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Asian countries have been concentrating on providing sustainable economic growth since they have had to face the severe consequences of climate change. Thus, this study aims to fill a research gap by investigating whether waste sector emissions significantly contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In general, this study proposes three research hypotheses derived from a review of the literature on GHG emissions. The first and second hypotheses examine whether waste sector emissions, economic growth and other indicators significantly contributed to the total GHG emissions in 13 Asian countries between 2000 and 2016. The third hypothesis investigates whether countries individually and significantly determine waste sector emissions. Using pooled ordinary least squares and least squares dummy variable (LSDV) estimations, the study shows that that the emissions from the waste, agriculture, manufacturing, and construction sectors, as well as from land use and change, were positively associated with total GHG emissions. Second, economic growth and urban and rural population growth show the possibility of reducing GHGs in Asian countries. Subsequently, the LSDV estimation identified that India and Indonesia emitted 72 million tonnes and 148 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent between 2000 and 2016 from the waste sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the new round of global technological revolution and industrial transformation, artificial intelligence (AI) provides an opportunity to foster urban inclusive green growth (IGG). On the basis of scientifically measuring the IGG level and AI development level of Chinese cities from 2010 to 2022, this paper systematically explores the impact and internal mechanism of AI on IGG. This study finds that AI development significantly promotes urban IGG, and this conclusion still holds after a series of robustness and endogeneity tests. The effect of AI on IGG will exhibit heterogeneity because of differences in urban characteristics such as government financial support, information infrastructure development, and innovation and entrepreneurship vitality. Mechanism test reveals that AI development fosters urban IGG through digital technology innovation and industrial structure optimization. Furthermore, AI development has a positive spatial spillover effect on IGG in neighboring cities. This study provides valuable theoretical insights and policy ideas for planning in emerging economies to promote high-quality economic development and ecological civilization through the application of AI technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Composite Rating denotes corporations' capability for supporting sustainable development activities, social responsibility, and transparent and ethical governance. It aims to inform investors and stakeholders about the company's sustainability and social responsibility risks. ESG has increasingly become an informal yet significant driving force in promoting sustainable green innovation within the diversified co-governance environmental management system. This paper examines the dynamic relationship between ESG performance and sustainable green innovation practices in Chinese A-share listed companies from 2011 to 2022. The results show a positive correlation between ESG performance and the level of corporate sustainable green innovation. They also validate the moderating roles of informal external pressure and internal development demands. While the moderating effect of public environmental concern (PEC) is not significant, corporate digital transformation (CDT) significantly and positively moderates the relationship between ESG performance and sustainable green innovation. These findings offer policymakers and corporations a means to formulate a framework to shape the conduct of corporations to meet the market's green development needs and to establish instruments that promote green innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysia has been struggling to effectively manage waste which accounts for a substantial amount of greenhouse gases. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify whether renewable energy from combustible renewable and waste could significantly reduce the total greenhouse gas emissions in both the short and long run in Malaysia. This study applies time series estimation techniques which cover 47 years of Malaysia's data from the year 1971–2018. The model fits VECM estimation which examines the renewable energy effect on greenhouse gas emissions in the short and long run. The empirical analysis significantly establishes that the renewable energy reduced the total greenhouse gas emissions in the long run. Statistically, a 1% increase in combustible renewable and waste (CRW) reduced the total greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 0.14% in the long run. Furthermore, arable land, methane emissions potentially reduced greenhouse gas emissions between 1971–2018. However, economic growth and carbon dioxide emissions from manufacturing industries and construction significantly increased total greenhouse gas emissions in the long run. The study concludes empirically that waste generation could be utilized to produce renewable energy through combustible renewable and waste which could slowly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporations operating in energy-intensive industries have faced increasing pressure to introduce green management practices (GMPs), while seeking to pursue profitability for the benefit of shareholders. Although chief executive officers (CEOs) and corporate boards with environmental governance experience are likely to seek the adoption of GMPs, it may not happen among young and low financial performance corporations owing to a lack of operational experience and financial constraints. Drawing from institutional theory, this study proposes that the influence of CEOs and corporate boards’ environmental governance experience on GMPs will depend on their age and financial position of the corporations. Four hypotheses were tested using panel data (2011–2015) from 209 publicly-listed corporations drawn from energy-intensive industries in Malaysia. The results reveal that CEOs with environmental governance experience among young and high financial corporations are likely to adopt GMPs, but not among old and low financial performance corporations. The results also reveal that corporate boards with environmental governance experience are likely to adopt GMPs among young and old corporations, and low and high financial performance corporations. The findings provide strong implications for government policy in general, and the emerging economies in particular to promote environmental governance for achieving sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of psychological factors on consumer purchase intention for electric vehicles (EVs) through the lens of Self-Determination