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This study examines the association between earmarking bequeathable assets and retirement satisfaction. Utilizing longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study, the authors examine the retirement satisfaction of retirees who have intentionally earmarked their bequeathable assets compared to retirees who have not. The findings suggest that earmarking bequeathable assets is associated positively with higher levels of retirement satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things has received enormous attention. Despite the lucrative potential, this study tries to look beyond the hype to understand how IoT impacts firm performance. Based on the information processing theory, we intend to explore how IoT influences the financial performance of firms. Firms, which realise the urgent need to adopt IoT might encounter a diverse set of challenges, like whether adoption will be profitable, the level of commitment they should devote, and whether to adopt as a first or second-mover. We want to comprehend such adoption challenges on the Indian manufacturing firm's financial performance. This study uses panel data from BSE 500 listed manufacturing firms and conducts multivariate analysis to understand the relationship between the IoT implementation proxies: IoT adoption, first-mover advantage, and firm performance in the light of IoT commitment and experts. The result indicates that IoT implementation has an insignificant effect on manufacturing firm performance. Meanwhile, the consideration of IoT commitment and experts jointly can enable a manufacturing firm to reap significantly positive financial outcomes. In other words, the IoT commitment and expertise positively moderate the relationship. The finding is useful to the decision-makers to address the firm-level adjustment before the mere introduction of IoT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online crowdfunding has become an important fundraising channel for medical care. Yet, individuals in need face numerous challenges in meeting their fundraising goals. To improve fundraising, individuals may use project updates to evoke donors' sympathy and secure donations. Informed by the sympathy bias literature, this paper conceptualizes two important but distinct aspects of project updates—positive sentiment and negative sentiment—and hypothesizes their individual and relative impacts on the donation amount of a crowdfunding project. In addition, this paper explores moderating effects of social endorsements on the influence of update sentiment. To test our hypotheses, we conducted two studies. Study 1 examined unique project-day panel data from 1,467 projects on a leading medical crowdfunding platform. Results reveal that both positive and negative update sentiment positively affect the donation amount of a crowdfunding project, but negative updates have a greater effect. Further, endorsements by strong ties and weak ties attenuate the positive effects of update sentiment. Study 2 was a controlled, randomized experiment that corroborated findings from Study 1, established the causality of observed effects, and confirmed the mediating effects of sympathy. The findings of this paper underscore the role of sympathy in enhancing online charitable crowdfunding to individual donors and show project updates with positive or negative sentiment to be potent mechanisms to boost donations. Furthermore, the substitution effect of social endorsement on donation amount also adds nuance to our knowledge suggesting that a proper combination of various information can better help improve crowdfunding performance. Platform operators and fundraisers should prioritize project update sentiment to enhance online charitable crowdfunding success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether capital account liberalization, a leading characteristic of globalization, is associated with firms' future innovation output. Employing a novel firm-level panel data set covering 41 countries over two decades, we show that capital account liberalization is significantly associated with higher corporate patenting activities, particularly for firms from innovation-intensive industries. Further analyses show that the effect is stronger among firms from economies in a better legal environment, signifying the important role of good institutional quality in facilitating the positive impact of liberalization. The effect is also stronger among firms with higher initial productivity, consistent with the "productivity" hypothesis, according to which bigger and more productive firms generate more innovation after liberalization. Our findings are robust to the use of various measurements, subsamples, and estimation models. This study provides global firm-level evidence of the real economic impact of financial globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Targeted political advertising (TPA) on social media builds on tailoring messages to (groups of) individuals' characteristics based on user data. Questions have been raised about the impact of TPA on recipients and society. In this study, we focus on the fit of TPA, that is, the congruence between TPA and recipients' preferences, and draw on congruity theories, social identity theory (SIT), and persuasion knowledge. In a two-wave panel study (N = 428) during a Viennese state election, we investigated the relationships between individuals' perceived fit and misfit of TPA on perceptions about the manipulative intent as well as the benefits and harms for democracy. The findings showed that perceived fit of TPA at Time 1 decreased perceived manipulative intent and increased perceived benefits of TPA at Time 2. The perceived misfit of TPA at Time 1 did not influence individuals' perceptions at Time 2, and perceptions about the harms of TPA to democracy stayed stable. Findings imply that political campaigners might benefit from targeting but raise questions about individuals' defense mechanisms against the persuasive technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on self-determination theory and intelligent career theory, we investigate what leads PhD graduates to pursue an academic career. Using panel data from a cohort of PhD students who completed PhDs in business, economics, law, or social sciences in the 2014 academic year in Germany, we find that, in general, intrinsically motivated PhD students are more likely to choose an academic career. However, they need to be embedded in a specific social context—that is, a specific set of social relationships—for the intrinsic motivation to have its positive effect. In particular, our results show that the positive relationship between the PhD students' intrinsic motivation and their probability of pursuing an academic career is strengthened when they collaborate more with others. Further, we find that social relationships such as mentoring aimed at developing the PhD students' career identity are favorable, whereas mentoring targeted at increasing their knowledge and skills or exposure to networks becomes irrelevant, or even dysfunctional, when their collaborative working environment is considered. By disentangling the interplay of intrapersonal factors and social context in the academic career choice, our findings contribute to a more comprehensive, multilevel view of the factors that lead to the choice of such a career.  Auf Grundlage der Self-Determination und der Intelligent Career Theory analysieren wir die Gründe, die Promovierte dazu bewegen, eine akademische Laufbahn einzuschlagen. Anhand von Paneldaten der Personen, die im akademischen Jahr 2014 in Deutschland in den Bereichen Wirtschafts-, Rechts- oder Sozialwissenschaften eine Promotion abgeschlossen haben, können wir zeigen, dass intrinsisch motivierte Doktorandinnen und Doktoranden eher eine akademische Laufbahn wählen. Damit die intrinsische Motivation ihre positive Wirkung aber voll entfalten kann, müssen sie in einen spezifischen sozialen Kontext eingebettet sein, d.h. in ein spezifisches Set an sozialen Beziehungen. Es wird deutlich, dass die positive Beziehung zwischen intrinsischer Motivation und der Wahrscheinlichkeit, eine akademische Laufbahn einzuschlagen, verstärkt wird, wenn die Doktorandinnen und Doktoranden vermehrt mit anderen zusammenarbeiten. Zudem stellen wir fest, dass soziale Beziehungen wie Mentoring ambivalent wirken können. Einerseits ist Mentoring, das auf die Entwicklung einer Karriereidentität abzielt, günstig, während andererseits Mentoring, das auf die Erweiterung der Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten oder die Einbettung in Netzwerke abzielt, irrelevant oder sogar dysfunktional wird, falls das kollaborative Arbeitsumfeld der Doktorandinnen und Doktoranden berücksichtigt wird. Durch die Entflechtung des Zusammenspiels derartiger