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The purpose of this paper is to look at the impact of the Government subvention to the University of Malawi (UNIMA) from 2004 to 2009 financial years on its libraries and assess levels of fund raising initiatives in the libraries.

The study adopted a case study approach. Interviews were conducted with five college librarians in the University of Malawi libraries. University budget estimates from 2004/2005 to 2009/2010 financial years were used to assess the amount of income generated by the libraries. Data are presented in the form of tables and analysed by calculating percentage increases and decreases.

UNIMA as a whole has done extremely well in generating income equivalent to subvention. On the other hand, UNIMA libraries are on the receiving end. From 2004/2005 to 2007/2008 financial years, no income was captured in the university budgets from the libraries. In the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 financial years, UNIMA libraries realised 7.2 per cent and 5.4 per cent of the income. This means UNIMA libraries were heavily dependent on government subvention for their operations. Fundraising is not emphasised despite being an appropriate and alternative source of funding.

The study recommends that college librarians should consider diversifying income‐generating activities and consider fund raising activities as well. Heavy reliance on government subvention is not sustainable. Libraries should seriously consider fundraising.

There is an information gap on fund raising activities in UNIMA libraries. This information bridges the gap on sources of income for UNIMA libraries and provides an assessment of fund raising initiatives taken by UNIMA libraries.

The financing of healthcare services has been of a major concern to all governments in the face of increasing healthcare costs. For developing countries, where good health is considered a poverty reduction strategy, it is imperative that the hospitals used in the delivery of healthcare services are well financed to accomplish their tasks. The purpose of this paper is to examine how public hospitals in Ghana are financed, and the challenges facing the financing modes adopted.

To achieve the objectives of the study, one major public healthcare institution in Ghana became the main focus.

The findings of the study revealed that the main sources of financing the public healthcare institution are government subvention, internally‐generated funds and donor‐pooled funds. Of these sources, the internally generated fund was regarded as the most reliable, and the least reliable was the donor‐pooled funds. Several challenges associated with the various financing sources were identified. These include delay in receipt of government subvention, delay in the reimbursement of services provided to subscribers of health insurance schemes, influence of government in setting user fees, and the specifications to which donor funds are put.

The findings of this study have important implications for improving the financing of public healthcare institutions in Ghana. A number of recommendations are provided in this regard.

This paper aims to analyse the general trend of a funding scheme of civic education over the past 30 years in terms of the number of projects and the amount of their subsidies, the targeted groups, the content of the activities and the nature of the grantees.

Using statistical data of sponsored projects over three decades and interviews with ten informants.

There has been a shift in the concerns and priorities of these projects. Through the incentives and by setting the themes for funding, the government has regulated the civil society’s involvement with civic education and helped to fashion the officially endorsed values. But it is no longer effective to mediate state–civil society relationship and to cope with the new political scenario.

This paper demonstrates the changing state–civic society relationship over the years with a solid large-scale database. This study advances the knowledge about public funding projects related to citizenship education in particular and sponsorship as a means of governance in general.

The purpose of this paper is to look at adequacy or inadequacy of budgets for University of Malawi Libraries (UML) from financial years 2004 to 2009.

A case study design was used to collect quantitative data. University budget estimate from 2003/2004 to 2009/2010 financial years were used.

The results of the study show that of five constituent colleges of the University of Malawi, four (80 per cent) of their college libraries are inadequately funded below 6 per cent. The average funding as a percentage of the total college funding for the five UML in the six‐year financial period from 2004 to 2010 are as follows: Bunda College Library 2.7 per cent; Chancellor College Library 3.72 per cent; College of Medicine Library 3.52 per cent; Kamuzu College of Nursing Library 6.27 per cent; and the Polytechnic Library 3.43 per cent. Only Kamuzu College of Nursing Library received a minimum average of 6 per cent of the total college funding.

The study recommends that college librarians should lobby for increased budgets for UML. College librarians should also consider income‐generating activities as a means to supplement funding through government subvention.

There is very little researched information on inadequacy or adequacy of budgeting and funding on UML. This research adds some information on UML budgeting and financing.

The aim of this paper is to determine the impact of the structural adjustment policies on library and information services in the University of Malawi Libraries.

A case study methodology was adopted, and data – budget documents and various reports and technical papers – were collected.

Findings show that libraries in this study were affected by the structural adjustment reforms. Budgets of the libraries increased but were affected by currency devaluations, unavailability of foreign exchange to pay for subscriptions and purchase books and this had negatively impacted on the provision of library and information services.

The study looks at implications of the structural adjustment policies in the five libraries in the University of Malawi, namely the Bunda College, Chancellor College, College of Medicine, Kamuzu College of Nursing and the Polytechnic only. However the results give a general picture of both academic and public libraries in Malawi.

Libraries are encouraged to consider adopting UNESCO coupons to solve foreign exchange shortages for software and journal subscriptions as well as engage international publishers with local shops to circumvent paying for library purchases in foreign currency. Libraries are also encouraged to use the Malawi Library and Information Consortium (MALICO) for bargaining prices against ever escalating journal and book prices.

The paper explores the impact of the structural adjustment polices in Malawi.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the impact of strategic plans in the planning of information services and systems in the University of Malawi libraries.

