scholarly journals 1Are Some Groups More Vulnerable to Business Cycle Shocks than Others? A Regional Analysis of Pakistan’s Labor Market

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (Special Edition) ◽  
pp. 199-231
Author(s):  
Mehak Ejaz ◽  
Kalim Hyder
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Business Cycle ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Regional Analysis ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Socioeconomic Groups

This study identifies the extent to which various socioeconomic groups are vulnerable to aggregate business cycle fluctuations. Socioeconomic groups are classified by gender, location, employment status, education, income and age cohort. The asymmetric behavior of aggregate economic growth indicates that some groups gain less during recovery and boom phases and are thus most vulnerable to recessions. A vulnerability index in calculated for different socioeconomic groups and the empirical results show that employers with a graduate degree in Balochistan are the most vulnerable group and that female workers are more vulnerable than male workers. Additionally, the study employs panel data on inflation and employment to investigate the implications of macroeconomic fluctuations on vulnerable groups. The results indicate that food inflation has a strong negative impact on real earnings, while nonfood inflation increases real earnings. The panel data and vulnerability index findings are consistent with each other. The study also presents policy implications for existing public social safety net programs and prospective private social innovation programs targeting vulnerable households.

COVID 19 lock-down measures on Zimbabwean populace

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 797-814
Author(s):  
Olivia Gumbo
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Short Message ◽  
School Students ◽  
The Government ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Impact

This paper examines the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on Zimbabwean populace. The objectives of the paper were to understand the influence of lockdown measures on people living in Zimbabwe. The use of virtual qualitative methodology was utilised. The data gathering methods that were used are phone short message services, WhatsApp, telephone conversations with participants, virtual meetings with key informants and informal talks with some participants on shopping queues.  The results of the study are that COVID-19 lockdown measures had negative impact on livelihoods of citizens, brought uncertainties on youths’ future, confusion to school students and erosion of social movements. The paper concludes that COVID-19 lock down measures impacted the general public negatively more than the disease itself. It is recommended that the Zimbabwean government considers the impact of lock down restrictions on the most affected groups such as women, youths and children. The government should cushion the vulnerable groups with safety net allowances and consult them when developing strategies that can help them to come out of the shocks they are currently experiencing.

scholarly journals How Does Economic Policy Uncertainty Affect CO2 Emissions? A Regional Analysis in China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Liu ◽  
Zepeng Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Economic Policy ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Environmental Regulation ◽  
Regional Analysis ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Kuznets Curve ◽  
Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Economic Policy Uncertainty ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
The Impact

Abstract More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has created massive economic policy uncertainty (EPU). EPU and its economic fallout have been a hot topic of study, however, the impact of EPU on CO2 emissions has been seldom addressed to date. This paper investigates the direct impact of the EPU on CO2 emissions and indirect effect via the environmental regulation at the national and regional levels using the panel data model and provincial panel data from 2003 to 2017 in China. The empirical results show that the central region is the most special one, which all explanatory variables except energy consumption are all non-significant even at the 10% level. For other samples, there is a significant positive correlation between EPU and CO2 emissions, whether in the national or regional level. Additionally, environmental regulation alone can achieve the purpose of curtailing carbon emissions. However, when the EPU is taken into consideration, environmental regulation exerts a significantly positive effect on CO2 emissions, leading to unintended increase in emissions. Moreover, the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis was confirmed in the national and eastern samples, while CO2 emissions increase monotonically as economic level grows for western datasets. Based on the overall findings, some policy implications were put forward.

scholarly journals The determinants of banks’ capital adequacy ratio: Evidence from Western Balkan countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2, special issue) ◽  
pp. 352-360
Author(s):  
Flamur Keqa
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Capital Adequacy ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Annual Data ◽  
Leverage Ratio ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Capital Adequacy Ratio ◽  
Balkan Countries ◽  
Western Balkan Region

This research aims to evaluate the impacts of liquidity, profitability, size, loans and capital structure on banks’ capital adequacy ratio (CAR) in the Western Balkan region using annual data from 103 commercial banks operated in Western Balkan countries for the period between 2010 and 2018. Panel data fixed effect method is employed. The data comprises of a total 51 observations for panel least squares. The empirical findings obtained panel data regression show that profitability proxies by the return on asset (ROA) have the largest impact on CAR among other financial ratios. In addition, liquidity and size have statistically significant positive effects in determining capital adequacy ratio for the banks in the region, unlike leverage ratio. However, the leverage ratio has a negative impact on the capital adequacy ratio. The policy implications of this study suggest that in order to accomplish requirements for capital adequacy expectations are to have good indicators in regard to performance, liquidity and size.