Theory (SDT). By integrating the three dimensions of autonomy, relatedness, and competence, this study addresses a research gap in consumer innovative consumption, offering a deeper understanding of green transportation. The research reveals that psychological factors significantly influence innovative consumption and the purchase intention of EVs, aligning with the existing literature. In sustainable transportation, psychological factors such as motivation, attitude, and inner activities increasingly drive purchase decisions. This study examines the direct and indirect effects of psychological factors on purchase intention by employing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA). It also considers the moderating role of driving experience in the relationship between psychological factors and innovative consumption. This combined data analysis approach provides a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms influencing purchase intention, highlighting the intricate interplay between psychological determinants and consumer behavior in the adoption of electric vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to expand the current understanding of the antecedents and consequences of green purchase intention within the context of perceived green value (PGV). This study uniquely combines PLS-SEM and NCA to provide a comprehensive analysis of the factors influencing green purchase intention, offering a novel methodological contribution to the field. By examining the roles of influence and interaction as key precursors to perceived responsibility and self-efficacy, the research adds new dimensions to understanding how these factors shape green purchase intentions. Additionally, we explore how PER and PSE impact green purchase intention (GPI), primarily through their mediating effects. The survey data collected from consumers reveal that PGV positively influences GPI. Furthermore, both PER and PSE exhibit significant chain mediation effects, with the mediation effect of perceived environmental responsibility being particularly strong. This study provides actionable insights for policymakers and electric vehicle manufacturers, emphasizing the importance of green education, certification systems, and the promotion of environmental and economic attributes to foster green purchasing behavior. The findings suggest that government efforts should focus on intensifying green education and promoting the establishment of certification and evaluation systems for electric vehicle products. Meanwhile, electric vehicle manufacturers should highlight the environmental and economic benefits of their products to stimulate green purchasing behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to examine the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) with social networks (SNs) as a mediator and the business environment (BE) as a moderator among Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in Cambodia. Using a snowballing sampling methodology, the study gathered data from 103 SMEs to undertake the moderation-mediation analysis. The findings show that SN mediates and BE moderates the association between EO and SCA, demonstrating that entrepreneurs focus on leveraging external resources to compete in the marketplace, especially when embedded in a highly dynamic but hostile BE. The evidence shows that a profound understanding of small business internationalisation and operational factors can assist home and host governments to support better the relocation and functioning of SMEs abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the initiatives of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) and especially since the Paris Agreement of 2015, corporate environmental performance has become a critical component of corporate financial performance. Particularly, stakeholder pressure has driven environmental and financial inclusion targeted at raising corporate performance. Hence, this paper examines the link between corporations’ environmental performance (CEP) and corporations’ financial performance (CFP) using annual panel data from 130 corporations from China and 166 corporations annually over the years from 2010 to 2018. The empirical results from the FMOLS and ARDL tests show that corporations’ good emission preventive practices translate into improved financial performance in Japan but not in China, which is a reflection of the advanced earlier development of environmental governance in the former and the latecomer status of the latter. Nevertheless, environmental disclosure raises corporate financial performance in both China and Japan in the long run but CSR strategy is negatively correlated with corporate financial performance. Also, while the Dumitrescu Hurlin causality test shows that there is significant bidirectional causality between CEP and CFP in the Japan sample, this relationship is weak in the China sample. While the results confirm actions by Japan and China to strengthen corporate environmental governance, the initiatives in China should be quickened to enhance the relationship between CEP and CFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Productivity gains are not only important for competitiveness but also for other welfare gains. And, importantly, industry structure matters in driving the productive gains. This study examines the labor productivity of food manufacturing firms in Malaysia and the effect of capability and human capital on productivity. The findings show productivity heterogeneity among firms, and as capabilities and human capital grow, productivity gains become much higher. Importantly, it shows that bundles of capability, namely, innovation, information and communication technology (ICT) and marketing as well as human capital become more relevant as firms move to the higher end of the productivity distribution. The findings are robust to different measures of human capital and capabilities. Examining the effects separately indicates that innovation matters the most in driving labor productivity. The coefficient of ICT declines as firms move up the conditional productivity distribution. Likewise, market creating capability of the firms enhances productivity, but the coefficient does not vary across the lower and upper productivity quantiles. The study concludes the implications for persistent labor productivity differences across capabilities and human capital by drawing policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of economic globalization, the issue of industrial upgrading has gradually become the focus of scholars. This paper provides a systematic review of academic research focused on industrial upgrading. Using CiteSpace 6.1.R 5 visualization tools, we collected 1535 articles from the Web of Science database over 30 years. This paper identified the most influential publications, authors, journals, institutions, and countries in this field. Additionally, this paper analysed the structures of cited references, cited authors, and cited