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Since the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, ISO 14001 has become an internationally recognized environmental management system that has spread all over the world. The existing literature has examined in detail the motivations, benefits, and challenges of ISO 14001 adoption in developed countries. However, there is a relative lack of studies on the adoption of ISO 14001 by the subsidiaries of multinational corporations (MNCs) in developing countries, and in Thailand in particular. This paper investigates the motivations, benefits, and challenges of ISO 14001 adoption at Japanese subsidiaries in Thailand based on the results of a questionnaire survey of 100 subsidiaries and a semi‐structured interview survey of 11 subsidiaries. We find that the main motivations are pressures by the national and local governments, as well as by the customers. In addition to the tax incentives, the main benefits are gaining competitiveness, enhancing the corporate image, and maintaining efficient management. We also identify the following challenges: the costs of ISO 14001 adoption, and the training and awareness of the employees. Compared with the existing literature, we find some new motivations, benefits, and challenges related to the local context of ISO 14001 adoption. Although our results are valid only for the Japanese subsidiaries in Thailand, the in‐depth understanding of the motivations, benefits, and challenges of ISO 14001 adoption may contribute to the expanding literature about corporate environmental behavior toward sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive businesses (IBs) are promoted to alleviate poverty and contribute to sustainable development at the base of the pyramid (BOP). In the agri‐food sector, there is limited evidence regarding what types of partnerships enhance IBs' value creation potential for low‐income producers. This prevents policymakers from providing effective support to IBs and leveraging their full potential for sustainable development. To understand what types of partnerships are more effective for social value creation, this paper conducts a mixed‐method analysis of 46 cases from Tanzania and Ghana. It finds that transactional partnerships create efficient IB networks that require limited external support. Such IBs, however, generally undertake business‐as‐usual activities. In contrast, IBs adopt more innovative business models when their partners are integrated in decision‐making and strategic planning. Such IBs, however, often require tailored support to resolve their inter‐ and intra‐organizational challenges. This paper suggests practical considerations for designing IB partnerships to maximize impact potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a methodology for characterizing the breadth of natural hazard types, hazard interrelationships, and risk scenarios in Global South urban areas, focusing on Nairobi, Kenya, and Istanbul, Türkiye. Our approach involves (a) a comprehensive characterization of multi‐hazards and their interrelationships in an urban setting, (b) collaborative development of relevant multi‐hazard scenarios with local disaster risk reduction (DRR) stakeholders, and (c) analysis of the potential for integrating these scenarios into urban DRR efforts. Using a critical review of 135 sources (academic and gray literature, databases, online, and social media), we identify 19 natural hazard types that might influence Nairobi and 23 in Istanbul. We further identified in Nairobi 88 and Istanbul 105 hazard interrelationship pairs (e.g., an earthquake triggering landslides) out of a possible 576 interrelationships. These findings are cataloged in an extensive database, which informs the creation of multi‐hazard risk scenario exemplars for each city. These exemplars are refined through stakeholder engagement, involving four workshops (47 participants) and nine semi‐structured interviews with local DRR stakeholders. Despite the identified benefits, this engagement reveals a significant gap in integrating multi‐hazards into current urban policy and practice. Governance challenges are highlighted as a key barrier, but opportunities for better integration are also identified, including evolving policies and growing awareness among urban actors. Our approach, particularly relevant in data‐scarce urban areas of low‐ and middle‐income countries, provides a framework for exploring multi‐hazard issues in various urban contexts. Plain Language Summary: Our study sought to understand the breadth of natural hazards an urban area in the Global South might face, how the hazards are interrelated (e.g., an earthquake can trigger landslides), and typical risk scenarios that matter to local experts. We applied our methodology to Nairobi and Istanbul to assess how considering multiple hazards could enhance disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts. We systematically reviewed 135 information sources, including gray and peer‐reviewed literature and online and social media. We found 19 natural hazard types could influence Nairobi, while Istanbul faces 23. These hazards showed numerous interactions, with 88 in Nairobi and 105 in Istanbul. Subsequently, we held workshops and interviews with local DRR stakeholders in both cities to co‐designed multi‐hazard risk scenarios. Practitioner stakeholders in Nairobi and Istanbul emphasized that considering these interrelationships helped create comprehensive risk scenarios and improved planning for addressing multiple hazards concurrently, a crucial aspect of urban safety and preparedness. They noted that current city policies and practices often overlooked this approach, primarily due to risk management and governance issues; for example, siloed approaches to DRR resulting in disjointed implementation and planning, and a lack of coordination and communication among actors. Our research framework may assist other urban areas, particularly those in developing countries with limited data, in comprehending and preparing for the complex challenges posed by various natural hazards. Key Points: Using Nairobi and Istanbul, we introduce a framework for analyzing multi‐hazard interrelationships in low‐ and medium‐income citiesA systematic review of 135 sources finds 19 and 23 hazard types and 88 and 105 hazard interrelationships in Nairobi and Istanbul, respectivelyWorkshops and interviews identify risk scenarios, governance challenges, and opportunities for multi‐hazard integration in urban policies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aesthetics medicine, a controversial branch of clinical medicine known for its high degree of commercialization, faces numerous conflicts, particularly in some developing countries. The global aesthetics medicine industry requires enhancements of its legal and supervision framework and risk management systems. Aims: This paper aimed to provide a comprehensive visual analysis of academic achievements related to regulatory and legal issues in the field of aesthetic medicine and to identify its development trends and research hotspots. Methods: The Web of Science Core Collection was employed to retrieve relevant studies, resulting in a total of 602 research articles after selection. Utilizing bibliometric methods and CiteSpace, this study analyzed the primary countries, institutions, authors, journals, hotspots, frontiers, and trends in this domain. Results: The findings indicated rapid increases in the number of published papers. The United States emerged as the leading contributor with 131 research papers and the highest intermediate centrality. Eleven keyword clusters were identified, with "adolescence" and "office‐based surgery" being the most recent topics. We also analyzed the trends and frontiers of legal research in medical aesthetics. Conclusion: The importance of informed consent has been increasingly emphasized, and research in the field of medical aesthetics has been gradually expanding beyond individual cosmetic procedures. The management system has become more comprehensive, moreover, guidelines and medical laws have been continually published, with research shifting toward a holistic perspective that encompasses patients, medical aesthetic providers, and regulatory authorities in the study of medical aesthetics regulation and legislation. This paper also proposes some innovative directions for future research and applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers based in poorer countries typically face major challenges in publishing their work in international journals, compared to those faced by researchers in the wealthier countries of Europe and North America. This paper studies this issue based on the experience of papers submitted to the Review of Development Economics, an important international development economics journal. It presents an analysis of submissions and success in publication, based on the fortunes of all papers submitted to the journal between 2015 and April 2022, disaggregated by the country in which the corresponding author is based. Authors based in low and middle income countries accounted for 33% of publications in this period, though they accounted for 61% of the submissions received. A main factor was that these papers were significantly less likely to be sent for review by the journal; if reviewed, they were also less likely to be accepted than papers from authors in high income countries, though that differential is much less stark. This analysis is presented in the interests of transparency and to encourage discussion, but also to raise issues the journal needs to address. The paper finishes by reviewing, based on co‐editor experience over this period, issues and potential responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as a methodological approach has become ubiquitous across disciplines, particularly in development economics. Building on the existing scholarship critiquing the widespread deployment of RCTs, this paper argues that the lack of a nuanced engagement with the concept of objectivity creates fertile grounds for the technocratization of social science research. The technocratic discourse that shapes the use of RCTs makes them susceptible to two potential dangers: perpetuating politics of partner organizations and Eurocentrism. To illustrate these issues, this paper utilizes a recently published RCT titled 'Randomizing Religion' as a case study. Two important conclusions are drawn by analyzing the case. First, a lack of engagement with the worldviews and assumptions from which causal mechanisms are drawn leads to a normative imposition of a Eurocentric social reality onto the marginalized communities in the Global South. Second, participation in the activities of a partner organization during the conduct of the RCT requires researchers to reflect on the organization's politics and its ramifications for marginalized communities. Finally, this paper contributes to an ongoing conversation about including strong reflexivity in the conduct of research in economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through an analysis of the available literature on women street vendors in the Global South, and then specifically in India, this paper identifies several knowledge gaps and future directions for research. The paper makes three broad claims: (1) street vending spaces are fundamentally gendered spaces; (2) the intersectional identities and caste‐based locations of women street vendors shape their spatial experiences, material realities and access to power; and (3) gender and caste are co‐constituted categories that produce a spatiality unique to the Indian subcontinent. While the geographical approach towards street vending recognises the importance of space and considers vendors as spatial practitioners, vendors are often assumed to belong to a homogenous (male) category with differentials such as gender, race, age, ethnicity and caste invisibilised. This research gap is of even more critical importance in India where caste intersects with gender to produce space. Examining the literature on gender and street vending reveals three broad analytical themes—socio‐spatial disparities, politics of space, and strategies of control. What seems to be missing is a critical, qualitative focus on the experiences of women street vendors, the gendering of vending spaces, the recognition of caste as a dynamic factor, and a spatial analysis grounded in the Southern urban context. Ultimately, this paper makes the case for a situated and postcolonial feminist geography approach to street vending in India, and calls for an intersectional research agenda that is attentive to the co‐constitution of caste and gender in the production of urban space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes to establish Maximum Sustainable Employment (MSE) as a new guiding light, or beacon, for wild fisheries governance. This new social beacon complements the directives provided by the prevailing beacons: Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and Maximum Economic Yield (MEY). The argument is that context matters: in countries where poverty levels are high and alternative employment is scarce, fisheries governors cannot limit themselves to a sectoral perspective. Instead, they must include the remunerative employment and 'decent work' that wild fisheries offer society in their strategic deliberations. This perspective is especially relevant for countries in the Global South, but it also has a bearing on the Global North. After discussing the history of scientific fisheries management and the relevance of employment in fisheries, the paper considers the arguments made against MSE. It concludes with a reflection on the balancing of the three beacons in line with prevailing circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the diverse Lagos international school sector as an arena in which Nigerian families are attempting to (re)produce status and good lives that work transnationally. 'Elite' international schools focus on securing entry into Anglo‐American universities and distinguish themselves via discourses of 'modern Britishness', yet also emphasize the special value of schooling in Nigeria and seek to reproduce circulatory lives. There is also a competitive landscape of 'mid‐range' international schools that do not simply serve 'aspirant locals' but have broad international horizons and are central to transnational family strategies. Lagos schools across the spectrum receive students 'sent' from the diaspora, demonstrating they are valued stations in the transnational social field to protect as well as accumulate. The paper contributes to understanding international schools in the 'global South' not simply as a backstage to Anglo‐American centres but as offering unique resources for families navigating hierarchies at home and abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This introduction to a special section brings together three papers first presented at a panel, 'Medical Professions in South Asia: Historical and Contemporary Analyses', at the 26th European Conference on South Asian Studies, held in Vienna, Austria and online, in July 2021. All three papers deal with aspects of the professionalisation of biomedical doctors in India since its independence in 1947. The authors bring together historical and sociological approaches to illuminate the growth of specialisms, patterns of practitioner–patient interactions and efforts to maintain occupational closure and maintain status in the face of growing challenges. The introduction concludes with a discussion of the relevance of these papers for the sociology of health and illness in India and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A flexible approach is described for