Determinants of FDI in South Asia: Role of Infrastructure, Trade Openness and Reforms

2012 ◽  
pp. 256-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pravakar Sahoo
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Labor Force ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Trade Openness ◽  
Economic Reforms ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Causality Analysis ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Fdi Inflows ◽  
Determinants Of Fdi

The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) environment underwent a sea change in South Asian countries during the 1990s, and more so in recent years. Though FDI inflows to South Asian countries have witnessed increasing trends, FDI inflow is still relatively low. In this context, the paper examines the determinants of FDI for South Asian countries with emphasis on infrastructure development, trade openness and reforms. The results reveal that major determinants of FDI in South Asia are market size, labor force, infrastructure stock, trade openness and economic reforms. Further, the panel causality analysis shows that there is a strong relationship between infrastructure development and FDI inflows. Therefore, the South Asian countries need to maintain their growth momentum, improve infrastructure facilities, frame policies for better use of abundant labor force and continue economic reforms with focus on trade policies to attract more FDI.

scholarly journals Investigating the Influence of Financial Development Indicators on Economic Growth: Evidence from South Asia

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Muhammad Tahir ◽  
Khizar Hayat ◽  
Nisar Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Financial Development ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Trade Openness ◽  
Unit Root Test ◽  
Final Conclusion ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Independent Variables

The study empirically investigates the influence of Financial Development on Economic Growth in South Asia by using six indicators of Financial Development i-e: Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCP), Broad Money (M2), Domestic Credit to Private Sector (DCPS), Market Capitalization (MC), Trade Openness (TO) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). While Economic Growth is measured by Real Gross Domestic Product per Capita (GDP). For this purpose, the study used panel data from “World Development Indicators” for the period of 1980-2015 of six major South Asian countries i.e. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Nepal. These countries have common feature of being under-developed. The study shows its uniqueness by considering six under-developed South Asian countries and applying three result estimation techniques i-e: Pooled Group Mean (PMG), The Mean Group (MG) and The Dynamic Fixed Effect (DFE). Different results were produced through these three techniques. Final conclusion was drawn on the basis of Hausman test; that is PMG model estimation technique. Unit root test was also applied to check stationarity. The long run results of PMG model show significance of all independent variables, while short run results state insignificance of all independent variables except FDI. The results are consistent with the literature. Along with other recommendations, the study, especially, focuses that the trade barriers should be removed among South Asian countries as trade openness has positive influence on economic growth.  It will result in expanding the magnitude of growth.

Energy Challenges and Infrastructure Development in South Asia

2017 ◽  
pp. 165-187
Author(s):  
Sudhakar Patra
Keyword(s):  
Energy Transfer ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Energy Security ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Regional Energy ◽  
Energy Trade

The present chapter seeks to analyze the trend and growth of energy production, supply, growth, consumption and trade in South Asian countries based on data from 1971 to 2011 collected from World Bank data base, South Asia Development reports, Energy Outlook, ADB database. While India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh account for the major natural gas and coal resources, Bhutan and Nepal have large hydropower resources. The study suggests that South Asian countries need enhanced regional energy transfer to leverage economies of scale through a more vibrant intra and inter regional energy trade structure. Mobilizing financial resources to develop the necessary energy infrastructure is a major challenge to enhance energy security in the region. Therefore, South Asian countries need to develop policies that will attract investment in the region.

scholarly journals Wasting and Associated Factors among Children under 5 Years in Five South Asian Countries (2014–2018): Analysis of Demographic Health Surveys

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4578
Author(s):  
Nidhi Wali ◽  
Kingsley E. E. Agho ◽  
Andre M. N. Renzaho
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Health Surveys ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Common Factor ◽  
Household Wealth ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Sampling Weights

Child wasting continues to be a major public health concern in South Asia, having a prevalence above the emergency threshold. This paper aimed to identify factors associated with wasting among children aged 0–23 months, 24–59 months, and 0–59 months in South Asia. A weighted sample of 564,518 children aged 0–59 months from the most recent demographic and health surveys (2014–2018) of five countries in South Asia was combined. Multiple logistic regression analyses that adjusted for clustering and sampling weights were used to examine associated factors. Wasting prevalence was higher for children aged 0–23 months (25%) as compared to 24–59 months (18%), with variations in prevalence across the South Asian countries. The most common factor associated with child wasting was maternal BMI [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for 0–23 months = 2.02; 95% CI: (1.52, 2.68); AOR for 24–59 months = 2.54; 95% CI: (1.83, 3.54); AOR for 0–59 months = 2.18; 95% CI: (1.72, 2.77)]. Other factors included maternal height and age, household wealth index, birth interval and order, children born at home, and access to antenatal visits. Study findings suggest need for nutrition specific and sensitive interventions focused on women, as well as adolescents and children under 2 years of age.

scholarly journals Agroforestry to Achieve Global Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Targets: Are South Asian Countries Sufficiently Prepared?

