CSR in developing countries – the importance of good governance and economic growth: evidence from Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Murumba Inekwe ◽  
Fathyah Hashim ◽  
Sofri B. Yahya
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Substantial Effect ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Small Effect Size ◽  
Interval Ratio

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of public governance and economic growth on corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance in Egypt, Morocco, Mauritius, Nigeria and South Africa. It also assesses the trend of CSR performance in these countries over time. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a sample of five countries in Africa for the period 2012-2017. The multivariate regression model was used in testing the research questions/hypotheses. Robustness tests were performed to provide evidence to strengthen the findings of the study. Findings Findings suggest that both good governance and economic growth are significantly positively associated with CSR performance. However, while good governance has a relatively substantial effect size, economic growth has a small effect size. Overall, both variables have a considerably low confidence interval ratio and therefore stand a good chance of holding up in future research. Research limitations/implications The analysis is limited to within-country effects, thereby forgoing the opportunity to explain between-countries effects. Second, the sample size is relatively small because of the limitation of data availability on CSR in Africa; hence, population generalization is not intended but theory generalization. Practical implications Findings have implications for studies on CSR performance in Africa that fail to consider the socio-political and socio-economic level of development as contextual variables in the research design. Originality/value Prior studies on CSR have focused majorly on CSR performance–corporate financial performance relationship. Furthermore, there are several calls in the literature for research for a new direction on CSR in the context of developing countries, especially Africa. This paper responds to these literature gaps.

Impact of trade facilitation reforms on tax revenue

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 765-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sena Kimm Gnangnon
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Tax Revenue ◽  
Trade Facilitation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the empirical literature of the macroeconomic effect of trade facilitation reforms by examining the impact of the latter on tax revenue in both developed and developing countries. The relevance of the topic lies on the fact that at the Bali Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2013, Trade Ministers agreed for the first time since the creation of the WTO (in 1995) on an Agreement to facilitate trade around the world, dubbed Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). The study considers both at-the-border and behind-the border measures of Trade Facilitation. Design/methodology/approach To conduct this study, the authors rely on the literature related to the structural factors that explain tax revenue mobilization. The authors mainly use within fixed effects estimator. The analysis relies on 102 countries (of which 23 industrial countries) over the period 2004-2007 (based on data availability). A focus has also been made on African countries, within the sample of developing countries. Findings The empirical analysis suggests evidence of a positive and significant effect of trade facilitation reforms on non-resources tax revenue, irrespective of the sample of countries considered in the analysis. Research limitations/implications This finding should contribute to dampening the fear of policymakers in developing countries, including Africa that the implementation of the TFA would entail higher costs, without necessarily being associated with higher benefits. An avenue for future research would be to extend the period of the study when data would be available. Originality/value To the best of the authors knowledge, this study had not been performed in the literature of the determinants of tax revenue mobilization, although fact-based analysis was performed.

Hospital information systems in developing countries: a state-of-the-art systematic review

Kybernetes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Lei ◽  
Jianming Liu ◽  
Wu Li
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Information System ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government

Purpose Hospital information system (HIS) can be examined as a vital factor for developing the quality of health care and cost managing. There exists abundant literature on HISs, but implementation-based literature of HIS is rare, typically about progressive countries. However, a study that can comprehensively review published articles is scarce. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the systematic and comprehensive study of HIS in developed countries. Together, the benefits and harms relevant to HIS’s different mechanisms have been considered, and the fundamental challenges of them are addressed to design more efficient HIS in the future. Design/methodology/approach HIS has been used globally for numerous years and is now being used in a wide area. HIS is broadly used in clinical settings. Information technology (IT) and information system have been suggested as a required piece to solve the health-care-related issues. Hence, to improve HIS’s ability, this paper conducted a review method concentratating on research related to HIS until 2019. A total of 21 papers were recognized and examined as principal research for the summary. Findings The authors found that HIS can help in reduction of medical mistakes, enhancement doctors’ performance and increase in the quality of the care provided. HIS management can be used to provide better health-care services. Therefore, HIS must be sensible and use clear structures. The authors conclude that, generally, with an increase in awareness, acceptability and the need for HIS worldwide, there will be more strategies and approaches available. Research limitations/implications First, this paper provides an outline of the status of HIS. Second, it identifies some distinct research gaps that could be worth studying. Some flawless work may be removed because of applying some filters to select the original articles. Surveying all the papers on the topic of HIS is impossible, too. Practical implications Design and sustainability of HIS is still a big issue for most developing countries, despite its wide usage in the developed countries. The technology is changing rapidly, so the field should be reviewed regularly. This paper suggests a suitable framework that will guide HIS in the local conditions of developing countries. Social implications The government will be assisted by the suggested solving ways in its performance and design of electronic health-care projects. Originality/value The study brings the viewpoints on the state of HIS mechanisms in developing countries. The paper’s results can offer visions into future research requirements. By providing comparative information and analyzing the current growths in this area, this study will support researchers and professionals to understand the progress in HIS mechanisms better.

