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Copyright of Ekonomik Yaklaşim is the property of Ekonomik Yaklasim Dernegi (Ekonomik Yaklasim Association) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study provide answers to the following research questions: Whether and to what extent money laundering affects the achievability and the trend of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?; Does the influence of money laundering on the SDGs' achievement differ from developing to developed countries?; How does the influence of money laundering vary among the 17 SDGs? Design/methodology/approach: The paper's analysis involves two key parts. In the first part, the authors perform a multivariate analysis to examine the influence of money laundering on the achievement of SDGs, and then in the second part, the authors make use of an ordered probit regression model to investigate the impact of money laundering on the trend of attaining each SDG. Findings: Using a sample of 98 developed and developing countries, the regression results from multivariate analysis estimates show that money laundering has a strong inhibiting effect on the achievement of almost all the SDGs in the whole sample of countries and the sub-sample of developing countries, whereas no significant effect is observed for developed countries. However, for the SDG trends, the ordered probit estimates reveal that the harmful effect of money laundering occurs for all countries regardless their development level. In addition, perhaps surprisingly, the results from both the approaches yield also evidence advocating that money laundering activities might be associated with positive externalities on production and consumption. In fact, money laundering is found to have a significant positive influence on the achievement and the trend of SDG12 (Sustainable Consumption and Production). Overall, this study's findings do have interesting policy implications, especially for developing countries. In these countries, prioritising the formulation and implementation of sound anti-money laundering policies is a necessary requirement for their progress towards achieving the SDGs. Originality/value: The long-standing tradition of previous empirical studies examining the nexus between money laundering and sustainable development concentrates mainly on the economic dimension of sustainability (i.e. economic growth). However, little is known about the consequences of money laundering activities on the environment and the societies. Consequently, this study seeks to fill this gap by assessing the influence of money laundering on the achievement of the economic, environmental and social goals of sustainable development. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first integrated study to analyse the potential repercussions of money laundering on the SDGs' achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EU Green Deal and US Green New Deal strategies indicate that green growth is at the center of the policy agendas of many developed countries and regions. The green growth is a key element in achieving sustainable development. Green growth is an economic growth strategy that prioritizes human development while guaranteeing that natural resources continue to provide environmental services to the current and future generations to achieve their sustainable development. There are many definitions of green growth, and many indicators and measures have been developed to assess green growth results for countries. The paper aims to analyze green growth indicators and measures and develop a case for a comparative assessment of green growth achievements in the Baltic States. The Baltic States were ranked based on their achievements according to specific dimensions of green growth, and policy recommendations to promote green growth were developed based on conducted research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has significantly influenced global financial markets, including Bitcoin. Recent studies have focused on investigating the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak and accounting for market changes, which were mostly due to the pandemic. This research not only analyzes the contagion effects of COVID-19 but also considers aftermath events beyond the first pandemic wave to examine spillovers of Bitcoin. The study employs Diebold and Yilmaz's method to explore the static and dynamic spillovers of the selected variables and identifies several major global events, including crypto-specific affairs, macroeconomic policies, and geopolitical conflicts, to explain the new market dynamics of Bitcoin using network analysis. The findings identify a few high-contagion periods related to Bitcoin. The paper also found that Bitcoin is more likely to produce extreme returns and is more connected to other markets. Contagion effects "from" and "to" other markets are asymmetrical in terms of arrival time and market response. Bitcoin is more likely to be affected by other markets in extreme situations and receives spillovers from them sooner than it transmits spillovers to others. In the context of various global events, impacts arising from developed countries are stronger. China still has some impact on cryptocurrency markets, but they are waning. Bitcoin is thus not a safe haven from the shocks of global events, but can sometimes work as a hedge or diversifier. The results offer alternative explanations for Bitcoin's different market dynamics and enrich our understanding of Bitcoin's safe haven, hedge, and diversifier properties within a diversified portfolio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During 2022 and 2023, Industry 5.0 attracted a lot of attention. Many articles and papers regarding the basics of Industry 5.0, its pillars, and a comparison of Industry 5.0 and Industry 4.0, Society 5.0, and Operator 5.0 have been published. Although the concept of Industry 5.0 is relatively new, companies from developed countries that have a high level of implementation of Industry 4.0 have already started the transition to Industry 5.0. Even though Industry 5.0 enables developing countries to become a part of developed countries' value chains, it is not known which path to Industry 5.0 developing countries are taking. To fill this gap, the authors proposed research questions regarding the key indicators for measuring the levels of implementation of Industry 5.0 approaches in the manufacturing sector of the Republic of Serbia. This research includes insights from 146 manufacturing companies, gathered in 2022 as a part of the European Manufacturing Survey. The main findings of this study show that the most important indicator when it comes to human-centricity is training and competence development of production employees with a task-specific focus; the implementation of measures for improving efficiency in material consumption is significant for achieving sustainability; and the use of standardized and detailed work instructions is crucial in order to become resilient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The manufacturing investment shift from developed countries to emerging and developing regions creates further needs for identifying appropriate green certification strategies. This study proposes that alignments between green certification practices (GCRs) and process innovation (PIN) could help identify appropriate strategies that national economic development can influence. