proximity. Both cognitive and emotional proximity were found to have a significant and positive effect on people's intentions to participate in the social media issue campaign.

Spatio-temporal dynamics of critical ecosystem services in response to agricultural expansion in Rwanda, East Africa

Changing natural landscapes to agricultural land, driven by land demand, have been considered an important driver that limits the ability of landscapes to provide ecosystem services. The decline in ecosystem services in the past are mainly due to anthropogenic farming activities that have been undertaken to satisfy human wellbeing in Africa. Quantifying these declining services over time and space is essential to facilitate sustainable management decisions. In this study, the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model was used to quantify and value the ecosystem services in Rwanda from 1990, 2000, and 2010. From the results, while forest cover declined drastically from 61.1% in 1990 and reached 19.9% in 2010, cropland and settlement areas both expanded from 24.7% to 53.4% and from 0.5% to 1.8%, respectively. These variations have resulted in a decrease in total carbon storage from 439.7 Mt to 230.5 Mt in the 20 years, whereas soil export increased from 135 Mt to 712 Mt in 2010. Farmland expansion accelerated the export of nitrogen and phosphorous from 0.9 Mt to 3.1 Mt and 1.0 Mt to 8.4 Mt, respectively. The water yield increased from 2.04 × 109 m3 in 1990 to 2.20 × 109 m3 in 2010. Further tradeoffs analysis reveals that three ecosystem services including water, soil, and nutrient show strong positive correlations with one another, while carbon service appears to have little relationship with the other services. The strategies to manage ecosystem service trade-offs should incorporate farmers’ knowledge and scientific research aimed at increasing agricultural production and resource efficiency in Rwanda. To ensure sustainability, demographic pressures should not be neglected.

Trade facilitation and social welfare in Africa

Improving social welfare in the developing world remains a top priority on the global development agenda, as policymakers and international development partners worldwide strive to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Using data on 40 African countries over the period 2010–2015, this paper investigates the extent to which trade facilitation contributes to improving social welfare in Africa. To do so, we construct three indices of trade facilitation capturing infrastructure, institutions, and market efficiency from several primary indicators. With regard to social welfare, we use education (net primary school enrollment rate), child health (under-5 mortality rate), population health (life expectancy), and human development (human development index). The system-GMM estimation technique is employed in order to address the problem of endogeneity. The main finding is that better trade facilitation results in improved social welfare outcomes. Our findings suggest that effective trade facilitation reforms, targeted particularly at improving infrastructure, institutions, and market efficiency, will likely be associated with improvements of social welfare in Africa.

Social policy for inclusive development in Africa

The paper revisits the discourse on development in Africa, following in the footsteps of leading development thinkers and focusing on social policy. Some of the thinkers and scholars have specifically and directly discussed development discourse in Africa. Others have made insightful points regarding inclusive development in Africa even though not directly engaging with development discourse. The paper also acknowledges earlier thinking regarding development in Africa, including perspectives that deal with underdevelopment. The paper concerns itself with the critical role that social policy can play in ensuring inclusive development in Africa. The interface between economic and social policy is emphasised. Although Africa faces many intractable challenges, most of which are externally imposed, robust social policies will go a long way in bringing about effective social and economic development. In the main, though, Africa needs a comprehensive socio-economic development approach that can ensure lasting inclusive development. Social policies are critical for any development endeavour in African countries. Another main point that the paper makes is that economic transformation is not enough to fully advance wellbeing in Africa (and probably the world at large). By restructuring economies in Africa, not much would be achieved though some gains would be made.

Children's subjective well-being in Africa: A comparative analysis across three countries

