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The fishing industry is a crucial means of reducing poverty and providing jobs for people living in coastal communities, but historically, there have been barriers to accessing markets. This study uses a cross-sectional survey to examine the factors that influence multiple sources of income, market involvement, and the level of market involvement for fishers in the Dawhenya reservoir, Ghana. Most households engaged in fishing only and were net sellers. The level of market involvement for net sellers or buyers is affected by declining fish catches and lack of inputs, while the intensity of market involvement is influenced by factors such as age, the number of dependents, access to infrastructure, limitations on inputs, availability of credit, and declining catches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In this study, the authors investigate Ghana's Free Senior High School policy as an all-inclusive development policy that drives voting behaviour. Design/methodology/approach: Using the snowball sampling technique and a statistically representative sample size of 413 eligible voters from Ghana, the authors estimate a multinomial logistic regression with its marginal effects. Findings: The results show that as the number of Free Senior High School beneficiaries per household increases, the more the voters in that household are likely to vote for the policy implementor. Similarly, voters who believe that the Free Senior High School policy has had an impact on students' performance are more likely to vote for the policy implementor. By implication, an all-inclusive development policy such as the Free Senior High School educational policy has the probability of influencing voting behaviour in favour of the policy implementor. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the nexus between an all-inclusive Free Senior High School educational policy and voting behaviour in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we define the choice of recharging mobile credit with an environmentally friendly platform such as mobile money as a novel pro-environmental behavior. Using a survey approach, we collect household-level data from eco-friendly communities in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, and empirically model and test the nexus between this novel pro-environmental behavior and objective knowledge. The study finds that there is a positive and statistically significant relationship between international environmental objective knowledge and pro-environmental behavior. In contrast, there is no such evidence for households with local environmental objective knowledge. Toward achieving sustainable environmental development, this study draws inferences to serve as a wake-up call for institutions that are responsible for disseminating local environmental knowledge regarding the effects and consequences of poor environmental behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effect of mobile number portability (MNP) on own- and cross-price elasticities. We use quarterly data for 27 mobile operators in seven Sub-Saharan Africa countries between 2010Q4 and 2014Q4 to estimate a differentiated products demand model. We find that the implementation of MNP increases price elasticities of demand for mobile services. This increase in price elasticities may be a result of reduction in switching costs between operators. On average, the introduction of MNP increases own-price elasticities by 0.47 in absolute value. We compare the level of price elasticities before and after the implementation of MNP in Ghana and Kenya, which implemented this policy in the time period of our study. Our results suggest that in Ghana, MNP increased own-price elasticities by an average of 0.35 in absolute term from an average of −0.74. In Kenya, the introduction of MNP increased own-price elasticities by an average of 0.21 in absolute term from a lower average of −0.39. However, we find that the average own-price elasticities in Kenya and Ghana remained small even after the implementation of MNP relative to other countries without MNP in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid waste management remains a major challenge in Ghana, especially in the peri-urban and urban areas. The implications from this bottleneck are widely acknowledged. Nonetheless, fundamental issues such as the factors that drive households into the adoption of a particular solid waste disposal system have not been explored. This study applied a multinomial logit approach using 16,767 households in the Ghana Living Standard Survey round six data to examine whether or not socioeconomic factors influence households' decision to adopt a particular solid waste disposal system. The results established that a number of the hypothesised socioeconomic factors drive households into the use of a particular solid waste disposal system. For instance, education of households on solid waste management is important to increase households' decision into collecting wastes other than open dumping or burning. The characteristics of houses and the location of households also influence waste disposal systems in Ghana. We conclude that solid waste disposal at unapproved places was largely influenced by socioeconomic characteristics other than income or welfare of households. We recommend continuous advocacy programmes on improved solid waste management systems, led by the various decentralised governance structures such as the District Assemblies, to curb the menace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine female labour force participation (FLFP) and their employment choice between the formal and informal sectors after several institutional and social reforms such as Millennium Development Goal 3 aimed at promoting gender equality and empowerment of women by 2015, using data from Ghana’s 2010 Population and Housing Census.Design/methodology/approach In this paper, logit regression and multinomial logit techniques were employed.Findings The results show that FLFP has declined marginally from the 2005 figures; education remains the important factor in determining women’s participation in the formal