IOSR-JEF   Volume-5 ~ Issue-2

Abstract: This paper examined the economic efficiency of resources used in rice production among mechanized and non mechanized farmers in Nasarawa state, Nigeria. Data were collected from a randomly sample of 132 farmers (66 non-mechanized and 66 mechanized) and analyzed using gross margin, farm financial ratio and regression analysis. The result revealed a difference of N13,900 in cost of production, N48,000 in revenue realized, N34,100 in gross margin and N19,100 in net profit accrued from the used of mechanization. The coefficient of farm size and fertilizer are positive and statistically significant at (P<0.1) under non mechanized rice farms, for mechanized farms, all the variables are positive and statistically significant. Mechanized rice farmers used there inputs close to economic optimum with efficiency ratio of 0.98, 0.95 and 0.94 for labour, farm size and seed respectively, compare to 0.58, 0.46 and 0.71 of the same inputs used by non mechanized rice farmers, while fertilizer 3.16 and 56.32 was under utilized for both mechanized and non mechanized. For optimum allocation of resources, labour (101.68%), farm size (106.28%) and seed (105.41%) were over utilized in mechanized farms, labour (172.25%), farm size (115.10%) and seed (140.56%) were over utilized in non mechanized farms and Fertilizer having (98% and 68%) was under utilized in both mechanized and non mechanized rice farms respectively. The results show that a lot need to be done to bridge the gap for optimum use of the resources under non mechanized rice production. The results also show that there is need for making inputs such as fertilizer affordable and accessible to the farmers so as to improve production efficiency. Also policies that encourage the use of farm machinery to absorb the excess labour cost in rice production in the study area should be formulated.

Keywords: Economic Efficiency, Economic Optimum, Optimum Allocation of Resources, Mechanization, Rice Production.

Abstract: Investment is an activity that is engaged in by people who have savings i.e. investments are made from savings, or in other words people invest their savings. A variety of investment options are available such as bank, Gold, Real estate, post services, mutual funds & so on. Investors are investing their money with the different objectives such as profit, security, appreciation, Income stability. Researcher has studied the different avenues of investments as well as the factors while selecting the investment with the sample size of 40 salaried employees by conducting the survey through questionnaire in Pune, India. The study is based on personal interviews with salaried peoples, using a structured questionnaire. Actually, the present study identifies the preferred investment avenues among the individual investors using self assessment test. The study is based on primary sources of data which are collected by distribution of a close ended questionnaire. The data has been analyzed using percentage, chi-square test, and Person Correlation Coefficient with the help of statistical software. The researcher has analyzed that salaried employees consider the safety as well as good return on investment on regular basis. Respondents are aware about the investment avenues available in India except female investors.

Key Words: Investments, profit, salaried employees, savings

Abstract: Law Number 11 of 2006 on Governing of Aceh authorizes the government to manage zakat as a source of local revenue. However, at the level of implementation it raises a variety of legal issues. On the one hand, zakat as a local revenue adheres to the provisions of local financial management, while on the other side, zakat as part of the religious issues. This study is aimed to in-depth analyze what the legal basis for the establishment of the authority of the Government of Aceh to manage zakat as a local revenue and how its implications to the regulations of zakat as revenue in Aceh. The result is that the legal basis for granting the authority to manage zakat as local revenue can be seen from the perspective of Administrative Law, which is the attribution authority based on legislation. While from the perspective of Islamic law, it is not in accordance with practices in the Islamic government (caliphate),. Since Indonesia is not based on Islamic Law, therefore the role of community should be considered in managing zakat, in addition to the role of the state (government).

Keywords: authority, the Government of Aceh, Zakat, the local revenue.

Abstract: Every nation's dream is for its government to achieve a sustainable improvement in the quality of life of its citizens. This can only be achieved through good governance and planned actions that detail the vision, mission, goals/objectives and strategies to be attained over a given period of time. Nigeria like other countries around the globe has not for once lacked any development plans. Unfortunately, with its current estimated population of 150 million and estimated total of 23,640 health facilities operated via a three – tiered governance structure, it is still ranked by World Health Organization at 187th position in its health system among 191 member states. This article reviewed related relevant literature which revealed that, for more than two decades ago, African countries including Nigeria have been plunged into economic crisis which seriously affected a large portion of their populations and raised social and political tensions. To achieve sustainability, there is need for transformative plans and solutions that requires cooperation among industries and the government through delivery of minimum set of cost – effective interventions, packages and revitalization of the country's health system. Some of the major challenges of sustaining Nigeria healthcare system are: counterfeit and adulterated drugs, poor healthcare financing and sustainability, increased out-of-pocket expenditure, inadequate basic infrastructure/equipments/drugs and inequitable distribution, poor remuneration and other push factors, bribery and corruption and shortage of staff. This article concluded by recommending the following among others as the way forward; provision of a system of equitable distribution of healthcare facilities and drugs, implementation of cost – effective healthcare interventions plans, establishment of a functional and competent monitoring and evaluation systems.

