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The superiority of BWM over other weighting methods for obtaining the weight values of the attributes is that it achieves high-confidence results with a reasonable number of pairwise comparisons. Although the best-worst method (BWM) is a well-known multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method that has been successfully utilized in almost all scientific areas to solve challenging real-life problems, no research has comprehensively examined the state-of-the-art in this regard. The present study depicts a detailed overview of publications concerned with BWM during the period 2015–2022. Based on the information obtained from the Scopus database, this work presents a big picture of current research on BWM. In other words, this paper analyzes the existing literature about BWM and identifies thematic contexts, application areas, emerging trends, and remaining research gaps to shed light on future research agendas aligning with those gaps. Further, the most recent BWM research is analyzed in the top ten scientific areas, from engineering to materials science. “Engineering”, “computer science”, and “business, management, and accounting” are the hottest fields of BWM research. China is the most active country regarding “engineering” and “computer science”, whereas India is the leader in “business, management, and accounting”. The study also reveals that there are still many research gaps in BWM research. The big picture taken in this study will not only showcase the current situation of BWM research but will also positively impact the direction and quality of new research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land supply in China is planned by governments, and the supply ratios of various types of land are in relatively rigid administrative control. This paper constructs a DSGE model to study the relationship between land supply marketization in China and economic fluctuations. Moreover, this paper evaluates the social welfare gains from land marketization. We document that the government's land planning constraint impacts consumption and social welfare through the land price and final output, causing resource misallocation losses in aggregate investment and output. Quantitatively, the optimal upper limit of industrial land supply is about 40% to achieve the maximum social welfare. This paper stresses the necessity of revitalizing China's land market, and simultaneously speeding up the marketization of collectively operated construction land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's constantly rapid economic growth accompanying by a low overall inflation has long been mysterious in macroeconomics. The core purpose of this paper is to solve this puzzle. Therefore, we integrate overdetermined set of equations into a MUCSVO model to explore the volatility mechanism of the overall inflation from a sectoral perspective. Our key findings include: 1) the hedging effect of sectoral inflation fluctuations principally accounts for China's long-run stable overall inflation; 2) the main contradiction of China's inflation has been shifting from high price levels in the traditional food and residence categories to rising prices in the health care category; 3) as the proportions of inflation in the food and residence categories fall steadily, sectoral inflation weights become more evenly distributed. In conclusion, China's overall inflation and deflation will be much less likely to occur, while inflation is still of sectoral imbalance. Unusual price fluctuations in the food and health care categories, which are highly relevant to basic living standards of the low-income group, deserve close attention in particular. Overall, besides solving the puzzle of China's low inflation, our model is applicable to economies that do not publish inflation weights, which is a useful extension of core inflation measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fintech is driving the revolution of finance and profoundly affecting the development of the financial sector. However, few studies examined how commercial banks' fintech innovation affects total factor productivity (TFP). To build up the fintech index of commercial banks, we use web crawler technology to accumulate news related to the fintech innovation of commercial banks in Baidu news. We use the panel data of 72 banks in China from 2010 to 2020 to explore the impacts and mechanisms of fintech on commercial banks' TFP. The results show that fintech innovation effectively improves TFP after a series of robustness tests. Further, we find that fintech innovation can improve commercial banks' TFP by promoting innovations of financial products, increasing risk control capability, reducing cost, and improving profit. Also, the utility of fintech is more significant in banks with more assets, facilities, and human capital, which means that fintech innovation creates a "bigger is better" mindset. Meanwhile, the result of quantile regression shows that the higher the fintech innovation, the more significant the increase in TFP, which further reveals that there is 'too big to fail' among commercial banks under digitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The booming real estate sector has been regarded as the “gray rhino” risk emerging in China over the past decade. Yet, the house price volatility per se has not been thoroughly examined. Filling the gap in the literature, this paper explores the house price volatility and its determinants for 70 large and medium-sized cities in China, using an extensive monthly data set from 2005 to 2019. We find evidence of significant geographical disparities in both the GARCH effects and the best-fitted volatility specification. Significant GARCH effects are found in 57 cities, among which 40% of cities show a persistent volatility pattern. We also find that both the house price volatility pattern and the associated volatility value are affected significantly by education and healthcare amenities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese central government has instituted a series of macro-economic tightening and easing policy measures on the real estate industry to stabilize the housing market in recent decades. However, our understanding of these policies and their impact on real estate firms is limited. This paper constructs an index of government policies on the real estate industry by collecting national housing policies in China from 2007 to 2019. We use this index to quantify the impact of government policies on real estate enterprises’ performance, based on data from 103 real estate enterprises listed on the Chinese A-share market. Two important conclusions are drawn from the panel data regression. First, tightened real estate policies significantly