scholarly journals The role of technology in the economic growth of South Africa: The case of frequency allocations to cellular operators

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
André Mellet
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Data Access ◽  
Scarce Resource ◽  
Frequency Allocation ◽  
Positive Real ◽  
The Impact

Economists associate long-term economic growth with technological progress. Earlier growth literature, as well as modern literature, states to sustain a positive growth rate of output per capita in the long run, there must be continual advances in technological knowledge. Thisfact is embedded in one of the main growth models, namely the Solow growth model. This article firstly discusses the connection between technology and growth in the various models. Any country needs a positive real growth to develop. To create a better scenario forall its inhabitants, it is therefore important that technological development must be employed in the system. Secondly the focus is on analyzing the role of technology and mobile phonesfrom a growth perspective in developing countries. Various studies by independent annalists are referred to regarding studies about the impact of mobile phones in Africa. Various African countries experienced development by using more mobile phones. Finally, attention is given to frequency allocation to provide voice or data access services for mobile phone users by ICASA, as the controlling body in South Africa. This scarce resource is not effectively allocated for the following reasons: the allocation between government institutions and private sector companies is not economically equitable; and the allocation amongst private sector companies is also not economically equitable. Ineffective frequency allocation is then considered to be a waste of a scarce resource. This wastage, against the background of studies in Africa regarding mobile phones and GDP, will accordingly reduce the potential development of all the inhabitants of South Africa.

scholarly journals Non-bank financial institutions and economic growth: Evidence from Africa’s three largest economies

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Rateiwa ◽  
Meshach J. Aziakpono
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Time Series Data ◽  
Bank Lending ◽  
Series Data ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Relationship

Background: In order for the post-2015 world development agenda – termed the sustainable development goals (SDGs) – to succeed, there is a pronounced need to ensure that available resources are used more effectively and additional financing is accessed from the private sector. Given that traditional bank lending has slowed down, the development of non-bank financing has become imperative. To this end, this article intends to empirically test the role of non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) in stimulating economic growth.Aim: The aim of this article is to empirically test the existence of a long-run equilibrium relationship between economic growth and the development of NBFIs, and the causality thereof.Setting: The empirical assessment uses time-series data from Africa’s three largest economies, namely, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa, over the period 1971–2013.Methods: This article uses the Johansen cointegration and vector error correction model within a country-specific setting.Results: The results showed that the long-run relationship between NBFI development and economic growth is relatively stronger in Egypt and South Africa, than in Nigeria. Evidence in respect of Nigeria shows that such a relationship is weak. The nature of the relationship between NBFI development and economic growth in Egypt is positive and significant, and predominantly bidirectional. This suggests that a virtuous relationship between NBFIs and economic growth exists in Egypt. In South Africa, the relationship is positive and significant and predominantly runs from NBFI development to economic growth, implying a supply-leading phenomenon. In Nigeria, the results are weak and mixed.Conclusion: The study concludes that in countries with more developed financial systems, the role of NBFIs and their importance to the economic growth process are more pronounced. Thus, there is need for developing policies targeted at developing the NBFI sector, given their potential to contribute to economic growth.

Evaluating the role of soil physical properties on simulated land-atmosphere interactions over South Africa using coupled atmosphere-hydrological modeling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenyu Zhang ◽  
Patrick Laux ◽  
Joël Arnault ◽  
Jianhui Wei ◽  
Jussi Baade ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Soil Physical Properties ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Soil Database ◽  
Global Soil ◽  
The Impact

<p>Land degradation with its direct impact on vegetation, surface soil layers and land surface albedo, has great relevance with the climate system. Assessing the climatic and ecological effects induced by land degradation requires a precise understanding of the interaction between the land surface and atmosphere. In coupled land-atmosphere modeling, the low boundary conditions impact the thermal and hydraulic exchanges at the land surface, therefore regulates the overlying atmosphere by land-atmosphere feedback processes. However, those land-atmosphere interactions are not convincingly represented in coupled land-atmosphere modeling applications. It is partly due to an approximate representation of hydrological processes in land surface modeling. Another source of uncertainties relates to the generalization of soil physical properties in the modeling system. This study focuses on the role of the prescribed physical properties of soil in high-resolution land surface-atmosphere simulations over South Africa. The model used here is the hydrologically-enhanced Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF-Hydro) model. Four commonly used global soil datasets obtained from UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) soil database, Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD), Global Soil Dataset for Earth System Model (GSDE), and SoilGrids dataset, are incorporated within the WRF-Hydro experiments for investigating the impact of soil information on land-atmosphere interactions. The simulation results of near-surface temperature, skin temperature, and surface energy fluxes are presented and compared to observational-based reference dataset. It is found that simulated soil moisture is largely influenced by soil texture features, which affects its feedback to the atmosphere.</p>

scholarly journals Impact of National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) on the Private Sector: A Case Study of Power Sector