journals to gain insights into theoretical foundations. Lastly, the collective results obtained using CiteSpace will contribute to a better understanding of industrial upgrading in the form of a "Scientific and technological innovation evaluation index system in China" for both theorists and practitioners. This paper combines bibliometric methods with systematic reviews to help researchers and practitioners better understand the development of industrial upgrading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All defendants before the International Criminal Court (ICC) to date have been African, with their alleged crimes having been committed, at least partly, on African soil. When turning to national laws to resolve issues of interpretation in these cases, should the ICC see whether it can use laws of the African state in which the crime occurred? This article argues that it should, but observes – from a dataset of 16,192 citations containing over 200 citations to national laws – that it rarely does. Instead, it turns much more often to Western European and US laws. This phenomenon, the article suggests, troublingly reflects and perpetuates the marginalization of African and other global South laws from what constitutes international law. The article also argues that the Rome Statute requires the ICC to at least examine for appropriateness the laws of a subset of these neglected systems ('the national laws of States that would normally exercise jurisdiction over the crime') when identifying general principles of law. There are several compelling reasons to extend this examination requirement to African and other global South country laws more broadly, and even when not dealing with general principles of law, and few reasons not to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper identifies the motivations for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) when they undertake greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) into an emerging market. It elucidates the factors that influence SMEs to choose a fully equity-based investment despite the significant risks and commitments involved with greenfield FDI. Design/methodology/approach: This exploratory study uses case study research based on interviews conducted with managers and founders of 16 German SMEs that have established greenfield operations in Malaysia. Findings: Building upon the transaction cost theory, five major motivations are identified that drive greenfield choice among the SMEs. The results imply that SME motivation for greenfield is derived from a combination of strategic asset-seeking determinants and culturally driven reactions to external and behavioral uncertainty. The results also ascertain that these motivations have less to do with the size and revenue of the firm, but hinge on the SMEs' inner antecedents such as asset specificity, international experience, proprietary knowledge and ownership mode. Originality/value: The findings clarify the literature on equity-based entry mode for SMEs in emerging economies, enabling a closer understanding of the organizational and dynamic experiences and an overview of the auxiliary competencies these companies have to compete in the global market. The conceptual insights and empirical evidence derived from this study contribute to the intellectual discourse and managerial implications in the field of internationalization strategies of SMEs, particularly from developed countries into emerging markets via greenfield FDI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste output have risen sharply in Malaysia due to economic growth, population growth, and urbanization, which threatens to exhaust existing landfills in the country. This study seeks to examine the factors that encourage millennial households' green disposal conduct using the extended Theory of Planned Behaviour model by incorporating institutional motivation variables. Using 671 responses collected from urban and rural millennial households in Perak, the study deployed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to identify the institutional factors that correlate with green disposal practices. The results show that millennials' intention to practise green disposal is significantly influenced by perceived behavioural control, attitude, subjective norms, and institutional motivation. In addition, the follow-up with an in-depth investigation into the dimensions of institutional motivation found that informal institutional support significantly influences millennials' intention. In contrast, the formal institution of sanction on its own showed an insignificant direct impact, and only significantly impacted intention indirectly through attitude. Such a finding is augmented by the significant mediating effect of attitude on the relationship between institutional motivation and green disposal intention. Overall, the findings show that perceived behavioural control, positive attitude, and informal institutions can influence millennials' intention to adopt green disposal practices, which indirectly has the potential to divert considerably municipal waste away from landfills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors would like to make the following corrections about the published paper [[1]]. The changes are as follows:Replacing the table caption of Table 9:Mechanism test of digital technology innovation.withMechanism test of Industrial Structure Optimization.The authors state that the scientific conclusions are unaffected. This correction was approved by the Academic Editor. The original publication has also been updated.By Hongbo Fu and Rajah RasiahReported by Author; Author [Extracted from the article]

This paper adopts the two-way fixed effect model to analyze the listed enterprises on the New Third Board (NEEQ) from 2014 to 2021. In the process of analysis, to ensure the rationality of the regression results, the missing core data and related data of financial enterprises are excluded. Through empirical analysis, this paper draws the following conclusions: (1) Tax incentives can promote enterprise innovation. (2) Internal and external financing constraints inhibit enterprise innovation. (3) Internal and external financing constraints play an intermediary role in tax incentives and enterprise innovation. (4) The intermediary effect of internal financing constraints is significant in both the fundamental layer and the innovation layer, while the external financing constraints are only significant in the fundamental layer. (5) Compared with state-owned enterprises, the intermediary effect of internal and external financing constraints is more significant in non-state-owned enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study examines the factors of sustainable technology adoption (STA) in the Bangladeshi's apparel industry and its impact on the environmental performance and other firm performances. Mainly, this study adopts stakeholder theory and hypothesizes necessary conditions to examine