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SAGA PUBLICATIONS
Included here are Working Papers and Conference Papers. Publications on this page are organized by author:
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Echebiri, Raphael N.
Characteristics and Determinants of Urban Youth Unemployment in Umuahia, Nigeria: Implications for Rural Development and Alternative Labour Market Variables
June 2005
Raphael N. Echebiri
Umuahia metropolis typifies a fast growing capital city in terms of population
growth rate. Its population grew from less than 20,000 residents in 1991 to an
estimated excess over a million at present. This astronomical growth in
population followed the creation of Abia State in 1991 and the subsequent change
in the status of Umuahia as a state capital territory. Following this tremendous
rise in population, Umuahia North metropolis which is the core capital city now has
a teaming population of youths, most of whom are unemployed. This study was
conceptualized against the backdrop of the increasing social and economic
problems associated with youth unemployment in the metropolis. Some effort
was made to characterize youth unemployment in the city from the perspective of
the socio-economic and labour market perceptions of a sample of 220 youths
drawn from areas with varying residential configurations. The sample randomly
included youths, unemployed and employed in order to provide some basic
counterbalancing assessment of the situation. It was found that youth
unemployment in the town shared common characteristics with that observed in
several other cities in the developing world. In particular, age of respondent was
found to be inversely related to level of unemployment, hence suggesting that
unemployment in the city was most pronounced among youths. Educational
attainment and job preference were interrelated variables which had direct
relationship with unemployment level. It was particularly noted that majority of the
unemployed and first-time job seekers preferred salaried employment to self-employment.
This orientation, although deriving from the economic and human
capital development realities of the country, could be retrogressive in a liberalized
market-driven economy. The youths showed strong aversion to rural-residency
for several reasons prominent among which were lack of employment
opportunities and poor social and physical infrastructures. Some policy issues
were raised to provide a basis for a stronger community-driven rural and
agricultural development strategy and alternative labour market variables.
Presented at the International Conference on "Shared Growth in Africa," July 21-22, 2005,
Accra, Ghana
Edwards, Lawrence
Trade Liberalisation and Labour Demand in South Africa
during the 1990s
October 2005
Edwards, Lawrence
The 1990s heralded a period of increased globalization of the South African
economy. The new democratically elected government in 1994 initiated a range of
new policy reforms that were designed to encourage economic growth as well as
uplift the standard of living of the previously disenfranchised majority. These reforms
included significant tariff reductions in accordance with the government’s 1995 Offer
to the WTO. A new macroeconomic policy (GEAR) was also implemented with the
aim of transforming South Africa into a “competitive, outward orientated economy”
(GEAR, 1996)... In Poverty and Policy in Post Apartheid South Africa, edited by Haroon Bhorat and Ravi Kanbur. Cape Town, South Africa: HSRC Press, 2006.
Eloundou-Enyegue, Parfait M.
Buffering Inequalities: The Safety Net of Extended Families in Cameroon
December 2004
Eloundou-Enyegue, Parfait M. and David Shapiro
Extended family systems play an important role in buffering socioeconomic inequality in African
societies, notably through fosterage of children across nuclear family units. Yet, there is concern
that this support system would break down under the influence of globalization and recent
economic crises. Whereas previous scholarship to address this concern has focused on trends in
rates of family extension/ fosterage, we argue in this paper that a full account of trends in the
buffering influence of extended families requires simultaneous attention to trends in (a) fosterage
rates, (b) the distribution of fosterage opportunities, (c) the ameliorative effects of fosterage.
This study focuses on the buffering influence of fosterage on schooling inequalities.
Taking Cameroon as a case study and using the retrospective fosterage and schooling histories of
2,257 children, we examine the historical trends in these three proximate determinants of the
buffering influence of extended families. Findings suggest that while the ameliorative effects of
fosterage (once children are fostered) have not changed over time, both the rates and the
distribution of fosterage opportunities have changed in ways that raise concern for children at the
bottom quintile of the resource distribution.
Integrating Education and Population Policy: The Gender-Equity Payoffs of Reducing Pregnancy-Related Dropouts
May 2004
Eloundou-Enyegue, Parfait M., J. Mayone Stycos, and Fatou Jah
Plausible arguments suggest that policies to avoid pregnancy-related dropouts can help
close gender gaps in education in Africa but these payoffs require quantification. This
research uses schooling life tables to simulate how the gender gaps in secondary school
completion within 23 sub-Saharan African countries would narrow if these countries
reduced the incidence of pregnancy-related dropouts. Results suggest that reducing
pregnancy-related dropouts is neither indispensable nor sufficient to close current gender
gaps in most cases, yet it could halve these gaps in one third of the countries studied.
