Search

Climate change presents a substantial impediment for the global community and prompts policymakers worldwide to prioritize environmental goals when defining national development strategies. Prioritizing these goals is particularly challenging for governments of developing economies still relying on fossil fuels, foreign capital, and industry contribution to GDP. This study examines the relationships between carbon dioxide emissions, industry value added, financial development, and electricity generation in 15 Central and Eastern European countries from 1995 to 2021. To achieve this objective, we examined stationarity and cointegration and employed a vector error correction model to investigate causalities between the variables, along with a variance decomposition analysis. Our findings suggest that the short-run unidirectional causalities exist from industry value-added to carbon dioxide emissions and from carbon dioxide emissions to financial development and electricity generation. Long-term causality exists between carbon dioxide emissions and industry value added. The findings shed light on the challenges and opportunities these countries face in transitioning to climate neutrality and meeting the decarbonization targets. Within this context, the findings underscore the significance of crafting customized strategies for these economies to navigate the complex landscape of climate change while promoting sustainable industrial, electricity and financial sector development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does economic globalization affect regime support in non-democratic regimes? While we know a lot about how globalization affects politics in democracies, we know only little about its impact on political preferences in autocracies. I focus on FDI, which has increased considerably over the last decades and affects low- and high-skilled individuals differently. Material risks associated with FDI decrease regime support only among the poorly educated; economic gains from FDI bolster support for the incumbent regime for well-educated individuals. I present two analyses that corroborate these hypotheses. Study 1 uses Afrobarometer data and matches respondents with geo-located data on FDI. To mitigate selection problems, I only compare individuals that are exposed to FDI with individuals that are not yet exposed at the time the survey was administered. Study 2 utilizes cross-national survey data from 14 autocracies. My findings explain why some citizens favor the political status quo, even in autocracies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural financing plays a crucial role in enhancing agricultural productivity, profitability, and sustainability. These factors are essential for achieving food security, reducing poverty, and promoting economic growth in developing countries, such as Nigeria. However, agricultural financing faces various challenges, including high risks, low returns, inadequate infrastructure, weak institutions, and limited access to formal financial services. This study aims to examine the impact of agricultural financing on agricultural growth sustainability in Nigeria from 1985 to 2021, taking into account both domestic and international perspectives. Domestic agricultural financing is measured through commercial bank loans, interest rates, and the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund, while international financing is measured through agricultural foreign direct investment. The study utilizes the ARDL bonding test to analyze the short- and long-term effects of agricultural financing on agricultural growth sustainability in Nigeria. The findings of this study reveal that agricultural financing has both short-term and long-term impacts on agricultural growth sustainability. Domestic financing of agriculture significantly influences agricultural growth sustainability in Nigeria. Bank credit to the agricultural sector stimulates agricultural GDP. Similarly, the interest rates set by banks exhibit a negative relationship with agricultural growth sustainability in Nigeria, both in the short and long term. On the other hand, the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund (ACGSF) positively affects Nigeria's agricultural GDP in both the short and long term. However, international financing adversely affects agricultural GDP in the long run in Nigeria. The negative impact of foreign direct investment on agricultural output may be attributed to increased competition and conflicts over land and resources as foreign investors seek to secure large-scale and long-term land deals, often with the support or involvement of the host government. The significance of this study lies in its contribution to the existing literature on the influence of agricultural financing on agricultural growth sustainability, providing valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders interested in advancing the agricultural sector. By considering both domestic and international perspectives, this study assists the government and policymakers in effectively managing agricultural financing to stimulate agricultural growth and ensure sustainability for overall development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the effects of US sanctions on Chinese public and private overseas foreign direct investment (FDI). Using data for up to 112 developing countries from 2005 to 2015, we find that Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are more likely to invest in countries threatened or targeted with US sanctions relative to Chinese privately owned enterprises (POEs) because they have the Chinese government's backing and are larger in number and size, motivating them to invest in higher-risk states. The Chinese government also reaps political benefits by Chinese SOEs investing abroad, enhancing China's economic strength and decreasing its rivals' influence. We obtain similar results for Chinese SOEs and POEs regardless of the investment sector and conduct additional robustness checks that further reinforce the main findings. Our study provides insights into how China's overseas FDI increases its economic and political reach across the globe at the possible expense of the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Homer's Odyssey, King Odysseus asked his men to tie him to the mast of his ship with the hope that he would not jump into the sea after listening to the Sirens. The Odyssey's hero made a pact to bind himself in the future. He knew that the temptation would be impossible to resist without restraints. Similarly, the creators and advocates of international investment agreements believe that providing rights to foreign investors through international treaties will chill State policies that would harm the interests of investors in the future. The "rope" to tie the State is the threat of facing multimillion-dollar claims brought by investors to international arbitration tribunals. But this widely accepted model assumes that the State, like Odysseus, is a single, static unit that can be tied to the mast. Analyzing twenty-five years of international investment dispute data, this Article's findings challenge the conventional wisdom that the "ropes" are effective in chilling energy government policies. The Article analyzes two variables: 1) the time elapsed between the initial filing of an arbitral claim and the final award and 2) changes in the administration of particular countries during the pendency of the arbitration proceedings. My objective is to identify how often the government that was in power at the time of the enacted regulation is the same actor that has to compensate the investor. The Article concludes that the chilling effects assumption does not apply evenly across all sectors and actors. Paradoxically, those countries with more democratic transitions tend to drag out the arbitration proceedings for a longer period, and investors there face more challenges in recovering compensation. In contrast, in those countries where the same party or officer remained in power for more than a decade, the government dropped out of the system by denouncing the treaties, tended to settle earlier in the process, or otherwise avoided dragging out the compensation stage. Rather than tying the hands of the State, the investment arbitration system tends to generate disparate incentives depending on who is likely to be left with the bill. Ultimately, the State, as a subject of