Economic policy uncertainty, R&D expenditures and innovation outputs

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza Tajaddini ◽  
Hassan F. Gholipour
Keyword(s):  
Economic Policy ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Policy Uncertainty ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the news-based economic policy uncertainty (EPU), research and development (R&D) expenditures per capita and innovation outputs.Design/methodology/approachData from 1996 to 2015 for 19 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States) are used. The authors apply country and year fixed-effects models for the estimations.FindingsThe study findings show that higher levels of EPU are positively associated with higher R&D expenditures per capita as well as innovation outputs (patent applications, patent grants and trademark applications).Practical implicationsThis study deepens our understanding on the policy uncertainty–economic activities nexus and expands the literature on uncertainty, which is still at an initial phase of development, leading to generate a variety of open research questions for further investigation and study (Bloom, 2014).Originality/valueThere has not been an empirical investigation on the links between EPU and R&D expenditures and innovation outputs across several countries. The authors address this gap in the literature.

Do firms adjust board gender diversity in response to economic policy uncertainty?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seksak Jumreornvong ◽  
Sirimon Treepong karuna ◽  
Shenghui Tong ◽  
Pornsit Jiraporn
Keyword(s):  
Economic Policy ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Terrorist Attack ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Shareholder Wealth ◽  
Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Exogenous Shock ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Board Gender Diversity

Purpose This paper aims to explore the effect of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on board gender diversity. Prior research shows that female directors play a beneficial role. The advantage of board gender diversity should be particularly helpful when firms have to navigate an uncertain environment. So the authors hypothesize that firms adjust their board gender diversity in response to EPU. Design/methodology/approach The authors execute a regression analysis. To minimize endogeneity, the authors execute firm-fixed effects regressions, an instrumental variable (IV) analysis and propensity score matching. Findings Consistent with their hypothesis, the authors find that firms significantly raise board gender diversity in response to EPU. To draw a causal inference, the authors exploit the 9/11 terrorist attack as an exogenous shock that elevated EPU unexpectedly. The authors’ IV analysis corroborates the results. Finally, the authors show that board gender diversity substantially mitigates the adverse effect on shareholder wealth brought about by an unanticipated negative shock attributed to the 9/11 attack. Originality/value According to the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the effect of EPU on board gender diversity. This research contributes to two important areas of the literature, i.e. board gender diversity and EPU. The authors show that board gender diversity is beneficial and firms act accordingly when facing more economic uncertainty.

scholarly journals Financial reporting under economic policy uncertainty

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peterson Kitakogelu Ozili
Keyword(s):  
Economic Policy ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Fair Value ◽  
Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Fair Value Accounting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Policy Uncertainty ◽  
New Information ◽  
Accounting Numbers ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to discuss financial reporting under economic policy uncertainty. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses discourse analysis to examine financial reporting under economic policy uncertainty. Findings The paper identifies the link between economic policy uncertainty and financial reporting, in terms of earnings management and fair value accounting. It argues that high economic policy uncertainty will transmit fewer new information to firms which can motivate managers to influence accounting numbers in the direction of the desired financial reporting outcome. Originality/value The relationship between economic policy uncertainty and financial reporting has not been studied. This paper is one of the first papers to relate economic policy uncertainty to financial reporting behavior.

Economic policy uncertainty and hotel occupancy: the mediating effect of consumer sentiment