scholarly journals Impact of foreign direct investment, remittances and official development assistance on economic growth: panel data approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amna Zardoub ◽  
Faouzi Sboui
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Development Assistance ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Official Development Assistance ◽  
Financial Flows ◽  
Content Type

PurposeGlobalization occupies a central research activity and remains an increasingly controversial phenomenon in economics. This phenomenon corresponds to a subject that can be criticized through its impact on national economies. On the other hand, the world economy is evolving in a liberalized environment in which foreign direct investment plays a fundamental role in the economic development of each country. The advent of financial flows – FDI, remittances and official development assistance – can be a key factor in the development of the economy. The subject of this article is to analyses the effect of financial flows on economic growth in developing countries. Empirically, different approaches have been employed. As part of this work, an attempt was made to use a panel data approach. The results indicate ambiguous effects and confirm the results of previous work.Design/methodology/approachThe authors seek to study the effect of foreign direct investment, remittances and official development assistance (ODA) and some control variables i.e. domestic credit, life expectancy, gross fixed capital formation (GFCF), inflation and three institutional factors on economic growth in developing countries by adopting the panel data methodology. Then, the authors will discuss empirical tests to assess the econometric relevance of the model specification before presenting the analysis of the results and their interpretations that lead to economic policy implications. As part of this work, the authors have rolled panel data for developing countries at an annual frequency during the period from 1990 to 2016. In a first stage of empirical analysis, the authors will carry out a technical study of the heterogeneity test of the individual fixed effects of the countries. This kind of analysis makes it possible to identify the problems retained in the specific choice of econometric modeling to be undertaken in the specificities of the panel data.FindingsThe empirical results validate the hypotheses put forward and indicate the evidence of an ambiguous effect of financial flows on economic growth. The empirical findings from this analysis suggest the use of economic-type solutions to resolve some of the shortcomings encountered in terms of unexpected effects. Governments in these countries should improve the business environment by establishing a framework that further encourages domestic and foreign investment.Originality/valueIn this article, the authors adopt the panel data to study the links between financial flows and economic growth. The authors considered four groups of countries by income.

Smart technologies challenges and issues in social inclusion – case of disabled youth in a developing country

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bissane Harb ◽  
Dina Sidani
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Millennium Development Goals ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Disabled People ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Smart Technologies

Purpose In light of the emphasis on “inclusion” in the sustainable development goals (SDGs), the notion of social inclusion encompasses the goal of granting opportunities for disabled people, integrate them and make them participate in the new environment. Referring to the capability theory, the purpose of this study is to examine the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in the social inclusion of disabled young people in Lebanon. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a qualitative approach based on a series of focused semi-structured interviews with 11 participants occupying key positions in aid associations for disabled people. Findings The findings suggest that smart technologies can enhance social inclusion through three key factors: the nature of impairment and other personal characteristics of disabled people, the resources available to them and the environmental aspects provided by government policies and society’s cultural practices. In the contemporary society characterized by an increasing role of ICTs, the findings of this research could contribute to lead the developing countries to a sustainable and inclusive world through social inclusion of their youth. Research limitations/implications This study has some limitations that should be mentioned. First, it was conducted only on a small sample size (with 11 interviewees). Further empirical research must be conducted on larger sample to build and elaborate on the findings. Second, the results are mainly based on the points of view of people working in aid associations for disabled people. In future research, semi-structured interviews can be carried out with the disabled people themselves or with members of their family to ask them about their personal experience with smart technologies and the impact of this on their social inclusion. It was also suggested that the future research should explore the challenges of inclusion for different categories of disabled people separately because they are not all facing the same issues and the same challenges. Furthermore, as this paper focuses on the role of smart technologies in the development of social inclusion of disabled people, future research could take place with other groups, for example, Palestinian and Syrian refugees, to identify whether these groups are experiencing similar challenges and barriers when trying to use smart technologies as a way to enhance their social inclusion. Practical implications Related to a larger and broader approach, social inclusion of disabled or marginalized people or refugees in developing countries could be a way to commit to a sustainable and inclusive world, in alignment with the eight goals of the Millennium Development Goals. Originality/value Related to a larger and broader approach, social inclusion of disabled or marginalized people or refugees in developing countries could be a way to commit to a sustainable and inclusive world, in alignment with the eight goals of the Millennium Development Goals.

