Crime, Self-Protection and Business Growth in Cote d’Ivoire

Kimou, Assi José Carlos

doi:10.4236/me.2015.610106

Cited by 12 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Evidence for the examination of the effects of crime rate on firm performance is mixed at best. Within the context of a developing country, on one hand, crime was found to have a negative association with firm performance by reducing profitability and diverting resources that could be channeled to future investments into security expenditure (Kimou, 2015). BenYishay and Pearlman (2014) found strong evidence to indicate that higher robbery rates reduced the probability of micro-sized businesses to expand their activities, confirming previous findings that enterprises mostly affected by crime being less likely to make any new investments (Krkoska and Robeck, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…As a result, greater presence of crime discourages investments, and reduces the competitiveness of firms, thus, creating uncertainty and inefficiency (Kelly, 2000). Kimou (2015) also suggests that increases in crime rates predominantly affects firm profits through reductions in output and increases in the cost of security measures for self-protection. Economic growth may increase employment level, and in turn, it may discourage the pursuit of criminal activities.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impact of crime on the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises

Motta

2016

Tourism Economics

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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are in the forefront of economic policy in developing economies, playing critical role in local economic growth and development. SMEs tend to serve local rather than global markets. However, several obstacles prevent greater participation of SMEs in the economy. Among them, crime is a major issue that negatively affects local development in developing countries, as robbery, theft, vandalism and arson increase the cost of doing business. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between crime and firm performance for Latin American SMEs in both service and hospitality sectors, using labor productivity as a measure of firm performance. Labor productivity is a key concern in Latin America as institution-related issues of corruption, infrastructure, regulations, trade policies, access to finance, and human capital may reduce the efficiency of firms in developing economies. The overall findings suggest that there is a negative relationship between criminal activity and firm performance for SMEs in Latin America.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of crime on the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises

Motta

2016

Tourism Economics

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“…These effects are heterogeneous across firm size and sectors, with the largest effect on small firms (Montoya 2012). Other studies find that while crime negatively affects firm performance, self-protection is significantly and positively related to sales, but reduces profitability and private investment (Kimou 2015). Crime also acts as a deterrent to firm entry, which can lead to less dynamic industries (Mahofa, Sundaram, and Edwards 2015).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kimou (2015) examined the issue of crime, self-protection, and business performance in Côte d'Ivoire and found that self-protection is positively related to business sales.…”

Section: How Do Firms Respond To Crime?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Oil and Gas Smothering the Private Sector in Trinidad and Tobago?

Khadan¹

2017

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ative Commons IGO 3.0 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC-IGO BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/igo/legalcode) and may be reproduced with attribution to the IDB and for any non-commercial purpose.No derivative work is allowed.Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. The use of the IDB's name for any purpose other than for attribution, and the use of IDB's logo shall be subject to a separate written license agreement between the IDB and the user and is not authorized as part of this CC-IGO license.Note that link provided above includes additional terms and conditions of the license. A recent example of this is echoed in the national budget statement for 2017: Diversification… requires that the private sector changes its mindset, from commerce to industry, from focus on the domestic market to seeking to explore global markets, from consuming foreign exchange to earning foreign exchange, from avoiding risks in new ventures and technologies to taking on new risks and facing new competitive pressures to conquer new fields.Such expectations should be grounded in reality and context. Unfortunately, there are no empirical studies on the country's private sector that can provide relevant guidance. Therefore, this report is the first contribution to empirically answering questions related to the performance and challenges facing the private sector in Trinidad and Tobago.Given the sense of urgency expounded for the private sector's enhanced role in supporting economic growth, creating employment, and improving the economic welfare of the nation's citizenry, we find that there is much work to be done. Firm-level performance indicators suggest that the majority of firms are either stagnant or declining. In addition, total factor productivity measured at the firm level is relatively lower in Trinidad and Tobago when compared with other countries in the Caribbean, labour productivity has been declining since the great recession, and private investment is significantly lower than the average for other small commodity-exporting countries. vi ARE OIL AND GAS SMOTHERING THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO?Hence, a concerted policy effort is required to transform Trinidad and Tobago's private sector into an engine of sustainable growth.This study examines factors relating to the profile of firms, macroeconomic conditions, the business climate, and laments of businesspersons as possible constraints to performance. The findings reveal that an unfavorable macroeconomic environment and business climate affects all firms in the private sector. With respect to the former, the main issue relates to an overvalued exchange rate-a negative externality of being hydrocarbon-dependent. An unfavorable business climate reflects government policies, regulations, and public services that hinder rather than promote a dynamic, export-oriented and innovative private sector. Moreover, th...

