ISSN 2756-3308
Research Article
African Journal of Estate and Property Management ISSN 9671-8498 Vol. 6 (6), pp. 001-005, June, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Women SHGs in coastal Kerala: The lope side of social development?
Sonny Jose1 and Lekshmi V. Nair2*
1Department of Social Work, Loyola College of Social Sciences, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
2Department of Humanities, IIST, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
Accepted 22 January, 2019
Abstract
The SHG movement worldwide aimed at systematically empowering marginalized grass root level women, by way of conscientization, income generation and capacity building. The resent article examines vying evidence as to whether the SHG movement really did enhanced development among the coastal women. Data had been collected from the SHGs in the coastal areas of Kerala. On one hand, the conscious group mobilization, thrift collection, serendipitous exposure to diverse, novel experiences, and the frequent discourses culminating in consensual decision-making, all enhanced the coastal women’s ability to articulate and gain a higher status in the family as well as in their locality village. On the other hand, consumption of loans by the poor members did not substantially contribute to improve their productive capacities; neither did micro-credit attract the poorest and the needy. The study also evidences that such initiatives eventually led to another form of domination over women, through the development of new hierarchies of power, which further created hurdles and enslaving them financially on their spouses. The authors are forced to concede that evidence with respect to the impact of SHGs on women’s status and well-being is mixed.
Key words: SHGs, coastal women, empowerment, development.
Sonny Jose, Lekshmi V. Nair*
Page: 1 - 5
Research Article
African Journal of Estate and Property Management ISSN 9671-8498 Vol. 6 (5), pp. 001-010, May, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
The endogenous growth theory and innovation in Egypt
Mohamed Ali Abd El-Fattah
Economic Department, Faculty of Economic and Political Science, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: 0109349335.
Accepted 11 February, 2019
Abstract
In today’s economy and society, performance analyses of the government attract more and more attention. This paper presents an evaluation of the Egyptian government of using R&D expenditure from (1996 to 2008) using data envelopment analysis (DEA). Special emphasis was placed on how to present the DEA results to government to provide more guidance to it on what to manage and how to accomplish the changes.
Key words: Endogenous growth theory, DEA, innovation, R&D.
Mohamed Ali Abd El-Fattah
Page: 1 - 10
Review
African Journal of Estate and Property Management ISSN 9671-8498 Vol. 6 (5), pp. 001-007, May, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Review
Takaful: An Islamic insurance instrument
Nico P. Swartz1* and Pieter Coetzer2
1Unit for Legal Historical Research, Department of Roman Law, Legal History Comparative Law, Faculty of Law, UFS, Bloemfontein, South Africa.
2Penta Securities, 14 Marlyn Court, Graaff Reinet Street, Dan Pienaar, Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Accepted 09 January, 2019
Abstract
The Takaful concept evolved from individual common interest during the industrial era of the early 1900’s. Only eighty million of the world’s 2.5 billion poor are currently covered by some form of micro-insurance. Only 3% of the poor in India and China are insured, and only 0.3% of the poor in Africa are insured. In 23 of the 100 poorest countries in the world, there is currently no identified micro-insurance activity. The majority of the population is in the low-income bracket. On top of that, society’s awareness regarding the importance of insurance is rather low. In this paper, it will be stressed that efforts still need to be directed towards educating the public on Islamic insurance to appreciate the protection aspects that insurance can offer. Conventional insurance involves the elements of uncertainty, gambling, and interest, all of which are unacceptable under Islamic law. There existed anxiety among Muslims regarding the inconsistency of conventional banking and insurance in compliance with Islamic laws. This allowed the creation of a new industry, takaful, which offered risk protection and savings products to the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims. One of the greatest challenges facing the takaful industry is the misconception that it is exclusively for Muslims. Takaful products have attracted even non-Muslim communities, despite the obvious religious and cultural differences. Nonetheless, the interest shown by non-Muslims and the support of Muslims is not enough to promote the awareness and the growth of takaful and what it has to offer. It is this lack of awareness that presents one of the greatest challenges to the development and growth of the national and global industry.
Key words: Takaful, insurance, kafal, conventional insurance, gambling, interest.
Nico P. Swartz*, Pieter Coetzer
Page: 1 - 7
Research Article
African Journal of Estate and Property Management ISSN 9671-8498 Vol. 6 (4), pp. 001-012, April, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Utilization of farm management risk strategies at the rural/urban fringe
Edmund M. Tavernier and Benjamin M. Onyango*
Department of Agricultural Food and Resource Economics, Cook College, and the Food Policy Institute, Rutgers University, 55 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901.
