@article{Asongu_250,
author = {Amavilah & Andrés V H S A R Asongu S. A.},
url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0266666919832336},
doi = {10.1177/0266666919832336},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-03-29},
journal = {Information Development},
abstract = {This paper develops a framework (a) to examine whether or not the African business environment hinders or promotes the knowledge economy (KE), (b) to determine how the KE affects economic performance, and (c) how economic performance relates to the inequality-adjusted human socioeconomic development (IHDI) of 53 African countries during the 1996-2010 time period. We estimate the linkages with three related equations. The results support a strong correlation between the dynamics of starting and doing business and variations in KE. The results also show that there exists a weak link between KE and economic performance. Nonetheless, KE-influenced performance plays a more important role in socioeconomic development than some of the conventional control variables like foreign direct investment (FDI), foreign aid, and even private investment.},
keywords = {business dynamics, Knowledge economy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

@article{Asongu_335,
author = {Paul Acha-Anyi N Simplice A. Asongu Vanessa S. Tchamyou},
url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13132-018-0547-8},
doi = {10.1007/s13132-018-0547-8},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-06-18},
journal = {Journal of the Knowledge Economy},
abstract = {This study assesses the knowledge economy (KE) performance of lagging African countries vis-à-vis their frontier counterparts with regard to the four dimensions of the World Bank’s knowledge economy index (KEI). The empirical exercise is for the period 1996–2010. It consists of first establishing leading nations before suggesting policy initiatives that can be implemented by sampled countries depending on identified gaps that are provided with the sigma convergence estimation approach. The following findings are established as frontier knowledge economy countries: (i) for the most part, North African countries are dominant in education. Tunisia is overwhelmingly dominant in 11 of the 15 years, followed by Libya which is a frontier country in 2 years of the periodicity while Cape Verde and Egypt lead in a single year each of the periodicity; (ii) with the exception of Morocco that is leading in the year 2009, Seychelles is overwhelmingly dominant in ICT; (iii) South Africa also indomitably leads in terms of innovation; and (iv) while Botswana and Mauritius share dominance in institutional regime, economic incentives in terms of private domestic credit are most apparent in Angola (8 years of the periodicity), the Democratic Republic of Congo (3 years of the periodicity) and Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and Malawi (each leading in 1 year of the periodicity).},
keywords = {Africa, Benchmarks, Catch-up, Knowledge economy, Policy syndromes},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

@article{Asongu_600,
author = {Simplice A Asongu},
url = {http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13132-012-0141-4},
doi = {10.1007/s13132-012-0141-4},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-12-01},
journal = {Journal of the Knowledge Economy},
volume = {6},
number = {4},
pages = {717-748},
abstract = {The goal of this paper is to assess how financial sector competition plays out in the development of knowledge economy (KE). It contributes at the same time to the macroeconomic literature on measuring financial development and response to the growing field of KE by means of informal sector promotion, microfinance, and mobile banking. It suggests a practicable way to disentangle the effects of various financial sectors on different components of KE. The variables identified under the World Bank’s four knowledge economy index (KEI) are employed. Three hypotheses based on seven propositions are tested. Results show: (a) the informal financial sector, a previously missing component in the definition of the financial system by the IMF significantly affects KE dimensions; (b) disentangling different components of the existing measurement of the financial system improves dynamics in the KE–finance nexus, and (c) introduction of measures of sector importance provides relevant new insights into how financial sector competition affects KE.},
keywords = {Financial Development, Financial sector competition, Knowledge economy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

@article{Asongu_616,
author = {Simplice A Asongu},
url = {http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13132-015-0321-0},
doi = {10.1007/s13132-015-0321-0},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-10-01},
journal = {Journal of the Knowledge Economy},
pages = {1-43},
abstract = {Africa’s overall knowledge index fell between 2000 and 2009. South Korea’s economic miracle is largely due to a knowledge-based development strategy that holds valuable lessons for African countries in their current pursuit towards knowledge economies. Using updated data (1996–2010), this paper presents fresh South Korean lessons to Africa by assessing the knowledge economy (KE) gaps, deriving policy syndromes, and providing catch-up strategies. The 53 peripheral African countries are decomposed into fundamental characteristics of wealth, legal origins, regional proximity, oil-exporting, political stability, and landlockedness. The World Bank’s four KE components are used: education, innovation, information and communication technology (ICT), and economic incentives and institutional regime. Absolute beta and sigma convergence techniques are employed as empirical strategies. With the exception of ICT for which catch-up is not very apparent, in increasing order, it is visible in innovation, economic incentives, education, and institutional regime. The speed of catch-up varies between 8.66 and 30.00 % per annum with respective time to full or 100 % catch-up of 34.64 and 10 years. Based on the trends and dynamics in the KE gaps, policy syndromes and compelling catch-up strategies are discussed. Issues standing on the way to KE in Africa are dissected with great acuteness before South Korean relevant solutions are provided to both scholars and firms. The paper is original in its provision of practical policy initiatives drawn from the Korean experience to African countries embarking on a transition to KE.},
keywords = {Africa, Catch-up, Knowledge economy, South Korea},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