incorporating a weight‐of‐evidence (WoE) methodology into a tiered ecological risk assessment (ERA)/management framework for chemicals. The approach is oriented toward informing decisions about chemicals. Communication is regarded as a critical component of the risk assessment process. The paper resulted from insights gained from seven ERA workshops held by SETAC (Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, www.setac.org) in the Asia‐Pacific, African, and Latin American regions. Formal ERA methods are not fully developed or applied in many of these countries and assessments often begin with tables of risk values and test methods from countries where ERA is already implemented. While appropriate and sometimes necessary, workshop participants had questions about the reliability and relevance of using this information for regionally specific ecosystems with different receptors, fate processes, and exposure characteristics. The idea that an assessment of reliability and relevance of available information and the need for additional information was necessary at an early stage of the assessment process was considered. The judgment of reliability and relevance is central to WoE approaches along with the identification of information needs and the integration of such information. The need to engage in WoE considerations early and throughout the assessment process indicates that a tiered approach is appropriate for unifying the evaluation process in a consistent way from early screening‐level steps to later more involved evaluations. The approach outlined in this article is complementary to WoE guidance developed by the Organization for Economic Co‐operation and Development and many national guidance documents. To link assessments of risk to management decisions, emphasis is given to communications at each tier between the risk assessor (technical side) and the decision‐makers (policy and regulatory side). Tools and information sources are suggested for each tier and suggestions are meant to be illustrative and not prescriptive. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:2312–2325. © 2024 SETAC Key Points: Weight of evidence embedded within a tiered assessment and risk management approach provides a structure that can be adopted and modified as needed by developing countries that currently do not have formal or complete assessment systems.Weight of evidence is part of the entire assessment process and is not something that enters into consideration later in the process.Capacity building is needed to share knowledge and to develop in‐country capabilities for risk assessment and risk management of chemicals.Organizations like SETAC can play key roles in helping facilitate the sharing of knowledge and the building of capabilities in a manner that involves academia, governments, and business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the question of doing information systems (IS) research from a location, particularly from a developing country like India. Our analysis reveals that IS publications from India are relatively few in number, though increasing in recent years; hardly focussed on context‐specific issues and concerns; and are largely in lower‐ranked journals. Using neo‐institutional theory, we show that the reasons are dominantly coercive (measuring up to rankings and accreditation agencies) and mimetic (following leaders). Normative (influence of professional bodies) forces appear to counterbalance this by necessitating continuous improvement in research outputs and emphasising location‐specific, impactful research. Institutional responses to these forces manifest in policies and mechanisms to operationalise them, such as resource availability, balancing teaching load with research expectations, promotion and tenure policies amongst others. We examine the paths by which more rigorous and relevant research, responsible to a location can be achieved, based on the insights from a series of talks given by eminent IS scholars. We opine that there is a need to consciously seek out such paths, perhaps by actively seeking collaboration with other disciplines and practitioners; establishing programmes of research; and building contextualised theories. We conclude with a relook at the underlying dynamics of the various institutional responses, recommended paths and some policy implications of our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Railways were an important driver of global economic growth in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Whilst their role is well documented in industrial economies, we know less about their macro‐economic impact in developing countries. In this paper, we first estimate the aggregate growth impact of Indian railways, one of the largest networks in the world in the early twentieth century. Then, we compare their impact in India to four emerging Latin American economies (Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Uruguay) and the Cape colony. Using growth accounting techniques common to the cross‐country estimates, we argue that the aggregate growth impact of Indian railways was significant, increasing Indian gross domestic product (GDP) per capita by 13.5 per cent by 1912. We also find that the growth impact of Indian railways was similar to Brazil and Mexico, but smaller than Argentina and the Cape. Compared with the latter, India had a smaller size of railway freight revenues in the economy and lower wages to fares leading to lower passenger time savings. Railways were the most important infrastructure driver of economic growth in India during the first era of globalization from 1860 to 1912, but they contributed less than in richer and more dynamic developing economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long‐term power system expansion planning aligned with current sustainable development policies plays a pivotal role in achieving global targets for energy transition, particularly in developing countries. This paper presents a comprehensive long‐term expansion planning model for Brazil, taking into account decarbonisation pathways using OSeMOSYS integrated with Flextool. Four scenarios explore the potential benefits of increasing the share of variable renewable energy (VRE), specifically photovoltaic (PV) and offshore wind, to 40% of the total energy produced, both with and without a storage system. Results indicate that policies better aligned with net‐zero strategies do not impose a significant cost burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper theoretically and empirically explores the Linder conjecture (the home market effect [HME] in terms of trade pattern) in the environmental sector. Using a general equilibrium model for a two‐country, two‐sector economy, we demonstrate the existence of a strong/weak HME and highlight the crucial role of trade costs in the HME. Empirically, by utilising a data set of international air purifier trade and PM2.5 concentration, we investigate the causal relationship between environmental demand and trade patterns. The results show that for every 1% rise in PM2.5, the exports and net exports of air purifiers increase by 4.337% and 3.835%, respectively. We also illustrate that the strong secondary magnification effect exists in the environmental sector, especially among developing countries. In conclusion, a country with a larger environmental home demand tends to be a net exporter of environmental products. It provides a new path for high‐polluting countries to upgrade their traditional manufacturing towards an environmentally friendly economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the terms‐of‐trade effects of economy‐specific shocks to productivity in developing economies using a panel vector autoregression model with interactive fixed effects and the "max‐share" approach. We find that the terms of trade after unanticipated changes in economy‐specific productivity