international responsibility, has to pay, but the government actors' self-interests predominate. Those government actors do not necessarily contemplate the country's long-term interests, but rather the short-term benefits of policies affecting foreign investments. Rather than being the ropes that tie countries to the mast, we see that international arbitration proceedings result in individual government actors abandoning the ship and leaving someone else to pay the bill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Global Investment Report 2023 revealed that after a sharp decline in 2020 and a strong rebound in 2021, global foreign direct investment (FDI) declined by 12 percent to $1.3 trillion in 2022. However, in developing countries, FDI increased by 4% to $916 billion, a record share of more than 70% of global flows. The number of greenfield investment projects in developing countries increased by 37 percent and international project finance transactions by 5 percent. Foreign investment from China, the second largest recipient of foreign investment globally, increased by 5 percent. The service industry has become the mainstream industry in the global FDI structure. The global industry is accelerating its transformation to a "service-based economy," international FDI in productive service industries has become an essential means of industrial transfer in developed countries and a meaningful way to upgrade the industrial structure and high-quality development in emerging economies. As a representative province in central China, Hubei Province has unique advantages in human capital, factor cost, and market potential, which provide preferential conditions to attract foreign investment. This paper first introduced the concept of the productive service industry, based on the relevant statistical data from 2011 to 2022, focused on the current situation of foreign investment utilization in five major sub-sectors of the productive service industry in Hubei Province in the past ten years, and empirically investigated the impact of foreign investment utilization in five major sub-sectors of the productive service industry on the economic growth of Hubei Province, and obtained that the level of foreign investment attraction varied significantly among the regions in Hubei Province. The three productive service industries, namely transportation, storage and postal services, information transmission, software and information technology services, and financial services, played a significant role in the active attraction and optimal utilization of foreign capital and the economic development of Hubei Province. Based on this, it was proposed to build a market-oriented rule of law and internationalized business environment, improve the infrastructure construction in different regions of the province, focus on the training of professional talents for the development of productive service industries, and pay attention to the improvement of independent innovation capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many regional and national development questions involve the interaction of external and internal evolutions and can be conceived macroeconomically in balance-of-payments terms. In this light, China's engagement in international trade, outward and inward foreign direct investment, accumulation of reserves, development cooperation, aid and international finance initiatives are examined and related to evolving domestic and international conditions. After joining the Western-centred international economic and political order, while protecting its economic and political sovereignty and defining itself as part of the Global South, China emerged as a very large semi-peripheral upper-middle-income country. In the new millennium China and other emerging economies started to upgrade into higher value-added sectors and to reshape international governance arrangements in ways that reflect the civilisational values and colonial and semi-colonial experience of the Global South. Although these steps do challenge the unequal and unfair 'liberal rules-based order' and US hegemony, they also help create a more equitable and peaceful multipolar world system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines two recent cases involving disputes over the banning of oil and gas activities and their compatibility with international investment law. The author argues that the outcomes of these cases are influenced by political choices made by the tribunals, rather than solely by legal rules. The article emphasizes the need for reform in international investment law to address urgent challenges such as climate change. The author discloses their involvement as a Trade Litigation Advisor for the Government of Québec during one of the disputes. [Extracted from the article]

The gradual rise of China as an economic, normative, and lending power has resulted in more protectionist measures in areas of the world that traditionally championed economic liberalization. Currently, 21 out of 27 European Union (EU) Member States have national laws or measures in place for the screening or review of foreign investments. However, such restrictive national measures can result in investment treaty-based arbitration under the existing bilateral investment treaties concluded by 26 EU Member States with China, as evidenced by the recent arbitration initiated by Huawei against Sweden. Therefore, this article assesses whether EU Member States are likely to see a spike in investor–State arbitral claims initiated by Chinese investors as a result of the former's investment screening measures. To achieve this aim, the article first looks at the bilateral investment treaties (BIT)-level variables that can influence the initiation of arbitration against EU Member States, such as the presence and type of investor–State arbitration (ISA) clauses, the types of investments being made, the coverage of the pre- and/or post-establishment phases, or the inclusion of 'non-precluded measures' clauses. This is then followed by a look at other variables, such as the decreasing number of Chinese foreign direct investment into EU countries, the treatment of Chinese investors in recent high-profile cases, and the importance of security alliances. The article concludes that those EU States are at a higher risk of being respondents in arbitrations initiated by Chinese investors whose BITs with China include modern ISA clauses, cover the pre-establishment phase, and lack non-precluded measures clauses. However, EU States should wait for the outcome of the Huawei v Sweden arbitration before deciding whether the amendment or termination of the existing BITs with China is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article combines the comparative political economy of skill formation literature with the one on growth models to analyse the state's role in skill systems of late industrialising countries. It focuses on Mexico and Turkey, which constitute crucial cases for a most similar case analysis. The article shows that Mexico and Turkey followed different growth models after their economic liberalisation, which led to distinct state roles in two key skill system institutions, namely the minimum wage and the vocational education and training (VET) system. In Mexico, the state aligned these institutions with the 'dependent-downgrading' growth model, which was reliant on external demand and investments with low industrial upgrading and sometimes downgrading, and minimal working-class cohesion. Minimising labour costs was prioritised to attract foreign investment and to reduce the prices of exports, leading to extremely low wages and a liberal VET system in Mexico. In Turkey, the growth model was 'domestic-upgrading' with higher role of domestic investments and demand, and some improvements in industrial upgrading and working-class social cohesion. Ensuring high minimum wage and comprehensive VET system constituted key strategies for the state to maintain this growth model in Turkey, leading to relatively higher minimum wage and a statist VET system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflict research has recently found that increased inequality weakens institutional conditions, opening the door for terrorism. While this research often accounts for endogeneity, or the possibility of a reverse causal relationship, there has yet to be an empirical investigation of the impact of terrorism on income