Planning democracy in Africa: A comparative perspective on Nigeria and Ghana

Ghana and Nigeria are in the midst of government-initiated democratization programs. This paper compares the different settings, reasons, strategies, procedures, and implementation of democratization efforts in these two countries. While Nigeria's comprehensive approach to democratic planning has enabled elite continuity, it has neither assured regime stability nor enhanced state capacities. In contrast, Ghana's plan for democratic transformation, pursued in a piecemeal fashion, has resulted in regime stability and some state consolidation, but not in democratization. In both countries, there is little doubt that the unintended consequences of each approach may prove more significant than the direct results of successful policy implementation. Thus, even if the specific design for democracy may fail, the democratic project in these West African states may nevertheless be progressing.     

Determining priorities and investment levels in scientific research and development

The differing viewpoints on resource allocation in research and development are reviewed and the criteria for rational planning discussed. The significance of different sets of criteria and their practicability are explored and it is concluded that the application of cost-benefit analysis methods, while imperfect, is the best basis for rational decisionmaking in the present state of knowledge. Society has as yet no clearly defined goals and this poses problems for the analyst particularly since social attitudes appear to be undergoing a particularly rapid change at the present time.     

Information transfer implications of development research administration in Nigeria

The study of research utilization and administration has been a growing field, but the emphasis in this field has been on industrialized countries. This article presents the results of a pioneering study of the use of research by senior officials in the Nigerian Federal Government. The article focuses first on Federal Government-sponsored research, it reviews how such research was initiated and conducted, how results were presented and what affected the use of the results. The article then describes expatriate-sponsored research, casts light on the conventional assumption about the amount of such research and points to the fact that there was comparatively less awareness of the results. The article not only provides significant information about the administration of research in Nigeria but emphasizes the need to give attention to this aspect of administration.     

基于科学发展观对财政学教学和研究的几点思考

本文根据科学发展观的内涵,从发展、以人为本和全面协调可持续三个方面出发,结合高校财政学教学和研究的实际情况,从财政学教学和研究的内容、方法和利益出发点三方面阐述了在科学发展观指导下的财政学发展方向和演变趋势,并提出了具有针对性的改进财政学教学方式和研究方法的措施,以适应科学发展观对于财政学教学和研究的要求。     

Blind and disabled persons awarded federally administered SSI payments, 1975.

State agencies made medical determinations on 975,000 applications filed by the blind and disabled in 1975. Forty percent were found eligible for federally administered payments, and 60 percent were found ineligible. Nine out of 10 of the awardees were adults. Forty percent of these adults either had no occupation or no occupation was reported. Among both adults and children, the leading cause of disability was mental illness. Nearly 1 out of 3 adults was awarded benefits on the basis of mental disorders. The proportion of children determined disabled by mental illness was about twice that of adults. More than one-half of all children awarded benefits were mentally retarded. Among adults, the second most frequent disabling impairment was cardio-vascular disease; among children, it was diseases of the nervous system and sense organs.     

State and Democratization in Nigeria

The articles interrogates the relationship between democratization and people power in Nigeria. It argues that the broadening of the Nigerian public sphere has not led to reciprocal development of democratic principles and practice. As civilian rule reigns and economic growth is reported, Nigeria’s democratization is fraught with many challenges. Democratization remains questionable in Nigeria; it is rudimentary and distorted by irregularities. These have had implications for national development and human securities as the poverty level worsens and acclaimed economic growth and “democratic dividends” fail to enhance Nigerians’ quality of life. The trivialization of democratization raises critical questions about its state and relevance to Nigerians and the Nigerian state. Is Nigeria democratizing or de-democratizing? How does the democratization process bring the Nigerian people closer to state (power)? How has it helped their developmental quests? The article contends that Nigeria’s democratization process is indeed on trial. As Ake argues, Nigerian state democratization does not only trivialize the essence of democracy—it also continues to reverse the democratization process. Against this background, the article concludes that the democratization process in Nigeria requires elite political will and people’s consciousness to advance to the next stage for better democratic consolidated and economic development relevant to Nigerians.     

