(DEV2) Social Problems, Development, and Policy in Africa

Across Africa, as elsewhere internationally, there have been renewed interests in addressing social issues such as corruption, environmental degradation, child malnutrition, gender inequality, and food, water, energy, and housing insecurity, which threaten social progress and human development. Although these issues have received considerable attention from development and academic communities, initiatives to address them have not only been an academic exercise. Local community stakeholders are working with national agencies and regional organizations to implement strategies and develop policies aimed at enhancing social protection, basic infrastructure, education, labour and employment, agriculture, health, environmental sustainability, climate governance, and other key aspects of human development. The overall goal of this session is to stimulate a critical discussion by academics and social researchers on case studies, approaches, and best practices related to the problems mentioned; examine the public policy implications of these challenges, and assess the effectiveness of initiatives that have been implemented. Particularly, this session will situate problems within the context of potential programmatic and policy intervention strategies. Tags: Development, Environment, Global South

Organizers: Jonathan Amoyaw, Dalhousie University, Godfred Boateng, York University; Chairs: Jonathan Amoyaw, Dalhousie University, Godfred Boateng, York University

Presentations

Khandys Agnant, McGill University

Climate and Children: How Floodings Affects Infant Nutritional Outcome in Mali, a Difference-in-Difference Analysis.

This study aims to investigate the impact of recurrent exposure to floods on infant nutritional outcomes in Mali, a focus that is particularly pertinent given the countrys escalating vulnerability to extreme weather events, including droughts and floods, and the potential repercussions of these climate disasters on the health of vulnerable children. The primary objective of this research is to bridge the existing gap in understanding the effects of recurrent floods on childrens health outcomes, with a specific emphasis on infant nutrition. Employing a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) approach, this study analyzes demographic and health survey data from 2006 and 2012 in order to assess the pre- and post-effects of recurrent flood exposure on infant malnutrition, and to shed light on the intricate relationship between flood exposure and its repercussions on the health of Malian infants. This study’s findings reveal compelling evidence of the adverse effects of recurrent floods on infant nutritional health. Specifically, the study identifies a significant association between recurrent flood exposure and severe stunting in Malian infants in 2012. This underscores the detrimental impact of climate events on the nutritional status of vulnerable populations, particularly in early childhood. Furthermore, the research highlights gender disparities in the effects of flood exposure, demonstrating that male children were more susceptible to moderate and severe stunting compared to their female counterparts. This gender-specific vulnerability sheds light on the nuanced impact of climate events on infant health outcomes and emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to address these disparities. In addition to flood exposure, this study found that maternal nutritional status emerges as a pivotal factor influencing infant nutritional outcomes amid recurrent floods. The study reveals that underweight mothers were significantly associated with higher odds of poor nutritional outcomes in their children, while overweight mothers exhibited a protective effect against stunting and underweight in their infants. These findings underscore the intergenerational implications of maternal nutritional status on childrens health, emphasizing the complex interplay between maternal well-being and infant nutritional outcomes in the face of climate-related challenges. This study’s results have important policy implications and highlights the need for targeted interventions to address nutritional challenges faced by infants exposed to recurrent floods. It underscores the importance of climate event preparedness and response strategies, emphasizing the need for adequate infant and young child feeding initiatives to prevent malnutrition in communities recurrently exposed to extreme climate events. Furthermore, the research underscores the importance of integrating maternal health interventions into broader climate resilience strategies, by recognizing the intergenerational effects of malnutrition and the pivotal role of maternal well-being plays in shaping infant nutritional outcomes in the context of recurrent floods. In conclusion, this study contributes valuable insights to the understanding of the impact of recurrent floods on infant nutrition in Mali. The findings have significant implications for policymakers, public health practitioners, and researchers, emphasizing the imperative of implementing comprehensive strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of recurrent floods on infant nutritional outcomes. By shedding light on the complex interplay between climate events, maternal health, and infant nutrition, this research provides a critical foundation for targeted interventions aimed at safeguarding the health and well-being of vulnerable populations in Mali and similar contexts globally.  

Clifford Semabiah, Memorial University

Family structure and antenatal health care in Ghana.

Adequate and timely antenatal care is critical factor minimizing adverse pregnancy outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) now recommends eight visits to monitor high-risk pregnancies. Despite this, many countries in sub-Saharan Africa including Ghana continue to grapple with high maternal mortality rates. This persistent issue is often attributed to delayed initiation of antenatal care and insufficient frequency of visits. Previous research has identified socio-demographic, health facility level and geographical factors as contributors, including education, income, age, marital status, quality of care, and proximity. Given prior research, however, there is reason to suspect that marriage type such as polygyny beyond marital status could be a crucial factor. Polygynous marriages entail intricate family dynamics, including jealousy over the husband’s affection and resources among co-wives, which can affect maternal health care outcomes. The study employs data from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, focusing on 5,422 women in marital unions. We use Andersen and Newman’s (1973) Health Services Utilization framework to show that marriage type is a strong predisposing factor to antenatal care access among Ghanaian women. A series of binary logit models were utilized to examine the frequency and timing of antenatal care visits within this framework. The findings indicate that there are significant differences in antenatal care outcomes among different marriage types. Polygynous women are less likely to initiate early antenatal care and attend the recommended number of visits compared to their monogamous counterparts. However, this difference vanished after controlling for women’s socio-economic and demographic characteristics. This means polygynous women’s lack of access can be linked to their selective individual socio-demographic characteristics, including lack of education, low income, and limited decision-making within the household. The study underscores the importance of considering the vulnerabilities of polygynous women’s access to antenatal health care in Ghana. The findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions that address the unique challenges faced by polygynous women, including educating them about the importance of antenatal care. Moreover, it emphasizes the need to expand free maternal healthcare access to overcome barriers and enhance accessibility for all women. Community nurses who offer health education should also target polygynous women in the community to ensure equity in access to basic health services. By understanding and addressing the complexities of family dynamics within polygynous marriages, policymakers and healthcare providers can take strides toward reducing maternal mortality rates and improving overall maternal health outcomes in the region. This study is highly relevant to the overarching theme of Social Problems, Development, and Policy in Africa. In the context of Ghana, where polygynous marriages are prevalent, understanding the impact of such family structures on antenatal healthcare access is crucial. This topic aligns with the sessions focus on addressing social issues, promoting human development, and exploring policy implications. By examining how polygyny influences antenatal care accessibility, the discussion contributes valuable insights to the broader discourse on social progress, health, and effective policy interventions, thereby enhancing the overall quality of life in African communities. The study also contributes to the existing body of knowledge on maternal healthcare in developing countries and provides a foundation for further research and policy development in the field.

