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ECONOMIC POLICY AND TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY IN
NIGERIA'S MANUFACTURING SECTOR
Adeolu O. Adewuyi,
Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER),
Ibadan.
E-mail: aoadewuyi@yahoo.co.uk
and
Abiodun S. Bankole,
Department of Economics,
University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
E-mail: asbanky@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
This paper quantifies and analyses pure technical and scale efficiency in
the Nigerian manufacturing sector as well as their determinants over
three policy regimes. Trends show that the behaviour of both types of
efficiency is mixed over the different regimes. Using fixed-effects
regression models, it was found that import penetration, price-cost
margins, lending rate, and parallel market premiums were found to exert
significant influence on pure-technical and scale efficiency, during
reforms and beyond. These suggest the need to strengthen liberalization
rather than import prohibition policy on the one hand, and to provide
regular and adequate social infrastructure in order to minimize the
operating costs of financial intermediation on the one hand, and to
reduce foreign exchange constraints to manufacturing, on the other.
JEL classification: O4
TRANSPORT AND SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA
A.J. Aderamo
Department of Geography
University of Ilorin
ABSTRACT
This paper discusses the role of transport in the socioeconomic
development of Kwara State, Nigeria and suggests measures for more
equitable distribution of economic resources through the provision of
transport infrastructure in all parts of the state. The study identified eight
socioeconomic variables that were used to assess the level of economic
development in the twelve local government areas of the state. The socioeconomic
variables were subjected to principal component analysis which
resulted in the extraction of three components of the pattern of economic
development of the state. The pattern of road network development for the
state was determined through the assessment of road density in each of
the twelve local government areas. A relationship was then established
between road network and economic development in the state through the
use of a multiple regression technique. The results showed that areas with
a high level of economic development possess more dense road network
than the economically depressed areas. The paper suggests that areas
that are economically depressed in the state as a result of poor transport
infrastructure should be given more attention so as to promote a more
equitable distribution of the state's human and material resources.
JEL classification: L91, O11, O18
THE CAR WASH SERVICE IN NIGERIA'S ROAD
TRANSPORT SYSTEM: Evidence from Ilorin
G.T. Arosanyin
University of Ilorin
Ilorin. Nigeria
and
O. Ipingbemi
University of Ibadan
Ibadan. Nigeria
email: odoile2002@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
The informal sector is a vital segment of the economy of most developing
countries, including Nigeria. Research on the urban informal sector in
general and the road transport sector in particular in Nigeria has
neglected road transport supportive services. These services are crucial
to the effective and efficient operation of the road transport system. This
paper therefore examines one of such services, the car wash service, and
uses Ilorin as the case study. The survey revealed that it is a sole
proprietorship business dominated by males. About 95 per cent of the
operators used informal financial sources to start the business. It
provides employment and income to operators who are mostly unskilled
and have little formal education. The number of vehicles washed and the
age of the business were found to be positive determinants of earnings,
while apprentice access was found to impact negatively on earnings. The
major constraints in the industry are irregular water supply and lack of
financial assistance for development and modernization. For the full
potential of this informal business activity to be realized, the water board
needs to guarantee adequate supply of water, while the formal financial
institutions should make the provision of finance easier to enable the car
wash operators to modernize their operations.
JEL classification: G29, J21, L89, L92, O17
INCENTIVES AND REWARD FOR EFFORT:
A Reappraisal
A.U. Inegbenebor
and
Joseph U. Djagbo
Department of Business Administration
University of Benin
Benin City, Nigeria
aunebor@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Previous studies in Nigeria indicate that while employees value
opportunity for advancement in the company, they tend to perceive fate
or being the bosses' favourite as viable paths to promotion or success.
This study tested these findings in a different setting in Nigeria.
Using the questions contained in a study by Oloko, 576 employees of six
companies in the oil services sector in the Niger Delta area were
surveyed. Results showed that while workers preferred jobs where they
could work under a good boss, a majority perceived effort and skill as
the path to success. This suggests that the performance of workers in
Nigeria, as in other societies, can be enhanced by linking organizational
rewards to the efforts by workers.
JEL classification: J2, J3, J5
EVALUATION OF THE SATISFACTION OF OCCUPANTS OF
THE ABESAN PUBLIC LOW-COST HOUSING
ESTATE IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA
C.O. Olatubara,
Department of Urban and Regional Planning,
Faculty of the Social Sciences,
University of Ibadan,
Ibadan, Nigeria.
And
E.O. Fatoye,
Department of Quantity Surveying,
Lagos State Polytechnic,
Lagos, Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
Residential satisfaction is not only a result of the technical quality of the
constituent components of the building but includes how well the housing
and its environment meet the needs and expectations of the occupiers.
