Investigation of The Driving Factors of Ecological Footprint in Malaysia

Malaysia’s growing trends in energy production related emissions throw doubt on the country's possibility of meeting the Paris Climate Change Agreement and SDG obligations. Taking into account Malaysia’s current growth pattern and climatic circumstances, this study evaluates the association between ecological footprint and its potential determinants: economic growth, oil consumption, renewable energy and domestic capital investment for the period between 1965 and 2017. The stationary nature of the parameters is investigated using the conventional unit root approach (ADF and PP unit root) and structural break unit root (ZA unit root). The bounds approach in combination with the critical approximation p-values of Kripfganz and Schneider (2018) established a cointegration association between the observed parameters. The ARDL approach uncovered that economic growth and oil consumption contribute to ecological footprint. Furthermore, renewable energy consumption and gross capital formation reduce the ecological footprint. The FMOLS and DOLS estimators were applied as the sensitivity analysis of the ARDL estimators. Furthermore, the spectral BC causality approach was also utilized to investigate the causal association between ecological footprint and its determinants.

Private Sector Investment in Infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa Post-COVID-19: The Role of Law

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is the lowest income region of the world with a considerable number of low-income countries. The region is challenged by a massive infrastructure deficit. In recent years, the governments of the countries in the region have expressed the desire to bridge the huge gap in infrastructure assets through a partnership with the private sector using the public-private partnership model. However, the advent of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic which has resulted in unplanned public sector expenditure poses a new kind of hurdle to climb for states in the region. As such, there is a need for governments in SSA to create and sustain efficient opportunities for private sector investment in infrastructure procurement and maintenance. This article adopted the doctrinal legal research method as well as review of literature in the examination of the role of law in creating a healthy and sustainable business environment for private sector participation in infrastructure financing and operation in a post-COVID-19 era in the SSA region. The article recommends among others, the enactment of legislation to create an enabling environment for raising domestic capital for the purposes of private sector–led public infrastructure procurement as well as the implementation of strategies suited for developing economies to attain successful outcomes in private sector backed infrastructure procurement.

Main trends in the development of the Kazakh securities market

The securities market is the most important instrument for financing and developing the economy of any state, including Kazakhstan. The main problem is to attract investments for enterprises in all sectors of the economy, as well as to ensure that enterprises have access to cheaper equity than bank loans. Purpose to identify the main trends in the development of the domestic securities market, to assess the level of its profitability. The article emphasizes the role of the securities market as the most important mechanism for the redistribution of funds between sectors of the economy. The securities market, as an integral part of the financial market, is gaining especially growing importance in the economy of Kazakhstan, as well as in the economy of the entire world community. When writing the article, traditional methods (comparison, description, and measurement), general logical methods and research techniques (analysis, generalization, etc.) were used. The article discusses the main theoretical approaches to determining the essence of the analyzed concept, attempts are made to formulate the main problems in the securities market, presents the results of the analysis of data characterizing the current state of the stock market of Kazakhstan. In essence, the securities market is a macroeconomic regulator of the state, through which opportunities are created to attract foreign and domestic capital. Thus, the securities market as an effective tool for attracting capital contributes to solving socio-economic problems. The author notes that the main theories about the state of the stock market are characterized by a superficial approach, as evidenced by the fact that none of them considers the internal structure of the stock market, which is the main tool for determining the patterns of changes in the value of financial instruments. It should also be noted that the choice of theory depends entirely on the perception and opinion of the relevant analyst. Singling out one theory as the only and most acceptable one would be wrong.

Regulatory regionalism and the limits of ASEAN banking integration: The case of Indonesia

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) aims to integrate the banking industry in the region. To achieve this, ASEAN members have agreed to create the ASEAN Banking Integration Framework (ABIF) to support such integration. Despite being endorsed in 2014, the framework remains vague and lacks clear policy coordination arrangements as well as standardisation instruments that enable ASEAN member states to integrate their banking sectors. This article examines why the member states agreed to such regulatory arrangements. Building upon the regulatory regionalism approach, we argue that the regulatory arrangement is underpinned by a socio-political struggle among dominant social forces in ASEAN. The article further argues that the political endeavour to internationalise domestic capital through the banking integration project remains problematic, given that local banking players seem to largely focus on protecting and penetrating domestic markets rather than regional expansion. This has hindered the progress of regional banking integration in ASEAN. To substantiate this argument, we use Indonesia’s engagement in the process as a case study. This article contributes to the study of political economies of banking integration outside of the European experiment by emphasising the importance of state–society relations in shaping the outcome of regional integration.

The structural dilemma of value-chain upgrading: Hungarian suppliers' integration into the world economy

In the following paper, I examine the considerable impact of the recent world-economic shift that has determined the circumstances of Hungarian suppliers' value-chain integration. I argue that as a result of the specialized positions they occupied in the value-chain after the collapse of the Comecon market, Hungarian enterprises in export-oriented industries faced a dilemma—a trade-off between obtaining the most advanced technologies (and thus access to world-market niches) and retaining ownership in the hands of domestic capital. When company managers opted to protect ownership with the help of the state, they exposed themselves to greater risk of downgrading their position in the value chain. If they managed to get access to advanced technologies (and the requisite funding), they were more likely to lose control over their company's assets, either as a result of a hostile takeover or becoming part of the larger partner's merger-and-acquisition plans. This paper is a discussion of some of the particular characteristics of this dilemma, as well as a comparison with the experience of Hungarian service providers who implemented a different strategy. This paper is also a critical assessment of some of the chief characteristics of the world-economic evolution that has been underway since 2009, such as German automotive value chains' expansion in the CEE region and the growing role of Chinese capital in regional infrastructural projects.