intrapersoneller und kontextueller Faktoren tragen unsere Ergebnisse zu einer ganzheitlicheren, mehrdimensionalen Betrachtung der Faktoren bei, die zur Wahl einer akademischen Laufbahn führen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore how activity behaviors before/during pregnancy relate to those in later parenthood, we assessed associations between sitting and moderate-/strenuous exercise before/during pregnancy, and sedentary time (SED) and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) 4–7 years postpartum ("later parenthood"). Methods: Longitudinal data were from the Southampton Women's Survey, United Kingdom. Women reported time spent sitting (in hours per day), in moderate-strenuous exercise (hours per week), and in strenuous exercise (hours per week) at 3 time points before/during pregnancy (ie, preconception, at ∼12-wk and ∼34-wk gestation). From this, we derived 3 behavior trajectories for each woman. In later parenthood, women wore an accelerometer for ≤7 days (mean: 5.4 [SD: 1.8] d), which we used to derive 2 outcomes: minutes per day SED and in MVPA. Multilevel linear regression was used to explore associations between trajectories before/during pregnancy and device-measured SED/MVPA in later parenthood. Results: A total of 780 women provided valid data before/during pregnancy and in later parenthood. Consistent high sitters (vs low) were more sedentary 4–7 years postpartum (β = 39.5 min/d [95% confidence interval, 23.26 to 55.82]), as were women in groups who sat more in later pregnancy. Consistently high moderate/-strenuous exercisers (vs low) were 22% (95% confidence interval, 2%–47%) more active in later parenthood; those engaging in strenuous activity preconception tended to have higher MVPA as parents. Conclusions: Trajectories of sitting and exercise before/during pregnancy are associated with SED and MVPA, respectively, in later parenthood. Interventions to reduce sitting in pregnancy and to encourage higher intensity activity preconception may benefit maternal and child health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well established in the literature that a firm's innovation can promote its exports through demand-pull and/or regulatory channels. However, there is a lack of knowledge on whether green innovation strategies affect a firm's international expansion. In this study, we depart from the existing literature by considering the introduction of environmental innovation as an antecedent factor that creates incentives for a firm to enter new markets and to be persistent in export activities. In particular, we investigate whether strategies aimed at reducing energy or water consumption and taking care of the environment have an impact on the probability of being an exporter and on the probability of continuing to export. The results, for a panel data of Spanish firms, confirm the existence of a premium on the probability of entering and remaining in international markets. Commitment to green innovation strategies, such as reductions in energy and water consumption or the minimization of environmental impact, generates a premium for companies that internalize their activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to explore the relationship between the changes in parent-related factors and preschoolers exceeding screen time (ST) recommendations. Methods: A longitudinal analysis using 2-year follow-up data from 4 kindergartens (n = 409) was conducted in Zhejiang, China, from 2019 to 2021. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine the potential parental modifiable predictors. Results: The significant associations of baseline ST, change in screen accessibility, and the interaction of preschooler ST with maternal ST change with preschooler follow-up ST were observed. For preschool-aged children with baseline ST ≤ 1 hour per day, the follow-up of preschoolers with ST > 1 hour per day increased significantly when parental clarity of their ST rules decreased or remained low. For preschool children with baseline ST > 1 hour per day, follow-up ST increased significantly when their father kept ST >2 hours per day, when the screen accessibility became or remained easy, or when parental awareness of the ST decreased. Conclusions: Changes in parental correlates played an important role in preschooler ST based on 2-year longitudinal data. Early interventions should focus on improving the clarity of parental rules and perceptions, as well as on reducing parental ST and accessibility of home screens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the herding behavior that characterizes lenders' lending decisions on a microloan platform and explains how rational herding behavior can resolve the information-asymmetry problem, which is a well-known reason for the failure of online microloan platforms. Using a set of panel data on individual lending decisions acquired from Paipaidai.com (PPDai), an online microloan platform, we examine the influence of the lending decisions of prominent, experienced lenders on novice lenders to identify rational herding behavior. Our empirical analysis demonstrates that rational herding behavior can in fact efficiently reduce lender loss from borrower defaults caused by limited information. Although it is typically assumed that herding behavior is irrational, we find that it can be rational in this context and can thus shed light on why PPDai has succeeded while most other microloan platforms have failed. Accordingly, we make three key contributions: 1) we use heterogeneous herding effects to empirically determine whether lenders' herding behavior on PPDai is rational based on observational learning; 2) we investigate the moderating effect of borrower credit and novice-lender experience on herding, and we leverage this heterogeneity in lender experience to better explain loan results; and 3) because PPDai publicly provides potential lenders with a transparent credit score—in contrast to platforms like Prosper.com, which leverage hidden proprietary credit information from Experian—we further analyze the credit composition of prominent lenders to better understand the crucial determinants of rational herding. In fact, our follow-up survival simulations indicate that without rational herding, the total number of successful PPDai loans would have decreased by around 46 percent during the study period—a finding that further underlines the crucial influence of rational herding and the unique contextual factors of PPDai that have fostered it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine how hospital cost efficiency can improve because of knowledge spillover effects, arising from the experiences of members of a healthcare system. We identify two types of functional technology networks—that we term repository-type and workflow-type networks—which are defined by the adoption patterns of different types of electronic health record (EHR) systems application functions by hospitals in a health system. Additionally, we examine how structural features of these two network types—namely, network centrality and interconnectedness—impact such knowledge spillover effects. By analyzing seven years of panel data for 1,420 U.S. hospitals across 216 health systems, and data obtained from surveys of healthcare experts, we found that greater centrality of nodes in repository-type networks enhances the influence of partners' experiences on cost efficiency but has the opposite effect in workflow-type networks, while greater interconnectedness of workflow-type networks enhances the influence of partners' experiences on cost efficiency. Interestingly, we found the opposite effect in repository-type networks, where greater interconnectedness diminishes the influence of partners' experiences on cost efficiency. We discuss reasons for this surprising and counterintuitive finding. Overall, our results demonstrate that at least in healthcare settings where information technologies enable knowledge-sharing networks to be formed, benefits can accrue through knowledge spillover effects; moreover, variations across functional categories of technologies adopted in a network context can result in different technology-network structures with differential impacts on hospital cost efficiency because of their influence on knowledge spillover at both the hospital and system levels. Not only can these results explain mixed findings in the literature that has been dominated by a focus on cost efficiency outcomes dependent solely on the EHR adoption choices of individual hospitals, but they also provide the basis for guidelines for a network-based perspective of technology adoption. We discuss other possible settings to which our empirical findings can be reasonably generalized, including supply chain technologies and the Internet of Things. