University of Cape Coast Journals
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Willingness to pay for efficient waste management: the case of Bolgatanga Municipality: Willingness to pay for efficient waste management: the case of Bolgatanga Municipality
No full textThis study sought to determine how much individual households are willing to pay for efficient solid waste management in the Bolgatanga municipality as well as what factors influence people\u27s demand for the services at a particular price. In pursuance of this, the contingent valuation method which employed the biding game was used. Using cross tabulation and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) the calculated mean willingness to pay (WTP) was Cl6,750. The income variable was found to have a significant effect on the individuals\u27 WTP. Through the interaction dummy variables model, the income elasticity was 0.37. It was also found that occupation (OCC), level of education (EDU), the interaction between sex and occupation(SOC) and the interaction between sex and education (SED), as well as income(lnY) which is the covariate were all significant. Thus the antilog of the differential effects of OCC, EDU, SOC and SED were found to be; 0.64194, 1.65571, 1.69476 and 0.44884, respectfully. Thus the mean WTP of SOC was higher by C2.3367, while the mean WTP of SED was also higher by C2.10455. It is recommended that differential pricing as well as door-to-door refuse collection in selected areas among other services be put in place to ensure efficient refuse management in the municipality
Survey data report: Ghanaians are critical about the 2006 recent hostilities in Lebanon but are optimistic about peace in the middle east: Survey data report: Ghanaians are critical about the 2006 recent hostilities in Lebanon but are optimistic about peace in the middle east
No full textThis article examines variation and distribution of opinions in Ghana regarding conflict in the Middle East and was limited to the conflict that erupted along the Southern Lebanon and Israeli border during July and August 2006. The survey research focused on several key areas: United States of America understanding of Middle East issues, country’s right to self-defence, disproportionate use of military force, proxy war, and indifference to the loss of human life. The survey was conducted in the Central Region and 318 (N=318) completed survey instrument were assessed. The results suggest respondents are less likely to give support for the disproportionate use of military force, more likely to give support for a country’s right to self-defence to Lebanese combatants defending their territory against intruders, respondents are of the opinion that Israel, more so than not, is fighting a proxy war, and that Western countries have an indifference to the loss of life
Public spending, growth and poverty reduction: A Dynamic CGE Analysis for Ghana: Public spending, growth and poverty reduction: A Dynamic CGE Analysis for Ghana
No full textThe objective of this study was to determine the differential impact of various government expenditures on economic growth and poverty reduction in Ghana using a dynamic computable general equilibrium model based on a social accounting matrix (SAM) for Ghana for the year 1999. Even though there is evidence to show that higher fiscal deficits resulting from the increase in public investment outlays \u27crowd out\u27 some private investment by raising interest rates, the overall impact points to increased real GDP on a net basis by removing physical bottlenecks of infrastructure and thereby raising the factor productivity of private investment. Two main lessons can be drawn from this study. First, various types of government spending have differential impacts on economic growth and poverty reduction, implying greater potential to improve efficiency of government spending by reallocation among sectors. Second, governments should reduce their spending on unproductive sectors and rather give priority to increasing its spending on production-enhancing investments such as education, health and infrastructure
Sustaining employability in a globalizing world: critical issues on enterprise-based training systems: Sustaining employability in a globalizing world: critical issues on enterprise-based training systems
No full textDemand for skilled labour has been rising steadily as a result of globalization, technological advances and changes in work organization. In recent policy debates to increase employability in a globalizing world economy the crucial role of a high-quality educated and skilled workforce has gained prominence. This growing prominence, however, is based on the assertion that, a better trained labour force can increase competitiveness and better complement physical capital. There is the need to produce a workforce that is flexible enough to meet new challenges. What this means is that training systems are also under pressure to meet the demands of the changing labour market just as firms are underpressure to sustain competitiveness. The extent to which training systems, especially of developing countries like Ghana, are well placed to respond to the changing needs of the labour market is the central theme of this paper. We argue that existing training systems in most developing countries are not well placed to respond to changing labour market needs. We therefore present practical and workable suggestions
The metro mass transportation scheme in Ghana: Issues, challenges and the way forward: The metro mass transportation scheme in Ghana: Issues, challenges and the way forward
