Diversity–development nexus: Why determine economic development without diversity? A comparative analysis between developed and developing countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-150
Author(s):  
Saqib Amin

Purpose Diversity plays a vital role in the sustainable development of any country. Discrimination, segregation and bigotry are rampant causes of social evil and do great harm to our society. This study aims to investigate whether ethnic and religious diversity affects the country’s well-being or not, via a comparative analysis between developing and developed countries. Design/methodology/approach This study used a generalized method of moments technique for empirical analysis of 158 developing and developed countries. For measurement of ethnic and religious diversity, this study used ethnic fractionalization index of Alesina (2003). Findings The empirical findings indicate that ethnic and religious diversity both increases the economic prosperity for developed countries, and alternatively, it makes it more miserable for developing countries. This study suggests that organizing a diverse society is a difficult task; thus, developing countries need to promote a cohesive society like developed countries by providing equal, secure and peaceful opportunity to get fruitful results of diverse populations. Originality/value This study investigates a comparative analysis between developing and developed countries regarding impact of ethnic and religious diversity on economic development.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Maware ◽  
Modestus Okechukwu Okwu ◽  
Olufemi Adetunji

Purpose This study aims to comparatively discuss the effect of lean manufacturing (LM) implementation in the manufacturing sectors of developing and developed countries. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth literature review focused on previous research published between 2015 and March 2020. The papers published by the databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, ProQuest and Web of Science were used in the study. A total of 63 studies that focused on LM application in manufacturing industries in developing and developed countries were used in the research. Findings It was observed that LM improves operational performance for manufacturing organizations in developing and developed countries. Small and medium-sized enterprises in both developed and developing countries have difficulties transforming their organizations into lean organizations compared to large enterprises. Furthermore, the review also found that there seems to have been no paper had reported the negative impact of implementing LM in manufacturing industries in developing and developed countries from 2015 to March 2020. Research limitations/implications The study used research papers written between January 2015 and March 2020 and only considered manufacturing organizations from developed and developing nations. Practical implications The study provides more insight into LM implementation in developing and developed countries. It gives the LM practices and the implications of applying these practices in manufacturing organizations for developing and developed countries. Originality/value A preliminary review of papers indicated that this seems to be the first paper that comparatively studies how LM implementation has affected manufacturing organizations in developed and developing countries. The study also assessed the LM practices commonly used by the manufacturing industries in developing and developed countries.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aparna Bhatia ◽  
Binny Makkar

Purpose This paper aims to examine and compare the nature and extent of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting practices of companies in developing (BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa]) and developed (the USA and the UK) countries. Design/methodology/approach Content analysis is conducted on the annual reports and websites of 325 companies listed on stock exchanges of developing markets and of developed markets (Brazil – IBrX 100, 46 companies; Russia – Broad Market Index, 50 companies; India – BSE 100, 50 companies; China – SSE 180, 29 companies; South Africa – FTSE/JSE All Share index, 50 companies; the USA – NYSE 100, 50 companies; the UK – FTSE 100, 50 companies). Descriptives are used to calculate company wise and item wise scores. T-test analysis is applied to check for significant differences between mean scores of developing and developed countries. Findings The findings of the study reflect that developed countries have higher CSR disclosure scores than developing countries. Overall, mean CSR disclosure score of developed countries is 53.5%, followed by that of the developing countries at 49.4%. Developed countries take lead in CSR disclosure for all the five categories, namely, human resources, community, environment, customer and product and others. The results of independent sample T-test suggest that mean disclosure score of developing nations is significantly different from developed nations. Practical implications As suggested by the results, the gap in the CSR disclosure scores between developing and developed group of countries is not an alarming one. However, developing countries should practice CSR in spirit and not just in letter. Focus should not be on just filling the pages in black and white, rather the essence of CSR should be attained for balanced development of the country. For instance, though developing country like India has high score of CSR disclosure in contrast to each of the developed country taken in the sample, yet the country is still battling with several issues such as poverty, over-population, corruption, poor standard of working conditions for the employees and environmental conservation. Sustenance should focus upon renewable sources of energy; efforts of employees should be acknowledged offering flexible working hours; consumer trust should be built by communicating authentic and accurate information about the product. As developing countries encounter several social and environmental problems, companies must endeavor to build a healthy nation keeping in mind the welfare of all stakeholders by practicing CSR. Originality/value This study overcomes the limitations of prior cross-country studies by taking a better representative sample with greater number of countries belonging to identifiable group of “developing” and “developed” nations and thus attempts to improve generalization and authenticity of results.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noor Zahirah Mohd Sidek

