International Journal of Social Science Research Praxis (IJSSRP)

A Systematic Review of Blue Economy Initiatives in Nigeria: Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Nnanguma, K. A. — 2024-12-30

The concept of the Blue Economy has gained increasing global attention as a viable framework for achieving sustainable development through the responsible utilization of ocean and coastal resources. This study presents a systematic review of Blue Economy initiatives in Nigeria, with a focus on assessing their contributions to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Anchored on five core research questions, the review explores the key themes and trends in Blue Economy research in Nigeria, the alignment of ongoing initiatives with relevant SDGs, and the inherent challenges and opportunities for scaling up blue growth strategies. Using a qualitative meta-synthesis approach, the study analyzed 62 peer-reviewed articles, policy documents, and reports from national and international institutions between 2010 and 2024. The findings reveal that while Nigeria exhibits substantial potential in sectors such as maritime transport, fisheries, coastal tourism, and marine biotechnology, institutional fragmentation, poor policy coherence, and inadequate funding have hampered progress. Comparative insights from leading Blue Economy models in Seychelles, Mauritius, and Norway demonstrate the critical role of high-level political commitment, innovative financing (e.g., blue bonds), marine spatial planning, and stakeholder inclusiveness in achieving blue growth. The study concludes that Nigeria’s recent establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy offers a unique opportunity to coordinate marine resource governance and align ocean-based sectors with SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 8 (Decent Work), 13 (Climate Action), and 14 (Life Below Water). The paper recommends the formulation of a national Blue Economy strategy, investment in ocean data systems, promotion of gender-inclusive coastal development, and mobilization of innovative blue finance mechanisms. These interventions are crucial for positioning Nigeria's marine sector as a driver of socioeconomic transformation and environmental sustainability.

Urban Sprawl in District Mardan :A Policy Case Analysis

Mazhar Iqbal — 2024-12-30

The study focused on the aspects of urban sprawl and policy analysis related to these aspects. Data was collected online from 75 respondents. We used descriptive statistics and regression analysis to interpret the data. The results indicate that the majority of people consider urban sprawl a threat. Several factors resulting from the urbanization process, including social, environmental, and economic effects, were identified. The opinions of 61% of respondents confirm that there is a lack of proper planning in cities and municipalities for urban expansion. The regression analysis for policy implementation showed that policies are more effective in addressing environmental impacts, while impacts on economic and social factors have no significant effect on policy interventions. It also revealed that the community’s perception of urban sprawl as a threat has a negative and insignificant association with policy interventions. It is recommended to educate people about the threats of urban sprawl.

THE IMPACT OF GENDER ON EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Sadaf Habib — 2024-12-30

The research is basically to find out the influence of gender on Emotional Intelligence and is there correlation between gender and Emotional Intelligence. This is a stereotype that males have better emotional intelligence than females to find out this we conducted a survey by help the TEIQue-SF i.e. “Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaires”. The survey consists of sample of total 130 people in which 63 are males and 67 are females .The technique was simple random sampling. The result shows that there is no impact of gender on emotional intelligence.

IMPACT OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT ON THE PROFITABILITY OF DOMESTIC FIRMS IN PAKISTAN

Shawal Khan — 2024-12-30

This study investigates the impact of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on the profitability of domestic firms in Pakistan, using time series data spanning from 1996 to 2015. The research applies an autoregressive econometric model to analyze the relationship between FDI inflows and firm-level profitability, measured by Return on Assets (ROA). Stationarity of variables was tested using the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test, revealing mixed orders of integration, thereby justifying the use of autoregressive methods. The analysis incorporated variables such as FDI, FDI per capita, and four lags of ROA as explanatory factors. Diagnostic checks, including the Q-statistic, LM test, Breusch-Pagan-Godfrey test for heteroskedasticity, Jarque-Bera test for normality, and the Cusum test for stability, confirmed the model’s robustness. Empirical results demonstrate a significant and positive relationship between FDI and the profitability of domestic firms, while FDI per capita also exhibited a positive influence. Interestingly, the lagged values of ROA revealed a negative relationship, indicating dynamic adjustments in profitability over time. The study concludes that enhanced FDI inflows lead to increased profitability of domestic firms through technology transfer, competition, and capital availability. It recommends that the Government of Pakistan implement investor-friendly policies to further attract FDI and support sustainable economic growth.

Relationship Between Smartphone Addiction, Loneliness, and Perceived Social Support Among College Students

Talha Ahmad — 2024-12-30

The study aimed to investigate the relationship between Smartphone addiction, loneliness, and perceived social support among college students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1st-year and 2nd-year students from various colleges in KP, Pakistan. The data were collected from a sample of 199 college students, including both male and female students from various colleges in KP, Pakistan. The scales used were Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) to assess the study variables. Descriptive statistics and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation were used to analyze the data using SPSS 25. An independent sample t-test was also done for gender differences on the variable of loneliness. Findings showed that Smartphone addiction was significantly positively correlated with loneliness. Findings also showed that Smartphone addiction was negatively correlated with perceived social support. Result also showed gender differences on the variable of loneliness as female students had significantly higher scores on the variable of loneliness compared to male students.