bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Stock market development and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa (1990–2020): an ARDL approach
Authors: Thaddeus Kesuh Jude , Ngong Chi Aloysius , Nnecka Ugwuanyi Jacinta , Nubong Njimukala Moses , Ibe Godwin Imo , Chinyere C Onyejiaku , Onwumere Josaphat Uchechukwu Joe 
Published: February 2022

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the short and long run causal relationship between stock market development and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa within the period 1990 and 2020.Design/methodology/approachUsing panel data from 1990–2020 obtained from the World Bank development indicators, the study makes use of the autoregressive distributed lag model and the Granger causality and cointegration to analyze the long and short run causal relationship between stock market development and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa.FindingsThe findings unveiled that stock market capitalization had a positive and significant effect on economic growth in the long run and a negative insignificant effect in the short run within the period of 1990–2020 while stock market liquidity measured through total value of shares traded and turnover ratio had a negative and significant effect on economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa within the period of 1990–2020. The Granger causality test showed an inconclusive result between stock market development and economic growth; implying that the authors cannot say if it is stock market development that causes economic growth or it is economic growth that causes stock market development within the period of 1990–2020.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that governments of sub-Saharan African countries should encourage stock market development by implementing favorable rules for companies listing on their stock market, promote stock market integration with world markets to diversify risk, increase public awareness on stock markets, increase investors' confidence level and finally, remove stock market impediments like high taxes, legal and regulatory barriers to its development.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing literature by offering a whole new perspective on stock market development and economic growth since its conception in sub-Saharan Africa. Again, contrary to other papers, the study show how stock market development can contribute to the growth of sub-Saharan Africans’ economy.
Determinants of bank income smoothing using loan loss provisions in the United Kingdom
Authors: Ozili Peterson K. 
Published: February 2022

PurposeThis paper examines the determinants of bank income smoothing using loan loss provisions in the United Kingdom or Great Britain from 1999 to 2017.Design/methodology/approachThe study used ordinary least square (OLS) regression and applying the HAC robust standard error correction test.FindingsThe findings showed that UK banks use loan loss provision for income smoothing purposes. Income smoothing is greater in times of high economic policy uncertainty. The extent of bank income smoothing is reduced by foreign bank presence, UK GAAP adoption, IFRS9 adoption, and high levels of voice and accountability. Also, there is reduced income smoothing using loan loss provisions during a financial crisis and in periods of economic prosperity.Research limitations/implicationsThe implication is that economic conditions, institutional governance and accounting disclosure rules can influence the extent of bank income smoothing in the United Kingdom. The findings of the study contribute to several studies that explore the determinants of bank income smoothing.Originality/valueNo study has extensively examined the determinants of bank income smoothing in Great Britain or the United Kingdom. The present study fills this gap in the literature.
Business-to-business platform ecosystem practices and their impacts on firm performance: evidence from high-tech manufacturing firms
Authors: Wang Chun Hsien , Chang Ching-Hsing , Lee Zui Chih Rick 
Published: February 2022

PurposeThis study attempts to reveal product platform strategy via business-to-business (B2B) platform ecosystems. The authors advance the views of platform ecosystems in the innovation literature by introducing a contingency perspective that underscores the role of market, organizational and technological innovativeness in product platform strategy.Design/methodology/approachThis study explores three contingent factors, specifically market innovativeness, technological innovativeness and organizational innovativeness that affect the product platform strategy of high-tech firms. The theoretical model is empirically validated using survey data from 191 high-tech firms.FindingsUsing a data set of high-tech manufacturing firms, the results show that product platform strategy is positively related to firm performance. Additionally, the results provide evidence supporting the positive moderating effect of the three-way interaction among market, organizational and technological innovativeness on the contribution of product platform strategy to firm performance.Research limitations/implicationsA platform product strategy is a determining factor in firm performance that requires firms to have a “fit” with their innovation activities. This study contributes to theoretical development at the intersection of product platform strategy and innovativeness.Practical implicationsWhen firms seek to align their technological innovativeness with their organizational innovativeness, the benefits of such innovativeness may be more pronounced in a platform product context. Moreover, the results may help guide platform managers and decision makers in identifying and securing appropriate innovation activities to enhance product platform strategies.Originality/valueThis study provides a product platform strategy in B2B platform ecosystems and shows how different innovation activities interact to improve the product platform strategy.
Financial literacy of entrepreneurs: a systematic review
Authors: Anshika Anshika , Singla Anju 
Published: February 2022

