This study aimed to develop an integrated support framework for faith-based social enterprises (FBSEs), grounded in a blended value creation approach from an institutional logics perspective. Data were collected from 105 respondents managing FBSEs within the Catholic Church across Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia. Using an abductive approach and content analysis, the study identified key aspects essential for the creation of an effective support framework. The findings revealed four primary areas of support within a blended value ecosystem: (1) capacity building and business advisory, (2) collaborative networks and market access, (3) access to finance and financial solutions, and (4) data-driven insights. Additionally, coaching, mentorship, and business advisory were recognized as critical ongoing support mechanisms, vital for the long-term development of FBSEs. The study highlights the need to transition from a siloed, standalone approach to supporting FBSEs toward an integrated, sustainable, and future-oriented framework, grounded in a blended value perspective.

Purpose This study aims to examine the influence of seed grant funding on the performance of faith-based social enterprises (FBSEs) in Africa, operating within a blended value ecosystem.Design/methodology/approach Using data from a field experiment and survey involving 122 congregational social ventures across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia, the study used both quantitative and qualitative approaches to assess the impact of seed grants on four key performance indicators: productivity, revenue growth, customer acquisition and employment creation.Findings The results revealed that productivity benefits from seed grants were statistically significant and pronounced among agricultural ventures and those in the growth phase. However, the effects on revenue, customer and employee growth were muted, indicating that such impacts may materialize over a longer period as enterprises consolidate operations and expand market reach. Cross-country comparisons showed consistent positive influence of seed grants on performance, though with varying magnitudes, reflecting differences in institutional readiness, market environments and absorptive capacities. Qualitative findings corroborated these results, highlighting that FBSEs often reinvest productivity gains into service expansion and community outreach rather than immediate financial returns.Practical implications Overall, the study underscores the importance of strategic seed grant utilization, especially through blended models that combine financial capital with capacity-building and technical assistance, to enhance the sustainability and social impact of FBSEs in Africa.Originality/value The study offers perhaps the first cross-country empirical analyses of Catholic sister-led social enterprises in Africa, that have been largely overlooked in mainstream research. The study advances an understanding of how seed grants catalyze productivity, growth and sustainability in faith-based ventures, thereby extending theory and practice on blended value creation in resource-constrained contexts in the majority world.

Despite the growing attention on sustainable competencies in social entrepreneurship, less focus has been given to social enterprises run by religious congregations. These organizations face challenges in transforming social ministries into sustainable social enterprises, mainly due to gaps in the required competencies and skill sets. This study aimed to identify the essential sustainable competencies needed for this transformation through a qualitative approach. Data from 39 respondents from Catholic nuns' congregations across Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia highlighted the lack of business and commercial acumen as a key barrier preventing many social ministries from evolving into social enterprises. The study identified five critical competencies for a successful transition: effective communication, managerial and leadership skills, business knowledge and analytical thinking, customer and commercial acumen, and financial analytics for business cases. Additionally, the findings emphasized the importance of competencies such as collaboration, empowerment, public relations, and aligning social enterprise projects with congregational charisms. These competency clusters are vital for the sustainability of social enterprises. The study recommends incorporating these competencies into social entrepreneurship capacity-building programs for religious organizations and during personnel recruitment to enhance the sustainability of their enterprises.

In this study, we examine the considerations and support needed by members of religious orders to transition from a charity mentality to a paradigm of entrepreneurial social and economic impact when running their social ventures. To achieve this goal, we utilize both mindset and institutional logics theories to explore the experiences of Catholic sisters in four African countries as they manage social ventures and identify what is needed to foster a sustainable entrepreneurial mentality focused on social and economic impact. Using data from 105 respondents drawn from religious orders run by Catholic sisters in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia, we find that the transition from a charity mentality to an entrepreneurial social and economic impact approach requires an appreciation of the entrepreneurial process, an integrated and comprehensive blended value support system, and other factors essential for a viable social venture. This study provides valuable in information on the support systems necessary to help social ventures run by religious orders transition from a charity mentality to an entrepreneurial approach in their operations.

