37 research outputs found
Financial inclusion
No full textFinancial inclusion has been noted as a key driver of poverty alleviation and growth. Yet, most of the scholarly work that exists lacks a comprehensive discussion of how the poor interact with financial services and the channels through which such services can affect their livelihoods. This book offers researchers who focus on financial inclusion and African economies a one stop resource for understanding the channels of transmission for financial inclusion as well as an application of these channels through original country specific empirical papers. The book provides a back-to-basics presentation of the transmission of financial services to growth and poverty. This theoretical discussion is complemented by an empirical presentation of the various services used by the poor, with a focus on Africa. Case studies of financial inclusion in six African countries cover a broad range of topics most important to African countries and highlight the unique African setting. These empirical papers provide important learning points. Firstly, hybrid financial institutions such as cooperative financial institutions and financial social entrepreneurs are the best way to increase financial inclusion in Africa. They provide important vehicles to circumventing the restrictive and exclusive bank-based financial markets typical of African economies. Secondly, digital finance is a potent tool in improving financial access and usage in Africa, and its impact on poverty operates through both traditional and nontraditional financial instruments. Thirdly, investment in infrastructure which supports complementary markets is critical and is likely to have a greater effect on credit rationing than direct provision of credit to small businesses
A Cross-Cultural Experience of Microaggression in Academia: A Personal Reflection
No full textMicroaggression is defined as subtle and often unconscious or automatic actions or statements made towards a discriminated group. It causes distress, anxiety and isolation. Microaggression can often lead to demoralisation and a feeling that one is in a constant psychological warfare. It is also ubiquitous in nature. This paper is a reflection on my experiences of microaggression as a black female academic gathered from working in six universities across five countries and two continents. I use autoethnography underscored by critical race theory thinking. The reflection has a multicultural face and is done in light of the extant literature on gendered, racial and non-native microaggression in the academic world. I find close similarities in my experiences with others. I conclude that microaggressions are ubiquitous and are inevitable in a multicultural setting. Victims need to acknowledge microaggressions and be assertive in order to mitigate the associated negative effects. Further, counterspaces provide a very useful platform for challenging the inaccuracy of victims’ lived experiences and serve as a source of validation
Market Structure and Competition in the South African Banking Sector
No full textAbstractThis paper examines the relationship between bank structure, performance and competition in the South African banking industry. South Africa has a very concentrated banking industry with a C4 concentration ratio of over 80%. The structure conduct performance hypothesis would suggest that competition in the sector would therefore be very low. We apply the Panzar-Rosse approach to bank level data for the period 1997 to 2014 to assess the competitive environment in the South African banking industry. We estimate a revenue equation to obtain the H statistic. Changes in competition over the sample period are explored by estimating a time varying Panzar-Rosse H statistic. This also allows us to assume a gradual change in bank competition rather than a static equilibrium. We find that competition has increased over time. This result is consistent no matter how the time variable enters the revenue equation. The estimated H statistic suggests that banks operate in a monopolistically competitive market structure. Bank specific factors are generally consistent across alternative measures and in line with expectations. We also find that the increased concentration arising from the currency crisis in 2001/02 does not reduce the level of competition. This result is somewhat puzzling because the industry exhibits relatively high transactions fees in the larger bank
The evolution and dynamics of urban poverty in Zambia
No full textUrban poverty has become a characteristic feature of urban living in Zambia. Statistical evidence suggests that of the 4.3 million people resident in urban areas of Zambia, 34 % live in extreme poverty while 18 % are moderately poor (CSO, 2005). These figures are indicative that more than half (i.e. 53 %) of the urban population in Zambia live in poverty (CSO, 2004, 2005). Despite these high figures in urban poverty, Zambia as a country has not yet developed an explicit policy framework with which to address the increase in urban poverty and vulnerability. Indeed the failure to formulate urban food policies at the national and municipal levels have played a significant role in the increase of contemporary food problems being faced by many urban residents in the country. This chapter reviews the history of urban development and welfare in Zambia and discusses the nature, roots and dynamics of urban poverty and the coping mechanisms employed by urban residents in Zambia. Institutions form a major part of the discussion throughout the chapter. © 2009 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved
Migration as an adaptive strategy to climate variability: a study of the Tonga‐speaking people of Southern Zambia
No full textThe Evolution and Dynamics of Urban Poverty in Zambia
No full textUrban poverty has become a characteristic feature of urban living in Zambia. Statistical evidence suggests that of the 4.3 million people resident in urban areas of Zambia, 34 % live in extreme poverty while 18 % are moderately poor (CSO, 2005). These figures are indicative that more than half (i.e. 53 %) of the urban population in Zambia live in poverty (CSO, 2004, 2005). Despite these high figures in urban poverty, Zambia as a country has not yet developed an explicit policy framework with which to address the increase in urban poverty and vulnerability. Indeed the failure to formulate urban food policies at the national and municipal levels have played a significant role in the increase of contemporary food problems being faced by many urban residents in the country. This chapter reviews the history of urban development and welfare in Zambia and discusses the nature, roots and dynamics of urban poverty and the coping mechanisms employed by urban residents in Zambia. Institutions form a major part of the discussion throughout the chapter
The evolution and dynamics of urban poverty in Zambia
No full textUrban poverty has become a characteristic feature of urban living in Zambia. Statistical evidence suggests that of the 4.3 million people resident in urban areas of Zambia, 34 % live in extreme poverty while 18 % are moderately poor (CSO, 2005). These figures are indicative that more than half (i.e. 53 %) of the urban population in Zambia live in poverty (CSO, 2004, 2005). Despite these high figures in urban poverty, Zambia as a country has not yet developed an explicit policy framework with which to address the increase in urban poverty and vulnerability. Indeed the failure to formulate urban food policies at the national and municipal levels have played a significant role in the increase of contemporary food problems being faced by many urban residents in the country. This chapter reviews the history of urban development and welfare in Zambia and discusses the nature, roots and dynamics of urban poverty and the coping mechanisms employed by urban residents in Zambia. Institutions form a major part of the discussion throughout the chapter. © 2009 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved
The evolution and dynamics of urban poverty in Zambia
No full textUrban poverty has become a characteristic feature of urban living in Zambia. Statistical evidence suggests that of the 4.3 million people resident in urban areas of Zambia, 34 % live in extreme poverty while 18 % are moderately poor (CSO, 2005). These figures are indicative that more than half (i.e. 53 %) of the urban population in Zambia live in poverty (CSO, 2004, 2005). Despite these high figures in urban poverty, Zambia as a country has not yet developed an explicit policy framework with which to address the increase in urban poverty and vulnerability. Indeed the failure to formulate urban food policies at the national and municipal levels have played a significant role in the increase of contemporary food problems being faced by many urban residents in the country. This chapter reviews the history of urban development and welfare in Zambia and discusses the nature, roots and dynamics of urban poverty and the coping mechanisms employed by urban residents in Zambia. Institutions form a major part of the discussion throughout the chapter. © 2009 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved
