This study explores the relationship between Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Human Development Index (HDI) in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) between 1996–2023, encompassing periods before and after the Global Financial Crisis. Using data sourced from the World Bank’s WDI database, the System GMM estimator was employed to examine the direct impact of ODA on HDI and the moderating influence of governance quality. The results indicate a consistent significant negative relationship between ODA and HDI, particularly for the full sample (1996–2023) and post-financial crisis (2008–2023). Interaction analysis between ODA and the six World Governance Indicators (WGI) showed a significant negative coefficient for ODA and regulatory quality, suggesting that the negative impact of ODA on HDI is exacerbated in countries with stronger regulatory environments. Hence, the study suggests that context-specific approaches are needed to ensure that ODA complements the progress driven by strong governance systems.

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This study employed South African data from 2008Q1 to 2021Q1 and a combination of OLS, FMOLS and threshold regression to test the validity of the existence or absence of a nonlinear Unemployment Invariance Hypothesis across race and gender, with the goal of determining whether the relationship between the unemployment rate and labour force participation rate is dependent on the unemployment regimes. The threshold regression results revealed that the relationship between unemployment and labour force participation varies by regimes. In other words, the impact of unemployment on labour force participation varies by gender and race and depends on the state of unemployment.

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Policymakers in Nigeria grapple with so many uncertainties from multiple directions, which make the prioritization of necessary interventions a daunting task. One of such uncertainties is the current food security situation in the country as a consequence of violent clashes among farmers and herders. The farmer-herder conflict with its far-reaching impact is driven by transhumance and competition over shrinking natural resources, exacerbated by a combination of factors such as climate change, drought, desertification, and growth in human and livestock population. The protracted nature of the clashes has adversely affected both tenure and food securities in northcentral Nigeria, especially in Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa and Niger states (the hub of food production in the country). Aside its extensive impact on food and nutrition security, it is estimated that Nigeria loses about USD 14 billion (N5.04 trillion) annually to the farmers-herders’ skirmishes.

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In recent decades, scholars have increasingly focused on the effects of trade openness on economic performance worldwide, particularly in emerging nations. This results from globalization and a rise in regional, plurilateral, and multilateral trade agreements. The establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995 signified the most significant international trade reform since the conclusion of the Second World War, as these reforms facilitated integration deemed essential for the transition from autarky to an open economy (World Trade Organization, 2025; Zahonogo, 2016). In theory, more trade openness in an economy promotes technical transfer, innovation, and economic performance. This rationale has prompted developing nations to embrace a more liberalized trade framework due to the poor performance of trade policy strategies (Udeagha and Ngepah, 2021). Nonetheless, despite the theoretical connection, prior studies exhibit varied outcomes indicating that trade openness may either bolster or impede on economic performance. The correlation between trade openness and economic performance is significantly affected by the factor endowments of various countries, with effects differing among nations, although economic integration generally promotes global economic growth (Wani et al., 2023). Akinlo and Okunlola (2021) confirmed that trade openness has a detrimental influence on growth

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Advanced economies continue to adopt and embed digitalization into their everyday activities. One may ponder; how does a significant digitalization upgrade affect developing economies? To answer this question and highlight the economic & environmental effects of digitalization in a developing economy, this study adopts the singly-country dynamic Energy and Environment Integrated computable general equilibrium model (EEICGE) with a 5-year gradual digitalization policy plan design in Nigeria, a developing economy. 

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