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigates the causes of rising economic inequality among Indian states between 2000 and 2017. To identify the components of output growth that are driving rising regional inequality in the Solow Model framework, we first create state-level data on capital stock and labour force, which are not published in India's national accounts. While we find beta divergence in per capita state domestic product (SDP) between states, there is no evidence of beta divergence in capital stock accumulation. Therefore, differences in TFP growth, rather than capital stock accumulation, may be one of the factors contributing to India's rising regional inequality. Furthermore, a productivity index for Indian states was created using the physical and social infrastructure, health, education, digital connectivity, and energy access to help explain the differences in states' TFP. When common factor models were used to account for the high cross-sectional dependence between state growth rates, the influence of capital accumulation and productivity index on state growth was significantly reduced. Hence, the Indian economy's common growth factor emerges as a major driver of the SDPs, with higher per capita SDP states benefiting more from overall growth than the lower per capita SDP states, resulting in growing regional disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased germ aversion, an aversive affective response to a high likelihood of pathogen transmission. While psychological factors are associated with chronic pain, the relationship between germ aversion and chronic pain remains unexplored. This study aimed to examine the relationship between germ aversion and new-onset and prognosis of chronic pain using longitudinal data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted web-based surveys of full-time workers at baseline and after three months. Data were collected on demographic characteristics, psychological factors, and chronic pain. Germ aversion was assessed using a modified Perceived Vulnerability to Disease scale. We analyzed responses from 1265 panelists who completed the survey twice. The prevalence of chronic low back pain (CLBP) and chronic neck and shoulder pain (CNSP) was associated with sex, short sleep duration, psychological distress, loneliness, and germ aversion. Stratified analyses showed that germ aversion was a risk factor for CLBP at three months in both individuals with and without CLBP at baseline, and for CNSP at three months in those with CNSP at baseline, even after adjustment for confounders. In conclusion, this preliminary study suggests that high germ aversion is a risk factor for CLBP and CNSP in young and middle-aged workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reference growth curves are viable tools for monitoring somatic growth. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop reference growth curves for body mass, height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist‐to‐height ratio (WHtR) in Brazilian children and adolescents aged 7–14 years. The reference growth curves were constructed from a cross‐sectional panel study using data from four surveys conducted in 2002, 2007, 2012/2013 and 2018/2019, with 9675 children and adolescents aged 7–14 years, of both sexes from Florianopolis, Southern Brazil. Growth curves were constructed using the LMS method, based on anthropometric indicators and indices (body mass, height, BMI, WC and WHtR), measured according to standardised norms. There was an increase in body mass, height, BMI and WC values with increasing age in both sexes and percentiles (P5, P10, P25, P50, P75, P85 and P95). The girls presented higher values of body mass, BMI and WC in the analysed percentiles, compared to the boys. Regarding height, there was a higher value from 10 to 11 years old in girls and from 12 to 14 years old in boys. WHtR decreased with increasing age in both sexes and analysed percentiles. Region‐specific reference growth curves can enable the monitoring of somatic growth of particular paediatric populations, expanding discussions in different regions of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land consolidation has become an organized and widely implemented project in rural areas. However, research remains somewhat scarce on the contributing mechanism of land consolidation to farmer income in developing countries. Using provincial panel data from China, this study employs a fixed effects model to analyze the influence of high-standard farmland construction on farmer income and underlying mechanisms. Results suggest that the implementation of high-standard farmland construction can significantly augment farmer income. Reduction in agricultural production cost, improvement in agricultural management benefit and increase in non-farm income have led to the boost in income. The relationship between income and high-standard farmland construction exhibits regional disparities, with the most significant impacts concentrated in economically developed areas and low relief degree areas. Our findings suggest that it is imperative for the Chinese government to persistently promote the establishment of high-standard farmland, and further enhance its positive influence on advancing agricultural cost-effectiveness and expanding non-farm income channels for farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambidextrous search behaviors that jointly looking for technological and market knowledge gain attention in the innovation management literature. This study treats the ambidextrous search behaviors as a technology-market search paradox and examines the effect of organizational slack on the paradox and further explore whether this paradox has synergistic effects on performance in high-tech small medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Besides, by integrating the literature of ambidextrous search and strategic management, we seek to understand the roles of strategic orientations, including growth-oriented and profit-oriented, in SMEs' technology-market search paradox. Based on panel data of 547 high-tech SMEs, we find that organizational slack promotes both technology and market search, and ambidextrous search separately enhance high-tech SMEs' performance, while the interaction of technology search and market search is negatively related to performance. Further, a growth-oriented strategy positively moderates the link between organizational slack and ambidextrous search and a profit-oriented strategy reinforces the relationship between organizational slack and technology search. We further enrich search-related and strategic literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2016, China has progressively relaxed family planning policies to stimulate birth rates. This paper examines the behavioral health repercussions of China's 2016 universal two-child policy (UTCP) by analyzing sleep pattern data from China Family Panel Studies. Napping is a composite indicator that denotes health outcomes, job quality, and personal well-being. It reveals work conditions and environments to some extent. UTCP may lead to heightened social expectations regarding pregnancy likelihood, and changes in social expectations within the workplace may make work environments less equitable and more stressful for females. Leveraging a difference-in-difference model, this paper explores how napping behaviors among the working-age cohort have responded to the policy shifts. Our analysis reveals a gender discrepancy in response to the policy, specifically, females exhibit a discernible reduction in the likelihood of napping, as well as in the duration of both daytime naps and daily sleep. Conversely, such effects are not significant among males. These results suggest policy consequences extend beyond individuals directly impacted by childbirth or contemplating parenthood. Hence, while promoting fertility is still the government's goal, policymakers are encouraged to consider the broader challenges the female population faces from social and workplace environment factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent surge in Internet growth has significantly altered how residents obtain health information and services, underscoring the need to investigate its impact on healthcare perceptions. However, current studies often fail to distinguish between Internet use and involvement, as well as the diverse range of healthcare stakeholders, resulting in incomplete and inconsistent understanding. To address this, this study utilized data from the 2018 China Family Panel Study (CFPS 2018), categorizing attitudes toward healthcare into three dimensions: doctor trust, satisfaction with medical institutions, and perception of systemic healthcare issues. Employing propensity score matching (PSM) to control for thirteen confounding variables, this study examined the Internet's