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on the diffusion of innovation theories, this study proposed a taxonomy to examine whether sustainable performance differs depending on the levels of alignment and the role of national economic development. The study uses an empirical survey approach to highlight alignments between GCRs and PIN among developed, developing and emerging economic nations, addressing resource allocation for the world's sustainable development goals (SDGs). Findings: Manufacturers need to align PIN practices with the level of green certification to achieve sustainable performance. Manufacturers experiencing higher payoffs from various improvements successfully align in GCR and PIN. The alignment between these two concepts can derive different taxonomies, which highlight performance and managerial implications for manufacturers. The manufacturers followed three distinct typologies: minimalist, process active and proactive. Besides, building on the theory of performance frontiers, the findings indicated that manufacturers in developing and emerging economies placed the most substantial GCR effort compared to their counterparts in developed nations. Manufacturers in developed countries are increasingly reaching the "diminishing points" and investing limited resources in GCR just enough to keep their competitive positioning as order qualifiers rather than order winners. Developing economies are catching up very quickly in attaining GCRs and business performance. Research limitations/implications: This insight is essential for managers to adapt to nations' economic development conditions and appropriately and effectively align resources. Practical implications: The findings offer a decision-making process and provide straightforward guidelines for supply chain managers' green certification adoption. Originality/value: In including both PIN and green certification, this paper adds greater comprehensiveness and richness to the supply chain literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates wage differentials between green and non-green jobs (wage greenium) in nine major Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay), which account for 81% of the region's GDP. We contribute to the recent literature highlighting a positive wage gap for those working in green jobs in developed countries. A positive wage gap for green jobs may be a virtuous market feature, as it means that in the future workers might be encouraged to switch to greener occupations. To do so, we define green jobs as those occupations with high greenness scores using the occupational approach as in Vona et al. (2018), Vona (2021) and de la Vega et al. (2024). Our results suggest that the wage greenium for the period 2012-2019 in Latin America was between 18% to 22%. Moreover, this wage gap has remained relatively stable over the years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Knowledge: International Journal is the property of Institute for Knowledge Management and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Bladder cancer (BC) is a 9th most common cancer in the world that make from 3% of global neoplasms. Bladder cancer is prevalent in the developed countries. Cancer of the bladder is four times more common in men than women. External risk factors and internal triggers contribute to the development of bladder cancer. Thus, comprehensive analysis of these risk factors is a earnest to timely prevention of indicated oncologic pathology. The objective: to do a current systematic review of epidemiology of bladder cancer and modern important risk factors, which appropriate to the given pathology. Evidence acquisition. We carried out a systemic review of epidemiology of bladder cancer embracing PubMed and Embase including March 2023. All studies reporting gender, smoking, E-cigarette use, opium consumption, occupational carcinogene expose, dietary factors, race, gene-environment interaction, socioeconomic status. Microbiome factors, urolithiasis, benign prostate hyperplasiapelvic radiotherapy were excluded. Evidence synthesis. A total of 516 papers, that studied epidemiology of bladder cancer, were involved. According to GLOBOCAN, there were 573 000 new bladder cancer cases and 213 000 deaths worldwide in 2020. Smoking and occupational exposures (aromatic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are the most important risk factors. Moreover, the additional risk factors include some dietary agents, gene specificities, diesel exhaust emissions and etc.. Conclusions. Smoking tobacco and specific occupational exposures are the most important risk factors. Prevention strategies, including smoke cessation, responsible workplace safety, diet, schistosomias prevention are useful for reduction of the incidence BC. But high-quality studies are required to confirm initial results that will support timely prevention of BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decades, the rapid rise in global temperatures has indicated an irreversible and irresistible shift in climate conditions. In this regard, the international community has concluded various hard law instruments amongst which the Paris Agreement has emerged as the 'ideal' climate change treaty. Nevertheless, such initiatives have also been criticized as ineffective due to multiple reasons, for instance, the inactivity of developed nations in observing their obligations, developing nation's lack of scientific expertise and economic means and their reliance on cooperation from developed countries; the absence of an international forum to enforce climate justice and so on. Although climate change is a universal concern, its effects and adversities primarily tend to have a devastating impact on nations with vulnerable geographical locations. In this paper, the author has highlighted the significance and urgent necessity of international cooperation; the upswing in unfavorable conditions in climate-risk countries particularly Bangladesh; and the available avenues to compel 'inactive' yet 'major GHG emitting' nations to fulfil their environmental obligations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While existing research explores the impact of audit market competition on audit fees and audit quality, there is limited investigation into how competition in the audit market influences auditors' writing style. This study examines the relationship between audit market competition and the readability of audit reports in Iran, where competition is particularly intense, especially among private audit firms. Design/methodology/approach: The sample comprises 1,050 firm-year observations in Iran from 2012 to 2018. Readability measures, including the Fog index, Flesch-Reading-Ease (FRE) and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), are employed to assess the readability of auditors' reports. The Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI) is utilized to measure audit market competition, with lower index values indicating higher auditor competition. The concentration measure is multiplied by −1 to obtain the competition measure (AudComp). Alternative readability measures, such as the Flesch–Kincaid (FK) and Automated Readability Index (ARI) are used in additional robustness tests. Data on textual features of audit reports, auditor characteristics and other control variables are manually collected from annual reports of firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE). Findings: The regression analysis results indicate a significant and positive association between audit market competition and audit report readability. Furthermore, a stronger positive and significant association is observed among private audit firms, where competition is more intense compared to state audit firms. These findings remain robust when using alternative readability measures and other sensitivity checks. Additional analysis reveals that the positive effect of competition on audit report readability is more pronounced in situations where the auditor remains unchanged and the audit market size is small. Originality/value: This paper expands the existing literature by examining the impact of audit market competition on audit report readability. It focuses on a unique audit market (Iran), where competition among audit firms is more intense than in developed countries due to the liberalization of the Iranian audit market in 2001 and the establishment of numerous private audit firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main contention of this paper is that, no matter whether one is a true believer or a professed atheist, religion remains a relevant social phenomenon. Serious scholars have written about an eclipse of the sacred in industrial