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 303
Author(s):  
Shalini Dhyani ◽  
Indu K Murthy ◽  
Rakesh Kadaverugu ◽  
Rajarshi Dasgupta ◽  
Manoj Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Implementation Phase ◽  
Adaptation And Mitigation

Traditional agroforestry systems across South Asia have historically supported millions of smallholding farmers. Since, 2007 agroforestry has received attention in global climate discussions for its carbon sink potential. Agroforestry plays a defining role in offsetting greenhouse gases, providing sustainable livelihoods, localizing Sustainable Development Goals and achieving biodiversity targets. The review explores evidence of agroforestry systems for human well-being along with its climate adaptation and mitigation potential for South Asia. In particular, we explore key enabling and constraining conditions for mainstreaming agroforestry systems to use them to fulfill global climate mitigation targets. Nationally determined contributions submitted by South Asian countries to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change acknowledge agroforestry systems. In 2016, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation’s Resolution on Agroforestry brought consensus on developing national agroforestry policies by all regional countries and became a strong enabling condition to ensure effectiveness of using agroforestry for climate targets. Lack of uniform methodologies for creation of databases to monitor tree and soil carbon stocks was found to be a key limitation for the purpose. Water scarcity, lack of interactive governance, rights of farmers and ownership issues along with insufficient financial support to rural farmers for agroforestry were other constraining conditions that should be appropriately addressed by the regional countries to develop their preparedness for achieving national climate ambitions. Our review indicates the need to shift from planning to the implementation phase following strong examples shared from India and Nepal, including carbon neutrality scenarios, incentives and sustainable local livelihood to enhance preparedness.

Suicide methods in South Asia over two decades (2001–2020)

2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402110157
Author(s):  
S M Yasir Arafat ◽  
Syeda Ayat-e-Zainab Ali ◽  
Vikas Menon ◽  
Fahad Hussain ◽  
Daniyal Shabbir Ansari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
English Language ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Pubmed Central ◽  
Suicide Methods ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Quantitative Studies

Background: Suicide is a global preventable public health problem. About a quarter of all suicides in the world occur in South Asia. As means restriction is an important suicide prevention strategy, gaining knowledge of the common suicide methods and their changing trends in each country and region is crucial. Aims: We aimed to assess the suicide methods in South Asian countries over the last two decades. Methods: A search was performed in PubMed, PubMed Central, Scopus, and Google Scholar with the search terms. Original articles of quantitative studies, published in the English language, from 2001 to 2020, with full-accessible text, that rank different methods of suicide in eight South Asian countries, were included. Results: A total of 68 studies were found eligible for review. The Maximum number of studies were found from India ( n = 38), followed by Bangladesh ( n = 12), Pakistan ( n = 9), Sri Lanka ( n = 6), and Nepal ( n = 3). Hanging ( n = 40, 55.8%) and poisoning ( n = 24, 35.3%) were the two most common suicide methods reported, in that order. Hanging followed by poisoning were the commonest suicide methods in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan while in Sri Lanka, poisoning was the preferred method to hanging. There is a decline in suicide by poisoning and an increase in suicide by hanging in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India. Although hanging is still the commonest method in Pakistan, the use of firearms is growing in recent years (2011–2020). Conclusions: There is a steady decline in the incidence of suicides by poisoning following pesticide regulations in South Asian countries. However, there is heterogeneity of study methods, probable under-reporting of suicide, and lack of robust suicide data.

Effects of Infrastructure Development on Foreign Direct Investment in Kenya

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Teresa Wekesa ◽  
Nelson H. Wawire ◽  
George Kosimbei
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Time Series Data ◽  
Trade Openness ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Fdi Inflows ◽  
Year 2000 ◽  
Quality Infrastructure

Kenya’s foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows as a percentage of GDP have been increasing negligibly over the last 4 years, increasing from 0.4 per cent in 2010 to 0.9 per cent in 2013. And yet evidence shows that quality infrastructure lowers the cost of doing business and thus attracts FDI. Kenya has visible signs of infrastructure inadequacy and inefficiencies despite the fact that since the year 2000, there has been increased budgetary allocation to the infrastructure sector. This study, therefore, sought to determine the effects of transport, energy, communication and water and waste infrastructure development on FDI inflows in Kenya. The study used annual time series data sourced from Central Bank of Kenya, World Bank and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Using multiple regression analysis, it was established that improved transport infrastructure, communication infrastructure, water and waste infrastructure, exchange rate, economic growth and trade openness are important determinants of FDI inflows into Kenya. Hence, for Kenya to attract more FDI, continued infrastructural development is key since quality infrastructure affords investors a conducive investment climate in which to operate.

scholarly journals Prevalence of mental disorders in South Asia: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Mahbub Hossain ◽  
Neetu Purohit ◽  
Abida Sultana ◽  
Ping Ma ◽  
E. Lisako J. McKyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Umbrella Review ◽  
Meta Analyses

