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Accurately measuring real economic output in the space economy is made difficult by the rapid increase in capabilities and decrease in prices of launch and satellite technologies achieved over the past two decades. Nominal measures of output in space will tend to underestimate real growth if customers are paying lower prices for better services over time. In this paper, we use price indexes that apply techniques to the space economy that have been used for decades to adjust nominal measures of output in sectors such as information technology, including matched-model and explicit hedonic quality adjustment. We find that adjusting for price and quality changes in the space economy has substantial effects on estimated growth in economic output, especially across its sectors. Price increases over time in the space information sector, which is dominated by direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television, mean that real growth has been slower than nominal growth since at least 2012, the typical pattern in industries not undergoing rapid technological change. In sharp contrast, rapid price decreases and quality increases in other areas—especially launch and manufacturing of satellite, earth observation, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) equipment—have meant that nominal growth rates substantially understate real growth rates in those industries. Given the central importance of space to our modern economy, having accurate information on growth in the space economy is vital for efficiently allocating the substantial private and public investment being devoted to its development. • Adjusting space output for price and quality changes impacts economic growth rates. • Growth in the US space sector masks underlying heterogeneity across its subsectors. • US space manufacturing products exhibit rapid price decreases and quality increases. • US space information product prices are rising even as overall output is falling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to analyse the state and the dynamics of developmental and other aspects of investments in research and development (R&D) in the group of countries in Southeast Europe. The analysis is performed for several countries in Southeast Europe together and by individual countries. The period from 1996 to 2020 is observed in the analysis. In most countries of Southeast Europe, the allocation for R&D is relatively small. Applied research is the most represented. Significant differences can be noticed regarding the sources of financing and to the implementation of allocations for R&D. A particularly important part of this work is devoted to the analysis of the impact of the gross expenditures on R&D on economic growth. This analysis was performed on the basis of regression analysis. Several regression models were formed in which the dependent variable was gross domestic product per capita It can be concluded that the parameters of the financial condition of the observed economy have the greatest influence on the economic growth of the observed group of countries. Allocations for research and development still do not have a significant enough impact on economic growth in observed countries in Southeast Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimizing production–living–ecological space (PLES) can benefit territorial space planning and sustainable development in China. Thus, spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and influence factor analyses are vital. Laiwu, China, was selected as the study area due to its complex terrain and development history. A multitemporal land-use and land-cover classification extracted from Landsat remote-sensing images for 2001–2018 and the self-organizing map method were combined to identify the area's multitemporal PLES. The PLES evolution trajectories were extracted based on the multitemporal PLES. The main factors influencing the PLES spatiotemporal evolution differences were revealed using the random-forest-based factor importance evaluation method. The results showed that changes in the PLES trajectories occupied ∼ 18% of the study area. The ecological space recovery type was mainly observed in previously stable ecological space areas. Changes in the production space expansion (PSE) and living space expansion were mainly agglomerated in the fringe areas of previously stable production–ecological and living space lands. Distance from early built-up areas was the main factor influencing PLES expansion. Ecological space was mainly distributed far away from built-up areas, and living and production spaces were mainly distributed near the built-up areas. Additionally, the slope of the terrain affected the spatial distribution of PLES expansion to a certain extent, and the gross domestic product clearly affected the distribution of PSE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows and economic growth at sectoral levels in Bangladesh, employing a panel study framework. Utilizing sectoral-level panel data spanning six sectors from 2007–08 to 2018–19, the analysis is conducted using Panel Vector Error Correction Model (Panel VECM). Results from panel unit root tests confirm that all variables are integrated of order one I (1), indicating stationarity. The Pedroni panel co-integration test further supports the presence of co-integration among the variables. Notably, the Panel VECM reveals evidence of a unidirectional causal relationship from Real Gross Domestic Product (RGDP) to Real Foreign Direct Investment (RFDI) across all six sectors of Bangladesh. The findings underscore the significance of formulating pragmatic policies and implementing them effectively to attract FDI across sectors, thereby contributing to the overall economic growth of Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study asymptotic model change detection in multivariate linear