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
Modinat Olaitan Olusoji ◽  
Olusegun O. Oloba
Keyword(s):  
Private Sector ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Power Supply ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Economic Empowerment ◽  
Power Sector ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
National Economic ◽  
The Impact

The paper examines the impact of the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) on the private sector by looking at the contribution the power sector had made in realizing the goal of making private enterprise the engine of growth in Nigeria. NEEDS reform is to  transform the power sector into one led by the private sector, with the role of government  restricted primarily in policy formulation and establishment of an appropriate legal and regulatory framework.  The paper discusses among many things: an overview of power supply in Nigeria; the effect of power sector on private sectors; challenges of the sector; as well as the ways forward. The paper concludes that there is   need to put concerted effort to generate adequate power supply to enable the private sector thrives and serves as engine of growth in Nigeria.

scholarly journals Impact of unemployment and income on entrepreneurship in post-apartheid South Africa: 1994–2015

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darma Mahadea ◽  
Irrshad Kaseeram
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Employment Growth ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
National Development ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Per Capita Gdp ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Impact

Background: South Africa has made significant progress since the dawn of democracy in 1994. It registered positive economic growth rates and its real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita increased from R42 849 in 1994 to over R56 000 in 2015. However, employment growth lagged behind GDP growth, resulting in rising unemployment. Aim and setting: Entrepreneurship brings together labour and capital in generating income, output and employment. According to South Africa’s National Development Plan, employment growth would come mainly from small-firm entrepreneurship and economic growth. Accordingly, this article investigates the impact unemployment and per capita income have on early stage total entrepreneurship activity (TEA) in South Africa, using data covering the 1994–2015 period. Methods: The methodology used is the dynamic least squares regression. The article tests the assertion that economic growth, proxied by real per capita GDP income, promotes entrepreneurship and that high unemployment forces necessity entrepreneurship. Results: The regression results indicate that per capita real GDP, which increases with economic growth, has a highly significant, positive impact on entrepreneurial activity, while unemployment has a weaker effect. A 1% rise in real per capita GDP results in a 0.16% rise in TEA entrepreneurship, and a 1% rise in unemployment is associated with a 0.25% rise in TEA. Conclusion: There seems to be a strong pull factor, from income growth to entrepreneurship and a reasonable push from unemployment to entrepreneurship, as individuals without employment are forced to self-employment as a necessity, survival mechanism. Overall, a long-run co-integrating relationship seems plausible between unemployment, income and entrepreneurship in South Africa.

scholarly journals The Impact of Financial Deepening on Economic Growth in Nigeria (1981-2018)

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Money Supply ◽  
Commercial Banks ◽  
Financial Sector ◽  
Financial Deepening ◽  
Growth Data ◽  
Main Research ◽  
The Impact

Different academics and experts have acknowledged that developing the financial sector positively impacts economic growth by increasing productivity, progress and national investment. Expanding the financial sector allows financial intermediaries to carry out functionalities of deploying, aggregating and directing a country’s savings into an investment which contributes to domestic progression. This research explores the effect of financial deepening on Nigeria’s growth for 38 years covering 1981- 2018. The main research goals were to investigate the linkages among time and savings deposit of commercial banks, money supply and credit to the private sector on the economy’s growth. Data was obtained from CBN Bulletin different issues and analyzed using Autoregressive Distributed Lag. From the result of analysis, we found out that long run relationship existed but no regressor was found to be significant. Credit to the private sector to GDP was inversely related to GDP growth whereas money supply to GDP had positive relations with economic growth rate, time and savings deposits in commercial banks negatively affected national growth. Policies favoring credit lending to the private sector should be encouraged by stakeholders in the economy, for instance, higher savings interest rates would encourage more savings. More importantly, policies should be enacted to make sure that savings are transmitted into productive investments that can yield financial deepness

scholarly journals Financial system and growth and economic development

VUZF Review ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-170
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Hala
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Economic System ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Financial System ◽  
Financial Sector ◽  
Real Sector ◽  
The Real ◽  
State And Local ◽  
The Impact

