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Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of cholera, an acute diarrheal disease that spreads locally and globally in epidemics and pandemics. Although it was discovered that fish harbor V. cholerae strains in their intestines, most investigations revealed non-toxic V. cholerae serogroups in fish. Due to the rarity of toxigenic V. cholerae serogroups, it is difficult to cultivate these strains from environmental samples. Hence, here we aimed to uncover evidence of the occurrence of toxigenic V. cholerae in the intestines and spleens of various fish species. By using molecular detection tools, we show that V. cholerae O1 and strains positive for the cholera toxin inhabit both healthy and diseased fish intestines and spleens, suggesting that fish may serve as intermediate vectors of toxigenic V. cholerae. No significant differences were found between the abundance of toxigenic V. cholerae (either O1 or cholera toxin positive strains) in the healthy and the diseased fish intestines or spleens. In conclusion, a variety of fish species may serve as potential vectors and reservoirs of toxigenic V. cholerae as they form a link between the other reservoirs of V. cholerae (chironomids, copepods, and waterbirds). Similarly, they may aid in the spread of this bacterium between water bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic growth growth is crucial to improve community welfare in the long term. Although Indonesia’s economic growth is on an upward trend, Indonesia must remain vigilant in its relationship with the global world due to the rapidly changing and highly uncertain dynamics. Indonesia’s economic growth is also inseparable from the influence of various provinces’ economic growth, which varies due to the economic dynamics between regions. These dynamics can influence the region’s contribution to national economic growth. Therefore, identifying the important role of the determining factors of economic growth and appropriate policies in dealing with economic dynamics between regions is crucial because sustainable economic growth is also essential for improving community welfare. This study examines the determinants of Indonesia’s economic growth from a regional economic perspective, using a Dynamic Panel Data analysis model with three estimation models. The first model focuses on the primary variables of technological progress, population, and investment. The second model adds the human capital variable, while the third model further incorporates the variables of open economy, economic structure changes, and income inequality. The study utilizes data from the Indonesian Central Statistics Agency, covering 27 provinces from 2015 to 2022. The results indicate that increased technological progress, population, investment, human resources, economic openness, and economic structure changes can increase economic growth, while inequality of income harms economic growth. This research has implications that in creating determinant conditions for conducive economic growth, it needs to be carried out evenly in all provinces in Indonesia.

The economic rise of China has changed the global economy. The authors explore China’s transformation from a low-cost manufacturing hub to an increasingly innovation- and service driven economy. Major growth drivers for the period 2010–2025 are analysed, including the paradigms of “Made in China” and the “Dual Circulation Strategy”. The export intensity of China’s economy is declining overall, with a tendency towards greater regional diversification and a gradual decoupling from North America and the European Union. At the same time, trade and investment activities are increasingly geared to the Belt and Road Initiative. Furthermore, labour and energy cost advantages for manufacturing operations in China are likely to diminish in the coming years, calling into question China’s attractiveness as a global manufacturing hub. In this regard, the further development of regional and industrial clusters is pivotal for China to enhance its global competitiveness and remain an attractive destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the medium term. On the other hand, high productivity in science and technology and rich deposits of critical minerals put China in a favourable position in advanced industries. Important challenges include the still wide development gap between rural and urban areas, the structural mismatch in the labour market, with persistently high youth unemployment, and the race to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each states play pivotal roles in contributing to the economic performance of the nation. They have their own unique economic strengths, resources, and industries that contribute to the overall economic development. Terengganu, an east coast state in Malaysia has historically faced economic challenges, marked by a lag in development compared to other regions. The fundamental problem addressed is the potential correlation between educational attainment and the region’s economic growth, aiming to understand how advancements in education might serve as a catalyst for economic progress. The objective of this research is to empirically analyze the impact of educational achievement on the economic development in Terengganu. Utilizing secondary data sourced from the Department of Statistics Malaysia and Economy Planning Unit Terengganu spanning from 2006 to 2022, Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model has been employed to estimate and understand the relationship between educational attainment and economic development. The findings suggested that educational achievement plays positive impact in heightening the economic development within the region. Education contributes to the development of human capital, fostering a skilled and knowledgeable populace capable of engaging in diverse economic activities. This, in turn, attracts investments and facilitates the emergence of industries and sectors that rely on a knowledgeable and skilled labour force. This study would provide valuable insights for policymakers and academicians to formulate targeted policies and initiatives, ultimately enhancing the economic development of the states, thus contribute to a prosperous Malaysia.