inequality. Using a sample of 139 countries between 1994 and 2018, we show that both domestic and transnational terrorism result in higher levels of income inequality. Our results are consistent for both pre- and post-tax and transfer inequality as well as multiple model specifications. Additionally, we explore multiple potential causal mechanisms that link terrorism and income inequality finding that the effect is, in part, due to terrorism's negative effects on institutional stability, increased military expenditure, possibly to fund counterterrorism operations, and reduced foreign capital, especially for greenfield investment. Our analysis indicates a positive relationship between terrorism and inequality and the mechanisms that produce the effect, contributing to the terrorism and inequality literatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploiting a change in policy governing the entry of foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2002, we apply the difference-in-differences model to estimate the effects of FDI on the product scope of domestic Chinese firms. In industries that experienced relaxation in FDI regulations, the average product scope increased by 5% which indicates more product innovation. Through vertical linkages, the product scope of firms is positively (negatively) affected by FDI in upstream (downstream) industries. The negative effect of FDI in downstream industries occurs because foreign firms engaging in processing trade rely more on imported inputs than inputs from domestic suppliers. The main channels of effect are firm-level R&D and industry-level technological distance, as FDI entry leads to an improvement in these variables. However, the positive effects of FDI on product innovation have limits, as new products are mainly introduced within the same industry rather than across different industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers a monetary perspective on capital flows and the Eurozone's north-south divide. It argues that finance-centric narratives in comparative political economy rightly emphasize financial instability in the periphery, but that the role of capital flows therein requires clarification. The article draws on post-Keynesian monetary theory, coherent accounting, and balance-of-payments data to make three points. First, the focus on the financial account as a driver of current accounts should be abandoned in favor of an analysis of gross capital flows. Gross flows need not stem from excess savings in core countries and can be independent from trade flows. Second, explanations of financial instability in the periphery should go beyond bank flows and consider speculative portfolio flows into bond markets and foreign direct investment into real estate. Third, rising spreads in the periphery during the Eurozone crisis and the outbreak of the pandemic were not triggered by balance-of-payments problems but by a reversal of speculative bond flows. Comparative political economy should thus dedicate more attention to institutions that render peripheral countries susceptible to speculative flows into asset markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does the circulation of capital in the form of money and finance mobilize different constructions of "Blackness" across historical-geographical contexts, and how does this produce uneven development? This contribution offers theoretical and methodological provocations to think about this question, drawing on two cases of raced finance: race-based bank lending in the United States, and international investment to sub-Saharan countries. I argue that the impersonal character of social domination under capitalism, expressed in and by the movement of abstract categories (such as the commodity, value, money, the state) requires that we carefully mobilize the notion of abstraction in theorizing the co-production of racialized difference and uneven development. I develop this conceptual argument by way of a sympathetic yet critical engagement with recent scholarship on racial capitalism, and by bringing the critique of political economy into conversation with the Black radical tradition. The key question is not the extent to which cases of raced finance exhibit a paradigmatic "anti-Blackness." Rather, it is about how the abstractive powers of race and the social forms of capital refract each other in violent configurations, and contribute to giving the capitalist production of space a raced imprint. The co-production of racialized and spatial difference thus enhances processes of capitalist discipline and extraction mediated by money, while the totalizing operations of money reproduce racialized power relations and uneven development. I then turn to the work of Bhandar and Toscano to reflect methodologically on how to mobilize various levels and modalities of abstraction in concrete research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social scientists have long debated the impacts of foreign investment for developing countries. However, the relationship between foreign investment and child mortality is still heavily contested among comparative international social scientists despite decades of research. I bring new cross-national evidence to bear on this contested debate, where the competing arguments of neoclassical economic theory and foreign investment dependency theory are evaluated using fixed effects, dynamic, and two-stage least squares panel regression models. I find that inward foreign direct investment stock exerts a beneficial effect on child mortality in less-developed countries, net of relevant statistical controls. These results are also robust to a variety of regression diagnostics and alternative choices of econometric specification. These findings contribute to a growing body of literature finding that traditional sociological measures of foreign direct investment—in some cases—generate beneficial effects in less-developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article identifies efficiency, certainty, and agility as essential facilitators of a copyright system's ability to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to the cultural and creative industries in today's knowledge economy. The article further provides a set of principles and rules that enable these characteristics in copyright law. Whereas some of these copyright principles and rules are inherently compatible and, hence, can concurrently serve the efficiency, certainty, and agility of copyright law, the co-existence of some of them requires legislative and judicial balancing, as neither of them should defeat the purpose of the other. Furthermore, given the role that legal efficiency, certainty, and agility play in the sustainability of copyright law, legislatures should weigh these characteristics in the copyright law balance when enacting or amending copyright statutes. Courts also should consider these qualities when reconciling competing copyright law interests via statutory interpretation. Both types of balancing are necessary to ensure that the economic competitive advantage of copyright law does not prejudice its fairness foundations. From a business strategy perspective, firms in the cultural and creative industry may want to consider the efficiency, certainty, and agility of a copyright system when choosing their investment destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a disconnect between the abundant resources at the national level and the severe poverty at individual and household levels in Nigeria. Information and communication technology is an efficient tool that the Asian economies have used to alleviate poverty. Information and communication technology is regarded as a tool which helps create an information and communication technology-based economy. This quantitative study examined how Nigeria can use information and communication technology to alleviate the enormous poverty levels. Data were sourced from the World Bank and International Telecommunication Union, for the period 1992–2020. In terms of the research methodology, the Autoregressive Distributed Lag model was employed in the research. The empirical findings showed that information and communication technology can have a projected 50% positive effect in reducing poverty. Foreign direct investment had a positive effect on reducing income inequality. Primary research findings depicted that information and communication technology, economic growth, foreign