Recent trends in child well-being research have shown a substantial advancement in studies investigating children's subjective well-being (SWB). This advancement has raised questions concerning the measurement of SWB and the extent to which various measures can be compared across countries and diverse cultures. With a dearth of empirical data on cross-cultural comparisons, the validation of existing measures and cross-cultural comparisons and adaptations, have been identified as a critical course of action. The current study contributes to this process – it aims to report on children's SWB in three African countries (Algeria, Ethiopia, and South Africa), using two multiple item measures of SWB (the context-free Students' Life Satisfaction Scale and the domain-specific Personal Well-Being Index-School Children). Within this process the study further aims to test the structural validity of these measures and to ascertain its cross-country comparability. Data from the second wave of the Children's Worlds survey were used; and includes a randomly selected sample of 3394 children between the ages of 11–12 from Algeria (Provinces of El Bayedh, Oran, and Tlemcen), Ethiopia and South Africa (Western Cape Province). Located within the goodness of fit theoretical framework, confirmatory factor analysis and Structural Equation Modelling were used to test the overall fit structure, while multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was used to test measurement invariance. The results show appropriate fit structure for the individual models, with metric and scalar factor invariance tenable across the three countries for the Students' Life Satisfaction Scale and partial scalar invariance obtained for four items on the Personal Well-Being Index-School Children. The Algerian sample scored significantly higher than Ethiopia and South Africa on both SWB measures. Appropriate fit structure was obtained for the combined model and for the structural model, indicating adequate convergent validity with the single item Overall Life Satisfaction. Metric and partial scalar invariance was tenable for the structural model, suggesting cross-country comparability for correlations, regressions and means. The overall findings suggest that the two measures are appropriate for use with children from the three countries and that meaningful comparisons can be made between the three countries.

African Humanism as a Basis for Social Cohesion and Human Well-Being in Africa

African Humanism as a Basis for Social Cohesion and Human Well-Being in Africa

The asset debates: How (not) to use asset indices to measure well-being and the middle class in Africa: Table 1

Asset indices are ubiquitous in the debate about well-being in African countries, not least because of the paucity of traditional household income and expenditure data. Indeed, asset data have fuelled the creation of a new, more optimistic picture of well-being in Africa, where both income and the middle class are growing fast. This is the first review of the use of asset indices for African countries. Readers are guided through key debates over the use of asset data, including the use of assets to measure trends over time as well as socio-economic status and class. We argue that the theoretical and empirical advantages of the asset index over traditional welfare measures are clear, but that caution is needed. Most asset indices show significant improvements in private wealth and social welfare in African countries due to increases in the number of household assets and improvements in health and education. However, we argue that simplistic conclusions in the economics literature about the growth of income or of a ‘middle class’ using asset indices are poorly founded.

A Micro-Level Study of the Relationship Between Experienced Corruption and Subjective Wellbeing in Africa

The economic consequences of corruption have been widely studied. A growing number of studies exists on the relationship between corruption and subjective wellbeing. However, very few studies have examined how individual experiences of corruption are correlated with subjective wellbeing. In this paper, we explore whether, and to what extent, paying a bribe, giving a gift, or doing a favour for a government official to obtain a document or service influences wellbeing. In addition, we test whether being at the receiving end of corrupt practices affects the individual’s wellbeing. We find that experienced corruption undermines individual wellbeing for both bribe victims and recipients.

The UWEZO project—musculoskeletal health training in Kenya

A major cause of disability and pain, musculoskeletal conditions (MSC) affect all aspects of people's lives and have a significant socioeconomic impact. Access to early diagnosis, effective treatments and rehabilitation enables people with MSCs to maintain their mobility, to work and to have a good quality of life. Despite the significant impact of MSC on health, social and economic well-being in Africa, services for MSC health remain extremely under-resourced. The UWEZO project is a collaboration between Kenyan, UK and Swedish rheumatologists, patients and researchers. It aims to improve access to basic musculoskeletal health care at the local level in communities across Kenya through the development of a sustainable training programme to raise the knowledge and skills of health professionals working in the community in the early detection, diagnosis and management of MSC. A team of physicians and patients have been trained to deliver an MSC education programme to health providers working in 11 locations across Kenya. Over 500 health providers have been trained. The programme has the potential to be adapted for use in other low resource countries where access to care for musculoskeletal conditions is limited.

The Effect of Fear of Crime and Crime Victimization on Subjective Well-Being in Africa

A relatively limited number of studies have examined the effect of fear of crime and crime victimization on subjective well-being. This paper examines how fear of crime and crime victimization affect the well-being of people in Africa using data from the Round 4 of the Afrobarometer Surveys conducted in 20 countries. Consistent with the findings of previous studies, results from ordered probit and OLS regressions indicate that, each of fear of crime, theft victimization, and physical assault negatively influences well-being. In addition, the paper compares men and women on the basis of these effects, and finds that while fear of crime and theft victimization are significantly correlated with the well-being of women, neither has an effect on the well-being of men. However, physical assault significantly diminishes well-being for both men and women. The paper recommends that African governments pursue public policies that would improve labor market conditions, as lower unemployment could reduce crime, and increase well-being.