This study investigated the interplay between community-based cultural initiatives conducted by Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) and social innovation. Selecting peer-reviewed open-access articles that focus on the intersection of culture and innovation was the first step in our systematic literature review. Our analysis focused on the 76 most cited papers that included the keywords ‘community-led local development’, ‘social innovation’, and ‘cultural and creative industries’. The literature review revealed that CCIs can significantly promote social innovation through cultural engagement, particularly when they collaborate with various stakeholders. However, researchers differ in their emphasis on the nature of collaboration. Some argue that partnerships with businesses or academic institutions are essential for creating ‘heterogeneous sources of knowledge’ (HSK). Others contend that collaboration between government entities and local authorities is vital for fostering regional and local development. The third perspective introduces the notion of ‘entrepreneurial co-creation’, suggesting that CCIs work alongside stakeholders with technical and managerial expertise. Finally, there is a consensus that CCIs need to acquire new leadership skills and competencies to ensure sustainability and resilience. By synthesising these four perspectives, this study offers a comprehensive framework that positions CCIs at the core of a broader economic, territorial, managerial, and political context.

AbstractThis study offers a comprehensive analysis of the impact of extreme weather events, intensified by climate change, on India’s real Gross National Product. Focusing on hydro-geological factors crucial for India’s Gross National Product, the Auto Regressive Distributed Lag model reveals significant insights. Notably, the study reveals a significant positive correlation between the lagged real GNP (GNP(−1)) and current real GNP, emphasizing the persistence of economic growth trends. Gross Fixed Capital Formation emerges as a key determinant, with a 0.50% increase in economic growth corresponding to a 1% rise in GFCF. Forest land and rainfall exhibited substantial positive associations, contributing to a noteworthy 1.674 and 0.099% with economic growth. Conversely, CO2 emissions, rising temperatures (both Maximum Temperature and Minimum Temperature) exerted a significant negative influence on real GNP, emphasizing the need for sustainable emission reduction strategies. ARDL Bounds Test, revealed existence of a long-run relationship between real GNP and the selected variables. An ECM-Long Run Test underscores the lasting impact, with a 32.4% adjustment towards long-run equilibrium. The study establishes a bi-directional causality between real Gross National Product and carbon dioxide emissions, emphasizing the interconnectedness of economic growth and emissions. This underscores the urgency for addressing climate change alongside sustainable economic development. The findings serve as a crucial guide for evidence-based policymaking, urging proactive strategies to navigate climate challenges and ensure a prosperous, sustainable future for India. The findings contribute to the existing literature, emphasizing the multifaceted nature of factors shaping India’s sustained economic development.

This paper aims to comprehensively examine the impact of China's environmental decentralization on corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance and investigate the underlying mechanisms. We analyze data from Chinese listed firms spanning from 2010 to 2020. The empirical findings demonstrate that: Firstly, environmental decentralization significantly inhibits corporate ESG performance. Secondly, fiscal decentralization acts as a moderating factor whereby an increase in its level strengthens the inhibitory effect of environmental decentralization on corporate ESG performance. Thirdly, heterogeneity analysis reveals that the impact of environmental decentralization varies across different types of firms in terms of their ESG performance. Privately-owned, high-polluting, and high-tech companies are particularly inclined to reduce their ESG performance with increasing levels of environmental decentralization. Finally, our mechanism analysis indicates that environmental decentralization curtails ESG practices by exacerbating financing constraints for firms and deregulating ecological environments. These conclusions remain robust after addressing potential endogeneity issues and conducting various sensitivity tests. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers to promote sustainable economic development.

