Measuring regional competitiveness on the basis of entrepreneurship, technological readiness and quality of institutions

Author(s):  
Nirmalkumar Singh Moirangthem ◽  
Barnali Nag

Purpose Developing composite index-regional entrepreneurship, technological readiness and institution quality index (RETRIQ) of regional entrepreneurship, technology readiness and quality of institution to measure regional competitiveness. This study, also, aims to test econometrically the effectiveness of the index in capturing the economic performance of the sub-national regions. Design/methodology/approach The data of eight indicators used in the index are from sources available freely in the public domain. The causal relationship analysis is done using panel data of 10 years from 2008 to 2017 for 32 Indian states/union territories. The generalized method of moments (GMM) is used for this dynamic regression estimation. Findings Based on RETRIQ, 32 states and union territories of India have ranked. The estimation using GMM shows a significant association between the composite index and economic growth. Research limitations/implications The limitations of the study include the broad assumption that these sub-national regions belong to a uniform macro-economic and technology environment and data constraints as it is a longitudinal study. Then, the implication of the study is that the composite index-RETRIQ could capture differences in regional competitiveness explaining regional economic disparity. Practical implications The index will be useful for policy implications in the assessment of competitiveness disparity. Originality/value It is a composite index of regional entrepreneurship, technological readiness and quality of the institution. The panel data across states along 10 years series is novel.

Author(s):  
Harishankar Vidyarthi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the dynamics between banking penetration, infrastructure development and regional growth within a multivariate framework in 23 Indian states over the period 2000-2012. Design/methodology/approach The study employs the multivariate panel data framework to analyze the dynamics between banking penetration, infrastructure development and regional growth within the vector error correction model (VECM) framework. Findings The findings confirm the long-run equilibrium relationship between banking penetration, infrastructure and income for the panel. Long-run income elasticity of infrastructure, estimated using Panel dynamic ordinary least square, is positive, statistically significant and has a value of 0.1531. Further, results show bidirectional causality between income and aggregate infrastructure and unidirectional causality running from banking penetration to income and aggregate infrastructure in the long run. However, there is unidirectional causality running from income to banking penetration and aggregate infrastructure and from banking penetration to aggregate infrastructure in the short run. Research limitations/implications The study mainly concentrates on the 2000-2012 period and includes transportation (roadways and railways), energy (including electricity) and telecommunication as indicators for infrastructure, as the data for these sectors are easily available at the state level. Second, this study employs the panel data technique as it has a shorter data count. Practical implications In order to minimize the existing regional disparity in a developing India, national infrastructure policies should be aimed toward improving the overall access to as well as the quality of infrastructure (existing as well as newly planned). Further, widening the banking outreach at the bottom level may further help the economy as well as the infrastructure sector in mobilizing long-term finances for productive investments, in order to have a balanced, more inclusive and faster growth in the long run. Originality/value The study employs panel unit root, cointegration and Granger causality tests within the panel VECM framework to explore the dynamics among the system variables. Further, the study creates a composite index of infrastructure with principle component analysis.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nirmalkumar Singh Moirangthem ◽  
Barnali Nag