Internationalization barriers of SMEs from developing countries: a review and research agenda

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1281-1310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashna Chandra ◽  
Justin Paul ◽  
Meena Chavan
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Medium Enterprises

PurposeThis paper reviews the literature on internationalization barriers of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from developing countries. The purposes of the study are: (1) to explicitly point out specific factors influencing the growth and internationalization of SMEs from developing countries and (2) to identify the research gaps to provide lucid and succinct directions for future research in this area.Design/methodology/approachThe authors selected relevant papers from journals listed on Web of Science and Scopus databases.FindingsIt was found that there are large number of questions remain unanswered regarding the internationalization of SMEs from developing countries regarding the factors determining their growth and internationalization.Originality/valueThis review distinctively accentuates previous studies on such barriers influencing the growth of SMEs from developing countries and systematically synthesize the issues faced by those SMEs. Thus, the authors seek to provide a comprehensible platform for researchers working in this area.

The impacts of sector growth and monetary policy on income inequality in developing countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 591-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sima Siami-Namini ◽  
Darren Hudson
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Monetary Policy ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Income Inequality ◽  
Nonlinear Effect ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Functional Form ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of growth in different sectors of the economy of developing countries on income inequality and analyze how inflation, as a proxy for monetary policy, makes a proportionate contribution for setting a binding national target for reducing income inequality. The paper examines the existence of a linear or nonlinear effect of inflation and sectoral economic growth on income inequality using a balanced panel data of 92 developing countries for the period of 1990–2014.Design/methodology/approachMethods section includes several steps as below: first, the functional form of the model using panel data for investigating the contribution of economic sectors in income inequality; second, to estimate the relationship between income inequality and sector growth: testing the Kuznets hypothesis; third, to estimate the relationship between inflation and income inequality base on general functional form of the model proposed by Amornthum (2004); fourth, a panel Granger causality analysis based on a VECM approach.FindingsThe statistically significant finding shows that first agricultural growth and then industrial growth have a dominate impact in reducing income inequality in our sample. But, the service sector growth has positive effects. The results confirm the existence of Kuznets inverted “U” hypothesis for industry growth and Kuznets “U” hypothesis for service sector growth. The findings show that sector growth and inflation affect income inequality in the long-run.Originality/valueThis research is an original paper which analyzes the effect of growth in different sectors of the economy of developing countries (agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors) on income inequality and test the Kuznets hypothesis in terms of sector growth and at the same time, examine the existence of a linear/nonlinear effect of inflation and sectoral economic growth on income inequality and test Granger causality relationship between income inequality and sector growth and inflation.

The relationship between environmental degradation, energy use and economic growth in Nigeria: new evidence from non-linear ARDL

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hammed Oluwaseyi Musibau ◽  
Waliu Olawale Shittu ◽  
Fatai Olarewaju Ogunlana
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Partial Sums ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ekc Hypothesis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship among environmental degradation, energy use and economic growth, thus lending a voice to testing the relevance, or otherwise, of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach The authors rely on the secondary data obtained from World Bank’s World Development Indicators for Nigeria, between 1981 and 2014. The non-linear autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) technique is used after examining the unit root properties – using the augmented Dickey–Fuller and Phillips–Perron methods – and the long-run relationship – using the ARDL bounds approach to estimate the asymmetries in the effects of economic growth on the environment. Findings The findings of this study uphold the relevance of the EKC hypothesis in Nigeria, as the growth of GDP first reduces the environmental quality but raises it over time. Furthermore, the use of energy is found to deteriorate environmental quality, given that CO2 rises by 0.002% for a unit increase in the consumption of energy in Nigeria. Research limitations/implications A limitation to this research is the data coverage, which is just between 1981 and 2014, based on availability. One other limitation is the use of electric power consumption as a proxy for energy use (because of the difficulty in obtaining accurate data on energy consumption in Nigeria). Future research should, therefore, test different other proxies, to either agree with the findings or justify any deviation therefrom. Also, the use of up-to-date data is recommended as an improvement to this study, while a non-linear technique should be used on studies involving the panel of countries. Originality/value Many studies have examined this relationship by simply taking the square of GDP as a measure of its non-linear effect on the environment. The authors are one of the first who consider the asymmetric effect of economic growth on the environment through the non-linear ARDL technique. With this, the partial sums of positive and negative changes in economic growth on the environment are easily established.

scholarly journals Is Governmentality the Missing Link for Greening the Economic Growth?

