ECONOMICS PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS

Oil is a major source of energy in Nigeria and the world in general. Oil being the mainstay of the Nigerian economy plays a vital role in shaping the economic and political destiny of the country. Although Nigeria’s oil industry was founded at the beginning of the century, it was not until the end of the Nigeria civil war (1967 - 1970) that the oil industry began to play a prominent role in the economic life of the country (Fashola, 1999).

Investment plays a very important and positive role for progress and prosperity of any country. Many countries rely on investment to solve their economic problem such as poverty, unemployment etc (Muhammad and Mohammed 2004). Interest rate on the other hand is the price paid for the use of money. It is the opportunity cost of borrowing money from a lender to finance investment project. It can also be seen as the return being paid to the provider of financial resources, for using the fund for future consumption (Sleka, 2004). Interest rates are normally expressed as a percentage rate. The volatile nature of interest is determined by many factors, which include taxes, risk of investment, inflationary expectations, liquidity preference, market imperfections in an economy etc. Banks are given the primary responsibility of financial intermediation in order to make fund available for economic agents. Banks as financial intermediaries move fund from surplus sector/units of the economy to deficit sector/units by accepting deposits and channeling them into lending activities (Afolabi, 2003). The extent to which this could be done depend upon the rate of interest and level of development of financial sector as well as the saving habit of the people in the country. Hence, the availability of investible funds is therefore regarded as a necessary starting part for all investment in the economy which will eventually translate to economic growth and development (Uremadu, 2006).

The consequences of population growth on the economic development of less developed countries are not the same because the condition prevailing in these countries are quite different from those of developed economy. Therefore the body of literature on population growth in Nigeria has always emphasized either the negative or the positive effect.

Reforms are predicted upon the need for reorientation and repositioning of an existing status inorder to attain an effective and efficient state. There could be fundamental bottle-neck that may inhibit the functioning of the institutions for growth and the achievement of core objectives in the drive towards inhancing and sustaining the economic and social imperatives of human endeavour carried out through either government institution or private enterprises. Consequently, the banking sector, as an important sector in the financial landscape, needs to be reformed inorder to enhance its competitiveness and capacity to play a fundamental role of financing investment. Many literature indicates that banking sector reforms are propelled by the need to deepen the financial sector and reposition it for growth, to become integrated into the global financial architecture, and involves a banking sector that is consulting with regional integration requirements and International best pratices.

The major limitation is the quality of date while public sector investment are easily obtained from budget estimates, there is no reliable control in case of private investment as the date series are questionable as it is derived residually the analysis are questionable as it is derived residually. The analysis relied on data series from 1977 to 2007 the choice of time was informed by the availability of data and the desire to capture the periods of structural break control regime.

One of the fundamental issues of most socio-political debate in recent years is ALIENATION, which means “estrangement”. This essay will elucidate the doctrine of alienation in its origin until the era of Karl Marx. Much attention will be focused on the way Marx conceived alienation, its causes, types and effects. Attempt will be made to use this doctrine to explicate the circumstances of the majority of Nigerians, who are predominantly poor.

Balance of payments of a country is a systematic record of all its economic transactions with the outside world in a give year. It is a statistical record of the character and dimensions of the country’s economic relationships with the rest of the world (Johnson H 1958:113). Determinants of balance of payment have been and are still a topic of interest to many people and nations. Because of its usefulness, many writers have contributed towards its meaning, causes and solutions. Some people have given little contributions as regards balance of payment equilibrium or disequilibrium. Others however, who seem to have understood the subject better have made more encompassing and well thought out contributions.

Cocoa is a bean that is in high demand all over the world especially by developed countries. Cocoa has several uses and benefits to an economy. Africa is the largest producer of cocoa to the international market, which are normally in Europe and America. Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria share the largest contribution to the world market and with Ivory Coast by far the highest producer producing up to 39% of world output (UNCTAD, 2004). While the contribution of Nigeria and Ghana is 19% and 6% respectively (UNCTAD, 2004). But our focus is on Nigeria. World cocoa output was estimated to have increased by 50% in the early period of independence of the countries output (between 1958 and 1966) with practically the whole increase coming from West Africa (Ivory coast, Ghana & Nigeria mainly). Explaining the basis of this increase, the FAO (1966) had this to say.

The financial system is a collection of various institutions, markets, instruments and operators that interact within an economy to provide financial services. The services provided include resource mobilization and allocation, financial intermediation and foreign exchange transactions. The Nigeria financial system can be categorized into two viz; the formal or organized and informal or unorganized financial system. The informal sector comprises of local money lenders (ESUSU), the thrifts and savings associations etc.

An economy whether developing or developed is out to achieve certain objectives which include growth in the gross domestic product, reduction in the relit of inflation and unemployment, favorable balance of payment, and long term Socio-economic development. The growth of output of any economy depends on Capital accumulation; and capital accumulation requires investment and an equivalent amount of saving to match it. Two of the most important issues in development economics, and tor developing countries, are how to stimulate investment, and how to bring about an increase in the level of saving 10 fund increased investment.