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Article
Publication date: 14 March 2016

Paul Alhassan Issahaku

The purpose of this paper is to assess West African countries’ approach to address the issue of domestic violence (DV) in order to identify limitations and suggest policy…

620

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess West African countries’ approach to address the issue of domestic violence (DV) in order to identify limitations and suggest policy measures. The paper situates DV in West Africa in the context of international literature and examines the question: what are the limitations of approaches to combating DV in West Africa and what is the way forward? The paper focusses on Ghana as a case example of efforts at addressing DV in West Africa. This is because Ghana is a pioneer among the very few West African countries that have developed a legislative cum policy framework to combat DV. A critical review of Ghana’s approach provides useful lessons for the way forward on policy against DV in the West Africa subregion.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology adopted consists of a survey of existing literature – theoretical and empirical – on DV in the international and Ghanaian contexts, a critical reflection on Ghana’s DV law, and synthesis of the emerging knowledge combined with familiarity with the context to make policy suggestions. A general review of literature on DV provides background understanding of the phenomenon globally and in the context of West Africa. Then an examination of Ghana’s law against DV helps to identify the limitations of the legislative approach. Finally, the paper makes suggestions on how to combat DV in West Africa at large.

Findings

There is a high prevalence of DV in West Africa, particularly violence against women, although men also experience it. Some countries in the subregion, Ghana being an example, have adopted a legislative approach to deal with the problem. This approach criminalizes DV and requires victims or witnesses to report to the police. Perpetrators may be arrested and arraigned before a court and, if found culpable, fined or imprisoned while victims are promised protection and subsistence. The legislative approach is reactionary and cold, requiring reporting of violence even though this is not culturally expedient. The approach also frustrates victims who are willing to report by being cumbersome and costly. Finally, the approach is not built on any notable theory of DV.

Research limitations/implications

The findings reported in this paper are based on secondary information. As a result, the analysis and conclusions are limited to what could be drawn from the documents reviewed and the experience of the author.

Practical implications

The paper suggests specific measures for combating DV in West Africa. These include setting up a national taskforce on DV to coordinate actions and activities toward ending violence, using traditional, and religious leadership structures to campaign against DV, designing mentoring groups for men and women who are preparing to get into marriage, using social workers instead of the police to support victims of violence, institutionalizing assessment and care for DV victims at the hospital, and setting up funding for DV research. These measures could go a long way in combating DV in West Africa.

Originality/value

This critical assessment of the legislative approach to combating DV in West Africa is about the first of its kind and therefore makes an original contribution to the literature. Also, the specific measures suggested in the paper are rare in reviews of its kind and therefore offers something of great value to policy makers and professionals in West Africa.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 36 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

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Article
Publication date: 19 April 2013

Paul Alhassan Issahaku and Sheila Neysmith

The purpose of this paper is to discuss trends in demographic ageing in West Africa and asks the question of what policy challenges are posed by the increasing presence of older…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss trends in demographic ageing in West Africa and asks the question of what policy challenges are posed by the increasing presence of older persons in the subregion. We explore the unique dimensions of population ageing in the subregion, including its rural‐urban and gendered distributions, the occupational history of older persons, among others with the view to identifying the health, housing, and income security implications of ageing. The paper discovers and reviews what policy initiatives are being pursued in respect of older persons and suggests ways for their improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on the existing literature on ageing and policy in both published and grey sources, including national and international policy documents. The discussion looks at policy responses in Ghana as a case example for the West African context. Policy information pertaining to Ghana is interpreted in light of the first author's personal familiarity with the context as a national of that country. The age of adults in this context is hard to determine due to low birth registration. In this paper older persons are defined as those 60 plus in chronological years, the age of retirement in Ghana.

Findings

It is established that older persons are concentrated in the rural areas of West Africa and a higher proportion of this demographic group is female. Further, the majority of older persons in West Africa has low formal literacy, is in the informal economy, and has no income security in old age. Yet, older persons continue to play the significant role of grandparenting. This examination of Ghana's policy on ageing revealed inadequacies which need to be addressed. A key recommendation is a policy of universal non‐means‐tested old age security to provide basic income for persons aged 60 years and above.

