Coronavirus is a public health issue with socioeconomic and livelihood dimensions. The World Health Organization declared the current novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020, and a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. The South African government has implemented different strategies, ranging from total lockdown in certain locations and provision of palliatives in some provinces across the country. This study, therefore, investigated the correlates of vulnerability and responsiveness to the adverse impacts of COVID-19 in South Africa. The study utilized primary data collected among 477 respondents. Descriptive statistical tools, Tobit and Probit regression models, were used to analyze the data. The study found different levels of vulnerability (low, medium, and high) and responsiveness among households, including stocking up of food items, remote working, reliance on palliatives, and social grant provision, among others. Some of the correlates of responsiveness to the COVID-19 pandemic include being employed, the type of community, and the income of respondents. The study, therefore, recommends increased investments in welfare programmes (safety nets, palliative measures and economic stimulus packages) as well as capacity building of households through education to reduce vulnerability. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2022-03-04-02 Full Text: PDF

Women's decision-making is a phenomenon in children's nutritional outcomes. This study investigated the causal effect of women's decision-making on child nutritional outcomes using a panel dataset from the South African National Income Dynamic Survey (NIDS) from 2014/15-2017. The child's nutritional outcomes comprised three anthropometric measurements, which included weight-for-height, weight-for-age, and height-for-age. The study used variables, which include daily expenditure, large purchases, where children attended school, who lived with the family, and where the household lived, to create a decision-making index using Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA). A control function approach (CFA) was used to control for endogeneity issues. Using this approach, the findings suggested that women's decision-making had a significant positive effect on the child's nutritional outcomes. While women's decision-making improves a child's weight-for-age and weight-for-height, the result was inconclusive on the child's height-for-age. The policy implications of these findings indicate that the role of women's empowerment is important and could significantly help in achieving better child nutritional outcomes. Overall, the findings suggest the evaluation of policies that ameliorate gender inequality and children's health and well-being.

This article examines the economic integration caused by globalization and effect of capital market in Nigeria context. It establishes the type of relationship and level of significance of globalization and capital market on the economic development. Globalization concept is framed as import plus export divided by growth ratio. The capital market was determined in terms of proxy (by GDP) by price index. The growth ratio assessed the level of development using econometric model. The results suggest that sound economic reform and financial policies are necessary to achieve sustainable development in Nigeria. However, there is need to increase exports, reduce imports and control exchange rate for Nigeria to achieve sustainable economic development.

The study investigated the effect of climate change on environmental degradation in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. Using data sourced from the World Bank indicator from 1990 to 2024, the study constructed indices for climate change and environmental degradation using principal component analysis. The study employed Robust Standard Error Estimation in the Pooled Ordinary Least Squares and Fixed-Effects Panel models to examine the study objectives. However, for the sensitivity analysis, the study used a Driscoll-Kraay Standard Error (DKSE) and Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE) estimators to control for cross-sectional dependence and model heterogeneity. The results revealed that climate change significantly negatively affects the environment and trade openness. A variety of climate hazards critically expose 30% of the SADC region to environmental degradation driven by greenhouse gas emissions, and this may significantly reduce crop productivity without adaptation, especially for cereals. In conclusion, the SADC countries desperately need integrated policies and strategies that promote adaptation and mitigation of climate change, renewable energy, and reduced environmental pollution.

The study examines the synergy between foreign direct investment and economic growth in a panel of seven selected sub-Saharan African countries, which are fast-growing and have high nominal GDP, over the period 1985–2022. The study employs the Westerlund error correction model (ECM) panel cointegration tests and a dynamic common-corrected estimator to control for cross-sectionaldependence in the model. In theory, foreign direct investment increases domestic production capacity, resulting in an anticipated improvement in trade and economic growth. The panel analysis reveals that economic growth is positively impacted by foreign direct investments. While the fixed effect controls for unobserved and time effects, the alternative method controls for cross-sectional dependence. Trade openness was used as a proxy to measure the potential effect of free trade in the countries under analysis. The results show that trade openness and trade share of GDP play a positive role in improving economic growth through foreign direct investment in the panel analysis. In order to gain more insights into the performance of regional economies and treaties, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), it is recommended that a multidimensional analysis that includes the effect of country-specific institutional variables on attracting FDI, as well as the inclusion of more countries into the panel, unpack more insights into the relationship between FDI and GDP in sub-Saharan African countries.

The study examines the effect of the number of children on mothers' labour income in South Africa. This study uses panel data from the South African National Income Dynamic Survey (NIDS) from 2008 to 2017 and correct for sample selection bias caused by endogenous labour market participation using the Heckman two-stage model and quantile regression. The results show that the cumulative number of children and the presence of preschool-aged children have a significant negative relationship with mothers' labour income. The main results indicate that the number of children has a heterogeneous effect on the mother’s labour income. Mothers with more children are likely to be hurt the most, especially those who are low-income earners at the bottom of the income distribution. Also, mothers with preschool-age children who are middle-income earners pay more penalty in their labour income. This shows that the responsibility of women as primary caregivers in a household is not without consequences or trade-offs between childcare and earnings. As a result, the study suggests continuous awareness of family planning, contraceptives, and child spacing. Also, we suggest work-family policies that could positively affect a mother's income from her employment and reduce household income inequality.