Investigating the dynamics of tax evasion and revenue leakage in somali customs.

This study aims to investigate the dynamics of tax evasion and revenue leakage in the Somali customs framework, providing insights into the systemic opportunity structures, tax governance deficiencies, and personal incentive structures that facilitate these practices. By applying agency theory and rent-seeking theory, this research seeks to deepen the understanding of the complex relationship between individual motivations and systemic vulnerabilities in exacerbating corruption and tax evasion in a post-conflict governance context. By employing structural equation modeling (SEM) within the ADANCO-SEM analysis framework, this study analyzes primary survey data. This approach allows for a comprehensive examination of the relationships between systemic, governance, and personal factors contributing to corruption and tax evasion. The findings reveal a significant positive relationship between systemic opportunity structures, tax governance deficiencies, and personal incentive structures and the prevalence of tax evasion and corruption. Specifically, systemic opportunity structures were found to significantly influence both tax governance deficiencies and personal incentive structures, highlighting the intertwined nature of these factors in facilitating corrupt practices and tax evasion in Somali customs. This study underscores the urgent need for comprehensive reforms targeting systemic vulnerabilities, enhancing tax governance frameworks, and aligning personal incentives with the public interest. Practical applications include the adoption of advanced technological solutions for improved monitoring and transparency, as well as the development of targeted training programs for customs officials to foster ethical standards and compliance. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing a unique empirical examination of corruption and tax evasion in the context of Somali customs, a largely underexplored area in the literature. By integrating agency theory and rent-seeking theory, this study offers novel insights into the mechanisms of corruption and tax evasion, highlighting the importance of addressing both systemic and individual factors in combating these issues.

Exploring the effects of climate change and government stability on internal conflicts: evidence from selected sub-Saharan African countries.

Climate change has been linked to water scarcity, land degradation, and food insecurity, exacerbating existing tensions and creating new conflicts in countries with weak political institutions. Despite the critical need for effective conflict management and climate adaptation measures, prior studies failed to emphasize the role climate change plays in civil clashes in conflict-affected countries. In this research, we undertake a comprehensive investigation of the effects of climate change and government stability on internal conflicts in 14 selected SSA nations between 1996 and 2016. The study embraces contemporary heterogeneous panel techniques to address heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence issues that usually appear in panel data estimates. We employed second-generation unit root tests, such as CADF and CIPS, to determine the order of integration of the variables. In addition, Pedroni and Westerlund cointegration tests confirmed the long-run relationship among the variables. Although temperatures were insignificant, the long-run results of the pooled mean group (PMG) approach suggested that civil conflicts decline when precipitation increases. In addition, the outcomes indicate that environmental degradation and population growth are long-run aggravators of social unrest. The short-run results suggest that rising temperatures exacerbate civil conflicts in the selected SSA countries. However, the study found that government stability lessens internal conflicts in the short run, but not in the long run. The DOLS technique validated the long-run outcomes of the PMG technique. Based on the findings of the study, conflict-prone SSA countries should integrate climate change adaptation and conflict prevention strategies, implement sustainable water resource management practices, and endorse climate-related conflict resolution.

The relationship between environmental degradation, agricultural crops, and livestock production in Somalia.

Climate change is an imminent threat to both developing and developed countries. Various determinants of climate change have been discovered in the literature including, inter alia, the agriculture sector. To this end, this study models the role of agricultural crops - maize, sesame, sorghum, and wheat productions - and livestock production in environmental degradation in Somalia for the period of 1985 to 2017. The study applied the autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL) for the long-run cointegration between the variables, and vector error correction modeling (VECM) for short- and long-run causalities among the variables. The empirical result revealed the presence of a long-run cointegration between environmental degradation, agricultural crops, and livestock production. All the crops and livestock production increase environmental degradation except wheat production which has a constructive role in reducing environmental degradation in the long run. In contrast, the VECM results detected a short-run causality from sorghum to livestock production. Environmental degradation, sesame, sorghum, and wheat productions cause maize production significantly in the short run as well as in the long run. Moreover, sesame production causes sorghum production in the short run. Likewise, a long-run causality is established from environmental degradation, maize, sesame, livestock, and wheat production to sorghum production. However, Somalia policymakers should institute agricultural policies that are not only sustainable for agricultural production practices to meet the growing food demand but also sustainable to the environment.