PurposeThe objective of this study is threefold–first, to develop a Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI) for measuring competitiveness of sub-national regions for India; second, to test this index for its ability to explain regional growth, which validates usage and applicability of this index; and third, to further investigate if the competitiveness of states is in turn caused by economic growth, i.e. it is tested if there is a bidirectional causality between competitiveness and regional growth.Design/methodology/approachThe data of indicators used in the index are from sources available freely in public domain. The competitiveness index is constructed using equal weightage supported by principal component analysis (PCA) technique. The causal relationship analysis is done using panel data of 10 years from 2008 to 2017 for 32 Indian states/union territories. The generalized method of moments (GMMs) is used for this dynamic regression estimation.FindingsBased on RCI score, states have been ranked and through rank analysis, the authors observe the performance status of these sub-national regions and are able to categorize them as improving, no change or deteriorating in regional competitiveness. Using the GMM estimation, the association between RCI and economic growth is found to be significant at 10% level. This shows that regional competitiveness as captured through the RCI score is able to explain regional economic growth and economic disparity among the sub-national units. Further, that RCI score is found to Granger-cause growth, while growth does not lead to better RCI scores. This establishes the usefulness of RCI as an important policy variable to compare states and provide direction for sectoral reforms.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of the study include (1) broad assumption that these sub-national regions belong to a uniform macro-economic and technology environment, and (2) data constraints as it is a longitudinal study. The study implies that the composite index could capture differences in regional competitiveness explaining regional economic disparity and that competitiveness causes higher economic growth and not vice versa.Practical implicationsThe RCI score can prove to be a useful indicator of economic performance of different states and can be used by national and state policymakers to compare and assess regional disparity among different states. The pillar-wise scores will be useful for in-depth study of weakness and strength of the sub-national territories.Originality/valueConstruction of an RCI for sub-national territories and analysis of panel data for longitudinal study of ten years is unique in the regional competitiveness literature.


2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 687-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Godfred A. Bokpin ◽  
Lord Mensah ◽  
Michael E. Asamoah

Purpose This paper aims to find out how the legal system interacts with other institutions in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Africa. Design/methodology/approach The authors use annual panel data of 49 African countries over the period 1980 to 2011, and use the system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation technique and pooled panel data regression. Findings The authors find that the source of a country’s legal system deters FDI inflow as institutions alone cannot bring in the needed quantum of FDI. In terms of trading blocs, it was found that there is negative significant relationship between institutional quality and FDI for South African Development Community (SADC) as well as Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) countries. Practical implications For policy implications, the results suggest that reliance on institutions alone cannot project the continent to attract the needed FDI. Originality/value Empiricists have devoted considerable effort to estimating the relationship between institutions and FDI on the African continent, but this paper seeks to ascertain the effect of legal systems and institutional quality within African specific trade and regional blocks.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fanyu Chen ◽  
Siong Hook Law ◽  
Zi Wen Vivien Wong ◽  
W.N.W Azman-Saini

Purpose This study aims to examine the effects of institutions on private investment (PI) using panel data analysis, where the sample countries consist of 100 countries around the world and the time period is covering from 2007 to 2016. The system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator, introduced by Arellano and Bond (1991) and further developed by Blundell and Bond (1998) is used to analyze the data sets. Design/methodology/approach This study uses the panel data approach to estimate the empirical model due to the panel nature of the data. In particular, due to the presence of lagged dependent variables and the ability to capture individual country-specific effects, the system GMM estimator, introduced by Arellano and Bond (1991) and further developed by Blundell and Bond (1998), is adopted to analyze the roles of institutions in PI. The system GMM is developed specifically to solve the problems of weak instruments and persistency (Blundell and Bond, 1998). Jointly, they suggest to adopt additional moment conditions where lagged difference of the dependent variable is orthogonal to the level form of the disturbances. The system GMM estimator is able to combine the moment conditions for the different models, as well as the level model, thereby (is capable of) generate consistent and efficient parameters. Due to the dynamic nature of the data, this study uses one-step and two-step system GMM to investigate the roles of institutions in PI. Findings The empirical results based on the two-step system GMM demonstrate that the quality of institutions plays an important role in stimulating PI. The finding is reinforced by the analysis of the institutional sub-components’ effects on PI. Originality/value This study is unique as its measurement of institutions is multi-dimensional (including law and order, rules and regulation, government stability, bureaucratic quality, control of corruption, socio-economic condition, etc.), and hence are more comprehensive. Second, it is different than the previous studies as its sample of countries includes both democracies and non-democracies, as well as both developed and non-developed economies in which policy implications are widely acceptable. Third, this study contributes to the policymakers especially those in the debt-ridden economies where governments are budget-tightening (limited capacity for public investment), as to which practical direction should be focused on so as to attract PI and eventually sustainable growth can take place.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 939-964
Author(s):  
Mohammad A.A Zaid ◽  
Man Wang ◽  
Sara T.F. Abuhijleh ◽  
Ayman Issa ◽  
Mohammed W.A. Saleh ◽  
...  