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“…Private security costs for Caribbean firms were, on average, about 2.6 percent of their annual sales, ranging from 1.5 percent for Guyana to about 6 percent for St. Kitts and Nevis. It is noteworthy that businesses that engage in self-protection enjoy better sales performance, although the costs of self-protection reduce profitability and private investment (Kimou 2015). Taking again the example of The Bahamas to illustrate how these constraints work together, although private costs from crime were high as a percentage of GDP ( Figure 15.6), they are not as significant when examined against annual sales and thus not a sizable concern to most firms (Figure 15.7).…”

Section: Cost Of Crime For Firmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unleashing Growth and Strengthening Resilience in the Caribbean

Srinivasan¹,

Ötker²,

Ramakrishnan³

et al. 2017

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In its aim to stimulate policy dialogue and help policymakers overcome the challenges that hinder Caribbean economies from fulfilling their potential for growth and development, this book is a timely success. By bringing together up-to-date research on the challenges of weak macroeconomic fundamentals and long-standing structural impediments, it provides insights and policy perspectives that can shape coherent answers to these pressing policy concerns. The book's careful analyses point the way toward opportunities for welfare gains from determined but balanced policy actions targeted at the region's high energy costs, financial exclusion, high crime rates, and the persistent loss of skilled workers to richer countries. Consideration of the vulnerabilities and opportunities that arise from financial interconnectedness across the Caribbean also informs the book's reminder to policymakers of the benefits that remain to be exploited by greater regional cooperation in a number of areas. With its relevance and range of evidence-based policy recommendations, this volume earns its place on the bookshelves of practitioners and other students of Caribbean economic development. -Brian Wynter Governor, Bank of JamaicaThis book provides a comprehensive assessment of three major Caribbean contemporary economic challenges-slow growth, macroeconomic imbalances, and structural impediments. The chapters are skillfully written by Fund economists, who are versed in the various aspects of Caribbean economic issues, to relate the challenges to the vicious cycle. Policy recommendation is an important aspect of the book and addressed at both the individual country and regional levels. This book is a mustread for public policymakers and anyone interested in contemporary Caribbean and small states economic and financial issues.-Dr. Gobind Ganga Governor, Bank of Guyana Economic growth in the Caribbean over the last two decades has been slow, both relative to growth in the region over the previous 20 years and in comparison to other small, non-Caribbean countries. Unleashing Growth and Strengthening Resilience in the Caribbean provides a thorough analysis of the region's subpar economic performance and lays out a practical approach for improvement. The authors highlight key policy changes that merit serious consideration: building greater resilience to increasingly frequent hurricanes; reducing the cost of energy; greater investment in infrastructure; more regional cooperation and integration; microeconomic reforms to reduce the cost of doing business; and countercyclical fiscal policy. But the path to faster sustainable and inclusive growth is different for each of the 13 countries examined in this book, and it's refreshing to see the IMF embark upon a more collaborative, tailored approach to its recommendations for developing countries. This country-specific approach is part of a broader-and greatly welcomed-philosophical change at the Fund, which recognizes that the best kind of economic discipline does not push extreme measures such a...

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Crime, Self-Protection and Business Growth in Cote d’Ivoire

Cited by 12 publications

References 19 publications

The impact of crime on the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises

The impact of crime on the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises

Are Oil and Gas Smothering the Private Sector in Trinidad and Tobago?

Unleashing Growth and Strengthening Resilience in the Caribbean

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