High-speed railways and local economic performance: evidence from China’s prefecture-level cities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Li ◽  
Zhao Zhao ◽  
Han Li

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the causal effect of high-speed railways (HSRs) and investigate the affecting channels; the second purpose is to examine how HSRs change the distribution of economic activity across cities and sectors. Design/methodology/approach A difference-in-difference strategy is implemented to estimate the impact of recently built HSRs on local economic performance in China, exploiting the geography and time variations in HSR operations. Findings Using panel data from China’s City Statistical Yearbook 2001–2019, the authors find that HSRs lead to a significant increase in cities’ gross domestic product (GDP) and GDP per capita, but the authors do not find any significant change in GDP growth. This conclusion still holds true after the authors address the endogeneity problems. A mechanism analysis shows that HSRs improve local economic performance mainly by increasing fixed asset investment. The authors also find that the HSR investment is a policy that favors metropolitan areas due to the larger increase in the GDP for larger cities and with HSRs, the industrial and service sectors will further agglomerate in larger cities. Originality/value The authors contribute to the literature in several ways. First, this paper improves the estimation strategy in identifying the HSR impact on the local economic performance. Second, this paper investigates the affecting channels of HSRs. This paper proves that HSRs in China promote the cities’ economic performance mainly by increasing the fixed asset investment. Third, this study provides evidence for the new economic geography models pioneered by Krugman (1991).

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fikadu Abera Garedow

PurposeThe main objective of this study is to examine how political institutions affect economic performance in Ethiopia over the 1980–2019 time periods.Design/methodology/approachMainly, the impact of political institution indicators including, level of democracy, political violence, democratic accountability and regime durability have been examined using auto regressive distributed lag (ARDL) bound test approach to co-integration and the error correction model.FindingsThis study confirms that level of democracy and democratic accountability has an adverse long effect on the economic performance of Ethiopia. On the other hand, political violence has a negative short-run causal effect on economic performance in Ethiopia. The study concluded that the deterioration of political institutions harmfully affected economic performance in Ethiopia.Practical implicationsGovernment policymakers should primarily pay attention to promoting and changing those political institutions that harm economic performance. Additionally, better management of political violence has important implications for fostering the economic performance of Ethiopia.Originality/valueOriginality: This study provides some valuable evidence on the nexuses between political institutions and economic performance in Ethiopia. Likely, this is the first investigation on the subject under the consideration to use time analysis and will vigorously contribute to the literature as well by employing the ADRL bound test. Previous studies have examined the impact of the institution on economic growth on a cross-country basis. Further analysis is required to understand the effects of institutions such as level of democracy, political violence and democratic accountability on economic development.


Kybernetes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (11) ◽  
pp. 2713-2735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaomin Fan ◽  
Yingzhi Xu ◽  
Yongqing Nan ◽  
Baoli Li ◽  
Haiya Cai

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of high-speed railway (HSR) on industrial pollution emissions using the data for 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2004 to 2016. Design/methodology/approach The research method used in this paper is the multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) model, which is an effective policy effect assessment method. To further address the issue of endogeneity, the DID integrated with the propensity score matching (PSM-DID) approach is employed to eliminate the potential self-selection bias. Findings The results show that the HSR has significantly reduced industrial pollution emissions, which is validated by several robustness tests. Compared with peripheral cities, HSR exerts a greater impact on industrial pollution emissions in central cities. In addition, the mechanism test reveals that the optimised allocation of inter-city industries is an important channel for HSR to mitigate industrial pollution emissions, and this is closely related to the location of HSR stations. Originality/value Previous studies have paid more attention to evaluating the economic effects of HSR, however, most of these studies overlook its environmental effects. Consequently, the impact of HSR on industrial pollution emissions is led by using multi-period DID models in this paper, in which the environmental effects are measured. The results of this paper can provide a reference for the pollution reduction policies and also the coordinated development of economic growth and environmental quality.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (50) ◽  
pp. 451-478
Author(s):  
Ahmed Bouteska ◽  
Boutheina Regaieg

Purpose The current study aims to investigate the impacts of two behavioral biases, namely, loss aversion and overconfidence on the performance of US companies. First, the impact of loss aversion on the economic performance of companies was assessed. Second, the impact of overconfidence on market performance was discussed. Design/methodology/approach This study used around 6,777 quarterly observations on the population of US-insured industrial and services companies over the 2006-2016 period. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression in two panel data models were used to test the hypotheses formulated for the study. Findings It was documented that the loss-aversion bias negatively affects the economic performance of companies and this is achieved for both sectors. In contrast, the findings suggest that overconfidence positively affects market performance of industrial firms but negatively affects market performance in service firms. Further robust evidence was found that overconfidence bias seems to be dominant, and hence, investors may tend to be more overconfident rather than more loss-averse. Originality/value This research can be extended by focusing on the following question: What is the impact of the contradictory (positive and negative) effects of an investor's loss aversion and overconfidence on the US company performance in case of realization of a stock market crisis or stock market crash?


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Wang ◽  
Yinghan Wang ◽  
Yichuan Peng ◽  
Jian John Lu

Purpose The operation safety of the high-speed railway has been widely concerned. Due to the joint influence of the environment, equipment, personnel and other factors, accidents are inevitable in the operation process. However, few studies focused on identifying contributing factors affecting the severity of high-speed railway accidents because of the difficulty in obtaining field data. This study aims to investigate the impact factors affecting the severity of the general high-speed railway. Design/methodology/approach A total of 14 potential factors were examined from 475 data. The severity level is categorized into four levels by delay time and the number of subsequent trains that are affected by the accident. The partial proportional odds model was constructed to relax the constraint of the parallel line assumption. Findings The results show that 10 factors are found to significantly affect accident severity. Moreover, the factors including automation train protection (ATP) system fault, platform screen door and train door fault, traction converter fault and railway clearance intrusion by objects have an effect on reducing the severity level. On the contrary, the accidents caused by objects hanging on the catenary, pantograph fault, passenger misconducting or sudden illness, personnel intrusion of railway clearance, driving on heavy rain or snow and train collision against objects tend to be more severe. Originality/value The research results are very useful for mitigating the consequences of high-speed rail accidents.


2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 745-761
Author(s):  
Tracy X.P. Zou ◽  
Robin S. Snell ◽  
Maureen Y.L. Chan ◽  
Amy L.Y. Wong

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify attributes and practices that are salient for effectiveness in middle- and senior-level service leadership positions. Design/methodology/approach Critical incident interviews were conducted with 17 key informants, who were service leaders in various service sectors in Hong Kong, and with ten stakeholders. Findings Grounded theory analysis generated a 7 Cs model with seven categories of service leadership attributes and practices: character, choreography, care, creativity, charisma, collaborating and competence self-improvement, and 24 constituent concepts. There was concordance between pairs of key informants and stakeholders. Research limitations/implications Further research could investigate the impact on frontline service leaders’ performance if one or more of the 7 Cs are perceived to be absent or deficient among leaders at more senior levels, and whether there are acceptable substitutes for particular Cs. Practical implications The 7 Cs model identifies service leadership attributes and practices across diverse sectors. Originality/value The 7 Cs model provides a map for orienting the developmental preparation of individuals, who are aspiring to become middle- and senior-level leaders in economies that have become highly dependent on service.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ömer Esen ◽  
Gamze Yıldız Seren

PurposeThis study aims to empirically examine the impact of gender-based inequalities in both education and employment on economic performance using the dataset of Turkey for the period 1975–2018.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs Johansen cointegration tests to analyze the existence of a long-term relation among variables. Furthermore, dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) and fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) estimation methods are performed to determine the long-run coefficients.FindingsThe findings from the Johansen cointegration analysis confirm that there is a long-term cointegration relation between variables. Moreover, DOLS and FMOLS results reveal that improvements in gender equality in both education and employment have a strong and significant impact on real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the long term.Originality/valueThe authors expect that this study will make remarkable contributions to the future academic studies and policy implementation, as it examines the relation among the variables by including the school life expectancy from primary to tertiary based on the gender parity index (GPI), the gross enrollment ratio from primary to tertiary based on GPI and the ratio of female to male labor force participation (FMLFP) rate.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-496
Author(s):  
Hongling Guo ◽  
Keping Wu

