Abstract-This paper uses data from nationally representative household survey conducted in 17 African countries to analyse mobile adoption and usage. This paper shows that countries differ in their levels of ICT adoption and usage and also in factors that influence adoption and usage. Income and education vastly enhances mobile adoption but gender, age and membership in social networks have little impact. Income is the main explanatory variable for usage. In terms of mobile expenditure the study also finds linkages to fixed-line, work and public phone usages. These linkages need however be explored in more detail in future. Mobile expenditure is inelastic with respect to income, ie the share of mobile expenditure of individual income increases less than 1% for each 1% increase in income. This indicates that people with higher income spend a smaller proportion of their income on mobile expenditure compared to those with less income.The study provides tools to identify policy intervention to improve ICT take up and usage and define universal service obligations based on income and monthly usage costs. It help to put a number to what can be expected from lower access and usage costs in terms of market volume and number of new subscribers. Linking this to other economic data such as national household income and expenditure surveys and GDP calculation would allow to forecast the economic and social impact of policy interventions.Concrete recommendations are being made for policy interventions and regulatory measures to decrease access and usage costs.
This paper assesses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performance of exporting companies in Benin. It also identifies factors that explain the perceived effect of COVID-19 on the companies’ performance. To do this, we used a survey data covering 122 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and micro, small, and medium industry (MSMIs) in four communes in Benin. Firstly, we computed the annual rate change in quarterly turnover to capture the effect of the COVID-19. Secondly, a multiple regression was estimated to identify factors explaining the perceived effect of the COVID-19 on the exporting companies. We found that the exporting companies experience on average a 53.308% drop in quarterly turnover in 2020 probably due to the COVID-19 crisis. Based on the forecasts, the results also revealed a very slow recovery in activities but the rate of change will remain negative until 2021 if nothing is done to support the MSMEs/MSMIs. Finally, we found that the perceived effect of the COVID-19 depends on the level of education of head of the companies, on the experience in exportation, and on the organization of the work because of the pandemic. Our findings suggest the necessity for public policy support toward the MSMEs/MSMIs to contain the effect of the pandemic in Benin.
PurposeThis study aims to discuss climate change, by modifying the timing of several agricultural operations, reduce the efficiency and yield of inputs leading to a lower production level. The reduction of the effects of climate change on production yields and on farmers' technical efficiency (TE) requires the adoption of adaptation strategies. This paper analyses the impact of climate change adaptation strategies adopted on maize farmers' TE in Benin.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses an endogeneity-corrected stochastic production frontier approach based on data randomly collected from 354 farmers located in three different agro-ecological zones of Benin.FindingsEstimation results revealed that the adoption of adaptation strategies improve maize farmers' TE by 1.28%. Therefore, polices to improve farmers' access to climate change adaptation strategies are necessarily for the improvement of farmers' TE and yield.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study contribute to the policy debate on the enhancement of food security by increasing farmers' TE through easy access to climate change adaptation strategies. The improvement of farmers' TE will in turn improve the livelihoods of the communities and therefore contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2 and 13.Originality/valueThis study contributes to theoretical and empirical debate on the relationship between adaptation to climate change and farmers' TE. It also adapts a new methodology (endogeneity-corrected stochastic production frontier approach) to correct the endogeneity problem due to the farmers' adaptation decision.
Since the early 1990s, the West African Economic Monetary Union (WAEMU) countries have introduced tax reforms to reduce distortions in the common market and therefore to be strengthening revenue mobilization to support growth. The purpose of this article is to show that such a tax policy, designed as the use made of tax for economic or social purposes, promotes economic growth in the area. I establish this by building on the econometrics of panel data, including the period from 1980 to 2014.
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