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This paper seeks to evaluate the relationship between psychological capital, career identity, social capital and graduate employability. We also seek to evaluate the mediating role of social capital on the relationships between psychological capital, career identity and graduate employability in Uganda. A population of 480 unemployed young people undertaking a skills development and training program by Compassion International was surveyed providing a sample of 215 respondents. Statistics revealed a significant positive relationship between career identity and graduate employability, social capital and graduate employability and psychological capital and graduate employability. The hierarchical regression result showed that about 15 per cent of the variation in graduate employability is explained by psychological capital, social capital and career identity. Mediation results confirmed that social capital fully mediates the relationship between career identity, psychological capital and graduate employability. Therefore, the psychological capital, social capital and career identity of graduates will help in counteracting the employability challenges in Uganda.r Muhammad Ngoma is the Dean

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify gaps in the structure of organizations that hinder collaboration of organizations involved in the creation of graduate employment opportunities in Uganda.Design/methodology/approachData was collected from staff and leaders of 14 organizations that were purposely selected to represent government, private, and civil society organizations. These organizations were selected based on their mandates, which touch on the employability of university graduates in the country in very direct ways. This was a cross-sectional survey design—based on a self-administered questionnaire, key informant interviews, and documentary analysis.FindingsOrganizations were found to have “Tell”/directive decision-making, high power distance between employees, and jobs were not coded in a way that gives employees freedoms to interact and build collaborative relationships. Finally, rules and regulations were very restrictive, disorienting employee's abilities to collaborate.Research limitations/implicationThis research concentrated on the gaps that exist in the structure of organizations from which the results point to inadequate relational, interactional, inclusive, and democratic space among different stakeholders. It would be useful for future research to examine the extent to which the structure of organizations not only impacts collaboration but also measures the level to which it affects organizational performance.Practical implicationsThe knowledge economy of the twenty-first century demands for collaborative engagements with different stakeholders if they are to survive the competitive business environment. Collaborative engagement helps in the sharing of knowledge, expertise, and resources, development of more coherent services, facilitation of innovation and evaluation, avoiding duplication of work, and minimizing conflicts and competition while creating synergy among partners.Originality/valueUnlike previous studies, which have examined employability of graduates from a supply side perspective, this study investigates organizations from both the supply and demand perspectives and identifies synergy that is as a result of bringing organizations to work together.

The quantity and complexity of scientific and technological information provided to policymakers have been on the rise for decades. Yet little is known about how to provide science advice to legislatures, even though scientific information is widely acknowledged as valuable for decision-making in many policy domains. We asked academics, science advisers, and policymakers from both developed and developing nations to identify, review and refine, and then rank the most pressing research questions on legislative science advice (LSA). Experts generally agree that the state of evidence is poor, especially regarding developing and lower-middle income countries. Many fundamental questions about science advice processes remain unanswered and are of great interest: whether legislative use of scientific evidence improves the implementation and outcome of social programs and policies; under what conditions legislators and staff seek out scientific information or use what is presented to them; and how different communication channels affect informational trust and use. Environment and health are the highest priority policy domains for the field. The contextspecific nature of many of the submitted questions-whether to policy issues, institutions, or locations-suggests one of the significant challenges is aggregating generalizable evidence on LSA practices. Understanding these research needs represents a first step in advancing a global agenda for LSA research.Notes 1 By policymakers, we mean those in government who use science to make policy decisions, whether members of staff or elected representatives. ARTICLE PALGRAVE COMMUNICATIONS | https://doi.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold (1) to establish the relationship between infrastructure development and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on the entrepreneurial activities in the Albertine Graben region of Uganda and (2) to establish whether entrepreneurial orientation mediates the relationship between infrastructure development and entrepreneurial activity.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative data were collected from a sample of 118 enterprises, mainly small businesses. The authors sent out 118 self-administered questionnaires of which 93 useable questionnaires were returned, giving a response rate of 79%. Quantitative data were processed and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Analyses such as correlation, hierarchical regression and mediation were carried out to understand (1) the relationship between the variables, (2) the prediction potential of the independent variables to entrepreneurial activity and (3) the mediation role of EO on the relationship between infrastructure activity and business performance.FindingsThe authors found out that infrastructure developments are a significant predictor of entrepreneurial activity (ß = 0.432**, p < 0.01), explaining 21.6% of entrepreneurial activity in the region. EO was found to have a significant positive relationship with entrepreneurial activity (r = 0.580**, p < 0.01). The results of a hierarchical regression indicate that both infrastructure development and EO explain 42% of the entrepreneurial activity in the Albertine region. Mediation analysis indicated that EO is a partial mediator in the relationship between infrastructure development and entrepreneurial activity.Research limitations/implicationsThe results are based on self-report statistics. The model explains 42% of entrepreneurial activity thus there is need to examine the influence of other factors which contribute the 58% to entrepreneurial activity. The study was also limited to public infrastructure, with much attention on transportation (roads) and energy (electricity). Future studies can consider looking at private infrastructure as well.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the role of infrastructure development and EO helps government and other development partners to know the type, quantity and quality of the infrastructure required as well as how to grow the EO of entrepreneurs to boost entrepreneurial activity in the region.Originality/valueThis paper provides insights into our understanding of the relationship between infrastructure development, entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial activity using evidence from Uganda’s oil rich region. The originality of this paper further lies in the discovery of the partial mediation of entrepreneurial orientation in the relationship between infrastructure development and entrepreneurial activity. This is the first time such a study is conducted in an African developing country such as Uganda whose oil exploration activities are still in their infancy.