Charles Ackah

Internal migration in Ghana : determinants and welfare impacts

Using a recently compiled dataset on migration and remittances in Ghana, this paper estimates the determinants of an individual?s likelihood to be an internal migrant and the relationship between internal migration and welfare. The analysis finds that the likelihood to migrate is determined by a combination of individual (pull) and community-level (push) characteristics. The probability of migration is higher for younger and more educated individuals, but communities with higher levels of literacy, higher rates of subsidized medical care, and better access to water and sanitation are less likely to produce migrants. The analysis finds that households with migrants tend to be better off than similar households without migrants, even after controlling for the fact that households with migrants are a non-random sample of Ghanaians. However, the positive relationship is only true for households with at least one migrant in urban areas; the welfare of households with migrants exclusively in rural areas is no different from households without any migrants.

An Unconditional Quantile Regression Based Decomposition of Spatial Welfare Inequalities in Ghana

Abstract Ghana has witnessed tremendous economic growth since the 1990s and attained the Millennium Development Goals target of halving poverty. This notwithstanding, inequality in Ghana increased over the same period, suggesting growth benefits were not equitably distributed. This study provides evidence on the determinants of household consumption expenditure and factors that explain rural-urban welfare gaps between 1998 and 2013. The study employs an unconditional quantile regression and recently proposed decomposition technique based on re-centred influence functions. We find significant spatial differences in consumption expenditure across selected quantiles, with rural-urban inequalities driven largely by differences in returns to households’ endowments.

Financial Access and Firm Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa

ABSTRACT The paper investigates the effect of access to finance on the productivity of manufacturing firms in Sub-Saharan Africa. With the aid of the Semi-parametric approach by Levinsohn and Petrin, findings reveal that access to a cost-effective line of credit/loan or an overdraft facility has a positive effect on firm productivity. The study, therefore, concludes that it is of outmost benefit for firms to acquire credit facilities for more productive projects and that the credit constraints firms in Africa face should be significantly relaxed.

Trade, Tariffs, Growth and Poverty

Increased globalization and widespread trade liberalization in developing countries since the 1980s has inspired considerable debate on the impact of globalization in general, and trade liberalization in particular, on growth, incomes and poverty. This chapter provides an overview of the issues and evidence in a selective literature review. After considering why trade is important and arguments for and against protection in the remainder of this section, we focus on three issues. Section 2.2 provides an overview of the literature on the relationship between trade and growth, noting that whilst a positive correlation is well established it is difficult to assert ‘causality’ (whether trade drives growth or growth leads to increased trade). Section 2.3 addresses the related issue of how trade liberalization (trade policy reforms reducing barriers to trade, especially on imports) affects growth, for which the evidence is less clear. Section 2.4 considers the broader issue of how trade relates to poverty, especially in low-income countries (LICs) or sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Section 2.5 provides a very brief conclusion. Economists disagree about many things, but one proposition that attracts widespread agreement is that high barriers to trade damage the economy, especially if there is considerable variation across sectors and products in the extent of barriers (as this induces prices distortions that generate inefficiency).

The health MDGs in Ghana: lessons and implications for the implementation of the sustainable development goals

PurposeThe Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), an initiative by the United Nations, consisted of eight broad goals, which were envisaged to improve the living conditions of the world’s populations. In spite of the momentum and investments made to achieve the MDGs, significant challenges still exist at the global and national levels. In Ghana, the attainment of some MDGs was uneven across the goals and within the country. This paper critically reviews the implementation of the health MDGs in Ghana: specifically, MDG 4, MDG 5 and MDG 6. The study focuses on drawing key lessons from the national implementation strategies and institutional reforms adopted by Ghana towards achieving these health MDG targets.MethodsThe study uses content analysis of policy documents in selected programmatic interventions which have been deemed influential in reaching the health MDGs in Ghana.ResultsIn brief, the results indicate that 73% of the 37 MDG indicators for Ghana were either achieved or could show significant progress. Ghana did not achieve MDG 4 and MDG 5 due to the slow progress it made in improving child and maternal health. The study indicates that key investments need to be made in the health sector, especially in the areas of access to good quality care, to narrow gaps in access and financing.ConclusionsReducing maternal and child mortality in Ghana will require transforming the sectors that drive development, such as energy, agriculture and transportation. It is expected that the lessons learnt will enhance evidence-based policy-making towards achieving the SDGs in Ghana.

Who Are Africa’S Entrepreneurs? Comparative Evidence From Ghana And Uganda

Contemporary national development policy in many parts of the world is focused on the promotion of entrepreneurship. This is because policy makers see entrepreneurship as an important driver of economic development. Drawing on in-depth research in Ghana and Uganda, this paper provides a comparative analysis of the characteristics of entrepreneurs and their enterprises, their motives for choosing self-employment and the constraints to their businesses in Ghana and Uganda. Using a sample of over 1,000 micro and small entrepreneurs in each country, we found that Ghanaian entrepreneurs are much more motivated by necessity-driven motives while Ugandans are motivated by a combination of opportunity- and necessity-driven motives. Specifically, the factor analysis indicated that whereas Ghanaian entrepreneurs are significantly motived by “Work-family consideration” and “Low opportunity,” entrepreneurs in Uganda rated “Career consideration” and “Survival consideration” as their main motives for engaging in self-em...

Motivations, income determinants and livelihood vulnerability of female teenage head porters in Kasoa, Ghana

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide statistical and empirical evidence on the motivations, income determinants and livelihood vulnerabilities of female teenage head porters. The paper draws from the motivational theory and the livelihood vulnerability approach to assess the motivations, livelihood vulnerabilities and income determinants of female teenage head porters in Kasoa, Ghana. Design/methodology/approach The mixed methods data collection instruments were used to collect primary data from 200 randomly sampled female teenage head porters in Kasoa. It includes both close and open-ended questionnaires, one case study and personal observation. Findings Based on the estimation, the study found that household poverty, unemployment, desire for regular income and quest for personal independence were significant motivational factors drawing teenage girls into head porting. Also, age of respondents and years of experience in the occupation were the significant determinants of income of respondents. Exposure to frequent malaria, stress and physical pains were common livelihood risk factors faced by the respondents. Majority of them were from the northern region of Ghana and less than 20 percent of them had formal education. Practical implications The paper proposed for extensive implementation of robust macroeconomic and specific social protection interventions to enhance equal job and income opportunities as well as to protect the vulnerable. Originality/value The study provides statistical and empirical results different from other related studies (Opare, 2003; Awumbila, 2007; Baah-Ennumh et al., 2012; Akanle and Chioma, 2013).

Political Settlements, the Deals Environment and Economic Growth: The Case of Ghana

The paper explores the extent to which political settlements, and consequently the deals environment, have influenced the growth and development outcomes for Ghana. This is done using a conceptual framework which tries to demonstrate how political settlements and the deals environment help explain sustained economic growth. Some of the key findings are summarised as follows. First, the paper notes that political settlements in Ghana have been largely personalised over the years, with electoral competition becoming a feature of the last two decades. Second, it notes that the product space for Ghana has remained largely unchanged over the years, reinforcing the argument that growth has not been structurally transformative. Third, it argues that the deals space in Ghana is largely a product of the nature of the political settlement and this in turn has contributed to growth without structural transformation of the economy. The paper concludes by noting that Ghana finds itself in a position where change to its deals space, in a way that promotes sustained accelerated growth, will be difficult.