A case study approach was used as the research design. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Quantitative data were collected from the budget estimates from 2004/2005 to 2009/2010 the financial years. Quantitative data were collected from the UNIMA Strategic Plans (2004/2005‐2009/2010) and (2012/2013‐2016/2017). Other views were collected from a forum group discussion of librarians in UNIMA on what they knew about the two strategic plans. Both qualitative and qualitative data are presented in the form of tables. Quantitative data were analysed by calculating percentage increase/decreases in the figures from the previous year. Qualitative data were analysed thematically

The strategic plans have guided the planning, budgeting and financing of UNIMA, including the planning of library services and systems. However, despite the formulation of the strategic plans, political, economic, social, internal and external forces have negatively impacted the implementation of the plans. The strategic plans have also failed to represent the wishes of the libraries as an appropriate environmental scan for the UNIMA libraries was not taken into account.

Although planning has been a popular topic in business circles, little is known about the planning that occurs in libraries in developing countries. This study seeks to bridge the information gap on the planning for information resources in the University of Malawi libraries.

The purpose of this paper is to look at the nature of funding for collection development activities at Chancellor College Library, University of Malawi, and see how that impacts on the collection development activities of the institution.

A case study methodological approach was used, coupled with a review of the literature, annual financial reports and acquisition statistics.

The results of the study show that funding for collection development activities at Chancellor College Library was inadequate and that inadequacy of funding had seriously affected the library's collection development activities. Due to the prevailing conditions, the library had been forced to rely on donations and exchanges as the principal means of growing its collection.

The study recommends some practical interventions, which, if implemented, could ease the financial difficulties Chancellor College Library faces. The interventions include lobbying for an increase in the materials budget, drawing up proposals for possible funding by both local and international organizations, and the introduction of a library fee to be paid by students.

Research undertakings in the field of collection development in Malawian academic libraries are limited, causing a dearth of literature on the topic. This study is therefore significant in that it will help in some way in filling some of the knowledge gaps that exist in this area.

Agricultural education and training (AET) institutions will play a strategic role in helping to prepare Africa’s rapidly growing youth populations for productive careers in agriculture and related agri-businesses. The purpose of this paper is to examine the magnitude of skills and youth employment needs emanating from high-population growth rates. It then explores how agricultural education institutions are responding to these challenges in four different countries at different levels of food system development: South Africa tier 1, Tanzania in tier 2 and Malawi and Uganda in tier 3.

Demographic and school enrollment data provide information on the magnitude of job market entrants at different levels of education while Living Standards Measurement Studies in the respective countries provide a snapshot of current skill requirements in different segments of the agri-food system. In order to evaluate AET responses, the authors have conducted country-level reviews of AET systems as well as in-depth assessments at key tertiary AET institutions in each of the four case study countries.

Growth rates in primary school enrollments are high in sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, because of budgetary constraints, transition rates decline rapidly – about 40 percent from primary to secondary and 7 percent from secondary to tertiary. As a result, substantial numbers of primary and secondary school graduates seek jobs.

The case study countries are limited to four. Had more financial resources and time been available, researchers could have spread further afield and in so doing increasing the precision of the results.

Estimation of the number of primary and secondary school leavers seeking employment because of failure to proceed to the next level of education. Estimation of the level of education shares in the various components of the agri-food system.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the functioning of the French Law No 2017-399 relating to the duty of vigilance of parent companies and ordering companies, a law defended by labor unions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as an answer to the ineffectiveness of corporate social responsibility (CSR) mechanisms of multi-national corporation.

The authors try to determine to what extent the new mechanisms brought by this law could improve or not the failure of existing CSR mechanisms.

The authors find out that internal weaknesses of the law, which is based on voluntary CSR instruments and without penalties, internal mechanisms of the French judicial system or external economic factors, might considerably limit the effectiveness of the law.

Even if for the first time, French judges might be asked to evaluate the reasonableness of the CSR practices of firms, one of the paradoxical effects of this law might be to institutionalize soft law mechanisms such as CSR certification or reporting, the proponents of this law precisely wanted to get rid of at the origin.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss property taxation and examine the extent of its contribution to financing urban infrastructure/services in Ghana. Dwelling on existing literature, it analyses the contribution of property tax to local level internally generated funds (IGF) and expenditure on urban infrastructure/services financed from IGF.

Using a case study approach with a combination of both quantitative and qualitative research, this research was carried out in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis in the Western region, Ghana based on its economic and social diversity, business and economic opportunities and different land tenure systems. Data were collected through expert interviews and questionnaires, with a baseline study from 2006 to 2013. To check the veracity of data, triangulation of data were adopted.

The study revealed that property rate accounted for 28 per cent of IGF of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA). This revenue was expended mostly on waste management, education, social services, street lights and health facilities. For the period between 2006 and 2013, property rates revenue alone was able to finance not less than 84 per cent of total expenditure from IGF. It was estimated that if the challenges to property taxation were resolved in Ghana, the tax could finance the entire annual IGF budget of the STMA on urban infrastructure and services over and above the expended expenditure with a surplus margin of 13 per cent.

This paper makes available empirical evidence of property tax contribution to IGF of STMA that could stimulate and enhance revenue mobilisation of other local government authorities. Debate on property tax revenue contribution towards financing urban infrastructure/services is also stimulated.

There exist many researches on property tax, however, none of these studies have examined the exact contributions of property rating revenue in financing urban infrastructure and services. This paper is the product of the original research conducted in Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis.