ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
What are the characteristics of ‘sexually ready’ adolescents? Exploring the sexual readiness of youth in urban poor Accra

Background Adolescent sexual activity, especially among the urban poor, remains a challenge. Despite numerous interventions and programs to address the negative consequences arising from early and frequent sexual activity among youth in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana, only slight progress has been made. A plausible explanation is that our understanding of what adolescents think about sex and about their own sexuality is poor. In that sense, examining how adolescents in urban poor communities think about their sexual readiness, and identifying characteristics associated with that sexual self-concept dimension, should deepen our understanding of this topical issue. Methods A total of 196 male and female adolescents, ages 12 to 19, were surveyed in the 2011 RIPS Urban Health and Poverty Project in Accra, Ghana. The youth responded to three statements which determined their levels of sexual readiness. Other background characteristics were also obtained enabling the assessment of the correlates of their preparedness to engage in sex. The data were analyzed using ordered logistic regression models. Results Overall, the majority of respondents did not consider themselves ready for sex. Multivariate analyses indicated that sexual experience, exposure to pornographic movies, gender, ethnicity and household wealth were significantly linked to their readiness for sex. Conclusion Sexual readiness is related to sexual activity as well as other characteristics of the adolescents, suggesting the need to consider these factors in the design of programs and interventions to curb early sex. The subject of sexual readiness has to be investigated further to ensure adolescents do not identify with any negative effects of this sexual self-view.

Source: UG
What are the implications of sea-level rise for a 1.5, 2 and 3 °C rise in global mean temperatures in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and other vulnerable deltas?

Even if climate change mitigation is successful, sea levels will keep rising. With subsidence, relative sea-level rise represents a long-term threat to low-lying deltas. A large part of coastal Bangladesh was analysed using the Delta Dynamic Integrated Emulator Model to determine changes in flood depth, area and population affected given sea-level rise equivalent to global mean temperature rises of 1.5°C, 2.0°C and 3.0°C with respect to pre-industrial for three ensemble members of a modified A1B scenario. Annual climate variability today (with approximately 1.0°C of warming) is potentially more important, in terms of coastal impacts, than an additional 0.5°C warming. In coastal Bangladesh, the average depth of flooding in protected areas is projected to double to between 0.07m to 0.09m when temperatures are projected at 3.0°C compared with 1.5°C. In unprotected areas, depth of flooding is projected to increase by approximately 50% to 0.21-0.27m, whilst the average area inundated increases 2.5 times (from 5% to 13% of the region) in the same temperature frame. The greatest area of land flooded is projected in the central and north-east regions. In contrast, lower flood depths, less land area flooded and fewer people are projected in the poldered west of the region. Over multi-centennial timescales, climate change mitigation and controlled sedimentation to maintain relative delta height are key to a delta’s survival. With slow rates of sea-level rise, adaptation remains possible, but further support is required. Monitoring of sea-level rise and subsidence in deltas is recommended, together with improved data sets of elevation. <br/

Source: UG
What are the Technical and Allocative Efficiencies of Public Health Centres in Ghana

Introduction: Health systems in developing countries including Ghana are faced with critical resource constraints in pursuing the goal of improving the health status of the population. The constrained ability to adequately meet health care needs is exacerbated by inefficiency in the health care systems, especially within public health centres. Methods: The study used Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method, to calculate the technical and allocative efficiency of 113 randomly sampled health centres. A logistic regression model was also applied on whether a health centre was technically efficient or not to determine the factors that significantly influence the efficiency of health centres. Findings: The findings showed that 78% of health centres were technically inefficient and so were using resources that they did not actually need. Eight-eight percent were also allocatively inefficient. The overall efficiency, (product of the technical and allocative efficiency), was also calculated and over 90% of the health centres were inefficient. The results of a logistic regression analysis show that newer health centres and those which receive incentives were more likely to be technically efficient compared to older health centres and those who did receive incentives. Conclusion: The results broadly point to grave inefficiency in the health care delivery system of the health centres and that lots of resources could be saved if measures were put in place to curb the waste. Incentives to health centres were found to be major motivating factors to the promotion of efficiency.

Source: UG
What are the Technical and Allocative Efficiencies of Public Health Centres in Ghana?

Introduction: Health systems in developing countries including Ghana are faced with critical resource constraints in pursuing the goal of improving the health status of the population. The constrained ability to adequately meet health care needs is exacerbated by inefficiency in the health care systems, especially within public health centres. Methods: The study used Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method, to calculate the technical and allocative efficiency of 113 randomly sampled health centres. A logistic regression model was also applied on whether a health centre was technically efficient or not to determine the factors that significantly influence the efficiency of health centres. Findings: The findings showed that 78% of health centres were technically inefficient and so were using resources that they did not actually need. Eight-eight percent were also allocatively inefficient. The overall efficiency, (product of the technical and allocative efficiency), was also calculated and over 90% of the health centres were inefficient. The results of a logistic regression analysis show that newer health centres and those which receive incentives were more likely to be technically efficient compared to older health centres and those who did receive incentives. Conclusion: The results broadly point to grave inefficiency in the health care delivery system of the health centres and that lots of resources could be saved if measures were put in place to curb the waste. Incentives to health centres were found to be major motivating factors to the promotion of efficiency.

Source: UG
What Cannot Be the Rationals, the Irrationals and Other Riddles

This article aims to show that unless we consider Zeno’s paradoxes in the original metaphysical perspective in which they were generated, any attempt at understanding, let alone solving them, is destined to fail. This perspective, I argue, is the dichotomy of One and change. These latter were defined at the outset of Western philosophical thought by Parmenides as the two paths of the rational, i.e. accountable by a self-identical thought and thus real (One), and the non-identical change, irrational and unreal. In this perspective, the irrational, is by definition unnameable (alogos) and thus uncountable. I claim that we have inherited this dichotomic thought and if we become aware of this legacy, many deadlocked paradoxes or logical aporias in Western epistemology will acquire the status of logical necessities that follow directly from this dichotomy.

Source: UG
What do district health managers in Ghana use their working time for? A case study of three districts

Background: Ineffective district health management potentially impacts on health system performance and service delivery. However, little is known about district health managing practices and time allocation in resource-constrained health systems. Therefore, a time use study was conducted in order to understand current time use practices of district health managers in Ghana. Methods: All 21 district health managers working in three districts of the Eastern Region were included in the study and followed for a period of three months. Daily retrospective interviews about their time use were conducted, covering 1182 person-days of observation. Total time use of the sample population was assessed as well as time use stratified by managerial position. Differences of time use over time were also evaluated. Results: District health managers used most of their working time for data management (16.6%), attending workshops (12.3%), financial management (8.7%), training of staff (7.1%), drug and supply management (5.0%), and travelling (9.6%). The study found significant variations of time use across the managerial cadres as well as high weekly variations of time use impulsed mainly by a national vertical program. Conclusions: District health managers in Ghana use substantial amounts of their working time in only few activities and vertical programs greatly influence their time use. Our findings suggest that efficiency gains are possible for district health managers. However, these are unlikely to be achieved without improvements within the general health system, as inefficiencies seem to be largely caused by external factors.

Source: UG
What do New Zealanders value at work and is it changing?

This study interrogates the Work Orientation module of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) across three waves (1997, 2005 and 2015) to understand the job values of New Zealanders. It finds that men and women are more similar than different in their job values. full-timers are more concerned with income and career prospects than part-timers, and that higher education tends to raise expectations of having an interesting job and a high level of pay. New Zealanders have become somewhat more altruistic at work, confirming the image of the ‘helpful Kiwi’, but their job values have not shifted much across these surveys and are similar to those of employees in other developed countries. The broad pattern is that a vital extrinsic factor, job security, and the intrinsic quality of work out-rank the value of the extrinsic factors of high income and career prospects for New Zealanders

Source: UG
What do outlet’s and provider’s characteristics mean for family planning consumers? A comparative study of Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda

Background This research investigated the determinants of the number of family planning consumers in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda, with a focus on outlet’s and provider’s characteristics which are important factors influencing the choice of using contraceptive methods but largely unexplored in previous literature. Methods We utilized a unique panel survey on outlet’s in Kenya (n=1,321), Nigeria (n=1,255) and Uganda (n=842), which is part of the Consumer Market for Family Planning conducted in between 2019 and 2020, for the analysis of the pooled data (n=3,418) and individual country. Random effects Poisson regressions were performed. Results The pooled data results showed that the expected number of consumers were significantly lower in Nigeria and Uganda than in Kenya, and that working experience (provider’s characteristics), types of stores, duration of providing family planning services, participations in community outreach and host community events, and sign of family planning services (outlet’s characteristics) were significant determinants of the number of customers. The results for each country revealed interesting similarities and differences in the determinants across the three countries. Conclusions This study sheds light on the relationship between the number of family planning customers and outlet’s and provider’s characteristics, thus providing informative evidence-based to on-going debates on the coverage of family planning services, which is still insufficient in developing countries. As a result, the government’s family planning expenditures should instead prioritize small, private enterprises such as pharmacies or drug stores. Furthermore, it is critical to focus on several critical tasks to improve the qualities of outlets and providers to attract customers, such as ensuring that they are eye-catching, advertising FP services, have professional credentials, fulfil providers’ obligations to counsel contraceptive users, provide long-term services and community care, and have female providers.

Source: UG
What do we need to know? Data sources to support evidence-based decisions using health technology assessment in Ghana

Background: Evidence-based decision-making for prioritising health is assisted by health technology assessment (HTA) to integrate data on effectiveness, costs and equity to support transparent decisions. Ghana is moving towards universal health coverage, facilitated mainly by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) established in 2003. The Government of Ghana is committed to institutionalising HTA for priority-setting. We aimed to identify and describe the sources of accessible data to support HTA in Ghana. Methods: We identified and described data sources encompassing six main domains using an existing framework. The domains were epidemiology, clinical efficacy, costs, health service use and consumption, quality of life, and equity. We used existing knowledge, views of stakeholders, and searches of the literature and internet. Results: The data sources for each of the six domains vary in extent and quality. Ghana has several large data sources to support HTA (e.g. Demographic Health Surveys) that have rigorous quality assurance processes. Few accessible data sources were available for costs and resource utilisation. The NHIS is a potentially rich source of data on resource use and costs but there are some limits on access. There are some data on equity but data on quality of life are limited. Conclusions: A small number of quality data sources are available in Ghana but there are some gaps with respect to HTA based on greater use of local and contextualised information. Although more data are becoming available for monitoring, challenges remain in terms of their usefulness for HTA, and some information may not be available in disaggregated form to enable specific analyses. We support recent initiatives for the routine collection of comprehensive and reliable data that is easily accessible for HTA users. A commitment to HTA will require concerted efforts to leverage existing data sources, for example, from the NHIS, and develop and maintain new data (e.g. local health utility estimates). It will be critical that an overarching strategic and mandatory approach to the collection and use of health information is developed for Ghana in parallel to, and informed by, the development of HTA approaches to support resource allocation decisions. The key to HTA is to use the best available data while being open about its limitations and the impact on uncertainty.

Source: UG
What do you do with success? the science of scaling up a health systems strengthening intervention in Ghana

Background: The completion of an implementation research project typically signals the end of research. In contrast, the Ghana Health Service has embraced a continuous process of evidence-based programming, wherein each research episode is followed by action and a new program of research that monitors and guides the utilization of lessons learned. This paper reviews the objectives and design of the most recent phase in this process, known as a National Program for Strengthening the Implementation of the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Initiative in Ghana (CHPS+). Methods: A mixed method evaluation strategy has been launched involving: i) baseline and endline randomized sample surveys with 247 clusters dispersed in 14 districts of the Northern and Volta Regions to assess the difference in difference effect of stepped wedge differential cluster exposure to CHPS+ activities on childhood survival, ii) a monitoring system to assess the association of changes in service system readiness with CHPS+ interventions, and iii) a program of qualitative systems appraisal to gauge stakeholder perceptions of systems problems, reactions to interventions, and perceptions of change. Integrated survey and monitoring data will permit multi-level longitudinal models of impact; longitudinal QSA data will provide data on the implementation process. Discussion: A process of exchanges, team interaction, and catalytic financing has accelerated the expansion of community-based primary health care in Ghana's Upper East Region (UER). Using two Northern and two Volta Region districts, the UER systems learning concept will be transferred to counterpart districts where a program of team-based peer training will be instituted. A mixed method research system will be used to assess the impact of this transfer of innovation in collaboration with national and regional program management. This arrangement will generate embedded science that optimizes prospects that results will contribute to national CHPS reform policies and action. © 2018 The Author(s).