scholarly journals How to Effectively Control Energy Consumption Growth in China’s 29 Provinces: A Paradigm of Multi-Regional Analysis Based on EAALMDI Method

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1093
Author(s):  
Yunlong Zhao ◽  
Geng Kong ◽  
Chin Hao Chong ◽  
Linwei Ma ◽  
Zheng Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Energy Policy ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Regional Analysis ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Consumption Growth ◽  
High Resolution Analysis ◽  
Resolution Analysis ◽  
Consumption Control

Controlling energy consumption to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has become a global consensus in response to the challenge of climate change. Most studies have focused on energy consumption control in a single region; however, high-resolution analysis of energy consumption and personalized energy policy-making, for multiple regions with differentiated development, have become a complicated challenge. Using the logarithmic mean Divisia index I (LMDI) decomposition method based on energy allocation analysis (EAA), this paper aims to establish a standard paradigm for a high-resolution analysis of multi-regional energy consumption and provide suggestions for energy policy-making, taking 29 provinces of China as the sample. The process involved three steps: (1) determination of regional priorities of energy consumption control by EAA, (2) revealing regional disparity among the driving forces of energy consumption growth by LMDI, and (3) deriving policy implications by comparing the obtained results with existing policies. The results indicated that 29 provinces can be divided into four groups, with different priorities of energy consumption control according to the patterns of coal flows. Most provinces have increasing levels of energy consumption, driven by increasing per capita GDP and improving living standards, while its growth is restrained by decreasing end-use energy intensity, improving energy supply efficiency, and optimization of industrial structures. However, some provinces are not following these trends to the same degree. This indicates that policy-makers must pay more attention to the different driving mechanisms of energy consumption growth among provinces.

scholarly journals Associations between labour market policies and work stressors

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Lunau ◽  
M Rigó
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Job Strain ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Psychosocial Work ◽  
Work Stressors ◽  
Labour Market Policies ◽  
Psychosocial Working Conditions ◽  
European Working

Abstract Background Many studies have shown that psychosocial work stressors have a negative impact on health. It is therefore important to understand how psychosocial work stressors can be reduced. First cross-sectional studies have shown that working conditions are influenced at the political level. With this study, we want to extend the existing studies by specifically looking at the longitudinal dimension and test if changing labour market policies are related to changes in psychosocial work stressors. Methods We used comparative longitudinal survey data from the European Working Conditions Survey (27 countries; years 2005, 2010, 2015). The measure of psychosocial work stressors is based on two established work stress models: job strain and effort-reward imbalance. To measure labour market policies we used information on active (ALMP) and passive labour market policies (PLMP). 64659 participants were eligible for the ERI analysis and 67114 participants for the analyses on job strain. Estimation results are provided by three-level multilevel regressions. Results An increase in ALMP investments lead to a decrease of ERI and therefore to an improvement in psychosocial working conditions. The analyses for the subcomponents showed that these results are mainly driven by reward: an increase in ALMP investments lead to an increase in rewards. We didn't find significant associations between ALMP and job strain and between a change in PLMP measures and the observed work stressors. Discussion The study extends current knowledge with longitudinal information by showing that an increase in ALMP lead to an increase in rewards and a decrease of ERI. These longitudinal analyses are more closely related to a causal interpretation than previous cross-country analyses. The findings of this study may have important policy implications. Our main result suggests that investments into ALMP can improve certain working conditions and therefore improve workers' health. Key messages Psychosocial work stressors have a negative impact on health. Investments into active labour market policies can improve psychosocial working conditions.

