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This paper examines the short-run and long-run relationships between an ageing population and economic growth in Bangladesh using time series data for the period between 1972–2015. We employed a bivariate endogenous growth model to investigate the relationship between the population aged 65 years and above and per capita gross domestic product (GDP). The study found that there is a long-run positive relationship between the ageing population and per capita real GDP. The relationship runs from an ageing population to per capita real GDP, given that there is an increasing capital formation process in the economy. Therefore, the elderly population is not a matter of concern for Bangladesh as long as per capita capital formation has been greater than that of per capita ageing population.

This paper examines the effect of farmers' access to communication technologies (CTs) on farmers' agricultural output at the aggregate level in the People's Republic of China (P.R. China) based on panel data. The paper uses a dynamic Cobb–Douglas aggregate production function and the generalised method of moments (GMM) as estimation techniques to estimate the parameters of interests. The research findings are: the estimated effects (measured by elasticity) of teledensity on the provincial level agricultural output have been positive and statistically significant both in the short and long runs. In the long-run, the size of the effect is substantial: from 0.94 to 1.06. This implies that the agriculture sector of the P. R. China has some potentials to derive benefit from the use of CTs like telephone. Hence, the Chinese government should consider policy support to expand communication infrastructure for the farmers.

This paper examines causal effect of household access to broadband Internet on individuals labour market outcomes.This study uses propensity score matching technique to make causal inferences.The study found that household access to broadband Internet did not have any statistically significant causal effect on labour market outcomes. This paper examines the causal effect of household access to broadband Internet on individuals labour market outcomes in an Australian rural and regional context. This study uses the survey data of 391 households randomly selected from the Western Downs Region of Queensland, Australia, and employs the propensity score matching technique to make causal inferences. This study also controls selection bias issues an aspect which has been overlooked in previous studies. This study found that the causal effect of household access to broadband Internet on individuals labour force outcomes is not statistically significant. This finding can add value to our knowledge of the causal relationship between broadband access and labour force participation. As the rollout of a high-speed broadband network in rural and regional Australia is currently underway, the finding can be considered a benchmark for subsequent assessment of the effects of such infrastructure development on socio-economic outcomes.

This study estimates the private average rate of return (ARR) and internal rate of return (IRR) to education in rural Bangladesh. Using data from the Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (BIHS) 2015, we estimate average returns using the Mincerian method and IRR using the full method, accounting for both the direct and indirect costs of schooling. To account for endogeneity and selection bias, we use parental education as an instrumental variable and apply the Heckman correction method. We find an average return of 18 %, an IRR of 12 % for tertiary education, 4.86 % for secondary, and 5.24 % for primary. In the agricultural sector specifically, however, returns to tertiary education are more in line with primary and secondary education.

This study presents an estimate of the joint determination of labour market status and educational attainment in Australia using cross-sectional data collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This paper is based on the premise that achieving an increasing level of educational attainment and labour supply does not happen in isolation, rather they are determined jointly. Applying a simultaneous system of two-equations model, the study finds that there is a feedback effect between educational attainment and labour market status. In the labour market equation the effects of achieving a higher educational attainment on the probability of being employed has been statistically significant and the effect is negative. Thus, previous studies that ignored the feedback effects and used a single equation model have produced biased and inaccurate estimates of the effects of educational attainment on labour market outcome.

This study investigates the existence of either energy-led growth hypothesis or trade-led growth in Australia for a 53-year period (1960–2012) using a multivariate extended growth model. The econometric techniques used in this study are Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach of cointegration, the Granger Causality Test and Impulse Response Functions. The study finds the evidence of no long-run cointegration between the variables of interest. Granger causality test confirms bidirectional causal relationship between international trade and per capita GDP growth, but does not find any Granger causal relationship between energy use and per capita GDP growth. Thus, this study provides an evidence of the trade-led growth hypothesis over the energy-led growth hypothesis for the Australian macroeconomy.