The Development Hypothesis of Women Empowerment in the Millennium Development Goals Tested in the Context Women’s Access to Land in Africa

The present study aimed at exploring the role of social dominance orientation (SDO) on awareness of corruption and the mediating effect of moral outrage on this relationship. To accomplish the objectives, we performed three empirical substudies with both correlational and experimental designs. In Substudy 1, SDO, moral outrage, and awareness of corruption were all measured with scales. The results indicated that SDO was negatively with moral outrage and awareness of corruption. In addition, moral outrage mediated the relationship between SDO and awareness of corruption. In Substudy 2, awareness of corruption was measured in a bribery scenario, and the results also indicated that moral outrage mediated the dampening role of SDO on awareness of corruption. In Substudy 3, SDO was manipulated by placing respondents in a dominant or a subordinate condition. The results indicated that compared with the subordinate position condition, the respondents primed by the dominant position condition reported less moral outrage and lower awareness of corruption. The three substudies consistently confirmed the dampening effect of SDO on awareness of corruption and the mediating effect of moral outrage on this relationship. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Implications of spatial and physical structures for ICT as a tool of urban management and development in Cameroon

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) hold enormous promise for development efforts in developing countries. However, the potential of ICTs remains untapped for reasons that are largely unknown in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This region has the lowest level of ICT penetration in the world. The need to understand impediments to ICT performance are therefore most urgent in this region. This paper seeks to address this need by identifying factors that inhibit the functionality of ICT as a tool for improving urban management. It analyzes two cities in the region, namely Douala and Yaounde, respectively Cameroon’s economic/cultural and politico-administrative capitals. The following three factors are shown to impede the functioning of ICT devices, hence urban management in these cities: colonial racial segregation policies, the colonial legacy of land use compartmentalization and the lack of unambiguous physical addresses for structures in the built environment. It is suggested that concerned authorities institute the following measures. 1] Establish an unambiguous addressing system reposed on the municipal governance structure and the country’s vehicle matriculation taxonomy. 2] Actively promote ICT as an element of national development. Finally, it presents some examples of efforts to improve ICT penetration and functionality from Senegal and South Africa.     

A client-satisfaction-based model of urban public service delivery organizational effectiveness

This article proposes a model for measuring the performance of urban public service delivery agencies. It also presents the results of the model's application to a case study involving urban housing policy organizations (HPOs) in Cameroon. The model incorporates consumer satisfaction, an obvious indicator of the effectiveness construct that is conspicuously lacking in extant models of organizational effectiveness. By incorporating this indicator, the model is potentially useful to especially city government officials interested in evaluating local public service delivery agencies from the point of view of those they profess to serve, the citizens.     

The Impact of Religion on Women Empowerment as a Millennium Development Goal in Africa

The study examines the impact of religion on women empowerment. Three religions, indigenous African, Islam and Christianity, comprising Africa’s triple heritage, are considered. The hypothesized relationships are confirmed. Christianity correlates with each of the four Development Targets specified for women empowerment under the third of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including raising the: (1) percentage of school-aged girls in school, (2) female adult literacy rates, (3) female share of non-agricultural employment, and (4) female representation in government. African indigenous religion correlates with Target #3. Islam is inversely linked to each of the four Targets. A composite index incorporating values on these Targets was developed and employed as the dependent variable in a multiple regression model. The model is statistically significant, and confirms the hypothesis of a link between women empowerment and religion. Therefore, any meaningful effort to promote women empowerment in Africa must account for the continent’s three main religions.     

Erratum to: The Development Hypothesis of Women Empowerment in the Millennium Development Goals Tested in the Context of Women’s Access to Land in Africa

A number of empirical studies have shown a positive influence of employment stability on job satisfaction. Employment stability, usually measured by the type of contract an individual has, may affect one’s job satisfaction directly, as well as through its impact on other relative variables, such as job security, since a stable position seems to bring individuals a sense of security. The aim of our research is to investigate the relationships between job security, employment stability and job satisfaction of workers in Poland. In the study, we strive to show how these factors impact knowledge workers and other workers differently. In order to conduct analysis, we propose two logistic models, separate for these two groups, with job satisfaction as a dependent variable and type of contract and three items denoting different dimensions of job insecurity: an insecure source of income, too many duties to cope with and being treated unjustly at the workplace, as independent variables. The robustness of the models has been defended by the introduction of the time dimension. The results show that job insecurity is the most influential factor in the model of job satisfaction for all employees. However, this impact differs depending on the employment arrangements. Flexible workers are much more vulnerable to job insecurities in terms of job satisfaction. Another finding is that the job satisfaction of knowledge workers is more influenced by job security.     

The Impact of Colonial Heritage on Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

The study explores the hypothesis of a relationshipbetween colonial heritage and development insub-Saharan Africa. Seventeen countries thatexperienced indirect colonial rule and an equal numberwith a history of direct rule in the region areexamined. Development is defined first, in terms ofhuman development [as per UNDPs Human DevelopmentIndex (HDI)], and then, as the ability of a country totranslate economic gains into improved livingconditions (defined as the difference between acountrys real GDP per capita ranking minus its HDIranking). A relationship is found between colonialheritage and human development but not betweencolonial heritage and the ability to translateeconomic gains into improved conditions. It isconcluded that the difference in human conditions ismore a function of inter-country variabilities inindividual and local autonomy than by state actionsspecifically aimed at improving these conditions.