Africa has an extensive and varied cultural history that includes works of art, music, literature, customs, and historical locations. These cultural resources are essential for creating identities, promoting social cohesiveness, and advancing economic development. However, for these institutions to have the greatest impact on the world and contribute to sustainable development, they must be managed and engaged effectively. Exploring the management of cultural institutions in Africa and their potential for global impact and sustainable development is the goal of this research study. The study relies on the extensive review of available literature, case studies, and in-depth interviews with key informants, and data obtained, subjected to content and thematic analyses. It aims to uncover flexible management techniques that can improve the global reach and sustainable development of African cultural institutions by examining successful models and cutting-edge approaches. The results of this study will help those responsible for administering Africa’s cultural institutions to formulate practical guidelines and policy recommendations. Africa can further establish its cultural identity, advance cultural diplomacy, and utilize its cultural capital to propel social and economic advancement by utilizing the potential of these institutions for global impact and sustainable development.
The reduction of biodiversity and the decline in wildlife populations are urgent environmental issues with devasting consequences for ecosystems and human health. As a result, the protection of wildlife and biodiversity has emerged as one of humanity's greatest goals, not only for protecting and maintaining human health but also for environmental, economic, and social well-being. In recent years, people have become increasingly aware of the importance and effectiveness of wildlife conservation efforts alongside environmental protection measures, sustainable agricultural practices and non-harmful production procedures and services. This study describes the development and implementation of a labeling scheme for wildlife and biodiversity protection for products or services. The label is designed to encourage the adoption of sustainable and environmentally friendly production methods and services that will contribute to biodiversity conservation and the harmonic coexistence of human-wildlife. Moreover, using a case study approach, the research presents an innovative information system designed to streamline the label-awarding process, ensuring transparency and efficiency. The established system evaluates the sustainability practices and measures implemented by businesses, with a focus on honey production in this case. Additionally, the study explores the broader social implications of the label, particularly its potential to engage consumers and promote awareness of biodiversity conservation.
The study examined the socio-demographic factors affecting access to and utilization of social welfare services in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were adopted to select 570 respondents from the study area. Probability and non-probability sampling techniques were adopted in the selection of communities, and respondents. The quantitative data were analyzed using frequency distribution tables and percentages, while chi-square statistic was used to determine the relationship between socio-demographic variables and access to and utilization of social welfare services. The qualitative data were analyzed in themes as a complement to the quantitative data. This study reveals that although all the respondents reported knowing available social welfare services, 44.3% reported not having access to existing social services due to factors connected to serendipity variables, such as terrain condition, ethnicity and knowing someone in government. Therefore, the study recommends that the government and other stakeholders should push for the massive delivery of much-needed social welfare services to address the issue of welfare service deficit across the nation, irrespective of the ethnic group and whether the community is connected to the government of the day or not, primarily in rural areas.
This study aims to evaluate the relationship between financial resilience, exchange rate, inflation, and economic growth from 1996 to 2022 using secondary data from the World Bank. The analysis method uses vector autoregressive to understand the causality dynamics between these variables. The results show that past economic growth positively impacts current economic conditions, but an increase in the exchange rate can hinder economic growth. The exchange rate also tends to be influenced by previous values, but high economic growth does not always increase the exchange rate. Previous conditions significantly affect financial resilience and can be strengthened by a strong currency. Meanwhile, inflation has an inverse relationship with economic growth, where past inflation seems to suppress current inflation, which price stabilization policies can cause. From an institutional economics perspective, this study provides an understanding of the interaction between various economic factors in the structural framework and policies that regulate economic activities. The impulse response function (IRF) shows that economic growth can react strongly to sudden changes, although this reaction may not last long. The exchange rate fluctuates with economic changes, reflecting market optimism and uncertainty. Financial resilience may be strong initially but may weaken over time, indicating the need for policies to strengthen the financial system to ensure economic stability. Furthermore, the role of social capital in economic resilience is highlighted as it can amplify the positive effects of a robust institutional framework by fostering trust and collaboration among economic actors. Inflation reacts differently to economic changes, challenging policymakers to balance growth and price stability. Overall, the IRF provides insights into how economic variables interact with each other and react to sudden changes, albeit with some uncertainty in the estimates. The forecast error decomposition variance (FEVD) analysis in this study reveals that internal factors initially influence economic growth, but over time, external factors such as the exchange rate, financial resilience, and inflation come into play. The exchange rate, which was initially volatile due to internal factors, becomes increasingly influenced by economic growth, indicating a close relationship between the economy and the foreign exchange market. From an institutional economics perspective, financial resilience, which was initially stable due to internal factors, becomes increasingly dependent on global economic conditions, suggesting the importance of a solid institutional framework for maintaining economic stability. In addition, inflation, which was initially explained by economic growth and exchange rates, has gradually become more influenced by financial resilience, indicating the importance of effective monetary policy in controlling inflation. This study highlights the importance of understanding how economic variables influence each other for effective economic governance. Integrating institutional economics and social capital perspectives provides a comprehensive framework for enhancing financial resilience and promoting sustainable economic development in Indonesia.
This paper examines the effect of governance in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Specifically, this study investigates (i) the interacting impact of government efficiency, regulatory quality, and the rule of law alongside other socioeconomic variables to determine foreign capital inflow (FCI) based on each economic SSA bloc; and (ii) the characteristic drivers of FCI, impacting economic growth in the SSA countries. Descriptive statistics, static models, least square dummy variables (LSDVs) and the dynamic system general method of moment (GMM) were employed as the study’s estimating techniques. Based on the result of the LSDV, food security and the rule of law significantly impact FCI in the sub-economic blocs in the region. Only six countries across the four economic blocs responded to food security and the rule of law in the model. The dynamic system-GMM provided evidence of five socioeconomic variables and three governance variables contributing to FCI. The findings revealed (i) regulatory quality and the rule of law are governance variables that significantly impacted FCI; and (ii) food security failed to significantly impact FCI in the SSA region. However, inflation, life expectancy, the human capital index, exchange rate and gross domestic product (GDP) growth impacted FCI significantly. In the aggregate, inflation, regulatory quality, exchange rate and the human capital index exhibited positive relationships, while other variables such as life expectancy, government effectiveness and the rule of law appeared significant but inversely impacted FCI in the SSA region. The key policy implication recommendation from this study is that a good legal framework could moderate the flow of foreign capital in favour of growth as it creates a strong foundation for sustainable economic development in the region.
The main objective of the study was to assess the impact of fiscal management on macroeconomic stability in emerging countries between 2012 and 2022. The study drew on macroeconomic theory, which postulates the importance of responsible fiscal policies for economic stability. Information was taken from ten emerging Latin American countries, and the analysis was carried out through a quantitative approach, using an econometric model. A significant relationship was found between fiscal management and macroeconomic stability, evidencing that effective fiscal policies are crucial for macroeconomic stability in emerging countries. The findings emphasize that balanced fiscal management, which avoids falling into cycles of debt and deficit, is essential for long-term stability. Practices that promote fiscal stability, such as greater efficiency in public spending and effective tax collection, can contribute significantly to economic stability and sustained growth. The results also suggest that fiscal policies should take into account human development conditions and annual particularities in order to formulate effective fiscal policies. It highlights those countries with best fiscal practices, reflected in low debt-to-GDP levels and high fiscal stability, are more likely to achieve macroeconomic stability and sustainable economic growth.
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