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Using a sample of 34 sub-Saharan African countries over the period 1990-2012, this paper reveals that health aid helps to improve health outcomes in sub-Saharan African countries. More specifically, for each additional unit of health aid, the prevalence of HIV decreases by 8.3% and child mortality decreases by 64% over 4 years. This effect operates mainly through the improvement of female education and the increase in health spending. Furthermore, the results do not support the hypothesis of a significant difference between post-conflict states and stable states in terms of aid effectiveness. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past decade inclusive growth, that is job-rich growth, has topped the policy agenda in developing countries. This paper investigates how the access to finance affects employment in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sub-Saharan Africa. It first presents a model where firm creation requires entrepreneurial search and paying the start-up costs, while the firm's size in terms of employment depends on the access to credit. Under the financial market imperfections, access to credit can be a binding constraint on firm entry and employment even when the banks have sufficient liquidity. Using an impact evaluation-based approach on firm-level data from 42 African countries, we show that SMEs with access to formal financing create more jobs than firms without access, with employment in firms having access to more affordable and larger loans growing the fastest. The impact of access to finance is stronger for firms in manufacturing than in services, pointing to sectoral targeting of finance as a possible policy supporting industrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Using panel data for 32 Sub-Saharan African countries, econometric investigations show that land rush not only has an adverse effect on the production of cereals but also increases malnutrition. • Land acquisition for biofuel has no significant effect on food security. • Land acquisition for food crops, mixed production of biofuel and food crops and land for other uses contribute to food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa through a decrease in cereal production and increased malnutrition. Developing countries have been affected by the land rush phenomenon for several years. This paper investigates the effect of a land rush on food security during the period 2000–2018. Using panel data for 32 Sub-Saharan African countries, econometric investigations show that land rush not only has an adverse effect on the production of cereals but also increases malnutrition. More interestingly, the effect on food security do not depend on land use. Unlike land acquisition for biofuel which has no effect on food security, land acquisition for food crops, mixed production of biofuel and food crops and land for other uses contribute to food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa through a decrease in cereal production and increased malnutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper explores the role of remittances and foreign aid inflows during food price shocks. The results yield four findings. First, low income countries and the Sub-Saharan African region are the most vulnerable to food price shocks. Second, remittance and aid inflows dampen the effect of positive food price shock and food price instability on household consumption in vulnerable countries. Third, negative food price shock episodes are associated with a significant increase in household consumption in vulnerable countries. Fourth, a lower remittance-to-GDP ratio is required in order to fully absorb the effects of food price shocks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]