jrge
Abstract - Chinese Currency Devaluation and the Economic Implications for Nigeria
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Abstract: The decision of Chinese government to devalue the Yuan has attracted serious condemnation by majorly developed economies, despite the government position that the devaluation was aimed at aligning the Yuan with the market rate. The general argument is anchored on the notion that the devaluation was a strategy to increase China’s share of global trade by making its goods cheaper in the international market. This thinking is influenced by the long standing Mundell–Fleming model, which aligned with the theory that competitive devaluation is detrimental to the world economy, because of beggar-thy-neighbour welfare effect. The situation is compelling other countries to respond by improving their balance of trade in response to China tactics. The inability of developing economies to respond to this global trade war could be attributed to factors such as colonialism, presence of agency of restraints, complementarity among developing countries, and other institutional rigidities such as technological deficiency, infrastructure deficit, and commodity based exports, among others. Chinese currency devaluation has impacted meaningfully on the Nigeria economy given the fact that Nigeria maintains strong economic ties with China. The paper argues that for developing economies to effectively respond to competitive devaluation, they must close their borders to certain goods, improve infrastructure, prioritize technological transfer, embrace value-added production, and eliminate institution rigidities that hinder the ease of doing business. Keywords: Trade politics, Currency war, External shocks, Economy. |
EDITORIAL: Socioeconomic Issues of Emerging Economies
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Abstract - A Review of the Impact of the National Micro Small and Medium Enterprise Policy on Youth Employment and Enterprise Development: A Case of the Small Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria
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Abstract: This research-based paper examines the impact that the national small enterprise development agency, established in line with policy, has had on employment creation and on the uptake of entrepreneurial pursuits amongst the youth in Nigeria. The potential extensive impact of the small, micro, medium enterprises (SMMEs sometimes also referred to as SME or MSME) sector in nation building cannot be over emphasised. SMMEs’ contributions include job creation, expanding the means of sustainable livelihoods and ensuring impartial distribution of wealth amongst citizens. The implementation of impactful SMME policies also allow increased savings for future investments and for the effective utilization of the nation’s raw materials. Furthermore, proper implementation of SMME policy also boosts the sources of income to government through tax income and contributes significantly to nations Gross Domestic Products (GDP). The locus of the present research is the Small Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) which has been mandated and empowered by legislation as a principal agency to stimulate the development and transformation of the small enterprise and informal sector of the economy. The specific site studied was that of its operations in Akure and environs, Ondo State, Nigeria. The research relied extensively on the meta-analytic technique in examining the official and unofficial reported impact of the policy as overseen by the agency towards achieving the stated aims for its establishment. The core dimensions of the investigation included (a) the extent to which the guiding policy is implemented as intended from a monitoring and evaluation point of view, (b) the impact of the policy on employment creation that benefits the teeming youth of the country and (c) ultimately, the extent to which the policy and the agency have been effective in overall enterprise development. By adopting a monitoring and evaluation approach, the preliminary findings appear to be pointing to a number of unforeseen, and in some instances, self-inflicted negating factors that appear to be inimical to the achievement of the desired objectives. Since the goal(s) of enterprise development are always on-going, this paper proposes the adoption of a longitudinal monitoring and evaluation (M &E) framework in order to ensure that what is planned for or intended is actually what is achieved as far as the impact of SMME on youth employment and enterprise development in Nigeria is concerned. In order to accomplish its core objectives, this research, collected limited primary data while relying extensively on available secondary data and records. In addition, a structured, personal in-depth interview guide was drafted to collect additional, corroborating data from officials of the small business development agency. Keywords: Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises, Nigerian National Policy, Youth Employment, Small Enterprise / Business Development. |
Abstract - Coping Ability and Employment Growth in African Immigrant-Owned Small Businesses in Southern Africa
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Abstract: Despite the plethora of challenges faced by immigrant-owned businesses, there are still some that are performing well and contributing to employment growth in their respective host nations. Unfortunately, research tends to be skewed towards the examination of these challenges, while scant attention is paid to critical antecedents of the coping ability of immigrant entrepreneurs and employment growth in their businesses. Keywords: Employment, African-Immigrant business, Coping ability, bootstrapping. |
Abstract - The Politics of Youth Participation in Social Intervention Programmes in Ghana: Implications for Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (PM&E)
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Abstract: Participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) in project evaluation has gained impetus in recent literature. This paper interrogates youth participation in intervention programmes in Ghana with special reference to Local Enterprise and Skills Development Programme (LESDEP). With the aid of primary and secondary data, this paper unpacks the questions around programme target beneficiaries, their mode of participation and the impacts of current models on PM&E. The study reveals the key constraints of youth participation in PM&E, the evolving disapproval of the top-down approach while probing into the existing opportunities. The case study reveals that youth intervention programmes in Ghana are not only confronted with uncoordinated and overlapping ministries, department and agencies, but also there are power dynamics between stakeholders, in particular, target beneficiaries and programme implementers. The elusive intersection between beneficiaries and the implementing agency impacted negatively on the programme sustainability. The poor PM&E in youth intervention programmes in Ghana is a key reason that has hampered mainstream socio-economic development. The key lesson to be drawn from the case study is the need for matching perspectives of PM&E as well as a recognition and management of power disparities between target beneficiaries and programme implementers. Thus, realizing desired programme objectives will require a different approach to structuring, implementing and monitoring of youth intervention initiatives in Ghana. Keywords: Evaluation, Intervention, Monitoring, Participation, Youth. |