impact on public attitudes toward healthcare among similar demographic, psychological, and health-related variables. Results revealed that both Internet use and involvement affect residents' attitudes toward healthcare to some extent, with involvement having a more pronounced effect. While Internet use increased the perception of systemic healthcare issues, Internet involvement enhanced doctor trust, yet reduced satisfaction with medical institutions and exaggerated the perception of systemic healthcare issues. These findings have significant theoretical and practical implications. They enhance the comprehension of diverse levels and purposes of Internet use, thereby advancing our knowledge of its multi-faced influence on public attitudes toward healthcare. Furthermore, they offer insights for medical institutions to improve service quality, assist Internet media in optimizing information delivery, and illuminate the implications for residents who effectively use the Internet to assess health information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines whether social trust, the general belief that most people are honest and trustworthy, shapes perceptions of personal increases in cost of living and whether perceptions of increases in cost of living affect social trust. We analyze panel data from the Canadian Quality of Work and Economic Life Study (N = 2353) that was gathered between the fall of 2021 and spring of 2022, when inflation rose precipitously in Canada. Using a combination of entropy balancing and logistic regression, we estimate a statistically significant but weak causal effect of social trust on the perception of an increase in cost of living. The estimated causal effect of subjective inflation on declining trust is substantially larger. Additionally, financial strain does not moderate either estimated causal effect. In conclusion, rising inflation appears to not only threaten economic security—inflation also appears to harm the social fabric by depleting social trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the effectiveness of green innovation on CO2 emissions in the top twelve polluting nations—China, the US, India, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, Turkey, Italy, Poland, and the UK—from 1996 to 2020. Using panel data fixed and random effect model and decision tree analysis, we found that industrialization, urbanization, and economic growth increase CO2 emissions, whereas green energy consumption and governance decrease CO2 emissions. In the panel data tree-based model, governance is in the second and third positions in the decision tree fixed, and random effect model. Green innovation is not statistically significant despite the expected negative sign. The findings suggest that policymakers should encourage investment in green energy production and governance to combat environmental degradation. Investment in green energy should be escalated to ensure energy efficiency in the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study examines the long-term impact of early childhood education on adolescent cognitive development in China, with a particular focus on the disparities in its effects across various economic backgrounds. Utilizing longitudinal data from the China Family Panel Studies and employing propensity score matching, the findings demonstrate a significant positive correlation between early childhood education and the cognitive development of primary and middle school students. Importantly, the study reveals that children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds experience significantly greater cognitive benefits from preschool attendance compared to their more affluent peers. Theoretical contributions and policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Introducing more generics has been a successful strategy for lowering pharmaceutical prices and expenditure. However, the effect of the strategy depends on the pricing schemes for generics. We aimed to update the South Korean generic markets in terms of effective competition, and to examine the effects of number of manufacturers and price variance on pharmaceutical expenditure. Methods: We constructed balanced panel data provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service covering 726 reimbursed substances from 2019 to 2023. We developed original indicators to analyze the generic markets: the maximum-minimum price variance (MMPV) and the maximum-weighted price variance (MWPV). Panel regression with fixed and time-fixed effects was used. Results: Over the study period, the number of manufacturers increased from 17.81 in 2019 to 20.98 in 2020 and then decreased to 18.70 in 2023. The MMPV increased from 204.70 in 2019 to 230.07 in 2022 and then decreased slightly to 225.34 in 2023. The MWPV increased from 59.70 in 2019 to 72.58 in 2023. Two types of segmented markets were noteworthy: low use of low-cost generics with sufficient manufacturers and high use of low-cost generics with insufficient manufacturers. In the fixed and time-fixed effects panel analyses, the MWPV presented a negative association with the number of manufacturers and a positive association with the MMPV. Conclusions: A newly introduced tiered pricing scheme, designed to differentiate generic prices, was associated with a decrease in the number of manufacturers and an increase in price dispersion. The pricing schemes for generics should be designed with price variance in mind and limit the number of too many generics in South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive CO2 emission has caused frequent occurrence of climate problems, and a typical response to climate change has reached international consensus. Digital finance and green finance, as a subversion of the traditional financial model, have become significant drivers of global carbon emissions reduction efforts. Based on the panel data, this paper profoundly compares the effects of carbon emissions reduction, mechanisms, and heterogeneous results of two forms of finance. Research finds that technology-centered digital finance focuses on suppressing carbon emissions through technological innovation, and the higher the level of regional economic is, the stronger the role of digital finance in suppressing carbon emissions through technological innovation. The concept-centered green finance focuses on carbon emissions reduction through industrial ecologization, and government-led environmental regulation plays a positive regulatory role. Although the paths of affecting carbon emissions are different, there is a natural fit between the two in terms of the essential goal of carbon emissions reduction. Based on the consideration of the differences in geographic location and financial development level, the carbon emission reduction effects of two forms of finance show apparent heterogeneity. Based on the spatial characteristics of digital finance and carbon emissions, this paper further finds that the digital finance's carbon emission reduction effects have apparent spatial spillovers. These findings provide an essential direction to formulate a reasonable carbon emissions reduction plan and accelerate realizing the "double carbon" goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst global sustainability challenges, green finance emerges as a crucial instrument for advancing sustainable development, garnering increasing attention for its pivotal role in fostering high-quality economic development (HQED), particularly within the dynamic economic landscape of China. This study delves into the nexus between green finance and HQED across 30 Chinese provinces from 2012 to 2021. Employing the entropy method, indices for green finance and HQED index system are calculated, and their interaction is analyzed through a panel data model, incorporating tests for moderating effects of FinTech and green technological innovation, as well as assessing the heterogeneity across diverse regions. The findings highlight green finance's significant role in enhancing HQED, with notable regional disparities. Specifically, the eastern region shows the strongest impact, followed by the central region, while the western and northeastern regions exhibit weaker influences. The study also identifies FinTech and green technological innovation as pivotal moderators, amplifying green finance's positive effect on HQED. These insights underscore green finance's importance in driving sustainable economic growth and highlight the necessity for region-specific strategies to optimize its impact. Policy recommendations based on these findings include prioritizing the development of green finance, formulating region-specific strategies, and leveraging the catalytic roles of FinTech and green technological innovation to enhance the efficacy of green finance in achieving