We construct an endogenous growth model that includes a cultural variable along the dimension of individualism-collectivism. The model predicts that more individualism leads to more innovation because of the social rewards associated with innovation in an individualist culture. This cultural effect may offset the negative effects of bad institutions on growth. Collectivism leads to efficiency gains relative to individualism, but these gains are static, unlike the dynamic effect of individualism on growth through innovation. Using genetic data as instruments for culture we provide strong evidence of a causal effect of individualism on income per worker and total factor productivity as well as on innovation. The baseline genetic markers we use are interpreted as proxies for cultural transmission but others have a direct effect on individualism and collectivism, in line with recent advances in biology and neuro-science. The effect of culture on long-run growth remains very robust even after controlling for the effect of institutions and other factors. We also provide evidence of a two-way causal effect between culture and institutions.

This study investigates the link between climate change and economic growth in Nigeria from 1961 to 2022. To provide a robust analysis that facilitates a nuanced examination of this dynamic relationship, this study employs state-of-the-art econometric approaches, including autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL), fully modified least squares (FMOLS), novel quantile autoregressive distributed lag (QARDL), and time-varying causality. The empirical results of this study are as follows: (1) the impact of climate change on economic growth is not felt in the short run. However, climate change negatively influences economic growth in Nigeria in the long run, (2) the elasticity of climate change increases across the conditional quantile economic growth, (3) unidirectional causality from climate change to economic growth across different time dimensions. These empirical outcomes advocate for a proactive and adaptive policy framework, emphasising the need for the Nigerian government to adopt climate-smart policies.

The present study explored the associations among the core resources, strategic alliances, and business strategies of the Taiwanese controlled-environment mushroom industry. A total of 492 responses were collected, and the results support the hypothesised alliance-mediating model. The results indicate that core resources comprise four dimensions: organisational capabilities, individual capabilities, tangible assets, and intangible assets. The mushroom industry has two major types of strategic alliance, namely cost reduction and strengthening professional alliances, and the business strategies employed in the industry involve international market entry and focusing on domestic market operations. The results indicate that international market entry is directly influenced by cost reduction alliances and tangible assets, and indirectly influenced by organisational and individual capabilities. Whether an organisation focuses on its domestic market operations is directly affected by organisational capabilities, cost reduction alliances and intangible assets, and indirectly affected by organisational and individual capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To attain sustainable development, a pertinent question that needs to be answered is whether good governance leads to financial inclusion (FI) and whether bank stability matters. This study examines how financial stability modulates the link between governance and FI in the Nordic-Baltic region between 2004 and 2021. Using a mixed effect model, we observed a positive causal relationship between governance and FI and bank stability modulate this causality. These findings are robust to alternative assumptions and model specifications. Interestingly, we found that good governance helps foster economic growth and social equality. The study further highlights the need for digital financial education to overcome the phobia of digital products as a priority policy agenda. Overall, this finding supports arguments in the literature that for FI to be sustainable, inequality should be low as income levels and well-being increase.

Households in low-income and food insecure nations such as Niger are vulnerable to food price shocks as a large portion of their budgets are spent on calories derived from cereals and other staples. However, there is very weak understanding of the structure of food demand in many African nations making proactive food policy recommendations ineffective. This is particularly acute in West Africa where the paucity of quantitative expenditure and consumption information has forced some studies to borrow demand parameters from other low-income nations located in regions outside of Sub-Saharan Africa. We empirically estimate food demand elasticities as tools to conduct a short-run welfare analysis of price shocks and build upon the welfare impacts to assess long-run pressure on farmland and trajectories toward future availability and price scenarios. The welfare analysis finds that an increase in millet price reduces rural welfare while a sorghum price increase primarily reduces urban households’ welfare. Given population growth, acreage-driven millet and sorghum production growth, and the income elasticities for both staples, holding all else constant, any food price shock in the future will likely result in higher welfare losses for consumers. Taken together, food price policy should focus on millet to improve the welfare of rural and the poorest households in Niger. Facing a land frontier constraint reinforces calls for total factor productivity growth in millet and sorghum to reduce pressure on marginal land. Technological change in food production and the identification of import opportunities are required to relieve upward pressure on prices given current consumption patterns, trade, land frontier constraints, and the importance of these two crops in the national food system.