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how opening high-speed railways affects the cost of debt financing based on China's background.Design/methodology/approachUsing panel data on Chinese listed firms from 2008 to 2017, this study constructs a quasi-natural experiment and adopts a difference-in-difference model with multiple time periods to empirically examine the relation between the high-speed railway openings and debt financing cost.FindingsOur results show that opening high-speed railways reduces the cost of debt financing, and this negative correlation is more significant in non-state firms, firms with weaker internal control, and firms that hire non-Big Four auditors. Besides, we explore the impact mechanisms and find that opening high-speed railways improves analyst attention, institutional investor participation, and information disclosure quality, which in turn lowers the cost of debt financing.Research limitations/implicationsThe results imply that the opening of high-speed railways helps to alleviate the information asymmetry and adverse selection between firms and creditors and ultimately reduces the cost of corporate debt financing.Practical implicationsThis paper can inform firms and stakeholders about the impact of opening high-speed railways on debt financing cost: it improves the information environment, reduces the geographical location restrictions of debt financing, ensures the reasonable pricing of corporate debt, and thus promotes the healthy and sound development of the debt market.Originality/valueThis paper provides theoretical support and empirical evidence for the impact of infrastructure construction on the information environment of the debt market in China, which enriches the research on the “high-speed railway economy.” In addition, as an exogenous event, the opening of high-speed railways instantly shortens the time distance between firms and external stakeholders, which gives us a natural environment to conduct empirical research, thus providing a new perspective for financial research on firms' geographical location.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 590-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arvind Upadhyay ◽  
Shaheda Akter ◽  
Lindsay Adams ◽  
Vikas Kumar ◽  
Nikhil Varma

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of the different circular business models (CBMs) in the manufacturing and service sector and apply this in the context of the food industry (FI), through a systematic literature review of related published journals and articles. The research study is designed to illustrate the impact of CBMs in the manufacturing and service sectors through a combination of real-life examples and direct references to existing literature.Design/methodology/approachThe underlying research study follows a systematic literature review approach where the relevant CBMs are explored in the context of the manufacturing and service sector (FI.) The journals most cited in the context of CBMs and their implication in the manufacturing and service sector were chosen for this study. There was no fixed timeframe applied to complete the research. A total of 54 articles were selected which referenced: discussion in the context of the concept of CBMs; different types of CBM; definition of the manufacturing sector; definition of the service sector (FI); application of different CBMs in these two sectors; and included a comparison of the application of CBMs. In total, 40 of the 54 articles were shortlisted for best relevance and used in the research study.FindingsThe underlying research study was limited to 40 articles and the data contained within them. The article search was limited to the keywords of the CBM; the implication of CBM; the CBM in manufacturing (textiles); circular business in service (FI); and comparison and application of the CBM.Practical implicationsThe final analysis demonstrates that circular business promotes sustainability by allowing companies to generate maximum return from given resources and reach zero waste targets. Greater customer satisfaction is also achieved through service innovation that cuts down negative impact on the environment. These findings are relevant and applicable to the FI.Originality/valueA review of existing literature showed that whilst there is significant research on the implications of the CBM in general, there has been little focus on the use of different CBMs specifically in the manufacturing and service industry (FI). This research study is designed to tease out the specific benefits of CBMs in this context, highlighting the contribution they can make to efficiency in both the manufacturing and service sectors (FI) through useful comparison.


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-507
Author(s):  
Surya Nepal ◽  
Sae Woon Park ◽  
Sunhae Lee

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the impact of remittances on the economic performance of the 16 Asian developing countries, taking account of their institutional qualities.Design/methodology/approachA panel of 16 Asian developing countries (Central Asia, South Asia, and ASEAN) over the period of 2002–2016 is employed in the analysis. To assess the impact of remittances on economic performance in consideration of institutional quality, OLS estimates as well as GMM are used.FindingsThe effect of remittances on economic growth is statistically significant. In addition, they also impact economic growth when they interact with institutional or financial development variables. For the long-run growth process of Central Asian, South Asian, and ASEAN countries, a sound and smooth institutional framework appears to be indispensable. Also, it was found that more fragile economies tend to achieve bigger growth than less fragile economies, as this kind of growth is triggered by more remittances flowing into fragile economies. However, the impact of remittances on growth does not depend on the level of ICT. FDI and financial development have positive impact on growth.Research limitations/implicationsThere are limitations to this research as well. Due to the unavailability of data, several countries had to be removed from this study. The cost of sending money might be an important variable for this study. However, the data on this variable from reliable sources are almost impossible to gather. Therefore, this variable is also not included in this research. The savings from remittances when intermediated through formal financial channels will, in fact, produce a positive allocation and distribution of resources that may eventually become an important source of growth. However, one precondition for larger and greater growth is that remittances need to be well and properly utilized by the financial sector. Therefore, quality institutions should be formed first, which can facilitate investment activities and make the flow of remittances more convenient.Originality/valueThis paper exclusively considers the case of Asian developing countries (Central Asia, South Asia, and ASEAN) to assess the impact of remittances on the economic performance of these countries, with special consideration of the interaction effects of remittances and institutional quality in these emerging Asian economies. The previous studies on the effect of remittances on growth do not conform to one concrete conclusion. This study is undertaken in a bid to get the best possible result on the impact of remittances on the growth of the selected countries, majority of which attract substantial chunk of remittances into their economies.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document