Asian Research Journal of Arts & Social Sciences

Africa is a resource-rich continent but many of the Africa-based scholars and the continent are confronted with many challenges, such as insufficiency of means and inadequate research collaboration. These scholars are making efforts to overcome these challenges to present Africa as part of the global solution rather than consumers of knowledge. This paper adopted a mathematical approach of 5 chasing 100 and a 100, chasing 10000 (Group 1); or 1 chasing 1000 and 2, chasing 10000 (Group 2) to aid collaborations among Africa-based scholars and institutions, as an effective means of overcoming the challenges confronting the continent. Basic mathematical approach, using the principles of directly proportional variation was used to unfold the nitty-gritty of this seemingly contradictory Biblical mathematics. The results revealed that the multiplier factor between the two groups was the same. Group performance enhanced individual’s performance, but several input levels were required for Group 1 to generate equal performance level as in Group 2. Understanding this Biblical mathematics reveals that its use spans beyond religious discourse.

In view of the abundant literature on the effective managerial practices in private and public enterprises, four main objectives emerged such as the configuration of power within firms, control, conflict prevention and the equitable distribution of created value. It is clear that the dysfunctions observed in the organisations which demonstrated that these objectives are not achieved; thus reinforcing the idea of analysing the effectiveness of companies' control structures. Because public and private firms pursue different objectives. Previous literature on ownership comparison and identify situations where the measurement bias grounded in comparative managerial effectiveness in Public and Private Organizations are deemed to be more critical. Methodologically, both qualitative and quantitative approaches were utilised in the excavation but more focus was paid to qualitative thereby making the analysis between the two apt. Further, the various indicators of the distinction between public and private enterprises are objectives, goals, control mechanisms, employees' acquisition, accountability, organisational level, managerial level, employees' level and the list proceeds. The differences in the objectives of public and private firms are essential to explain the differences in their effectiveness and efficiency.

The Nordic countries are seen as countries with good welfare systems and these welfare systems did not just come into existence but went through a process which affected the major institutions in these countries with time. This article is a literature review which reflects on relevant social changes to the family as an institution in the Nordic societies mainly Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark from the 20^th century onwards. The study relied on secondary sources of data as a point in the comparative analysis of the family policies and policies for gender equality on the family models. In analysing the data for this study, journal articles, books and statistical reports from credible sources were used. The article highlights on whether Nordic family policies and policies for gender equality are based on a specific family model. Touches a little on the biopolitics in the Nordic countries and how biopolitics is done in the Nordic countries. Lastly, the articles also stresses on the new challenges that come up as a result of changes in family policies and gender policies. Findings from this article show that, the Nordic welfare system and policies are not solely based on a family model but also on gender equality. Limitation to this article is that some sources to this article were not current but relevant and can be related to the current issues concerning gender studies and Nordic welfare system. Further studies can be made on how the government and its policies control the family institution.

The paper examined transport disadvantage in selected rural border settlements of Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State. The study specifically examined the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, pattern of transportation and the indigenous coping strategies of transport disadvantage in the study area. Multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select six settlements in the study area. One hundred and seven (25%) household heads in the selected settlements were systematically sampled for data collection. The study discovered that majority of the respondents (67.3%) were in the age bracket of 31-60 year. It was also revealed that 76.6% of the respondents were farmers. About 55.1% of the respondents move around by trekking while 56.4% and 66.7% trek on a long distance between 1 – 2 km and 3 – 5km daily respectively. Majority of the respondents were of the opinion that the surface condition of the road was bad (87.9%), and also was not reliable during raining season (84.1%). However, to cope with this condition, communal labour was used by the residents to create a new path or enlarge the existing roads for the movement of vehicle, goods and passengers. They also used communal labour to create waterways for easy movement of the vehicle during heavy rainfall in the study area. The study recommends that the government should establish a road maintenance unit to ensure that existing roads are kept in good condition at the local government level. Community efforts should also be encouraged through a self-help approach in the study area.

One of the most interesting scenarios of the political scenes in several countries in the contemporary period is the emergence of the coalition government. The governance by an amalgam of various political parties is based primarily on negotiations among them and striking balance between conflicting interests and ideas. The paper aims to study, explore and skim through the literature available about the processes of public policy-making in a coalition government. The methodology of the study is based on a systematic review of Government coalitions and challenges faced in policymaking. A total of 50 studies have been searched considering the literature on a coalition government, Solutions to identified issue, delegation and agent issues and challenging ministerial discretion. Out of them, ten studies have been extensively reviewed, three on modelling of the coalition government, four Challenging ministerial discretion and three on delegation and agent issue. The study arrives at two factors which guide decision making in public policy formulation in coalition government. The study concludes that the country with divergent and coalition government is recommended to formulate an agreement at the very beganing to reduce the future impact of divergent preference of political parties in policy formulation. Along with it, the presence of ideological differences on important aspects like liberalisation, secularism, expectations of instability lead to the rise of minority coalitions which lead to difficulties in planning and implementation of policies.