Purpose This paper aims to re-examine the impact of government expenditure on income inequality. Existing studies provide mixed results on whether government expenditure reduces or increases income inequality. In this paper, government expenditure is viewed as a tool for redistribution, hence, its impact on inequality is examined. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 122 countries with 91 and 31 countries categorized as developing and developed countries is used. The dynamic panel threshold regression is used to examine the impact of government expenditure on income inequality and to estimate the turning point of the negative or positive effects. Findings The major findings suggest that, in general, government expenditure does reduce income inequality. Results from developed countries support the inversed U-shaped Kuznet curve where higher government expenditure initially led to more inequality but would eventually bring about a positive effect after a certain threshold level. For developing countries, education and development expenditure were the driving forces towards lower income inequality. Practical implications Several policy implications can be derived from this paper. First, government expenditure is a useful tool to alleviate the problem of income inequality. More integration with the global economy via trading activities is also an important channel to help reduce income inequality. Finally, better institutional quality provides an effective ecosystem in promoting better redistribution of income via government expenditure. Originality/value This paper presents a maiden attempt to estimate a threshold value or when government expenditure starts to reduce or increase income inequality. The sample is segregated into developed and developing countries to further control the effect of government size and the level of development of a country.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bello Umar

Purpose This study aims to define the concepts and determine the extent to which trade misinvoicing influences money laundering activities in developing countries. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research methodology was adopted using a descriptive synthesis of secondary data due to the heterogeneous nature of data sources (empirical evidence and content analysis). Findings Analysis revealed that in recent times trade misinvoicing accounts for over 20% of international trade value between developing and developed countries, and trade misinvoicing has been identified as a trade-based money laundering mechanism. Research limitations/implications Unavailability of homogenous data relating to trade misinvoicing among developing countries, different methods for measuring trade misinvoicing and inadequate high-quality research papers that led to the use of reports from reputable organisations. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is among the few research works to assess the effects of trade misinvoicing and how it influences money laundering activities in developing countries.


2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farzana Chowdhury ◽  
David B. Audretsch ◽  
Maksim Belitski

Entrepreneurship contributes importantly to the economy. However, differences in the quality and quantity of entrepreneurship vary significantly across developing and developed countries. We use a sample of 70 countries over the period of 2005–2015 to examine how formal and informal institutional dimensions (availability of debt and venture capital, regulatory business environment, entrepreneurial cognition and human capital, corruption, government size, government support) affect the quality and quantity of entrepreneurship between developed and developing countries. Our results demonstrate that institutions are important for both the quality and quantity of entrepreneurship. However, not all institutions play a similar role; rather, there is a dynamic relationship between institutions and economic development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 272 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Abuselidze

This paper is to determine the optimality of taxation based on a comparative analysis of income taxation in developed and developing countries. In our opinion, the main idea of income tax should be the optimal distribution of tax literacy on the basis of a direct definition of income of taxpayers or progressive taxation. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research is the main provisions of the market economy, classical and modern tax theories, legislative and regulatory acts of foreign countries. The main part of the empirical material is from 2002 to 2017. In the process of analysis of the actual material, together with the general scientific method of research, is used: Comparative and systemic analysis, analogy, statistical data monitoring and other methods. The comparative and systemic analysis will give us an opportunity to reveal and evaluate the ways of perfection. Analogy and comparative analysis is based on variables and features, such as the of income taxes structure, withdrawal rules, rates, tax base. Statistic concept tries to explain the named phenomena by the way of fundamental analyzing of the statistic data received resulted multiple statistic observation. Previous analyses of tax rates tend to support the hypothesis that Developed countries emphasize the importance of fairness, while developing countries are mainly focused on mobilizing budget revenues and lesser consideration of fair taxation principles, since the tax system performs a fiscal function more effectively than developing countries.  Keywords: Tax policy, income tax, tax burden, budget, well-being


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanzeela Aqif ◽  
Abdul Wahab