direct investment and private domestic credit were key tools for reducing poverty in Nigeria. Concerning policy recommendations, it was suggested that private domestic credit and foreign direct investment should be channelled to the information and communication technology sector to have a greater impact on poverty alleviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research and experimental development (R&D) is an important driver of economic growth and productivity. Gross expenditure on domestic R&D (GERD) is a country's total expenditure on R&D performed by all sectors of the economy. South Africa's GERD as a percentage of its GDP (GERD/GDP) remains below government targets and has stagnated over the past decade, largely due to declining business sector R&D. This paper aims to identify the drivers of firm-level R&D intensity, defined as the firm's R&D expenditure as a percentage of turnover. It is the first South African study to examine both micro- and macro-economic drivers of firm R&D, with a paucity of literature on this topic for middle-income countries. Using the South African National R&D Survey data, the study utilized the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) model and found that public financial support for firms, smaller firm-size, firm-level collaboration, political stability, foreign direct investment, and public R&D investment are positively associated with firm R&D intensity. The results highlight the importance of public financial support for smaller firms and investments in higher education and research institutions in promoting firm-level R&D, thereby providing useful policy insights for boosting business sector and economy-wide R&D expenditure and reaching national GERD/GDP targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing the challenge of limited access to drinking water requires a comprehensive understanding of its underlying causes. This study aims to evaluate the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on access to basic services in Africa, focusing specifically on people's access to drinking water. Utilizing data from a panel of 51 countries spanning the period 2000–2020, we employed a two‐step system generalized method of moments to estimate dynamic econometric models. Our analysis reveals a positive correlation between FDI inflows and improved access to drinking water. A one‐percentage point increase in FDI inflows leads to a 0.026 percentage point rise in the proportion of people with access to drinking water. Notably, the effects vary between urban and rural areas, with marginal effects of 0.022 and 0.160, respectively. Furthermore, our findings indicate an inverse U‐shaped relationship between FDI and access to drinking water in Africa, signifying that while access to drinking water improves with increasing FDI, the rate of improvement diminishes. The study recommends the judicious utilization of tax revenues from multinational enterprises to fund basic service infrastructures and advocates for measures aimed at attracting additional FDIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global deployment of renewable energies has taken off and calls for a continuous increase in foreign investments and cooperation, particularly because many states cannot cover the costs and technological requirements of the energy transition on their own. Therefore, there should be policies and legal frameworks in place to protect and thereby promote foreign investments. International Investment Agreements (IIAs) can, ceteris paribus, contribute to this goal. These agreements contain a set of obligations that protect foreign investments against possible discriminatory or arbitrary conduct of the host states. This includes transparency obligations that can help to create a level playing field for national and foreign renewable energy investors. Unfortunately, the concept of transparency, and its inherent implications, has not been clearly defined to date, and its relationship with renewable energy investments is still under investigation. Therefore, it is important to realise the prevailing transparency obligations under IIAs, and the best practices that can better meet the particular requirements of renewable energy investments. Using a qualitative approach, this article intends to pursue this goal by providing an overview of the concept of transparency, exploring its status in the context of fair and equitable treatment (FET), and analysing favourable transparency clauses in the light of renewable energy investment considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the short-run and long-run impacts of foreign aid and remittances on economic growth in a panel of 31 African countries from 1980 to 2019 utilizing the ARDL Pool Mean Group (PMG) estimation technique. The PMG is utilized based on the outcome of the Hausman test which justifies it appropriateness. There is long-run association among the regressors and the regressand in the model. Our results indicate that, in the short-run, remittance and foreign aid respectively have a negative impact on economic growth but that impact is statistically insignificant. In the long-run, however, remittances have a positive and significant impact on economic growth while foreign aid has a positive but insignificant effect on economic growth on the continent. These results have substantial policy implications. African governments should adopt effective policies to maximize the usefulness and effectiveness of foreign capital, such as foreign aid and remittances, in boosting economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows and economic growth at sectoral levels in Bangladesh, employing a panel study framework. Utilizing sectoral-level panel data spanning six sectors from 2007–08 to 2018–19, the analysis is conducted using Panel Vector Error Correction Model (Panel VECM). Results from panel unit root tests confirm that all variables are integrated of order one I (1), indicating stationarity. The Pedroni panel co-integration test further supports the presence of co-integration among the variables. Notably, the Panel VECM reveals evidence of a unidirectional causal relationship from Real Gross Domestic Product (RGDP) to Real Foreign Direct Investment (RFDI) across all six sectors of Bangladesh. The findings underscore the significance of formulating pragmatic policies and implementing them effectively to attract FDI across sectors, thereby contributing to the overall economic growth of Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investment in foreign countries has become more common nowadays and this implies that there may be risks inherent to these investments, being the sovereign risk premium the measure of such risk. Many studies have examined the behaviour of the sovereign risk premium, nevertheless, there are limitations to the current models and the literature calls for further investigation of the issue as behavioural factors are necessary to analyse the investor's risk perception. In addition, the methodology widely used in previous research is the regression model, and the literature shows it as scarce yet. This study provides a model for a new of the drivers of the government risk premia in developing countries and developed countries, comparing Fuzzy methods such as Fuzzy Decision Trees, Fuzzy Rough Nearest Neighbour, Neuro-Fuzzy Approach, with Deep Learning procedures such as Deep Recurrent Convolution Neural Network, Deep Neural Decision Trees, Deep Learning Linear Support Vector Machines. Our models have a large effect on the suitability of macroeconomic policy in the face of foreign investment risks by delivering instruments that contribute to bringing about financial stability at the global level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With declining funding in agricultural research and development coupled with tremendous pressure from different stakeholders, it is now essential for research institutes to demonstrate the return on investments (RoIs) in projects that they implement. In response to the above need, this study evaluated the RoI of seed sector interventions implemented by the International Potato Center in Malawi with the financial support of 3.425 million euros from Irish Aid, from 2007 to 2017. The project interventions evaluated in this study were seed selection, seed multiplication technologies, and potato (Solanum tuberosum) varieties. The study used the economic surplus model to