mostly exhibit insignificant dynamics in the developing economies. However, we present evidence that they can significantly deteriorate in a particular set of developing countries, namely the ones with a high score on technological deepening and upgrading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to assess the extent to which Brazilian companies adhere to the accuracy, balance, clarity, comparability, reliability, and timeliness criteria recommended by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards. A survey was conducted with experts in sustainability reporting with extensive experience in the Brazilian corporate context. The analytic hierarchy process was employed to assign weights to the criteria, and a grey fixed weight clustering model was proposed to analyze the collected data. Clarity and accuracy received the highest weights, which is concerning given the quality observed in sustainability reports. A lower emphasis on timeliness in sustainability reporting reflects many companies' publishing practices, prompting more efficient reporting. The majority of respondents perceive the quality of information in sustainability reports from Brazilian companies as falling within the medium maturity range, suggesting significant room for enhancement. The originality of this study lies both in the methodological approach, which combines multicriteria decision techniques capable of incorporating uncertainty related to data on sustainability reports, as well as in the results that provide information for improving sustainability reporting practices. The findings provide a foundation for companies and policymakers to enhance sustainability reporting, particularly in developing nations, promoting transparency, accountability, and international standard compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has become increasingly apparent that publishing research on child development from certain countries is especially challenging. These countries have been referred to collectively as the Majority World, the Global South, non‐WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, and Democratic), or low‐ and middle‐income countries. The aim of this paper is to draw attention to these persistent challenges, and provide constructive recommendations to contribute to better representation of children from these countries in child development research. In this paper, we outline the history of publication bias in developmental science, and issues of generalization of research from these countries and hence where it 'fits' in terms of publishing. The importance of explaining context is highlighted, including for research on measurement child development outcomes, and attention is drawn to the vicious publication‐funding cycle that further exacerbates the challenges of publishing this research. Specific recommendations are made to assist child development journals achieve their stated goals of creating a more inclusive, equitable, diverse, and global field of child development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a paper by Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg and Tristan Reed that explores the role of market size in economic development and poverty reduction. The paper argues that market size is a significant constraint on development and that conventional development policies may not be fully effective. The authors present evidence that supports their perspective and propose measures of market size. However, the article also highlights the potential negative effects of international integration on domestic producers and raises questions about the strong version of the argument. It suggests that other factors, such as macro policies and commodity prices, may have contributed to the recent economic growth and poverty reduction in developing countries. The article concludes by discussing the changing global context and the need to focus on domestic demand for sustained economic development. [Extracted from the article]

This work examines the flawed narrative linking ecological crises to overpopulation, with a focus on its impact on women in the Global South. The paper argues that this perspective enables control over women's bodies under the pretence of environmental concern, aligning with necropolitics and a new form of eugenics. It calls for a nuanced understanding of the effects of environmental crisis on women, advocating for a human‐centred approach that elevates the experiences and rights of historically marginalized groups. The discussion includes a critical analysis of the Malthusian discourse, highlighting alternative views on food scarcity and the problematic nature of family planning initiatives. The paper promotes reproductive environmental justice, challenging the overpopulation narrative and underscoring the need for equitable and respectful solutions that support the rights and well‐being of women in the Global South. This article critiques the narrative that blames overpopulation for environmental issues, showing how it disproportionately affects women in the Global South and often leads to violations of their reproductive rights. It argues for a shift from population control to reproductive environmental justice, which focuses on equitable and human‐centred approaches to environmental and reproductive health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the bureaucratic processes required to establish and manage a single international capacity‐development project that brought together a funding council (AHRC), UK University (SOAS University of London) and universities and other research organisations in Myanmar and Ethiopia. Drawing from ethnographic critiques of the planning and audit practices employed in international development and in the UK University sector, we track the formal certification of partnership as enacted through due diligence and contracts, budgets and timeframes, and reconciliations and reporting. These practices point to pervasive assumptions about capacity transfer and the unequal basis of international research coalitions spanning the Global North and Global South. In this article, we challenge these assumptions by documenting how the allocation of capacity is constrained in hierarchies of time and space. For equitable partnership arrangements to be achieved, we recommend that capacity development be considered a long‐term exchange that flows from mutual reflection and learning from one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clusters in the developing world do, to a large extent, attract low‐educated individuals, and these clusters are in some cases, characterized by urbanization without industrialization. This contrasts starkly to clusters in advanced economies that attract high‐skilled individuals and entrepreneurs. In this paper, we develop a model of agglomeration and spatial sorting that is consistent with these two types of different agglomeration processes in developed and developing countries. We show that a poor country that has an agglomeration with low skilled individuals, may get stuck in this equilibrium, but that free mobility of human capital from the outset nevertheless is superior from the perspective of total social welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When attempting to manage a large social system, it is necessary to have an overview of how the society functions and how economic theories describe this functioning. Recent discussions of higher orders of cybernetics are helping to define a multi‐disciplinary, multi‐level point of view. Knowledge from several disciplines is needed—systems science, management, engineering, cognitive studies and the various social science disciplines all have contributions to make. In this paper, we apply cybernetic ideas to further develop economic theories. The paper also uses economics to illustrate ideas in cybernetics. Similar thinking