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Welcome to the Research Groups of the Department of Economics at the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences of the University of Buea. The diversity of our faculty research interests is highly complementary to our teaching. Research is mainly applied, including themes such as the study of fiscal & economic growth, money & finance, agricuture & regional development, trade & investment, environment & natural resources, tourism & health care economics, Informal Economy & Property Rights, and Governance & Corruption. The range of methodological inquiry includes structural economics, multi-criteria assessment, dynamic simulation, cost-benefit analysis, econometric modelling and macroeconomic modelling.
Each Research Group meets twice monthly at Research Group Workshops. Undergraduate and postgraduate students are required to join one of the Research Groups as their primary group and are also free to join other Research Groups. While most of the presentations are carried out by faculty members, Postgraduate students are expected to present at least one workshop each year. Workshop presentations by research students are assessed in order to assist the student with his/her presentational skills. An aim of these presentations is to provide research students with the confidence to give seminars or presentations in the most hostile of environments which may be encountered in both academic and business life.
RESEARCH GROUPS 1. Fiscal Policy and Regional Development The Fiscal Research Group carries out research, evaluation and design of state and local fiscal and economic policy, including both tax and government expenditure issues. Its research examines tax policy and reform, education finance, urban policy and economic development. The research also looks at poverty and income distribution and goes on to consider population growth and human capital development. Attempts are thus made to provide a basis for formulating alternative policy responses and encourage an understanding of the limitations of different policies along with the importance of Cameroon's specific conditions. 2. Money, Finance and Growth The Money and Finance Research Group studies the operation of monetary policy in Cameroon and analyses a number of different issues arising from the process of liberalisation of the financial system and capital movements. It investigates the link between financial development and growth and discusses the possible direction of causation. It lays emphasis on financial development and polices to build financial institutions. It also examines a variety of models that analyse the role of money and financial intermediation for economic growth. It analyses the relationships between financial liberalisation, capital account liberalisation and financial crises. It then discusses measures that can reduce the likelihood of crises and problems related to international rescue operations. This extends into the examination of both traditional and modern theories of exchange rate determination. The research identifies the problems of exchange rate volatility, what can be done to reduce it, and the sustainability issue of fixed exchange rate regimes. It stretches into the analysis of the conduct of macroeconomic policies and the question of adjustment within a monetary union, such as CEMAC. 3. Trade Policy, Foreign Investment and Industrialisation The Trade and Industrialisation Research Group examines issues relating to competitive dynamics of firms, industry evolution patterns, collusion and parallel conduct in oligopolistic industries, mergers, trade and globalization with reference to less developed countries. It explores the trends in world trading patterns and the potential gains. Overall, The Trade and Industrialisation Research Group undertakes research to better understand the role of international trade in development and poverty reduction in Cameroon. The group contributes significantly to the development of techniques and policy tools for analysing the impact of trade policy reforms e.g. import restrictions, effective protection, domestic resource cost, etc. in Cameroon. As globalisation becomes one of the most important political debates, a sound understanding of the economics of international trade is a necessary cornerstone for any serious discussion. This research group thus studies globalisation and its likely effect on nations, as well as specific groups within nations via reviewing regional trade agreements, trade disputes and wars, WTO negotiations, etc. It also examines foreign aid, foreign direct investment and the role of multinational enterprises in less developed countries such as Cameroon. Labour migration and its implications are further explored. Emphasis is laid on the examination of problems associated with the export of primary commodities, including terms of trade issues, buffer stocks and cartel arrangements, and alternative trade and industrialisation strategies. 4. Agriculture and Rural Development While agriculture is the cornerstone of development in developing countries such as Cameroon, where more than 70 percent of people depend on the land for their livelihood, research is one key means by which the knowledge of agriculture is increased and improved to maintain societal welfare. The Agriculture and Rural Development Research Group undertakes innovative research in applied and institutional economic analysis of agriculture, the rural environment and rural development. The Agriculture and Rural Development Research Group contributes to food security and poverty eradication in Cameroon through research, partnerships, capacity building, and policy support. In addition, the group's research on rural development covers topics such as; "the dynamics of rural sector growth", "gender and the rural economy", "land markets and the non-farm rural economy". An example of a specific research topic is: "Agricultural Production and Technological Change; Resources and Development, Development and Institutions, Trade Policy and Agriculture, Agriculture Growth and Public Policy. 5. Environment, Natural Resources and Tourism The Environment and Tourism Research Group identifies the environmental problems in Cameroon and other developing countries. The research covers a wide range of themes that deal with the economics of sustainable development, viz the economic value of the environment, practical methods for estimating economic values of the environment, environmental cost-benefit analysis, the economics of pollution control, world trade and the environment, developing macro-indicators of sustainability, economic growth and the environment, the economics of fisheries management, tropical forest economics and wildlife management economics. The impact of climate (e.g. drought, floods, etc.) on the economy is also studied. The Environment and Tourism Research Group also attempts to study the impacts of tourism related industries on social, environmental and economic development in a variety of settings. Research themes include, "A Review of Tourism in Cameroon", "Pricing the Priceless? Monetary Valuation as a Tool for Planning and Managing Ecotourism", "Strategic Tourism Planning in Cameroon: Issues on Sustainability", and Festival Tourism in Cameroon: A Contributor to Sustainable Local Economic Development?". The Environment and Tourism Research Group disseminates the results of research activities in a series of publications and workshops by group members to insitutions and individuals who influence tourism policy. 