measure monetary benefits realized by the project, while a cost–benefit analysis was employed to estimate the RoI. Results revealed positive returns on donors' investments over the project's lifespan. The net project worth was estimated at $66.6 million when net benefits are discounted by 6% and $71.8 million when net benefits are discounted by 12% over 23 years project benefit lifespan (2007–2030). The basic RoI found a $6 to $8 return considering a 6% and 12% discount rate, respectively, for every dollar invested. Despite these positive results, further investments are needed in the seed production system for the early seed generations. Effective regulatory interventions on seed quality assurance and continuous awareness creation efforts are required to encourage farmers to use the best seed production methods. Core Ideas: For every dollar invested in the Irish potato seed system in Malawi, there is an $8 in return.There are positive economic returns to Irish Aid investments in the Irish potato seed system in Malawi.Despite positive returns, there is a need for further investments in the early seed generation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of development in a country or region is to improve the welfare and prosperity of society in a fair and equitable manner, one of which is by increasing sustainable economic growth. Because with high economic growth, it will reduce the unemployment rate, crime rate and changes in economic structure so that it has a positive impact on economic development itself. The main objective of this study is to analyze the effect of domestic investment, foreign investment, population, crime and unemployment on economic growth in Deli Serdang Regency. The data analysis method used is the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach in the time series data model and the observation time span of this study starts from 2010 to 2021 where data interpolation will be carried out in quarterly. According to the results of the analysis, the variables domestic investment and foreign direct investment have a positive significant effect on economic growth. Meanwhile, the variables of population, crime and unemployment have a negative significant impact on economic growth in the long run. However, in the short run, the variables of direct investment, foreign investment, population and crime have a positive significant impact on economic growth. On the other hand, only the number of unemployed has a negative significant effect on economic growth. Based on the results of this study, it is appropriate for the Government of Deli Serdang Regency to optimize programs that are oriented towards increasing investment both domestic and foreign, suppressing the rate of population growth and the number of unemployed and maintaining regional security in the Deli Serdang Regency area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to determine the occurrence of convergence in inclusive economic growth at both the national and regional levels, as well as the factors that drive the increase in inclusive economic growth to reduce regional disparities. The analysis used is sigma convergence, absolute beta convergence, and conditional beta convergence. The data used is a panel consisting of 21 provinces in the Western Region of Indonesia (KBI), including Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan, 13 provinces in the Eastern Region of Indonesia (KTI), namely Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Bali, Maluku and Papua, as well as national level consisting of 34 provinces in Indonesia from 2017 to 2021. This study shows that at the national level, KBI and KTI, there has been both sigma convergence and absolute beta convergence. Conditional beta convergence only occurs at the national level and KBI. Meanwhile, in KTI, there is no process of conditional beta convergence or what can be called divergence occurring. Variables that significantly affect the convergence process at the national level include government expenditure in the economic, health, and social protection sectors, domestic investment, and the open unemployment rate. At the KBI, significant factors include government expenditure in social protection sectors domestic investment and the unemployment rate. At the KTI, significant factors include government expenditures on the economic, health, and social protection sectors, foreign investment, and the unemployment rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite some progress in reducing income inequality between countries over the last two decades, there is evidence that income inequality is on the rise within nations. This article uses panel data compiled from multiple sources and a growth curve modeling approach to examine the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and within-nation income inequality across two samples: one comprising 2,095 country-year observations nested in 141 countries from 1991 to 2018 to explore the broader FDI-income inequality relationship, and a second, more focused sample of 405 country-year observations nested in 61 countries from 2000 to 2018, designed to analyze effects of the sectoral distribution of FDI. The analyses find that the relationship between FDI and income inequality is positive and linear for non-OECD economies but follows an inverted U-shaped path for developed countries. Moreover, in this article, I have developed and introduced two new indices, the FDI Pluralism Index and FDI Sectoral Gini Coefficient, to measure the distribution of FDI among the sectors of the host economy. Results show that a concentration of FDI in one sector aggravates income inequality since foreign capital tends to flow into the most profitable industries, creating uneven growth between sectors and increasing between-sector income inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent years have witnessed a growing interest among academics and policymakers in understanding the mechaninsms through which Chinese outward direct investment (OFDI) impact economic growth in Africa. Method: This study utilzes a dataset spanning 41 African countries from 2005 to 2020,employing panel‐corrected standard error (PCSE) and quantile regression. Objective: This study explore the mechanisms through which Chinese OFDI stock contributes to economic growth in Africa,with a particular focus on financial development and transport infrastructure. Results: The results indicate a significant and positive impact of the interaction between Chinese OFDI stock and both financial development and transport infrastructure on economic growth. The subregional analysis reveals varying correlations across regions, while the quantile regression analysis demonstrates a stronger effect on economic growth as we move to higher quantiles. Conclusion: The study underscores the importance of enhancing infrastructure and financial sector development to attract more Chinese OFDI and maximize its positive impact of economic growth in African nations. Hence, we recommend that African countries improve the infrastructure and financial sector of their country to attract more chinese OFDI and also enhance its effectiveness on their economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses a rich city-level dataset to analyse the relationship between information and communication technology (ICT) and productivity performance in China during 2003–2016. It is shown that ICT positively contributes to Chinese cities' productivity in conjunction with other growth determinants, such as human capital, foreign direct investment (FDI), infrastructure development, financial market development, and research and development investment. An identifiable amplified effect is detected when ICT exceeds certain threshold in Chinese cities. This threshold level is reached in over a half of Chinese cities particularly cities in coastal regions. Finally, ICT is found to substitute human capital in China's context. Since the average education level in Chinese cities is low, the finding is in line with the argument that ICT only improves productivity of high-skilled workers but worsens that of the low-skilled ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the effect of servicification on global value chain (GVC) upgrading within the context of China's manufacturing industry. Utilising comprehensive data on manufacturing value-added, we present new evidence for the influence of servicification on the GVC position