Search results

The quest for economic development has brought adverse effects on the environment through the release of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂₎. This will counter the efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. This study, therefore, investigates the effect of electricity consumption and urbanization on CO₂ emissions in Ghana. Electricity consumption and urbanization are among the factors that can be used to reduce CO₂ emissions.

Following the STIRPAT framework with the Hansen (2000) least squares threshold estimation strategy, the study employed annual time series data from 1971 to 2019.

The study revealed a single threshold effect of both electricity consumption and urbanization on CO₂ emissions. Electricity consumption intensity reduces CO₂ emission when electricity consumption is below the threshold (6287GWh) but increases when consumption passes the threshold. However, urbanization exerts a positive influence on CO₂ emissions regardless the level of urbanization (either before or after the threshold point). Again, the empirical results revealed that the urbanization threshold moderates the effect of electricity consumption on CO₂ emissions.

Policymakers have to consider redesigning the current urbanization mode to include some new-type urbanization elements.

The threshold effect of electricity consumption and urbanization on CO₂ emissions in Ghana is examined using the Hansen (2000) least square method.

The study examines the impact of fiscal policy shocks on economic growth and income inequality in Ghana. This has become necessary because of the interdependence between growth and income inequality and the role fiscal policy plays in this relationship in the development process of a country. Thus, a study that investigates how government expenditure shock and tax revenue shock influence the relationship between economic growth and income inequality could assist policymakers to adopt the best policy mix to ensure income equity and sustained economic growth in Ghana.

It employs sacrifice ratio from structural VAR model using quarterly time series data from 1996 to 2019 on Ghana.

Our results show that government expenditure shock impacts economic growth, exchange rate and education positively and significantly in the long run. Also, tax revenue shock has a positive impact on income inequality, economic growth and education. The findings further show that there exists a trade-off between economic growth and income inequality in the long run.

The relationships between fiscal policy shocks, economic growth and income inequality have been extensively discussed among scholars. Understanding how these three macroeconomic variables are determined and their interrelationships are crucial for policymakers. This is because fiscal policy aids in both economic growth and income inequality. In the empirical literature, the emphasis has been on independently estimating the growth effects of fiscal policy or the distribution effects of fiscal policy, leaving out the existence of possible trade-off between economic growth and income inequality following a fiscal shock. To the best of our knowledge, no empirical study has been done on Ghana to empirically examine the trade-off between economic growth and income inequality as we do in this paper.

Carbon dioxide emission is one of the key causes of global warming and climate change. This study investigates the effects of domestic credit and manufacturing indicators on the emission of carbon dioxide in South Africa.

The paper relied on time series data from 1975 to 2014 and employed regression and variance decomposition methods to analyze the data.

In the long run, manufacturing output increases total carbon emissions and emissions from solid fuel; manufactures trade reduces carbon emissions and domestic credit reduces emissions from the manufacturing industries and construction. The long-run effect of the changing technical characteristics of the manufacturing sector is sensitive to the estimation technique used. In the short run, however, changing technical characteristics of the manufacturing sector affect the level of carbon emissions. Income increases emissions from manufacturing industries and construction and urbanization increases total carbon emissions.

Policymakers have to initiate effective policies to promote energy-efficient technologies among manufacturing firms.

The paper examines the effect of manufacturing on carbon dioxide emissions in South Africa. It also examines the possible effect of manufactures trade on carbon emissions. Moreover, the possible effect of the changing characteristics of the manufacturing sector on carbon emissions is investigated.