regression by using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov function of the partial sum process of recursive residuals. We approximate the rejection region and also the power function of the test by establishing a functional central limit theorem for the sequence of the partial sum processes of the recursive residuals of the observations. When the assumed model is true, the limit process is given by the standard multivariate Brownian motion which does not depend on the regression functions. However, when the assumed model is not true (some models change), the limit process is represented by a vector of deterministic trend plus the standard multivariate Brownian motion. The finite sample size rejection region and the power of the test are investigated by means of Monte Carlo simulation. The simulation study shows evidence that the proposed test is consistent in the sense that it attains the power larger than the size of the test when the hypothesis is not true. We also demonstrate the application of the proposed test method to Indonesian economic growth data in which we test the adequacy of three-variate low-order polynomial model. The test result shows that the growth of the Indonesian economy is neither simultaneously constant nor linear. The test has successfully detect the appearance of a change in the model which is mainly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the economics of three different gargles in the treatment of chronic periodontitis. Methods: A total of 108 patients with periodontitis received one of the following three gargles: xipayi, compound chlorhexidine, or Kangfuxin gargle. The basic information of the patients, the costs of the gargles, the periodontal indexes before and after treatment, and the scores of the 3-level version of the EuroQol Five Dimensions Questionnaire were collected. The cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of the various gargles were determined. Results: The cost-effectiveness ratios (CER) of the three groups after treatment were 1828.75, 1573.34, and 1876.92 RMB, respectively. The utility values before treatment were 0.92, 0.90, and 0.91, respectively, and the utility values after treatment were 0.98, 0.98, and 0.97, respectively. The cost-utility ratios (CURs) were 213.43, 195.61, and 301.53 RMB, respectively. Conclusions: For each increase in effective rate and quality-adjusted life years, the treatment cost of periodontitis patients was lower than the gross domestic product per capita of Jiangsu Province, indicating that the treatment cost is completely worth it. The CER and CUR results were the same, and the compound chlorhexidine group was the lowest, demonstrating that when the same therapeutic effect was achieved, it cost the least. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Commission has proposed a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to reduce carbon leakage and create a level playing field for its domestic products and imported goods. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of the proposal remains unclear, especially when it triggers threats of retaliation from trading partners of the European Union. We apply a Computable General Equilibrium model - Global Trade Analysis Project - to assess the economic and environmental impacts of different CBAM schemes. Here we show that the effectiveness of the CBAM to address carbon leakage risks is rather limited, and the CBAM raises concerns over global welfare costs, Correct to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) losses, and violation of equality principles. Trade retaliation leads to multiplied welfare losses, which would mostly be borne by poor countries. Our results question the carbon leakage reduction effect of a unilateral trade policy and suggest that climate change mitigation still needs to be performed within the framework of international cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the construction of a valid and reliable measure for the competitiveness of cities that excludes the drivers of competitiveness from the index construction. Not incorporating these drivers in the index avoids the problem of assuming relative contributions (i.e. weights) of these drivers on competitiveness as a maintained hypothesis. Design/methodology/approach: From the definition that competitiveness is the ability of a city to sustain prosperity, this study derives a model called the hedonic well-being index (HWI) in which prosperity is measured by using the consumption of goods and service including leisure. This study then uses secondary data sources to construct an exploratory HWI (assuming a Cobb Douglas functional form) and compare this index to three benchmarks, namely, income, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and the World Happiness Report (WHR) index. This study also review the component expenditure of the index across geographical locations. Findings: The HWI is better predicted by the WHR index (a subjective well-being index) than by the GDP per capita (a measure of output), owing to the inclusion of leisure and household production absent in per capita GDP. This study explored and found regional variations in the distribution of the expenditure components in the HWI. Originality/value: This paper demonstrates the feasibility of constructing an exploratory HWI to measure the competitiveness of cities using secondary data. The reliability of the index can be improved using primary data in future research. Separating the drivers from the definition of competitiveness allows testing of the contribution and interaction of these drivers on competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy, being one of the significant drivers of growth, has gained much focus in the last four decades. A connection between energy and growth exists in the economy: on the one hand, energy is a vital factor of production while growth improves living