The impact of conditional cash transfer programmes on household work decisions in Ghana

A cash transfer programme 'Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty' has been implemented with the aim of addressing poverty and vulnerability in Ghana. This study looks at the impact of this conditional cash transfer programme on households' supply of labour for agriculture, paid employment, and non-farm enterprise. We used a difference-in-difference approach to examine the effects of the programme on 3,008 households to learn about their labour supply decisions. We find that the cash transfer leads to a reduction in agricultural labour supply but increases that of paid employment. A careful look at the subsequent targeting of beneficiaries is recommended

Poverty and happiness: An examination of the factors influencing happiness among the extreme poor in rural Ghana

Every person desires some level of inner fulfilment at different stages of life and this could come from a combination of several factors including material and resource acquisition and social prestige. The challenge, however, is whether happiness levels across the different social strata are the same, especially among the poor and the neglected. Using data from the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty survey in Ghana, we analyse the factors that influence happiness among the extreme poor. The positive and negative factors are discussed in the paper

Market participation and rural poverty in Ghana in the era of globlization

This paper investigates the factors that influence market participation in rural economies. This is based on the premise that participation in the market is an important channel through which the global economy impacts on the rural areas and can have a positive impact on poverty reduction through increased incomes. A case study approach is adopted using four rural communities in three ecological zones of Ghana. – poverty ; case study ; prices ; markets ; rural econom

Inflation Targeting Framework and Interest Rates Transmission in Ghana: An Empirical Investigation

This paper investigates the long-and short-run rate of transmission of the prime rate to interest rates since the implementation of inflation targeting policy in Ghana. Monthly data covering the period January 2002 to March 2016 is used. The Johansen and Hansen parameter instability cointegration, the FMOLS and DOLS estimation procedures were used. The long-run results show incomplete pass-through of the prime rate to commercial banks’ lending and deposit rates but over pass-through to the 91-day Treasury bill rate. The short-run adjustment shows relatively slow transmission of the prime rate to the respective interest rates. Given the findings, relevant policy suggestions are provided

EXPLORING TEACHER BELIEFS IN SECOND LANGUAGE READING INSTRUCTION IN GHANA

This paper reports on a study investigating the professed or stated beliefs and practices of 61 second language (L2) teachers in Ghana concerning reading instruction. The primary aim of this study was to explore whether the teachers’ stated beliefs and practices reflected the research literature on effective L2 reading pedagogy. The research employed a questionnaire that generated both quantitative and qualitative data. The data analyses revealed little alignment between the teachers’ stated beliefs and practices and the research recommendations for effectively teaching reading. Instead, their stated beliefs and practices focused predominantly on read-aloud/pronunciation and vocabulary, constituting a partial conceptualization of effective reading pedagogy. The results are discussed, and implications for practical L2 reading instructions are provided.  Article visualizations

Strategic Lay Leadership Involvement in the Social Mission of a Western Ontario Denomination

Several Ontario communities face challenges requiring harnessing multisectorial partnerships to bring about community transformation. The church has the capacity to contribute to the community transformation needs of its community, but a particular denomination in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) appeared to be unaware of how to fulfil its social mission of community transformation. The purpose of this case study was to understand how members of the clergy perceived the lay leadership vacuum in the denomination and how these perceptions appear to inhibit the denomination\u27s achievement of its social mission. The theoretical framework was Akingbola\u27s strategic nonprofit human resource management theory. A qualitative case study was employed, using semistructured interviews of 10 clergy in the GTA. Data from the interviews were coded and categorized for thematic analysis and constant comparison. Findings indicated a lay leadership vacuum in the studied denomination. Participants concurred that the vacuum was influenced by the perceptions of the clergy, which inhibit the denomination\u27s capacity to address the needs of the community. The results of this study could lead to positive social change through providing an understanding of the obstacles denominations and similar nonprofit organizations may need to overcome to effectively identify, nurture, and deploy their volunteers for the benefit of community transformation

Molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium africanum in Ghana

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium africanum comprises two phylogenetic lineages within the M. tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and is an important cause of human tuberculosis (TB) in West Africa. The reasons for this geographic restriction of M. africanum remain unclear. Here, we performed a prospective study to explore associations between the characteristics of TB patients and the MTBC lineages circulating in Ghana. METHOD: We genotyped 1,211 MTBC isolates recovered from pulmonary TB patients recruited between 2012 and 2014 using single nucleotide polymorphism typing and spoligotyping. Associations between patient and pathogen variables were assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 1,211 MTBC isolates analysed, 71.9 % (871) belonged to Lineage 4; 12.6 % (152) to Lineage 5 (also known as M. africanum West-Africa 1), 9.2 % (112) to Lineage 6 (also known as M. africanum West-Africa 2) and 0.6 % (7) to Mycobacterium bovis. Univariate analysis revealed that Lineage 6 strains were less likely to be isoniazid resistant compared to other strains (odds ratio = 0.25, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.05-0.77, P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that Lineage 5 was significantly more common in patients from the Ewe ethnic group (adjusted odds ratio (adjOR): 2.79; 95 % CI: 1.47-5.29, P < 0.001) and Lineage 6 more likely to be found among HIV-co-infected TB patients (adjOR = 2.2; 95 % confidence interval (CI: 1.32-3.7, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm the importance of M. africanum in Ghana and highlight the need to differentiate between Lineage 5 and Lineage 6, as these lineages differ in associated patient variables

Ghana’s Deposit Protection Act: Are Depositors Protected?

A Deposit Protection or Insurance as the name suggests is intended to provide a sustainable funding to reimburse depositors should an insured act(s) be triggered. Over time, it helps build confidence in the financial ecosystem thereby facilitating a strong and robust financial system. Ghana enacted a Deposit Protection Act in 2016 (the “Act”) and added some new sections in 2018 aimed at protecting small depositors, and create faith and stability in the financial system. However, the Act in its present form can neither protect small depositors nor build any faith and stability in the financial system in Ghana. It is not suggested that a deposit insurance alone can create a stable financial system but the part envisaged by the Deposit Protection Act in creating a stable financial system is seriously undermined by sections in the Act itself. Keywords: Deposit Protection Act, Ghana DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/105-06 Publication date: January 31st 202

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE STUDENT’S DECISION TO PURSUE, SUSTAIN OR TERMINATE THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY

The overall purpose of the study is to determine key factors that influence students in the quest to continue their relationship with their university or to quit. The study employed the use of the descriptive design. Data was collected from three private and public universities in Ghana. These were to ensure equal representation from both sectors. The study used standardized questionnaires as the main source of data collection instrument. In terms of the analysis of data, the study employed the use of the statistical package for social sciences version 21. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used. it is evident that fulfilment was significant in determining student continues relationship with university (β= 0.713, p=0.014). Furthermore, the table also reveals that there was a positive and significant relationship between maximum academic support individuals had and their continuous relationship with university (β= 0.511, p=0.000). Thus, maximum academic support individuals had was significant to their investment behavior after controlling for all other demographics. This was in line with the assertions of Tandoh (2011) when he indicated that factors such as fulfilment, reward for hardwork, fulfilment and the likes can affect hugely the continuous relationship with university by individuals. Article visualizations