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Identifying and protecting a network of relations is challenging since it deals with natural and social processes, but it is essential for a comprehensive understanding of landscapes. Rural areas are the best representatives of networks of relations in landscapes due to direct interactions with nature through economic activities and traditional socio-cultural practices. However, today, rural landscapes encounter forces leading to major changes. In order to overcome these forces, a landscape approach is required to provide integrated, unitary and comprehensive approaches in identification, protection, management and planning of landscapes. Imerhev Valley is selected as a case study. It has multiple values characterized by traditional practices, but is encountering forces of change both in its natural and cultural landscape. In this regard, this paper first describes the landscape as a network of relations and applies the approach to the selected case study. As the second step, the paper focuses on the dynamics and drivers of change. Finally, the paper identifies key issues of challenges that have to be addressed in protecting landscape values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rural development in Bulgaria is an important issue for decent live in the country. Direct and indirect impact on rural Bulgaria is observed from the implementation of different policies. The main aim of the study is to trace the changes in some of the main economic activities which are contributing to the development of the municipalities. The following approach will be used to achieve this goal: 1) Literature review of relevant theories concerning economics of rural development. On this stage factors concerning the rural economy growth will be explained; 2) According to the findings on theoretical level will be performed analysis in dynamics of indicators related to municipality development. As well we will analyze the change in the enterprises' number and sectors where they operate in order to outline the perspectives and importance for rural areas of each sector. For reaching this purpose will be prepared an analyses of the investment of the enterprises in Tangible fixed assets. Bulgaria as a member of EU is a receiver of RDP funding which as well reflect on business development in rural areas. Some relationships between RDP and economical sectors in rural Bulgaria are outlined in the paper. 3) According to the results of the analysis general conclusions will be outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most resource-based regions, their long-term economic growth is slow during the exploitation of natural resources. How to use resource advantages, get rid of resource bottlenecks, and achieve long-term stable economic development are key issues of the resourcebased regions. In view of this, this paper takes the panel data of China's key coal cities from 2000 to 2016 as a sample to explore different ways in which natural resources in resourcebased areas affect economic growth. The results show that resource-based regions benefit from the "resource bonus" in the short term. However, due to being prone to resource industry dependence behavior, these regions have a "crowding out effect" on other economic activities and resources and environment, which affects the long-term economic growth rate. At the same time, resource- based regions are likely to exhibit the "extensive growth" characteristics of relying on physical capital investment to achieve economic growth. The conclusions of this paper not only enrich the literature on the impact mechanism of natural resources on economic growth, but also have some practical enlightenment on how to achieve sustainable development in resource-based regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper examines asymmetric effects of MP shocks on economic activity in Turkey. • Using Markov Switching Model, the paper uses both business cycle and credit cycles. • Economic activity responds asymmetrically to MP shocks. • Shocks during contractions are more significant than shocks during expansions. • The asymmetric effect is stronger when credit cycles determine the state of economy. In this paper, we examine the asymmetric effects of monetary policy shocks on economic activity in Turkey. We use quarterly data for the gross domestic product (GDP) and industrial production along with their sub-sectors for the 2006Q1–2017Q4 period. We implement a Markov Switching Model to endogenously determine the states of the economy with two different variables: we first use real aggregate GDP data to determine the expansionary or contractionary business cycles and then we use credit data to determine expansionary or contractionary credit cycles. We find that the monetary policy shocks have stronger effects on both the GDP, industrial production and their sub-components during contractionary periods, while the results are much weaker for the expansionary periods. Moreover, the asymmetric effects become more apparent when we use credit cycles for the determination of economic states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper develops a spatial agglomeration index (SPAG) of the economic activity for the point geo‐localizations of firms. It includes the effects of location, the distance between firms and the overlapping impact of the firms' size. The SPAG builds a new class of measures of the spatial density of the economic activity inside the region, based on the geometrical representation of firms with circles, without referring to the commonly used Ripley's K function. The SPAG measures the degree of divergence from the benchmark distribution, what detects different spatial distributions as clusters or borderline dispersion. We test SPAG with real point data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a multiproxy approach to the ancillary activities which supported the ancient Maya royal court of the center of La Corona (750–900 CE). This approach sampled both the plaster floors and their overlaying soil matrix from areas of the palace of La Corona, resulting in a data set comprised of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry geochemical, soil‐flotation derived microartifactual, and macrobotanical data. These data complemented the architectural and artifactual record, documenting elusive aspects of the economic, ancillary functions of the Northwest Group of the La Corona regal palace. Specifically, this approach revealed that distinct portions of this architectural group were regularly used for preparing foods and craft objects, carrying products and items, discarding ash, using and/or grinding cinnabar‐based pigments, and illuminating nighttime activities. These results not only revealed activity areas in patios, but also provided evidence regarding the functions of adjacent buildings. This paper significantly contributes to our understanding of the pragmatic economic functions of ancient Maya royal courts. In addition, the presented data sets are methodologically valuable for students of archaeological activity areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper, on Portugal, is to determine the economic effects of public and private capital spending on health. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use a vector autoregressive model to estimate the elasticities and marginal products of health care investments in Portugal on investment, employment and output. Findings: Every €1m invested in health care yields significant positive spillover effects, boosting investment and GDP by €24.74 and €20.45m, respectively, creating 188 net jobs. Adversely, net exports deteriorate, as new capital goods are imported. While only 28.2 percent of the total accumulated increase in GDP occurs within a year, investment is front loaded with a corresponding 73.8 percent. Over this period, 68 workers are displaced for every €1m invested. At a disaggregated level, real estate, construction, and transportation and storage are industries where output shares increase the most. Employment shares increase the most in professional services, construction and basic metals. Research limitations/implications: This paper adds to the empirical literature, corroborating, for example, Rivera and Currais (1999a) and McDonald and Roberts (2002) in that health care spending can have a very significant effect on macroeconomic aggregates. In addition to the analysis of the tradable/non-tradable divide, it adds two further novelties by discussing industry-specific effects on economic performance and the distinction between effects on impact and those over the longer term. Practical implications: As policy implications, health investments have very significant long-term economic performance effects, but are unhelpful counter cyclically. Also, they will change the industry mix: construction and professional services are the non-traded industries that will benefit the most, while the traded industries of non-metallic minerals, basic metals, and machinery and equipment benefit much less. Social implications: Given that capital spending on health boosts economic performance, especially in the long run, it ought to be a part of Portugal's medium-to-long-term growth strategy. Also, if these projects depress economic activity in the short run, and are thus unhelpful counter cyclically, the timing of when they are launched matters. Furthermore, following a health investment, policies that boost net exports will be required to ensure trade balance. Originality/value: The originality of this paper is to estimate, in a dynamic framework, the aggregate and industry-specific elasticities and marginal products on investment, employment and output, allowing the identification of effects both on impact and over the long term. Although health care investments are expected to have important macroeconomic effects, they need not be evenly distributed across industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the behavior peculiarities of the labor force participation in Eastern European countries. Design/methodology/approach: The authors provide the analysis of nonlinearity in dynamics of economic active population and perform the econometric analysis using logistic smooth transition autoregressive models that are flexible and capture various kinds of behavior for different modes. The paper investigates labor markets of six Eastern European countries, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Croatia that are characterized by lower level of labor force participation rate (LFPR) than average level in EU. Findings: The results of modeling quantitatively characterize smooth changes in the behavior modes of labor force activity for each country and indicate how population economic activity depends on previous labor market states. The estimated slope parameters that determine the smoothness of transition between regimes show that, in all countries, the labor force participation quite quickly reacts to changes that occurred on the labor market in the past. During recession periods, households of European countries that joint EU last decade in order to prevent the depletion of their total income increased labor supply and showed increased activity in job search. Originality/value: This paper indicates the nonlinearity and asymmetry in LFPR in transition economies, discovers variety of its dynamics in the different regimes and determines the indicators that cause the change of the population economic activity behavior in each country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Failure rates in the restaurant industry are popularly perceived to be far higher than they actually are. This paper calculates failure rates in the Irish Food and Drinks Sector (IFDS), for the first time, using longitudinal census data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in Ireland, which follows the European statistical classification of economic activity (NACE). The results are compared with previously published literature on restaurant failure rates in the United States of America. This study also compares IFDS failure rates with other industry sectors in Ireland (construction, manufacturing). Drawing on Stinchcombe's 'liability of newness' theory, the informal fallacies theory 'Argumentum ad Populum', and critical success factors (CSFs) for restaurants theory, the paper explores restaurant