Purpose This paper aims to study the level of financial literacy of entrepreneurs across the globe and its role in financial access and performance of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) based on a systematic review. The present study identifies the measures to enhance the level of financial literacy for increasing financial access and performance of enterprises.Design/methodology/approach Systematic literature review has been undertaken by identifying 358 studies from various sources. After removing the 237 studies based on selection criteria, 67 studies have been found relevant for the present study.Findings The level of financial literacy of entrepreneurs around the world is generally low. It has been found that financial literacy improves performance of an enterprise, particularly when the funds are readily available as insufficient funds disrupt the operating efficiency of the firm, thereby hindering its growth and survival. The other most important factors i.e. access to formal finance, lending policies of financial institutions, ease of doing business and training programmes have a substantial influence on the survival of the firms. The literature also revealed that there is no standardised methodology to measure the financial literacy of entrepreneurs.Research limitations/implications The study conceptualises a research model which can be used by the policymakers to develop training modules for entrepreneurs. These training modules will contribute to the nation’s economic growth by virtue of enhanced performance and superior financial access.Originality/value This study proposes a hypothesised research model which is one of its kinds to demonstrate the influence of financial literacy on financial access and performance of MSMEs.
Evaluation of a training program of African gendarmes' in Spain under the European Union GAR-SI Sahel project
Authors: Gaona Prieto Rodrigo , De Castro Andrés , Antón José-Ignacio 
Published: February 2022

PurposeThis article provides the first assessment of the training program of African gendarmes from the so-called Sahel countries in the Special Training Center of the Spanish Civil Guard in Spain. This action is part of the European Union GAR-SI Sahel project, embedded in the framework of the international cooperation of the European Union with Africa and aims to create effective counter-terrorism police tactical units in the area.Design/methodology/approachThe study exploits instructors' assessment on the evolution of the 167 participants over the program from 2017 to 2019 and the satisfaction of attendants with the training action, using 22 Likert-type items and an open question. It employs both quantitative tools (descriptive and inferential statistical methods and multivariate techniques) and qualitative methods (content analysis of participants' comments).FindingsThe research finds evidence of a high participants' performance according to trainers and large levels of satisfaction among participants. The authors also discuss the differences found by country of origin and rank of the gendarmes who participated in the trainings.Originality/valueThis study is the first to provide an evaluation of the police training actions embedded GAR-SI Sahel project, part of much larger initiative of cooperation of the European Union with Africa.
Housing finance inaccessibility: evidence from the Nigerian Pensioners
Authors: Ebekozien Andrew , Aigbavboa Clinton , Aigbedion Marvelous , Ogbaini Iliye Faith , Awe Emmanuel Omoniyi 
Published: February 2022