standards, which increases energy consumption on the other hand. Previous studies on the energy‐growth nexus paid less attention to sectorial differentials in the consumption of energy and growth. Also, the literature could not relate that to sustainable development. Thus, this study explores the sectorial differentials in energy consumption and how they affect the energy‐growth nexus within the context of sustainable development. The research employed secondary data for 46 sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) countries for the period 2007 to 2020. Using the General Methods of Moments estimation technique, we found that all the measures of energy consumption positively affect economic growth. Also, CO2 intensity is positively related to growth in the economy while CO2 emissions from solid fuels negatively affect economic growth. Again, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is positively impacting economic growth and Gross Domestic Product (SSA) per energy use. Policy implications are discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) such as leprosy, lymphatic filariasis (LF), schistosomiasis and onchocerciasis are endemic in several African countries. These diseases can lead to severe pain and permanent disability, which can negatively affect the economic productivity of the affected person(s), and hence resulting into low economic performance at the macrolevel. Nonetheless, empirical evidence of the effects of these NTDs on economic performance at the macrolevel is sparse. This study therefore investigates the effects of the above-mentioned NTDs on economic performance at the macrolevel in Africa. Methods: The study employs a panel design with data comprising 24 to 45 African countries depending on the NTD in question, over the period, 2002 to 2019. Gross domestic product (GDP) is used as the proxy for economic performance (Dependent variable) and the prevalence of the above-mentioned NTDs are used as the main independent variables. The random effects (RE), fixed effects (FE) and the instrumental variable fixed effects (IVFE) panel data regressions are used as estimation techniques. Results: We find that, an increase in the prevalence of the selected NTDs is associated with a fall in economic performance in the selected African countries, irrespective of the estimation technique used. Specifically, using the IVFE regression estimates, we find that a percentage increase in the prevalence of leprosy, LF, schistosomiasis and onchocerciasis is associated with a reduction in economic performance by 0.43%, 0.24%, 0.28% and 0.36% respectively, at either 1% or 5% level of significance. Conclusion: The findings highlight the need to increase attention and bolster integrated efforts or measures towards tackling these diseases in order to curb their deleterious effects on economic performance. Such measures can include effective mass drug administration (MDA), enhancing access to basic drinking water and sanitation among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water, energy, and food (WEF) are vital strategic resources for human survival and development, which are interacting positively or negatively. While WEF sustainability has received significant attention and extensive research has examined its interactions, there are a few studies exploring the trade-offs arising from advancing the sustainable development process. This paper aims to study the internal interrelation and external impact on WEF sustainability from the perspective of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We first quantified the WEF sustainability at the provincial level in China from 2003 to 2020, then used panel vector autoregression (PVAR) to identify the interactions within the WEF system and examined how related SDGs actions (SDG 8, 12, 13) affected it. The findings revealed spatial disparities in sustainable processes across provinces. Internally, prioritizing water-sustainable actions fostered overall synergistic development, while trade-offs emerged between food and energy systems. Externally, SDG 8, 12, and 13 acceleration actions mainly contributed to WEF sustainability, but maintaining GDP growth and reducing CO2 emissions both presented challenges to sustainability. This study not only enriches the understanding of WEF sustainability from the SDGs perspective, but also provides valuable insights into how sustainable development actions can affect the WEF system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the relationship between fertility and gender ideology revealed inconsistent results. In the present study, we argue that inconsistencies may be due to the fact that such a relationship may be nonlinear. We hypothesize a U-shaped relationship between two dimensions of gender ideology (i.e., primacy of breadwinner role and acceptance of male privilege) and fertility rates. We conducted a cross-national analysis of 60 countries using data from the World Values Survey as well as the World Population Prospects 2019. Controlling for gross domestic product, we found support for a U-shaped relationship between gender ideology and fertility. Higher levels of fertility rates were found at lower and especially higher levels of traditional gender ideology, while a medium level of gender ideology was associated with the lowest fertility rate. This curvilinear relationship is in agreement with the phase of the gender revolution in which the country is located. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution poses a persuasive threat to global health, demonstrating widespread detrimental effects on populations worldwide. Exposure to pollutants, notably particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 µm (PM2.5), has been unequivocally linked to a spectrum of adverse health outcomes. A nuanced understanding of the relationship between them is crucial for implementing effective policies. This study employs a comprehensive investigation, utilizing the extended health production function framework alongside the system generalized method of moments (SGMM) technique, to scrutinize the interplay between air pollution and health outcomes. Focusing on a panel of the top twenty polluted nations from 2000 to 2021, the findings yield substantial insights. Notably, PM2.5 concentration emerges as a significant factor, correlating with a reduction in life expectancy by 3.69 years and an increase in infant mortality rates by 0.294%. Urbanization is found to increase life expectancy by 0.083 years while concurrently decreasing infant mortality rates by 0.00022%. An increase in real per capita gross domestic product corresponds with an improvement in life expectancy by 0.21 years and a decrease in infant mortality rates by 0.00065%. Similarly, an elevated school enrollment rate is associated with a rise in life expectancy by 0.17 years and a decline in infant mortality rates by 0.00032%. However, a higher population growth rate is found to modestly decrease life expectancy by 0.019 years and slightly elevate infant mortality rates by 0.000016%. The analysis reveals that per capita greenhouse gas emissions exert a negative impact, diminishing life expectancy by 0.486 years and elevating infant mortality rates by 0.00061%, while per capita energy consumption marginally reduces life expectancy by 0.026 years and increases infant mortality rates by 0.00004%. Additionally, economic volatility shock presents a notable decrement in life expectancy by 0.041 years and an increase in infant mortality rates by 0.000045%, with inflationary shock further exacerbating adverse health outcomes by lowering life expectancy by 0.70 years and elevating infant mortality rates by 0.00025%. Moreover, the study scrutinizes the role of institutional quality, revealing a constructive impact on health outcomes. Specifically, the institutional quality index is associated with an increase in life expectancy by 0.66% and a decrease in infant mortality rates by 0.0006%. Extending the analysis to examine the nuanced dimensions of institutional quality, the findings discern that economic institutions wield a notably stronger positive influence on health outcomes compared to political and institutional governance indices. Finally, the results underscore the pivotal moderating role of institutional quality in mitigating the deleterious impact of PM2.5 concentration on health outcomes, counterbalancing the influence of external shocks, and improving the relationships between explanatory variables and health outcome indicators. These findings offer critical insights for guiding evidence-based policy implications, with a focus on fostering resilient, sustainable, and health-conscious societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollution in the environment is today the biggest issue facing the globe and the main factor in the development of many fatal diseases. The main objective of the study to investigate green investments, economic growth and financial development on environmental pollution in the G-7 countries. This study used annual penal data from 1997 to 2021. The panel NARDL (Non-linear autoregressive distributed lag) results affirm that the positive change of green investment and negative shock in green investment have a significant and positive association with environment pollution in G-7 nations. Our findings provide more evidence for the long-term asymmetry between financial development and environmental performance. However, the findings confirm that a positive modification in financial development has a positive and significant effect on environment pollution. Whereas negative shock in financial development is negative and insignificant relationship with environment pollution. Moreover, the outcomes of the study reveal that both positive shock in gross domestic product growth and negative shock of economic growth have a significant and positive link with environment pollution in G-7 countries. According to the findings, by lowering carbon dioxide emissions, green investments reduced environmental pollution in the G-7 nations over the long and short term. Moreover, it is an innovative research effort that provides light on the connection between green investments, financial development, and the environment while making mention to the EKC in G-7 countries. After all these, our recommendation is to increases green investment expenditures to reduce environmental pollution in the G-7 nations based on our findings. Additionally, one important way for the nation to achieve its sustainable development goals is to improve advancements in the financial sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Law sets out the rules for society and the economy, particularly important for interactions between strangers. Legal code is a form of non-rival infrastructure, a public good important for investment and innovation. This paper investigates whether legal code complexity scales with population size in US localities. We analyse a corpus of municipal codes from 3259 cities and measure legal complexity using various metrics, including number of words, bytes, and compressed bytes. We find that legal complexity scales geometrically with jurisdiction population, with a scaling parameter of approximately 0.2 and an R2 of approximately 0.2. The estimated scaling parameter is similar to gross domestic product percapita, consistent with an interpretation of legal codes as regulating social interactions per capita in cities. This article is part of the theme issue 'A complexity science approach to law and governance'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Insufficient physical activity (PA) was estimated to cause 4.8% of deaths and 2.6% of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to noncommunicable diseases in Saudi Arabia in 2019. While Saudi Arabia is already achieving great