7 research outputs found
The Impact of Public Agricultural Expenditure on Agricultural Output in Nigeria (1981-2014)
No full textThis study investigated the impact of public agricultural expenditure on agricultural output in Nigeria for the period 1981 to 2014 with time series data obtained from the Statistical Bulletin and Annual Reports of the Central Bank of Nigeria, 2014. The Augmented Dickey-Fuller test, Johansen Co-integration test, Error Correction Method (ECM) and Granger Causality test were employed as analytical tools in the course of the study. Agricultural output was explained by public agricultural expenditure, commercial bank loans to the agricultural sector and interest rates. The Johansen Co-integration test revealed that there exists a long-run relationship between agricultural output, public agricultural expenditure, commercial bank loans to the agricultural sector and interest rates in Nigeria. The results of the parsimonious ECM model showed that public agricultural expenditure has a significant negative impact on agricultural output while commercial bank loans to the agricultural sector and interest rate have insignificant positive impacts on agricultural output in Nigeria. The value of the coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.630677 showed that the exogenous variables in the ECM equation viz; public agricultural expenditure, commercial bank loans to the agricultural sector and interest rate explains over 63% of the systematic variations in agricultural output. The error correction term was highly significant at the 5% level with the appropriate negative sign, indicating that the adjustment is in the right direction to restore the long-run relationship. The study concluded that the negative impact of public agricultural expenditure on agricultural output may have resulted due to discrepancies that existed between the amount allocated to the agricultural sector and the amount actually spent on the sector in the country. We therefore recommended that monitoring agencies be established by the federal government to ensure that the amount allocated to the agricultural sector is actually and judiciously spent on the sector in Nigeria
The Impact of Public Agricultural Expenditure on Agricultural Output in Nigeria (1981-2014)
No full textThis study investigated the impact of public agricultural expenditure on agricultural output in Nigeria for the period 1981 to 2014 with time series data obtained from the Statistical Bulletin and Annual Reports of the Central Bank of Nigeria, 2014. The Augmented Dickey-Fuller test, Johansen Co-integration test, Error Correction Method (ECM) and Granger Causality test were employed as analytical tools in the course of the study. Agricultural output was explained by public agricultural expenditure, commercial bank loans to the agricultural sector and interest rates. The Johansen Co-integration test revealed that there exists a long-run relationship between agricultural output, public agricultural expenditure, commercial bank loans to the agricultural sector and interest rates in Nigeria. The results of the parsimonious ECM model showed that public agricultural expenditure has a significant negative impact on agricultural output while commercial bank loans to the agricultural sector and interest rate have insignificant positive impacts on agricultural output in Nigeria. The value of the coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.630677 showed that the exogenous variables in the ECM equation viz; public agricultural expenditure, commercial bank loans to the agricultural sector and interest rate explains over 63% of the systematic variations in agricultural output. The error correction term was highly significant at the 5% level with the appropriate negative sign, indicating that the adjustment is in the right direction to restore the long-run relationship. The study concluded that the negative impact of public agricultural expenditure on agricultural output may have resulted due to discrepancies that existed between the amount allocated to the agricultural sector and the amount actually spent on the sector in the country. We therefore recommended that monitoring agencies be established by the federal government to ensure that the amount allocated to the agricultural sector is actually and judiciously spent on the sector in Nigeria
Alleviating Poverty through the Use of Entrepreneurship Skill Acquisition in Kogi State, Nigeria
No full textAbstract - This study assessed the impact of entrepreneurship skill acquisition on poverty in Kogi State of Nigeria. The study made use of primary data collected with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire, which were administered by well-trained enumerator to beneficiaries of entrepreneurship acquisition skills randomly sampled from six Local Government Area of the state. The data collected through the questionnaire was analyzed using descriptive statistics like frequencies and percentages. The result shows that 65% of the respondents accepted that lack of entrepreneurship skills among youth is responsible for the high rate of poverty in Nigeria. The result also revealed that at least 60% of the people that benefitted from the skill acquisition programme can now afford the basic necessity of life. The study therefore recommended that since most of the people that benefited from the programme could afford the basic necessity of life, the government should begin to think of the way of developing the programme to the status of poverty eradication programme.Keywords : Entrepreneur; Vocation; Skill acquisition; Poverty; Alleviation; OptimumPaper Type : Research Pape
