DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS

This study looked at how lifestyle intervention Programmes in the health sector affected healthcare spending in the Edo State Government. There were three (3) key goals and research questions for the study. The study used a descriptive survey research approach, in which information from the participants in the study was gathered through questionnaires. Two hundred and twenty (220) Medical Doctors, Pharmacists, Nurses, Dieticians, Clinical Psychologists, Dentists and Others were chosen at random from four (4) Local Government Areas in the Nigerian state of Edo. The mean, standard deviation, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) were used to examine the data collected from the respondents. The study's findings showed that the respondents' opinions on lifestyle intervention Programmes in Edo State are favorable, particularly in terms of education, public awareness, and frequent health checkups. There are still certain areas that could use improvement, such as the availability of tools for stress reduction, weight management, physical activity programs, and smoking cessation. The results also paint a hazy image of the efficacy of lifestyle intervention Programmes in addressing risk factors in the Edo State healthcare system. The findings show that lifestyle intervention programmes in Edo State have shown promising results in reducing some aspects of healthcare costs, particularly related to NCDs, medical equipment, and over-tasking of healthcare facilities. However, there are areas where their impact might be limited, such as chronic disease prevalence and pharmaceutical costs. Therefore, it was advised that the government and interested parties in the health sector should reinforce and extend current lifestyle intervention Programmes. Government, health sector authorities and policy makers should focus on targeted areas where the programmes showed limited effectiveness, such as stress management and pharmaceutical costs, which should be targeted for improvement.

Background: The study was carried out to examine the cause-effect relationship between monetary policy and foreign trade in Nigeria between 1981 and 2023. Objectives: the study were to determine the impact of exchange rate, money supply (M2) monetary policy rate, credit to private sector on foreign trade. Methods: The study adopted Descriptive statistics, Co-integration, Unit root test and Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) method of analysis. The data used for this study were sourced from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Statistical Bulletin and World Bank Development Indicators. Pre-estimation tests were
carried out on each of the variables using Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) unit root test to avoid spurious regression results. The cointegration test result showed that long-run equilibrium relationship exists between monetary policy and foreign trade in Nigeria. The empirical analysis was conducted using the methodology of Error Correction Model (ECM) approach.

This study investigated the impact of government size on economic growth in Nigeria. The research investigated various variables, including government expenditure, population growth, inflation, and exchange rates, to unravel their impact on the country's economic development. The analysis begins by examining the role of government size, proxied by Total Government Expenditure (TGEX), in shaping economic growth dynamics. The findings reveal a significant and positive relationship between government expenditure and economic growth, emphasizing the pivotal role of fiscal policies in Nigeria's development. These results underscore the importance of prudent fiscal management and the strategic allocation of public resources as crucial drivers of economic growth. Furthermore, the study highlights the demographic dividend inherent in Nigeria's youthful population. Population growth, represented by the population growth rate (POP), emerges as a substantial driver of economic expansion, particularly in the long run. Policymakers are encouraged to focus on investments in education, skills development, and job creation programs that cater to the unique needs of the youthful population, recognizing their potential as contributors to sustained economic growth. Conversely, the analysis suggests that the relationships between inflation (INF) and exchange rates (EXR) with economic growth are less robust within the specific models employed. Nevertheless, the study underscores that these variables continue to exert significant influence over economic dynamics, necessitating effective inflation management and exchange rate stability for overall economic stability.

The Development of a standard and comparable educational system has played a major role in the growth and development of most countries, both advanced and developing. Some ofthe major sources offund to this sector has remainedgovernment expenditure andforeign aid. Hence this research work employs secondary data covering the period of 1980 to 2019 to examine the nexus among government expenditure, foreign aid and educational growth in Nigeria. Variables employed includes Literacy rate (LRT),Government Expenditure (GEX), Foreign Aid and other development assistance (FRA) and Real Gross Domestic Product per Capita growth rate (RGDPPC). Data on the relevant variables were obtainedfrom the Central Bank ofNigeria (CBN) statistical Bulletin (2019) and the World Bank's World Development Indicators (WDI, 2019). The work employed the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test for Unit Root and the Johansen Co-integration techniquefor thepossibility oflong run relationship. An empirical model was estimated using the Error Correction Model (ECM) of regression analysis. The results indicated that government expenditure, foreign aid and real GDP per capita shares a positive and significant relationship with Literacy rate in Nigeria. The concluded that the educational system can be reasonably improved if attention is paid to these important variables. Hence, it was recommended among others that the government should increase budgetary allocation to the education sector, attention should be paid to capital projects, appropriate diplomatic policies to attract more foreign aid, checks to prevent the mismanagement appropriated funds.