HQED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within urban and tourism studies, although much research has focused on uneven city prosperity and competitiveness, little is known about factors influencing seaside town economic performance. We adopt a place-based approach to understand its determinants amongst 58 of England's largest seaside towns drawing on a bespoke database. Through Partial Least Square analysis, Spearman's Rank Correlation and general linear regression modelling for panel data with random effects, we identify the 'leaders' and 'laggers' along with a set of associated socio-economic characteristics. These insights enhance understanding of how and why economic performance differs amongst these towns. We highlight implications for addressing such socio-economic disparities across seaside towns, which has wider destination relevance, and use these findings to inform policy which seeks to raise the productivity potential of 'lagging' towns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the knowledge spillover effect through industrial correlation in the process of interregional textile industry transfer and its effects on the TFP of China's textile industry. The paper calculates the industrial similarity coefficients of subdivided industries with the textile industry and identifies the related industries of China's textile industry by using the data of China's input-output table and extension tables from 2002 to 2017. Then, the paper defines the industrial correlation spillover as the weighted sum of the indirect R&D investment of one industry from its related industries and constructs a quantitative method to qualify the industrial correlation spillover. Furthermore, the paper makes two empirical analyses on the existence of industrial correlation spillover in the interregional industrial transfer and its effects on productivity using the panel data of two-digit subdivided industries in 30 provinces. The results show that the correlation spillover effect does exist and promotes the interregional textile industry transfer from the eastern coastal region to the central and the northern-coastal regions; the correlation spillover from the related tertiary industries in industrial transfer promotes the TFP of China's textile industry, but the correlation spillover from the related secondary industries impedes the TFP of the textile industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of female labour participation and life expectancy on economic growth in Southeast Asia economies using non-stationary panel data techniques. The study utilizes balanced panel data spanning from 1992 to 2020, encompassing ten countries in Southeast Asia. The results reveal that economic growth, female labour participation, and other factors are cointegrated. The findings indicate that trade openness has a negative impact on economic growth. However, we find that female labour participation, female longevity, female education, domestic investment, and foreign direct investment have a positive long-term effect on economic growth. Our study also highlights that the effect of female labour participation on growth varies depending on female longevity. We find that female labour participation positively impacts economic growth but changes negatively when countries exhibit a high level of female life expectancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective : To analyze the coupling and coordination level of medical education and health resource allocation in China, and to provide scientific basis for promoting the high-quality development of medical education and the efficient allocation of health resources. Methods: Based on the panel data from 2011 to 2021, the coupling coordination degree model was used to measure the coupling coordination index of medical education and health resources in China. The spatial auto-correlation model was used to analyze the development status and distribution characteristics of the coupling coordination degree of the two systems. The kernel density estimation method was used to analyze the dynamic evolution trend of the coupling coordination of the two systems. The QR quantile regression model was used to explore the key factors affecting the coupling coordination degree of the two systems. Results: During the observation period, the coupling coordination degree of the two systems increased from 0.393 to 0.465, with a growth rate of 18.3%. The coupling coordination degree between regions gradually decreased in the eastern-central and eastern-western regions, and there were still large differences between the central and western regions. The coupling coordination degree of the two systems in the region was significantly different in the eastern and western regions, and the central region was relatively similar. There is a positive spatial correlation between the provinces, and 25.81% of the provinces have transitions. Finally, the number of points in the first and third quadrants is higher than that in the second and fourth quadrants. In the process of dynamic distribution, the degree of polarization of the coupling coordination degree curve of the two systems is gradually weakened. Per capita GDP, residents ' income difference and population size are the positive and significant factors driving the coupling and coordinated development of the two systems. Conclusion: The coupling and coordination degree of the two systems of medical education and health resource allocation showed a stable upward trend during the observation period, and the global spatial positive correlation also gradually increased, showing the spatial agglomeration characteristics of ' high-high agglomeration ' and ' low-low agglomeration '. The spatial difference of coupling coordination degree shows a shrinking trend and develops towards equalization. The coupling coordination degree of the two systems is affected by social, economic and demographic factors to varying degrees. Therefore, it is necessary to innovate the coordinated development mechanism of the two systems, promote the two-way flow of medical education and health resource allocation in talents, technology and other elements, and then promote the coupling and coordinated development of the two systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data from 2012 to 2020, we estimate the effect of the "Universal Two-Child" (UTC) policy on women's employment income in China by the Difference-in-Difference (DID) model. Our results show that the UTC policy leads to an average decrease of 20.86% in women's employment income. Moreover, we reveal the mediation effect in the impact of the UTC policy on women's income and find that the UTC policy leads to a decrease in women's income by reducing their working hours and hourly wages. Furthermore, we find that the negative impacts of the UTC policy on women's employment income are greater among women under 35 years old and those without a bachelor's degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementing the rural revitalization strategy is crucial for ensuring and enhancing the livelihoods of the vast rural population. The upgrading of rural consumption reflects the gradual realization of rural residents' pursuit of a better life, and the rapid development of digital inclusive finance provides strong support for this. Based on the Digital Inclusive Finance Index released by Peking University and panel data from 30 provinces across the country, this study examines the role of digital inclusive finance in optimizing rural consumption structure through the mediation effect model and analyzes its spatial spillover effects using the spatial Durbin model. The research shows that narrowing the development gap in digital inclusive finance is crucial for upgrading the rural consumption structure, which helps to promote rural residents' transition to higher-level consumption. Through the analysis of the spatial Durbin model, this study finds spatial spillover effects in this process, meaning that financial development in a particular region promotes local development but inhibits development in neighboring areas. Among various dimensions, the impact of breadth of coverage is the most significant. This trend of financial development affects consumption structure by increasing agricultural productivity and rural residents' operational income, particularly highlighting its impact on operational income. However, there are significant differences between the eastern and central-western regions in optimizing rural consumption structure, with the eastern region benefiting more while the effects in the central-western region are limited and sometimes even negative. Therefore, regional characteristics should be fully considered in policy formulation to narrow the development gap in digital inclusive finance and achieve high-quality and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the digital era, digital economy has a far-reaching impact on the collaborative agglomeration of manufacturing and service industries. This research aims to examine the economic relationship between digital economy and industrial collaborative agglomeration. Based on a panel data set of 286 Chinese cities, this research employs Tobit model, moderating effect model, and mediating effect model to conduct data analysis. It is found that digital economy has a nonlinear relationship with industrial collaborative agglomeration, and this relationship is a U-shape. Moderating effect analysis reveals that government intervention significantly regulates the role of digital economy in industrial collaborative agglomeration. Mediating effect analysis indicates that digital economy promotes industrial collaborative agglomeration through entrepreneurial activity. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the facilitating effect of digital economy on collaborative agglomeration in high-end industries comes earlier than in middle- and low-end industries. Moreover, this research finds that digital economy plays a significant role in industrial collaborative agglomeration in central and western regions of China but not in the eastern region. To enhance the impact of digital economy on industrial collaborative agglomeration, it is crucial to strengthen the engagement of the government and ensure the availability of digital technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of our study was to investigate serum chitotriosidase level in tuberculosis patients, its relationship with microbiological and clinical parameters, and response to treatment. Materials and methods: This longitudinal panel study included 149 patients with confirmed TB disease. Serum chitotriosidase activity was measured at the beginning and the end of treatment. Factors associated with chitotriosidase activity were explored using univariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: Out of 149 study participants, 71(47.7%) were female. The mean age was 53.0 (SD = 18.2). Majority of cases were new 118(79.2), predominantly 145 (97.3%) having pulmonary tuberculosis. More than half of the patients were sputum smear positive 91 (61.1%) while culture positive in 146 (98%) of them. According to radiological findings, cavitary lesions were found in 92 (63.4%) patients. Anti TB treatment was associated with significant decrease in serum chitotriosidase level (< 0.001). New TB treatment (OR = 4.41%;95% CI = 1.20–9.89), and cavitary lesions (OR = 3.86;95%CI = 0,59-26.57) were found to be significantly associated with decrease of chitotriosidase activity. Conclusions: The results of our study showed that serum chitotriosidase values are strong biomarkers for starting anti TB treatment and for treatment monitoring, since decrease in serum chitotriosidase level can predict favorable treatment response in patients with tuberculosis. Further studies are needed to explore these, and other factors associated with chitotriosidase activity among tuberculosis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis research evaluates the liability of foreignness (LOF) in metals and mining companies in Brazil by comparing the financial performance of foreign and local firms. The study also tests if the increase in the psychic distance index (PDI) reduces the performance of foreign companies. We estimated panel data regression models for a sample of 78 companies (29 multinationals in Brazil). Even though the performance differences between mining foreign companies and local ones are not significant, there is evidence that foreign firms face LOF and we confirmed a negative relationship between PDI and the performance of foreign metals and mining companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a comprehensive investigation of the global tourism industry, combining two critical streams from the academic literature: the economic determinants of the tourism industry and the influence of technology on this industry. More precisely, this study examines the influences of technology advancement (Internet and mobile usage) on the outbound tourism (OT) in a global sample. We found interesting and consistent results by applying various panel data estimations for a sample of 126 economies composed by 3 subsamples, including (49 Low and Lower‐Middle Income Economies [LMEs], 29 Upper‐Middle Income Economies [UMEs] and 48 High‐Income Economies [HIEs]) between 2000 and 2017. Internet use has a significant positive impact on all the three aspects of OT, including total OT expenditures, international tourism expenditures for travel items and the number of international tourism departures. The effects of Internet usage are stronger than the one observed for mobile usage. Finally, the positive influences of Internet and mobile usage are found with strong consistency across the three income groups (with a stronger marginal impact in HIEs and UMEs, and lastly in LMEs). Our study invites policy‐makers to integrate digital information within the tourism sector to boost the industry and economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's empowerment has been promoted by researchers and development practitioners as one of the most promising strategies to address widespread hunger and malnutrition. However, the relationship between women's empowerment and dietary diversity and child nutrition has rarely been studied among vulnerable populations or individuals at greater risk of poor physical and social health status. Moreover, the effects of different domains of women's empowerment on nutritional outcomes, including dietary diversity and child anthropometry, have rarely been examined, especially with panel data. Using two rounds of panel data from 1900 households and fixed effects regression models, we analyze the effect of women's empowerment on household dietary diversity score (HDDS) and child anthropometry among the particularly vulnerable tribal groups in Odisha, India. We also estimate the effects of various decision-making domains of women's empowerment on HDDS and child anthropometry to understand which empowerment domains matter for nutrition. Results show that women's empowerment is positively associated with HDDS (coef. 0.41 food groups; p < 0.1) and reduces the prevalence of underweight (coef. 39%; p < 0.05) and wasting (coef. 56%; p < 0.1) in children but has no effect on the prevalence of child stunting. Women's empowerment in agricultural input use; output sales; income; food purchases; and credit, group membership, and employment contribute to improved dietary diversity and child nutrition. We conclude that women's empowerment contributes to improved dietary diversity and child nutrition and is a promising strategy to improve farm household diets and child nutrition among vulnerable populations. Strengthening women's empowerment through the promotion of women's access to land and other agricultural inputs, market participation, access to information, capital, and credit is important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive studies have been conducted on the link between armed conflict and agricultural production. However, the underlying mechanisms remain underexplored. A better understanding of these mechanisms could unpack the subsequent effects of conflict‐induced food and welfare shortages, as well as identify promising policy interventions. We study the effects of terrorist violence on household agricultural production in Burkina Faso and explore the underlying mechanisms. To achieve this, we combine nationally representative five‐year panel data on plots and households with spatial conflict data. Our analysis reveals negative and significant effects of terrorist violence on agricultural productivity and total output. Despite reducing cereal crop output, increased intensity of terrorist violence is significantly associated with higher production of cash crops, which require fewer inputs in Burkina Faso. Further investigations uncover that the decline in household agricultural productivity results from a significant decrease in the number of farming plots, land size, and short‐term production investments, including chemical fertilisers and pesticides. These findings remain robust across various alternative empirical specifications and measures of violence, offering insights that can help policymakers faced with similarly scaled armed conflict. For instance, ensuring a secure environment and providing reliable access to essential production inputs, such as chemical fertilisers and pesticides, can help support conflict‐affected household agricultural production during and after the violence periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high rates of premature contract termination (PCT) in vocational education and training (VET) programs have led to an increasing number of studies examining the reasons why adolescents drop out. Since adolescents' trajectories after a PCT are quite diverse, a thorough assessment of different dropout directions is called for. However, empirical studies that distinguish between dropout directions are still scarce. The same is true for studies that differentiate between PCTs initiated by the trainees themselves and those initiated by the training company. Based on data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) on trainees in German dual VET programs (n = 5823), this study identifies six different dropout directions: (1) downward PCT into unqualified employment or unemployment, (2) downward PCT into a prevocational program, (3) horizontal PCT that represents a change of training company or (4) a change of occupation, and (5) upward PCT into general education or (6) higher education. Using multinomial logistic regression models we examine the effect of (a) the initiating party and (b) self-reported PCT reasons of trainees on dropout directions. Regarding trainees' reasons we include reasons related to different aspects of the training (personal reasons, not the desired training occupation, financial reasons, training quality, conflicts, excessive demand, and being offered a different training position). The results indicate that in cases where trainees are dismissed by the training company, a horizontal change to a different training company becomes more likely, while the probability of an upward dropout into higher education decreases. Regarding PCT decisions made by trainees themselves, a downward PCT into unqualified employment or unemployment is more likely if personal reasons were the cause of a PCT decision. Moreover, the probability of a change of training company (horizontal PCT) increases in cases of conflict and if there is a prospect of a different training position, and decreases if the training position is not the desired occupation. A change of occupation (horizontal PCT) is more likely when there is the opportunity for a different training position available. Furthermore, upward PCTs (both into further general education and higher education) are more likely in cases where the training was in a field that was not the desired occupation. The probability of upward PCT into higher education decreases when there are conflicts and excessive demands, while upward PCTs into general education are significantly less likely when a different training position is obtained. The differential effects that occur for different types of PCTs emphasize that adolescents dropping out of VET cannot be treated as a homogenous group. Consequently, the results underscore the importance of conducting a more thorough assessment of both dropout directions and the initiating party of a PCT in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In educational sociology, it is of greatest interest to explain why some students are more successful than others and obtain higher educational qualifications or receive better grades, which can have long-lasting consequences. The present study compares the influence of early academic performance, which can be regarded as a proxy of overall intelligence, to the socio-economic status (SES) of the family, which measures how much a family can invest in the education of their offspring. Using large-scale German NEPS panel data (N = 5,208), the analyses test statistically how much variance of two outcome variables (acquisition of higher education eligibility and final grade) are explained by academic performance and SES; both measured approximately 9 years earlier at the beginning of secondary education. Dominance analyses reveal that performance has a larger influence (ca. 14% for both outcomes) than SES (ca. 8% for eligibility and ca. 4% for grades). Regression analyses show that high performance can better compensate for low SES than vice versa. These results indicate that performance is probably more relevant for academic success than the SES of one's own family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor people in a developing country like India face energy poverty and are deprived of clean cooking fuel. Clean cooking fuels are costlier and require more willingness to pay (WTP) from the consumer. Therefore, this is a descriptive study aims to analyze factors associated with differences in cooking fuel expenses at the household level in Uttar Pradesh, India. For this purpose, panel data from the Consumer Pyramids Household Survey of CMIE from 2014 to 2019 has been considered. The study uses fixed-effect panel data model to control individual-specific effects. Cooking fuel expenses show positive elasticity concerning per capita income. However, this elasticity is lower for the higher-income group than the bottom-income group. Less educational attainments of households are associated with lower spending on cooking fuel. Moreover, households with better access to electricity are willing to spend more on cooking fuel expenditure. Hence, improved access to electricity nudges households towards more WTP for cooking fuel. It is further confirmed by finding a positive association between electricity-using household appliances and cooking fuel expenses. Therefore, improved access to electricity may increase the WTP for cooking fuel and adopt clean cooking fuel in different ways. This suggests positive spillover effects of modern energy services on clean cooking fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eating healthily in terms of fruit and vegetable consumption has beneficial effects for employees and their organisations. Yet, we know little about how employees' eating behaviour develops over longer periods of time (trajectories) as well as about how subgroups of employees in these trajectories differ (trajectory classes). Gaining such insights is critical to understand how employees address healthy eating recommendations over time as well as to develop individualised interventions that also consider the development of healthy eating (i.e. improvement versus impairment beyond mean levels). We analysed panel data (Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences) from 1054 employees by means of growth mixture modelling. Our analyses revealed three relevant classes of healthy‐eating trajectories: a favourable trajectory class, an unfavourable trajectory class and a strongly improving trajectory class. Furthermore, unfavourable healthy‐eating trajectories were especially critical with respect to impaired psychological well‐being. Specifically, we found robust results for impaired positive and negative affects, but not for self‐esteem, in the unfavourable trajectory class. We discuss limitations and implications of these findings, thereby encouraging research and practice to further consider such fine‐grained approaches (i.e. focusing on subgroups within a larger population) when addressing healthy‐eating promotion over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study investigates the reasons behind the very high net interest margins in the Greek banking industry compared to the euro-area, focussing on the association between bank competition and recapitalisations. Design/methodology/approach: The author conducts a dynamic panel analysis covering the period from the early 2000s to 2021, that controls for possible endogeneity and treats for heterogeneity. The author also employs local projections impulse response functions that control for structural changes in Greek banking. Findings: The author finds that low bank competition has contributed to high net interest margins in Greece. Interestingly, the impact of recapitalisations conditional to low bank competition has had a significant further impact on increasing net interest margins, which is a noteworthy case due to several Greek bank recapitalisations in the last ten years. The author's findings are supported by local projections impulse response functions. Originality/value: To mitigate distortions in bank competition, the author argues to accelerate steps toward the direction of the banking union and a common bank regulation framework in the euro-area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As China pursues carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, the low‐carbon economy and energy conservation have become essential components of high‐quality economic development. Although agriculture plays a fundamental role in a country, the relationship between agricultural development, investment, and carbon emissions is often overlooked in existing research. This study aims to address this gap by examining the impact of financial investment in agriculture on carbon dioxide emissions and the underlying mechanisms driving this relationship. Employing panel data from mainland China's provinces between 2007 and 