No full textFor many authorities in Ghana\u27s metropolitan areas, public transport provision is increasingly becoming problematic as daily trips of city dwellers tend to cover numerous suburbs or even satellite settlements, thereby increasing travel costs in terms of time, money and comfort. Rather than reducing travel times, enhancing economic activities and productivity of commuters as well as ensuring the safety and comfort of city dwellers, the public transport systems in developing cities such as Accra, Kumasi and Tamale in Ghana have become uncomfortable, risky and generally inconvenient. This paper focuses on the activities of the Metro Mass Transit Limited in Ghana since its inception in 2003. The paper first reviews the various processes that led to the introduction of yet another version of the defunct Omnibus Services Authority (OSA) Transport Company. This is followed by an outline of major challenges likely to confront the Company\u27s operations. Employing selected features of a management model by Cummings and Worley (1997), the paper then proposes possible strategies to address the challenges. For purposes of clarity some references are made to the defunct OSA Transport Company as well as other private operators such as the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Kingdom Transport and the State Transport Company (STC). The paper ends with suggestions for the training and education of operators of the MMTL designed to enhance their capacities to effectively manage the buses
The role of traditional authorities in local governance: The role of traditional authorities in local governance
No full textThe role of traditional Authorities in local governance was the subject of the study. The research design consisted of various methods of data collection including in-depth face-to face interviews, document reviews and observations. One technique that was used throughout the research to get information from all traditional role players was the appreciative technique. The population was made up of opinion leaders, settlers, chiefs, fetish priests, identified group leaders, tengdamba (land owners), family heads and local government staff. The instruments were pretested for reliability The analysis consisted of describing qualitative data while quantitative data was analysed using SPSS (statistical package for social sciences). It emerged that traditional institutions have more good to offer the District Assembly in local governance than their limitation of the work of the Assembly. The institutions have remained resilient in the face of modern challenges because of the confidence and trust people have in them and are prepared to defend them. People perceive traditional authorities to present their history, norms, values and belief systems; it is believed society would get much more substantially than if they are excluded
Customary land tenure, investments and livelihood adaptation in Northern Ghana: Customary land tenure, investments and livelihood adaptation in Northern Ghana
No full textThe land tenure practice of any place is important for the economic well-being of its citizenry. This article assesses the investments of farmers on different categories of lands deemed to have less or more security in order to inform the debate on the relationship between tenure security and investments. We also delineate the changing livelihood portfolios of families resulting from changing access forms to land via livelihood adaptation. Quantitative data from a national survey conducted by the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research in addition to qualitative information from nine villages is used as evidence for the study. Investments in land tend to be constrained by a host of motivations and factors rather than just security. Poverty was the most important factor which prevented farmers from investing in a wide range of land improvements necessary for increasing productivity. As a result of pressure on land resources and scarcity of farmland in urban and pen-urban areas many, people are diversifying from agriculture to non-farm activities. In the rural areas, this pressure on land has led to migration by the youth to the cities and changes in land relations between land owners and other land users. The economic mix of northern Ghana is becoming complicated and in tune with global trends.\u27 The deagrarianisation trend does not automatically lead to improvement in people\u27s livelihoods but is contingent on social, economic and environmental factors
External Debt and Economic Growth in Ghana: External Debt and Economic Growth in Ghana
No full textThis study analyses the effect of growth rate of external debt on the growth rate of GDP and finds out whether Ghana suffers from a debt overhang problem. The results from a Johansen multivariate cointegration method employed on our data showed that (i) there exists a stable long run relationship among GDP, labour force, investment, exports and external debt; and (ii) the long run effect of external debt on GDP has been positive and that Ghana is not suffering from any debt overhang problem. This means that importation of capital or reliance on external resources will help promote economic growth in Ghana. It is therefore. ecommended that every effort should be made by authorities to make Ghana much more attractive to external resources. The results of the study also indicate that military coups (political instability) have not been significant in explaining the growth rate of GDP in Ghana
Incorporation, dispossession and social transformation in rural Ghana: case study of a forest community: Incorporation, dispossession and social transformation in rural Ghana: case study of a forest community
No full textThis case study examines the social transformation that has occurred in a rural forest community in southern Ghana. It revisits various explanations for societal change or transformation from a Sociological viewpoint and situates change in the community within the context of a radical political economy paradigm. Hence Neo Marxist identification of incorporation of peripheral areas into capitalist production systems through monetization of production systems and alienation of the bases of livelihoods- land and labour have been identified to be crucial in the social transformation that the case community is undergoing. The findings of this study indicate that contrary to beliefs of modernization perspectives, social change is not all progress but can alienate communities further as well as create tensions and cleavages in traditional societies