of the manufacturing industry in China. We find that although domestic and aggregate servicification enhances GVC, foreign servicification curtails the GVCs of manufacturing firms. Our results show that foreign direct investment, capital intensity and institutions are GVC enhancing. At the same time, the increased global market share of the Chinese manufacturing industry has reduced the GVC of manufacturing firms in China. From a policy perspective, the results highlight the need to take cognisance of the heterogeneity of manufacturing firms and the impact of domestic and foreign servicification on the GVC of manufacturing firms in China. Total servicification and domestic servicification enhanced the GVC position of Chinese manufacturing industry. Foreign servicification worsened the GVC position of Chinese manufacturing industry. Foreign direct investment, capital intensity and institutions are GVC-enhancing, while increased global market share is GVC-impeding. The GFC exacerbated the adverse impact of foreign servicification on the GVC position of Chinese manufacturing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More and more Chinese enterprises have participated in the Belt and Road initiative (BRI) since its launch in 2013. However, have they all actually benefited? Which companies otherwise have benefited most from the plan? To answer these questions, this paper analyzes the impact of the BRI on Chinese enterprises. Among several findings, it reveals that the performance of companies remained low even though the initiative policy initially stimulated performance, the performance of enterprises depends on the geographical location of enterprises and that the returns of China's outward foreign direct investment in various industries became more volatile with only the mining industry enjoying better returns. Thus, the paper shows that the BRI offers Chinese enterprises opportunities but also brings challenges for companies to optimize the allocation of their resources and improve the performance of their investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses country-level panel data covering 173 countries for the period 2003–2015 and employs the two-tier stochastic frontier gravity model to investigate empirically the impact of China's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) on its export. The results of this study indicate that China's OFDI has a positive and statistically significant influence on promoting China's export. The results for different country groups with different levels of China's OFDI stock show that the effect of China's OFDI on promoting China's export is much higher in the countries with high level of China's OFDI stock than in the countries with low level of China's OFDI stock. The results also show that the country-specific constraints emanating from both the 'behind the border' factors and the 'beyond the border' factors have played a significant role in China's export growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the role of innovation in domestic economic development circulation (DEDC) and the impact of international economic development circulation (IEDC) on innovation, we construct an analytical framework for the mediation effect of innovation. Drawing on China's provincial panel data, we employ the causal steps approach to explore the impacts of IEDC on each link in the DEDC through the mediation effect of innovation. The results show that import have a direct effect on each link and export have a negative influence on distribution and consumption. Outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) has a negative impact on production and circulation through innovation. Foreign direct investment (FDI) and invisible ways have different indirect effects on each process. In addition, the influence of IEDC decreases from east to west in China, whereas import and export better promote DEDC in the central and western regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy, being one of the significant drivers of growth, has gained much focus in the last four decades. A connection between energy and growth exists in the economy: on the one hand, energy is a vital factor of production while growth improves living standards, which increases energy consumption on the other hand. Previous studies on the energy‐growth nexus paid less attention to sectorial differentials in the consumption of energy and growth. Also, the literature could not relate that to sustainable development. Thus, this study explores the sectorial differentials in energy consumption and how they affect the energy‐growth nexus within the context of sustainable development. The research employed secondary data for 46 sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) countries for the period 2007 to 2020. Using the General Methods of Moments estimation technique, we found that all the measures of energy consumption positively affect economic growth. Also, CO2 intensity is positively related to growth in the economy while CO2 emissions from solid fuels negatively affect economic growth. Again, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is positively impacting economic growth and Gross Domestic Product (SSA) per energy use. Policy implications are discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zanzibar, a self-governing state of Tanzania, may look like a tranquil tropical archipelago. But in the 60 years since a revolution overthrew a sultanate with origins in Oman, its politics have been turbulent. Revolutionary doctrines of socialism and one-party rule led to repression that lasted for years. Far from bringing stability, the introduction of multiparty politics in the 1990s has led to cycles of electoral violence and failed reconciliation talks. The legacies of the 1964 revolution continue to define the deeply polarized political landscape, even as demographic shifts and foreign investment transform the islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trade and investment are crucial drivers of economic growth. Successful execution of trade and investment policy can elevate a developing country to a sustained growth path and make it self‐reliant. Bangladesh implemented a trade liberalization policy in the 1980s, deviating much from its conservative trade policy. This article assesses the impacts of trade, investment in physical as well as human capital, and a few trade policy variables on income surge for the liberalized regime. The econometric analysis finds that export, import, and domestic investment stimulate income. The impact of foreign investment is not conducive. Public spending on education also contributes to the income surge. Among the policy variables, trade openness and currency depreciation produce a beneficial impact. Population growth retards economic growth. The baseline results hold in the estimations involving several specifications of variables and testified as robust. The article views that a comprehensive approach to trade and investment policy would ensure the comparative advantage of trade and the well‐being of Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current analysis aims to explore the empirical nexus between financial development, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow, and employment rate. To attain this aim, we collect 30 years of annual data over the period 1990 to 2019 from South Asian economies and employ the autoregressive dynamic least square (ARDL) model for regression analysis. The implication of the ARDL model was subject to the mixed stationarity status of the series as assessed by unit root testing. The robustness of the analysis was checked by employing the fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) models. The statistical analysis infers that both financial development and FDI inflow enhance the employment rate in the South Asia region. In addition, the empirical analysis infers that the gross capital formation, economic growth, and export volume have a positive while the population growth rate has a negative effect on the employment rate. The impact of underlying explanatory variables was found significant only in long run. The estimated coefficient values in the case of FMOLS and DOLS models support the direction of the relationship between explanatory variables and employment rate, implying the robustness of the analysis. The findings of the current analysis can be used to devise efficient economic policies