Determinants of Domestic Value Added in Exports: Empirical Evidence from India’s Manufacturing Sectors

Over the last decade, trade policy reforms have significantly influenced the internationalization of Indian manufacturing firms, leading to deeper participation of the country in global value chains (GVCs) and international production networks (IPNs). With the growing participation of foreign firms in the value chain, the domestic value-added (DVA) content embodied in Indian exports have displayed a declining trend. Recently, in 2020, India has decided to launch the ‘Atmanirbhar (self-reliant) Bharat Abhiyan’, which, in principle, aims to consolidate the manufacturing sector, leading to increasing DVA embodied in exports (DVA-content), apart from employment generation. The current article attempts to analyse the drivers of India’s DVA in exports for select manufacturing industries over 2000–15 by using the OECD trade in value added (TiVA) database. The empirical results reveal that sectoral DVA content is positively influenced by both domestic capital and foreign direct investment (FDI), and labour skill intensity, but negatively influenced by the presence of unskilled workers. Moreover, FDI inflows in sectors characterized by high skill-intensity and high-relative growth rate play a crucial role in influencing DVA content. Finally, the presence of larger and more capital-intensive firms is found to be a major driver of DVA. On the policy front, therefore, the empirical results underline that export promotion policies alone will not be able to resolve employment worries, a major concern in India, as vast numbers of unskilled and low-skilled workers trapped in the agricultural sector or working in unorganized and micro-industries fail to figure in the country’s export value addition. A concerted effort towards labour skill enhancement as well as technology transfer is necessary for exports to play a more positive role.

Statecraft on cement:The politics of land-based accumulation inErdoğan’s Turkey

This article contributes to the literature on the role of the state in land-based accumulation by presenting an explanatory framework on the case of contemporary Turkey, a case marked by an unprecedented construction boom that carries the distinct mark of the ruling AKP (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, or Justice and Development Party). Land-based accumulation has constituted a defining aspect of the political economic setting of the AKP era. An investigation of the motivations behind this strategy reveals that it has been instrumental for the ruling party’s political agendas. Through land-based accumulation, the AKP has been able to cultivate a new generation of firms in the construction industry with connections to the party, consolidate its power among domestic capital and develop new mechanisms to finance party politics. Furthermore, symbolic and material manifestations of land-based accumulation have been abundantly used in the party’s propaganda machinery to provide ideological legitimation. Overall, the AKP’s authoritarian grip on power has been forged through the political-ideological resources provided by land-based accumulation. Contrary to the widespread narratives of weakening, passive or merely facilitating states, the case of Turkey brings to the fore an instance of boosting state agendas through land-based accumulation. My findings underline the need to combine capital-switch arguments with a Gramscian political conjunctural analysis for a fuller understanding of the role of the state in land-based accumulation, and point to the urban roots of neoliberal authoritarianism.

Improvement of production process capability — a case study of two furniture companies

The article aims to assess the improvement of the process capability by implementing the Six Sigma methodology in furniture enterprises with different levels of the quality management system (QMS) and ownership. The implementation of the Six Sigma methodology according to the DMAIC steps, also analysis, evaluation, and comparison of the implementation results were performed to improve the process performance. The implementation of the Six Sigma methodology was carried out in an international enterprise with foreign capital and a certified Quality Management System (QMS) and in a domestic enterprise with purely domestic capital without an established Quality Management System. The implementation results confirmed the positive development in the key indicators of critical processes, namely, in the reduction of DPMO, the increase of efficiency and the level of Sigma Process, and the values of process capability indices. The positive effects were more pronounced in the international enterprise compared to the domestic. The application of the Six Sigma methodology brings better results in manufacturing companies with international management skills and implemented certified QMS. These two aspects can be key success factors by managing and improving process capability. The practical contribution of the paper can be seen in the proposal of suitable methods and tools by implementing Six Sigma conception in furniture manufacturing regardless of the ownership or level of quality management systems.

A Bounds Test Approach to the Evaluation of Non-Oil Exports and Economic Growth in Nigeria

This study examined the relationship between non-oil exports and economic growth in Nigeria for the period 1981 to 2019 using ARDL/Bounds testing approach to analyse data sourced from the CBN statistical bulletin.The ADF stationary test showed that all the variables attained stationarity after first difference except gross domestic product which was stationary at levels.The bounds test confirmed the existence of a long run association amongst the variables in the model.Non-oil export and economic growth were positively related in both the long run and short run. While the long run revealed an insignificant relationship, a significant relationship was observed in the short run. Trade openness showed evidence of positive and insignificant relationship with economic growth both in the long run and in the short run period while exchange rate revealed a positive and significant relationship with economic growth both in the long run and in the short run period. The R2 value indicates that 58 percent of the systematic variation in economic growth is explained by non-oil export, trade openness and exchange rate in Nigeria over the period under study. Based on these results, the study recommends: the diversification of the productive base of the nation to boost domestic capital formation needed for investment, prudent utilization of borrowed funds to reduce poverty to the barest minimum and more efficient debt management strategies to ensure that borrowed funds are directed to more productive channels in the economy to stimulate growth and improve the living standard of people.

Determinants of Unemployment in the Large and Medium Industrial Sector in Indonesia

As a country with the second-highest unemployment rate, Indonesian policymakers should worry about this condition. Based on the macroeconomic perspective, unemployment is affected by the firms' labour demand. It highlights that the firm's profit or loss highly determines the labour force demand. Using the Fixed Effect Model, this study results show that the labour force significantly affects industrial output, and the changes of industrial output highly increase the labour demand in the market. However, foreign and domestic capital neither significantly reduce unemployment rate in Indonesia nor stimulate the large and medium industries to absorb labour in the market. The Government should utilize foreign and domestic capital efficiently as possible to reduce unemployment rate.