Keywords: Sustainable, Health System, Vision, Strategies, Challenges, Nigeria

Abstract: Fisheries constitute an important segment of the national economy and the sub- national economies along the coast line of India. But not withstanding its contribution to NDP, employment, food and nutritional security, export earnings and high potential for inclusive development, slow growth and high instability remain the grim concerns for development of this sector. This paper analyses the development of fisheries sector in Odisha, a poor coastal state in India, by estimating the trend growth rate and instability indices during the pre and post-WTO (World Trade Organisation) periods. The results indicate that both production growth and instability have been lower in the post-WTO period relative to the pre-WTO period. While production growth has slowed down because of lower growth in exports following the WTO conditions, instability has declined mainly due to underproduction. Government provisioning of primary, secondary and tertiary infrastructure is suggested to achieve smooth and high growth of the sector.

Abstract: In India, women constitute 60 percent of the rural unemployed and 56 percent of the total unemployed. The later figure is likely to be an underestimate, because of the large number of qualified women who do not enter the employment market due to socio- cultural reasons. In simple, women are the largest disadvantaged folk of the nation. According to Gandiji full benefit of development can only be realized with peoples participation and the role of women can not be isolated from the total frame work of development as they make up for half of the human resources. According to 2001 censes, in our country women are slightly less in number than men i.e 49.57 Crores. How ever, their contribution to the prosperity and economic development of the country is highly significant. Traditionally, there is a feeling that women are dependents because men are engaged in productive work, women look after the children, house keeping etc., Now-a-days there is a shift in this view as more and more women are engaged in productive activities beyond house keeping. With an increase in women education and employment, there is a considerable change in the attitude of the society towards women. No country can achieve rapid and sustained industrial development without concerted efforts towards entrepreneurship development. In India, entrepreneurship among women is an emerging reality. The relationship between entrepreneurship and economic development is similar to the relationship between cause and effect. A women as entrepreneur is economically more powerful than as mere because ownership not only confers control over assets but also gives her the freedom to take decisions

Abstract: The Human Development Report (HDR) 2014 draws attention to India's poor performance in terms of Mean Years of Schooling and Gross Enrollment Ratio in Higher Education. This is despite introduction of Right to Primary Education and significant private sector initiatives in technical education. The paper tries to analyze the impact of Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) on different sections of society: particularly the disadvantaged section and the quality of higher education and employability of students in terms of global opportunities. The various factors contributing to low quality particularly in public and private and state universities and major policy initiatives required to bolster quality and access have been highlighted. A unique experiment in KISS Odisha demonstrating coalescence between equity and excellence of tribal children has been cited.

Keywords: Human Development Report, Mean Years of Schooling, Grass Enrolment Ratio, KISS Odisha

Abstract:The high increase in population rate and the inadequate incentives for the production of beef and fish threatens their demand. Therefore, this study evaluated demand elasticity for animal products, in the rural areas of Ibadan, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used for the selection of 120 respondents. Primary data were subjected to Descriptive Statistics and the Linear Approximate of Almost Ideal Demand System (LA/AIDS) Model. This study revealed an average household size of 7 persons and the mean age of household heads was 51 years old. The mean amount spent on the animal products monthly were N 1807 and N 1651: 08 for beef and fish respectively. The respondents who demanded for the animal products were 69.2% and 90% for beef and fish respectively. The income elasticity were 3331 and 0.0106 for beef and fish respectively: thus, beef was a luxury but fish was a necessity. The result of the cross elasticity were 0.059 and 0.084 for beef and fish respectively: therefore, they were substitutes. Policy makers should therefore promote intensive management of cattle and fish to enhance their production, so that they could be affordable by both the privileged and the less privileged households.
Key words: Animal products, budget share, elasticity

Abstract: This research work takes its motive from recent literature concerning the debate on the Keynesian proposition and the Ricardian equivalence, employing data from the Nigerian economy and applying cointegration analysis, Granger causality tests and impulse response functions (IRF). The aim of the econometric methodology is to derive robust results by means of using alternative quantitative techniques. Both the shortrun empirical findings using VEC and IRF and the longrun empirical findings using Johansen technique are in line with the Keynesian proposition. The Granger causality test using pair-wise Granger causality was also employed to test if there is causality between interest and budget deficit and to know the direction of causality (if it exits) the result reveals the independence of BD and RIR in both the regressions except at lag 6 and 8 where there is a unidirectional causality from RIR to BD. The message that a change in budget deficit implies no effect on the rate of interest supports the theoretical grounds of the Ricardian equivalence hypothesis. Overall, the empirics are in accord with both the logic of the Keynesian proposition and that of the Ricardian equivalence hypothesis

Keywords: Budget Deficit, National Debt, National Savings and Real Interest rate

Abstract: Government expenditure in Nigeria has consistently exceeded revenue for most of the years beginning from 1980. This paper investigates the causal relationship between inflation and fiscal deficit in Nigeria from 1970 to 2010. It was empirically continued that although fiscal deficit causes inflation, there was no feedback between inflation and fiscal deficit deflated by the GDP. The structural model of inflation revealed that, it takes about two years for the fiscal deficit to impact on inflation in Nigeria. The study concluded that what should be of paramount concern to policy makers as regards to inflation should not so much be the level of fiscal deficit but the sources of its financing as well as the absorptive capacity of the economy. Thus, policies to tame inflation should have inbuilt ability to increase the productive capacity of economy.

Keywords: real private investment, fiscal deficit, real interest rate, real exchange rate and inflation rate.