Volume 67 (2022): Edition 2 (August 2022)

Fiscal policy has been used by various governments to promote economic growth. The effectiveness of government expenditure on economic growth depends on recipient sector of government expenditure. This study contributes to this research area by investigating the effect of government agricultural expenditure on economic growth in the Kingdom of Lesotho. The government of Lesotho identified the agricultural sector as a productive sector that is central to the achievement the economic growth goal and development plan. Descriptive statistics and inferential econometric techniques (ARDL, DOLS and VEC Granger causality) over time-series data for the period 1982-2019 were utilized in this study. The results suggest that while current level and pattern of government agriculture expenditure cannot stimulate the desired economic growth and prosperity in the country, domestic investment appear to be a stimulant of the desired economic prosperity. Consequently, any economic growth policy or strategy that is premised on government agricultural sector expenditure would fail. Thus study recommends that countries including Lesotho should prioritize sustained increase in domestic investment.

Social networking sites and social media serve as vital avenues of interaction among people all over the world as well as essential platforms for the distribution of information. Companies, like individuals, embrace social networks as a non-formal way to engage with their customers and suppliers, gather information about their online behavior, and offer personalized content. Both scholars and managers from various organizations looking to increase their competitive edge or market shares have an interest in the impact that social networks have on human behavior. Because of this, the current research seeks to investigate how users perceive a wide range of concepts related to using social networking sites, including fear of missing out (FoMO), social networking fatigue, information and communication overload, ubiquitous connectivity and peer communication, and privacy concerns. The authors also examined users’ intentions to continue using social networking sites despite the COVID-19 outbreak in order to ensure a more thorough understanding of the research topic. The findings aim to provide a better knowledge of how users see interaction on social networks in their daily lives as well as an overview of user perspectives on the terms mentioned above.

Claims, being the heartbeat of the workability of insurance, are the most critical contact influencer between the insuring public and the insurer. It serves as a critical path to truth that shapes the policyholders’ ultimate perceptions of their insurers. Therefore, this study aimed at evaluating the relationships between claims settlement and risk attitudes, with specific reference to motor insurance policyholders in Lagos, Nigeria. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. A survey based questionnaire was applied to 287 motor insurance policyholders. The findings-show that claims settlements are significant in attracting reasonable risk attitudes. The study recommends that motor insurance providers should put in place fascinating claims packages in order to boost the confidence level of the motoring communities. Government should rejuvenate and empower the motor insurance public complaint commission to address issues relating to motor insurance claims of either party in the motor insurance contract. Future research work could direct attention to insurance fraud issues emanating from the insurance claims settlement manual.

This study evaluates the implications that access to credit has on welfare inequality in Malawi in order to address the gap left in previous studies concerning credit. The study employed data from Malawi’s Integrated Household Survey 2017 and used the propensity score analysis to examine what impact access to credit may have on the welfare of Malawian households using consumption per capita as a proxy for household welfare. The study further proceeded to use the generalized Lorenz curve, the Theil indexes as well as the Gini to examine the inequalities present in welfare among the households that access credit and those that do not. The results showed a positive impact of access to credit on welfare as households with access to credit experience lower levels of inequality than those without. However, a closer examination of the Theil’s indexes found that factors unrelated to access to credit had a stronger effect on inter-household inequalities than access to credit. The results imply that the impact that access to credit has on welfare inequality is a positive one, but its effect is substantially small. Thus, implying that policies aimed at enhancing distribution of credit should continue. Simultaneously, a more holistic approach on reducing inequality should be included at both household level and national level to achieve a desired result.

This study explores the relation between capital, market risks and banks’ liquidity conditions. In estimating the SVAR regression model, Granger causality, impulse-response functions and forecast error variance decomposition were employed and used for estimation of the results. The data sample comprised of commercial banks over the 2009 to 2018 period. The empirical results showed that liquidity shocks are caused by a combination of structural shocks. The Granger causality, impulse-response functions and forecast error variance decomposition documented that sensitivity to market risk is the key factor affecting liquidity conditions in the banking sector in the long run. In addition, the empirical results showed that capital adequacy has minimal impact on liquidity conditions in the short run. The reforming rate to sensitivity to market risk policies, capital adequacy policies and liquidity policy measures can be valuable policy tools to minimize liquidity shortages and avoid insolvent banks.