Purpose: This study examines whether the gains from export sophistication is conditional on the level of globalisation. Previous studies have shown that the impact of export sophistication on growth varies depending on the level of a country's economic development. The authors argue that globalisation plays an important role in influencing the gains from export sophistication, mainly through the competition and scale effects. The competition effect disincentivises domestic firms to engage in export markets, while the scale effect incentivises knowledge accumulation and innovation. Design/methodology/approach: The authors employ data from 163 economies from 1995 to 2018. The authors re-estimate values for export sophistication using ordinary goods from 1995 to 2018 and estimate a growth model using the generalised method of moments (GMM) to control for endogeneity and simultaneity issues. Findings: The results show that the gains from export sophistication and globalisation is greater for economies with higher levels of economic development compared to economies with low levels of economic development. Moreover, the authors find that the gains from export sophistication are conditional on the level of globalisation. The authors' results show that the marginal impact of export sophistication diminishes as developing economies become more globalised, while advanced economies gain more from export sophistication when globalisation precedes at a higher level. Originality/value: Previous studies have generally examined the conditional growth effects of export sophistication on trade, economic development and other structural factors. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine the impact of globalisation, and the authors exploit the multidimensional concept of globalisation to test the hypothesis. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-01-2023-0001. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We construct an endogenous growth model that includes a cultural variable along the dimension of individualism-collectivism. The model predicts that more individualism leads to more innovation because of the social rewards associated with innovation in an individualist culture. This cultural effect may offset the negative effects of bad institutions on growth. Collectivism leads to efficiency gains relative to individualism, but these gains are static, unlike the dynamic effect of individualism on growth through innovation. Using genetic data as instruments for culture we provide strong evidence of a causal effect of individualism on income per worker and total factor productivity as well as on innovation. The baseline genetic markers we use are interpreted as proxies for cultural transmission but others have a direct effect on individualism and collectivism, in line with recent advances in biology and neuro-science. The effect of culture on long-run growth remains very robust even after controlling for the effect of institutions and other factors. We also provide evidence of a two-way causal effect between culture and institutions.

Arab oil exporting countries have been advised by the IMF to diversify their economies away from oil and that the way to do that is to adopt the ten principles of the Washington Consensus, which call for liberalization, deregulation and privatization. It is not clear how measures like these are conducive to economic diversification, but the message is obvious—that diversification cannot be done without giving the private sector the driving seat and without the participation of multinationals through foreign direct investment. This paper presents a critical evaluation of the advice given by the IMF to Arab oil exporting countries and conveys a simple message to policy-makers in those countries: that they should handle with care the advice received from the IMF.

ABSTRACTPart C of the United Nation’s (UN) 10th Sustainable Development Goal to reduce inequality addresses the high transaction costs faced by migrants when sending money home. The target is to reduce transaction fees to a maximum of 3%. To test the strength of these targets in reducing income inequality, we conducted instrumental variable (IV) estimations on 32 low-income countries for the period 2008–2021. The results show that remittances – typically made by low-paid workers–help reduce income inequality in the home country and that high transaction fees probably reduce the average remitted amount, rather than discouraging migrants from sending money home. Both remitting behaviors contribute to widening the income gap. Based on our estimations, the ‘affordable level’ is up to 1.93%. Fees greater than this would result in fewer remittances given the budget constraints faced the remitters – often employed in unskilled jobs in high-income countries. Hence, our results do not support the SDG 10.c target of 3%, and suggest that the UN should thus revise the target and set fees to be no higher than 2%.