Source: UG
What Does My Website Say About My CSR Activities? An Investigation of Banks Operating in Ghana

Purpose – The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has witnessed a resurgence in the management literature in recent years. This might be due to a renewed focus on corporate governance and ethical practices of companies the world over. This current study seeks to focus on how banks operating in Ghana communicate their CSR programmes and intentions via their corporate websites. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual framework was adapted from the extant literature and was used as the basis of a content analysis of 16 banks in Ghana. This paper adopts a qualitative research approach drawing upon available information from the websites of these 16 banks. Findings – One of the banks that had won the most CSR awards at the Ghana banking awards had the poorest CSR communication content on its corporate website. It was also noted that banks that had never won a CSR award previously seemed to have a better organised structure in respect of their CSR activities on their websites. These findings clearly demonstrate the challenges that sometimes exist in transferring bricks‐and‐mortar organisational capabilities to online environments. Originality/value – Studies focussing on online CSR communications in emerging market contexts are almost non‐existent and this study makes an important contribution in not only addressing this imbalance, but more importantly in improving bank marketing practices in Ghana.

Source: UG
What drives bank lending? A closer look at bank lending types in Africa

Purpose: In this study, the authors present unique evidence on bank lending types by paying particular attention to the factors that drive the different types of bank lending in Africa using bank-level data. Design/methodology/approach – In presenting such evidence, the study employs a robust fixed effect panel data with year and technological controls comprising 57 banks from 29 African economies between 2006 and and 2015. Findings: The results show that different factors affect different bank lending types differently in Africa. Specifically, while the authors find that total or aggregate bank lending is positively driven by bank capitalization and spread but negatively driven by bank size, corporate and commercial bank lending is positively driven by bank size, spread, inflation, elections and extent of business disclosure but negatively driven by bank capitalization, loan loss reserves, operational costs, and gross domestic product per capita. Moreover, interbank lending is both negatively and positively driven by bank capitalization and size respectively, while other bank lending type are driven positively by financial crises but negatively by bank size, inflation and extent of business disclosure. Finally, retail and consumer lending are positively driven by bank capitalization, loan loss reserves, and spread. while negatively driven by bank size and inflation. Practical implications: These imply that bank managers, regulators, policymakers and researchers must begin to see each bank lending category separately and independently since varying factors influence the different categories of bank lending differently. Originality/value: The study presents new insights into how different factors determine different lending types in Africa for the first time, to the best of the authors’ knowledge.

Source: UG
What drives global B2C E-commerce? An analysis of the effect of ICT access, human resource development and regulatory environment

This study explores the drivers of Business to Consumer (B2C) electronic commerce (e-commerce) adoption at a global level. The study used a Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework to investigate factors that influence B2C e-commerce adoption. The study relied on archival and cross-sectional data from 135 countries and employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Our findings indicate that B2C E-commerce adoption at the national level is positively influenced by ICT access, political and regulatory environment and human resource development. Our findings show that technological, organisational, and environmental factors (ICT access, political, human resource development and political and regulatory environment) altogether explain 70% of the variance in B2C E-Commerce adoption. Our findings provide a fresh insight into the adoption of B2C e-commerce at the national level. Our study provides some implications for research and practice

Source: UG
What drives global B2C E-commerce? An analysis of the effect of ICT access, human resource development and regulatory environment

This study explores the drivers of Business to Consumer (B2C) electronic commerce (e-commerce) adoption at a global level. The study used a Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework to investigate factors that influence B2C e-commerce adoption. The study relied on archival and cross-sectional data from 135 countries and employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Our findings indicate that B2C E-commerce adoption at the national level is positively influenced by ICT access, political and regulatory environment and human resource development. Our findings show that technological, organisational, and environmental factors (ICT access, political, human resource development and political and regulatory environment) altogether explain 70% of the variance in B2C E-Commerce adoption. Our findings provide a fresh insight into the adoption of B2C e-commerce at the national level. Our study provides some implications for research and practice.

Source: UG
What drives national efficiency in sub-Saharan Africa

In this paper, we use stochastic frontier analysis to examine whether differences in the transfer and absorption of technology help to explain cross-country differences in national efficiency levels in sub-Saharan Africa over the period 1970-2010. We find that trade policy on openness, machinery imports, stock of R&D, landlockedness and quality of institutions play a significant and quantitatively important role in explaining the differences in efficiency scores in SSA. Human capital, however, has an insignificant effect on efficiency. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

Source: UG