PurposeThe Nigerian Government’s initiatives to provide housing loans to low-income pensioners (LIPs) have been futile. This paper aims to examine the root cause of housing loan inaccessibility for the Nigerian LIPs and proffer some possible policy options. This is because inaccessibility to housing finance is one of the impediments facing the LIPs homeownership.Design/methodology/approachThe phenomenology type of qualitative research was employed to collate data. The study supports MAXQDA 2020 with thematic analysis to analyse the data and achieve saturation with 30 knowledgeable participants.FindingsFindings show that housing loan rejection is extremely high among LIPs. Some of the impediments facing the LIPs in accessing housing loans include delayed gratuity, insufficient income for housing loan repayments, failed mortgage finance, incapacitated National Housing Fund (NHF), a corrupt system and lack of collateral.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is limited to the housing loan inaccessibility for the Nigerian LIPs and data collected via semi-structured face-to-face interviews in Lagos, Nigeria. Other developing cities may adopt the suggestions that will emerge from this paper with similar housing loan inaccessibility issues.Practical implicationsThis study would stir policymakers and mortgage institutions to consider the suggestions from this paper. Examples are the review of the Pension Reform Act 2014 to allow for 50% part withdrawal from the Retirement Savings Account, 10% upward review contribution to NHF and create special Federal Integrated Staff Housing Programme (FISH-P) for LIPs. These form part of the practical implications and will be helpful to policymakers.Originality/valueResearch regarding LIPs’ housing loan accessibility is limited, making this paper one of the pioneering attempts to investigate the root cause of housing loan inaccessibility for the Nigerian LIPs, and proffers some possible policy options.
Searching for the right balance between openness and closure: Spatial logics of crisis management and control in the policy response to pandemic disease such as COVID‐19
Authors: Klauser Francisco , Pauschinger Dennis 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis paper argues that at its very core, the policy response to a pandemic such as COVID‐19 is shaped by the search for the right balance between openness and closure, mobility and public safety. More specifically, drawing upon relevant social‐scientific literatures and examples relating to the fight against COVID‐19 in Switzerland, the paper highlights three broad and fundamentally intertwined spatial logics of control and restriction through which differing degrees and modalities of closure and openness are being articulated in the context of infectious disease. These refer to (1) border and access control; (2) the monitoring of people and objects on the move and (3) to the internal organization and monitoring of specific spatial enclaves. The three spatial logics of crisis management and control offer an exploratory framework, the paper argues, to study the functioning and implications of outbreak response both during and after the pandemic.
Emotions, governmental trust and support for the restriction of civil liberties during the covid‐19 pandemic
Authors: VASILOPOULOS PAVLOS , MCAVAY HALEY , BROUARD SYLVAIN , FOUCAULT MARTIAL 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe Covid‐19 pandemic brought unprecedented governmental restrictions to personal and political freedoms. This article investigates individual‐level differences in mass support for the restriction of civil liberties during the first wave of the Covid‐19 pandemic. Employing theories of affect and decision making, it assesses the extent to which different emotional reactions toward the pandemic influenced attitudes toward mobile phone surveillance and the implementation of curfews. We test our hypotheses in five advanced European democracies using panel data which allow us to identify the role of emotions in support for restrictive policies controlling for individual heterogeneity. The results suggest that experiencing fear about Covid‐19 had a strong positive impact on supporting these measures, while hope and anger only played a minimal role. Importantly, the findings indicate that emotions moderate the impact of trust toward the government, a key variable for supporting the restriction of civil liberties during the pandemic. Specifically, experiencing fear was associated with higher acceptance of civil liberty restrictions. Further, experiencing fear substantially decreased the effect of trust in the government, rendering those who lack trust toward the government more supportive of civil liberty restrictions. These findings help us understand the psychological mechanisms that leads citizens to swiftly decide to sacrifice their civil liberties in the light of threat. Further, they offer empirical support for the causal role of affect in political decision‐making.
A comparison of three decalcification agents for assessments of cranial fracture histomorphology
Authors: Cornelison Jered B. , Isaac Carolyn V. , Devota Clara J. , Billian Joseph , Brown Theodore T. , deJong Joyce L. , Douglas Elizabeth A. , Fisher‐Hubbard Amanda O. , Lackey‐Cornelison Wendy L. , Prahlow Joseph A. , Shattuck Brandy L. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe extraction of mineral calcium from bone by decalcification is a critical step in the preparation of histological samples for light microscopy. This study assessed the time required for complete decalcification and the resultant histomorphological preservation of bone histomorphology by three decalcification agents: 7% hydrochloric acid (HCl), 5% nitric acid, and 10% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The goal of this study was to identify which decalcification agent provides the optimal combination of expedient processing and quality histological outcomes of cranial fracture samples. HCl provided the most rapid decalcification ( = 3.57 days), nitric acid followed closely ( = 10.35 days), while EDTA took significantly longer on average ( = 78.97 days) but encompassed a broader range of times. Decalcification agent, sample thickness, sample width, and decedent age are significant predictors of decalcification time. Sample visualization quality, measured for tissues, cells, and nuclei on a five‐point Likert scale, was highest for samples decalcified in 10% EDTA, second highest using 5% nitric acid, and lowest for 7% HCl. The quality difference between EDTA and nitric acid was not highly significant for any of the three features. For basic assessments of bone histomorphology, the study results indicate 5% nitric acid is suitable for the decalcification of adult specimens and samples thicker than 3 mm. EDTA is a suitable agent for thin samples of the cranial vault (<3 mm) from infants and young children less than three years old, decalcifying samples in a timeframe comparable to nitric acid while providing the best quality and clarity of samples.
Integrated community occupancy models: A framework to assess occurrence and biodiversity dynamics using multiple data sources
Authors: Doser Jeffrey W. , Leuenberger Wendy , Sillett T. Scott , Hallworth Michael T. , Zipkin Elise F. 
Published: February 2022

