title: Women on board, firm financial performance and agency costs

authors: Wellalage, Nirosha Hewa

subjects: women

abstract: This study investigates the link between female board directors and company financial performance and agency costs in Sri Lanka's publicly listed companies. In order to investigate the impact of board gender diversity on firm financial performance, a dynamic panel generalised method of moment estimation is applied. Three variables are used as proxies for gender diversity of the board of directors, namely the percentage of women on the board, a dichotomous dummy and the Blau index. A Tobit model with endogenous regressors is used to investigate the impact of female board members on agency cost, using growth opportunities as a measure of agency cost. After controlling for size, industry and other corporate governance measures, this study finds a significant negative relationship between the proportion of women on boards and firm value along with an increase in company agency cost. This evidence provides insights for governments and academic institutions in their efforts to provide resources that will help enhance women's leadership skills.

text: Women on board, firm financial performance and agency costs This study investigates the link between female board directors and company financial performance and agency costs in Sri Lanka's publicly listed companies. In order to investigate the impact of board gender diversity on firm financial performance, a dynamic panel generalised method of moment estimation is applied. Three variables are used as proxies for gender diversity of the board of directors, namely the percentage of women on the board, a dichotomous dummy and the Blau index. A Tobit model with endogenous regressors is used to investigate the impact of female board members on agency cost, using growth opportunities as a measure of agency cost. After controlling for size, industry and other corporate governance measures, this study finds a significant negative relationship between the proportion of women on boards and firm value along with an increase in company agency cost. This evidence provides insights for governments and academic institutions in their efforts to provide resources that will help enhance women's leadership skills.

year: 2013

title: Essays on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies, youth involvement in agricultural activities, and agricultural finance

authors: Magembe, Yohane Kitwima

subjects: agricultural finance

abstract: The thesis presents four essays addressing key issues in smallholder agriculture in Tanzania,
such as CSA technologies, youth involvement in farming, and agricultural finance. The thesis
examines the effects of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) adoption on crop productivity and
income. The thesis addresses the impact of climate change to enhance farm performance and
improve farmers’ resilience. Also, the thesis analyzes youth engagement in agriculture. Under
this theme, the thesis seeks to understand how we can attract and keep youths in the agricultural
sector as a response to alarming youth unemployment. Further, the thesis examines agricultural
finance constraints and their impacts on farm performance. Access to agricultural finance by
farmers is ideal for poor farm resource farmers to improve farm input usage and resilience.
Chapter 1 consists of the introductory part.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Chapter 2 investigates the impacts of CSA on crop
productivity and income using nationally representative data that sampled 1862 smallholder
household farmers who cultivate less than 2 hectares. The chapter reports that smallholder
farmers who practice CSA augment crop productivity per acre and income more than nonadopters.
Interestingly, non-adopters, had they adopted, would have remarkably gained in both.
The results survived robust checks and remained consistent. We used the endogenous switching
regression (ESR) model, instrument variables, and other control variables to address the
endogeneity and selection bias issues. The propensity score matching (PSM) is adopted for
comparison and for a consistency check of the results. At least the results are consistent in both
models. The implication of the findings is that plausible programs, promotions, campaigns, or
policy support initiatives for scaling up CSA adoption have a significant contribution to food
security and poverty reduction through increased crop productivity and income augmentation.
Chapter 3 contains two research papers. The first paper investigates youth involvement in
agricultural activities, using a sample of 6419 Tanzanian youths aged 15-35 years old. The paper
highlights the critical problems and challenges faced by youth in the agricultural sector. Further,
the paper elucidates the crucial drivers of youth’s full involvement in agriculture. The
statistically significant drivers include access to and usage of farm machines (e.g., tractors),
irrigation facilities, land ownership, presence of agro-product processing, profits, access to
agricultural credit, youth membership in the farmers’ cooperatives and organizations, access to
and use of extension services, use of information source channels to access agricultural
information, and distance to the nearest market. At the same time, off-farm income, general
education, and age reduce the propensity of youth’s involvement in agriculture. A series of
robust checks were performed to ensure that the assumptions of the ordered logit model are met
to ensure unbiased and consistent results. The second paper examines the impact of youths’
intensive participation in agriculture on farm performance. We used nationally representative
cross-sectional data of 3399 small youth farmers in Tanzania. We employed a doubly robust
IPWRA estimator, and we compared these empirical results with the results from ESR and PSM
models. The results remain statistically and quantitatively consistent in all models: that youth
intensive involvement in agriculture significantly impacts maize yields, net returns, and returns
on investment (ROI). Overall, both papers propose policy actions, academic interventions, and
parental interventions to promote and retain many youths in agriculture.
Finally, chapter 4 contains one paper that used a sample of 1042 smallholder farmers. The paper
examines the significant obstacles to agricultural financing that both the demand and supply
sides of agricultural credit encounter. Further, the paper demonstrates the impact of agricultural
finance on farm performance for credit-constrained smallholder farmers. We applied the ESR
model to address the endogeneity problem and selection bias. Furthermore, PSM was used to
compare the results of the ESR model. The results in both models are consistent that credit
access augments smallholder farmers’ crop productivity. Interestingly, farmers without credit
counterfactual would increase their crop production if they were assumed to be credit
unconstrained. The findings carry important policy implications in favour of smallholder
farmers’ credit access.