Federalism and National Leadership in Nigeria

National leaders in Nigeria, most of whom have come from themilitary, have exhibited various leadership styles. These stylesboth affect and are affected by Nigeria's federal system ofgovernment. Successful leaders appear to exercise a reconciliationstyle coupled with a mobilizational capacity to institute change.Efforts to impose a unitary system on Nigeria have failed, butseveral leaders have strengthened the power of the federal government,in part through the seemingly paradoxical strategy of creatingmore states. The return to civilian government, however, willrequire a new basis of legitimacy for national leadership rootedin constitutionalism and a democratic party system.     

SSI recipients in domiciliary care facilities: federally administered optional supplementation, March 1976

Under the supplemental security income program, federally administered payments amounting to $24.7 million were made in March 1976 to 107,000 persons who were residing in domiciliary care facilities and under other supervised living arrangements. These persons were unable to function under totally independent living arrangements but did not require medical or nursing care on a regular basis. Of the total, $9.5 million was represented in Federal SSI payments and $15.2 million came from optional State supplements--with California paying $6.2 million and New York $4.6 million. The average payment to the residents of these facilities was $232 a month. Comparable data for four States show greater caseload growth for persons in domiciliary care facilities and under other supervised living arrangements than for the total SSI population. Nearly two-thirds of the States are adding funds to Federal SSI payments for persons under such care. Data are available, however, only from Social Security Administration program records for those States that have elected Federal administration of their optional programs.     

Interstate Relations in Nigeria

Interstate relations in Nigeria have tended to be more competitiveand conflictual than cooperative. There are several reasonsfor this, but the emergence of the federal government as themaster government, which has virtually reduced interstate relationsto how states compete to maximize their shares of the country'sresources, provides the key to any meaningful analysis of theserelations. By focusing on a number of specific issues, thisarticle shows why and how the distortion of the federal frameworkof interstate relations has made center-inspired competition(and cooperation) the prevalent form of relations.     

Estimating mortgage prepayments and defaults in older federally assisted rental housing and the possible costs of preventing them

Abstract

An issue now facing the federal government is whether and, if so, how to intervene to prevent mortgage prepayments and defaults on federally assisted low‐income rental units. This paper presents the preliminary estimates of the potential scope of the problem in terms of the possible incidence and timing of these actions, and the costs of preventing them. The estimates are based on modified versions of the model developed for the National Low Income Housing Preservation Commission's study, Preventing the Disappearance of Low Income Housing.

An intermediate version of the modified model predicts 45 percent fewer defaults, 154,000 versus 280,000 units, and 45 percent lower total costs for preventing defaults, $4.6 billion versus $8.4 billion. On the other hand, 16 percent more prepayments are predicted, 283,000 versus 243,000 units. Estimated total costs for preventing prepayments are 17 percent lower, however — $8.5 billion versus $10.3 billion.     

COVID-19 in Nigeria and South Africa

COVID-19 is likely to affect Nigeria’s and South Africa’s economies adversely, amplifying preexisting macroeconomic weaknesses. Support for necessary public health measures remains flimsy in light of their harsh socio-economic impact, and will likely erode further should reported case numbers remain relatively low.     

新时期科研院所加强基层党建的实践与思考

在党的十六大上,我们党把“实施科教兴国和可持续发展战略,充分发挥科学技术作为第一生产力的作用,依靠科技进步”庄严地写入了党章的总纲,从而确立了科学技术在全面建设小康社会中的重要地位。中国共产党第十七届中央委员会第四次全体会议进一步明确了党的基层组织是党全部工作和战斗力的基础,是落实党的路线方针政策和各项工作任务的战斗堡垒。党的基层组织是我们党的细胞,新时期科研院所基层党建必须坚持围绕中心、服务大局、拓宽领域、强化功能,进一步巩固和加强党的基层组织,着力扩大覆盖面、增强生机活力,使党的基层组织充分发挥推动发展、服务群众、凝聚人心、促进和谐的作用,使广大党员牢记宗旨、心系群众;要推进基层党组织工作创新,增强党员队伍生机活力,建设高素质基层党组织带头人队伍。本文旨在针对科研院所基层党建存在的一些问题进行思考,结合近年我们的一些有益实践,提出科研院所加强基层党建工作的措施建议。