societies through a sad confusion between «sacred» and «religious». The «religious» as a commodity administered by an organized church might well be in a state of crisis. But the «sacred» is actually the meta-human element that makes mankind exist and develop beyond the so-called «laws» of the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Death registration completeness, the share of deaths captured by countries' vital registration systems, vary substantially across countries. Estimates of completeness, even recent ones, are outdated or contradictory for many countries. OBJECTIVE: We derive the most up-to-date and consistent estimates of death registration completeness in as many countries as possible. RESULTS: Death registration is complete in Europe, North America, and other developed countries. In developing countries, completeness varies by region. While some have complete death registration, many countries completeness ranges from 40% to 75%. Regionally, Africa has lowest death registration completeness, and in many countries no registration data was located. In Latin America and Asia, several countries have improved their registration compared to previously available estimates. CONTRIBUTION: This paper presents the publicly available International Completeness of Death Registration (ICDR) dataset: https://github.com/akarlinsky/death registration. ICDR contains the annual amount of deaths registered and death registration completeness in 193 countries from 2015 to 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the mobility patterns of older adults in ten countries, with a focus on the differences produced by urban environments in their non-work trips. Using detailed time use diaries from the Multinational Time Use Study for the last two decades, we analyze the trips associated with leisure and housework of non-working older adults. The results show that older adults in urban areas spend more time in leisure trips than similar individuals in rural areas. On the other hand, male older adults in urban areas spend less time in housework trips than do their counterparts in rural areas. However, such correlations are found to differ by country, gender, type of trip, and mode of transport, revealing complex correlations between urban forms and older adults' daily mobility. Furthermore, factors such as the number of railway kilometers, gross domestic product growth rates, and the percentage of urban population in the country seem to be associated with differences in the behavior of older adults in their non-work daily trips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Network Readiness Index (NRI) is one of the indicators that shows the level of digital development of countries. The NRI for 2021 shows the development of 130 countries, in contrast to the 45 countries covered by the International Digital Economy and Society Index (I-DESI) of the European Union, which measures only the most developed countries. This paper aims to determine the relationship between 12 sub-pillars of NRI. We use Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to perform a mapping of our data to a lower-dimensional space, and further analyse the causal relationships between the principal sub-pillars using partial correlation coefficients, concluding that two of the twelve main sub-pillars can be explained by ten independent sub-pillars. Thereafter, we use cluster analysis to group our objects (i.e. the 130 countries) into clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes and presents the recoil of globalization and the rising aspects of slowbalization, de-globalization and re-globalization for business and companies. The analysis and results demonstrated that as globalization united economies and societies, it has led them as well to various challenges where some of them started to de-globalize by moving their business and companies home to avoid the negative impact of globalization and to secure their business values. The rising challenges in the global economy and society have made globalization recoil and move towards the process of slowbalization or de-globalization. The ups and downs in the global GDP, inequality between nations and economies in business values and benefits, the rise of geopolitical conflicts, the expensive technologies and its dominance by developed countries, the slowdown in foreign direct investments (FDIs) are some of the main factors of the slowdown of the process of globalization. In conclusion, there should be an extension and embrace of trade and international business rather than rejecting it to overcome the most pressing challenges of globalization. The reality of re-globalization or even sustainable globalization might be be visible when all the sustainable development goals (SDGs) will be fullfilled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationship between credits and sector-level output dynamics in a sample of 41 advanced and developing countries. The existing literature shows that household credits are associated with boom-bust cycles in aggregate output, whereas business loans do not cause such output dynamics. The present paper expands these findings in terms of advanced versus developing countries and manufacturing versus services sectors. The new findings indicate that the resulting boom-bust cycles in the aggregate output in response to household credits are generally observed in the sample of developing countries, with no similar dynamics in the advanced countries. Another significant conclusion is that the boom-bust cycles are generated mostly in the services sector. No equivalent boom-bust dynamics are observed in the manufacturing sector, but the negative medium-run effects of household credits are larger in this sector. These findings indicate that credit mechanisms and consequences can significantly vary across countries and sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Using resource-based theory as a base, this paper aims to analyse the moderating role of entrepreneurial education on the relationship between psychological (perseverance and fear of failure) and social (family support and role models) factors as they related to entrepreneurial readiness among female youth. Design/methodology/approach: A sample of 1914 female youth who have pursued a formal entrepreneurial course was used to understand the relationship and its impact on entrepreneurial readiness. Liner regression technique was used to understand the hypotheses set for the study. Findings: The results signify a positive impact of perseverance and family support for entrepreneurial readiness, while that of fear of failure was negative, role models were positive but non-significant. Entrepreneurial education was key for enhancing psychological and social factors abilities for female youth entrepreneurial readiness. Research limitations/implications: The cross-sectional data collected from females in an urban area makes the generalisation of the findings challenging. Practical implications: Policymakers and academia are to be cognizant of the fact that formal entrepreneurial education is a contributor to entrepreneurial readiness. Originality/value: This study adds to the paucity of research on entrepreneurial readiness of female youth in developing economies like Ghana with the identification and explanation of its antecedents as well as situating it in both resource-based view and social capital theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recruitment of internationally qualified nurses as a labour source is a long‐standing human resource strategy being implemented to address the current and increasing global nursing shortage. Internationally qualified nurses transitioning into the health workforce of developed countries following immigration often possess specialty skills. A lack of a clear pathway of specialty skill utilisation makes recognising and using these specialty skills complex for many nurses. The ability for nurses to transition between countries and maintain specialty practice demands immediate attention in the current atmosphere of the global