Purpose This study aims to determine the impact of interest rate regulation on bank lending behaviour. The application of interest rate caps as a financial repression and regulatory measure has sparked debate for decades. This study contributes to the ongoing debate on the consequences of rate caps on banks’ lending behaviour in Kenya. Design/methodology/approach This study uses both fixed effects and two-step generalised method of moments techniques to establish the effects of interest rate caps on credit allocation across three sectors of the economy: government, private and interbank lending. To achieve this, the authors used data drawn from 35 licenced commercial banks in Kenya from 2004 to 2021. Findings The results, which are robust to endogeneity and other diagnostic checks, reveal shifts in lending behaviour by banks towards the government, and less to the private sector and interbank lending in rate cap periods. This study finds that rate caps have a significant and positive impact on bank lending to the government. This significant positive impact appears subdued for private and interbank lending. Research limitations/implications From a policy perspective, the findings highlight that interest rate caps do not benefit the private sector. An important implication of this study is that such policies may have unintended consequences of hindering growth in a broader economy. This study has the potential to inform policymakers and the banking industry in East Africa about the effects of interest rate regulation. High lending interest rates have seen some countries, such as Kenya, imposing interest rate caps and subsequently repealing them. Other countries, such as Uganda, were in the process of considering rate caps but have deferred the decision. Originality/value This study contributes to the ongoing debate regarding the implications of interest rate controls in developing economies. The study uses robust estimation approaches to argue its case for a separate examination of rate controls in a single-country setting owing to the unique institutional and contextual realities inherent in every jurisdiction.

This study applies institutional logics and financial life cycle theory to examine funding dynamics in Catholic sister-led faith-based social enterprises (FBSEs) across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Drawing on qualitative data from 186 respondents, the study uses content and thematic analyses to explore how FBSEs manage funding across developmental stages. Findings show that FBSEs mainly operate in education, healthcare, and agriculture, relying on donor funding, congregational budgets, and philanthropic sources. A shift in funding intensity and source emerges across the enterprise life cycle, shaped by donor expectations and religious identity. The study identifies a "funding paradox," a tension between spiritual mission and financial sustainability, exacerbated by external demands for accountability. In response, a stage-based funding framework is proposed, aligning financial models with FBSE identity, capacity, and life cycle needs. This study contributes to the FBSE literature by bridging institutional and financial theories in an underexplored phenomenon in Catholic-run social enterprises in Africa.

Purpose This study aims to examine the association between banking regulation, credentials of central bank governors and quality of bank earnings. Design/methodology/approach Using panel data spanning 29 years, from 1991 to 2019, the authors model bank earnings quality as a function of scores for banking regulation and the individual credentials of central bank governors for 170 banks in the East African region. Findings The results reveal that a stricter regulatory regime is associated with higher bank earnings quality. However, the findings do not show a consistent and significant association between central bank governor credentials and bank earnings quality. Practical implications Overall, the results support the need for consistent and stricter regulatory supervision and monitoring of banks within the East African region. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is perhaps the first in a developing country context to examine how both bank regulation and the individual credentials of central bank governors influence the quality of earnings in banks.

Using agency and economies of scale theories, this study investigates the influence of size and outreach factors on agency-related costs (ARCs) in the management of deposit-taking (DT) savings and credit co-op societies (SACCOs) in Kenya. Data are retrieved from 160 DT SACCOs in Kenya over the period 2014–2021. Both panel ordinary least squares and 2-step generalized method of moments are utilized to address the objectives of the study. The results depict that ARC levels within the global standard between 0.040 and 0.046 of the average assets with a significant decline during the Covid-19 pandemic period. We further note that as DT SACCOs scale up (in terms of the peer group), the resultant economies of scale lead to lower ARCs. More specifically, smaller DT SACCOs seem to exhibit weaker expense efficiency compared to larger ones. Finally, the results reveal that SACCOs with more members and branch offices are associated with higher ARCs. The study calls for a cautious and prudent expense management strategy by the DT SACCOs to assure solvency and self-sufficiency of the financial cooperatives in Kenya.

Purpose Despite social ministries and enterprises by Catholic sisters being established under stable foundation and for several years, there have been cases of failures or stalled projects. The purpose of this study was to examine whether this phenomenon is simply failure or a case of mission drift. Design/methodology/approach To achieve this objective, primary data drawn from four African countries, 59 congregations and 172 respondents were subjected to a mixed methods approach to find out what explained this failure. The 172 respondents were drawn from a set of congregational leaders. Findings The findings revealed some level of inactive projects largely in farming and agricultural production. The authors found that the identified 19 causes of social enterprise failures emanated both from internal, commercially driven to external, pro-social reasons. Research limitations/implications The findings of the study revealed the need to strategically review the utilisation of the resources at the disposal of the congregations. Capacity building, proper succession planning and setting the right tone at the top were critical imperatives congregational leaders need to pay attention to minimise project failures and mission drift. Finally, the study called for innovative funding models together with a change in mindset about the sustainability of the social enterprises. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is perhaps the first to focus on social enterprises run by Catholic sisters with a view towards establishing why they tend to fail.