different stakeholders' roles to facilitate STA and ameliorate firm performances such as environmental, financial and competitive advantages. Design/methodology/approach: It is an empirical study which collected 240 responses from Bangladeshi apparel firms. Garment factories were considered as the unit of analysis. Findings: Customer pressure, top management, competition among firms and government support significantly and positively impact STA. Surprisingly, regulatory pressure has no significant impact on the Bangladeshi's apparel industry, which contradicts most existing literature in the field. The findings show that sustainable technology brings increased simultaneously enhances environmental outcomes and enhances financial performances and competitive advantage. Originality/value: This study fills up the voids that exist in the STA literature in the clothing industry in the clothing industry's STA literature. Specifically, western buyers have more influence than regulatory pressure to adopt sustainable technology and sustainable manufacturing for the Bangladeshi garments industry. Moreover, it proposes that sustainable technology can enhance firms' competitive advantage in selling their products in the West besides environmental-friendly apparel manufacturers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following decades of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation industry, most car companies will stop producing petrol cars and promote the development of new energy vehicles in the near future, even in China. This study is based on energy vehicle exports using China's 31 provinces' panel data from 2010 to 2020. Considering that China mainly engages in processing trade, this study analyzes the domestic energy vehicle's export sophistication after deleting intermediate goods, measuring the relationship between export sophistication and industrial upgrading with static and dynamic panel models. Then, heterogeneity tests were deployed to examine the domestic export sophistication of three major economic belts partition. The results revealed that improving export sophistication is conducive to realizing China's industrial upgrading. China's new energy vehicles industry is positively affected by export sophistication, R&D, foreign direct investment, average GDP growth rate, market factors, and human resources over the long run. Regarding regional stratification, domestic export sophistication in the eastern and western regions has more significant effects on promoting industrial upgrading than in the central region. In particular, in western regions, every increase in export sophistication by one unit will bring a significant industrial upgrading effect. Given this, China's new energy vehicles should increase export sophistication to help the country's industrial upgrading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the institutional structures and other predictors that determine bilateral trade between Africa and China from 1995 to 2017. Design/methodology/approach: In line with the gravity model of trade, institutional, geographical and socio-economic determinants of China's bilateral trade with 18 African oil/minerals exporting countries are examined by deploying Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood and dynamic bias-corrected least squares dummy variable econometric techniques. Findings: The results indicate that China's oil/minerals imports from Africa are higher than imports of manufacturing and agricultural goods, and institutional structures indicate that a weak politically stable region with less control of corruption has a discernible effect on trade. Research limitations/implications: Further insight can be gained if the type of manufactured goods being exported to China is examined; this is necessary given that China crowds out Africa's manufactured goods. Therefore, this study recommends the need for Africa to continually strengthen its institutional structures to stimulate trade from other regions. Originality/value: This study examines the quality of the institutional structures (political stability and corruption) in African oil/minerals exporting countries, considering that China has been alleged for capitalising on Africa's weak institutional structures to trade with the resource-endowed region. For the first time, the UN COMTRADE HS product-country-partner-year trade data is used to examine on bilateral sector trade China–Africa links rather than proxies used in the studies of Biggeri and Sanfilippo (2009), De Grauwe et al. (2012) and Foad (2011) that did not capture the real trade value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) counselling and testing (HCT) plays a major role in the continuum of HIV programmes in Nigeria. However, HIV-related stigma (STGM) poses a serious threat to its success. Consequently, a cross-sectional study was carried out to examine whether STGM mediates the relationships between the explanatory variables (HIV-related knowledge, HIV transmission misconception (MSHIV), and perceived seriousness of HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)), and the outcome variable (HCT service utilization). The mediation analysis was undertaken using data from 768 individuals collected through convenience sampling in the Local Government Areas of Alimosho, Ikorodu, and Surulere of Lagos state, and deploying partial least squares–structural equation modelling. The results show that STGM played a mediating role in the relationship between MSHIV, perceived seriousness of HIV/AIDS, and HCT utilization. These findings offer wide ramifications for the intensification and enforcement of Nigeria's HIV/AIDS Anti-Discrimination Act 2014 to eradicate stigma, which is important to enhance uptake of HCT to achieve the United Nations' 90-90-90 HIV targets by 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to assess industrial upgrading in the semiconductor industry in East Asia. Research into 25 firms, and subsequently the entire value chain specialization of these firms, as well as the filing of patents in the United States at the aggregate country level show that special focus on technological upgrading is critical to attract or stimulate firms' participation in frontier R&D and wafer fabrication activities. Within these categories supportive R&D in assembly and test operations can be achieved in reasonably strong Science Technology and Innovation (STI) infrastructure in particular national locations endowed with strong basic infrastructure. Only in countries where frontier semiconductor research is carried out at universities and where a strong discipline-based incentive mechanism is around, have semiconductor firms established frontier R&D and frontier wafer fabrication activities, such as in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. China has embarked on upgrading to such activities since 2017 suggesting that it could follow the same path to maturity. Consequently, the evidence shows that semiconductor manufacturing is