Abstract Purpose: To estimate the optimal levels of real economic growth rate needed to stabilize debt levels and carry out a stochastic debt simulation to determine the possible future debt path and its distribution in Kenya. Methodology: The paper used time series data from 1963 to 2015. Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bound test procedure was used to test for short run and long run relationships among the variables. A VAR model was estimated followed by a simulation process to fore...
Abstract Fiscal policy in Kenya has been unstable. Fiscal balance to GDP ratio worsened from a surplus of 0.2 percent to a deficit of 7.6 percentwhile debt to GDP ratio rose from 25.4 to 56.2 percent between 1963 and 2015. This was against deficit target of 4.8 and debt ratio of 41.4 percent in 2015. The continued build up of debt implies debt stabilization is not a priority and high debt may lead to adverse effects to the economy. The paper estimated the optimal fiscal balance to GDP ratio ...
Abstract Kenya has experienced persistent current account deficits that have remained underneath the threshold that economists would consider sustainable. At the point when a nation runs steady current account deficit for a long period, it raises worries about the sustainability of this deficit. The persevering current account deficit has led to increase of liabilities to the rest of the world that are financed by the capital account surplus. These should be paid back in the long run. There ...
Abstract Most studies on private capital inflows and economic growth are cross-country and give more weight to foreign direct investment than the other components of private capital inflows. In addition, the question as to whether it is private capital inflows that promote economic growth or it is economic growth that attracts private capital inflows has not been investigated in Kenya. This study investigated the causality between foreign direct investment, portfolio investment and cross-bor...
Abstract Statistics show that remittances to Kenya have been increasing over the years. Studies on the effect of remittances on economic growth in Kenya are limited and have not included private capital inflows as one of the determinants of economic growth. This study investigated the effect of remittances on economic growth in Kenya. Data was sourced for the World Bank's African Development Indicators and various Economic Surveys and Statistical Abstracts for the period 1970-20 IO. The stud...
Abstract This study attempted to empirically examine the effect of labour diversity on firm’s productivity in Kenya. To achieve this objective primary data was collected from various firms. Thereafter analysis was done using Feasible Generalized Least Square method (FGLS). According to the study, firms that had more labour diversity in terms of skills and gender were more productive. But ethnic diversity had no impact on productivity. This is a crucial finding given the ongoing debate on t...
Abstract The study was done to investigate the effect of FDI on economic growth in Kenya, to determine the influence of institutional quality on the effect of FDI on economic growth, and to determine the effects of structural breaks on economic growth in Kenya. This was based on the failure of the reviewed studies to capture the role of institutional quality in this effect. Markets that are likely to persist in low-quality-institution jurisdictions are those in which exchange is simultaneous...
Abstract Foreign Aid, Foreign Direct Investment and Remittances remain important and stable source of foreign capital inflows to developing countries, as they bring in large amounts of foreign currency that help sustain the balance of payments. Studies have for years examined the nexus between aid and growth, FDI and growth and to a limited extent remittances and growth. While the focus has largely been on the first two nexuses, there is an increasing literature on the remittance-growth nexu...
Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish the effect of real interest rates, exchange rate, inflation and competitiveness on FDI in Kenya. Methodology: The study used annual time series data for the period 1970-2016. The sources of data included World Bank Indicators and Kenya National Bureau of Statistics annual reports. Data was collected for the variables real interest rates, exchange rates, inflation rate, competitiveness/ease of doing business and FDI. The data for al...
Abstract Over the past decade, insurance and banking firms have undergone transformation in the manner they offer their products and services in a bid to remain relevant in the insurance industry. Kenya, just like many developing countries is still at the infancy stages of absolute insurance cover. Records indicate that majority of Kenyans are presently not under any insurance cover. The study assessed the effect of financial factors on insurance penetration in Nakuru town, Kenya. The financ...
Abstract For any economic development it is important to finance infrastructure such as water and sanitation. Water has historically been viewed as public good not as a market commodity and thus water utilities have not been able to generate sufficient internal revenue to ensure sustainable financial investment. There is a low level of investment in the sector by both public and private players especially in peri-urban areas in Kenya. Many people in these areas still do not have access to ba...
Abstract: Tax payers’ satisfaction rises, so do the revenues available to fund public services, on the other hand the tax payers’ dissatisfaction would have a consequential effects on the revenue generation of the public activities. This study was conducted with the aim of identifying the determinants of taxpayers’ satisfaction with tax services in Harari revenue authority. The target population of the study is Harari regional state business owner tax payers which is 13,275 in December...
Abstract: The main objectives of this study were to examine urban households’ electricity access, to analyze urban households’ intensity of electricity use and evaluate households’ satisfaction level on electricity availability and use in Hossana. Primary data collected from 384 sample households selected through two-level mixed-method sampling techniques. First, two sample kebeles that have densely populated and electric access were selected purposively. Second, sample households were...
Abstract: Modern fuels are vital for social and economic development. Energy choice in Ethiopia remains relatively low. Absence of clean energy choice for urban community has caused in bottlenecks in the provision of public amenities for which modern energy sources are essential inputs. In order to improve household energy consumption, energy consumption choice is crucial. The main objective of this study is to analyze the household energy consumption choice in Aweday town because of highly ...
Abstract: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the informal governing rule to meet the societal needs from corporate. The concern of CSR relates with the economic, social and environmental impact of a business firm’s activities to the society at large. The CSR requires volunteering actions by the business firms. The motivation of this research is address the knowledge gap in the sugar industy in Ethiopia. The objective of this research was to assess CSR practice of the sugar industry t...