|
on Africa |
| By: | Pedro Arruda (IPC-IG) |
| Abstract: | "Zimbabwe is a low-income, land-locked country in Southern Africa with an estimated population of 13,061,239 people, according to the latest census (ZIMSTAT 2012). Two thirds (67 per cent) of Zimbabweans live in rural areas, and 51.9 per cent of the total population are female (ibid.). Between 1996 and 2008, Zimbabwe experienced a systemic crisis with consecutive decreases in gross domestic product (GDP). The crisis generated an extremely high incidence of poverty (people living below the total consumption poverty line) and a deepening of food/extreme poverty (people living below the food poverty line)". (...) |
| Keywords: | Zimbabwe, social protection, system, harmonized, social, cash transfer, programme |
| Date: | 2018–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipc:wpaper:175&r=afr |
| By: | Alloush, M. |
| Keywords: | International Development, Behavioral & Institutional Economics, Research Methods/Econometrics/Stats |
| Date: | 2018–06–20 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea18:274223&r=afr |
| By: | Ebenezer, Appiah Collins; Jatoe, John Baptist D.; Mensa-Bonsu, Akwasi |
| Abstract: | This paper investigated how sensitive food price is to changes in petroleum price and exchange rate in Ghana from January 1997 to August 2017. Interest rate was included as a control variable in the study since it may be a useful macroeconomic policy tool. Using Johansen cointegration procedure, Vector Error Correction Model, Impulse Response Functions and BEKK-GARCH estimations, the results of the study showed there exist positive long-run and short-run relationships between food prices and all the macroeconomic variables used in the model. Thus, increases in petroleum price, exchange rate and interest rate raise food prices in Ghana. The magnitudes of these increases were found to be very high during the food crises periods in 2007/08 and 2010/11. It was also found that effects of these food price spikes caused by shocks from petroleum price, exchange rate and interest rate are long lasting and do not decay easily with time. The results from the BEKK-GARCH estimation showed that food prices in Ghana exhibit time-varying volatility; caused by its own ARCH and GARCH effects as well as exogenously determined shocks from petroleum price, exchange rate and interest rate. Also, the results indicated that food price volatility shocks in Ghana are persistent. It is recommended that; policy aimed at food price stabilization must build national petroleum buffer stocks to stabilize fuel prices, improve exchange rate and interest rate management, build district, regional and national food buffer stocks, selectively target fuel subsidy at crop farmers and food processors, and remove bottlenecks in food marketing. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Demand and Price Analysis |
| Date: | 2018–08–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:ghaaae:277791&r=afr |
| By: | Mauro Boffa; Jaime De Melo (FERDI - Fondation pour les Etudes et Recherches sur le Développement International, University of Geneva [Switzerland]) |
| Abstract: | This study provides an anatomy of the activities of Trade Promotion Organizations (TPOs) in Sub-Saharan Africa, mostly LDCs. Both opportunities and challenges facing TPOs were identified by using a quantitative survey administered online and a structured questionnaire used during phone interviews. The study relied on ITCs' TPO Network and contacts through FERDI and IGC. Of the 40 online invitations, 12 were filled out and of the 20 invitations for phone interviews, 6 were obtained. Almost all answers were from TPOs not covered in previous evaluations. Data from the online survey were compared with results from previous surveys mostly outside SSA. TPOs in SSA are young, relative to those elsewhere (half were started after 2007) and relatively small (average of 25 employees). Strategic objectives from 88 TPOs previously evaluated are systematically compared. Comparisons with the data gathered for this study reveal a higher elasticity of budget size to employee for SSA than elsewhere probably suggesting greater diversification into new supporting activities in SSA than elsewhere. The study summarizes the challenges and opportunities in each area of operation gathered from the phone interviews (see table 7). The phone interviews revealed that successes were concentrated in the agricultural activities. Word-cloud analysis uncovered convergence of themes (market access, audit, performance). Two challenges facing TPOs in the future are issues relating to the use of the internet and helping firms integrate into value chains (regional or global). |
| Date: | 2078–09–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01877252&r=afr |