improvements, we predict the health and economic burden of insufficient PA up to 2040 to present a case for policy makers to invest more in the uptake of PA. Methods: Using a population health model to estimate avoidable health loss, we identified four causes of health loss related to low PA (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer) and estimated the deaths and DALYs from these causes. We projected the expected disease burden until 2040 under alternative assumptions about future PA levels and trends by using three health scenarios: baseline (no change in 2019 PA levels), intervention (81% of the population achieving sufficient PA levels), and ideal (65% of population: moderate PA, 30%: high PA, and 5%: inactive). We applied an "intrinsic value" approach to estimate the economic impact of each scenario. Results: Overall, we estimate that between 2023 and 2040, about 80,000 to 110,000 deaths from all causes and 2.0 million to 2.9 million DALYs could be avoided by increasing PA levels in Saudi Arabia. The average annual economic loss from insufficient PA is valued at 0.49% to 0.68% of the current gross domestic product, with an average of US$5.4 billion to US$7.6 billion annually till 2040. The most avoidable disease burden and economic losses are expected among males and because of ischemic heart disease. Conclusions: This study highlights that low PA levels will have considerable health and economic impacts in Saudi Arabia if people remain inactive and do not start following interventions. There is an urgent need to develop innovative programs and policies to encourage PA among all age and sex groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research seeks to demonstrate the impact of government spending on the productive capacity of the Iraqi economy, as the continuous increase in the volume of public spending and the adoption of the planned deficit method in the budgets of various years must reflect positively on the productive capacity of the country, so the relationship between the two variables was estimated according to the autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL) as it shows the relationship in the short and long terms and for the period 2004-2022, and among the results obtained is that current spending has a negative impact on the productive capacity index. This means that current spending is unproductive within its vicious circle, that is, money leaks out without generating economic returns for the country. Investment spending has a positive impact on the productive capacity index, as the average investment spending during the research period amounted to approximately (20%) of government spending, which is a very low percentage that was reflected in the weakness of the investment-based structures of the Iraqi economy, and this is what made the productive capacity index of the Iraqi economy It records a low percentage, reaching its best levels (35%), and this is consistent with the weak allocation of financial resources in investment aspects. What supports the analysis is the relationship test, which shows us that investment spending has a positive and significant effect on production capacity, but its parameter reached (0.07), which is a very low percentage. It has almost no effect. However, if a large percentage of financial resources were directed towards investment areas, this would develop projects, increase their ability to produce and productivity, and achieve high rates of GDP growth. Therefore, the research recommends the necessity of directing government spending towards productive sectors in order to improve production capabilities and achieve sustainable development comparable to developed countries, as well as periodically monitoring and evaluating the extent of the productivity of public spending in various economic sectors in order to make it more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyse the impact of the Movement towards Socialism (MAS) regime on GDP, income inequality and corruption levels. The empirical findings show that GDP has increased and corruption decreased with the MAS party in power. Income inequality, however, has tended to increase, even though average values for the Gini index during the MAS years have been lower. The difference between counterfactual and actual observations (i.e. treatment effects) was regressed against three key shocks experienced by the Bolivian economy and the findings demonstrate that all these shocks are correlated with the three outcome variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, India's primary energy use is analysed in terms of four socio-economic variables, including Gross Domestic Product, population, and the amounts of exports and imports. Historical data were obtained from the World Bank database for 44 years as annual values (1971–2014). Energy use is analysed as an optimisation problem, where a unique ensemble of two metaheuristic algorithms, Grammatical Evolution (GE), and Differential Evolution (DE), is applied. The energy optimisation problem has been investigated in two ways: estimation and a year-ahead prediction. Models are compared using RMSE (objective function) and further ranked using the Global Performance Index (GPI). For the estimation problem, RMSE values are found to be as low as 0.0078 and 0.0103 on training and test datasets, respectively. The average estimated energy use is found in good agreement with the data (RMSE = 6.3749 kgoe/capita), and the best model (E10) has an RMSE of 5.8183 kgoe/capita, with a GPI of 1.7249. For the prediction problem, RMSE is found to be 0.0096 and 0.0122 on training and test datasets, respectively. The average predicted energy use has RMSE of 7.8857 (kgoe/capita), while Model P20 has the best value of RMSE (7.9201 kgoe/capita) and a GPI of 1.8836. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societies' use of material resources is increasingly recognized as a key factor behind sustainability problems. The mass of materials used per capita and year differs substantially between countries. However, a limited range of variables (mostly per‐capita gross domestic product [GDP]) were analyzed to explain this variation. Spatial patterns of cities influence their resource use, but the role of patterns of settlements and infrastructures as co‐determinants of national‐level material use is unknown, mainly due to lacking data to investigate their effects at that scale. Here we start closing this gap by systematically analyzing a broad set of potential determinants of national per‐capita material demand, including built structures. Material demand is represented by both production‐ and consumption‐based indicators. Among its potential determinants, we analyze eight novel indicators representing extent and spatial patterns of settlements and transport infrastructures in each country, along with GDP and other indicators considered so far. Analyzing 123 countries inhabited by 91% of the world population and accounting for 92% of world GDP, we show that built structures strongly co‐determine resource use. Indicators of extent and spatial patterns of built structures have substantial additional explanatory power beyond GDP and other conventional indicators for both production‐ and consumption‐based material flow indicators. The area of built‐up land per capita emerges as the strongest predictor, but several other indicators representing built structures are also highly relevant. Limiting built‐up land and designing spatial patterns of built structures hence deserve attention in attempts to reduce societies' resource throughput. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first official Marine Economy Satellite Account (MESA) of the United States was created to improve the credibility and reliability of comprehensive measurements of the nation's dependence on ocean and coastal resources. This methodology improves upon previous methods and yields results that (1) are consistent with national accounts statistics, such as gross domestic product, (2) capture additional categories of marine-related activities, and (3) bring measurement of the US marine economy into alignment with the most advanced international practices. These advances support recent sustainable growth initiatives of the US blue economy, allow policy makers to better evaluate industries perhaps most vulnerable and at risk from coastal hazards, and enable government and private businesses to promote and invest in this crucial driver of the US national economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the differences in traffic delays and accident costs at different stages of the shipping cycle, this study develops a system dynamics model to determine the impacts of the shipping cycle on traffic delays and accident costs at port collector-distributor roads. Taking the collector-distributor roads of Yangshan Deepwater Port in Shanghai as a case study, parameter estimation and a model validity test are conducted. The changes in traffic delays and accident costs before and during maintenance activities at different stages of the shipping cycle are analyzed by increasing the growth rates of gross domestic product (GDP), and secondary and tertiary industries in GDP. The model results show that, as the economic growth rate increases, the growth magnitudes of traffic delays and accident costs during a peak period are significantly larger than those during a trough period. The results of this study provide policies and suggestions for improving traffic efficiency and safety on port collector-distributor roads. It is suggested to increase the maintenance frequency and maintenance funds during a peak period. Additionally, it is necessary to develop an intelligent road maintenance system for port collector-distributor roads that takes the shipping cycle into account in order to enhance the road safety level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Spreading infectious diseases associated with introduced pathogens can have devastating effects on native biota and human livelihoods. We analyse the global distribution of 100 major alien fungal and oomycete pathogens with substantial socio‐economic and environmental impacts and examine their taxonomy, ecological characteristics, temporal accumulation trajectories, regional hot‐ and coldspots of taxon richness and taxon flows between continents. Location: Global. Taxon: Alien/cryptogenic fungi and fungus‐like oomycetes, pathogenic to plants or animals. Methods: To identify over/underrepresented classes and phyla, we performed Chi2 tests of independence. To describe spatial patterns, we calculated the region‐wise richness and identified hot‐ and coldspots, defined as residuals after correcting taxon richness for region area and sampling effort via a quasi‐Poisson regression. We examined the relationship with environmental and socio‐economic drivers with a multiple linear regression and evaluated a potential island effect. Regional first records were pooled over 20‐year periods, and for global flows the links between the native range to the alien regions were mapped. Results: Peronosporomycetes (Oomycota) were overrepresented among taxa and regional taxon richness was positively correlated with area and sampling effort. While no island effect was found, likely due to host limitations, hotspots were correlated with human modification of terrestrial land, per capita gross domestic product, temperate and tropical forest biomes, and orobiomes. Regional first records have increased steeply in recent decades. While Europe and Northern America were major recipients, about half of the taxa originate from Asia. Main Conclusions: We highlight the putative importance of anthropogenic drivers, such as land use providing a conducive environment, contact opportunities and susceptible hosts, as well as economic wealth likely