most sticky with the highest technological sophistication in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan where the upgrading incentives and the STI infrastructure have been the most incisive, while China shows a promising movement in that direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indeed, China's ascent is significantly changing the landscape in aid-donor and aid-recipient relationship for African countries, despite the changes, empirical studies on the determinant and motive is lacking. Therefore, this paper examines the determinants of China's financial aid to oil/minerals exporting African countries. By using China's loan data obtained from the China Africa Research Initiative, Johns Hopkins University and UN-COMTRADE product data classified into oil/minerals, agriculture and manufacturing, this study employs fixed effects, generalised least squares and Pesaran dynamic fixed effects to analyse the motives. The results indicate that oil/minerals are not the motives behind China's aid to Africa. However, China's aid is driven by its manufacturing exports, suggesting that aid may be tied to trade. Also, the institutional structure enhances more financial aid to Africa. The findings of this study serve as recommendations for policymakers to improve trade policies that will enhance the sustainability of Africa's engagement with China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV/AIDS is a major health issue faced by the world, generally, but particularly sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria ranked third in the world by number of people living with HIV/AIDS in 2019. Despite prominent HIV counselling and testing (HCT) intervention programmes, Nigeria faces serious challenges, such as inadequate funding and low utilisation rates. Paucity of research into such a critical topic has restricted the capacity of policy makers to address the problem adequately. Consequently, a cross-sectional study was carried out using the contingent valuation method to assess the economic quantum of payment and determining factors associated with people's willingness to pay for HCT services. Data were collected from 768 people selected by convenience sampling of three local government areas — Alimosho, Ikorodu and Surulere in Lagos State, Nigeria. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square, Mann–Whitney, and general linear regression model analysis. Findings show that 75% of respondents were willing to pay an average fee of N 1 291 ($4.22) for HCT services. Significant determinants of willingness to pay were: income; knowledge of someone living with HIV or died of AIDS; worry about HIV infection; and fear of HIV-related stigma. The findings offer vital information germane to co-payment schemes aimed at financial sustainability of HCT and HIV/AIDS programmes in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The gap between the demand and the supply of human organs for transplantation is on the rise in Malaysia, despite the efforts of governments to promote donor registration. Factors affecting willingness to donate are contextual and vary from country to country. This research mainly focuses on the selection of most suitable organ donation system through factors affecting willingness to donate in Malaysia. The objectives of this study are to prioritize those factors acting as the pillars of the organ donation system and further to select the most suitable organ donation system for Malaysia. Patients and Methods: The data were collected from 35 experts by using a bipolar questionnaire. The study applied an analytical hierarchal process (AHP) for prioritization factors contributing to willingness to donate and then selection of a suitable organ donation system based on prioritized factors. Results: Based on the AHP results, it is evident that donation perception (0.36) has the highest priority in influencing organ donation rates, followed by socioeconomic status (0.32), demographic factors (0.23), and financial incentives (0.09). Further, our results challenge the existing opt-in donation system in Malaysia and present a presumptive approach as a suitable system for increasing deceased donation rate in Malaysia. Presumptive approach promotes the role of health-care professionals in securing the family consent. Conclusion: This approach is a person-oriented rather than process-oriented strategy and it relies on designated requesters' skills to evoke altruism among bereaved families. Based on results, the authors recommended that relevant government agencies focus on training nurses to discuss donation with bereaved families and raising public awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Organ supply–demand in developing countries worldwide has continued to widen. Hence, using a large survey (n ¼ 10,412), this study seeks to investigate whether human psychology could be used to inculcate philanthropy to raise deceased organ donation rates. Methods: Three models were constructed to examine multidimensional relationships among the variables. Structural equation modeling was applied to estimate the direct and indirect influence of altruism, financial incentives, donation perception, and socioeconomic status simultaneously on willingness to donate deceased organs. Ethical considerations: The study was approved by the University of Malaya ethics committee. Results: The results show that altruism amplifies the impact of socioeconomic status and donation perception on willingness to donate. Also, the results show that financial incentives cannot complement altruism to raise organ donation rates. Hence, investing in education and public awareness enhances altruism in people, which then increases the propensity to donate. Conclusion: Evidence suggests that governments should allocate resources to increase public awareness about organ donation. Awareness programs about the importance of philanthropic donations and the participation of medical consultants at hospitals in the processes form the foundation of such a presumptive approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia ratified the agreement on the establishment of the World Trade Organization, including its annex agreement, the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) in 1995. The alignment of Indonesian Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) with that of the WTO's TRIPS has been made easy owing to shared universal human principles that emanated from the country's constitution that was established at the time of independence. Consequently, Indonesia has transformed its legal system to be in sync with the United Nations Bill of Rights. While the WTO's TRIPS Agreement focused heavily on IPRs to which Indonesia's contribution by way of filings has been low, Indonesia offers other countries lessons in the more subtle area of public order and morality. Community-based IPRs have emerged as a new area of interest in international fora, which has led to the recognition of traditional sources of