@article{Asongu_639,
author = {Simplice A Asongu},
url = {http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13132-015-0273-4},
doi = {10.1007%2Fs13132-015-0273-4},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-07-11},
journal = {Journal of the Knowledge Economy},
abstract = {The paper complements the scarce literature on knowledge economy (KE) in Africa by comparing KE dynamics within Africa in order to assess best and worst performers based on fundamental characteristics of the continent’s development. The five dimensions of the World Bank’s Knowledge Economy Index (KEI) are employed, notably education, information and communication technology, innovation, economic incentives, and institutional regime. The empirical evidence is based on a five-step novel approach with data from 53 African countries for the period 1996–2010. Limitations of the beta catch-up approach are complemented with the sigma convergence strategy. Based on the determined fundamental characteristics, computed dynamic benchmarks, policy syndromes, and syndrome-free scenarios, we establish that landlocked, low-income, conflict-affected, Sub-Saharan African, nonoil-exporting, and French civil law countries are generally more predisposed to lower levels of KE, whereas English common law, openness to sea, absence of conflicts, North African, and middle-income countries are characteristics that predispose certain nations to higher KE. Broad and specific policy implications are discussed in detail.},
keywords = {Africa, Benchmarks, Catch-up, Knowledge economy, Policy syndromes},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

@article{Asongu_662,
author = {Vanessa Tchamyou S Simplice A. Asongu},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-08-2015-0045},
doi = {10.1108/JEEE-08-2015-0045},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-02-05},
journal = {Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies},
volume = {8},
number = {1},
pages = {101 - 131},
abstract = {Purpose
– This paper aims to assess how entrepreneurship affects knowledge economy (KE) in Africa.

Design/methodology/approach
– Entrepreneurship is measured by indicators of starting, doing and ending business. The four dimensions of the World Bank’s index of KE are used. Instrumental variable panel-fixed effects are applied on a sample of 53 African countries for the period of 1996-2010.

Findings
– The following are some of the findings. First, creating an enabling environment for starting business can substantially boost most dimensions of KE. Second, doing business through mechanisms of trade globalization has positive effects from sectors that are not information and communication technology (ICT) and high-tech oriented. Third, the time required to end business has negative effects on KE.

Practical implications
– The findings confirm the narrative that the technology in African countries at the moment may be more imitative and adaptive for reverse engineering in ICTs and high-tech products. Given the massive consumption of ICT and high-tech commodities in Africa, the continent has to start thinking of how to participate in the global value chain of producing what it consumes.

Originality/value
– This paper has a twofold motivation. First, given the ambitions of African countries of moving towards knowledge-based economies, the line of inquiry is timely. Second, investigating the nexus may have substantial poverty mitigation and sustainable development implications. These entail, inter alia, the development of technology with value-added services; enhancement of existing agricultural practices; promotion of conditions that are essential for competitiveness; and adjustment to globalization challenges.},
keywords = {Africa, Development, Entrepreneurship, Knowledge economy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

@article{Asongu_700,
author = {Simplice A Asongu},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IMEFM-04-2013-0048},
doi = {10.1108/IMEFM-04-2013-0048},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-06-04},
journal = {International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management},
volume = {7},
number = {2},
pages = {200 - 213},
abstract = {Purpose
– This paper aims to assess dynamics of the knowledge economy (KE)–finance nexus using the four variables identified under the World Bank’s (WB’s) Knowledge Economy Index (KEI) and seven financial intermediary dynamics of depth, efficiency, activity and size.

Design/methodology/approach
– Principal component analysis is used to reduce the dimensions of KE components before dynamic panel generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation techniques are employed to examine the nexus.

Findings
– Four main findings are established. First, education improves financial depth and financial efficiency but mitigates financial size. Second, apart from a thin exception (trade’s incidence on money supply), economic incentives (credit facilities and trade) are not consistently favorable to financial development. Third, information and communications technology improves only financial size and has a negative effect on other financial dynamics. Finally, proxies for innovation (journals and foreign direct investment [FDI]) have a positive effect on financial activity; journals (FDI) have (has) a negative (positive) effect on liquid liabilities, and journals and FDI both have negative incidences on money supply and banking system efficiency, respectively.

Practical implications
– As a policy implication, the KE–finance nexus is a complex and multidimensional relationship. Hence, blind and blanket policy formulation to achieve positive linkages may not be successful unless policy-making strategy is contingent on the prevailing “KE-specific component” trends and dynamics of financial development. Policy makers should improve the economic incentive dimension of KE that, overwhelmingly and consistently, deters financial development, owing to surplus liquidity issues.

Originality/value
– As far as we have reviewed, this is the first paper to examine the KE–finance nexus with the plethora of KE dimensions defined by the WB’s KEI and all the dynamics identified by the Financial Development and Structure Database.},
keywords = {Financial Development, Knowledge economy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}