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While the causes and effects of begging are well known, solutions on how to eradicate begging are still elusive in many parts of the developing world. The purpose of this study is to examine the different ways through which community leaders at the local level can contribute to the eradication of begging in one of Ghana’s most densely populated suburbs in the city of Accra.

This study was undertaken using the qualitative approach, and primary data was collected through interviews, participants observation and focus group discussions with beggars, community leaders and officials of non-governmental organisations at Nima, a suburb of Accra.

Begging in the suburb of Nima is increasingly becoming a business venture. It is no more an activity that is the preserve of only the weak, the poor, the elderly, the physically challenged, the needy and the marginalised in society. This paper argues that the eradication of begging requires multiple approaches and that community-based leaders must play a central role. This paper identified the provision of alternative sources of livelihood, the naming, shaming and condemnation of unjustified begging in the community, strict boarder control, returning foreign beggars to their home countries, the formulation and enforcement of community anti-begging by-laws and regular sensitisation programs on begging as crucial in reducing or eliminating begging.

While focusing on one Muslim-dominated suburb in Accra ensures a detailed discussion of strategies of eliminating begging from a cultural and religious perspective, the findings of this study may not be applicable to non-Islamic settings and communities where cultural or religious leadership structures do not exist.

This study has demonstrated that the eradication of begging in society cannot have one-size-fit all solution. This paper shows that in societies where cultural and religious leadership structures exist, they must play important roles in the design and implementation of strategies that seek to reduce or eliminate religious begging in society. This implies that formal government agencies and their associated laws alone will not be enough to eradicate or reduce begging under such contexts.

Measures to eradicate begging have often ignored the role of community leaders. This paper contributes to our understanding on this by specifically examining the phenomenon of begging at the micro level and exploring the different ways community leaders can contribute to the eradication of begging in society.

Although the last two decades have witnessed the implementation of several poverty reduction strategies in developing countries, many have failed to achieve their goal partly because of defective implementation strategies. This paper examines the implementation of one of Ghana’s flagship poverty reduction programs, the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), with a focus on how leadership at the sub-national level influences the implementation of the program.

Using qualitative research approach, the study selected research participants from two Municipal Assemblies in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Using a combination of Focus Group Discussions, Key Informant Interviews and Participant Observation, data were collected from a total of 44 respondents including beneficiaries, officials from the local government (district) and community level actors.

The paper shows that leaders at the sub-national level were more reactionary than proactive, thereby playing passive roles in the implementation of the LEAP program. It shows that the interaction between LEAP beneficiaries and district officials is rather low, which among others limits the effective utilization of the cash grant by the beneficiaries. It maintains that, for the LEAP program to achieve its overall goal of reducing poverty, leaders at the sub-national level ought to deploy more transformational leadership tendencies to incite beneficiaries to leap out of poverty through skill and human capital development.

The empirical literature is largely silent on the role of leadership in the implementation of cash transfer programs, such as Ghana’s LEAP program at the sub-national level. This study therefore explains the extent to which district level leaders contribute to the effective utilization of cash transfer grants and the human capital development of LEAP beneficiaries in Ghana.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the question of whether corruption and economic crime can be controlled in developing economies and whether the cost of doing that can be justified. It also explores the implications of corruption in the development of developing economies.

The paper reviews a range of published articles (1964‐2005), which offer theoretical and empirical research on corruption, economic crime and development. Themes discussed range from; the causes, implications, controls and the cost of controlling economic crime and corruption in developing economies.

Provides a critical analysis of the debate on corruption and economic crime in developing economies. The paper generally concludes that no single institution can be used to control corruption and economic crime and efforts to control these phenomena need to come from multiple fronts. The best way to tackle corruption in developing countries is through sector‐by‐sector control and that efforts to eliminate corruption are unlikely to be entirely successful in developing countries, not even in the developed countries.

The paper reminds developing countries to adopt measures that best suit their local circumstances in setting up anticorruption agencies/institutions while taking into consideration the borderless nature of crime – economic crime and corruption. Policy makers, especially in developing countries should re‐examine both local and international tools for combining economic crime and corruption to ensure development.

Although the paper argues along similar lines with the neo‐liberal approach to combating economic crime and corruption in developing countries, a major departure of this paper is that it proposes the need for a global effort to corruption and economic crime as a result of the increasing borderless nature of crime in this present age of information communication technology.

The global wave of information and communication technologies (ICT) development has become a strong driving force in almost every aspect of development. This paper aims to explore the impact of internet crime on individuals, organisations, businesses and government agencies in both developed and developing countries with special reference to developing countries.

The analysis in this paper is based on extensive review of published research works, which provide theoretical and empirical evidence on the effects and impact of the internet on development.