failure rates both in Ireland and internationally. The research finds that the average failure rates for the IFDS are 15% after one year; 37.62% after three years; and 53.06% after five years in business, which, although marginally higher than other industry sectors in Ireland, are considerably lower than popularly perceived. Comparisons with previous studies in the United States of America shows that Irish rates are significantly lower, particularly in the first few years. The methodology can be replicated to provide comparative studies between other European countries using the NACE classifications. The results may assist in ensuring that future policy decisions made by governments, financial institutions and other restaurant/ hospitality industry groups are more empirically based and better informed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Markets have become an important form of governance in the neoliberal era. The ideology of markets as the most efficient form of organising economic activity has led to the expansion of their usage, both in terms of what is governed by the market, but also in terms of the spaces in which the practices of a given market apply. However, there have been important challenges to market expansion, particularly on political and ethical grounds. This paper analyses how the socio-technical practices of market expansion can be affected by political contestation and individual moral judgements. This is analysed in the context of two markets for biodiversity offsets, in the United States and England. In both cases, regulators attempted to devise and standardise calculative mechanisms and socio-technical practices that promoted the use and expansion of the market. However, these socio-technical market practices have struggled to cross and negotiate uneven political and social spaces, being subject to moral judgements and political contestation. The paper demonstrates how the socio-technical practices of market expansion are affected by social entanglements, highlighting how this creates limits to the expansion of the market as a form of governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the impact of studies published in "Papers in Regional Science" on regional science. According to the author, the impact factor increased to 1.265 for 2008 which reflects that articles in the journal were being used in science. The author also talked about the special issue of the journal, which includes reports about economic systems, land use and economic geography.

Efforts to address the consequences of growth-oriented economics through efficiency-oriented strategies have been ineffective, while sufficiency strategies and absolute reduction of consumption face implementation challenges. The role of money in the reduction of consumption is complex and largely an unclear phenomenon. In this paper, we critically review the concept of money in sufficiency research, categorize its appearance in solutions and problems, and map out the sufficiency aspects of money in a suggested framework. Our results show two conflicting perspectives among scholars. Many developed solutions in sufficiency literature are money-dependent and aim to refine current organized economic activities towards sustainability goals. In contrast another group of solutions suggest avoiding money and all money transactions for pursuing sufficiency. On the basis of a critical review and qualitative analysis, this work evaluates assumptions and interpretations in the field, suggests a framework for assessing sufficiency aspects of money and contributes to efforts in the area of operationalization of sufficiency by questioning money from a conceptual perspective. • The role of money in reducing consumption and promoting strong sustainability is complex. • Purchasing power, profit, distribution of wealth, and monetary system are the aspects of money relevant to sufficiency. • In sufficiency research, money appears both as an enabler of solutions and a source of problems. • To overcome barriers, a system of money-avoiding solutions that support each other at all levels is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine aquaculture has experienced robust growth in recent years, emerging as one of the fastest-growing industries globally. While coastal aquaculture is the prevailing form, it has caused conflicts among stakeholders due to limited near-coast areas and associated environmental issues. The imperative for increased seafood production, coupled with these challenges, has spurred a growing trend for the industry to venture further away from the coast. However, sustainable and competitive offshore economic activity encounters numerous challenges, with a critical one being the provision of uninterrupted energy far from the coast. This paper aims to provide a concise overview of the energy requirements of an offshore aquaculture farm, review current energy supply solutions, and explore a potentially new solution involving the use of hydrogen as the primary fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study presents a two-sector Kalecki–Kaldor growth model. • It analyses the interactions of income distribution, technical change, and demand. • Short-run steady state is Kaleckian: wage-, profit-led, and hybrid demand regimes. • Long-run economic growth mechanism is Kaldorian, featuring technical change. • Wage and productivity growth rates between the two sectors differ in the long run. This paper presents a two-sector Kalecki–Kaldor model of income distribution, technical change, and economic growth. The model is Kaleckian in the sense that it incorporates mark-up pricing, investment independent of saving, and excess capacity. It is also Kaldorian, in that labour productivity growth is led by Kaldor's technical progress function. In other words, productivity growth is endogenously realised through the technology embodied in new capital stock, which differentiates our model from previous two-sector models. Our extension drastically changes the standard Kaleckian implications. We find that although the economic activity levels in the short run are led by the demand and income distribution parameters, economic growth in the long run