Malaysia’s political landscape will fragment further

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
State Level ◽  
Political Elites ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Landscape ◽  
Opposition Party

Significance Mahathir Mohamad, whom Muhyiddin replaced as premier earlier this year, has formed a new opposition party that stands apart from the main opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance. Mistrust among political elites is growing ahead of a snap election in eastern Malaysia’s Sabah state. Impacts UMNO will quickly turn attention to negotiations with partners over seat allocations for the next parliamentary poll. Mahathir’s new party will erode support for the PPBM, especially at state level. Corruption trials will continue to blight both government and opposition leaders.

The Politics of Chiefs and Commoners before the 1830s

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raevin Jimenez
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
South African ◽  
State Level ◽  
Temporal Context ◽  
Political Elites ◽  
African History ◽  
New Wave ◽  
Early Nineteenth Century ◽  
Late Eighteenth ◽  
Level Analysis

The field of pre-1830 South African history has been subject to periodic interrogations into conventional narratives, sources, and methods. The so-called mfecane debates of the 1980s and 1990s marked a radical departure from characterizations of warfare in the interior, generally regarded in earlier decades as stemming solely or mostly from the Zulu king Shaka. Efforts to reframe violence led to more thorough considerations of political elites and statecraft from the late eighteenth to the early nineteenth century but also contributed to new approaches to ethnicity, dependency, and to some extent gender. A new wave of historiographical critique in the 2010s shows the work of revision to be ongoing. The article considers the debates around the wars of the late precolonial period, including unresolved strands of inquiry, and argues for a move away from state-level analysis toward social histories of women and non-elites. Though it focuses on the 1760s through the 1830s, the article also presents examples highlighting the importance of recovering deeper temporal context for the South African interior.

Variations in economic growth across states in Malaysia: an exploratory analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusniliyana Yusof ◽  
Kaliappa Kalirajan
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
State Level ◽  
Bootstrap Sampling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Estimation Techniques ◽  
Development Index ◽  
Three Stage Least Squares ◽  
Development Gap

PurposeThe study contributes to the aim of regional development policy in reducing regional disparities, by examining the spatial balance in socioeconomic development across the states of Malaysia based on composite development index (CDI). Besides, the study has attempted to understand the issues in the development gaps across Malaysian states by evaluating the factors that explain the variation in economic growthDesign/methodology/approachThis study uses three-stage least squares (3SLS) and bootstrap sampling and estimation techniques to examine the factors that explain the variations in the growth of development across the states in Malaysia. The analysis involves 13 states in Malaysia (Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pulau Pinang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor, Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak) from 2005 to 2015.FindingsThe pattern in the spatial socioeconomic imbalance demonstrates a decreasing trend. However, the development index reveals that the performance of less developed states remained behind that of the developed states. The significant factors in explaining the variation in growth across the Malaysian states are relating to agriculture, manufacturing, human capital, population growth, Chinese ethnicity, institutional factors and natural resources.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors focused on Malaysian states over the period between 2005 and 2015. The authors encountered some limitations in obtaining relevant data such as international factors and technological change that might also explain the variation in economic growth as the data on these variables are not reported at the state level. Moreover, the data on GSDP by sector was only available from the year 2005. Second, the study is based on secondary data. Future studies might examine the factors that contribute to the development gap across Malaysian states through interviews or questionnaires and compare the findings with the existing results. Despite its limitations, this study contributes to the existing literature that emphasizes on spatial balance of socioeconomic in a developing country, focusing on Malaysian states.Practical implicationsThese findings provide guidance for policymakers by understanding key potential areas to reduce the disparity in economic growth across Malaysian states by understanding their impact on the growth.Originality/valueThis study employs different method of 3SLS and bootstrap sampling and estimation techniques in examining the factors that explain the variations in the growth of development across the states in Malaysia.

Farm wages and public works

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanika Mahajan
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Wage Rate ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Wage Growth ◽  
State Level ◽  
Random Allocation ◽  
Farm Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) on farm sector wage rate. This identification strategy rests on the assumption that all districts across India would have had similar wage trends in the absence of the program. The author argues that this assumption may not be true due to non-random allocation of districts to the program’s three phases across states and different economic growth paths of the states post the implementation of NREGS. Design/methodology/approach – To control for overall macroeconomic trends, the author allows for state-level time fixed effects to capture the differences in growth trajectories across districts due to changing economic landscape in the parent-state over time. The author also estimates the expected farm sector wage growth due to the increased public work employment provision using a theoretical model. Findings – The results, contrary to the existing studies, do not find support for a significantly positive impact of NREGS treatment on private cultivation wage rate. The theoretical model also shows that an increase in public employment work days explains very little of the total growth in cultivation wage post 2004. Originality/value – This paper looks specifically at farm sector wage growth and the possible impact of NREGS on it, accounting for state specific factors in shaping farm wages. Theoretical estimates are presented to overcome econometric limitations.

