Oluyomi Ola-David Insights

This post is devoted to sharing preliminary results from the survey on ‘determinants of purchase decisions on pineapple’ powered by Research Policy Shop. The objective of the Survey was to examine factors influencing purchase decisions between imported pineapples from Cotonou, Benin Republic and locally cultivated Nigerian pineapples.  Factors examined by the Survey include consumer income, tastes and preferences, habitual consumption and location of purchase. Target respondents were individuals of different age categories who consume pineapples, sell pineapples, farm pineapples or use pineapples in furtherance of their business objectives. Research Policy Shop deeply appreciates everyone who took a few minutes out of their busy schedules to participate in the Survey.   Thankfully, 87 per cent of the respondents were habitual consumers of pineapple, with varying degrees of frequency in purchase, for the purpose of personal as well as household consumption. Respondents in t

In the modern day office environment, administrators and managers seek to maximize the use of scarce resources in the process of production and service delivery.  In addition, the proliferation of service firms and rising costs of the urban space has led to increased use of space management techniques in office accommodation – cubicles and open spaces.  However, in pursuance of space management objectives, most administrators are oblivious of the productivity effects of using such space-saving forms of office accommodation.  Since the use of cubicles and open space has come to stay, it is important to evaluate the current and potential effects on firm-level productivity for both indigen ous and foreign-vested firms.     It is also imperative to appraise the effect of current organizational practices on indoor environmental quality and broad-based implications for the urban labour market. Albeit some studies within the African context have examined factors that co

I was greatly priviledged to be part of the 2013 African Economic Conference which held in Johannesburg, South Africa within the enchanting confines of the Montecasino complex!  I  recently came by a press statement released by United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) on the session within which  our paper  was presented and thought to share it here.  The summary of the session was that - there is a need to upgrade investment in physical infrastructure and remove non-tariff barriers in order to facilitate regional trade across the continent.  Below are extracts from the press statement. [During a session dedicated to Regional Integration in the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), chaired by Janvier Litse, Director of NEPAD, Regional Integration and Trade at the African Development Bank, scholars observed that bridging the existing infrastructure gap among countries including improving the quality of roads and investing in telecommunication infra

According to conventional wisdom, structural transformation involves transfer of labour skills from low-productivity agriculture to high-productivity sectors, especially manufacturing. Notably, even though Africa is home to about 60 per cent of the world’s fastest growing economies, the patterns of growth have not resulted in dramatic changes in the structure of African economies.  In response to Africa’s paradoxical scenario, development experts investigate factors that could explain why growth of African economies has not been accompanied by improvements in the ratio of manufacturing value added to GDP. Amongst other things, in today’s knowledge economy, the role of education, more education and quality education in development is pointed. Given the currency of the skills-structural transformation debate, the 2014 edition of the African Economic Conference was centred on the role of knowledge and innovation in Africa’s transformation. Hitherto, studies on the schoo

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