pandemic and the predictions to recruit more specialist nurses from overseas. Aim: To identify and synthesise strategies taken by various developed countries in transitioning specialist internationally qualified nurses into practice. Methods: An integrative review was conducted to identify common themes, patterns, and best practices in order to inform policy development and improve the successful integration of internationally qualified nurses into the healthcare systems of developed countries. The study employed the Whittemore and Knafl five‐stage integrative review approach. To conduct a comprehensive search, four electronic databases, namely Medline, CINAHL Complete, ProQuest Health, and EMBASE, were systematically searched in October 2021. The search was updated in March 2022 to ensure the inclusion of the most recent literature. Additionally, Google Scholar was utilised to avoid overlooking any important articles. Prior to the full‐text review, three reviewers independently evaluated titles and abstracts. The included papers' quality was determined using the JBI critical appraisal tools. Results: This study included 10 papers, comprising three studies and seven reports. However, none of these documents provided information on how internationally qualified nurses could transfer their specialty skills acquired overseas to developed countries after immigrating. The guidelines and policies reviewed only offered generic advice on becoming a specialist nurse. Although some countries mentioned that post‐graduate qualifications were not mandatory for nurse specialists, the majority of documents in this review emphasised the need for a national framework of education at level eight or higher (equivalent to a post‐graduate level) to attain the status of a nurse specialist. Moreover, the included documents did not provide clear information on whether an international specialisation degree would be recognised during the registration process. As a result, confusion persists regarding the requirement of post‐graduate qualifications for nurses aiming to specialise and the recognition of international specialisation degrees during the registration process. Discussion: The lack of consistency in defining nurse specialty and the skill transferability among institutions and state borders were evident in this review. According to all the 10 documents analysed, developed countries appear to have minimum policies on the transfer of internationally qualified nurse's specialty skills. Recommendations for policymakers, employers, and aspirant migrants have been proposed. Limited research has been done on how developed countries used their internationally qualified nurses' overseas‐acquired specialist skills after immigration, indicating a lack of a distinct specialist skill transition pathway. Conclusions: This review presents data to support the need for greater research in this area to better utilise the abilities that internationally qualified nurses bring from their home country and put them to constructive use in the host country, especially in the context of a global pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how the encounter between the “First World American women” and “Third world Afghan women” is framed to inadvertently enact a form of representational violence in Liz Mermin’s documentary film, The Beauty Academy of Kabul. The paper shows that despite its ostensibly progressive stance of giving space to Afghan women’s voice, the film, serves to validate the new form the colonial self has taken in the globalized world - the humanitarian identity - and reaffirms the American imperial agenda. Employing Judith Butler’s insights in Frames of War, where she points out how the frame delimits the domain of representability and the confines of “reality” itself, the analysis explores how Mermin’s documentary frames the Afghan women as the first world audience is meant to recognize, grieve and intervene for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper explores the current state of Robo-advisory services in India. This paper further highlights the problems experienced by the service providers in disseminating the innovative business model among the Indians. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopts a qualitative approach to investigate the industry experts by conducting semi-structured interviews. The data collected were transcripted and further analyzed using the content analysis technique. Finally, the authors utilized categorization and coding techniques to frame broad study themes. Findings: The study findings reveal that the three pillars of Robo-advisory are ease and convenience, the time factor and transparency in operations. Robo-advisory services are still at a nascent stage in India. Furthermore, keeping the sentiments of Indians in mind, FinTech companies could combine automated Robo-advisory with a human touch of a wealth manager for optimal advisory services. Research limitations/implications: Since the present study is qualitative, the authors cannot generalize the study results. Future research can focus on empirically proving the constructs of the study using quantitative methods. Practical implications: Robo-advisors have a well-established market in developed nations but are still nascent in developing countries like India. The current focus of service providers and regulatory authorities must be to increase awareness among investors by educating the investors and building trust. Originality/value: The present study is the first to qualitatively synthesize the challenges faced by the FinTech service providers in the Indian market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of globalization and internationalization of financial markets, issues arising from financial crises have become increasingly serious and fundamental, creating a lot of debate among experts around the world. So, many studies have attempted to investigate what measures can be taken to detect and prevent crises before they devastate the economies. Therefore, this paper examines the Effectiveness of the Monetary Policy (MP) to Avoid, Reduce or Treat the Financial Crisis in Malaysia. Scholars have yet to agree on the issue concerning the appropriate monetary measures, particularly with respect to the question of whether or monetary policy is more effective tool in dealing with financial crisis. Majority of comprehensive theoretical frameworks are fragmented. Somehow, this framework has been tested in developed countries. Only very few studies were conducted in developing countries. The results of this research provide empirical support for the extended model. Moreover, this work has added to the understanding of Monetary Policy (MP) to Avoid, Reduce or Treat the Financial Crisis in Malaysia also with theories research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Business incubators are advantageous to new venture legitimacy because they provide rich access to entrepreneurial resources, and their incubation networks can offer endorsement to incubatees. However, empirical evidence on this topic is limited, and the existing literature relies predominantly on the Western context. Given that not all developing country incubators have resourceful and reputable external entrepreneurial networks as in the industrialized countries, and that new ventures need to build legitimacy along cognitive and socio-political dimensions that require different actions to influence different stakeholders, this study investigates empirically how business incubators facilitate their incubatees to build legitimacy in a context where resource and reputation conditions are weak. The purpose of this paper is to clarify how business incubators perform legitimacy-building roles effectively. Design/methodology/approach: A multiple case study of business incubators in Chongqing, a second-tier Chinese city, is presented. Using grounded theory, this paper draws its findings from a synthesis of interviews and secondary data of seven incubators and their ten incubatees. Findings: The legitimacy-building role of business