The global community has seen the existential threat of climate change caused by rising carbon dioxide emissions. But arising out of the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is the call for a shift to clean energy technologies. The EU has set its targets to reach climate-neutrality by 2050, which requires that all Member States implement a coherent set of climate policies. The European Commission helps EU Member States design and implement reforms that support green transitions towards achieving the goals of the European Green Deal. To help the Europen Union with policy suggestions, this study investigates complementarities in the effect of economic globalization and decarbonization technologies on carbon neutrality in Germany using Fourier-based approaches between 1990 and 2019. The Fourier ARDL cointegration estimates indicate all variables are integrated. Additionally, the Fourier ARDL Long-run estimates indicate (i) both decarbonization technologies and economic globalization improve environmental quality; (ii) However, economic growth and primary energy consumption were found to cause havoc to environmental quality. To advance sustainability objectives, the German government could invest heavily in green technologies and innovation towards improving on their resilient systems and environmentally friendly infrastructure. Additionally, the European Union could implement regional trade opennes policies and regulatory measures towards inclusive green European economies that deliver on green and fair trade. Finally, the United Nations could implement projects that support partner economies to identify their unique transformational pathways through advanced analytical tools which could provide policy options and assess progress towards inclusive green economy.

Our paper aims to identify the most important factors determining companies’ decision to invest in the energy transition in Algeria. Energy transition has been many governments’ main topic of interest over the last decades, climate change has led many of them to establish long-term plans for a successful energy transition; these plans aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions following the guidelines of the COP21. Through a quantitative approach, we have addressed a questionnaire to different companies operating in Algeria and have obtained a total of 117 responses. The results show that financial, technical and regulatory factors have minimal impact on companies’ decision to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency in Algeria. Further studies should explore other investment factors to help accurately determine those that significantly impact companies’ decisions to invest in Algeria’s renewable energy and energy efficiency. Furthermore, targetting one sector at a time and exploring the alternatives of foreign direct investment in renewable energy can result in higher efficiency.

Despite a considerable body of research and gathering information on advanced technologies, there is still a study gap concerning its importance from the perspective of international competitiveness. Therefore, a question arises: what affects the competitive potential and how does it contribute to the competitive position of the high-tech sector in European Union (EU) countries? For this reason, a study was taken up to evaluate the competitive potential and competitive position of the high-tech sector in EU countries. Defining the competitiveness, competitive potential, and competitive position in the industry was the starting point for the analysis. Further, selected indices were used to evaluate the competitive potential and to establish a competitive position. The synthetic competitiveness index was also calculated. The study identified the decisive factors having an impact on the competitive potential and competitive position of the sector and the relationship between them.

We investigate whether increasing the education quality causes increases in economic growth allowing poorer countries to catch up. To this end, we extend Nelson-Phelps's classic paper by introducing differences in education quality (proxied by students' performance on the Program for International Student Assessment [PISA] test) in a leader-follower type of growth model with knowledge diffusion. We use students' performance in a standardized international PISA test to measure education quality's impact on economic growth using a panel Vector Error Correction allowing for cross-correlation in the co-integration analysis in a set of all countries observed over the years 1975–2018. Additionally, we consider the possible reverse causality that characterizes economic development and the quality of education. Our results confirm the relevance of education quality as a significant causal factor of economic growth. However, further analyses indicate that the discussed relation is long-run, which may have important implications for policymakers.

This study examines the origins and evolution of labor force participation rate differences between women from different ethnic groups in India. The data comes from the Indian National Sample Survey covering the period from 1983 to 2012. I use parametric and semi-parametric methods to study inter-group participation gaps and find that the caste gap has been narrowing over time, while the religion gap remains high. I find that Muslim women’s concentration in areas of low economic activity is the main driver of their low LFPR. I also test the role of culture in explaining inter-group gaps, using the India Human Development Survey. There has been a general fall in female participation in the labor market globally in recent years. These methods could advantageously be applied to data from other countries to investigate the employment and livelihood opportunities of women in other multi-ethnic contexts and regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to conclude on the up-to-date state of the organisational ecology theory concerning relations between organisational ageing and organisational ecology, enhanced by social and ecological systems and ecological management. The applied method included analytical and reflective concluding, based on the synthesis of findings from a critical literature review. It was concluded that: (i) organisational ageing generates some of the most important consequences in organisational ecology; however, there is still no consensus on what kind of consequences prevail; (ii) at population level, the adaptation of organisational structures occurs with the replacement of old organisations that fail to adapt by the new ones; (iii) under the prevalent backdrop of radical structural and strategic changes, individual organisations are subject to inertial forces and thus are confronted with limitations to their success; (iv) ageing has positive consequences for innovative activities of older companies; and (v) the higher the density and concentration of industry, the higher the rates of founding firms and the lower the rates of mortality.