2020, the study also investigates the regional heterogeneity in the effect of agricultural investment on carbon dioxide emissions. Our findings reveal that increasing financial investment in agriculture effectively reduces carbon dioxide emissions, primarily through optimizing industrial structure and fostering technological innovation. Heterogeneity tests indicate that the inhibitory effect of agricultural investment on carbon dioxide emissions is more pronounced in eastern regions, provinces with a higher degree of marketization, and provinces with a substantial proportion of primary industry. These results provide a theoretical basis for leveraging agricultural financial investment to restrain carbon dioxide emissions and highlight the unique contributions of our study to the existing body of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developed countries have long tried to increase their environmental standards to mitigate the negative effects of economic activities. For this purpose, they impose environmental taxes, energy taxes, and emission limits. In the last decade, a new measurement technique for environmental policy was introduced: the Environmental Policy Stringency Index (EPS index). This index takes values from 0.00 to 6.00, and higher values refer to more stringent environmental policies, whereas lower values suggest lax policies. This study aims to explore the impact of the EPS index on economic activities at the aggregate and sectoral levels for 20 European countries covering the period 1995–2020. For this purpose, this study utilizes the dynamic panel data approach, the two‐step system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation method. The empirical findings show that an increase in the EPS index causes a decline in economic growth at the aggregate level. At the sectoral level, it was found that the industry sector is negatively affected by increases in environmental standards. In addition to the system GMM results, this study employs the Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel non‐causality test to detect causal linkages between variables. The empirical findings show that the EPS index Granger causes economic activity in almost all sectors. The empirical results indicate that environmental regulations should be carefully designed to prevent economic contraction. Policymakers need to develop policies to decrease dependency on fossil fuels in industrial production. Thus, they can subsidize firms to invest in productive and innovative areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While social media is assumed to exacerbate adolescents' depressive symptoms, research findings are ambiguous. One way to move the field forward is by looking beyond time spent on social media and considering subjective experiences. The current three-wave longitudinal panel study examines the within- and between-person relations between adolescents' self-worth dependency on social media feedback and depressive symptoms. About 1,607 adolescents participated in two of the three waves, yet a third had to be excluded due to failing an attention check. Among the analytical sample of 1,032 adolescents, we found that adolescents who derived more of their self-worth from social media feedback were also more depressed, as indicated by a positive correlation at the between-person level. No support was found for within-person associations over time. These results highlight the need to examine effects of subjective experiences with social media by separating within- and between-person dynamics to reach more precise conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selective exposure literature indicates that not all users take away the same messages from their media exposure; it is suggested that viewers are not merely exposed but rather reactive to multiple—and possibly opposing—messages. The current study aims to introduce an active media-processing perspective, focusing specifically on the media-body image association among an early adolescent sample. Results of a three-wave longitudinal survey among 971 early adolescents (Mage = 11.14; SD = 1.13) show that media-focused peer interactions (W1), but not media exposure (W1), were associated with contradictory perceptions of attractiveness (i.e., perceived benefits and perceived costs for investing in appearance) (W2). Polynomial regression analyses pointed out that the association between these contradictory perceptions (i.e., interaction between benefits and costs; W2) was curvilinearily related to body image investment (W3). The findings emphasize the variable vulnerability of adolescents to the media effect and the importance of acknowledging multi-layered media messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep neural network (DNN) architectures such as recurrent neural networks and transformers display outstanding performance in modeling sequential unstructured data. However, little is known about their merit to model customer churn with time-varying data. The paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of the ability of recurrent neural networks and transformers for customer churn prediction (CCP) using time-varying behavioral features in the form of recency, frequency, and monetary value (RFM). RFM variables are the backbone of CCP and, more generally, customer behavior forecasting. We examine alternative strategies for integrating time-varying and non-variant customer features in one network architecture. In this scope, we also assess hybrid approaches that incorporate the outputs of DNNs in conventional CCP models. Using a comprehensive panel data set from a large financial services company, we find recurrent neural networks to outperform transformer architectures when focusing on time-varying RFM features. This finding is confirmed when time-invariant customer features are included, independent of the specific form of feature integration. Finally, we find no statistical evidence that hybrid approaches (based on regularized logistic regression and extreme gradient boosting) improve predictive performance—highlighting that DNNs and especially recurrent neural networks are suitable standalone classifiers for CCP using time-varying RFM measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This five‐wave longitudinal study examined the between‐ and within‐family dynamic associations between father, mother, and child anxiety and the moderating effects of child gender in Chinese culture. Five hundred and twenty‐two father–mother dyads of children (59% boys; Mage T1 = 8.34 years) completed measures of father, mother, and child anxiety at five time points, 6 months apart. Between‐family associations suggested that children whose parents had more anxiety symptoms showed higher anxiety levels, and mothers or fathers whose partners had more anxiety symptoms showed higher anxiety levels. At the within‐family level, after periods with higher child anxiety symptoms, mothers reported higher anxiety symptoms and vice versa. However, no reciprocal associations were found between father and child anxiety and between father and mother anxiety. Finally, the associations between father, mother, and child anxiety did not differ across boys and girls. Our findings highlight the importance of distinguishing among between‐family and within‐family associations and help to develop effective programs to prevent anxiety disorders in families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-sectional scholarship demonstrates the importance of the U.S. racial structure in precipitating dramatic racial divisions in serious crime across neighborhoods. Yet, we know much less about the degree and sources of racial disparities in how neighborhood crime changes over time, despite considerable evolution in the components of the racial order. We articulate a dynamic racial structural perspective that centers the unfolding nature of residential segregation in producing and altering racially structured socioeconomic realities. We contend that these racialized structural inequalities, in turn, lead neighborhoods on unequal paths of crime change. We assess this perspective with new panel data (circa 2000 and 2010) from the National Neighborhood Crime Study for 7,875 census tracts across 75 cities. Despite considerable socioeconomic upheaval and demographic change during the first decade of the 2000s, we find substantial disparities in neighborhood violence and burglary change that indicate the reproduction of the ethno-racial divide. Furthermore, our dynamic racial structural model explains much of these inequalities in crime change. A dynamic racial structure perspective lays a foundation for understanding the consequences of the evolving U.S. racial structure for unequal exposure to crime across neighborhoods over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]