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Non-presenting author: Eric Tenkorang, Memorial University

Daniel Owusu Nkrumah, University of Saskatchewan

A Theoretical Examination of Contributing Factors to the Proliferation of Political Vigilantism: Evidence from Ghana.

Political vigilantism has been a significant issue in many parts of the world. It has undermined the rule of law and democratic processes in Ghana. Political vigilantism is understood as actions taken by individuals and/or quasi-institutions other than state officials which could either be extralegal or illegal mostly typified by violence in the political field. Among these actions are poster vandalism, rally disruption, vote fraud, voter intimidation, property destruction, physical violence, seizure of public property, and sponsoring such activities. Since the inception of the Fourth Republic, a major anomaly in Ghana’s political environment has been the disturbing atmosphere of the country before, during, and after elections orchestrated by political vigilantes. The New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress being the two major political parties have gained notoriety for political vigilante activities. Ghana has been affected by political vigilantism, which is considered a major obstacle to political development in the Fourth Republic. This study uses an institutional performance-focused theoretical framework comprising the theories of structuration, legitimacy, institutional failure, and social learning to test the significance of the identified factors contributing to the prevalence of political vigilantism. The study employs a mainly qualitative methodology to answer the research question: “Does the theoretical framework explain the contributing factors of political vigilantism in Ghana?” In total eighteen (18) interviews were conducted virtually through Zoom and phone calls. Participants were selected from academics, politicians, civil servants, media personnel, and criminal justice agents being eighteen (18) years or older who had a minimum of high school education. These interviews were complemented by one hundred and one media reports on political vigilantism. The media reports were selected from Myjoyonline, Modern Ghana, GhanaWeb, and Peace FM online platforms based on their prominence and availability on the internet. The findings indicate that key state institutions have failed to fulfill their constitutional mandates and that political interference has motivated the spread of vigilante activities in Ghana. The results further suggest that a combination of factors, including unemployment, poverty, high illiteracy rates, and politicians’ desire for power, has sustained political vigilantism. The study recommends that allowing institutions such as the electoral commission and criminal justice agencies to work independently without political influence will reduce the prevalence of political vigilantism, which has marred the beauty of Ghanaian developing democracy. Research participants further suggested the need for a constitutional review to limit the appointing authorities of the president in certain key state institutions. Like the electoral commissioner and chief justice, the inspector general of police should have a specified tenure and not be dependent on which political party is in power. Finally, it was suggested that the activities of the mass media and religious bodies should be regulated to prevent them from being political. This study contributes to our understanding of political vigilantism and its implications for theory, policy, laws, and further research. It has been observed that structural and agency factors and the principles of the rule of law influence both institutional legitimacy and its performance. In conclusion, without institutional independence and strict adherence to the rule of law, political vigilantism will continue to be a major issue in Ghana’s political development.

Godfred Boateng, York University

Food insecurity and Psychosocial well-being: A Malawian study

Food insecurity refers to a condition whereby individuals and or households have little or no access to adequate and or nutritious food (1). Globally, food insecurity has been on the rise since 2015 (2). As of 2020, between 720 and 811 million people were food insecure globally (2). The top regions contributing to this number are Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean (2). Unlike the physical impacts of food insecurity which are heavily discussed, the non-physical impacts of it are seldom discussed (2). For instance, the impact of food insecurity on people’s psychosocial well-being (2). Studies in Saharan Africa show that there is an association between food insecurity and psychosocial health outcomes and the consensus is that food insecurity correlates with the prevalence of poor psychosocial health outcomes (1,2,3,4,5). However, only a few studies were conducted in countries such as Malawi. For example, this relationship was not examined in informal settlements or slums. this current paper aims to examine the relationship between food insecurity and psychosocial health outcomes (stress, anxiety, and depression) in Malawian informal settlements and slums. We hypothesize that an increase in food insecurity will be associated with an increase in stress, anxiety, and depression. The data retrieved for this study was collected via the administration of surveys to the population, as well as through interviews that were conducted at the homes or workplaces of residents. The outcome variables were measured using scales that asked participants questions that indicated the presence of stress, anxiety, and depression in relation to accessing food. A bivariate and multivariate analysis of variables was conducted using STATA to assess the relationship between household food insecurity (HFIA) and the outcome variables respectively. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Notre Dame granted ethical approval to conduct this study. Associations between HFIA and stress, anxiety, and depression were statistically significant, with an increase in food insecurity corresponding to an increase in the experience of stress, anxiety, and depression.

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Non-presenting author: Igor Akomaye, York University