Vigilante homicides in contemporary Ghana

This article provides a systematic analysis of vigilante homicides that occurred in Ghana, West Africa, during 1990-2000. Through the use of newspaper accounts, the study identified the socio-demographic characteristics of victims, spatial distribution, modus operandi, and the circumstances of death. The data suggested that young urban males suspected or accused of robbery, larceny, and other forms of theft were most often victims of vigilante killings. Mob attacks were spontaneous and the assaults involved the use of weapons available on the scene, such as stones, sticks, clubs, and personal weapons. Factors contributing to the escalation of vigilantism in the society included an under-resourced police force, poor police-civilian relations, burgeoning crime rate, a slow and overburdened judiciary, heightened public fear of crime, and a breakdown in traditional methods of dispute resolution. The article also reports on a survey that targeted the attitudes of a sample of law enforcement officers towards vigilantism in Ghana.     

Spousal homicides in contemporary Ghana

This study added to the scant extant literature on lethal marital violence in non-Western societies through the analysis of seventy-two spousal killings that were reported in a Ghanaian daily newspaper during 1990-2005. The findings showed that husbands were five times more likely to kill a spouse as were wives and that sexual jealousy and suspicions of infidelity were the most common precipitating factor in uxoricides. Mariticides were fueled by anger towards a husband who planned to take an additional wife, or by an instrumental need to replace a husband with a new lover. Analysis of data further revealed a predominance of poor and working class victims and assailants. The crime often occurred in the common dwelling place of the couple or a jointly-owned farm, or in cases involving separation, in the wife's natal home or farm. A plethora of methods were used to perpetrate the murders, including shooting with a gun, hacking with a cutlass or machete, hitting with a blunt object, and beating with personal weapons.     

Citizens’ Readiness to Adopt and Use E-government Services in the City of Harbin,China

This study applied the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to investigate the factors that would influence adoption and use of e-government services by citizens of Harbin in China. A total of 382 respondents took part in the study. The findings of this research revealed that Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Service Quality, and Citizen Trust have significant positive impact on citizens’ intention to adopt and use e-government services while Perceived usefulness was found not to have any significant positive impact on citizens’ intention to use e-government services in Harbin, China. The implications of this study is further discussed.     

Impact of Government Capacity and E-Government Performance on the Adoption of E-Government Services

ABSTRACT

This study explored the impact of government capacity and e-government performance on the adoption of e-government services by integrating it into the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The results showed that both government capacity and government performance were significant determinants of the perceived usefulness of e-government services. Also, government capacity was revealed to positively predict e-government performance. In addition, perceived usefulness of e-government services was found to be a significant predictor of the intention to recommend the adoption of e-government services. The implications of these findings on the implementation of e-government are discussed.     

Computer Self-Efficacy and e-Government Service Adoption: The Moderating Role of Age as a Demographic Factor

This article investigated the moderating role of age on the positive relationship between computer self-efficacy (CSE) and intention to use e-government services.The Technology Acceptance Model was used as the theoretical framework for this study while the data was analyzed with SPSS. The results showed that age as a demographic factor was significant and positively moderates the impact of CSE on the intention to use e-government services. Also, CSE was a significant predictor of the intention to use but age does not have a direct significant impact on the intention to use. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Predictors of Electronic Government Services Adoption: The African Students’ Perspective in China

This study investigated the willingness of African students in China to adopt and use e-government services. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was used as the theoretical framework for this study while the data were analyzed with SPSS. The results indicate that performance expectancy, social influence, culture, and facilitating conditions were significant in determining the willingness to use e-government services. Contrarily to our expectations, effort expectancy, trust in the internet and perceived service quality were not significant in influencing the willingness to use e-government services. Also, while social influence had a significant influence on the trust in the internet, it was, however, demonstrated that social influence does not have a significant impact on both the effort expectancy and performance expectancy of e-government services. The implications of these and other result findings of this study are thoroughly discussed.     

Husbands who kill their wives: an analysis of uxoricides in contemporary Ghana

This article addresses the current lack of research on uxoricides in non-Western societies by examining the phenomenon in Ghana, West Africa. Analysis of data from the 60 husband-wife killings reported in a national daily newspaper reveals that jealousy and suspicion of infidelity overwhelmingly provided the basis for wife murders. The findings also indicate that assailants and victims were of low socioeconomic background and the murders predominantly occurred in the rural areas of the country. Posthomicidal suicide by the assailant occurred in about one fourth of the cases. Overall, the results demonstrate that the patterns of uxoricide in Ghana are congruous in many significant ways with those noted in Western industrialized societies. It is concluded that additional research in non-Western societies is warranted to contribute to the development of sound conclusions about and remedies for uxoricide.