PurposeThe authors passively apply a researcher profile pitch (RPP) template tool in accounting and across a range of Business School disciplines.Design/methodology/approachThe authors document a diversity of worked examples of the RPP. Using an auto-ethnographic research design, each showcased researcher reflects on the exercise, highlighting nuanced perspectives drawn from their experience. Collectively, these examples and associated independent narratives allow the authors to identify common themes that provide informative insights to potential users.FindingsFirst, the RPP tool is helpful for accounting scholars to portray their essential research stream. Moreover, the tool proved universally meaningful and applicable irrespective of research discipline or research experience. Second, it offers a distinct advantage over existing popular research profile platforms, because it demands a focused "less", that delivers a meaningful "more". Further, the conciseness of the RPP design makes it readily amenable to iteration and dynamism. Third, the authors have identified specific situations of added value, e.g. initiating research collaborations and academic job market preparation.Practical implicationsThe RPP tool can provide the basis for developing a scalable interactive researcher exchange platform.Originality/valueThe authors argue that the RPP tool potentially adds meaningful incremental value relative to existing popular platforms for gaining researcher visibility. This additional value derives from the systematic RPP format, combined with the benefit of easy familiarity and strong emphasis on succinctness. Additionally, the authors argue that the RPP adds a depth of nuanced novel information often not contained in other platforms, e.g. around the dimensions of "data" and "tools". Further, the RPP gives the researcher a "personality", most notably through the dimensions of "contribution" and "other considerations".

In this paper, we examine the relevance of both traditional and non-traditional data in predicting default in two financial co-operatives (co-ops) in Kenya. Using micro-level secondary data representing 1753 borrower data extracted from the co-op systems of the two sample financial co-ops from June 2018 to July 2019, random panel logistic regressions are performed. The results, which are performed at both disaggregated and aggregated levels for both traditional and non-traditional features, reveal that both sets of features are useful in predicting default in financial co-ops. More specifically, we find that traditional features such as a longer member duration, higher value of deposits, and higher outstanding loan amounts are associated with lower default. In the case of non-traditional features, we find that borrowers drawn from the top 5 centres exhibit higher default rates. The results further show that borrowers who visit co-op offices more often are less likely to default. We further establish that the predictive power of the models improves when both traditional and non-traditional features are incorporated. The results in this study provide useful insights to managers and leaders when seeking operational and loan management systems for co-ops.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected many sectors of humanity across the world. Personal and organizational lives were affected by the pandemic in diverse ways, such as loss of lives, strained relationships, and reduced income for some organizations and imminent closure for others. Studies have begun focussing on the effects that the pandemic had on religious groups, for example Catholic Sisters, and their congregations. The current qualitative study, anchored on resilience theory, investigates the views of Catholic Sisters in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their personal lives and social ministries. Data for the study was collected online via interviews and focus group discussions with Sisters from identified congregations in the three countries. Emerging data was then analysed thematically, and findings revealed three emerging themes: fear, loss and pain; resilience, creativity and new beginnings; spirituality and reflection. While the loss of close family and congregational members exposed the Sisters to fear of possibly contracting and dying from the COVID-19 virus, many also reported being resilient during this season in handling the virus and dealing with the arising opportunities. The COVID-19 season also offered many Sisters opportunities to reflect on their lives and spirituality in ways that were enriching. Their social ministries also benefitted as the congregations were forced to re-strategize on their day-to-day operations as the pandemic hindered their planned events and activities. Implications from the study, in line with resilience theory, include the need to strengthen social support and ties – these proved instrumental in Sisters’ withstanding the adversities they faced.

The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of changes in interest rate regulation on the financial performance of banks in Kenya. Using a panel dataset of 78 banks in East Africa comprising 1,278 observations over the period 2004–2019, we employ difference-in-difference methodology on accounting and market value measures of financial performance. Two-step generalised method of moments, is used as the estimation technique to address the problem of endogeneity, commonly found in panel data. The results, which are robust for endogeneity and other checks reveal that introduction of interest rate caps in Kenya significantly increased the profitability of banks. This increase can likely be attributed to increase in non-interest income and reduction in operating expenses. On the contrary, the impact on publicly listed banks was insignificant. The study has the potential to inform policy makers in the East Africa region on the effects of interest rate regulation. High lending interest rates has seen some countries such as Kenya impose interest rate caps and subsequently repealed. Other countries such as Uganda were in the process of considering rate caps but have deferred the decision. The study is perhaps the first to examine the effect of changes in interest rate regulation on the financial performance of countries in the East African region. The authors also employ difference-in-difference methodology and two-step generalised method of moments estimation (GMM) in the study which is different from previous studies.