sector. Strikingly 91 per cent of the FLFP is engaged in the informal sector of the Ghanaian economy, a sector with a very low contribution per head.Practical implications Interventions such as encouraging female education and retraining of self-employed females to improve upon their efficiency ought to be pursued vigorously; whiles developing rural areas for females to get equal labour opportunities and many others aimed at enhancing the efficiency and by inference earning per head of the informal sector is highly recommended.Originality/value The literature on the FLFP is thin in Ghana. The current study uses a census data unlike the previous studies and as such employed a huge sample size that reflects the reality in Ghana. The study contributed immensely to policy having established that 91 per cent of the female labour force is engaged in the informal sectors of the economy, and therefore any intervention targeting at reducing poverty and meeting the MDG 3 should be targeted at the informal sector of the Ghanaian economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the benefits of walking as a means of travelling, walking can be quite hazardous. Pedestrian-vehicle crashes remain a major concern in Ghana as they account for the highest percentage of fatalities. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of both natural and built environmental features on pedestrian-vehicle crash severity in Ghana. The study is based on an extensive pedestrian-vehicle crash dataset extracted from the National Road Traffic Accident Database at the Building and Road Research Institute (BRRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana. Using a multinomial logit modelling framework, possible determinants of pedestrian-vehicle crash severity were identified. The study found that fatal crashes are likely to occur during unclear weather conditions, on weekends, at night time where there are no lights, on curved and inclined roads, on untarred roads, at mid-blocks and on wider roads. The developed model and its interpretations will make important contributions to road crash analysis and prevention in Ghana with the possibility of extension to other developing countries. These contributing factors could inform policy makers on road design and operational improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malaria is Ghana's most endemic disease; occurring across most parts of the country with a significant impact on individuals and the health system as whole. Treatment seeking for malaria care takes various forms. The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was introduced in 2004 to promote access to health services to mitigate the negative impact of the user fee regime. Ten years on, national coverage is less than 40% of the total population and patients continue to make direct payments for health services. This paper analyses the care-seeking behaviour of households for treatment of malaria in Ghana under the NHI policy. Method: Using a cross-sectional survey of household data collected from three districts in Ghana covering the 3 ecological zones namely the coastal, forest and savannah, a multinomial logit model is estimated. The sample consists of 365 adults and children reporting being ill with malaria in the last four weeks prior to the study. Results: Out of the total, 58% were insured and 71% of them sought care from a formal health facility. Among the insured, 15% chose informal care compared to 48% among the uninsured. The results from the multinomial logit estimations show that health insurance and travel time to health facility are significant determinants of health care demand. The results show that the insured are 6 times more likely to choose regional/district hospitals: 5 times more likely to choose health centres/clinics and 7 times more likely to choose private hospitals/clinics over informal care when compared with the uninsured. Individual characteristics such as age, education and wealth status were significant determinants of health care provider choice for specific categories of health facilities. Conclusion: Overall, for malaria care the uninsured are more likely to choose informal care compared to the insured for the treatment of malaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Farmers are already responding to climate change by adjusting their practices. An important adaptation strategy is the switching of farm types, that is, switching from a vulnerable farming system to one that is more resilient. Using household, farm, and climate data (8700 observations) from Ghana, we estimate a multinomial logit in order to determine the factors that influence the selection of farm types and the implications of those choices. As expected, we find that climate determines the choice of farming system. Based on the multinomial estimates, a simulation of the effects of climate change shows that farmers will likely adapt by switching from environmentally sensitive specialised food-crop and tree-based (plantation) farms to specialised livestock and mixed (food-crop and livestock) farms. All things being equal, a decline in tree-based farms resulting from a climate induced agro-ecological shift (for example, conversion of forest to savannah) or a shortening of the growing season will imply a drop in the aggregate value of agricultural output since plantations are currently the most profitable farm type. • The impact of climate change on farming system selection in Ghana was determined. • At mean rainfall, temperature has a negative effect on the selection of specialised food-crop and tree-based farming systems. • Warming has a positive influence on the selection of specialised livestock and mixed (food-crop and livestock) farms at average rainfall. • At mean temperature, rainfall is positively associated with the cultivation of specialised food-crop and tree-based farms. • Rainfall has a negative effect on the selection of specialised livestock and mixed farms at average temperature. • Farmers in Ghana will likely adapt to climate change by switching from food-crop and high-valued tree-based farms to specialised livestock and mixed farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]