to cope with the encroaching issue of unemployment in the South Asia region. This study offers the robustness to existing literature and complements the literature by exploring the underlying arrangement of study to the whole South Asia group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supply chain risk management is crucial for the management of sports goods companies, which can help enterprises better complete the transparent and efficient management of the whole process from production to sales. However, there are inevitably some potential risks. Thereby, to study the supply chain risk management of badminton supplies companies in the general environment, the supply chain risk evaluation index system of badminton supplies companies is established in this study by studying the connotation of supply chain risk management and combining the steps of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) method. Then, according to these evaluation indexes, the modelling process of the classification and regression tree (CART) algorithm in the corporate overall supply chain risk decision tree is proposed. Moreover, the corporate overall supply chain risk decision tree is established. Moreover, the financial data of 10 A‐share listed companies of badminton and other sports goods listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2020 are selected as the sample dataset for model training and testing. The potential risks of badminton enterprises are predicted. The results show that the scale of badminton enterprises has been increasing gradually since 2018, but the return on total assets has steadily decreased with the increase of years. It shows that the badminton supplies enterprise's input and output assets are unbalanced, and the overall asset operation effect is relatively poor. However, the growth rate of total assets shows a significant upward trend from 2018 to 2020, rising from 4% to 12.69%. It indicates that the corporate investment and domestic and foreign investment expansion in recent years are high‐speed. The FCE method is employed to obtain the maximum eigenvalue λmax of the enterprise, which is 5.4698. Then, the C.I value is 0.1205, the R.I value is 1.12, and the consistency ratio value is 0.0958 < 0.1, indicating that the judgement matrix is acceptable. It suggests that under the influence of the macro environment and economic situation, the sales situation of the badminton supplies company is subtly affected by the macro environment, and there is a great business risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study constructed a multidimensional indicator system to evaluate spatio-temporal heterogeneity of China's import and export trade of 31 provinces from 2000 to 2022. This study describes the distribution of China's import and export trade by using location Gini coefficient and exploratory spatial analysis. Additionally, Multiple linear regression was used to ascertain the extent of contribution by various factors on the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of import and export trade. The simulation results show that inter-provincial import and export trade displayed distinct spatio-temporal differentiation characteristics with a prominent east-to-west disparity from 2000 to 2022. The trade links between various regions of the country have gradually strengthened, with a corresponding high correlation to the level of economic development. GDP, financial expenditure, freight transportation volume, technology market turnover, foreign investment, and disposable income of all residents, significantly influence the per capita export and import volume. In general, it is suggested that China and developing countries should take effective measures to promote balanced trade development, strengthen regional cooperation and coordination, and promote green trade and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the role of legal structure in explaining financial development in twenty-three emerging markets, which has not been explored in institutional economics literature before. This study relied on Pedroni, and Kao cointegration tests, which is followed by the renowned panel cointegration technique. The results of the Pedroni and Kao cointegration tests show that the variables understudy is cointegrated in the long-run. These findings are confirmed by the panel cointegration showing that legal structure (LS) has positive impact on financial development (FIND) in long-run that support Law and Finance, and New Institutional Economics theories in emerging markets. This study is the first to directly examine the long-run impact of LS on FIND in emerging markets, and the result remains consistent across alternative measure of FIND. The findings of this study have important policy implications for emerging markets. Policymakers should focus on creating a legal environment that is conducive to financial development. This includes strengthening the legal framework, improving regulatory regimes, and promoting market autonomy. Additionally, policymakers should work to attract foreign investment, which can help spur economic growth and development in emerging markets. The findings of the study are consistent across battery of robustness testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a rich academic literature examines the use of fake news by foreign actors for political manipulation, there is limited research on potential foreign intervention in capital markets. To address this gap, we construct a comprehensive database of (negative) fake news regarding U.S. firms by scraping prominent fact-checking sites. We identify the accounts that spread the news on Twitter (now X) and use machine-learning techniques to infer the geographic locations of these fake news spreaders. Our analysis reveals that corporate fake news is more likely than corporate non-fake news to be spread by foreign accounts. At the country level, corporate fake news is more likely to originate from African and Middle Eastern countries and tends to increase during periods of high geopolitical tension. At the firm level, firms operating in uncertain information environments and strategic industries are more likely to be targeted by foreign accounts. Overall, our findings provide initial evidence of foreign-originating misinformation in capital markets and thus have important policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results on the connection between financial development and CO2 emissions are presented in contradicting ways in earlier research. In order to solve this conundrum, the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) framework is used in this study to examine both the direct and indirect effects of financial development on environmental degradation. Our empirical analysis is supported by the cutting-edge dynamic ARDL simulations framework for the 1960–2020 time span in South Africa. The estimated results, which are based on five separate financial development indices, corroborate South Africa's claim that the country's financial development prevents pollution. For South Africa, we also confirm the validity of the EKC theory. The results of the indirect channels demonstrate that financial development also lessens the negative impacts of income, energy usage, trade openness, and foreign direct investment (FDI) on pollution emissions. A weak financial structure is also necessary for the viability of the polluted haven hypothesis (PHH), which is examined using trade openness and FDI variables. For each of these variables, PHH vanishes at a particular point in financial development. Last but not least, increased industrial value-added increases pollution emissions, whereas increased technical innovation decreases the former. On the basis of these findings, South Africa should offer financial incentives and tax breaks to attract green FDI and encourage investments that prioritize environmental sustainability. These incentives can include grants, subsidies, and preferential tax rates for FDI projects that align with South Africa's environmental goals. Providing a favourable investment climate for green projects can stimulate sustainable economic growth and attract responsible investors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of carbon price in emissions trading schemes (ETS) is an important issue in China in the context of its ambitious climate change goals. This paper adopts a staggered difference-in-differences