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janaka Siyambalapitiya ◽  
Xu Zhang ◽  
Xiaobing Liu
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Green Growth ◽  
Critical Dimensions ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Environment Sustainability

The new concept of “green growth” appears to be an economic growth model, which balances environment sustainability and fostering of economic growth. Yet, much of the green growth research has failed to address the real extent of interconnections and complexity of the relationship between governance and economic, social, and environmental structures. Furthermore, current green growth research tends to focus on the country level, such as the Millennium Development Goals and sustainable development indices, which risks ignoring the additional impacts on micro industrial economies. The lack of connection between green growth and good governance—known as environmental governance—is a crucial gap in practical adoption. Therefore, this study uses Foucault’s governmentality lens to view green growth as a technique of government, seeking an environmentally focused eco-governmentality. We examine the transformation, differential definitions, and critical dimensions of green growth in relation to particular case studies taken from China and South Korea and frame them for future sustainable studies. The findings of this study highlight the significant role of interdisciplinary research, as well both bottom-up and top-down initiatives, on enabling the transition to green growth. The proposed research framework and implementation strategy also identifies new avenues for future research and practices in the field of sustainable development, making it one of the study’s key contributions to the literature.

Time lag analysis of FDI spillover effect

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 629-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yilin Zhang ◽  
Zhenyu Cheng ◽  
Qingsong He
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Spillover Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fdi Spillovers ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Belt And Road

Purpose For the developing countries involving in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with China as the main source of foreign development investment (FDI) and development as the top priority, it appears to attract more and more attention on how to make the best use of China’s outward foreign development investment. However, the contradictory evidence in the previous studies of FDI spillover effect and the remarkable time-lag feature of spillovers motivate us to analyze the mechanism of FDI spillover effect. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The mechanism of FDI spillovers and the unavoidable lag effect in this process are empirically analyzed. Based on the panel data from the Belt and Road developing countries (BRDCs) and China’s direct investments (CDIs) from 2003 to 2017, the authors establish a panel vector autoregressive model, employing impulse response function and variance decomposition analysis, together with Granger causality test. Findings Results suggest a dynamic interactive causality mechanism. First, CDI promotes the economic growth of BRDCs through technical efficiency, human capital and institutional transition with combined lags of five, nine and eight years. Second, improvements in the technical efficiency and institutional quality promote economic growth by facilitating the human capital with integrated delays of six and eight years. Third, China’s investment directly affects the economic growth of BRDCs, with a time lag of six years. The average time lag is about eight years. Originality/value Based on the analysis on the mechanism and time lag of FDI spillovers, the authors have shown that many previous articles using one-year lagged FDI to examine the spillover effect have systematic biases, which contributes to the research on the FDI spillover mechanism. It provides new views for host countries on how to make more effective use of FDI, especially for BRDCs using CDIs.

The difference in the FDI – private investment relationship between developed and developing countries: does it stem from governance environment?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Van Bon Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Trade Openness ◽  
Private Investment ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Tax Revenue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governance Environment ◽  
The Difference

PurposeThe paper attempts to empirically examine the difference in the foreign direct investment (FDI) – private investment relationship between developed and developing countries over the period 2000–2013.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses the two-step GMM Arellano-Bond estimators (both system and difference) for a group of 25 developed countries and a group of 72 developing ones. Then, the PMG estimator is employed to check the robustness of estimates.FindingsFirst, there is a clear difference in the FDI – private investment relationship between developed countries and developing ones. Second, governance environment, economic growth and trade openness stimulate private investment. Third, the effect of tax revenue on private investment in developed countries is completely opposite to that in developing ones.Originality/valueThe paper is the first to provide empirical evidence to confirm the dependence of FDI – private investment relationship on governance environment. In fact, contrary to the view (arguments) in Morrissey and Udomkerdmongkol (2012), the paper indicates that FDI crowds out private investment in developed countries (good governance environment), but crowds in developing countries (poor governance environment).

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