Abstract1. The occurrence and distributions of wildlife populations and communities are shifting as a result of global changes. To evaluate whether these shifts are negatively impacting biodiversity processes, it is critical to monitor the status, trends and effects of environmental variables on entire communities. However, modelling the dynamics of multiple species simultaneously can require large amounts of diverse data, and few modelling approaches exist to simultaneously provide species and community‐level inferences.2. We present an ‘integrated community occupancy model’ (ICOM) that unites principles of data integration and hierarchical community modelling in a single framework to provide inferences on species‐specific and community occurrence dynamics using multiple data sources. The ICOM combines replicated and nonreplicated detection–nondetection data sources using a hierarchical framework that explicitly accounts for different detection and sampling processes across data sources. We use simulations to compare the ICOM to previously developed hierarchical community occupancy models and single species integrated distribution models. We then apply our model to assess the occurrence and biodiversity dynamics of foliage‐gleaning birds in the White Mountain National Forest in the northeastern USA from 2010 to 2018 using three independent data sources.3. Simulations reveal that integrating multiple data sources in the ICOM increased precision and accuracy of species and community‐level inferences compared to single data source models, although benefits of integration were dependent on the information content of individual data sources (e.g. amount of replication). Compared to single species models, the ICOM yielded more precise species‐level estimates. Within our case study, the ICOM had the highest out‐of‐sample predictive performance compared to single species models and models that used only a subset of the three data sources.4. The ICOM provides more precise estimates of occurrence dynamics compared to multi‐species models using single data sources or integrated single‐species models. We further found that the ICOM had improved predictive performance across a broad region of interest with an empirical case study of forest birds. The ICOM offers an attractive approach to estimate species and biodiversity dynamics, which is additionally valuable to inform management objectives of both individual species and their broader communities.
Improving estimations of life history parameters of small animals in mesocosm experiments: A case study on mosquitoes
Authors: Dellar Martha , Boerlijst Sam P. , Holmes David 
Published: February 2022

AbstractMesocosm experiments enable researchers to study animal dynamics, but determining accurate estimates of survival and development rates of different life stages can be difficult, especially as the subjects may be hard to sample and mortality rates can be high. We propose a new methodology for estimating such parameters.We used an experimental set‐up with 48 aquatic mesocosms, each with 20 first instar mosquito larvae and under 1 of 12 treatments with varying temperatures and nutrient concentrations. We took daily subsamples of the aquatic life stages as well as counting the emerging adults. We developed a method to estimate the survival and development probabilities at each life stage, based on optimising a matrix population model. We used two different approaches, one assuming the difference between predictions and observations was normally distributed, and the other using a combination of a normal and a multinomial distribution. For each approach, the resulting optimisation problem had around 100 parameters, making conventional gradient descent ineffective with our limited number of data points. We solved this by computing the formal derivatives of our matrix model.Both approaches proved effective in predicting mosquito populations over time, also when compared against a separate validation dataset, and the two approaches produced similar results. They also both predicted similar trends in the survival and development probabilities for each life stage, although there were some differences in the actual values. The approach which only used the normal distribution was considerably more computationally efficient than the mixed distribution approach.This is an effective approach for determining the survival and development rates of small animals in mesocosm experiments. We have not found any other reliable methodology for estimating these parameters, especially not from incomplete data or when there are many different experimental treatments. This methodology enables researchers to gain a much more detailed understanding of the life cycles of small animals, potentially leading to advances in a wide range of areas, for example in mosquito‐borne disease risk or in considering the effects of biodiversity loss or climate change on different species.
Population‐level inference for home‐range areas
Authors: Fleming Christen H. , Deznabi Iman , Alavi Shauhin , Crofoot Margaret C. , Hirsch Ben T. , Medici E. Patricia , Noonan Michael J. , Kays Roland , Fagan William F. , Sheldon Daniel , Calabrese Justin M. 
Published: February 2022

Abstract

Home‐range estimates are a common product of animal tracking data, as each range represents the area needed by a given individual. Population‐level inference of home‐range areas—where multiple individual home ranges are considered to be sampled from a population—is also important to evaluate changes over time, space or covariates such as habitat quality or fragmentation, and for comparative analyses of species averages. Population‐level home‐range parameters have traditionally been estimated by first assuming that the input tracking data were sampled independently when calculating home ranges via conventional kernel density estimation (KDE) or minimal convex polygon (MCP) methods, and then assuming that those individual home ranges were measured exactly when calculating the population‐level estimates. This conventional approach does not account for the temporal autocorrelation that is inherent in modern tracking data, nor for the uncertainties of each individual home‐range estimate, which are often large and heterogeneous.

Here, we introduce a statistically and computationally efficient framework for the population‐level analysis of home‐range areas, based on autocorrelated kernel density estimation (AKDE), that can account for variable temporal autocorrelation and estimation uncertainty.

We apply our method to empirical examples on lowland tapir Tapirus terrestris, kinkajou Potos flavus, white‐nosed coati Nasua narica, white‐faced capuchin monkey Cebus capucinus and spider monkey Ateles geoffroyi, and quantify differences between species, environments and sexes.

Our approach allows researchers to more accurately compare different populations with different movement behaviours or sampling schedules while retaining statistical precision and power when individual home‐range uncertainties vary. Finally, we emphasize the estimation of effect sizes when comparing populations, rather than mere significance tests.