Purpose Motivated by the agency theory, this study aims to empirically examine the nexus between board attributes and a firm’s financing decisions of non-financial listed firms in Palestine and how the previous relationship is moderated and shaped by the level of gender diversity. Design/methodology/approach Multiple regression analysis on a panel data was used. Further, we applied three different approaches of static panel data “pooled OLS, fixed effect and random effect.” Fixed-effects estimator was selected as the optimal and most appropriate model. In addition, to control for the potential endogeneity problem and to profoundly analyze the study data, the authors perform the one-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator. Dynamic panel GMM specification was superior in generating robust findings. Findings The findings clearly unveil that all explanatory variables in the study model have a significant influence on the firm’s financing decisions. Moreover, the results report that the impact of board size and board independence are more positive under conditions of a high level of gender diversity, whereas the influence of CEO duality on the firm’s leverage level turned from negative to positive. In a nutshell, gender diversity moderates the effect of board structure on a firm’s financing decisions. Research limitations/implications This study was restricted to one institutional context (Palestine); therefore, the results reflect the attributes of the Palestinian business environment. In this vein, it is possible to generate different findings in other countries, particularly in developed markets. Practical implications The findings of this study can draw responsible parties and policymakers’ attention in developing countries to introduce and contextualize new mechanisms that can lead to better monitoring process and help firms in attracting better resources and establishing an optimal capital structure. For instance, entities should mandate a minimum quota for the proportion of women incorporation in boardrooms. Originality/value This study provides empirical evidence on the moderating role of gender diversity on the effect of board structure on firm’s financing decisions, something that was predominantly neglected by the earlier studies and has not yet examined by ancestors. Thereby, to protrude nuanced understanding of this novel and unprecedented idea, this study thoroughly bridges this research gap and contributes practically and theoretically to the existing corporate governance–capital structure literature.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiotis E. Dimitropoulos

Purpose Over the past decades, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been considered as a significant corporate strategy and also has been documented as a main information dissemination mechanism of corporations to shareholders, creditors and other external stakeholders. This fact makes the CSR activities and CSR performance interconnected with the quality of firms’ financial reporting. The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of CSR performance on the earnings management (EM) behaviour using a sample from 24 European Union (EU) countries summing up to 121,154 firm-year observations over the period 2003–2018. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a multi-country data set with various dimensions of CSR performance including indexes regarding workforce, community relations, product responsibility and human rights protection. The empirical analysis is conducted with panel data regressions. Findings Evidence supports the negative association between CSR and EM indicating that high CSR performing firms are associated with less income smoothing and discretionary accruals, thus with higher financial reporting quality. Practical implications Regulatory agencies in the EU could use the findings of the study for the improvement of the accounting framework via enhancing the use and publications of social and environmental responsibility information and reports. Social implications Also, the current paper could be of interest not only to academic researchers but also to potential and existing investors in European corporations. The negative association between CSR performance and EM could be used by investors in assessing the risk of firms and the quality and reliability of their financial information. Originality/value This is the first study within the EU, which considers the multi-facet characteristics of CSR on the quality of accounting earnings and offers useful policy implications for regulators and investors.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Liang ◽  
Jingqi Dang ◽  
Shuai Chen