Integrating Ethno-Ecological and Scientific Knowledge of Termites for Sustainable Termite Management and Human Welfare in Africa

Despite their well-known role as pests, termites also provide essential ecosystem services. In this paper, we undertook a comprehensive review of studies on human-termite interactions and farmers' indigenous knowledge across Sub-Saharan Africa in an effort to build coherent principles for termite management. The review revealed that local communities have comprehensive indigenous knowledge of termite ecology and taxonomy, and apply various indigenous control practices. Many communities also have elaborate knowledge of the nutritional and medicinal value of termites and mushrooms associated with termite nests. Children and women also widely consume termite mound soil for nutritional or other benefits encouraged by indigenous belief systems. In addition, subsistence farmers use termites as indicators of soil fertility, and use termite mound soil in low-risk farming strategies for crop production. In the past, chemical control of termites has been initiated without empirical data on the termite species, their damage threshold, and the social, ecological, or economic risks and trade-offs of the control. This review has provided new insights into the intimate nature of human-termite interactions in Africa and the risks of chemical control of termites to human welfare and the environment. We recommend that management of termites in future should be built on farmers' indigenous knowledge and adequate understanding of the ecology of the local termite species.

Poverty, Inequality, and Democracy: Growth Without Prosperity in Africa

Abstract: There is a generally recognized link between governance, economic performance, and popular welfare in Africa. Authoritarian governments have generally failed to promote economic development or improvements in livelihoods. The trend toward democratization that swept the African continent in the early 1990s kindled hopes that political reform could lead to economic regeneration. However, a crucial paradox of growth without prosperity surrounds Africa’s new democracies. While political liberalization bolsters economic policy reform and enhances some of the requisites for economic performance, these improvements do not seem to foster significant reductions in poverty or inequality. This paradox presents a basic challenge for Africa’s new democracies. The paradox arises from the nature of patronage systems and institutions in countries undergoing political reform.

The Role of Chemistry in Sustainable Agriculture and Human Well-Being in Africa: CHEMRAWN XII

The Role of Chemistry in Sustainable Agriculture and Human Well-Being in Africa: CHEMRAWN XII

Perspectivas mundiales en materia de bienestar animal: África

Livestock production systems, production objectives, the cultural values of livestock keepers, and the close relationship between keepers and their livestock have evolved over the years and have influenced the quality of animal welfare in Africa. An equivalent level and quality of care is not evident for companion animals, especially dogs and donkeys, who are often mistreated and physically abused. In the densely populated highland and humid coastal belts of Africa, profit-driven commercial large-scale intensive livestock production systems predominate. As the main production objective of these operations is to maximise profit, the operators of these production systems do not exhibit the same kind of attachment to their livestock as traditional farmers. In some large-scale commercial systems animals and birds are kept in sub-standard poorly constructed structures that greatly restrict the animals' movements. In Africa, conservation of wildlife habitats is part of animal welfare, but due to an increasing human population and a greater demand for land for grazing, cultivation, and housing, wildlife reserves are quickly diminishing. This essentially means that the land that was previously set aside for wildlife and forests is being encroached upon and previously unsettled plains and marginal lands are being used for agriculture and mining. In most places there is significant conflict between humans and wildlife, such that wildlife are considered to be pests that need to be destroyed. This is a particular problem in areas where wildlife have destroyed crops, attacked man and/or livestock, or there has been disease transmission between animals and humans. In situations and/or areas that do not have official animal control services, crude weapons, poisons, and traps are used to kill the wildlife. Animal welfare issues, domestic and wildlife related, need to be urgently addressed through policy and legal frameworks and supported by community awareness of, education about, and participation in, animal welfare issues.