The Impact of the Business Environment on the Formalization of Informal Firms. The Case of Kosovo

Südosteuropa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-529
Author(s):  
Kujtim Zylfijaj ◽  
Dimitar Nikoloski ◽  
Nadine Tournois
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Tax Reforms ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Characteristics Analysis ◽  
Significant Negative Impact ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe research presented here investigates the impact of the business environment on the formalization of informal firms, using firm-level data for 243 informal firms in Kosovo. The findings indicate that business-environment variables such as limited access to financing, the cost of financing, the unavailability of subsidies, tax rates, and corruption have a significant negative impact on the formalization of informal firms. In addition, firm-level characteristics analysis suggests that the age of the firm also exercises a significant negative impact, whereas sales volume exerts a significant positive impact on the formalization of informal firms. These findings have important policy implications and suggest that the abolition of barriers preventing access to financing, as well as tax reforms and a consistent struggle against corruption may have a positive influence on the formalization of informal firms. On the other hand, firm owners should consider formalization to be a means to help them have greater opportunities for survival and growth.

scholarly journals Asymmetric dynamics between uncertainty and unemployment flows in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Ahmed ◽  
Mark Granberg ◽  
Victor Troster ◽  
Gazi Salah Uddin
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Business Cycle ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
The United States ◽  
Large Uncertainty ◽  
Monthly Data ◽  
Uncertainty Measures ◽  
Linear And Nonlinear ◽  
The Business Cycle ◽  
The U.S

AbstractThis paper examines how different uncertainty measures affect the unemployment level, inflow, and outflow in the U.S. across all states of the business cycle. We employ linear and nonlinear causality-in-quantile tests to capture a complete picture of the effect of uncertainty on U.S. unemployment. To verify whether there are any common effects across different uncertainty measures, we use monthly data on four uncertainty measures and on U.S. unemployment from January 1997 to August 2018. Our results corroborate the general predictions from a search and matching framework of how uncertainty affects unemployment and its flows. Fluctuations in uncertainty generate increases (upper-quantile changes) in the unemployment level and in the inflow. Conversely, shocks to uncertainty have a negative impact on U.S. unemployment outflow. Therefore, the effect of uncertainty is asymmetric depending on the states (quantiles) of U.S. unemployment and on the adopted unemployment measure. Our findings suggest state-contingent policies to stabilize the unemployment level when large uncertainty shocks occur.

scholarly journals What Are the Impacts of Social Innovation? A Synthetic Review and Case Study of Community Forestry in the Scottish Highlands

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4359
Author(s):  
Carla Barlagne ◽  
Mariana Melnykovych ◽  
David Miller ◽  
Richard J. Hewitt ◽  
Laura Secco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Community Forestry ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Study Approach

In a context of political and economic austerity, social innovation has been presented as a solution to many social challenges, old and new. It aims to support the introduction of new ideas in response to the current urgent needs and challenges of vulnerable groups and seems to offer promising solutions to the challenges faced by rural areas. Yet the evidence base of the impacts on the sustainable development of rural communities remains scarce. In this paper, we explore social innovation in the context of community forestry and provide a brief synthetic review of key themes linking the two concepts. We examine a case of social innovation in the context of community forestry and analyse its type, extent, and scale of impact in a marginalized rural area of Scotland. Using an in-depth case study approach, we apply a mixed research methodology using quantitative indicators of impact as well as qualitative data. Our results show that social innovation reinforces the social dimension of community forestry. Impacts are highlighted across domains (environmental, social, economic, and institutional/governance) but are mainly limited to local territory. We discuss the significance of those results in the context of community forestry as well as for local development. We formulate policy recommendations to foster and sustain social innovation in rural areas.

scholarly journals Tolerance, Cultural Diversity and Economic Growth: Evidence from Dynamic Panel Data Analysis

Economies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Osama Alhendi ◽  
József Tóth ◽  
Péter Lengyel ◽  
Péter Balogh
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
English Language ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Social Tolerance ◽  
Solow Model ◽  
Related Equation ◽  
The Impact

This study aims to examine the impact of social tolerance of cultural diversity, and the ability to speak widely spoken languages, on economic performance. Based on the literature, the evidence is still controversial and unclear. Therefore, the study used panel data relating to (99) non-English speaking economies during the time period between 2009 and 2017. Following the augmented Solow model approach, the related equation was expanded, in this study, to include (besides human capital) social tolerance, the English language (as a lingua franca) and the level of openness. The model was estimated using the two-step system GMM approach. The results show that social tolerance of diversity and English language competence have a positive, but insignificant impact on the economy. Regarding policy implications, government and decision-makers can avoid the costs deriving from cultural diversity by adopting democratic and effective institutions that aim to achieve cultural justice and recognition, which, in turn, enhance the level of tolerance, innovation and productivity in the economy. Moreover, to ease intercultural communication within heterogeneous communities, it is necessary to invest in enhancing the quality of second language education which is necessary to make society more tolerant and the country more open to the global economy.

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