Originality/value

A recommended policy of universal non‐means‐tested old age security to provide basic income for persons aged 60 years and above in Ghana is the original contribution of this paper.

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Article
Publication date: 25 September 2019

Simplice Asongu, Joseph Nnanna and Paul Acha-Anyi

This study aims to investigate the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in modulating the effect of governance on insurance penetration in 42 Sub-Saharan African…

352

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in modulating the effect of governance on insurance penetration in 42 Sub-Saharan African countries using data for the period 2004-2014.

Design/methodology/approach

Two insurance indicators are used in the analysis, namely, life insurance and non-life insurance. The three ICT modulating dynamics used include mobile phone penetration, internet penetration and fixed broadband subscriptions. Six governance channels are also considered, namely, political stability, “voice & accountability”, regulation quality, government effectiveness, the rule of law and corruption-control. The empirical evidence is based on generalized method of moments.

Findings

The following main findings are established. First, mobile phone penetration does not significantly modulate governance channels to positively affect life insurance while it effectively complements “voice & accountability” to induce a positive net effect on non-life insurance. Second, internet penetration complements governance dynamics of political stability, government effectiveness and rule of law to induce positive net effects on life insurance and corruption-control for an overall positive effect on non-life insurance. Third, the relevance of fixed broadband subscriptions in promoting life insurance is apparent via governance channels of regulation quality, government effectiveness and the rule of law while fixed broadband subscriptions do not induce significant overall net effects on non-life insurance though the conditional effects are overwhelmingly significant.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, studies on the relevance of ICT in promoting insurance consumption through governance channels are sparse, especially for a region such as Sub-Saharan Africa where insurance penetration is low compared to other regions of the world.

Details

Social Responsibility Journal, vol. 16 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-1117

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 February 2022

Paul Adjei Kwakwa, Hamdiyah Alhassan and William Adzawla

Quality environment is argued to be essential for ensuring food security. The effect of environmental degradation on agriculture has thus gained the attention of researchers…

4702

Abstract

Purpose

Quality environment is argued to be essential for ensuring food security. The effect of environmental degradation on agriculture has thus gained the attention of researchers. However, the analyses of aggregate and sectoral effect of carbon dioxide emissions on agricultural development are limited in the literature. Consequently, this study examines the effect of aggregate and sectoral carbon emissions on Ghana's agricultural development.

Design/methodology/approach

Time-series data from 1971 to 2017 are employed for the study. Regression analysis and a variance decomposition analysis are employed in the study.

Findings

The results show that the country's agricultural development is negatively affected by aggregate carbon emission while financial development, labour and capital increases agricultural development. Further, industrial development and emissions from transport sector, industrial sector and other sectors adversely affect Ghana's agriculture development. The contribution of carbon emission together with other explanatory variables to the changes in agricultural development generally increases over the period.

Originality/value

This study analyses the aggregate and sectoral carbon dioxide emission effect on Ghana's agricultural development.

Details

Journal of Business and Socio-economic Development, vol. 2 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2635-1374

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Article
Publication date: 16 August 2019

Paul Adjei Kwakwa, Hamdiyah Alhassan and George Adu

Even though many studies have attempted to understand the drivers of carbon dioxide emission and energy consumption to help tackle environmental issues, not much has been done to…

1101

Abstract

Purpose

Even though many studies have attempted to understand the drivers of carbon dioxide emission and energy consumption to help tackle environmental issues, not much has been done to estimate the effect of natural resources extraction on these two variables. This paper aims to analyze the long-run and short-run carbon dioxide emission and energy consumption effect of natural resources extraction in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical foundation for this study is the Stochastic Impacts Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) model. Secondary Data sourced from World Development Indicators (2018) for the period of 1971-2013 were used. Estimation was done by using the autoregressive distributed lag.

Findings

It was found among other things that urbanization, and extraction of natural resources contribute to Ghana’s carbon dioxide emission, while official development assistance helps in reducing carbon dioxide emission in the long run. Again, while income and extraction of natural resources increase energy consumption, urbanization and official development assistance reduce environmental degradation in the long run. Regarding the short run, income and urbanization both increase energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission; trade openness and official development assistance decrease both carbon dioxide emission and energy consumption.