incubators is performed well in this research context. Evidence is presented that incubators play different roles in building different dimensions of incubatees' legitimacy. Government-associated incubators play a salient role in building incubatees' socio-political legitimacy whilst non-government related incubators shape their incubatees' cognitive legitimacy. Originality/value: This study contributes to the business incubators literature by revealing how incubators perform the legitimacy-building role when their resource endorsement is weak. The results suggest that incubators need to strengthen their ties with external stakeholders and that new ventures need to take key stakeholders into consideration when they select incubators to enter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Investigación Económica is the property of Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Facultad de Economia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Given the magnitude impact of global value chains (GVCs) in reconstructing the pattern of world trade, its employment implications deserve thorough study. In this paper we explore the impact of GVCs position on employment across countries and its heterogeneous mechanisms. We perform an in-depth theoretical analysis followed by an empirical test using panel data for 56 industries in 42 countries from 2000 to 2014. The results show that enhancing the GVCs position will significantly increase employment, with a more pronounced effect in developing countries. Mechanical tests demonstrate a positive wage effect for developed countries. For developing countries, there is a positive demand effect and a negative factor substitution effect. Heterogeneity tests show that developed countries promote employment primarily by improving the forward GVCs position. Developing countries boost employment mainly by reducing the backward GVCs position. Further research has revealed that employment in developed countries has a clear preference for industries with higher GVCs, crowding out employment in other industries. This paper has enriched research on the employment implications of GVCs position and exploring the possible crowding effect during the evolution of the position of GVCs, which has been informative and insightful for countries in formulating GVCs participation and employment policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper aims to relook at the notion of competitiveness in the challenging times of pandemic. The failure of global value chains caused many nations despite their state of economic development to struggle for necessary items. The goal of achieving profitability abated by having self-sufficiency, specifically in the manufacturing sector where unlike services, the production processes jolted. Under this backdrop, the paper attempts to project local industry clusters as a panacea for achieving resilient competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach: To explore the credibility of clusters as an important tool to prepare nations towards a resilient future, a correlation between the state of cluster development in a country and its national competitiveness has been tested. Besides, any difference in the notion of state of cluster development between least developing countries, developing countries and developed countries has also been tested. The paper uses the data from World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report. Findings: Strong support for the research hypothesis has been found. High positive correlation exists between the state of cluster development and national competitiveness. The state of cluster development is found to be significantly different among three categories of countries. Originality/value: Clusters have been promoted in academic literature, policy circles and the business community for many advantages. This paper is a novice attempt to showcase these can serve as an instrument to prepare economies for self-sufficiency and a resilient future by performing an objective evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Productivity growth has declined in Australia and other developed countries over the past two decades. It has been argued that reduced dynamism and the failure of competition at an economy‐wide level is to blame, leading to calls for broad competition policy reforms. In this paper we consider the theoretical and empirical evidence to support this "failure of competition" narrative. We find that the evidence, at best, is ambiguous. Competition failures in some areas support the need for reform, but the competition landscape across Australia is complex and there is no simple link between indicators of competition, such as concentration levels; indicators of reduced dynamism, such as falling business investment, and falling productivity growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Labour migration involves the transfer and flight of technical know-how and skills from one nation to another, to secure a better job and establish a new residence. It has consequences for the individual, the country of origin and the country of destination. Over the last decades, an increasing number of developed countries have put in place different mechanisms to encourage the immigration of only the most talented, skilled individuals from developing countries. A good example is the international visa lottery scheme. This scheme is put in place perhaps because developing countries cannot fully exploit the abilities and skills of human capital, as they do not have enough jobs to offer. Thus, Nigeria and other developing countries have become a human capitalgenerating machines for the developed world. It is an indisputable truism that labour migration has adverse effects ranging from social, cultural, and political to economic upon the emigrant's country. The thrust of this paper, therefore, is to examine the factors responsible for the flood of Nigerian migrants witnessed during the past couple of years. The dynamic consequences of labour migration and brain drain syndrome on human capital formation in Nigeria will be considered. Empirical studies have established the global net benefits of labour migration, but their findings are inconclusive about the impact migration has on the emigrant's country. Hence, the need for human capital formation in an emerging economy will also be addressed. Finally, the paper will offer policy recommendations to ensure immigrants' economic contribution to developing human capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the influence of the New Development Bank (NDB) on the structure of the multilateral development financial system, using social network analysis. The findings show that some emerging economies have been significantly affected by establishment of the NDB, whereas developed countries still dominate. Although the influence of BRICS countries has increased, they still play a relatively weak role. Further analyses examine the influence of the NDB's expansion; developed countries and most BRICS countries are not affected, and the rankings of some entry countries has increased whereas that of non‐entry countries with nondominant power has decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural development needs to be regarded as an active driver of national development in countries with large rural populations. Increasing productivity in agriculture leverages labor and resources for other sectors while sustaining food supplies for urban areas. The experience of newly industrialized and emerging industrialized countries indicates a precedent for rural development, where an increase in agricultural productivity in rural areas leads to industrial as well as general development. For a better understanding of the phenomenon, I used a research method based on overlaying data from different sources of research and comparing, eventually, the degree of similarity. The purpose of this paper was to analyze the main features of the contribution of rural development to the achievement of sustainable development objectives. The main findings