is realised by supply-side (i.e. technical change and the associated productivity and wage growth) parameters. The important implication of our findings is that a two-sector economy faces a trade-off between a high economic growth rate and the local stability of the steady state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relatedness is a key concept in economic complexity, since the assessment of the similarity between industrial sectors enables policymakers to design optimal development strategies. However, among the different ways to quantify relatedness, a measure that takes explicitly into account the time correlation structure of exports is still lacking. In this paper, we introduce an asymmetric definition of relatedness by using statistically significant partial correlations between the exports of economic sectors and we apply it to a recently introduced database that integrates the export of physical goods with the export of services. Our asymmetric relatedness is obtained by generalising a recently introduced correlation-filtering algorithm, the partial correlation planar graph, in order to allow its application on multi-sample and multi-variate datasets, and in particular, bipartite temporal networks. The result is a network of economic activities whose links represent the respective influence in terms of temporal correlations; we also compute the statistical confidence of the edges in the network via an adapted bootstrapping procedure. We find that the underlying influence structure of the system leads to the formation of intuitively-related clusters of economic sectors in the network, and to a relatively strong assortative mixing of sectors according to their complexity. Moreover, hub nodes tend to form more robust connections than those in the periphery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the year 2019, Government of India proposed to bring India to a $5 trillion economy by the year 2024-2025, following its growth trajectory in the past 20 years. Then it was followed by the global pandemic which slowed down all economic activities and the GDP growth suffered a hard blown setback. Many people had lost jobs as factories got closed, specially the MSMEs. On the one hand there were challenges of providing health facilities to the 1.25 billion population and at the same time to feed those laborers who lost jobs and moved back to their villages. 2020 and 2021 saw three waves of corona out of which the second was very severe. Then government arranged the largest vaccination program for the people which ran very successfully. In February 2022, the Russia-Ukraine war caused the inflation to sour in most of the countries including India, value of rupee fell, prices of crude oil in international market soured and therefore, the question became more relevant whether India will breach the mark of $5 Trillion of GDP by 2024-25, initially planned. This paper concludes that if the inflation which has been majorly reined in, and if rupee is stable and the world economies recover, India may achieve the target by 2026-2027. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In actual economic activities, different economic systems usually interact with each other, and the coupled networked evolutionary game is an important theoretical tool to describe and analyse such economic activities. In this paper, we investigate a kind of coupled evolutionary public good games (PGGs) with threshold which have two enhancement factors. First, the algebraic formulation for the dynamics of the given coupled PGGs is constructed by using a semi-tensor product (STP) of matrices. Then, the strategy optimisation problem is considered based on the algebraic expression, and all valid state feedback controls are designed to make the investment of the coupled evolutionary game in each layer reach their own threshold. Finally, an illustrative example is studied to support our new results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health and economic effects of COVID-19 challenge governments and force them to implement policies to mitigate the consequences on the economic activity. Local governments lack the tools to meet the demands of the affected economic sectors. This paper seeks to investigate the difficulties faced by the government of the municipality of Bahía Blanca to meet the requirements of local merchants. Based on the analysis of the institutional framework and a survey of the commercial sector conducted by the Economic Reactivation Commission convened by the municipality in the context of the pandemic, inconsistencies were found between the demands made by the affected economic agents to the municipal government and the offer of local public policies. The local government has little scope of action and policies depend on the national and provincial governments. At the same time, merchants show financial vulnerability, which implies a strong dependence on external aid to overcome risk situations or economic-financial difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has the purpose of analyzing the Argument of Non-Compliance with Fundamental Precept 46-7, an action that analyzed the exercise of economic activities exclusively by the Post Office, and the implications that resulted from its judgment, including the issues that preceded it and the theses that were discussed at the trial. Nevertheless, it identifies the existence of uncertainties resulting from the judgment regarding the postal privilege. In our economic scenario, it is certain that exclusivities or monopolies are exceptional, and the rule of free competition should prevail. However, scenarios analyzed from the global point of view can lead to situations that deserve stricter regimes, such as appearing to occur with the postal service. Thus, the article intends to discuss the limits of postal exclusivity or privilege, and its implications for logistics companies, in the light of free competition and the Economic Constitution, based on the debates registered in ADPF 46. For this purpose, it was used the deductive method, with descriptive and explanatory research, observing doctrinal, jurisprudential and legal sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic growth is not always related to social welfare. Therefore, this paper takes the case of the Colombian economy that has a strong dependence on commodity exploitation to identify the impacts of different commodities such as oil, coffee, coal, and nickel over economic variables. The results show that the increase in prices of commodities generates significant impacts on economic activity in variables such as GDP and investment. Also, there are no significant impacts on variables that provide welfare to individuals as total consumption or the unemployment rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. Post-communist planning in Ukraine was essentially transformed over the last years with new approaches, instruments and practices changing the very idea of planning at the local level. As a result, local planning is becoming a mix of multiple usual planning instruments, new optional tools, which have appeared with imported conceptions and widespread participatory practices. This article uses the context of Luhansk region to address the question how this variety of instruments transform the planning processes at the local level in post-transitional perspective. We examine how planning and participatory instruments are developed and combined in the territorial communities of Luhansk region, what are the outcomes and how the main actors evaluate the planning process. Methodology. In this article, we consider how territorial communities use the planning and participation instruments from the standpoints of spatial transformations and place-making, using the experience of the region with a severe planning crisis in recent decades. In order to analyze the state of use of planning and participation instruments at the local level, we focus on planning documents and participatory tools in 26 territorial communities of the government controlled areas in Luhansk region (as of the end of 2021). Additional data for contextualizing empirical information on the planning process, its outcomes and particular instruments were obtained from two focus groups, which involved 35 persons, including local officials, local activists and residents from different territorial communities of Luhansk region. Results. We argue that territorial communities rely on quite diverse planning documents and participatory practices with insufficient focus on planning instruments for balancing the spatial development. Active introduction of the new public participation tools that have become available in recent years had a paradoxical effect in the region, when implementing without reliance on planning instruments. At the same time, many territorial communities are adapting various instruments to specific local context, thus contributing significantly to developing the local institutional environment, creating local success stories and strengthening democratic decisionmaking. We show that planning instruments, their implementations and outcomes of planning activity in most cases are perceived and evaluated differently by the main actors, however many of them are becoming increasingly aware about planning process and interested in developing the planning culture. Novelty and practical significance. This paper contributes to the discussion on the evolution of local planning instruments, the role and effectiveness of certain instruments in the post-transitional perspective. Understanding the state of affairs with local planning and participatory instruments, their interplay and ability to provide expected outcomes contributes to strengthening of the local planning policy and making it more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the incidence of subnational public spending on the economic growth of Mexican states. To achieve that purpose, five panel models are estimated: three ordinary least squares (OLS), one with fixed effects without temporal dummies and other with temporal dummies. Data employed are annual observations for the 32 federal entities for the period 2010-2018. Results evidence that temporal and spatial effects explain economic growth. i) a 10% increase in contributions generates a 2.4% increase in GDP, ii) if subnational debt is augmented by 10%, economic growth increases by 0.64%, iii) federal participations are not related to economic activity, and iv) finally, a 10% increase in private consumption generates a 5.3% increase in economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Average retirement saving in Mexico is persistently low, the causes are not only microeconomic but also macroeconomic, the latter have been rarely studied in the literature for emerging economies. This paper is aimed at exploring the macroeconomic determinants of average retirement saving in Mexico. We use times series data in monthly bases, from January 2009 to December 2020, and find that economic activity, stock market and real average wage have a positive impact on average retirement saving, while formal employment and the dependency ratio reduce it. The impact of the economic activity is transmitted through employment and real wage. The results provide new insights to design actions and policies to enhance the benefits of macroeconomic variables on the balance of retirement saving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the broadly held assumption that having an iconic building designed by a celebrity architect can effectively rebrand a place, draw tourists, and stimulate economic activity, star architecture does more than just contribute to the economic fortunes of regional cities. Iconic projects also emerge from and reflect the discourses, desires, and identities of city dwellers in the places they are built. In this paper, we use newspaper coverage of five iconic or star architecture buildings in Denver, Colorado, USA, to expose how architecture contributes to local discourses. What emerges is a complex picture of how local press engage with star architecture projects. Star architecture buildings do more than just contribute to the economic fortunes of a city or region: they also contribute to the mental map of a place, become contributors to city identity, and create opportunities for conversations about culture and architecture, including