Student Engagement at the Higher Learning Institutions: the Case of Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates
No full text- Universities in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), just like other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), strive to be at the forefront of academic excellence. Towards this end, HEIs endeavour to provide their students, their primary clientele with the most conducive learning environment in order to maximise their potentials and prepare them to the real world of work. Do the students really make the most of the learning experiences in the university? Are the students really actively engaged in the teaching programmes and learning activities provided by the university? What might be the implications of student engagement to curriculum, instruction, policy and decision making, and educational administration? This paper focused on the level of academic challenge provided to students. In this study, academic challenge was based on study time and course requirements for reading, writing, and application of higher-order thinking skills rather than on student judgments of the difficulty of the coursework (Carini and Kuh, 2003). Specifically, this investigation attempted to ascertain the types of engagement activities at the HEIs of Malaysia and the UAE. Interesting findings are presented, and recommendations are offered in light of student engagement in the context of higher education
Alleviating Poverty Through the Use of Entrepreneurship Skill Acquisition in Kogi State, Nigeria
No full text- This study assessed the impact of entrepreneurship skill acquisition on poverty in Kogi State of Nigeria. The study made use of primary data collected with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire, which were administered by well-trained enumerator to beneficiaries of entrepreneurship acquisition skills randomly sampled from six Local Government Area of the state. The data collected through the questionnaire was analyzed using descriptive statistics like frequencies and percentages. The result shows that 65% of the respondents accepted that lack of entrepreneurship skills among youth is responsible for the high rate of poverty in Nigeria. The result also revealed that at least 60% of the people that benefitted from the skill acquisition programme can now afford the basic necessity of life. The study therefore recommended that since most of the people that benefited from the programme could afford the basic necessity of life, the government should begin to think of the way of developing the programme to the status of poverty eradication programme. Keywords : Entrepreneur; Vocation; Skill acquisition; Poverty; Alleviation; OptimumPaper Type : Research Pape
Author Correction: APC/C-dependent degradation of Spd2 regulates centrosome asymmetry in Drosophila neural stem cells
No full textThe SOS-framework (Systems of Sedentary behaviours): An international transdisciplinary consensus framework for the study of determinants, research priorities and policy on sedentary behaviour across the life course: A DEDIPAC-study
No full text© 2016 The Author(s).Background: Ecological models are currently the most used approaches to classify and conceptualise determinants of sedentary behaviour, but these approaches are limited in their ability to capture the complexity of and interplay between determinants. The aim of the project described here was to develop a transdisciplinary dynamic framework, grounded in a system-based approach, for research on determinants of sedentary behaviour across the life span and intervention and policy planning and evaluation. Methods: A comprehensive concept mapping approach was used to develop the Systems Of Sedentary behaviours (SOS) framework, involving four main phases: (1) preparation, (2) generation of statements, (3) structuring (sorting and ranking), and (4) analysis and interpretation. The first two phases were undertaken between December 2013 and February 2015 by the DEDIPAC KH team (DEterminants of DIet and Physical Activity Knowledge Hub). The last two phases were completed during a two-day consensus meeting in June 2015. Results: During the first phase, 550 factors regarding sedentary behaviour were listed across three age groups (i.e., youths, adults and older adults), which were reduced to a final list of 190 life course factors in phase 2 used during the consensus meeting. In total, 69 international delegates, seven invited experts and one concept mapping consultant attended the consensus meeting. The final framework obtained during that meeting consisted of six clusters of determinants: Physical Health and Wellbeing (71 % consensus), Social and Cultural Context (59 % consensus), Built and Natural Environment (65 % consensus), Psychology and Behaviour (80 % consensus), Politics and Economics (78 % consensus), and Institutional and Home Settings (78 % consensus). Conducting studies on Institutional Settings was ranked as the first research priority. The view that this framework captures a system-based map of determinants of sedentary behaviour was expressed by 89 % of the participants. Conclusion: Through an international transdisciplinary consensus process, the SOS framework was developed for the determinants of sedentary behaviour through the life course. Investigating the influence of Institutional and Home Settings was deemed to be the most important area of research to focus on at present and potentially the most modifiable. The SOS framework can be used as an important tool to prioritise future research and to develop policies to reduce sedentary time