The aim of the article is to present the role of the financial system in economic growth and development. The first part presents the traditional understanding of the relationship between the economic system and economic growth. The second part presents the experience of financial crises and their impact on the conversation on the mutual relations between the financial sector and the real sector. The third part shows the role of the state in the financial system. The article describes the arrangement of interrelated financial institutions, financial markets and elements of the financial system infrastructure.  It shows what part of the economic system the financial system is, and whether it enables the provision of services allowing the circulation of purchasing power throughout the economy. The article presents the important role of the financial system, the role related to the transfer of capital from entities with savings to entities that need capital for investments. It shows the financial system as a set of logically related organizational forms, legal acts, financial institutions and other elements enabling entities to establish financial relations in the real sector and the financial sector, and this system forms the basis of activity for entities using money, enabling the conclusion of various economic transactions, in which money performs various functions. The article also presents the concept of a financial crisis as a situation in which there are rapid changes in the financial market, usually associated with insufficient liquidity or insolvency of banks or financial institutions, and as a result, a decrease in production or its deepening. The article also includes issues related to the impact of public authorities (state and local authorities) on the financial system in the economy.

scholarly journals Impact of Transport Infrastructure on Gross Regional Products: Evidence from Chinese Provinces under the “Belt and Road Initiative”

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-45
Author(s):  
Jin-Hui Li ◽  
Chol-Ju An ◽  
Gwang-Nam Rim
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
Development Levels ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Belt And Road

Purpose: This paper analyzes the impact of transport infrastructure on Gross Regional Products in Chinese provinces under the “Belt and Road Initiative”. Methods: The impact of the key elements of transport infrastructure on Gross Regional Products is analyzed based on the data related to development levels of transport infrastructure and economic development. Correlation and regression analyses were used for data analysis. Results: It is found that railways and highways, which are the key elements of transport infrastructure, have a strong correlation with Gross Regional Products, and their effects are diverse among provinces under study. Implications: The findings demonstrate the position and role of diverse infrastructural elements in enhancing the economic benefits of infrastructural investment and promoting economic growth. Thus, it is expected to facilitate decision-making related to infrastructural investment under the “Belt and Road Initiative”.

scholarly journals Children coping with COVID-19: Intersectional understandings of film and media access in a crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine Atkinson ◽  
Firdoze Bulbulia
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Media Access ◽  
Specific Focus ◽  
Film Education ◽  
The World ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
The Impact

As a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns across the world, digital access has become paramount, as most aspects of education have moved online. Drawing together five case studies located in South Africa, Argentina, the Netherlands, India and Ethiopia, this article assesses the role of film education during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on the impacts of digital access. We examine multimodal forms of film education, and how these were used to inform, entertain and educate children during the crisis by the varying work undertaken by the organizations. Applying theories of intersectionality, we address the need for context-specific approaches to film education, focusing upon the impact that the societal and individual contexts had on the dissemination of film education in each country.

Farmland transfer and agricultural economic growth nexus in China: agricultural TFP intermediary effect perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan-pei Kuang ◽  
Jia-li Yang ◽  
Meseret-Chanie Abate
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Agricultural Economic ◽  
Test Model ◽  
Promoting Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effect Model ◽  
Intermediary Role ◽  
Multidimensional Effects ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe multidimensional effects of farmland transfer in China have been profoundly unstudied. The purpose of this paper is to provide insights on the effects of the intermediary role of agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) of farmland transfer on agricultural economic growth in China.Design/methodology/approachBased on the agricultural data of 30 provinces in China over the period 2005–2018, this paper uses the intermediary effect model to test the relationship between farmland transfer, agricultural TFP and agricultural economic growth. This paper employed an intermediary effect test model to investigate the intermediary role of agricultural TFP in the influence of farmland transfer on agricultural economic growth.FindingsThe findings indicated that farmland transfer has a significant effect on promoting agricultural economic growth. There is a significant “inverted U-shaped” relationship between farmland transfer and agricultural TFP. The sample value of 84.3% of farmland transfers in China is still within the TFP promoting effect range. In addition, farmland transfer has an indirect impact on agricultural economic growth through the channel of agricultural TFP. Agricultural TFP plays a significant intermediary role, but the effect is relatively lowOriginality/valueThis paper is the first to provide fundamental evidence on the impact of farmland transfers on agricultural economic growth in China, driven by agricultural TFP as an intermediary factor. Agricultural TFP can reduce the involution effect of farmland transfer and promote an indirect effect on agricultural economic growth.

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