Objectives: Mental disorders are highly prevalent in eight South Asian countries, yet there is a gap of a synthesized overview of the prevalence of mental disorders in this region. This umbrella review aims to summarize the prevalence of mental disorders from systematic reviews and meta-analyses of South Asian studies.Materials and methods: A systematic search of 11 major databases and additional sources was conducted until December 11, 2019. Articles were included if they were systematic reviews or meta-analyses, reported the prevalence of mental disorders, and reported primary studies conducted in South Asian countries only. Results: Among 2591 citations, a total of 23 reviews met all the criteria of this umbrella review. The synthesized findings from those reviews suggest high prevalence rates for mental disorders, including depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, suicidal behavior and self-harm, schizophrenia, substance use disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, dementia, and other mental health problems. Also, findings suggest a high burden of maternal depression, psychiatric comorbidities in chronic physical illnesses, and various mental disorders among children, elderly adults, refugees, and other vulnerable populations. Most studies were from India whereas evidence from Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Maldives was limited.Conclusion: The findings of this review are constrained with heterogeneity in prevalence estimations, methodologies, sampling issues, and limitations in the existing literature, which should be addressed in future research. The evidence synthesized in this review provides national and regional overview of the prevalence of mental disorders, which may inform better policymaking and practice advancing mental health in South Asia.

Gender

2019 ◽  
pp. 363-372
Author(s):  
Sheela Jeyaraj ◽  
Evangeline Anderson-Rajkumar
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Christian Women ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
The Status ◽  
God's Grace ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Central Asian Republics

Gender issues in South and Central Asia involve discriminations in the socio-cultural, political and economic realms. Despite policy initiatives, gender equality is still not available for most women. The condition of Central Asian women is less favourable than that of their counterparts in South Asia. Still, in South Asian countries where certain Hindu or Buddhist fundamentalist norms prevail, the position of women continues to be deplorable. Discrimination of women is justified in Sanskrit scriptures, which do not contain a coherent narrative of the creation of women. Likewise, the scriptures of Jainism and Buddhism present women as inferior to men. The status of Christian women in certain South Asian countries is better than that of their Central Asian republics. The patriarchal societies of South and Central Asia do not educate a sufficient number of women in theology. Today, almost all female Christian theologians in South Asia engage with the pathos of the exploited. Reversal of gender roles among diaspora communities have caused conflicts in the home and in public. Despite their struggles, Christian women in South and Central Asia continue their witness to God’s grace in Christ sustaining them.

Investigating the Role of Regional Economic Integration on Growth: Fresh Insights from South Asia

2020 ◽  
pp. 097491012097480
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ibrahim Shah
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Economic Integration ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Regional Economic Integration ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Regional Economic

Regional economic integration is the key to achieving prosperity and stability. However, intra-regional trade in South Asia accounts for not more than 5%–6% of their total trade. This study aims to examine the role played by regional economic integration in determining the economic growth of South Asian countries over the period 1980–2015. Since shocks in one country may affect another country in the region, this is taken into account in the article by employing methodologies that are robust to cross sectional dependence. Specifically, continuously-updated and bias-corrected (CupBC) of Bai et al. (2009) and Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel causality test (2012) have been employed to estimate long-run coefficients and determine the direction of relationship among the variables, respectively. The findings suggest that economic integration increases economic growth significantly in this region. However, contrary to popular belief, both democracy and human capital are negatively related to economic growth. Bidirectional causality is found between economic integration and democracy, regional integration and human capital, democracy and human capital and, democracy and labor. This study also presents several policy implications for South Asian countries.

Political stability and FDI in the most competitive Asia Pacific countries

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (02) ◽  
pp. 140-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamunur Rashid ◽  
Xuan Hui Looi ◽  
Shao Jye Wong
Keyword(s):  
Trade Openness ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Fixed Effect Model ◽  
Fixed Effect ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Fdi Inflows ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Liberal Trade ◽  
Determinants Of Fdi

Purpose Competitiveness is vital to attracting FDI into a country, which has led us to investigate the determinants of FDI in the top 15 most competitive countries in the Asia Pacific region. Design/methodology/approach We have analysed political stability alongside other commonly studied determinants of FDI. We have employed a panel data fixed-effect model on a 14-year sample data (2000-2013) involving the top 15 most competitive Asia Pacific countries. The Global Competitiveness Index was taken as the yardstick to identify these countries. We have used fixed effect, GMM-system, and Panel ARDL tests for robust results. Findings The GDP, trade openness and political stability positively influenced FDI inflows while inflation rate negatively impacted FDI inflows in the selected countries. Political stability was the most influential variable in the presence of other indicators. GDP, openness, and political stability exhibit significant long-run relationship with FDI inflows. Research limitations/implications To increase FDI flows, regulators should focus on building the image of the country, and possibly the region, by ensuring stable economic and political environment, maintaining macroeconomic stability through bi- and multi-lateral arrangements with neighbouring countries. Originality/value Regional relationships with neighbouring countries can be considered as the building blocks for attracting FDIs. These relationships can be strengthened based on liberal trade policies, openness in capital control, and cooperation in terms of political actions. One such recent issue in regional political cooperation include actions to reduce terrorism and corruption that help boost the confidence of the investors.

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