PurposeThis study aims to establish the linkage among export tax rebate (ETR), firm innovation and product quality of Chinese agricultural product processing industry (APPI), so that more targeted policy implications can be discussed.Design/methodology/approachUsing highly disaggregated firm-product-destination-level data through 2001 to 2013 of Chinese APPI, this study employs a two-way fixed effects specification to establish the linkage between ETR and product quality, while the mediational model is adopted to examine potential mechanisms.FindingsBaseline estimates show that a 1% increase in ETR rate leads to a significant increase in the product quality of APPI by 0.12% on the whole. However, there is a nonlinear, inverse-U shaped relationship between ETR and product quality, and the optimal inflection point occurs when ERT rate equals 0.15. Mechanism analyses show that firm innovation is an important impact channel, which explains 9.8% of quality improvement induced by raising ETR. Further heterogeneous analyses reveal both the total effects of ETR on product quality and the mediation effects of innovation are dominated by young SMEs (small and medium-size enterprises).Practical implicationsAuthorities can promote the innovation and then product quality improvement of young SMEs by moderately increasing ETR rate. To ensure ETR more effective in improving quality, it is necessary for the government to encourage innovation. Authorities can reduce the risk of innovation failure for low-tech firms by increasing R&D subsidies, while ensuring innovation returns for high-tech firms in combination with stronger intellectual property protection.Originality/valueFirst, this is one of the earlier studies to explore the relationship between ETR and product quality specifically for Chinese APPI. Second, we show firm innovation as an important mediator so that policies aim at raising ETR rates are eventually beneficial to product quality. Third, using the highly disaggregated data, we allow ETR rate to vary across different products, which is an improvement in the accuracy of previous literature. Finally, our research provides additional empirical evidence for revealing the micro-mechanism of ETR affecting firm behaviors.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahar Tayachi ◽  
Ahmed Imran Hunjra ◽  
Kirsten Jones ◽  
Rashid Mehmood ◽  
Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh Al-Faryan

Purpose Ownership structure deals with internal corporate governance mechanism, which plays important role in minimizing conflict of interests between shareholders and management Ownership structure is an important mechanism that influences the value of firm, financing and dividend decisions. This paper aims to examine the impact of the ownership structures, i.e. managerial ownership, institutional ownership on financing and dividend policy. Design/methodology/approach The authors use panel data of manufacturing firms from both developed and developing countries, and the generalized method of moments (GMM) is applied to analyze the results. The authors collect the data from DataStream for the period of 2010 to 2019. Findings The authors find that managerial ownership and ownership concentration have significant and positive effects on debt financing, but they have significant and negative effects on dividend policy. Institutional ownership shows a positive impact on financing decisions and dividend policy for sample firms. Originality/value This study fills the gap by proving the policy implications for both firms and investors, as managers prefer debt financing, but at the same time try to ignore dividend payment. Therefore, investors may not invest in firms with a higher proportion of managerial ownership and may choose to invest more in institutional ownership, which lowers the agency cost.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 328-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hichem Khlif ◽  
Achraf Guidara ◽  
Khaled Hussainey

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationship between the level of sustainability and tax evasion and test whether the level of corruption moderates such a relationship. Design/methodology/approach The sample consists of 65 developed and developing countries. Tax evasion is measured using a macro indirect approach used by Schneider et al. (2010). The sustainability level and corruption variables are collected from The Global Competitiveness Report for 2012-2013. Findings This study finds that the level of tax evasion is negatively associated with the level of sustainability (overall score and social and environmental score) and the quality of infrastructure. When we distinguish between low- and high-corruption countries, we find that this negative association is significant for low-corruption countries and insignificant for high-corruption countries. These results imply that the level of corruption may reduce the tendency of individuals in a given state to accept and trust their government in general and comply with the tax rules in particular. Originality/value Our empirical findings have policy implications for governments with high levels of tax evasion, as they highlight the importance of states’ engagements towards their citizens in reducing tax evasion.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1291-1310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Aseel Shokr ◽  
Anwar Al-Gasaymeh

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relevance of the bank lending channel (BLC) of monetary policy and the bank efficiency in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines the effectiveness of bank lending channel using generalized method of moments GMM model during the period from 1996 to 2014. Also, it uses stochastic frontier approach (SFA) to examine the bank efficiency in Egypt. Findings This study supports the relevance of the BLC using panel data. Moreover, applying SFA, this paper computes cost efficiency taking account of both time and country effects directly. The finding suggests that banks with low inflation and high GDP tend to perform more efficiently. Research limitations/implications The limitation of the study is examining one country only. Practical implications The finding signals that the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) should adjust interest rate in order to stabilize the bank loan supply. Social implications It is important for the CBE and Egyptian banks because it highlights the importance of BLC. Originality/value It examines one channel of monetary policy and bank efficiency in Egypt.


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