This study examines the impact of monetary policy on international trade in Nigeria using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analysis. The study employs key monetary policy indicators, including broad money supply, interest rate, inflation rate, exchange rate, and gross domestic product (GDP), to assess their effects on trade openness in Nigeria from 1981 to 2023. The Engle-Granger two-step cointegration test is applied to determine the long-run relationship between monetary policy variables and trade openness. The findings reveal that in the long run, interest rates and GDP have significant positive effects on trade openness, while money supply negatively impacts trade openness. Exchange rate fluctuations

This study evaluates the impact of monetary policy on poverty in Nigeria over a 42-year period (1981– 2023), using time series data and the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model. It investigates the relationship between inflation rate, total Gross Domestic Product (GDP), money supply, interest rate or monetary policy rate, and poverty—measured by the poverty rate. Both short-run and long-run dynamics among these variables are explored. The empirical findings reveal an insignificant long-run relationship between monetary policy and poverty in Nigeria. However, short-run results indicate that persistent inflation worsens poverty by eroding individuals’ purchasing power. Increases in money supply and interest rates are also associated with rising poverty levels in the short term. Diagnostic tests confirm the robustness and reliability of the model, with no evidence of serial correlation or heteroskedasticity. The study concludes that monetary policy can aid poverty reduction and recommends reforms to stabilize inflation, promote inclusive and sustainable growth, and implement long-term structural policies

This project work examines the impact of loan performance on bank failure in Nigeria. The work referred to both theoretical and empirical approaches in determining the extent to which loan performance (credit risk) affects the chances of bank survival in Nigeria. This has become necessary as bank failure poses a serious danger to stakeholders in the financial system. This work focused on impact of loan performance on bank failure using annual panel data of 17 selected banks for the period of 2004- 2007. The Binary Logit model was used for the study. From the study, it was deduced that excess risk taking by banks Results to high volume of non-performing loans which accumulates as credit Risks and builds up over time to reduce their asset quality and predispose them to Failure. Thereafter, adequate lending policies should be be put in place to help check excess risk taking by banks so as to reduce the tendency of accumulating bad loans over time In order to promote a strong and stable financial system Nigeria.

The influence of fertility rate and life expectancy on economic growth cannot be overemphasized. This study examined empirically examined the fertility rate, life expectancy and economic growth in Nigeria employing the use an ECM model as its tool of data analysis. The scope of the study is from 1981-2021 to reflect current dynamics in the real sector as well as the social sectors (demographics). Based on the findings of this study, it was discovered that life expectancy significantly influences economic growth in Nigeria. While fertility rate has an insignificant impact on economic growth. Also, government expenditures on health and education does not significantly affect economic growth in the period under consideration. In light of the above findings, significant resources should be allocated to the health and educational sectors as this would boost health care delivery and literacy rate in Nigeria. This is because it is only a healthy and educated workforce that can contributed meaningfully to the growth process of Nigeria. The study concluded that life expectancy is a key determinant of
economic growth in Nigeria.

Health spending is viewed as a wise investment in human capital because it increases labor productivity. Wellness is a substantial productive asset and the heart of economic growth, according to Barro (1996). A vital component of well-being, good health affects morbidity and labor productivity, which boosts economic growth. Immediate household (out-of-pocket) payments, private insurance, charitable contributions, and direct services payments by private enterprises are all considered private health expenditures (Jhingan, 2017). Labor productivity is a measure of the efficiency with which labor is used to produce goods and services. It is often calculated as the ratio of output to input, with output being the value of goods and services produced and input being the amount of labor and other resources used to produce those goods and services. In general, a country's labor productivity is an important indicator of its economic health and competitiveness. In Nigeria, labor productivity has historically been relatively low compared to other countries in the region and around the world. There are a number of factors that contribute to this low productivity, including a lack of investment in education and training, inadequate infrastructure and technology, and low levels of investment in research and development. The quantity of products and services produced in a nation per hour of labor is known as labor productivity. Because it particularly measures the volume of actual gross domestic product manufactured by an hour of labor, there has been an increase in interest in examining the link among economic and health-related growth (through labor productivity), which has been significantly sparked by a Report Of the world bank on health (World Bank, 2023). Health expenditure refers to the financial resources that are dedicated to the provision of health services and the promotion of good health. These resources can come from a variety of sources, including governments, private insurance companies, and individual households. Labour productivity, on the other hand, refers to the amount of output that is produced by a unit of labor within a specific period of time. It is often used as a measure of economic growth and competitiveness, as well as a way to gauge the efficiency of a country's workforce

This study examines the impact of monetary policy on banking sector stability in Nigeria from 2010 to 2024, using Return on Equity (ROE) as a proxy for stability and analyzing the effects of Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), Inflation Rate (INF), Exchange Rate (EXR), and Broad Money Supply (MS). The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach is employed. The short-run results indicate significant negative effects of money supply (coefficient -0.131599, p=0.0117) and inflation (coefficient -0.223254, p=0.0142) on ROE, with MPR showing a mixed impact (positive initially, coefficient 0.222074, p=0.0856; negative lagged, coefficient -0.216642, p=0.0897), and exchange rate being insignificant. Long-run results show no significant effects (p-values 0.61880.9607), supported by the ARDL bounds test (F-statistic 2.23869), though the Johansen test suggests two cointegrating relationships (p=0.0203, 0.027). The Error Correction Model indicates a weak adjustment process (coefficient 0.113123, p=0.5859), reflecting structural inefficiencies. Diagnostic tests confirm model robustness with normal residuals (Jarque-Bera p=0.451992), homoskedasticity (Breusch-Pagan Godfrey p=0.1132), and no significant serial correlation (Breusch-Godfrey p=0.1101). The findings highlight that monetary policy significantly influences banking stability in the short run Through liquidity and inflation but has limited long-run impact due to weak policy transmission. The recommendations by the study include cautious monetary expansion, robust inflation targeting, exchange rate stabilization, and enhanced banking resilience through stricter regulations. Addressing structural rigidities is also crucial for improving monetary policy effectiveness and ensuring sustainable banking sector stability in Nigeria which will ultimately contribute to broader economic growth.