Simplice Asongu and Rexon Nting
The study has investigated the comparative importance of financial access in promoting gender inclusion in African countries.
Abstract
Purpose
The study has investigated the comparative importance of financial access in promoting gender inclusion in African countries.
Design/methodology/approach
Gender inclusion is proxied by the female labour participation rate while financial channels include: financial system deposits and private domestic credit. The empirical evidence is based on non-contemporary fixed effects regressions.
Findings
In order to provide more implications on comparative relevance, the dataset is categorised into income levels (middle income versus (vs.) low income); legal origins (French civil law vs. English common law); religious domination (Islam vs. Christianity); openness to sea (coastal vs. landlocked); resource-wealth (oil-poor vs. oil-rich) and political stability (stable vs. unstable). Six main hypotheses are tested, notably, that middle income, English common law, Christianity, coastal, oil-rich and stable countries enjoy better levels of “financial access”-induced gender inclusion compared to respectively, low income, French civil law, Islam, landlocked, oil-poor and unstable countries. All six tested hypotheses are validated.
Originality/value
This is the first study on the comparative importance of financial access in gender economic participation.
Details
Keywords
Simplice Asongu, Rexon Nting and Joseph Nnanna
In this study, we test the so-called “Quiet Life Hypothesis” (QLH), which postulates that banks with market power are less efficient.
Abstract
Purpose
In this study, we test the so-called “Quiet Life Hypothesis” (QLH), which postulates that banks with market power are less efficient.
Design/methodology/approach
We employ instrumental variable Ordinary Least Squares, Fixed Effects, Tobit and Logistic regressions. The empirical evidence is based on a panel of 162 banks consisting of 42 African countries for the period 2001–2011. There is a two-step analytical procedure. First, we estimate Lerner indices and cost efficiency scores. Then, we regress cost efficiency scores on Lerner indices contingent on bank characteristics, market features and the unobserved heterogeneity.
Findings
The empirical evidence does not support the QLH because market power is positively associated with cost efficiency.
Originality/value
Owing to data availability constraints, this is one of the few studies to test the QLH in African banking.
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Keywords
Simplice Asongu and Rexon Nting
In this study, we assess how the mobile phone can be leveraged upon to improve the role of governance in environmental sustainability in 44 Sub-Saharan African countries.
Abstract
Purpose
In this study, we assess how the mobile phone can be leveraged upon to improve the role of governance in environmental sustainability in 44 Sub-Saharan African countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The Generalised Method of Moments is used to establish policy thresholds. A threshold is a critical mass or level of mobile phone penetration at which the net effect of governance on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions changes from positive to negative.
Findings
Mobile phone penetration thresholds associated with negative conditional effects are: 36 (per 100 people) for political stability/no violence; 130 (per 100 people) for regulation quality; 146.66 (per 100 people) for government effectiveness; 65 (per 100 people) for corruption-control and 130 (per 100 people) for the rule of law. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
Originality/value
The study provides thresholds of mobile phone penetration that are critical in complementing governance dynamics to reduce CO2 emissions.
Details
Keywords
Simplice Asongu and Rexon Nting
This study aims to investigate the direct and indirect linkages between financial development and inclusive human development in African countries.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the direct and indirect linkages between financial development and inclusive human development in African countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employs a battery of estimation techniques, notably: two-stage least squares, fixed effects, generalized method of moments and Tobit regressions. The dependent variable is the inequality adjusted human development index. All dimensions of the Financial Development and Structure Database of the World Bank are considered.
Findings
The main finding is that financial dynamics of depth, activity and size improve inclusive human development, whereas the inability of banks to transform mobilized deposits into credit for financial access negatively affects inclusive human development.
Practical implications
Policies should be tailored to improve mechanisms by which credit facilities can be provided to both households and business operators. Surplus liquidity issues resulting from the inability of banks to transform mobilized deposits into credit can be resolved by enhancing the introduction of information sharing offices (like public credit registries and private credit bureaus) that would reduce information asymmetry between lenders and borrowers.
Originality/value
This study complements the extant literature by assessing the nexus between financial development and inclusive human development in Africa.