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ozgur Ozdemir ◽  
Wenjia Han ◽  
Michael Dalbor
Keyword(s):  
Economic Policy ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Economic Uncertainty ◽  
Consumer Sentiment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Policy Uncertainty ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold. First, the study examines the prolonged effect of policy-related economic uncertainty on hotel operating performance, particularly the room demand (occupancy). Second, the study attempts to explain why occupancy drops when the perceived economic uncertainty is high by studying the mediating effect of consumer sentiment in the relationship between economic policy uncertainty and hotel demand.Design/methodology/approachThis quantitative study uses secondary data – US economic policy uncertainty (EPU) index, University of Michigan's index of consumer sentiment (ICS), and property-level hotel operating data from three states of the US – California, Florida and New York. Data were analyzed using random effect regression and structural equation modeling. Robustness tests were conducted to enhance the reliability of the research findings.FindingsRandom-effects regression analysis reveals that policy-related economic uncertainty has a negative and lead-lag effect on hotel occupancy, average daily rate and revenue per available room (RevPAR). Structural equation modeling results show that the relationship between economic policy uncertainty and hotel occupancy is significantly mediated by consumer sentiment. Robustness test results support the findings from the main analysis.Practical implicationsThis study offers valuable implications for the hotel professionals in regard to anticipating the economic impact of policy-related uncertainty on hotel industry and understanding how consumer sentiment affects demand at such crises times. Moreover, the study suggests potential course of actions to deal with declining room demand at times of uncertainty.Originality/valueThis empirical study explores how economic policy uncertainty affects hotel performance at the property level and explains the mediating effect of consumer sentiment on hotel room demand. The study provides a first-hand evidence of how consumer sentiment relates to the perception of economic uncertainty and leads to decline in consumer demand. In that regard, findings of the study have valuable implications for hospitality industry practitioners and relevant policymakers.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Induced Economic Uncertainty: A Comparison between the United Kingdom and the United States

Ekonomika ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-115
Author(s):  
Ugur Korkut Pata
Keyword(s):  
Economic Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Significant Finding ◽  
Economic Policy Uncertainty ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic policy uncertainty in the US and the UK. The impact of the increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country and the increase in the number of cases and deaths outside the country may vary. To examine this, the study employs the bootstrap ARDL cointegration approach from March 8, 2020 to May 24, 2020. According to the bootstrap ARDL results, a long-run equilibrium relationship is confirmed for five out of the ten models. The long-term coefficients obtained from the ARDL models suggest that an increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths outside of the UK and the US has a significant effect on economic policy uncertainty. The US is more affected by the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. The UK, on the other hand, is more negatively affected by the increase in the number of COVID-19 deaths outside the country than the increase in the number of cases. Moreover, another significant finding from the study demonstrates that COVID-19 is a factor of great uncertainty for both countries in the short-term.

Economic policy uncertainty and house prices in Germany: evidence from GSADF and wavelet coherence techniques

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dervis Kirikkaleli ◽  
Korhan Gokmenoglu ◽  
Siamand Hesami
Keyword(s):  
Economic Policy ◽  
Granger Causality ◽  
Price Index ◽  
Wavelet Coherence ◽  
Housing Sector ◽  
Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Causality Tests ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to answer the following questions which have not been investigated in the literature to the best knowledge: Is there any bubble in the German housing sector between 2005–2009 and 2012–2017? and Is there any linkage between economic policy uncertainty and the housing sector price index? Design/methodology/approach This study aims to shed some light on the German’s housing sector by investigating the housing sector bubble and the causal link between the housing sector index and economic policy uncertainty in Germany, using GSADF, Granger causality, Toda Yamamoto causality and wavelet coherence tests. Findings The findings reveal that there are some bubbles in the housing sector in Germany for the periods investigated, there is a positive correlation between economic policy uncertainty and housing sector price index at different frequencies and different periods and between 2008 and 2009 and between 2011 and 2013, economic policy uncertainty leads housing sector price index. The consistency of the findings from wavelet coherence is confirmed by the outcomes of Granger causality and Toda Yamamoto causality tests. Originality/value To the best knowledge, this is the first study that empirically investigates the relationship between the housing sector and EPU using a novel wavelet econometric method. In addition, this paper extends the research focused on the associations between the housing sector and EPU, by checking the bubbles in the market in different time horizons by using the longest available data span. Furthermore, the consistency of the findings from wavelet causality is confirmed by the outcomes of Granger causality and Toda Yamamoto causality tests. Finally, compared to the previous literature on the relationship between housing and EPU, the study uses a hedonic index for housing for the first time in the case of Germany.

