Oluyomi Ola-David Insights

This post is devoted to sharing results from an opinion survey of the 2015 Presidential Elections powered by  Research Policy Shop .   The objective of the Survey was to examine factors influencing prospective voting behaviours in the elections as well as the effect of age, gender, religious affiliation, state of origin on respondent’s prospective voting behaviour.  Respondents were of different age categories and had states of origin spread across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.  Research Policy Shop   deeply appreciates everyone who took a minute to participate in the Survey. In order to capture respondent’s likely voting choice, a question was asked about which of the leading Presidential candidates was preferred. 74 per cent of respondents had voting preferences for the APC candidate, while a meagre 25 per cent preferred the PDP candidate. Figure 1 : Likely Voting Choice Source: Research Policy Shop Survey, 2015 Irrespective of their voting preference, majorit

A wise man has said, in life people are most remembered for either of two things- the problems they solve or the problems they create. Lee Kuan Yew will definitely be most remembered for transforming Singapore from ‘third world to first’, working with other technocrats. Though a chapter may seem to have closed on the life and times of the great Singaporean leader who passed away on 23 rd March 2015, the contributions he made to the life and times of his country will live on for generations to come.  His story continues to inspire many leaders across Asia and the world. Personally, I am thrilled when I read and think about a couple of laudable values which have furthered development objectives and forged an ethically sane society in Asia. This post is dedicated to the memory of Lee Kuan Yew, his legacy and extraordinary leadership. As I highlight some of the motivations of Lee Kuan Yew, it is pertinent to note obvious lessons for the socio-economic transformation of Nigeria and i

Over the years, the aid-growth debate has transcended several dimensions, with myriad of scholars and policy institutions examining mechanisms for aid effectiveness across regional and country contexts. The contributions of development aid proponents such as Professor Jeffrey Sachs and the cases against aid put forth by William Easterly and   Dambisa Moyo amongst others are due to be acknowledged. Traditionally, the case for aid to developing countries dates its motivation to the effectiveness of the Marshallian plan in reviving the economy of Europe.  Notwithstanding the volume of aid flows to Africa over the years, its state of social welfare leaves much to be desired; this has prompted a rethink on the future of development assistance. As African countries map out national frameworks for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals post-2015 and the AU Agenda 2063, there is a need to answer the aid-effectiveness question. Hitherto, little attention has been paid

Many thanks to everyone who has participated in the opinion survey on Nigeria’s 2015 presidential elections powered by Research Policy Shop . You are deeply appreciated. Respondents are male and female Nigerians, of different age groups, religious affiliation, with states of origin spread across the six geopolitical zones. This post is devoted to sharing preliminary results from the Survey. For the most part, respondents (54%) base their prospective voting behaviour on their personal evaluation of the candidate’s past/prospective performance. Another 45% of respondents base their prospective voting behaviour on ‘desirable personal characteristics’ of the choice candidate. A larger percentage of the respondents so far originate from South-West Nigeria. Most of the respondents (72%) noted they are likely to vote for the APC candidate. Irrespective of their personal voting intentions, 69% of the respondents think the APC candidate will likely win the P

It feels good to be through with a course of study, and be convinced that you have added significantly, however little, to the body of knowledge. This post is dedicated to sharing the synopsis of my doctoral thesis. Of course the search for answers to the myriad real world and research problems goes on.  I am grateful to my esteemed thesis supervisors and every other person who contributed to the success of the research process. In sum, the study advocates that domestic firm absorptive capacity (preparation) is necessary for the presence of foreign firms (opportunity) to be socially beneficial and productivity enhancing. By way of introduction, the manufacturing sector has been recognised as an engine of growth, industrial and technological advancement for developing countries. Amongst other things, foreign direct investment (FDI) is sought as a propeller of industrial productivity growth and technology spillovers. However, a rising trend of FDI flow to Nigeria and a con