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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Reliance on fossil fuels for energy is a major contributor to climate change. Climate change has wide-ranging effects on various sectors of the economy, as well as on animal and human populations. A recent counterfactual analysis conducted by Kahn et al. [1] revealed that even a moderate increase in global temperature by 0.04OC could result in a substantial 7 % contraction of the global economy by the year 2100. In addition, Sattar et al. [2] conducted a comprehensive review of the effects of climate change on wildlife animals. They highlighted that climate change significantly disrupts the dynamic conditions of biomass production, trophic interactions, ecosystem balance and hydrological equilibrium. 

Authors: Isiaka Akande Raifu, Fidelis Ademola Obaniyi, Great Nnamani, Abdulkhalid Anda Salihu

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