Accepted 26 January, 2019
Abstract
Government policy-intervention programs offer U.S. farmers protection from a variety of risk sources. However, the utilization of farm-management risk strategies to address those risks might differ because of location or the crop-mix patterns. This paper utilizes principal component analysis (PCA) and regression analysis to examine the utilization of risk management strategies at the rural/urban fringe. The regression results provide insights into the current utilization of tools and risk management strategies used by farm operators, while the PCA examines tools that are currently utilized to manage farm risks and new tools that may be utilized to do so. The results from the PCA suggest that farm operators would like the addition of new tools such as tax-deferred savings accounts that allow farm operators to withdraw funds in a low-income year or at retirement as a risk management strategy. The PCA results further show that farm operators would like an incentive payment for using various risk management tools, including hedging, insurance, and debt and equity financing as part of federal risk management programs. With respect to the current tools utilized to manage farm risks, the PCA and regression results identify three such categories – enterprise diversification, information collection from the internet, and off-farm income sources.
Key words: Risk, PCA, farm management.
Benjamin M. Onyango*, Edmund M. Tavernier
Page: 1 - 12
Review
African Journal of Estate and Property Management ISSN 9671-8498 Vol. 6 (4), pp. 001-012, April, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Review
Increasing resilience and reducing vulnerability in sub-Saharan African agriculture: Strategies for risk coping and management
Chuku A. Chuku1* and Chidinma Okoye2
1Department of Economics, University of Uyo, P. M. B 1017, Uyo, Nigeria.
2Central Bank of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria.
Accepted 17 January, 2019
Abstract
The agricultural sector in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) continues to be confronted with multiple shocks and crises, threatening the endowments of the sector and impeding efforts at attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the region via the sector. We note that shocks to the agricultural sector are precipitated by a system of multiscalar stressors. These include; climate change, natural disasters, volatility of commodity prices, regional conflicts, policy shocks and the effects of globalization. These stressors interact in complex and messy ways to increase the vulnerability and reduce the resilience of agricultural agents to crises. This paper presents a descriptive and distinctive framework on the concepts of vulnerability, resilience, adaptive capacity and risks in agriculture, putting sub-Saharan Africa in context. In addition, the paper identifies four broad domains of opportunities available to farm agents to use risk coping and management strategies to increase their resilience and reduce their vulnerability to shocks and crises. They include; income and asset management strategies, farm production strategies, government programmes and support strategies and technological development strategies. Drawing from the experiences of developed countries and the information obtained from workshops and research works conducted in SSA, we identify policy directions that require urgent attention in reducing the vulnerability and increasing the resilience of SSA agricultural agents.
Key words: Vulnerability, risk coping, risk management, agriculture, crises, sub-Saharan Africa.
Chuku A. Chuku*, Chidinma Okoye
Page: 1 - 12
Research Article
African Journal of Estate and Property Management ISSN 9671-8498 Vol. 6 (3), pp. 001-004, March, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
A study of natural risk affecting adoption of crop insurance: A case study of Kurdistan, Iran December 2007
H. Agahi1 and Abdolali Bahrami2
1Agricultural Extension and Education, College of Agriculture, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.
2DOS in science, University of Putra, Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Malaysia.
Accepted 26 August, 2018
Abstract
Crop insurance is an effective method which is being practiced by farmers in all economic sectors at all seasons in order to be able to minimize natural risk. Crop insurance is being considered as a proper mechanism for protecting financial resources of farmers. The purpose of this descriptive survey study was to investigate climate changes which are effective in the application of crop insurance in Kurdistan - Iran. Data were collected through 200 questionnaires which were completed by random sample of insured farmers in the year 2005 - 2006 from Kurdistan province in Iran. Face and content validity of the questionnaire were assessed by a panel of experts. A Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of .92 were obtained using a pilot test (N = 30) farmers who were not included in the study. Results of the study showed that the average application of crop insurance in the group with low degree of adoption was 30% of their entire under cultivation land while the results were 47 and 67%, for the group with the medium and high degree of adoption respectively. The regression analysis showed that forecasting the possibility of climate changes such as cold weather, frost, floods and drought display in total 56.7% of the variance for the application of crop insurance.
Key words: Adoption, risk, adverse events, Agricultural Products Insurance.
H. Agahi, Abdolali Bahrami
Page: 1 - 4