The paper generally concludes that the internet is overwhelmingly a powerful tool for development. Paradoxically, the internet is a “double‐edged sword”, providing many opportunities for individuals and organisations to develop but at the same time, has brought with it new opportunities to commit crime. The paper argues that the internet presents new challenges to law enforcement in both developed and developing countries. However, developing countries suffer greatly from the activities of internet crime than their developed counterparts as developing countries have inadequate technology, infrastructure and insufficient law enforcement expertise.

This paper reminds individuals, organisations and policy makers alike that internet crime has become a global issue that requires the full participation and cooperation of both developed and developing countries at the international level, as internet crime investigations often require that evidence be traced and collected in more that one country. ICT industries should focus now in designing products that are resistant to crime and can facilitate detection and investigation of crime.

A major novelty of this paper is that it traces the historical evolution of the internet and then sketches out some of the innovations the internet has brought as well as considering the negative effects associated with this technology and its impact on development.

The purpose of this study is to examine linkages between information and communication technology (ICT) use, the ICT regulatory environment and economic development. Businesses and individuals worldwide are increasingly depending on ICTs to facilitate trade and enhance their standard of living. This trend has sparked the argument that ICTs play a crucial role in driving economic development. However, the rise of ICTs has also led to challenges, including cybercrime, intellectual property violations and cyberwarfare, prompting questions about the need for regulation. In spite of these pressing issues, there is a notable lack of empirical research on the relationship between the use of ICTs (by businesses and individuals), their regulation and economic development.

Because of the limited empirical evidence regarding the connections between ICT use, ICT regulations, and economic development, this study aims to explore these relationships. The authors specifically examine the mediating role of ICT regulations in the impact of ICT use on economic development, as well as the direct effects of ICT use on economic development. To achieve this, the authors develop a hypothesised model that is validated using the technology–organisation–environment framework and capability theory. Additionally, the authors analyse secondary data from 130 countries using partial least squares-structural equation modelling.

The findings of this study show that both business and individual use of ICTs positively influences economic development. Furthermore, the authors discovered that ICT regulation plays a positive and partial mediating role in the relationship between ICT use and economic development. To encourage users to continue leveraging ICTs to enhance their livelihoods and foster economic growth, it is essential for governments and policymakers to implement effective ICT regulations that protect users’ information resources from illegal access.

The study’s primary contribution to research is its examination of the relationship between ICT usage by businesses and individuals, ICT regulation, and economic development on a global scale. By using secondary data sources, the study delivers rich, comprehensive, and generalisable findings on how the use of ICTs drives economic development. Additionally, through mediation analysis, the authors demonstrate that the presence of ICT regulations aimed at ensuring online privacy and security enhances both business and individual utilisation of ICTs, thereby promoting economic development.

Marine plastic pollution (MPP) is increasing in recent times because of the high usage of plastic products. Green consumption behaviour (GCB) gaining attention as effective approach to achieving sustainable source reduction of plastic pollution, which negatively affects both human pollution and marine biodiversity and ecosystem. Although, Higher Education (HE) students are key stakeholders in addressing environmental issues, including MPP, there is limited empirical research in Ghana on factors influencing HE students’ GCB. This study, in an endeavour to bridge the gap, used the revised theory of planned behaviour (TPB) framework to investigate the factors influencing higher-education students’ green consumption behaviour in the Ghanaian context. Specifically, the purpose of the study is to examine the interplay of consumer novelty seeking (CNS), environmental concern (EC), perceived behavioural control and social influence on green consumption behaviour among higher-education students in Ghana. The study also explored the moderating role of gender in the relationship between CNS and green consumption behaviour.

This study used quantitative approach to obtain data from a sample of 233 students at the University of Cape Coast and used the partial least squares structural equation modelling approach for the data analysis.

The findings provide valuable insights, highlighting the important role of CNS and ECs in driving higher education students’ green consumption behaviour in Ghana. This study also found a revealing role for gender as a moderator in the relationship between CNS and green consumption behaviour, with females exhibiting a more pronounced response to CNS in influencing green consumption behaviour. On the contrary, the authors found a non-significant impact of perceived behavioural control and social influence.

Although this study presents results that provide valuable insights for policy and practical implications, it has some limitations worth mentioning for future research directions. Firstly, the participants sampled for this study comprised only higher education students from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, which may limit the applicability of the findings to other student populations at various universities in Ghana and beyond. Moreover, the exclusion of non-students who are considered as “Generation Z” (i.e. born within 1995–2010) may narrow the scope of generalisability in the context of young consumers’ green consumption behaviour in Ghana. To enhance the generalisability of future studies, it is recommended that the scope of this study be extended. Furthermore, it should be noted that this study primarily measured higher education students’ green consumption behaviour based on self-reported data. Therefore, future research could adopt alternative approaches, such as non-self-reported measures or experimental data so to reduce the complexities and the gap that may exist between attitudes and behaviour.