the basis for comparisons with other cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the trends that are reducing the use of cash, such as innovation in digital payment methods, fear of contagion during the pandemic, and demonetization processes carried out by central banks. Although cash in circulation has increased in the European Union, it is generally expected that cash will continue to be an important means of payment. However, Venezuela could be an exception due to the forced demonetization it has experienced. During the pandemic, there has been an increase in the use of digital payment methods and contactless transactions, which has contributed to the reduction in the use of cash. In addition, the cases of forced demonetization in India and Venezuela are mentioned, where central banks withdrew high denomination banknotes from circulation. In Venezuela, the lack of production of new banknotes has led to a decrease in cash in circulation. The Central Bank of Venezuela has experienced a lack of financial resources to acquire imported supplies such as ink and paper. The demonetization of cash in Venezuela has been exacerbated due to the financial restrictions of the Central Bank and the pandemic. In contrast, in India, there has been a progressive remonetization thanks to the introduction of new banknotes and coins. In both countries, cash is mainly used by the unbanked population engaged in informal activities. In Venezuela, demonetization has led to increased banking and greater access to digital payment methods. The article "Foreign demand for euro banknotes" from the European Central Bank analyzes the foreign demand for euro banknotes. The study shows that the demand for euro banknotes in non-euro area countries has significantly increased in recent years. The authors of the study conclude that this increase may be related to a lack of confidence in local currencies and a preference for a more stable currency such as the euro. The report provides data and graphs that illustrate this trend. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: In spite of the certain risk imposed by financial stress on the real economy, the relationship between financial stress and economic activity is complicated and underresearched, meaning that important gaps still remain in the authors' understanding of this critical relationship. Therefore, the current study aims to answer the significant question regarding whether a stressful financial sector has predictive power on the real sector and vice versa. Hence, the study examines the causal interrelationship between financial stress index (FSI) and economic activity in Luxembourg as a sample country. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, accompanying the time domain Granger causality framework of Hacker and Hatemi-J (2012), the authors utilize the spectral causality technique of Breitung and Candelon (2006), which is based on the study of Geweke (1982) and Hosoya (1991). This method enables the researcher to measure the degree of a particular variation in time series. Moreover, it allows considering the nonlinearities and causality cycles. The authors further apply the recent method of Farné and Montanari (2018) that is a bootstrap framework on Granger-causality spectra, which allows for disambiguation in causalities. Findings: The time-domain approach finds evidence of bidirectional causation between the variables. However, the spectral causality results indicate the causal linkages between the series are only valid under the medium-run frequency. This study's findings emphasize covering the frequency causality to deliver a more comprehensive picture of the interrelationship between the variables. Originality/value: There are many studies in this area that examine the nexus between financial stress and economic activity. However, the authors believe this paper is the first study in the context of Luxemburg. The authors focus on this country since its financial sector is designated as the most important pillar for the economy. Thus, a careful and reliable examination of the relationship between the financial sector and economic activity is likely to be of considerable interest to policymakers and researchers in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many of the competitiveness challenges we see today stem from the aftermath of the financial crisis. Today, productivity and growth are not picking up in advanced economies, and the consequences of low and even negative productivity growth in many emerging economies are now evident. Productivity of major world economies can be seen as the source of national performance and subsequent international competitiveness. The paper deals with an application of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method to multi-criteria performance evaluation of countries considered as global economic powers. The aim of the paper is to analyse development of and measure level of productive potential achieved by BRICS countries, the European Union (EU) and its members, Japan and the United States of America (USA) with the help of specialised DEA approach - the Output- Oriented Malmquist Productivity Index in reference period 2007-2016. Using of DEA is convenient due to set of different factors determining productivity, such as Global Competitiveness Index (GCI). Results confirm the constantly strong position of the post-war triad (in order of the EU, USA, and Japan) compared to rapidly developing BRICS countries. It is also evident the growing tendency and corresponding comparison of BRICS performance with traditional economic powers, i.e. triad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops spatial network metrics that contribute to analysis of regional development. We use the sDNA software to derive longitudinal road network density and efficiency measures based on the network within a 1‐hr travel time buffer. We estimate this travel time itself from network shape and show it to be comparable to Google Maps travel time data. Economic analysis of 374 Local Administrative Units in the UK mainland shows cross‐sectional association between our network density and efficiency measures and Gross Value Added per capita (GVApc), whether measured in bivariate correlation or in multiple regression controlling for population, education, economic activity rate and rail stations. This is however both mediated and moderated by the proportion of knowledge‐based businesses; regions lacking a strong knowledge‐based sector show only weak correspondence between GVApc and accessibility. Looking at change over time, increase in network accessibility is linked to growth in the knowledge‐based sector, but inversely linked to economic performance during the 8‐year period studied, a finding which remains unexplained. Although further substantiation is needed, results suggest that the policy of transport investment as a driver of UK economic growth may be less effective in areas lacking potential to develop a strong knowledge‐based sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the funding sources of the terrorist group Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen. Using existing research and original interviews, this study outlines al-Shabaab's history and funding sources. It theorizes that an organization's capacity to operate in different fields of economic activity drives innovation in funding. Applying a framework for terrorist innovation to al-Shabaab's funding sources, this study finds support for the theory. Development of intelligence and taxation capabilities is especially prevalent in the al-Shabaab context. Holding territory considerably increases organizational ability to raise funds. Increasing reliance on criminality may compromise an organization's ideological character and leave it more vulnerable to inter-group competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insurance is a sector that has become more important as increase the economic development and growth level of the countries increase. Furthermore, the insurance sector has a positive influence on economic growth and development. Along with the diversified and developing economic activities, the service area and scope of the insurance sector are also expanding. With the development of the insurance sector, the risks in the economy are minimized. Thus, risks can be eliminated, and more efficient results can be obtained from economic activities. The aim of the paper is to denote the importance of insurance sector in terms of economic growth. The study included G-8 countries and covered the 1996-2019 period. For the econometric analysis, we used the IPS unit root test, Pedroni cointegration test, and FMOLS coefficience. The results displayed that there is a long-run relationship between insurance sector and economic growth. Additionally, the insurance sector has a positive effect on economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germany is among the largest countries in the world in terms of total GDP, owing largely to rapid industrialization and expansion of economic activities into several sectors. This paper contributes to the literature on German economic development by investigating the evolution of industry diversification in Germany; particularly focusing on the recent concepts of related (RV) and unrelated variety (UV) in West German regions. It also identifies the statistical and economic determinants of variation in variety over time. Among several industry structure measures; RV is the only measure that reveals a pronounced increasing trend. Since RV is composed of two parts: 1) entropy at five-digit within a two-digit classification, and 2) shares of two-digit sectors in total output, we examined which of the two components dominate. Our findings suggest that the entropy component within two-digit sectoral shares of the RV index is more dominant than the two-digit sectoral shares themselves. We further examined entries and exits of the firms among regions with top and bottom rankings in RV. Findings suggest that both the top and bottom regions experienced an increase in the total number of industries, however, exits were much less pronounced in the bottom regions. It suggests that an increase in variety among top regions is the result of the creative destruction type effect where new industries force inefficient old industries to leave the region. Finally, analysis shows support for the inverse u-shaped relationship between development and diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the fashion industry, the circular economy (CE) may be mobilised for many agendas, from a superficial approach to reducing waste and using recycled materials to a more radical proposition for societal transformation towards sustainable production and consumption. For fashion educators, the CE is, therefore, an important new facet of sustainability education and one that must be approached with critical nuance, as the representation of the CE in the media have the potential to frame students' understanding. To evaluate the discourse created around fashion and the CE in the mainstream media, 476 published articles were analysed between 2016 and 2020. The findings revealed that the media sidelined cultural perspectives of CE while promoting its technical dimension. The concluding part of this paper makes suggestions on how best to engage students in the CE conversation with a critical approach that considers pressing consumption issues in fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in high death tolls all over the world. The aim of this paper is to show how a simple SEIR model was used to make quick predictions for New Jersey in early March 2020 and call for action based on data from China and Italy. A more refined model, which accounts for social distancing, testing, contact tracing and quarantining, is then proposed to identify containment measures to minimize the economic cost of the pandemic. The latter is obtained taking into account all the involved costs including reduced economic activities due to lockdown and quarantining as well as the cost for hospitalization and deaths. The proposed model allows one to find optimal strategies as combinations of implementing various non-pharmaceutical interventions and study different scenarios and likely initial conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urban ecological environment is the material basis