This paper evaluates occupiers' satisfaction with a public residential
estate in Lagos State, Nigeria and uses some selected building quality
performance criteria to rank the degree of importance of quality
performance criteria to occupiers' satisfaction. A cross-sectional,
systematic survey of 153 households provided the data for the paper.
The results showed that the occupiers were most satisfied with criteria
under building design. They were least satisfied with the criteria under
the instruments of estate layout and site location, and with access to
local facilities and city-wide services. The paper calls for the provision
of infrastructural facilities which were not available in the estate and the
proper maintenance of the existing ones.
JEL classification: I3, R20, R31
MICRO-CREDIT AND MICRO-ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT:
An Analysis of Some Rural-based Enterprises in Nigeria
Oluranti I. Ogunrinola,
email: rantiogunrinola@yahoo.co.uk.
And
P.O. Alege
Department of Economics,
Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.
email:philalege@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the impact of micro-credit, as administered by a
UNDP-sponsored microfinance institution (MFI) among some ruralbased
enterprises in some selected local government areas in Lagos
State, Nigeria. The data for the study were obtained from an enterprise
survey of 70 micro-enterprises randomly chosen from the list of
enterprises financed by the MFI. The analysis suggests that most of the
enterprises that received financial assistance in the form of micro-credit
reported improvement in their businesses. Furthermore, a linear
probability model was specified and estimated and the results exhibit
characteristics (both of the enterprises and the entrepreneurs) that were
responsible for business success. The paper concludes by calling on
national governments and international donors to give more support to
MFIs to enable them support wealth-creation programmes, especially
among the rural poor in Nigeria. It is also of prime importance that the
recent Nigerian microfinance policy be assiduously implemented.
JEL classification: D24, D92, E22, E41, G23, Q14, R0
AN ASSESSMENT OF PRE-CONSOLIDATION INTERNET
BANKING SERVICES PROVIDED BY NIGERIAN BANKS
Mutawakilu A. Tiamiyu,
Africa Regional Centre for Information Science,
University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
email:mutatiamiyu@yahoo.com; ma.tiamiyu@mail@mail.ui.edu.ng
and
Michael Ogunbanjo,
Formerly of the Africa Regional Centre for Information Science,
University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
mikeogunbanjo@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Internet banking was pioneered in Nigeria by small, new generation
banks in 2000, and by 2004, many Nigerian banks claimed that they
could offer different Internet-based banking services. What is the nature
of these services, and how do they compare with current trends in
Internet banking practices worldwide? In order to answer these
questions, this study used Diniz's (1998) framework to analyse the types
of Internet banking facilities provided in June 2004 by the websites of 48
out of the 89 registered Nigerian banks. The study found that the
websites were used more for information and customer relations than for
transactions. Moreover, the transactional facilities provided by the sites
were mostly at the basic rather than the intermediate and advanced levels
of website interactivity. The study recommended that Nigerian banks
should develop strategies to implement Internet banking systems that will
reduce transaction costs for the banks as well as their customers, during
the post-consolidation era of Nigerian banking. This would make it
possible for them to profit from the challenges of globalization and the
economic and banking reform policies of government. They would also
be able to support financial industry initiatives to promote public
confidence in electronic transaction and payment systems, and to build
globally-competitive websites in terms of presentation and the Internet
banking services provided.
JEL classification: G20, G21, L15, L86, O31
ANALYSIS OF THE COST OF GOVERNANCE AND
OPTIONS FOR ITS REDUCTION IN NIGERIA
Adeolu M, Adewole,
email: gold_soad@yahoo.com
and
Evans S.C. Osabuohien,
Department of Economics and Demography Studies,
College of Business and Social Sciences,
Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
email: ecosofdestiny4@yahoo.co.uk
ABSTRACT
Government at any given level and over a defined territory can be treated
as a typical example of a natural monopoly in the sense that only one can
exist at any particular time. Thus, the traditional theories of costs and
monopoly can be very useful in the analysis of the cost structure of
government. Like any other unchecked private monopoly, government
and by extension governance, can produce sub-optimal units of public
good in which it has comparative advantage. Depending on the resources
at its disposal and the tax-elasticity of public goods, massive deadweight
costs, among others, often result from a high cost governance structure.
This paper explores the effects of destructive political competition. It
suggests constitutional provisions that will guarantee true separation of
powers, restructure the mechanism of governance to, among other
measures, limit the size of the cabinet to reduce the high cost of
governance in Nigeria.
JEL classification: D72, H11, H41
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