December 2011
The Impact of Increased Efficiency in the Transport Sectors? Energy Use: A Computable General Equilibrium Analysis for the Botswana Economy
Energy efficiency is viewed as a tool for achieving both sustainable development and environmental sustainability in Botswana and world-wide. This is premised on the standard wisdom that energy-augmenting technical progress reduces aggregate energy consumption. In the energy economics literature, there is disagreement as to whether the beneficial effect of energy efficiency stimulus on energy consumption is partially or...
December 2011
DEFENSE EXPENDITURE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH: THE NIGERIA EXPERIENCE 1977-2006
The study presents empirical evidence on the relationship between the level of economic growth and defense expenditures in the case of Nigeria from the period of 1977 to 2006. The study employed the supply model based on the production function proposed in Feder(1983) as extended by Biswas and Ram(1986).It further explore the use of unit root tests and found that the variables of capital stock, labor stock, defense...
December 2011
HOUSEHOLDS WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR IMPROVED WATER QUALITY AND RELIABILITY OF SUPPLY IN CHOBE WARD, MAUN
This survey investigated the willingness to pay for an improved water quality and reliability in Chobe ward in Maun. On average, 54% of the households are willing to pay for improved water quality. It is therefore apparent that Chobe Ward, Maun residents in general regard water as an economic good as they are willing to pay for its provision. Those with a higher income were willing to pay for an improved water quality...
December 2011
CREDIT RATIONING AND SME DEVELOPMENT IN BOTSWANA: IMPLICATIONS FOR ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION
Economic diversification is a key policy goal for the Government of Botswana. SMEs offer a feasible option towards the actualisation of this goal. The expansion of SMEs in Botswana however is constrained by lack of access to bank credit. This constrained access to credit is argued in the literature to be due to the credit rationing behaviour of banks emanating from asymmetric information in credit markets. Constrained...
December 2011
Are Devaluations Contractionary in Small Import-dependent Economies? Evidence from Botswana
This study tests the contractionary devaluation hypothesis in the context of a small open import-dependent economy. Using an error-correction model that controls for monetary policy, fiscal policy, base country output and interest rates, the study finds that currency devaluations are contractionary in the long run and expansionary in the short-run. Other results are that increases in government consumption expenditure...