can be applied to other disciplines thus advancing the unification of science. The paper illustrates a transdisciplinary approach to knowledge development. The implications of the paper are improved understanding among scholars from several disciplines. The intent is to expand the range of conceptual possibilities available for problem‐solving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft tissue reconstruction plays an integral part in orthopaedic surgery. For developing country like Bhutan, where no micro‐surgical or plastic surgeons are available, orthopaedic surgeons perform the local or regional flaps for the soft tissue defects. In this paper, we describe the use of different kinds of local and regional flaps and its outcome at Eastern Regional Referral Hospital, Bhutan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in particular, fiscal austerity measures have been extensively implemented across the world in the last decade as a policy prescription to address the impacts of economic shocks. Consequently, the implementation of austerity has engendered a vast body of austerity impact assessment literature in the Global North, in particular. Although austerity measures have been equally implemented (and longer) in Global South contexts, the same level of intellectual curiosity has not been dedicated to understanding the human and social costs of austerity in the Global South. To help fill this gap, this paper examines the implications of fiscal austerity for the delivery of two complementary programmes linked to Ghana's conditional cash transfer (CCT) — the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme. The paper adopts a qualitative design where semi‐structured interviews are conducted with (a) two LEAP officers, (b) two headteachers and (c) 35 LEAP beneficiaries in northern Ghana. The findings show that within the current context of fiscal austerity, mainly mediated through the government's commitment to "cut expenditures to the bone", the two complementary services have been unfunded and thus do not exist in practice. The non‐existence of complementary services has dire consequences for children's education as well as undermines Ghana's poverty reduction attempts through the implementation of the LEAP programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The HIV/AIDS pandemic is a global issue that has unequally affected several countries. Due to the complexity of this condition and the human drama it represents to those most affected by it, several fields have contributed to solving or at least alleviating this situation, and the information systems (IS) field has not been absent from these efforts. With the importance of antiretroviral therapy (ART) as a starting point, several initiatives in the IS field have focused on ways to improve the adherence and effectiveness of this therapy: mobile phone reminders (for pill intake and appointments), and mobile interfaces between patients and health workers are popular contributions. However, many of these solutions have been difficult to implement or deploy in some countries in the Global South, which are among the most affected by this pandemic. This paper presents one such case. Using a case‐study approach with an extreme‐case selection technique, the paper studies an m‐health system for HIV patients in the Kalangala region of Uganda. Using Heeks' design—reality gap model for data analysis, the paper shows that the rich interaction between social context and technology should be considered a central concern when designing or deploying such systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to examine the relationships between financial development (FD), economic complexity and country stability. To achieve this objective, this paper applies a finite mixture model to a sample of 92 developing countries over the period 1995–2018. The study posits that the effect of FD on economic complexity differs across groups of countries with similar but unobserved characteristics. The study finds that the effect of FD on economic complexity varies across four classes of countries, which differ according to their level of economic, political and financial stability. Furthermore, the study argues that stable countries are more likely to be in class 1, including more performing countries – that is, the group of countries where FD spurs economic complexity. This finding remains consistent even when alternative measures of FD and economic complexity are considered. Hence, efforts by developing countries to undertake sound reforms to reduce economic, political and financial risks could help leverage the benefits of FD in fostering the development of sophisticated and complex economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper engages theoretical principles from critical human geography, media and communication studies, and development literature to present a research trajectory that unpacks the influence of digital platforms in representing and mediating distant suffering. Critiques of aid and development communication have long focused on concerns around the representation of the Global South as an 'Othered' space; powerful and deeply problematic geographical imaginaries become embedded within contemporary dominant discourses of aid and development. As significant sources of aid and development imaginaries, how civil society has mediated distant suffering has been subject to much critique. However, the rapid transition towards engagement with digital platforms necessitates an extension of critical considerations about representation and mediation. For example: what impact do digital platforms, their knowledge politics and representational capabilities have on imaginaries of distant suffering? Digital platforms (such as websites and other social media platforms) are situated within and constituted by (and through) a 'digital knowledge politics'. These platforms and their mediations still exist within broader social practices and processes, and therefore remain entrenched within the power relations between Global North and Global South. This poses significant questions regarding the role digital platforms (and their representational capabilities) play in producing and mediating representations of distant strangers and their places. Moreover, further gaps within existing research emerge regarding how digital platforms can inform how (and indeed if) the public respond to such discourses. Through identifying key interdisciplinary intersections between critical human geographies and media and communication studies, this paper considers research trajectories that extend critical examinations of the role that digital platforms play in producing and representing aid and development imaginaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the world's refugees live in Global South countries, where they struggle to find quality education and opportunities for decent livelihoods. This paper explores the underexamined yet highly relevant interlinkage between sustainable livelihoods and adult learning among urban refugees residing in three major cities in India. It speaks to the tight intersection of education, livelihoods and aspirations of five refugee communities: Afghan, Rohingya, Somali, Chin and Tibetan. Building on interviews, focus groups and participatory drawing sessions involving 66 refugee and staff respondents, the study highlights the refugees' extremely limited learning opportunities, which result in low skills and being forced to take discriminatory and undignified work in the informal sector. By integrating the capabilities approach with sustainable livelihoods, the paper argues for more diverse educational opportunities and a broader understanding of refugee livelihoods that goes beyond pure economics to encompass consideration of freedom and human dignity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global economy has