lower real estate enterprises’ profitability (ROA and ROE), while increase their liquidity risk. Second, the heterogeneity analysis shows that the tightened real estate policies yield downward impact more mildly on state-owned real estate enterprises than non-state-owned enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, sustainable economic performance (SEP) has been the foremost requirement due to uncertainty of the economy and environment. This issue needs best practices and governance and also needs researchers' focus. Thereby, the paper aims to assess green supply chain (SC) practices, green SC governance and their role in the achievement of SEP in the manufacturing sector of China. The paper also attempts to explore the moderating effect of organizational support in proposed framework. PLS-SEM model was employed to test model's reliability and validity. The very same method has applied to test the linkage among outlined constructs. Obtained results confirms the moderating impact of organizational support among traditional governance, relational governance and the achievement of SEP in the manufacturing industry in China. This article provides guidelines to the regulators in developing policies related to the achievement of SEP using green SC practices and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social sustainability is a global necessity because of environmental and economic uncertainty. This issue needs the foremost solution, and for this purpose, researchers' and policymakers' emphasis is required. Thereby, the present paper investigates sustainable energy technologies such as solar and hydroelectric, eco-innovation and EG and their impact on social sustainability in China. The study also used industrialization and inflation as the control variables in the time span of 1981 to 2020. The present study also applied the Dynamic Auto-regressive Distributed Lags (DARDL) model to evaluate the association between the outlined variables. The results indicated that sustainable energy technologies such as solar and hydroelectric, eco-innovation, economic growth, industrialization and inflation are significantly associated with social sustainability in China. The present paper offers standard policies to regulators in making regulations related to maintaining social sustainability by using effective sustainable energy technologies and eco-innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the policy package pilot implemented in Hubei Province, China, in April 2020 as a natural experiment, we use the synthetic control (SC) and synthetic difference in differences (SDID) methods to estimate the impact of the Chinese government's support policy on the economic resilience and to analyze the mechanisms by which it impacts. This study finds that the policy package has contributed to the growth of economic resilience in the pilot provinces, with the policy package increasing the average economic resilience of the pilot provinces by 0.062 compared to their potential resilience. The validity and robustness of the above conclusions are objectively confirmed by multidimensional quantitative outcomes such as placebo tests, ranking tests, and replacements in calculating resilience. The mechanism analysis shows that the investment in real estate development, the stimulus for consumption, and the core industry development are virtual channels for the policy package to promote economic resilience growth in the pilot provinces. Moreover, traditional investment in transportation fixed assets plays a minor role. This paper quantitatively corroborates the academic idea that government governance capacity affects regional economic resilience (RER), and research can provide empirical support for regional economic recovery and policy support under a major crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital economy is a great route to promote the efficient utilization of natural resources and promote sustainability due to its high-tech, rapid growth, extensive penetration, deep integration and other characteristics. Existing study on the influencing factors of the digital economy is not deep enough and lacks the analysis on the relationship structure of factors influencing the digital economy, which is not conducive for an overall grasp of the digital economy. To correctly understand how to better develop the digital economy, this paper studies its influencing factors and the relationships between them. Based on the time-series data of China from 2002 to 2018, grey correlation analysis was applied to calculate the correlation between these influencing factors and the digital economy, and determine the major influencing factors of digital economy development in China. The Granger causality test and a review of existing research were used to judge the interrelationship of various factors. The interpretative structure model was utilized to determine the relationship structure of the main factors affecting the development of China's digital economy. The results show that the number of digital talents, state of the technology market, and degree of digitalization are direct influencing factors of the digital economy. The results help to better understand the development of the digital economy and will enable the implementation of policies to improve towards more sustainable cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The green credit policy (GCP) is an institutional framework aimed at guiding enterprises towards green transformation and promoting high-quality development, which serves as a crucial tool for supporting the establishment of a green technology innovation system. In this study, utilizing the green credit guidelines as a quasi-natural experiment and constructed a continuous difference-in-difference (DID) model, examines the impact of GCP impact on enterprise green innovation and its internal mechanisms by analyzing data from Chinese A-share listed companies between 2006 and 2021. Our findings indicate that the GCP had a significant impact on enterprise green innovation, inhibiting companies from independently developing green innovation while promoting joint green innovation with other institutions; These results were robust and consistent, even after conducting several sensitivity analyses; This mechanism indicate that the commercial credit plays an important regulatory role in the process of GCP affecting green innovation of enterprises and the financing constraints act as an intermediary factor in the process of GCP affecting green innovation. Based on our research, we offer policy recommendations aimed at improving the GCP and fostering a market-oriented green technology innovation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploration employs the generalized supremum augmented Dickey-Fuller (GSADF) approach to explore whether there are digital tech bubbles in China. The empirical results suggest the existence of multiple digital tech bubbles, which are mostly accompanied by an excessive rise. However, the appearance of digital tech bubbles is curbed since 2016, mainly due to the increasing mature regulations in relevant fields. Besides, bubbles in different digital technologies are similar during the same period, which could be attributed to the close relationships among them. Additionally, we further investigate the factors influencing the explosive behaviours, and find that the Chinese stock market positively affects digital tech bubbles, while economic policy uncertainties and situations negatively influence such explosive behaviors. In the context of the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, these conclusions provide valuable implications to achieve the target of constructing a "Digital China" by becoming moderately cautious about potential bubbles in the digital tech industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the acceleration of world economic integration and enterprise management globalization, the advent of Internet of things based on Internet and information technology has become inevitable. The Internet of things also brings about a cascading effect between firms' shadow banking behaviour and bank connections. This study investigates the relationship between firms' shadow banking behaviour and bank connections by analysing a sample of Chinese listed firms in Internet of things industry. The results show that bank connections eliminate information asymmetry between banks and firms, bank connections are positively related to firms' long-term debt, and as long-term debt increases, firms' shadow banking behaviour also increases. Furthermore, this finding shows very strong robustness, the empirical analysis provides sufficient evidence that firms' shadow banking behaviour increased with bank connections in Internet of things industry. In addition, the evidence also shows that the tendency of shadow banking behaviour is more pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises (NSOEs) than state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by sub-sample sensitivity analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic freedom has central importance among the nations, however, Chinese economic freedom index declining continuously, leading to the several issues. Particularly, economic freedom is low among the Chinese female population. The world average of economic freedom index in 2022 based on 175 countries is 60 index points, but the Chinese index is 48. To address this issue, this study introduced green microfinance institutions based on Mayoux’s Feminist Empowerment Theory. The objective of this study is to examine the role of green microfinance institutions in women economic freedom in China. A survey questionnaire is used to collect data from female clients of microfinance institutions. 315 respondents responded to the survey and data analysis is carried out by using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results of the study identified that, green microfinance institution’s services such as credit and insurance can facilitate green micro enterprises. The promotion of green micro enterprises causes to increase women economic security, leading to the economic freedom. Additionally, green microfinance policy is a critical factor to promote the positive relationship between green microfinance institution’s services and women economic freedom. Findings of this are helpful for the practitioners to increase women economic freedom in China by providing various services of green microfinance institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-carbon transformation of the economy is the inevitable orientation of socialism with Chinese characteristics to high-quality development in the new era, while the Chinese decentralized development model determines that the competition of local governments in China is an important factor influencing the green technological innovation on low-carbon transformation of the economy. How to achieve coordinated economic growth and ecological environment has become a problem for local governments. Data from a Chinese provincial panel covering the years 2007–2019 is used to investigate the effects of heterogeneous local government competition (Comp), namely, economic, ecological and service competitions on economic low-carbon transition, and moderating effects of heterogeneous government competition and green technology innovation (GTECH) on the low-carbon economic transition (LCT). The results reveal that there are substantial disparities in the consequences of heterogeneous government competition on low-carbon economic transition (LCT). Among them, economic competition significantly dampens economic low-carbon transition (LCT), and ecological competition and service competition significantly boost economic low-carbon transition (LCT). After performing robustness checks, these results continue to be strongly convincing. The study of moderating effects shows that economic competition can dampen the positive influence of green technology innovation (GTECH) to the economic low-carbon transition (LCT). However, ecological competition and service competition facilitate the promoting effect of green technology innovation on economic low-carbon transition (LCT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet technology and data-driven innovations are changing the way people live and work, which could have an impact on real estate supply and demand. Therefore, this study focuses on the relationship between urban digital economy growth and urban house prices. First, the empirical model shows that the digital economy has an inverted U-shaped impact on urban housing prices. The mechanisms underlying this relationship were then examined. The results indicated that fixed asset investment, government expenditure, and the urban environment influence the relationship between digital economy growth and urban house prices. Finally, a heterogeneity analysis revealed that the digital economy does not affect house prices in Tier 1, New Tier 1, and Tier 2 Chinese cities, but increases house prices in Tier 3 cities. In Tier 4 and Tier 5 cities, this relationship was found to be inverted U-shaped. These findings offer valuable insights to policymakers in China in balancing the growth of the digital economy and the stability of house prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between online media attention and the performance of China's green funds. The results show that increased media attention can boost the performance of green funds in the short term, however, this effect is short-lived. The mechanism of short-term