text: Essays on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies, youth involvement in agricultural activities, and agricultural finance The thesis presents four essays addressing key issues in smallholder agriculture in Tanzania,
such as CSA technologies, youth involvement in farming, and agricultural finance. The thesis
examines the effects of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) adoption on crop productivity and
income. The thesis addresses the impact of climate change to enhance farm performance and
improve farmers’ resilience. Also, the thesis analyzes youth engagement in agriculture. Under
this theme, the thesis seeks to understand how we can attract and keep youths in the agricultural
sector as a response to alarming youth unemployment. Further, the thesis examines agricultural
finance constraints and their impacts on farm performance. Access to agricultural finance by
farmers is ideal for poor farm resource farmers to improve farm input usage and resilience.
Chapter 1 consists of the introductory part.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Chapter 2 investigates the impacts of CSA on crop
productivity and income using nationally representative data that sampled 1862 smallholder
household farmers who cultivate less than 2 hectares. The chapter reports that smallholder
farmers who practice CSA augment crop productivity per acre and income more than nonadopters.
Interestingly, non-adopters, had they adopted, would have remarkably gained in both.
The results survived robust checks and remained consistent. We used the endogenous switching
regression (ESR) model, instrument variables, and other control variables to address the
endogeneity and selection bias issues. The propensity score matching (PSM) is adopted for
comparison and for a consistency check of the results. At least the results are consistent in both
models. The implication of the findings is that plausible programs, promotions, campaigns, or
policy support initiatives for scaling up CSA adoption have a significant contribution to food
security and poverty reduction through increased crop productivity and income augmentation.
Chapter 3 contains two research papers. The first paper investigates youth involvement in
agricultural activities, using a sample of 6419 Tanzanian youths aged 15-35 years old. The paper
highlights the critical problems and challenges faced by youth in the agricultural sector. Further,
the paper elucidates the crucial drivers of youth’s full involvement in agriculture. The
statistically significant drivers include access to and usage of farm machines (e.g., tractors),
irrigation facilities, land ownership, presence of agro-product processing, profits, access to
agricultural credit, youth membership in the farmers’ cooperatives and organizations, access to
and use of extension services, use of information source channels to access agricultural
information, and distance to the nearest market. At the same time, off-farm income, general
education, and age reduce the propensity of youth’s involvement in agriculture. A series of
robust checks were performed to ensure that the assumptions of the ordered logit model are met
to ensure unbiased and consistent results. The second paper examines the impact of youths’
intensive participation in agriculture on farm performance. We used nationally representative
cross-sectional data of 3399 small youth farmers in Tanzania. We employed a doubly robust
IPWRA estimator, and we compared these empirical results with the results from ESR and PSM
models. The results remain statistically and quantitatively consistent in all models: that youth
intensive involvement in agriculture significantly impacts maize yields, net returns, and returns
on investment (ROI). Overall, both papers propose policy actions, academic interventions, and
parental interventions to promote and retain many youths in agriculture.
Finally, chapter 4 contains one paper that used a sample of 1042 smallholder farmers. The paper
examines the significant obstacles to agricultural financing that both the demand and supply
sides of agricultural credit encounter. Further, the paper demonstrates the impact of agricultural
finance on farm performance for credit-constrained smallholder farmers. We applied the ESR
model to address the endogeneity problem and selection bias. Furthermore, PSM was used to
compare the results of the ESR model. The results in both models are consistent that credit
access augments smallholder farmers’ crop productivity. Interestingly, farmers without credit
counterfactual would increase their crop production if they were assumed to be credit
unconstrained. The findings carry important policy implications in favour of smallholder
farmers’ credit access.