Economic policy uncertainty and corporate social responsibility performance: evidence from China

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianjiao Zhao ◽  
Xiang Xiao ◽  
Bingshi Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Economic Policy ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Csr Engagement

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to show how the external issue of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) affects enterprises’ corporate social responsibility (CSR). Design/methodology/approach This study investigates the relationship between EPU and CSR based on the Chinese capital market from 2010 to 2018. Following the most recent studies focused on economic policy uncertainty, this paper uses the news-based method proposed by Baker et al. (2016) to measure EPU and explore the effect of EPU on CSR, as well as the mediating role of state ownership in such a relationship. Findings Empirical results show that increasing EPU will restrain enterprises’ social responsibility behaviour and the inhibitory effect is more obvious for state-owned enterprises. Further analyses reveal that the inhibitory effect of EPU on CSR is stronger for enterprises that face severe financial constraints and is significant for various components of CSR, and trade policy uncertainty could also curb enterprises’ social responsibility behaviour. Practical implications As a stable economic environment is important for enterprises’ CSR engagement, the present study’s conclusions can help policymakers better understand the implications of policy stability for enterprises’ financial and non-financial decisions and especially their CSR decisions. Social implications With the increasing attention paid to the CSR of enterprises, this study provides evidence that enterprises should develop appropriate CSR strategies according to the economic policy environment and enhance their capacity to withstand the risks generated by EPU. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first to analyse the relationship between EPU and CSR. The results contribute to a better understanding of what issues influence enterprises’ CSR engagement, highlighting the importance of a stable economic policy environment and of enterprises’ ability to withstand risks.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Induced Economic Uncertainty: A Comparison between the United Kingdom and the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ugur Korkut Pata
Keyword(s):  
Economic Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Economic Policy Uncertainty ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Equilibrium Relationship ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic policy uncertainty in the US and the UK. The impact of the increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country, and the increase in the number of cases and deaths outside the country may vary. To examine this, the study employs bootstrap ARDL cointegration approach from March 8, 2020 to May 24, 2020. According to the bootstrap ARDL results, a long-run equilibrium relationship is confirmed for five out of the 10 models. The long-term coefficients obtained from the ARDL models suggest that an increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths outside of the UK and the US has a significant effect on economic policy uncertainty. The US is more affected by the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. The UK, on the other hand, is more negatively affected by the increase in the number of COVID-19 deaths outside the country than the increase in the number of cases. Moreover, another important finding from the study demonstrates that COVID-19 is a factor of great uncertainty for both countries in the short-term.

scholarly journals The dynamic relationship between economic policy uncertainty and substantial economic growth in China

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Junchao Li ◽  
Shan Huang
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Growth Rate ◽  
Economic Policy ◽  
Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
Causality Test ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeUnder the background of the overall increase of China's economic policy uncertainty and the urgent need for the transformation and upgrading of the substantial economy, this paper studies the time-varying causality between China's economic policy uncertainty and the growth of the substantial economy through bootstrap rolling window causality test, further refines economic policies and studies the causal differences between different types of economic policies and substantial economic growth, refining the conclusions of previous studies.Design/methodology/approachThis paper first studies the causal relationship between China's economic policy uncertainty and substantial economic growth in the full sample period through bootstrap Granger causality test. Then, the paper tests the short-term and long-term stability of the parameters of the VAR model, and it is found that the model parameters are unstable in both the short and long term, so the results of the Granger causality test of the full sample are not credible. Finally, we conduct a dynamic test of the causal relationship between China's economic policy uncertainty and substantial economic growth by means of rolling window, so as to comprehensively analyze the dynamic characteristics and sudden changes of the relationship between them.FindingsThe research shows that economic policy uncertainty in China has a significant inhibiting effect on the growth of substantial economy. Growth in the substantial economy will drive up economic policy uncertainty before 2016 and restrain it after that. In addition, this paper further subdivides economic policy uncertainty to explore the causal differences between different types of economic policy uncertainty and substantial economic growth. The test results show that the relationship between them has obvious policy heterogeneity. The fiscal policy uncertainty and the monetary policy uncertainty, as the main policy means in China, has a significant impact on the growth rate of substantial economy in multiple ranges, but the effect time is short. Although trade policy uncertainty has a significant impact on the growth rate of substantial economy only during the financial crisis, the effect lasts for a long time. The impact of exchange rate and capital account policy uncertainty on the growth rate of substantial economy is mainly reflected after 2020.Originality/valueThe values of this paper are as follows: First, the economic policy uncertainty is combined with the growth of substantial economy, which makes up the gap of previous studies. Second, the economic policy uncertainty is further subdivided. The paper explores the causal differences between different types of economic policy uncertainties and the growth of substantial economy, so as to make the research more detailed. Finally, different from the previous static analysis, this paper uses dynamic model to examine the relationship between China's economic policy uncertainty and the growth of substantial economy from a dynamic perspective, with richer research conclusions.

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