The impact of labor freedom on geographic cost of living differentials

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-395
Author(s):  
Richard Cebula ◽  
James E. Payne ◽  
Donnie Horner ◽  
Robert Boylan
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
State Level ◽  
The State ◽  
Annual Data ◽  
Significant Finding ◽  
Cost Of Living ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of labor market freedom on state-level cost of living differentials in the USA using cross-sectional data for 2016 after allowing for the impacts of economic and quality of life factors. Design/methodology/approach The study uses two-stage least squares estimation controlling for factors contributing to cost of living differences across states. Findings The results reveal that an increase in labor market freedom reduces the overall cost of living. Research limitations/implications The study can be extended using panel data and alternative measures of labor market freedom. Practical implications In general, the finding that less intrusive government and greater labor freedom are associated with a reduced cost of living should not be surprising. This is because less government intrusion and greater labor freedom both inherently allow markets to be more efficient in the rationalization of and interplay with forces of supply and demand. Social implications The findings of this and future related studies could prove very useful to policy makers and entrepreneurs, as well as small business owners and public corporations of all sizes – particularly those considering either location in, relocation to, or expansion into other markets within the USA. Furthermore, the potential benefits of the National Right-to-Work Law currently under consideration in Congress could add cost of living reductions to the debate. Originality/value The authors extend the literature on cost of living differentials by investigating whether higher amounts of state-level labor market freedom act to reduce the states’ cost of living using the most recent annual data available (2016). That labor freedom has a systemic efficiency impact on the state-level cost of living is a significant finding. In our opinion, it is likely that labor market freedom is increasing the efficiency of labor market transactions in the production and distribution of goods and services, and acts to reduce the cost of living in states. In addition, unlike previous related studies, the authors investigate the impact of not only overall labor market freedom on the state-level cost of living, but also how the three sub-indices of labor market freedom, as identified and measured by Stansel et al. (2014, 2015), impact the cost of living state by state.

Elections will fragment Moroccan political landscape

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Content Type ◽  
Political Landscape

Headline MOROCCO: Elections will fragment political landscape

The geographies of corruption in Nigeria: understanding the patterns and correlates

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Adeleke ◽  
Opeyemi Alabede ◽  
Tolulope Osayomi ◽  
Ayodeji Iyanda
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
State Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Moran’S I ◽  
Market Size ◽  
National Bureau ◽  
Moran's I ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Domestic Debt

Purpose Globally, corruption has been identified as a major problem. Even though corruption is widespread, it varies in magnitude, types and consequences. In Nigeria, corruption is endemic, and it is responsible for the many socioeconomic problems in the country. Hence, the study aims to determine the patterns and state level correlations of corruption in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach Data for this study were sourced from the National Bureau of Statistics and other official sources and were analyzed with Global Moran’s I, Local Moran’s I and multivariate step-wise regression. Findings This study’s findings revealed significant clustering of corruption in the country with Rivers States as the only hotspot (I = 0.068; z = 2.524; p < 0.05), while domestic debt and market size were the state level significant predictors. Research limitations/implications Only bribery as a form of corruption was examined in this study, more studies are needed on the predictors of other forms of corruption. Practical implications This study recommends increased market competition through investment grants, subsidies and tax incentives to facilitate trade interactions among Nigerians, which can lead to exchange of cultural norms that discourage corruption. It is also advocated that domestic debt must be effectively and efficiently channelled towards economic development which in the long run will have a positive impact on the socio-economic well-being of the citizens as well as drive down corrupt practices. Originality/value Although the causes of corruption have received considerable attention in the literature, little is known on the geographical distribution and the effect of market size and domestic debt on corruption in Nigeria.

How far are we from understanding corruption? The effect of cultural distance on corruption perception

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Szymanski ◽  
Ivan Valdovinos ◽  
Evodio Kaltenecker
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
International Business ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cultural Distance ◽  
State Level ◽  
Generalized Least Squares ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Corruption Perception ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationship between cultural distances between countries and their scores in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), which is the most commonly used measure of corruption in international business (IB) research. Design/methodology/approach The authors applied fixed-effect (generalized least squares) statistical modeling technique to analyze 1,580 year-country observations. Findings The authors found that the CPI score is determined to a large extent by cultural distances between countries, specifically the distance to the USA and to Denmark. Research limitations/implications CPI is often used as a sole measure of state-level corruption in IB research. The results show that the measure is significantly influenced by cultural differences and hence it should be applied with great caution, preferably augmented with other measures. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to look at cultural distances as determinants of CPI score. The authors empirically test whether the CPI is culturally biased.