This paper presents a new spectrum and recommendations the Indonesian Government might find highly useful in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) through electricity and water availability, Human Development Index (HDI), and COVID-19 pandemic evidence. Our study depends on cross-sectional data from 34 provinces and the time-series data from 2009 to 2020. We carry out the causality test (Dumitrescu-Hurlin) to check whether our research model is good enough to provide strategic options nationally. Furthermore, we employ the pooled ordinary least squared (POLS), fixed effect model (FEM), and random effect model (REM). The three models have so-called static panel data. Based on the Chow's and Hausman's test, we also find that the random effect is the best model to explain our empirical research. Our findings indicate that the electricity, water, HDI, and COVID-19 pandemic significantly contribute to the FDI. Our research also contributes to the literature on the predictors of FDI. This research is expected to help the Indonesian Government to make decisions on electricity, water, and human capital policy. Moreover, it highlights the direction a government or policymaker can take to attract the FDI.

This paper studies how the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 changed counties' market potential and influenced the economic geography of the USA. We compute shipment effective distances with and without the canal from each US county to each other US county and to international ports and compute the resulting change in market potential. The main elasticity would imply that a 1% increase in market potential led to a total increase of population by around 2.3% in 1940. We compute similar elasticities for wages, land values, and immigration from out of state. Tradable (manufacturing) industries react stronger than non-tradable (services) industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study empirically whether the allocation of discretionary grants across Spanish regions is related to the number of swing voters and loyal voters of the ruling party. We estimate the number of swing and loyal voters from survey data. When estimating the number of swing voters, we account in a novel way for the two-dimensional ideological space and multiparty competition. We find that regions with more loyal voters of the ruling party received more grants per capita. Partisan alignment of regional governments also matters over a part of the studied period since the regions where the socialist party of the central government was a member of the regional government received more grants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of economic growth, trade openness and manufacturing on CO2 emissions in India. Design/methodology/approach – The study employed autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) bounds test approach and uses CO2 emissions, trade, manufacturing and GDP per capita to examine the relationship using an annual time series data from World Development Indicators during 1971 to 2016. Findings – Results depict that there exists a long-run relationship between CO2 emissions and other variables. Trade openness significantly reduces CO2 emissions, whereas manufacturing and GDP have a significant and positive impact on CO2 in the long run. Research limitations/implications – The findings of the study contribute to the body of knowledge by providing new evidence on the relationship between developmental metrics and the environment. These findings are critical for policymakers and regulatory bodies to focus on economic development without jeopardizing environmental degradation. Practical implications – In order to keep its commitment to sustainability, India needs to develop policies that encourage cleaner production methods and establishment of non-polluting industries. Simultaneously, it must disincentivize industries that emit CO2 by policy frameworks such as carbon taxes, pollution taxes or green taxes. Originality/value – None of studies examine at how these environmental factors interact in India. Kilavuz and Dogan (2020) used the same variables, but their scope was limited to Turkey. As a result, the study is the first to examine this relationship for India, contributing to the body of knowledge on economic growth, manufacturing, trade openness and environmental concerns.

We describe the molecular epidemiology of cholera in South Africa during 2018–2020. Vibrio cholerae O1 sequence type (ST) 75 recently emerged and became more prevalent than the V. cholerae O1 biotype El Tor pandemic clone. ST75 isolates were found across large spatial and temporal distances, suggesting local ST75 spread.

Using two rounds of the Indian Human Development Survey (2004–05 & 2011–12), this study evaluates levels of household confidence in the governance institutions across Indian states. The observed broad pattern conveys that although there is a marginal improvement (from 0.582 in 2004–05 to 0.602 in 2011–12) in the confidence in the governance institutions, there still exists a great deal of deficit in it. analysing the socioeconomic determinants of the degree of confidence, we find that over time regional identities along with class, caste, and other attributes shape the levels of confidence in governance institutions. Such an observation leads to an inference that improvement in confidence in governance institutions is responsive to the development divide across regions.