Defining a Mother-Centered Matrix to Analyze the Status of Women

This article focuses on the significance of mother-centeredness to state development. Modern Africa is faced with the imposition of Western states that are fundamentally male-centered and antithetical to the well-being of Africa and her people and, for that matter, all humanity. Defining the Mother-Centered Matrix that underpinned the development of Kemet challenges the belief that the United States and other modern states are necessarily progressive. Issues of “development” from a culturally sensitive perspective highlight the importance of Kemet as a state model that can provide contemporary African people with examples of ways of governing and living that are still unparalleled by modern states.

Population aging and its impact on elderly welfare in Africa.

This article discusses the demographic transition and its impact on the welfare of the elderly in Africa. It provides a brief socio-demographic profile on elderly Africans. Also, it addresses challenges brought about by population aging and how it affects the provision of services to address the care giving needs of the elderly. Additionally, it examines the major features and limitations of current social insurance and retirement programs in Africa. Finally, it proposes measures to better meet the challenges brought about by population aging.

A select list of articles on Africa appearing in non‐africanist periodicals

APT, N. A., Trends and prospects in Africa. Community Development 30urnal, 27(2), Apr. 1992, pp. 130-9. BLAREL, B. et al., The economics of farm fragmentation: evidence from Ghana and Rwanda. World Bank Economic Review, 6(2), May 1992, pp. 233-54. BRAUN, J. VON et al., Labour-intensive public works for food security in Africa: past experience and future potential. International Labour Reviezu, 131(1), 1992, pp. 19-33. CHEGE, M., Remembering Africa. Foreign Affairs, 71(1), 1992, pp. 146-63. CHERU, F., Structural adjustment, primary resource trade and sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa. World Development, 20(4), Apr. 1992, pp. 497-512. CLEAVER, K. and SCHREIBER, G., Population, agriculture, and the environment in Africa. Finance and Development,29(2), June 1992, pp.34-5. CLOUGH, M., The United States and Africa: the policy of cynical disengagement. Current History, 91(565), May 1992, pp. 193-8. DAVENPORT, M., Africa and the unimportance of being preferred. Xournal of Common Market Studies, 30(2), June 1992, pp.233-51. DIEMER, G. and VINCENT, L., Irrigation in Africa: the failure of collective memory and collective understanding. Development Policy Reviezu, 10(2), June 1992, pp .131-54. DUFFIELD, M., The emergence of two-tier welfare in Africa: marginalization or an opportunity for reform? Public Administration and Development, 12(2), May 1992, pp. 139-54. Fosu, A. K., Effect of export instability on economic growth in Africa. ffournal of Developing Areas, 26(3), Apr. 1992, pp. 323-32. GERSOVITZ, M., Transportation policy and panterritorial pricing in Africa. World Bank Economic Review, 6(2), May 1992, pp. 213-31. GREEN, R. H., Commodity aid and counterpart funds in sub-Saharan Africa: some macroeconomic aspects . I .D. S. Bulletin, 23(2), Apr. 1992, pp. 22-8. GUICHAOUA, A., Employment and environmental rehabilitation in the Sahel. International Labour Reviezv, 131(1), 1992, pp. 111-23. HELLEINER, G. K., The IMF, the World Bank and Africa's adjustment and external debt problems: an unofficial view. World Development, 20(6), June 1992, pp. 779-92. HILL, K., The effectiveness of national forestry administration in Africa: a test of the ministerial autonomy hypothesis. International Reviezv of Administrative Sciences, 58(2), June 1992, pp. 163-74.

Measurable effects of multilingualism in Africa

Examined in Ms paper is the hypothesis that there is a relationship between multilingualism and economic well-being in Africa. A statistical analysis of the empirical evidence seems to suggest that the hypothesis is tenable, though the relationship between multilingualism and economic well-being may not be a causal one.

The community development approach to animal welfare: an African perspective

It is difficult to motivate the use of donor funding for animal welfare on a continent where there is human starvation, unless the promotion of animal welfare has spin-offs for human welfare. This paper addresses the possibility of a paradigm shift which would result in animal welfare succeeding in its aims through making it people-centred rather than animal-centred. It looks, therefore, at the benefits that accrue to people when the well-being of animals is improved as well as the benefits that accrue to animals when the well-being of people is improved. Development and empowerment of resource-poor communities and how this impinges on the well-being of wild game, traction animals, production animals and companion animals will be discussed. A proactive and positive approach, by veterinarians, to animal welfare in Africa will be motivated.