Benchmarking performance of governance quality in Indian states using MCDM techniques

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 2850-2874
Author(s):  
Alok Raj ◽  
Rupika Khanna
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
State Level ◽  
Law And Order ◽  
Indian States ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Promethee Ii ◽  
Social Service Delivery ◽  
Governance Quality ◽  
Key Indicators

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to benchmarking the governance performance of Indian states. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides a framework to measure governance performance at the state level. Using the data on 28 key indicators, the authors evaluate Indian states on seven broad dimensions of governance quality covering several aspects of public service delivery, regulatory quality and law and order. The empirical methodology involves the application of multi-criteria decision making techniques in two steps. The authors, first develop suitable weights of the identified dimensions and criteria under each dimension by applying the inputs of an expert-based decision-panel in a best-worst framework. Next, using these weights, the authors evaluate ranking of each state using TOPSIS and PROMETHEE-II methods. Findings The results indicate wide disparities in the governance performance of Indian states. Based on different indicators, the paper evaluates the rank of all the major Indian states. Results reveal that “Social Service Delivery(S)” is the most influencing dimension for the development of a state. Overall, the authors find Andra Pradesh, NCT of Delhi and Goa to be the leading states in terms of governance quality. Research limitations/implications The paper provides policy makers with easy to use operational indicators to analyse the governance performance of Indian states. These would help in better monitoring of these states through competitive goal-setting for continuous improvement. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first formal assessment of governance quality in the Indian states in a multi-criteria framework. To this end, the paper addresses the issue of wide regional disparities in the country. The findings of the paper provide powerful insights to policy makers in setting up appropriate strategies to eliminate these disparities.

scholarly journals The impacts of interest rate changes on US Midwest farmland values

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Albulena Basha ◽  
Wendong Zhang ◽  
Chad Hart
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rate ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Federal Reserve ◽  
State Level ◽  
Land Values ◽  
Federal Funds ◽  
Federal Funds Rate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Distributed Lag ◽  
Farmland Values

PurposeThis paper quantifies the effects of recent Federal Reserve interest rate changes, specifically recent hikes and cuts in the federal funds rate since 2015, on Midwest farmland values.Design/methodology/approachThe authors apply three autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) models to a panel data of state-level farmland values from 1963 to 2018 to estimate the dynamic effects of interest rate changes on the US farmland market. We focus on the I-states, Lakes states and Great Plains states. The models in the study capture both short-term and long-term impacts of policy changes on land values.FindingsThe authors find that changes in the federal funds rate have long-lasting impacts on farmland values, as it takes at least a decade for the full effects of an interest rate change to be capitalized in farmland values. The results show that the three recent federal funds rate cuts in 2019 were not sufficient to offset the downward pressures from the 2015–2018 interest rate hikes, but the 2020 cut is. The combined effect of the Federal Reserve's recent interest rate moves on farmland values will be positive for some time starting in 2022.Originality/valueThis paper provides the first empirical quantification of the immediate and long-run impacts of recent Federal Reserve interest rate moves on farmland values. The authors demonstrate the long-lasting repercussions of Federal Reserve's policy choices in the farmland market.

Build back better concepts for resilient recovery: a case study of India’s 2018 flood recovery

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shankar Neeraj ◽  
Sandeeka Mannakkara ◽  
Suzanne Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Local Level ◽  
State Level ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Community Recovery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effective Implementation ◽  
The Government ◽  
Post Disaster

Purpose This paper aims to understand the recovery process after the 2018 floods in Kerala, India, and it determines whether the recovery efforts were aligned with Build Back Better (BBB) concepts. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was adopted to collect the data from the officials of Government and NGOs involved in Kerala recovery. The participants were interviewed on the challenges faced during the recovery process and the actions taken by them to overcome it. Findings The study identified that the Kerala Government was proactive at making the community resilient from future disasters by – encouraging owner-driven reconstruction among flood-affected households; supporting locals to rejuvenate their business; and by creating a local-level recovery authority. Further, this paper identifies the areas that Kerala was lacking in terms of BBB and where resilience-based plans and actions are needed for the future. Research limitations/implications The participants were employees of Government and NGOs at a state level as they were the primary decision-makers to implement any recovery actions. Researchers believe that the authorities at district and village level could have had a different perspective towards implementing the recovery actions. Practical implications The best practices presented in this paper for effective BBB will assist the government to build/improve resilience in the community. Originality/value The implementation of BBB concepts in the areas of disaster risk reduction, community recovery and effective implementation was never studied extensively. The research provides valuable information on what extent Kerala’s post-disaster recovery and reconstruction activities were in-line with BBB practices.

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