been adversely affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic, leading to setbacks in development progress. Against this backdrop, donor countries have increased their expenditure on medical aid as part of their foreign assistance. As an emerging donor from the developing world, China has also been actively involved in providing medical assistance to other countries since 2020. This paper intends to investigate and elucidate China's motivation to offer medical aid to other countries amid the COVID‐19 pandemic. To this end, it utilizes a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. Specifically, the Tobit model is employed to conduct regression analyses on China's medical assistance during the pandemic. Additionally, two case studies, namely Chinese aid to Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are examined to gain insights into the specific motivations driving China's medical aid. The results of this paper indicate that China's motivation for providing medical assistance during COVID‐19 is multifaceted, including self‐interested economic and political‐diplomatic factors rather than purely altruistic motives. Furthermore, the allocation of China's medical aid is significantly influenced by whether the recipient country is involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of the goals and targets specified by the Kunming‐Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Target 3, often referred to as "30 × 30," has garnered widespread attention globally. In this paper, we critique India's potential to meet this target. We find that with its vast network of ecosystems that are under some form of protection and through the recognition of other effective area‐based conservation measures sites, India has the potential to meet the quantitative target of conserving and managing at least 30% of its area by 2030. However, the qualitative attributes of the target might be more difficult to realize owing to several challenges, such as inadequate landscape connectivity, insufficient representation of habitats in the current protected area model, and the exacerbation of socioeconomic vulnerabilities of resource‐dependent communities. To achieve strategic, inclusive, and equitable conservation, we suggest a four‐pronged approach involving landscape‐level biodiversity conservation, socially just and collaborative safeguarding of biodiversity, and relevant policy (re)formulation, informed and underlain by long‐term research and impact monitoring. Although we focus on India, the issues we discuss are of broader relevance, especially for countries across the Global South that are also likely to be significantly impacted by the implementation of the target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic motivated calls for the field of development studies to be recast. This article analyses two prominent, future‐gazing 'pandemic papers' to illustrate salient features of the ascendant trend towards a new 'global development' paradigm. By unpacking and interpreting major lines of reasoning put forward by two agenda‐setting articles, this contribution appraises how these texts make the case for the future of development studies. Through this analysis, the article questions the core arguments that seek to shift the contours of the discipline, and thus the study of development generally. In making their call to adopt a universalist or global development framework that includes a focus on Europe and North America, the authors of the 'pandemic papers' overlook the Southern origins of and justifications for the North‒South framework they seek to overturn. The present article acknowledges the importance of and supports returning to and advancing — rather than jettisoning — the intellectual lineage anchored in non‐Truman understandings of development, including as a popular project of Southern emancipation from colonial, imperial and structural subordination. Rather than de‐centring the global North‒South framework, it suggests that the analytically more useful way forward is for development studies to (re)centre the global South and use global South theories and lenses to better understand the world economy and the majority world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the evolution of global trade patterns until 2050 is projected with a recursive dynamic computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. Feeding the model with exogenous projections on macroeconomic, demographic, sectoral and trade cost variables, the evolution of trade patterns emerges endogenously from the model. The approach is innovative in both modelling approach and exogenous inputs. GDP growth emerges endogenously in the model because of diffusion of ideas as a result of international trade and trade cost changes are based on estimates of technology and trade policy changes. The projections indicate that (i) because of projected reductions in trade costs, trade will grow more than GDP, generating a global trade‐to‐GDP growth rate of 1.1; (ii) because of structural change, the global share of manufacturing trade falls from 64% in 2020 to 52% by 2050, whereas the share of services trade rises substantially from 24% to 38%; and (iii) because of technological catch‐up, the share in global trade of both developing and least‐developed countries (LDCs) will rise (with developing countries overtaking developed economies around 2035), the share of intra‐developed country trade will fall, whereas the share of intra‐developing country trade and those between developing and developed countries will rise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transportation systems primarily depend on vehicular flow on roads. Developed countries have shifted towards automated signal control, which manages and updates signal synchronisation automatically. In contrast, traffic in underdeveloped countries is mainly governed by manual traffic light systems. These existing manual systems lead to numerous issues, wasting substantial resources such as time, energy, and fuel, as they cannot make real‐time decisions. In this work, we propose an algorithm to determine traffic signal durations based on real‐time vehicle density, obtained from live closed circuit television camera feeds adjacent to traffic signals. The algorithm automates the traffic light system, making decisions based on vehicle density and employing Faster R‐CNN for vehicle detection. Additionally, we have created a local dataset from live streams of Punjab Safe City cameras in collaboration with the local police authority. The proposed algorithm achieves a class accuracy of 96.6% and a vehicle detection accuracy of 95.7%. Across both day and night modes, our proposed method maintains an average precision, recall, F1 score, and vehicle detection accuracy of 0.94, 0.98, 0.96 and 0.95, respectively. Our proposed work surpasses all evaluation metrics compared to state‐of‐the‐art methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study formulates a theoretical framework to shed light on why cash grants fail to increase parental investment in child education, and what can be done to address the issue. The paper asserts that consumption vulnerability, loss aversion, and information friction render lump‐sum cash grants ineffective. Redesigning interventions as demand‐side cost‐sharing schemes would nudge parents to buy educational materials for their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural production in developing countries is heavily rainfall dependent. Any unexpected variation in rainfall can affect the welfare of households. Using unit record data from India, this paper shows that households can insure against agricultural productivity (rainfall) shocks. Evidence suggests that they do so by varying the time allocation of individual members to different activities, particularly to regular wage work and human capital accumulation. There is a gender‐differentiated aspect to this response. Rainfall shocks adversely affect women's human capital accumulation. While there is no evidence that households use participation in NREGS to insure against rainfall shocks, the availability of NREGS helps reduce the impact of rainfall shocks on human capital accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the 10th anniversary issue of the World Water Policy Journal, which reflects on a decade of progress and challenges in water management. Topics include the evolution of the journal's goals, the need for improved water leadership and strategic vision, and a series of research papers addressing diverse water-related issues, including economic development, agricultural management, and water quality improvements.