positive effects may be due to increased media attention leading to larger purchases, which may undermine funds' long-term performance. In particular, online media attention has a greater impact on larger and older funds. Moreover, it indicates that media attention reduces the returns of individual investor-dominated funds, but has little effect on institutional investor-dominated funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, prefabricated construction has increasingly gained popularity in addressing environmental concerns while meeting the high construction demand, particularly in developing countries. Accordingly, the concept of stakeholder engagement increasingly garnered attention as it is highly relevant for understanding and explaining the relationships among various stakeholders, like contractors, suppliers, and producers, especially within the fragmented context of prefabrication. To further the field, this study aims to provide a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analysis for stakeholder engagement in the realm of prefabricated construction via a value-based network. This value-based network analysis is utilized to model multiple relationships between stakeholders as value exchanges, thus enabling to engage them though management with a focus. Specifically, A total of 110 values were identified and analyzed among 12 stakeholders throughout the whole lifecycle via an extensive literature review, interviews, and questionnaires directed at prefabrication practitioners in China. This data collection process garnered 194 valid responses with a 64.7% response rate. The findings show that enhancing stakeholder engagement requires improvements in both the abilities and experiences of developers, and in the collaborative relationships among key stakeholders. These improvements can be achieved by prioritizing the engagement of prefabrication consultants and encouraging the government to issue policies that support developers, producers, and consultants in fostering collaboration. This in-depth network analysis offers practical insights for decision-makers in the management of core stakeholders and value-based relationships, thereby improving stakeholder engagement. Additionally, it expands the current body of knowledge on stakeholder engagement by incorporating the value-based network analysis into the exploration of its stakeholders and relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the Internet of Things (IoT) has aroused much interest as a potential approach for improving various construction activities, the extent of its adoption remains limited. The multiple barriers that prevent the wider adoption of IoT in the construction industry need detailed investigation. However, limited research has attempted to understand the barriers to IoT adoption. Therefore, this study aims to identify the critical barriers to IoT adoption in the construction industry and explore the prioritization and hierarchical structure of the barriers factors. Data were collected from relevant literature and feedback from Chinese industry experts, sixteen barriers against IoT adoption were identified and categorized based on the TOE framework assessed in the construction industry. An integrated interpretation structure model and decision-making and trial evaluation laboratory (ISM-DEMATEL) approach is adopted to analyze the interdependence between identified constructs and their intensities. In addition, the identified constructs are also clustered into a suitable group using MICMAC analysis. Results show that inadequate infrastructure, lack of governance, and top management support are the fundamental barrier against IoT adoption. By revealing the mutual relationships and interlinking of barriers, this study will help researchers and practitioners in the construction industry to focus on strategic efforts to overcome these obstacles to effective IoT implementation. This research revealed the barriers to IoT implementation in the Chinese construction industry. Also, it provides methodological tool references for exploring the impact factor of other similar innovative technology applied in this industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of various factors on the level of non-performing loans (NPL) and, to determine the moderating role of efficiency on the relationship between different factors and NPL in China. The current study addressed four important factors to examine the role in relation to the NPL. These factors include; return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), economic sustainability and political instability index. Furthermore, the moderating role of efficiency is addressed between these factors and NPL. Secondary data is used in this study to consider the empirical results. Secondary data related to ROA, ROE, economic sustainability and political instability index is collected from different sources. Consistent with the literature, we found significant effect of ROA, ROE, economic sustainability and political instability index on NPL. Banking sector of China is majorly influenced by these factors due to the effect on NPLs. Furthermore, the efficiency has contribution to the NPLs as moderating variable. Results of this study are helpful for the management of banking industry to resolve various issues related to NPLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil sampling and in situ measurements were conducted at 24 locations at three time points from May 2015 to April 2016. The statistical analysis showed that the variabilities of soil water content and soil penetration were moderate, while particle size and soil saturated hydraulic conductivity varied considerably. Rainfall before measurements contributed positively to the mean soil water content and negatively to particle size. This was mainly due to the soil aggregates and large soil particles being broken into smaller particles from rain splash. The detached small-sized soil particles could coalesce into larger-sized ones and even soil aggregates. Stressors in zones differ, resulting in variations between soil physical quality indices. The point-topoint comparisons indicated that the mean measured soil water content and soil saturated hydraulic conductivity were similar, if the measurements for these two indices were conducted under similar weather conditions during the same period between years. The investigation on the relationships among soil physical quality indices showed a negative relationship between the measured soil water content and soil saturated hydraulic conductivity. A positive correlation was also found between soil particle size and soil saturated hydraulic conductivity. Lower soil strength resulted in higher soil saturated hydraulic conductivity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]