Purpose The increased awareness among consumers and strong competition have forced companies to put extra efforts and fulfill their social responsibility along with earning profits. The research aims to review corporate social responsibility (CSR)-related literature specifically determinants, outcomes and disclosure of CSR while adapting a comparative approach for developing and developed countries. Design/methodology/approach Based on theoretical frameworks of CSR, the authors have reviewed past studies conducted in past 10 years. While using keywords and synonyms, the databases such as JSTOR, Emerald, SpringerLink and ScienceDirect were used for searching impact factor and Scopus journals. Thematic analysis has been used as a method in the paper while identifying the key themes in study and presented them separately. Only those articles have been included which have key words in abstract. The review has been done while using logical process to improve inter-rater reliability. The key databased have been used to cover articles from multiple and diverse domains. The authors studied the key themes of literature found and identified the gaps. The paper has also incorporated the comments of authors who conducted credible studies. Findings It has been found that there are different determinants which lead the companies to involve in CSR practices in developing and developed countries. It has also been found that consumers are more aware about CSR in developed countries which effects the CSR decisions by firms. There is lack of literature available in developing states and researchers have been focused to conduct studies mainly developed countries such as in Europe and USA. Mostly the CSR behavior of companies has been linked with their financial and reputational benefits in empirical studies. There is large gap in literature on CSR involvement in small companies. The authors have developed and presented model which provides comparison of determinants leading toward CSR involvement by companies in developed and developing countries. Another framework has been developed which summarized all the factors which force the company to take part in CSR activities. Practical implications The study has made significant contribution toward research field and summarized the determinants based on social and economic factors of countries. The study also presented the comparison between CSR in developing and developed country which is valuable contribution by the authors. The study has also found lack of progress in theory development in this area which needs further attention by researchers. The authors have developed a model and framework which will contribute in field of CSR. Originality/value This is the review paper which provides integrated view of literature regarding determinants, outcomes and disclosure of CSR in developing countries while using a comparative approach.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Aly

Purpose The entire world is now witnessing the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is indeed altering the lives of the many in both developing and developed countries. Massive digital transformations are affecting the economies of those countries and are bringing with them many promised merits, as well as many challenges to face. This paper aims to examine the relationship between digital transformation (as a one facet of the fourth revolution and AI trends) on one side, and economic development, labor productivity and employment on the other side. Design/methodology/approach The paper analyzes different indices of digital transformation, and then uses the Digital Evolution Index (DEI) to study those relationships in a group of developing countries using feasible generalized least squares method (FGLS). Findings The results show a positive relationship between the digital transformation index and economic development, labor productivity and job employment. Females seem to gain more from digital transformation compared to males, as suggested by the positive relation with the first and the insignificant relation with the latter. The relationship with vulnerable employment is not significant; more evidence is still needed to judge whether digital transformation will have an impact upon the vulnerable employees in the economy. Research limitations/implications The paper focused on the impact of digital transformation upon total aggregate employment. Future research is still needed to examine the impact upon the structure of the labor market and the shift of occupations. Originality/value The paper aims to add to in the literature regarding the relationship between digital transformation, economic development, employment and productivity in the developing world. The implications of those relationships are of significant importance to policymakers regarding how much support should be given to encourage the digital transformation. At the same time, it shall also indicate how much social support policies are required – if any – to lessen the negative impact of digital transformation on the vulnerable groups inside the country. Another contribution is using a single composite index for digital transformation that is comparable across the chosen set of developing countries, instead of using single indices each capturing a different dimension of digital transformation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore J. Babones

It is widely asserted that globalization puts a premium on knowledge, but in fact there is no empirical correlation across countries between globalization and returns to education. One reason for this discrepancy may be that education is not everywhere coequal with knowledge. In this article the overall contribution of education to income is modelled as the sum of the contributions of two components of education, education-as-knowledge and education-as-credential. Assuming that the former dominates in developed countries while the latter dominates in developing countries, it is possible to separate these two effects. In a broadly comparative analysis of returns to education in 80 countries using World Values Survey data, globalization is found to be positively associated with education in developed countries but negatively associated with education in developing countries, consistent with the model. These results are robust in the face of controls for the supply and demand for education.


Author(s):  
Amina Buallay ◽  
Sayed M. Fadel ◽  
Jasim Alajmi ◽  
Shahrokh Saudagaran

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationship between sustainability reporting and bank performance after financial crisis in developed and developing countries. Design/methodology/approach This study examines 882 banks from developed and developing countries covering 11 years after the 2008 financial crisis. The independent variable is environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores. The dependent variables are return on assets, return on equity and Tobin’s Q. This study uses bank- and country-specific control variables to measure the relationship between sustainability reporting and bank performance. Findings The findings deduced from the empirical results demonstrate that ESG improves banks’ accounting and market-based performance in developed countries, supporting value creation theory. Using pooling regression and instrumental variable – generalized method of moments, this study finds that ESG weakens banks’ performance in developed and developing countries. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to investigate and compare the impact of sustainability reporting on banks’ performance in developed and developing countries. The study found similarities in the impact of sustainability reporting and the improvement of banks’ current and future performance.


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