knowledge, traditional cultural expressions and intangible cultural heritage. It is in this context that the Ten Principles of Bandung on cultural equality is examined to provide an illuminating account of how the harmonization of universal IPRs can help promote cultural equality for the benefit of society globally. The Five Principles of Indonesia's constitution evolved to recognize the diversity generated from around 1300 indigenous communities in Indonesia. This paper provides an elucidating account of interventions to protect public order and morality using the examples of the Buddha Bar case, the Tropic Effect and the Wayang Golek statues. The manner in which the Indonesian government acted to protect public order and morality offers an incisive narrative towards strengthening universal regulations on cultural equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study critically evaluates two COP proposals on Malaysia that have been under consideration to reduce climate damage. A top-down disaggregation framework deploying an "Empirical Regional Downscaling Dynamic Integrated Model of Climate and the Economy" is used to evaluate the local government climate roadmap and Malaysia's emissions reduction agendas under COP21 and subsequently COP22 proposals. The findings show that the costs from climate damage over the period 2010–2110 under the Malaysian Optimal Climate Action scenario will amount to MYR5,483 (US$1589) billion. The commensurate climate damage costs under the COP21 and COP22 scenario would be MYR5, 264 (US$1526) billion. Thus, the effective proposal for reducing climate damage in Malaysia over the period 2010–2110 is the COP22 time-adjusted COP21 proposal but there are a number of macroeconomic cost implications for savings and consumption that policy makers must address before acting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of wealth inequality on education inequality in the sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, including by decomposing inequality across gender. Specifically, it analyzes the impact of wealth concentration on the distribution of educational attainment using a sample of cross-sectional data from the USAID Demographic Health Survey on 25 countries, and deploying the education inequality Gini, generalized Lorenz curve, and Lorenz concentration curve. Educational attainment and wealth index were estimated to capture education inequality and wealth concentration. The findings confirm that social exclusion has remained chronic in SSA. Apart from Zimbabwe, SSA have not only failed to raise incidence levels of secondary and tertiary education, but also have largely been unable to reduce education inequality. Regardless of oil and gas endowments, investments going to education have remained low in these countries, while gender disparity on educational attainment burdening females has been high in Nigeria, Gambia, Ghana and Guinea. With the exception of Comoros, wealth concentration is the prime cause of education inequality in the remaining countries. The findings call for effective policies for the poor and females to raise their education levels thereby enabling them to earn incomes to break the vicious cycle of education inequality caused by wealth inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open innovation has become a popular approach, especially since 2003, as people began purposively managing, evolving and harnessing knowledge flows across organizational boundaries but through increasing connections with systemic knowledge nodes relevant to the innovation process. The creation and appropriation of such knowledge has evolved rapidly with digitalization and the proliferation of broadband networks. Individuals, firms and organizations now connect and coordinate to support innovations openly across innovation systems. This paper proposes an open systems model with institutional underpinnings to not only quicken knowledge flows and expand the networks to a wider range of socioeconomic agents, but also for their inclusive participation in shaping the processes of achieving sustainable development through environmental greening and egalitarian balancing of society. In doing so, using examples, the paper focuses on developments since Schumpeter's ground-breaking exposition of innovation to explain how individuals, firms, farms and organizations can participate actively in open innovation networks to connect productively with the critical knowledge nodes in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to conceptualise and document the historical evolution of microfinance in Bangladesh using the life cycle theory (LCT). Based on the LCT nomenclature, the microfinance sector in Bangladesh shows characteristics broadly consistent with the saturation phase (2006–2015) – which potentially has adverse impacts on both microfinance clients and institutions. The maturity phase (1996–2005) of microfinance has corresponded with competition and several innovations (financial and non-financial). However, the saturation phase sees increasing presence of uncoordinated microfinance institutions and expansion of multiple borrowing, as well as commercialisation and 'mission drift', which constitute important challenges for the regulatory authority and management of microfinance institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unprecedented rise in China’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stocks to resource-endowed countries in Africa from the beginning of the new millennium has generated considerable debate on the motive. Most of the existing studies on the determinants of China’s bilateral foreign investment in Africa are qualitative. While the quantitative analyses studies are limited due to data availability. We use longer time span disaggregate FDI data to empirically examine the extent to which exports, institutional quality and other explanatory variables determine China’s FDI in oil/minerals exporting African countries. We find out that, of all the exports variables, oil and agricultural exports, facilitate most of China’s foreign investment. Moreover, the institutional quality variable (political instability) has an overall negative and significant impact on FDI. This indicates that a strong political stable region has a discernible effect on Chinese FDI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its formation in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has progressed to become an economic powerhouse. From a loosely formed grouping in the 1960s, its members have since undergone massive integration. A key motive of the Association is to transfer government and public services onto a technology platform, termed e-govemment. An important concern is whether e-governance can reduce corruption and stimulate sustainable development. Using traditional governance measures and e-governance indices, this paper analyses the state of governance and corruption in ASEAN. While the deepening o f e-govemance -- via government and public