of the research showed us that a combined effort is needed to harness the potential of rural populations and resources to ensure sustainable development overall and to achieve the SDGs in particular. This effort should be based on the principle of improving the lives and livelihoods of rural people and not be a technocratic exercise in economic, social, or environmental policy. Furthermore, economic instruments can also play an important role in promoting sustainable land management, but it is important to achieve growth in rural economies without sacrificing environmental sustainability. Moreover, the EU has a responsibility to promote sustainable land management. Subsidy programs could also be further developed to provide payments for ecosystem services and compensate farmers for their environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing demographic change in most developed countries consists of two coinciding independent developments that differ in structure and persistence: A slow, monotonic and (presumably) permanent longevity effect caused by an increasing life expectancy; and a more rapidly changing, non-monotonic and less permanent cohort effect caused by fluctuations in the size of cohorts. This paper shows the longevity effect has a positive impact on the rates of return households generate within a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pension system. The cohort effect, by contrast, results in winners and losers in PAYG systems. The paper additionally shows that the type of PAYG pension system alters the results significantly. Taking the remarkable demographic change in Germany as an example, a large-scale overlapping generation model quantifies rates of return within the PAYG pension system for every cohort. The results show that the two effects combined cause return differentials of almost 1.3 percentage points between generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically examines the relationship between outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) of Korean manufacturing firms and the servicification of domestic employment using a firm-level panel data. In this study, considering the issue of low productivity in the Korean service sector, we categorize service employment into core and non-core services and investigate their relationship with OFDI using the firm-fixed effects model. The empirical results show that the share of core service employment exhibits a positive correlation with the extensive OFDI. On the other hand, the share of non-core service employment, which is expected to generate relatively low valueadded, does not show a significant relationship with the extensive OFDI. When we divide the samples based on host countries and the type of subsidiaries, the impact on servicification varies depending on the technological capabilities of host countries and their participation in global value chains. Our study suggests that Korean manufacturing firm's internationalization strategies may facilitate a transition from labor-intensive employment, like the cases in advanced countries, to technology-intensive employment through OFDI and other means. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asia has constantly been in the spotlight regarding economic development as it has been the fastest-growing global region over recent decades. This study investigated the effect of financial development on economic growth in selected Asian countries at various stages of economic development. A recently introduced approach, the Dynamic Common Correlated Effects (DCCE) method, was applied to 12 Asian countries/areas covering 26 years (1995–2020). The 12 countries/areas were divided into three groups based on their current economic development status: underdeveloped, moderately, and highly developed. The study results indicated that the effect of financial development on economic growth varied for countries at different economic levels. The association between financial development and economic growth was strongly negative for underdeveloped countries. However, a positive relationship existed between the sampled moderately and highly developed countries/areas. This situation implied that financial development should not be considered a viable way to boost economic growth for countries with underdeveloped economies. Instead, countries with a higher economic status should priorities financial development to promote economic prosperity effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon contemporary research, this paper examines whether there is a relationship of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) bachelor and master graduates to the gender pay gap (GPG) in the 27 EU Member states in 2013–2020 using a novel cross‐sectional data set based on the 2013 International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). International panel data were analysed with the dynamic modelling fixed effects method and compared with the results received from the cross‐sectional analysis executed with the help of Bayesian model averaging methods. Our findings suggest that STEM education plays a significant role in forming the GPG. We can see a negative, robust and statistically significant effect of bachelor‐ and master‐level female STEM graduates on the GPG and a positive statistically significant effect of bachelor‐ and master‐level male STEM graduates on the GPG. The permanently lower women‐to‐men ratio in STEM education and those employed in high‐end sectors of science and technology can be one of the drivers of the persistent GPG in developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the trends and driving forces for the relatively recent growth in cross‐national marriages in East and Southeast Asia with a specific focus on the experiences of female marriage migrants from Southeast Asia. It explicates the various forms of inequality faced by the low‐income marriage migrant women including gender power dynamics within the household, socioeconomic inequalities, integration into the destination society, and intergenerational transfer of inequalities. We acknowledge that the inequality experienced by marriage migrant women results from a complex web of intersecting social‐cultural, political, and economic forces occurring in Asia in the past three decades. As a result of rising female educational attainment and the practice of marriage hypergamy in Asia, an increasing number of low socioeconomic‐status men from developed countries seek marriage partners abroad from lower‐income and less‐developed countries. Upon entering the cross‐national marriage market, many low‐income migrant women face multiple disadvantages in the host country due to inadequate socioeconomic support, language barriers, social stigma on foreign brides, and a lack of legal status. These inequalities exacerbate their initial disadvantages to perpetuate a vicious cycle of intergenerational disadvantages for their offspring. We conclude with a critique of extant literature and identify promising future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of institutional quality and banking competition on shadow economy for 127 economies for the period of 2005–2017. It further explores if institutional quality/competition shapes the relationship differently between banking competition/institutional quality and shadow economy. This paper uses the system GMM estimator to tackle potential omitted variable bias, endogeneity, and simultaneity issues. The findings suggest that overall, greater competition among banks and stricter institutions in the country reduce the size of shadow economy. Furthermore, impact of competition on shadow economy is even stronger in countries with weak institutions and the impact of institutional quality is greater in lower competitive environment. Only severe competition matters for shadow economy in case of developed countries. To sum up the novel findings of this research, competition and institutions complement each other in reducing the size of shadow economy. These findings are robust to different econometric estimators. The