Access to Schooling and Employment in Cameroon:
New Inequalities and Opportunities
April 2004
Eloundou-Enyegue, Parfait M., Ngoube Maurice, Okene Richard, V.P Onguene,Serge Bahoken, Joseph Tamukong, Moses Mbangwana, Joseph Essindi Evina, and Caroline Mongue Djongoue
This report is about recent trends in education and access to employment in Cameroon. It focuses
on five questions about (1) current levels of schooling, (2) recent trends in enrolment, (3) recent
trends in schooling inequalities, (4) access to employment, and (5) risks and opportunities to
improve education and employment outcomes. Based on these analyses, the report discusses several
challenges and opportunities in improving education and employment outcomes.
Emana, Bezabih
Livelihood Diversification in Borana Pastoral Communities of EthiopiaProspects and Challenges
June 2006
Gemtessa, Kejela, Bezabih Emana, and Waktole Tiki
This paper analyzes the livelihood of the Borana pastoral communities of Southern
Oromiya in Ethiopia. The study employed Participatory Rural Appraisal and survey
methods. Stakeholders’ consultations were carried out at community, district, and
regional levels.
The study shows that livestock mobility would continue to ensure high productivity due
to changing environment, change water and feed sources, better pasture supply, etc.
However, mobility is curtailed by combination of factors such as population growth and
settlement in remote grazing areas, existence of claims by different ethnic groups on
rangelands, the impartial impact of drought, increasing settlement to get social
services, and the declining number of cattle holding per household.
In both pastoral and agro-pastoral communities, the contribution of livestock and
livestock products to the household's income is the highest for the rich and smallest
for the poor owing to the size of livestock they hold. The destitute households have no
livestock. Yet the number of poor households is increasing due to drought. The
livelihood of the pastoralists diversified into crop production, petty trades, wage,
remittance, firewood and charcoal production, and incense collection.
The study revealed that the agro-pastoralists are poorer than the pure pastoral
communities indicating that farming has been adopted to cope with food insecurity
caused by declining livestock herd. But the income discrepancy between the social
groups is significantly high. The rich could generate four folds of the income the poor
earns.
Finally, the researchers recommended that the need for mobility in the use of range
resources in order to cope with the ecosystem vulnerability should be understood by
the federal and regional governments. Appropriate land use planning for appropriate
use of rangeland and delimiting cropland from rangeland is an essential intervention in
a participatory manner. Presented at the Policy Research Conference on
“Pastoralism and Poverty Reduction in East Africa,”
held in Nairobi, Kenya, June 27-28, 2006.
Etsey, Kafui
Causes of low academic performance of primary school pupils in the Shama Sub-Metro of
Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Assembly (SAEMA) in Ghana
November 2005
Kafui Etsey
Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Assembly (SAEMA) is one of the district
assemblies in the Western Region of Ghana. It is one of the three metropolitan assemblies in
the country. The other two are Accra-Tema and Kumasi. SAEMA is located about 210
kilometres along the coast, west of Accra and is divided into three sub-metro district councils
which are Shama, Sekondi and Takoradi. The twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi is both the
district capital and the regional capital. The Shama sub-metro is made up of Shama and
Inchaban circuits.
The poor academic performance of pupils in the Shama sub-metro of the Shama
Ahanta Metropolis has been a concern for the metropolitan assembly over the past few years.
The schools have shown poor performances in all public examinations and as one director
puts it, ‘their BECE results have been appalling’...The purpose of this
study therefore is to obtain evidence of the factors that are responsible for the poor academic
performance of pupils in the Shama sub-metro... Paper prepared for the Regional Conference on “Education in West Africa: Constraints and Opportunities” in Dakar, Senegal, November 1-2, 2005
Evina, Joseph Essindi
Access to Schooling and Employment in Cameroon:
New Inequalities and Opportunities
April 2004
Eloundou-Enyegue, Parfait M., Ngoube Maurice, Okene Richard, V.P Onguene,Serge Bahoken, Joseph Tamukong, Moses Mbangwana, Joseph Essindi Evina, and Caroline Mongue Djongoue
This report is about recent trends in education and access to employment in Cameroon. It focuses
on five questions about (1) current levels of schooling, (2) recent trends in enrolment, (3) recent
trends in schooling inequalities, (4) access to employment, and (5) risks and opportunities to
improve education and employment outcomes. Based on these analyses, the report discusses several
challenges and opportunities in improving education and employment outcomes.
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