The "Symposium on Misallocation and Structural Transformation" focuses on the processes of resource allocation and structural change and their impact on economic growth and development. The symposium recognizes the importance of understanding the mechanisms and underlying forces that lead to resource misallocation and structural change, particularly in lower income countries. The articles in the symposium explore topics such as the effects of financial frictions on aggregate productivity, the growth miracle and slowdown in South Korea's manufacturing sector, the decline in business dynamism in China, and the role of family migration in structural transformation. These papers contribute to our understanding of resource allocation and structural change and provide insights into important factors affecting economic growth and development. [Extracted from the article]

This paper explores the relationship between legal origin, revenue diversification, and bank lending behavior. The analysis is based on a sample of 2590 commercial banks operating in 139 developing countries from 2004 to 2022. Using various panel data estimation techniques and alternative measures of bank lending behavior, the results indicate that banks in common law countries experience lower levels of loan growth compared to their counterparts in civil law countries. The study results also show that revenue diversification indirectly alleviates the negative effect of loan growth in banks originating from a common law legal origin. Notably, this effect is not observed in banks within low‐income and African countries, highlighting the importance of policies aimed at enhancing institutional capacity within their legal and judicial systems. Overall, the results of this study underscore the significance of legal origins in shaping the lending dynamics of banks in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to decentre/decolonize our understanding of capitalist development in the Global South call for more complex and differentiated categories of work that acknowledge the significance of both non‐waged and reproductive labour. These categories would allow us to more clearly 'see' the varying intersections of gender, class and caste within this world of work. Even as the literature on work in the Global South acknowledges the importance of forms of non‐waged work, there is still more work to be done to sufficiently incorporate the labour of social reproduction. In this paper, which emerges from an effort to apply a feminist social reproduction lens in the field, we propose understanding work through four conceptual dyads: waged productive labour, non‐waged productive labour, waged reproductive labour and non‐waged reproductive labour. Through an in‐depth description of three specific cases from a time‐use survey we conducted in rural Punjab, India, we argue not only that all four dyads are required to encompass the world of work but also that this more expansive conceptualization can help us produce richer analyses of the intersections of class, caste and gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overlapping borrowing – i.e., the practice of taking new loans before old loans have been fully repaid – has become an important phenomenon in the microcredit sector in many developing countries, including Bangladesh. This paper examines the rationale for overlapping and investigates its short‐term and long‐term consequences by using a panel data set that is representative of Bangladesh as a whole. The study finds that it is useful to distinguish between two broad groups of overlapping borrowers who differ in terms of both the rationale of overlapping and its consequences. The first group – consisting of more than half of all overlapping borrowers – uses it as a promotional strategy, to improve their economic conditions without incurring a sharp discrete jump in debt burden. The other group uses it as a coping strategy, to deal with contingencies that compel them to take loans of a non‐productive nature, again by avoiding a sharp discrete jump in the debt burden. Econometric analysis, allowing for the possibility of endogeneity bias, shows that the first group is able to achieve stronger financial viability in the long run in comparison with non‐overlapping microcredit borrowers. The second group, in contrast, does not enjoy any significant improvement in their living conditions, but they are able to stave off any decline that otherwise might have befallen them in the face of shocks. Thus, both groups succeed in their respective goals, which are promotion for the first group and protection for the second. Microcredit has always had this duality of promotion and protection; overlapping borrowing serves to strengthen these functions of microcredit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the relationship between economic growth and environmental degradation, by testing the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis in Vietnam, a main export‐oriented country that features a long period of economic growth. The main originality of this work is that, unlike previous studies, it uses ecological footprint as the main indicator for environmental degradation. This allows to reconsider the results from previous studies that only focus on CO2 emissions performances. The cointegration between the analysed variables is investigated using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach. To determine the parameters of the Environmental Kuznets Curve in the sample, this work additionally analyses long‐ and short‐run estimations. The paper shows that the EKC hypothesis holds in the long term for Vietnam when using ecological footprint. Nevertheless, it also shows that not only growth but also primary energy consumption contributes to increased environmental destruction. An active ecological policy and the decrease of fossil energy use seem necessary to allow Vietnam to keep a high level of economic growth and reduce environmental degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanisation in developing countries has often resulted in slums with minimal public goods provision, where the poor rely on clientelist networks to provide for their basic needs. Using household‐level data, this paper is the first to empirically document how political clientelism operates in Pakistani slums. It finds that urban brokers, unlike their rural counterparts, are unable to claim credit for public goods provision. Instead, they provide personalised and highly targeted services – such as dispute resolution and assistance with documentation. Moreover, unlike traditional clientelism, urban networks are found to be problem‐solving and welfare‐enhancing for slum dwellers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates fiscal sustainability in Indonesia and draws comparisons with Malaysia and Thailand. The analysis encompasses an evaluation of fiscal rules, fiscal performance, and an assessment of fiscal sustainability across these three countries. Given that the Coronavirus Disease (COVID‐19) pandemic affected budget deficits in each country starting in 2020, the empirical