findings carry vital policy implications for the governments and regulators to play their part in reducing the shadow economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Synthesize longitudinal research evaluating neighborhood environments and cognition to identify methodological approaches, findings, and gaps. Methods: Included studies evaluated associations between neighborhood and cognition longitudinally among adults >45 years (or mean age of 65 years) living in developed nations. We extracted data on sample characteristics, exposures, outcomes, methods, overall findings, and assessment of disparities. Results: Forty studies met our inclusion criteria. Most (65%) measured exposure only once and a majority focused on green space and/or blue space (water), neighborhood socioeconomic status, and recreation/physical activity facilities. Similarly, over half studied incident impairment, cognitive function or decline (70%), with one examining MRI (2.5%) or Alzheimer's disease (7.5%). While most studies used repeated measures analysis to evaluate changes in the brain health outcome (51%), many studies did not account for any type of correlation within neighborhoods (35%). Less than half evaluated effect modification by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and/or sex/gender. Evidence was mixed and dependent on exposure or outcome assessed. Conclusion: Although longitudinal research evaluating neighborhood and cognitive decline has expanded, gaps remain in types of exposures, outcomes, analytic approaches, and sample diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To examine the experiences of internationally qualified nurses, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, transitioning to and working in the aged care sector of high-income countries. Design: A scoping review. Data Sources: CINAHL, MEDLINE and PSychINFO databases were searched to find eligible literature published from January 2010 onwards. Review Methods: This scoping review was based on the framework by Arksey and O'Malley and the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The literature search was conducted by the first author, and all three authors reviewed the retrieved studies for eligibility and inclusion. Results: Fourteen articles were eligible. Data was categorized into three broad themes: stress of migration and transition; miscommunication, racism and discrimination; and aged care specific challenges which included two sub-themes ‘shock of aged care’ and ‘bottom care’. Conclusion: Internationally qualified nurses, particularly if they are culturally and linguistically diverse, face unique stresses and challenges in aged care and face barriers in the recognition of skills and qualifications. The under-utilization of skills is not only a loss in terms of patient care but is linked to fears of de-skilling, losing professional development and opportunities for career progression. Impact: Internationally qualified nurses are positioned as a solution to aged care shortages in high-income countries; however, there is a scarcity of research exploring their experiences. In the context of the global aged care staffing crisis, an understanding of the stresses and challenges faced by internationally qualified nurses will further strengthen efforts to recruit, support and retain skilled nurses in aged care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Insomnia is the most reported sleep disorder in industrialized countries, affecting, in the chronic form, around 10% of the European population. In Italy, such a percentage seems to be even higher. Although insomnia can be an independent disorder, it is frequently described as comorbid condition and may precipitate, exacerbate, or prolong a broad range of physical and mental disorders. Evaluating and targeting insomnia in the Italian clinical practice should be a priority. Methods: The present expert opinions and recommendations represent an update from 2020 and insights from Insomnia Expert Consensus Group, based on systematic reviews according to PRISMA on available options in Italy from January 2020 to March 2023. Results: We evaluated 28 papers among international guidelines, expert opinions, systematic reviews, and meta-analysis produced during the last 26 months. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that symptoms of insomnia must be assessed in the Italian clinical practice by evaluating nocturnal and daytime symptoms, comorbid conditions, and lifestyle. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia should be the first option according to availability. The choice of the drug should be based on different factors including type of insomnia, age, comorbidities, and potential side effects. If the choice would be a Z-drug or a short-acting benzodiazepine (in subjects < 65 years old), the use should be in the short term (≤ 4 weeks). Indeed, eszopiclone, as a new option in Italy, may present a different profile and may be used for up to 6 months, also in the elderly. If the choice is melatonin, it should be used melatonin 2 mg prolonged release in adults ≥ 55 years for up to 13 weeks. A new dual orexin antagonist, daridorexant, is available in Italy; it has been shown to be effective in adults and elderly and it can be used for at least 3 months and up to 1 year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ukrainian system of medical and social expertise needs to revise its conceptual and methodological foundations in accordance with the realities of the current development of social sciences in the world and demand of the state regarding the modern understanding of disability. The purpose of the study was to analyze international experience and legislation on policy towards persons with disabilities and systematic approaches to the criteria of violation of functioning and the possibilities of determining the status of "person with disabilities" using the basic principles of the International Classification of Functioning (ICF), Impairment and Health to create optimal approaches to determining the criteria for disability in Ukraine. The study was based on the analysis of available scientific literature and legislative documents of developed countries on the understanding of the concept of "person with a disability". The scientometric databases used were Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and MedLine. Data from the official websites of the Political Department of the European Parliament, WHO, the United Nations, UNICEF, the World Bank. According to the results of the study, it is determined that a single state body is responsible for determining the status of a person with a disability in sustainable development countries using a multidisciplinary approach. The author identifies 3 main components that most developed countries assess when determining disability: economic, medical and social. At the same time, the main criterion is decreased performance. It has been established that since 2022, Spain has completely switched to the criteria of the International Classification of Functioning in determining the signs of disability, basing the severity of a person's condition as a degree of disability on a percentage decrease in the person's functioning. Some European countries use selective categories of the ICF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the contribution of industrial robots to labor productivity growth and cross-country economic convergence in a sample of 19 developed and 16 emerging countries over the period 1999 to 2019. To answer our research questions, we extend the non-parametric production frontier framework by considering industrial robots as a separate production factor. We find a positive contribution of robotization to labor productivity growth for all countries in our sample. In the period after the financial crisis (2009 to 2019) the contribution of robot capital deepening to productivity growth gained in importance. Over the period 1999 to 2019 we find some evidence of i) unconditional β-convergence (countries with lower initial productivity levels grow faster), ii) a