Research limitations/implications

The implications from the results include the need to strictly enforce laws regulating extractive activities in the country to ensure a safe environment; and also to raise tariff and non-tariff barriers on products that do not promote a friendly environment and vice versa.

Originality/value

The effect of natural resources extraction on carbon emission and energy consumption is examined.

Details

International Journal of Energy Sector Management, vol. 14 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6220

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Article
Publication date: 10 October 2024

Jitender Kumar and Anjali Ahuja

This article provides a systematic literature review on financial inclusion, offering a comprehensive overview of research publications. It also develops a conceptual framework to…

209

Abstract

Purpose

This article provides a systematic literature review on financial inclusion, offering a comprehensive overview of research publications. It also develops a conceptual framework to outline future research objectives, enhancing understanding and identifying key areas for further investigation.

Design/methodology/approach

The data extraction concentrates on facts and figures about financial inclusion from 2005 to 2024. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), the study reviews and synthesizes insights from 115 pertinent articles published in 77 high-ranked journals, indexed across three academic databases: Scopus, Web of Science (WoS) and the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC).

Findings

Previous research on financial inclusion demonstrates that out of 115 articles, 50 were published between 2020 and 2024 and 43 between 2015 and 2019. This indicates the increasing trend of research on financial inclusion. Another interesting point is that researchers mostly use regression techniques to analyze the relationship between variables. Notably, reviewing the selected literature is valuable for researchers and practitioners interested in financial inclusion. It synthesizes the existing knowledge on the topic, identifies research gaps and suggests a conceptual framework to direct future studies.

Originality/value

This unique study contributes original value to the financial inclusion literature through a systematic literature review. By synthesizing existing knowledge and identifying research gaps, it presents a novel framework that offers new perspectives and highlights areas for future research, advancing the understanding of financial inclusion.

Details

Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-4323

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Article
Publication date: 21 January 2022

Wisdom Apedo Deku, Jiuhe Wang and Narain Das

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) do not need only traditional marketing strategies in the dynamic business environment of the manufacturing sector. Entrepreneurial marketing…

2074

Abstract

Purpose

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) do not need only traditional marketing strategies in the dynamic business environment of the manufacturing sector. Entrepreneurial marketing dimension (EMD) is an alternative marketing approach for SMEs. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate whether EMD innovation has a positive and significant effect on SMEs performance on Ghanaian Halal food and beverages.

Design/methodology/approach

Correlative descriptive research method was used and 432 questionnaires with five-point Likert scale were distributed among owners-managers of manufacturing sectors of Ghanaian Halal food and beverages SMEs producers were chosen by a simple random sampling method. Structural equations modelling structural equations modelling techniques was used to analyse data.

Findings

The result of data analysis indicates a positive and significant effect of EMD on manufacturing SMEs performances of Halal food. Nevertheless, the effect of EMD on the production performance of the aforementioned companies is confirmed positive. The findings also show that production performances of Halal food SMEs result in their financial performance.

Research limitations/implications

The study’s sample is limited to Halal food SMEs manufacturing in Ghana. More research can be done investigating this relationship from different sectors and in Islamic and non-Islamic countries.

Practical implications

This research implies that Halal food SMEs manufacturing producers in a country is imperative in Muslim-minority countries. This study gives a benchmark for the non-Muslim-majority countries which endeavour to embark on the Halal SMEs manufacturing food. Muslim-minority countries that envision to succeed in the global Halal market could emulate Ghana’s approach in branding itself as a recognised non-Muslim-majority country in producing Halal foods. This can be done by implementing innovative, proactive, opportunist, risk-taking and customer-oriented initiatives to achieve better market and innovative performances and higher profits.

Originality/value

This paper fills a knowledge gap by presenting the first comprehensive overview of Halal food SMEs manufacturing performance research that enhances the ongoing discussion in hospitality, entrepreneurship and marketing fields in Islamic and non-Islamic contexts.

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