participation -- has raised the potential for improving good governance practices, that in itself can be counterproductive as socioeconomic agents could broaden corrupt practices by appropriating its public-good-like characteristics. Hence, ASEAN governments have to implement changes in their communications strategies and feedback mechanisms, remove barriers blocking the spread and use of information technology, and promote a collaborative environment with civil society organizations, while considering the use of the "carrot and stick" approach to improve good governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the association between health condition and conversion factors (i.e. environmental, individual and social) among workers in the ready-made garment (RMG) industry in Bangladesh. It used data gathered from a cross-sectional survey of 775 RMG workers in the Dhaka and Narayanganj districts. Using multiple logistic regression, the study found that: (1) achieving good health among RMG workers is hindered by various factors including high job-related demands, high noise levels, workplace crowding, heavy workloads, and low level of educational attainment; (2) job-related rewards and marital status have contributed to achieving good health; (3) health condition of workers is worse for women than for men; and (4) poor health condition is more prevalent among the oldest age group than in the lowest age category. The main contributions of this research: (1) this study develops a comprehensive framework to determine the factors affecting the health condition of manufacturing workers in general, and RMG workers in particular; and (2) it also examines the effects of both psychosocial and physical working conditions on the health of RMG workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the prime objective of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) is to alleviate poverty, their sustainability is largely dependent on their productivity. Using the Malmquist approach and a panel dataset of 21 MFIs, this paper analyzes changes in the productivity of China's MFIs between 2010 and 2012. Our findings reveal that the productivity of the MFIs in China stagnated due to the lack of technological change, despite progress in technical efficiency. Technical efficiency has been bolstered by improved management practices and size effect. The findings help improve our understanding of the Chinese microfinance sector in general, and MFIs' productivity in particular. One policy implication that can be drawn from the evidence is to encourage MFIs participation in innovation activities, so that the stimulation of technological change can improve the overall productivity of Chinese MFIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the determinants of board size and board independence during an economic transition in China. It contributes to the body of Chinese corporate governance studies by applying the most comprehensive analytical framework to the periods before and after the split-share structure reform. Both static and dynamic estimation methods have been used. Overall, the study found that Chinese board size and independence are jointly determined by the scope of operation, cost and benefit of monitoring, CEO's influence and other governance factors. Among these factors, the government was the most important player in constituting corporate boards before the split-share structure reform; after the reform, board independence became more important than other governance factors. In addition, when constituting corporate boards, private and market-oriented state enterprises are more concerned about cost than are government-controlled enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is considerable expansion of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the developing countries, there is a paucity of literature that examines the determinants of their Financial Performance (FP) among the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). This article seeks to investigate the determinants of FP of MFIs in Bangladesh over the period 2007-2013. Using two different measures of financial performance (portfolio yield and profit margin), the results indicate that the depth and breadth of social outreach can improve FP of MFIs. In particular, targeting women borrowers, increasing the average loan per borrower and increasing the number of active borrowers can contribute significantly to enhance the FP of MFIs. The results also show that, increasing savings and reducing operating expense can also contribute to increase MFIs’s financial performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to evaluate potential reductions in climate damage following the introduction of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in Malaysia over the period 2015-2030. The simulation produced interesting results. While gross climate damage under the BAU scenario increased to RM7.1 billion in 2030, the commensurate damage under the slow, moderate and high hydrogen adaptation fell to MYR2.0 billion, MYR1.7 billion and MYR1.2 billion, respectively. CO2 emissions will fall from 214MT under the BAU scenario to 203MT, 176MT and 122MT, respectively, under the slow, moderate and high scenarios, respectively. Although real GDP is expected to stagnate over the period 2015-2030 under all three adaptation scenarios, the welfare benefits are expected to expand from the greening environment. While the high adaptation scenarios offer the best quantitative results, the choice of the intensity of adaptation will depend on the regulatory framework and the extent to which consumers can adapt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses climate mitigation impact once the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) introduce their respective Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) using dynamic non-linear computable general equilibrium modelling and 2010 input-output tables. The results indicate that atmospheric concentration of carbon and temperatures under the business as usual (BAU) scenario will fall from 390 PPM and 0.80°C respectively in 2010 to 351PPM and 0.79°C respectively, whereas under the optimal scenario it will fall to 329PPM and 0.71°C respectively in 2060. Cumulative climate damage under BAU and optimal scenarios will remain the same at MYR8.0 Billion, MYR14.3 Billion and MYR 24.8 Billion respectively in 2010, 2015 and 2020 but it will rise after that to MYR579 Billion under the former compared to MYR513 Billion under the latter in 2060. The reduction in carbon emissions shall also be achieved without a tangible fall in GDP per capita. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming has emerged as one of the most serious threats to the existence of humankind. There is also increasing acknowledgement that old arguments that focused on the exhaustion of economic resources and changing dynamics of utility are no longer necessary and useful in confronting climate change. This article reviews the main arguments that have shaped recent global initiatives on mitigating climate change and global warming. The increasing introduction of climate change mitigation initiatives comes from the recognition that such initiatives no longer require reducing economic growth. Fortunately, recent developments appear promising as the majority of the world's nations pledged at the Paris Accord of 2015 to check environmental degradation. Consequently, individual signatories have supplied intended national determined contribution proposals to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change to cap temperature rise to 1.5 ˚C over the next century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This study aimed at investigating the influence of corporate governance on firm risk during the Chinese state enterprise reform. The purposes of this study are to examine the effects of board independence, state ownership and other governance variables on firm risk and to check the influence of controlling shareholder types on firm risk.Design/methodology/approach This study uses the dynamic and static panel model to estimate the effects of board independence, state ownership and other governance factors on return volatility. To examine the influence of controlling shareholder types on corporate risk-taking, this study further used the treatment effect model (or sample selection model) to analyze the effect of private, state-owned enterprise (SOE) entity, central government and local government controls on corporate risk-taking.Findings It was found that the enforcement of board independence significantly increases firm risk. The strategy of decentralizing state enterprises (from central government to local government) is a good way to achieve stable stock returns.Originality value This study contributes to existing knowledge in several ways. First, it focused on independent directors rather than on the size of the corporate board. Second, it highlighted the impacts of state ownership and control on corporate risk. Instead of treating all types of state ownership as homogenous, SOEs are further classified into directly controlled and indirectly controlled, in line with prior studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an empirical analysis of how corporate tax management and government ownership influence a firm's stock price crash risk. The study investigates firm-specific stock price crash to corporate tax management based on a sample of Chinese listed enterprises during 2008 to 2013 period and finds that tax management activities can lead to a significant decline in short-term crash risk. However, the results show that tax management would lead to the high probability of future crash risk, which is consistent with agency conflict between management and shareholders. Because of the opacity and complexity of tax management, there exists opportunities for short-term rentseeking which can lead to future crashes. In addition, the study finds that the positive relationship between tax management and future crash risk is more pronounced in enterprises controlled by the municipal government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economies of Malaysia and China have become increasingly integrated through trading and investment linkages. This article focuses on one aspect of this relationship, examining Chery, a Chinese car maker, and its internationalisation strategy and its localisation efforts in Malaysia. It does this by analysing Chery's interaction with the host government, local partners and suppliers. Using an in-depth case study, it was found that Chery's experience in navigating a set of complex state-society relations in Malaysia resulted from an adaptation of its business strategy to address protectionist and institutional constraints found in Malaysia. However, while relations between Chery, the local partner and government agencies have grown strongly, few interactions have evolved between Chery and local suppliers and national research and development facilities, limiting collective learning processes and production collaboration in Malaysia. The evidence also suggests that Chery's present conundrum of low sales in the country could be solved through negotiations with the Malaysian government so as to evolve mutually beneficial partnerships with national automotive makers. The Malaysian government may also consider easing its protectionist measures to allow more foreign participation into the auto sector to stimulate growth and competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several governments, including Malaysia's, have promoted small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for the socio-economic benefits such policies bring. Since the 1990s, Malaysian SMEs have progressed to take advantage of the exporting opportunities opened up by regional trading arrangements (RTAs). Using the electronics industry, which is prevalent in the manufacturing sector of Malaysia, this paper seeks to analyse the relationships between size and technological and performance variables. While foreign electronics firms in Malaysia have been thoroughly studied in the past, this paper focuses on national firms, which have been understudied thus far. SMEs show stronger participation in exports to ASEAN countries than large firms. Size did not matter in the intensity of use of technological capability variables. The government's initiatives to support them with ICT infrastructure, and trade promotion may have been successful. Also, RTAs show significant importance as the relationship between firms using them and intensity of exports to ASEAN and Northeast Asia is positive and strong. Also, while the incidence of participation in in-house R&D (IHRD) and training expenditure in payroll (TEP) is higher among firms that have used RTA instruments compared to firms that have not, firm size was not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite rapid financial development, the coverage of the formal banking sector and population holding deposit accounts in Bangladesh (53.7 %) is still below the global average (62 %). As a consequence, Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) have started providing financial services to these large section of people who have little access to finance otherwise. This paper examines empirically the impact of MFIs on the savings of poor in Bangladesh using the data from Microcredit Regulatory Authority database. The sample comprises 719 MFIs with data over the period, 2007-2012. The results show that MFI numbers and number of branches are positively associated with saving in the sector, which supports the institutional savings theory that posits that availability of financial institutions shapes saving behavior of people. Also, number of employees and number of borrowers positively affect saving. These findings from a large database contributes to the literature on the impact MFIs on savings behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]