assessment utilizes data from 2010 to 2019. Despite persistent fiscal deficits in each country, the results suggest that all three countries maintain fiscal sustainability. A more detailed analysis of the Indonesian case focuses on government revenue and expenditure. The discussion addresses challenges in these areas, aiming to identify feasible policy options for enhancing fiscal sustainability in Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experience of flexible inflation targeting in ASEAN‐5 has been favorable. The present paper shows improvements in macroeconomic outcomes consistent with the framework's mandated objectives: lower levels and volatility of inflation, more stable economic growth, and a well‐functioning financial system. Using difference‐in‐difference approaches, we find that, for ASEAN‐5 and developing countries, the inflation targeting framework mainly benefits adopters in terms of reducing inflation levels. In response to the challenges emanating from capital flow volatility and domestic financial imbalances, over the past 20 years, ASEAN‐5 policy frameworks have continuously evolved to incorporate various policy tools. These include, among others, foreign exchange intervention, macroprudential policy, and capital flow measures. A multitude of policy tools is arguably one of the key factors contributing to sound macroeconomic outcomes during the post‐targeting periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of the Internet into various aspects of business operations, including the public sector, is rapidly becoming a norm. However, within this evolving landscape, the issue of cyberloafing, the misuse of the internet for unauthorized activities, cannot be ignored. Existing research on cyberloafing in developing countries, specifically in Ghana, has predominantly focused on higher education students. A brief examination of the literature pertaining to cyberloafing in developing nations reveals a prevalent emphasis on categorizing cyberloafing activities, often with limited insight into the motivations and deterrence of such behavior. Drawing on the framework of the General Deterrence theory, this paper delves into the underlying factors that deter cyberloafing behavior within the public sector of Ghana. Through the utilization of a partial least square structural equation model, the study analyzed data from 473 responses collected from public institutions across Ghana. The study revealed that factors such as certainty, monitoring, and security risks significantly influence the manifestation of cyberloafing behavior among employees in the Ghanaian public sector. However, the Severity and Celerity of sanctions were found not to influence cyberloafing behavior. The moderating effect of age and culture on the deterrent constructs and cyberloafing behavior vary. The study serves as a strategic framework to curd the rampant cyberloafing activities in many public sector institutions particularly in the global south. In essence, this study contributes not only to the understanding of cyberloafing behavior in the Ghanaian public sector but also provides a valuable foundation for designing targeted interventions to address this issue, ultimately fostering a more productive and responsible online engagement within these institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our concern in this paper is the environmental 'footprinting' of food and its role as a source of technopolitical power in global food governance. Our case is the highly industrialised farmed salmon sector which currently generates metrics and carefully curated visualisations to promote this fish as a more sustainable and 'climate friendly' protein relative to animal protein produced on land. We show how these metrics and visualisations depend on an industrial production and measurement infrastructure. Significantly, this infrastructure and the metrics that it generates is being promoted as a 'climate smart' solution to small‐scale and extensive aquaculture in the Global South. Salmon aquaculture industry proposals for the transfer of technology from salmon farming to global aquaculture are explicitly articulated in global food governance and other institutional spaces. While there may be frictions in the transfer of salmon aquaculture's infrastructure of measurement to aquaculture in the Global South, our analysis suggests that environmental footprinting of food—and its associated measurement infrastructure—may be an emerging source of technopolitical power in increasingly corporatised global food governance systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing nations typically prioritize economic growth. Thus, industrial technological progress frequently leads to production expansion and subsequent environmental degradation. This paper, however, proposes that in a dual agricultural economy, the progress in industrial production technology does not necessarily degrade the environment when considering technology spillover. Utilizing a general equilibrium model, we conclude that, at the beginning of modern agricultural development, increasing technology spillover rate adversely affects the environment and social welfare. Yet, after the popularization of modern agriculture, increasing this rate can enhance environmental and welfare conditions. Under specific conditions, industrial technological progress might promote environmental and welfare benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technologies and digitalisation are emerging as new drivers of structural transformation in developing countries. At the firm level, adopting advanced digital technologies offers prospects for improved productivity and competitiveness and, hence, digital industrialisation. However, the determinants of adopting digital technologies in manufacturing firms in developing countries remain anecdotal. This paper uses unique survey data on 516 manufacturing firms in South Africa and a multivariate probit model to examine the determinants of digital technology adoption in South African manufacturing firms. Our results show heterogeneity in the factors explaining digital technology adoption across business functions. Overall, the empirical results reveal that innovation, foreign ownership, exposure to export markets, and higher skilled human capital propel the adoption of digital technologies. In contrast, the lack of capital inhibits the adoption of digital technologies in sampled manufacturing firms in South Africa. We discuss the possible policy implications of these findings and how they fit into the South African Digital Skills policy discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers' comfort and familiarity with digital interactions are helping drive the rise of digital banking. Banks are responding to customers' demands by introducing cutting‐edge digital services designed to improve customers' quality of life and cut costs. To better understand the obstacles preventing the widespread adoption of digital banking in developing Asian economies, we conducted a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis for this study. The data is extracted from the Scopus database, which initially contains 4211 articles, from which 152 articles were selected using PRISMA 2020 criteria for bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny software, and 85 papers were subjected to full‐text review. The review, limited to the Scopus database, uncovered essential themes, theories and methodologies used in prior research. We discuss constraints, difficulties and research gaps, illuminating critical regions of the field. Our findings offer helpful information for developing strategies to encourage the use of digital banking. The unexplored areas of crowdfunding, Robo‐advisors, payment apps, neo banks, P2P lending apps and investing apps were highlighted as future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]