These results provide valuable insights for policymakers, educators and environmental advocates to develop targeted initiatives that resonate with Ghanaian higher education students to foster green consumption practices and contribute to global efforts against marine plastic pollution.

The novelty of this study lies in the decision to propose a TPB model by including variables like CNS and EC that are believed to positively shape attitudes towards green consumption behaviour. The rationale for examining these variables is grounded in the belief that they are appropriate factors that may predict students’ green consumer behaviour, which may serve as a potential solution to marine plastic pollution.

As rural nonfarm activities grow in developing countries, less attention is being paid to the opportunities they may provide for women. The purpose of this study is to examine the gender-differentiated impact of nonfarm diversification strategies in rural Senegal.

This study uses data collected from the Senegalese poverty monitoring survey and employs an instrumental variable (IV) approach and a multinomial endogenous treatment model to investigate the extent to which diversification strategies lead to improved outcomes for rural women and their households.

While nonfarm diversification is a male-dominated livelihood strategy, rural women make the most of it, regardless of whether they diversify into low- or high-return nonfarm activities. At the individual level, diversification improves rural women’s well-being through large income-increasing effects and higher empowerment but has no effect on rural men’s well-being. At the household level, the authors find that, when only women diversify, households have lower per capita income but are less likely to be food insecure than when only men or both genders diversify.

This study is based on cross-sectional data, making it impossible to examine the dynamic effects of nonfarm diversification strategies on well-being outcomes.

This study contributes to the current literature on rural livelihood diversification. While much attention has been paid to the feminization of agriculture, remarkably little is known about the expanding role of rural women in the nonfarm sector.

While certain contested goods do manage to make their way to market, others have moved less far in this direction and others seem permanently unable to do so. Moral contestation promotes, holds back or blocks the emergence of contested markets. This chapter examines the conditions that make the operation of these markets possible, and those that block their appearance. From a comparison between two cases (organs for transplantation and gambling), the authors focus attention on the one hand on those devices that make transactions possible, and on the other, on the “vulnerable populations” that these devices are intended to protect, either from or by the market.

This study aims to characterize and analyze the literature on economic and financial crimes (EFCs) in the context of emerging markets, as published in Scopus.

A bibliometric analysis was conducted on 33 articles sourced from Scopus, focusing on the intersection of keywords related to financial crime or economic crime with those related to emerging markets, emerging countries, emerging economies, developing markets, developing countries or developing economies. The data were systematically analyzed using Excel and Bibliometrix to identify trends, patterns and gaps in the literature.

Research in this area has seen significant growth, with the period from 2016 to 2023 accounting for 57.6% of total scientific productivity. This period also represents 68.1% of authors, 56.7% of journals, 73.6% of institutions and 45.7% of citations. Key research themes identified include: the practice of EFCs in developing countries; the impact of globalization on EFCs in these regions; and the intersection of artificial intelligence, sustainable development goals and EFCs. Furthermore, the authors suggest exploring under-researched crimes, such as kickbacks, extortion, embezzlement, bid rigging and insider trading.

This study primarily focuses on EFCs in emerging markets. Future research should examine developed markets to contrast findings and enrich the overall understanding of these phenomena.

Despite the critical nature of EFCs in emerging markets, there has been no comprehensive study that elucidates the significant aspects of the existing literature.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight emerging threats in cyberspace, with particular reference to financial crime in the virtual world, which have real life implications, as well as to recommend ways in which the threat may be mitigated.

The methodology adopted consisted of an extensive literature review on topics to include cyber crime, virtual worlds, and financial crime.

Virtual worlds such as Second Life play a key role in supporting real world activities such as education, training and business and as such, should not be dismissed purely as a “gaming” environment. In addition, emerging technologies coupled with the lack of legislation and regulation within virtual worlds has created an environment where a variety of crimes can be committed without fear of detection or prosecution. A further concern is its use by criminals as a vehicle to mask real life crimes such as fraud, identify theft and money laundering. The question is to what extent the blurring of the virtual and real life environments can be clarified in order to minimise the risk of abuse of virtual environments by criminal elements, which have direct consequences in the real world.

This paper serves as a useful guide to alert and educate security professionals, the judiciary, law enforcement and policy makers of the significance and the extent of the use of “virtual” environments in cyberspace for criminal means, such as fraud and money laundering. Findings are supported by a conclusion which includes recommendations for tackling these issues.