and condition for human beings to engage in social and economic activities and the supporting system for the formation and sustainable development of cities. With the acceleration of urbanization and industrialization, urban living environments and economic development have become the focus of people's attention. This leads to the necessity of studying how to improve the quality of the urban living environment and promote the harmonious coexistence of population, natural environment, and social economy. Traditional methods focus on multiple regression models to evaluate the urban environmental and economic harmony, but this method does not consider the weight of each index, resulting in poor accuracy of the evaluation results. This paper proposes a discrete mathematical model to design the evaluation index and evaluation system of urban environmental and economic coordination. It calculates the weight of each index; carrying capacity of the urban environment, the value of each environmental factor, and the comprehensive value of the environment is determined. The static evaluation and dynamic evaluation are used to evaluate the coordination of the urban environmental economy. The experimental results show that the designed evaluation method of urban environmental economic coordination has high accuracy and effectively improves the reliability and evaluation time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to study the meanings of the sign "novo mundo" from three advertising posts of Latam Airlines, published on its Facebook page. The clipping privileged the posts with image and text that the sign "novo mundo" was materialized, in a discursive sample taken between the months of March and September 2020. We present a theoretical section that we discuss the ideological sign according to Volóchinov (2017) and a section in which we deal with the question of the concrete utterance and its methodological approach from the Bakhtin Circle. The analysis links the three advertising posts with different moments of understanding of the Coronavirus pandemic by society: a "novo mundo" in emergence, in the first, a "novo mundo" in consolidation, in the second; a "novo mundo" as already given in the third. Finally, we consider that the "novo mundo" that Latam builds in its discourse is its way of coping with the pandemic and its ideologically constructed strategy to sell tickets, which occurs simultaneously with the resumption of society's economic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing interest and efforts of policy makers in enhancing the township economy1, it remains weak and vulnerable to shocks. Yet the development of township economy is crucial to the development of the country's economy. Township economic activities play essential role in the interaction between the rural and urban economy. The transition of most economies from poverty driven to wealthier economies is attributed to the promotion of SMMEs. The sector plays an essential role in the growth of any economy. Binding constraints (such as cost and supply of electricity and access to finance) could be some of the driving forces behind this phenomenon. This paper empirically investigates the effect that binding constraints might have on the township economy of South Africa using Sustainable Livelihoods Foundation Township Micro-Enterprise Survey dataset for the period 2010 to 2013. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to use this data in an empirical investigation of binding constraints for township economy in South Africa. Employing fixed effect model, we find some evidence to suggest that the main binding constraints for township economy in South Africa are cost and supply of electricity. The control variable coefficients are mostly in keeping with our expectations and with the existing literature. With the exception of gender, whether or not the shop owner receives delivery from supplier, no of fulltime family employees and whether or not the shop owner owns a cellphone, the rest of the other control variables are mostly significant. We found that being part of any buying collectives enhances the profitability of the business. This buying strategy might be desirable for the small businesses as it reduces the average cost while increasing revenue generated by the owner. The estimates survive a whole range of robustness tests, including alternative measures of binding constraints plus other control variables. Thus, our finding sheds more light and nuance to much of the existing studies in South Africa which was often aimed at providing descriptive analysis of the impact of binding constraints on the township economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kyabwanswa Rural Integrated Farming Systems (KRIFS) is a Community Based Organization (CBO) with its Head Office in Kitagwenda Town Council. KRIFS quartet model involves emphasis of integrating four agricultural activities namely: Apiculture, agro-forestry, coffee and at least one type of livestock. The paper utilizes data obtained from January 2017 surveys, interviews, focus group discussions and observations by the authors. The authors observe that the four activities are symbiotic income generating enterprises. The quartet model has greatly contributed in reducing poverty, increasing agricultural productivity, facilitating value addition, conserving the environment, halting biodiversity loss and mitigating climate change. The model is strongly hinged on training of farmers in organized groups more especially the youth and the women. The involvement of KRIFS in integrated farming that involves introducing new innovations to improve production and productivity in agriculture through improved breeds of livestock and crops as well as environmental conservation being pivotal in its operations, has culminated to agro-tourism in the district. The authors recommend that the model be implemented in the whole of Uganda. Apiculture should be included in the priority commodity list for the parish model. Agro-tourism is yet another economic activity that should be exploited to reduce unemployment, conserve the environment and reduce effects of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]