model to estimate whether China's ETS reduced CO2 emissions while maintaining economic growth even under low carbon prices. The results indicate that despite the low carbon prices, the ETS effectively reduced CO2 emissions without undermining the economy. Specifically, an increase of $1 in the carbon price reduced CO2 emissions by 1.69% and increased the per capita GDP by $286. The carbon price primarily achieved emission reduction and promoted economic development through channels, such as technological innovation, foreign direct investment, energy mix, and industrial structure. Carbon leakage to neighboring regions was not evident. Heterogeneity analysis showed that the environmental effects of the carbon price were more pronounced in regions with higher levels of economic development and CO2 emissions. Conversely, the economic effects of the carbon price were more pronounced in regions with lower levels of economic development and CO2 emissions. The carbon price achieved significant economic effects in regions that solely adopted the free allocation mode of emission allowances, while regions that used a combination of free allocation and auctioning experienced substantial emission reduction effects. Despite low carbon prices, China's ETS effectively reduced CO2 emissions without compromising economic growth. This finding provides new empirical evidence for the effectiveness of carbon price as well as decision support for the future promotion of ETS. Technological innovation, FDI, energy mix, and industrial structure are crucial channels through which the carbon price achieves emission reduction and promotes economic development. The absence of carbon leakage to neighboring regions suggests that ETS is an internally effective mechanism for emission control. Heterogeneity analysis showed that regional characteristics and allowance allocation modes can influence the effectiveness of carbon price, thus emphasizing the importance of targeted policy design and appropriate allocation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a complete macroeconomic (SFC) model to study income and wealth distribution in an open economy. We argue that exchange rates and the stock of foreign debt play a major role in shaping inequality across and within countries. Using the 'relative income hypothesis', we show that debt-financed consumption of low-income households can affect both total income and the disposable income of high-income households in the medium run. In addition, while higher inequality is detrimental to the domestic economy, it can benefit trading partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries devote a lot of time and effort to develop economically, but they nevertheless struggle to attain that growth consistently. Research into economic growth should have provided some guidance as to which actions these countries should adopt, but multiple studies using different methods and datasets generally have led to an array of outcomes that contradict one another. However, Granger causality analysis can provide better insight into the relationship between some key variables and economic growth to give these countries more direction. Granger causality results establish a stronger connection between variables, even though they do not depict true causation. We therefore use a Vector Auto Regression method with Generalized Method of Moments estimation and then Grangercausality to discover how commonly used variables in the literature individually impact economic growth and in what way for a selection of OECD and non-OECD countries. We choose government expenditure, foreign direct investment (FDI), education (as a proxy for human capital), population growth, urbanization, and trade openness as our variables of interest. We also utilize updated datasets from the World Development Indicators (WDI) ranging from the years 2000-2016, based on the availability of the data. We find that FDI and population growth do Granger-cause economic development for OECD countries but that government expenditures, education, urbanization, and trade openness do not show such Granger causality. However economic growth Granger-causes government expenditures, FDI, and education for these OECD countries. For the non-OECD countries, we find that FDI, population growth, and trade openness Granger-cause growth but Granger causality does not occur from government expenditure, education, and urbanization to economic development. Yet similar to the OECD countries, economic growth does Granger-cause FDI and trade openness for the non-OECD countries as well. The overall results indicate that all countries should encourage the expansion of foreign direct investment to grow their economy, which then in turn can lead to additional investment as well as more resources available for the country as a whole. We also suggest further studies should focus on the economic development of individual countries rather than regions, particularly in terms of how technology can drive growth and impact these other variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water use efficiency (WUE) is critical for conserving water resources and protecting the environment, yet the lack of quantitative analysis of its spatial spillover effects and the spatial heterogeneity of its influencing factors hinders improving and achieving the spatial equilibrium regulation of regional WUE. In the current study, a way is proposed to explore the spatial pattern and driving forces of regional WUE from spatial spillover and heterogeneity perspective, in which the Improved Super‐slack‐based Model is firstly applied to estimate the WUE, and then, the spatial Markov chain and the geographically and temporally weighted regression model were, respectively, used to explore the spatial spillover effects of WUE and reveal the spatial heterogeneity of the driving forces behind the WUE. Guangdong Province, a region with rapidly developing economy and significant uneven development in China, was chosen as a case study. Results show that there is a radial pattern of high WUE in the Pearl River Delta and there are significant spatial spillover effects among cities, the city with higher WUE exerted positive effects on its neighboring city's WUE. The key driving factors of WUE include per capita GDP, per capita water consumption, proportion of secondary and tertiary industry water use, foreign direct investment, and R&D input, with spatial heterogeneity in their influences. Policies such as enhancing public awareness of water saving, increasing the reuse of wastewater in industrial parks, and promoting the inter‐municipal socioeconomic and technological exchanges are recommended to achieve a more coordinated and balanced regional WUE. The results of this study have scientific and practical implications for coordinating regional water resources exploitation and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to analyze the outstanding role that foreign capital, companies and entrepreneurs had in promoting the industrialization process in the city of Querétaro (Mexico) and its metropolitan area, which includes the municipalities of Corregidora, El Marqués and Colón, among 1943-2018, within the framework of a historical period in which two economic models were developed: Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI) and neoliberalism. The main axis is the importance of foreign investments, understood as foreign companies and private Mexican business groups, for the implementation of said industrial development over more than seven decades, as well as investigating the types and industrialization processes that occurred in that period and their relationships with socio-technical and work areas. It is suggested as a hypothesis that said industrialization process can be defined as artificial and exogenous. First, because there was no local business community to carry out this process, as happened in other cities in Mexico -such as Monterrey-, and exogenous because, through national capital from other regions of the country, and especially from abroad, it was carried out the industrialization of the city. From the above, a process of dependent industrialization emerges, inserted in the periphery that has limited endogenous capacity in technological terms, but also in labor terms, a situation that has tended to worsen in the 1980s and that has continued its course to the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]