6. Health Policy and Gender Issues in Development Health economics is increasingly influential in decisions about financing health services, and how limited budgets should be allocated to improve health. Improvements in the organisation of health systems are now equally, if not more important than the development of new medical technologies. The Health and Gender Research Group examines a wide variety of projects, of both a theoretical and empirical nature. The health Research Group draws on the considerable expertise in econometrics that is available in the Economics Department, and the collection and analysis of health data sets by close links are maintained with the Ministry and Provincial delegation of Health, the University's Institute of Health & Medical Science, and both public and private hospitals in the country. Themes of research include: "Public Policy, Expenditures on Health Sector and Living Standards", "the effects of incentive structures on the behaviour of health care providers", "the role of private health care in Cameroon", "health inequalities and the relationship between socio-economic environments and health status", "the cost effectiveness of health care interventions and health care and economic development." This research extends into gender and feminisation with cross cutting themes that range from sociological theories of development and gender relations; social relations in the new international division of labour and globalisation; gender and representations of developing societies; forced and free migration; children's rights; international, urban and rural issues; gender education and training for empowerment; and the political economy of gender health care. 7. Microeconomics of Production, consumption and welfare The Microeconomics and Welfare Research Group studies the economics of firm and industry production in Cameroon. In addition to evaluating resource use efficiency and productivity trends, it also examines consumer welfare. Research themes include economic analysis and human values; the 'individualistic' approach to public choice, concentrating on the Pareto criterion, first-best efficiency and second-best problems; the 'collective' approach to public choice, covering concepts of state and society, the concept of social choice, the social welfare function and collective choice mechanisms; perspectives on public policy. 8. Labour, Wages and Price Policy The Labour and Price Policy Research Group examines price policy and price setting in Cameroon, together with wage institutions such as performance related pay and promotion decisions, workless households, declining labour force participation, displaced workers, the interaction of the social safety net system and the labour market. This also includes historical perspectives on wage and promotion institutions and the testing of hypotheses about internal labour markets and the impact of public policy in Cameroon. 9. Governance, Property Rights and Regulation The Governance and Property Rights Research Group undertakes research that is both, of interest to academics, and also of practical use to policy makers and civil servants. The Governance and Property Rights Research Group focuses on the structures and systems of government at the local councils levels, provincial/regional and national level. This extends into corporate governance. The underlying premise of the group research is that organisational accountability is of significant importance to society and that the governance mechanisms designed to ensure accountability are thus worthy of research. The research themes cuts accross the economics of public sector retrenchment, legal and judiciary reform, the causes and consequences of corruption, acess to resources and the role of civil society. In addition, the research group encourages the development of comparative perspectives and the dissemination of new theoretical perspectives on governance and property rights. Specific topics include, amongst others; "The Impact of Property Rights on Households’ Investment, Risk Coping, and Policy Preferences: Evidence from Cameroon." The research group collaborates with both government and non-governmental organisations to understand the political economy of governance, the rule of law and property rights. 10. Informal Economy, Black Market, Fraud and Corruption The informal sector comprises a substantial component of the domestic economy of many developing countries. Roughly, it accounts for up to 40, 55 and 70 percent of total urban or non-agricultural employment in Latin America, Asian and African countries, respectively. The increase in informal sector participants is because enterprise operators perceive the formalisation and registration of businesses as costly and unprofitable due to government bureaucracy and inefficiency. Thus, enterprise operators opt to become, or remain informal. Because of limited employment opportunities in the formal sector, the jobless are forced to seek self-employment in the informal sector. The informal economy is an integral part of Cameroon's economy. Research themes include Estimating the Income Contribution of the Unorganised Manufacturing Sector,Productivity in the Organised and Unorganised Manufacturing Sector, Gender and Informality in the Labour Market in Cameroon, Identify insecurities faced by workers in the informal economy and the overall contribution of the informal economy to poverty reduction. 11. Econometrics, Mathematical Modelling and Forecasting The Econometrics and Forecasting Research Group not only attempt to familiarise students with quantitative techniques for optimisation widely used at micro and macro levels for optimal decision making. But, they also combine the theoretical foundations of the methods discussed with practical problems and emphasises on the application of these methods. The emphasis here is on the modelling and application of real world problems for the purpose of optimal decision making in Cameroon. The research also familiarises students with the quantitative forecasting methods used widely in policy making and planning. Students, lecturers and external practitioners (e.g policy advisors and business proprietors) are introduced to appropriate computer software. Current Research Themes For details of current BSc, MSc and PhD topics, CLICK HERE. Further details on ongoing and publishe research of Staff members are available. CLICK HERE.  
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