year: 2024

title: Tū Te Turuturu Nō Hineteiwaiwa - Maintaining Cultural Integrity in the Teaching of Māori Weaving

authors: Turi-Tiakitai, John Reid

subjects: Māori

abstract: “He whatu kōrero mō te whatu
He whiriwhiri kōrero mō te whiri
He rangaranga kōrero mō te raranga”

Despite the development and teaching of an increasing number of Māori focused tertiary programmes, many kaumatua remain concerned that tikanga is being lost. The research reviews the developments that have impacted on the teaching of Māori weaving (raranga, whiri, and whatu) and appraises the current status from the perspective of the oral narratives of Edna Pahewa, Christina (Tina) Hurihia Wirihana and Matekino Lawless. Whilst they would not describe them as such, all three are expert weavers who teach this taonga.
These weavers concur that despite the increased numbers learning these arts and acquiring high capability in the technical skills, many often lack the wairua, tikanga and values and remain apprehensive for the state of the art. Therefore, they believe that mātauranga Māori, spiritual knowledge and Māori tikanga cultural practices must remain central, at the very core of the art form itself and not exist as an academic study or peripheral addendum.
As a result of this study, a model framework, ‘Te Kāwhatuwhatu’ is proposed that advocates for the incorporating of Māori tikanga cultural practices into classes and teaching pedagogy and thereby foster the wellbeing of this cultural legacy and the mana and integrity of Hineteiwaiwa, kia ea ai te kupu

“ka tū tonu te turuturu nō Hineteiwaiwa!”¹

text: Tū Te Turuturu Nō Hineteiwaiwa - Maintaining Cultural Integrity in the Teaching of Māori Weaving “He whatu kōrero mō te whatu
He whiriwhiri kōrero mō te whiri
He rangaranga kōrero mō te raranga”

Despite the development and teaching of an increasing number of Māori focused tertiary programmes, many kaumatua remain concerned that tikanga is being lost. The research reviews the developments that have impacted on the teaching of Māori weaving (raranga, whiri, and whatu) and appraises the current status from the perspective of the oral narratives of Edna Pahewa, Christina (Tina) Hurihia Wirihana and Matekino Lawless. Whilst they would not describe them as such, all three are expert weavers who teach this taonga.
These weavers concur that despite the increased numbers learning these arts and acquiring high capability in the technical skills, many often lack the wairua, tikanga and values and remain apprehensive for the state of the art. Therefore, they believe that mātauranga Māori, spiritual knowledge and Māori tikanga cultural practices must remain central, at the very core of the art form itself and not exist as an academic study or peripheral addendum.
As a result of this study, a model framework, ‘Te Kāwhatuwhatu’ is proposed that advocates for the incorporating of Māori tikanga cultural practices into classes and teaching pedagogy and thereby foster the wellbeing of this cultural legacy and the mana and integrity of Hineteiwaiwa, kia ea ai te kupu

“ka tū tonu te turuturu nō Hineteiwaiwa!”¹

year: 2015