reduction in the dispersion of productivity levels across economies (σ-convergence) and iii) a depolarization (shift from bimodal to unimodal distribution) of the labor productivity distribution in our sample. Accumulation of 'traditional' physical capital is the main driver of β-convergence. Robot capital deepening significantly contributed to economic convergence and the depolarization of the labor productivity distribution, but its effect on the entire shift of the labor productivity distribution is modest and dominated by other drivers of productivity growth such as 'traditional' physical capital deepening and technological change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two decades, all branches of science and technology have rapidly progressed, including the medical area. In Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, the increased growth of technology and science production has led to this rapid medical progress. Recent evidence has revealed that the increase in the number of scientific papers generated in Iran after the Iraqi imposed war against Iran has been eight times that in six main countries in the Middle East, including Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Syria. Although Iran's output in sciences has been still small in comparison to developed countries, it has significantly grown in the last decade, which is hoped to continue to increase and improve. The current paper shows a portion of the science production in Iran over the past two years based on papers published in the European Journal of Translational Myology in 2020 and 2021. Although the Issue 32 (1), 2022 in a special section contains several typescripts from Iran, they were not included in our analysis since they have not been yet indexed in the Scopus database. However, our report would encourage researchers of diverse nationalities to take part in research works and author joint papers. Further, this paper can be used to rate the universities and research centers regarding their science output, as well as being beneficial to university students, lecturers, and governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Only data from developed countries were used to estimate the sexual orientation difference in wages. This paper is the first, which aims to identify the wage discrimination of gay men in Russia – a country where institutional discrimination and ignorance against gay men are known to present. Design/methodology/approach: Gays are identified as men who reported having sex with other men in several waves of the national household survey. A wage equation is used to estimate the gay wage penalty. Extending the wage equation to implement a difference-in-difference design, the paper also evaluates the effect of the gay-propaganda law of 2013 on gay wages. Findings: No wage discrimination is identified. The law also has no adverse effect on gay wages. Practical implications: Cross-country comparison and theoretical generalizations are premature, and better identification strategies are needed to understand sexual orientation differences. Social implications: Policymakers should be aware that in both discriminatory and equitable environments, there may be hidden inequality even if researchers do not detect it. Originality/value: The findings are implausible and add to existing evidence that gay discrimination measured with wage equation suffers from endogeneity and should be interpreted with caution. Particular caution should be exercised in cross-sectional and time-series comparisons, as a tendency to report the orientation honestly and unobserved confounders vary by location and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban flood resilience can critically diminish the negative effects of extreme climatic conditions. In recent decades, green infrastructure has been gaining attention among researchers and authorities in terms of its use in urban contexts to enhance urban resilience. This paper tries to provide knowledge on how urban flood resilience has been recently approached through green infrastructure. To do this, the distribution of the topics of interest, authors, and sources/regions of publication are investigated through a systematic review of recent articles. Additionally, the methodological approaches and green infrastructure typologies are examined. Findings show an agglomeration of publications in developed countries. It was also observed that there is a predominance of quantitative methodological approaches and a low connectivity for some hot topics within this field of research (e.g., biodiversity). The most common green infrastructure typologies used in urban flood resilience research are also discussed. It is noticeable that more than half of the papers used general terms (e.g., urban park/open space) to describe green infrastructure rather than using technical typologies providing more information on water flow management characteristics. The outcomes are discussed to give an overview of the latest hotspots and gaps in this field of research, which gives some future directions/expectations to be followed in forthcoming investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the concept of de-risking in the context of international economic linkages and globalization. It highlights the importance of coherence across policies to mitigate risks associated with geopolitical shocks and ensure national defense objectives and economic development. The article mentions the commitment of the Group of 7 (G7) nations to de-risk without decoupling from China, reducing their dependence on Chinese trade while maintaining a constructive relationship. It also addresses the risks associated with economic interlinkages, technology linkages, and information flows. The article emphasizes the need for government intervention, collective action, shared values, and institutional commonalities to effectively de-risk and manage geopolitical risks. It suggests that orderly and phased de-risking is preferable to complete decoupling, as decoupling could have negative impacts on global welfare, particularly for low-income countries. The article concludes by discussing the importance of negotiating free trade and investment agreements that are resilient to geopolitics, promote economic development, and strike a balance between protectionism and policy maneuvers. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the current state of research on sustainability-related manufacturing trade-offs (i.e. giving preference and priority to one dimension over others) that affect suppliers in developed and less developed countries (LDCs). There is growing pressure on suppliers to adopt sustainable practices into their global supply chains. Successfully implementing all three dimensions of the triple bottom line (TBL) imperative can provide organizations with an added capability and potentially result in competitive advantage and a focus on sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the long run. However, designing supply chains for achieving the TBL requires suppliers to recognize and overcome numerous trade-offs. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review comprising 71 papers published between 2004 and 2020 was undertaken using a content analysis approach to identify trade-offs affecting suppliers. Findings: This study firstly identified eight sustainability-related trade-offs affecting suppliers from a TBL perspective in both developed and LDCs, consequently, allowing for a detailed discussion on trade-off factors and conditions unique to both developed and LDCs. Together, these findings enable this study to present initiatives and investment-related decisions for supply chains from a TBL perspective. Originality/value: In spite of the plethora of studies on sustainable supply chains, there is little research on trade-offs, specifically those affecting sustainability of suppliers operating in LDCs. This paper addresses this critical gap and advances the literature on sustainability-related supply chain trade-offs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]