North Korea is a complex humanitarian emergency with food insecurity at its core. As of August 2022, both quantity and price data point to a deteriorating situation, made worse by the regime's self-isolating response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Food availability has likely fallen below minimum human needs, and on one metric is the worst since the 1990s famine. Food insecurity in North Korea is not only a humanitarian issue, but it is a strategic issue as well. In this context, the diplomatic leverage conferred by aid is unclear, nor is North Korea's priority as a recipient, in light of competing needs elsewhere. Resolution of North Korea's chronic food insecurity would require changes in the regime's domestic and foreign policy commitments, but this seems unlikely due to enablement by China and Russia.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has invested limited funds in international agricultural research through U.S. universities. We present a meta-analysis of impact case studies from this investment. The median net present value of economic impacts at purchasing power parity is PPP$8.4 billion compared to a cumulative investment of US$1.24 billion over 1978–2018. About four-fifths of these economic benefits accrued to individuals with incomes under $5.50/day and about 29% to those in extreme poverty. In addition to these limited case studies evaluating financial benefits and costs, we present several types of additional non-economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the extent to which a country's degree of genetic variation contributes to the observed variation in financial market activity across countries. We postulate that genetic variation can affect financial markets through its impact on aggregate investment behavior, innovation in the financial sector, and productivity. Our country-level, cross-sectional analysis reveals a significant hump-shaped relation between a country's predicted genetic variation and the size of its financial markets. This result is consistent with the conjecture that at relatively intermediate degrees of genetic variation, the associated intermediate levels of trust and risk-taking within the country result in the largest investment flows into public financial markets. Our results are robust to different measres of financial market size, several regression specifications, and the inclusion of a broad range of controls such as legal origin, institutional characteristics, culture, natural endowment, and trade openness. Our main findings appear to be restricted specifically to equity markets (vs. debt markets) where there is relatively more uncertainty and, thus, trust and risk-taking are relatively more important. Additional analysis suggests that better overall country-level governance can moderate the role that genetic variation plays in shaping equity market size.

This study examines the impact of international organizations on the institutional development of investment activity through the lens of foreign direct investment (FDI) flow asymmetry. The paper offers an approach to computing an integrated Financial Asymmetry Index, formalizing the degree and nature of financial imbalances, and presents the geostrategic matrix built by comparing the actual and hypothetical values of the FDI Attraction Efficiency Index. Using a linear regression model, a scenario-based forecast of FDI flows to 32 countries was generated for the years 2025 and 2030. As a result, it was unveiled that the majority of countries experienced a moderate financial imbalance, whilst developed and transition economies such as China and Singapore had a low degree of asymmetry in their financial systems. For less developed nations, one of the major preconditions of asymmetry was the administrative response taken by the government. The generated geostrategic matrix and FDI forecast may serve as FDI boosting tools. In this regard, investment policies of the world states should focus on promoting the efficiency of investment usage. The long-term predictions made suggest that countries will concentrate on improving and developing their investment potential. In turn, the solution offered in the study will help reduce financial asymmetries and balance available financial resources against investment needs.

One-criterion decision making under uncertainty (1-DM/U) is related to situations in which the decision maker (DM) evaluates the alternatives on the basis of one objective, but e.g. due to numerous uncertain future factors some parameters of the problem are not deterministic. Instead of entirely known paramaters, a set of possible scenarios is available. Multi-criteria decision making under certainty (M-DM/C) concerns cases where the DM assesses particular options in terms of many objectives. The parameters are known. Therefore, scenario planning is redundant. Both issues are investigated by many researchers and practitioners, since real economic decision problems are usually at least uncertain or multi-objective. In the paper, numerous analogies between 1-DM/U and M-DM/C are revealed. Some of them have existed for many decades, but others, so far, have not been developed. A careful examination of all the similarities enables an improvement of existing methods and a formulation of new algorithms for 1-DM/U and M-DM/C. The article presents six pairs of similar procedures and contains the description of three novel approaches created by analogy to existing ones.