increasing colonisation pressure. While most taxa were associated with socio‐economic impacts, possibly partly due to a bias in research focus, about a third show substantial impacts to both socio‐economy and the environment, underscoring the importance of maintaining a wholescale perspective across natural and managed systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial dynamics of logistic allocation in large urban centers has gained relevance in urban economics, public policy formulation and transport engineering. A crucial aspect of these spatial, agglomerative, and dispersive phenomena are the causal links that such processes generate or by which they are generated. This study investigates the causal relationships linked to the allocation of logistics warehouses in the context of the sub-regions of the São Paulo Metropolitan Region (SPMR) based on the theory of agglomeration economies. Two variables related to the urban distribution of goods were selected: (a) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and (b) Cargo Theft (CT) and contrasted with the number of logistics warehouses (NW). Five regions of the SPMR were considered both for spatial descriptive analysis and for the study of causality based on the Granger methodology, adapted by Hurlin, and on the cointegration methodology and Panel Vector Error Correction Model. For SPMR, the relationships obtained demonstrate, in the short term, unidirectional causalities between GDP/NW. In the short term, the causal relationship between CT/NW for the metropolitan region was unidirectional from the amount of cargo theft to the number of warehouses. The subregions showed strong heterogeneity in causal relationships, both in the short and long term, demonstrating the complexity of the logistical allocation phenomena in the SPMR. • Cargo theft is a crucial decision factor when installing a logistic warehouse. • The demand in high-GDP regions increases the need for nearby logistics services. • The number of warehouses affects long-term economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy transition is one of the main objectives of the European Union. Significant changes will mainly affect countries in which significant modifications will have to be made to their energy sources. The process will involve high investment in infrastructure and additional costs of the transformation, such as reduced production (which may affect the GDP value) in the economic sectors involved in the process. The aim of this article is to provide the energy transition community, namely the national economy in general and those involved in planning for structural change in particular, with the key lessons and challenges in researching the impact of production changes in the mining sector. This article also shows the relevance of the mining sector in the economy. Within this area, particular attention is given to the following issues: the impact of economic sectors on the country's GDP (gross domestic product); the identification of key sectors of the economy using the input–output method; the contribution of coal mining and the mining industry to Poland's GDP; an analysis of changes in the structure of Poland's economy using the input–output method; and the use of the input–output method in the context of changing/reducing the supply of economic sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To construct a stochastic version of [R. J. Barro, J. Polit. Econ. 87, 940-971 (1979)] normative model of tax rates and debt/GDP dynamics, we add risks and markets for trading them along lines suggested by [K. J. Arrow, Rev. Econ. Stud. 31, 91-96 (1964)] and [R. J. Shiller, Creating Institutions for Managing Society's Largest Economic Risks (OUP, Oxford, 1994)]. These modifications preserve Barro's prescriptions that a government should keep its debt-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio and tax rate constant over time and also prescribe that the government insure its primary surplus risk by selling or buying the same number of shares of a Shiller macro security each period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lithuania, a Baltic country in the European Union, can be characterized by high alcohol consumption and attributable burden. The aim of this contribution is to estimate the mortality burden due to alcohol use for the past two decades based on different relative risk functions, identify trends, and analyse the associations of alcohol-attributable burden with alcohol control policies and life expectancy. Methods: The standard methodology used by the World Health Organization for estimating alcohol-attributable mortality was employed to generate mortality rates for alcohol-attributable mortality, standardized for Lithuania's 2021 population distribution. Joinpoint analysis, T-tests, correlations, and regression analyses including meta-regressions were used to describe trends and associations. Results: Age-standardized alcohol-attributable mortality was high in Lithuania during the two decades between 2001 and 2021, irrespective of which relative risks were used for the estimates. Overall, there was a downward trend, mainly in males, which was associated with four years of intensive implementation of alcohol control policies in 2008, 2009, 2017, and 2018. For the remaining years, the rates of alcohol-attributable mortality were stagnant. Among males, the correlations between alcohol-attributable mortality and life expectancy were 0.90 and 0.76 for Russian and global relative risks respectively, and regression analyses indicated a significant association between changes in alcohol-attributable mortality and life expectancy, after controlling for gross domestic product. Conclusions: Male mortality and life expectancy in Lithuania were closely linked to alcohol-attributable mortality and markedly associated with strong alcohol control policies. Further implementation of such policies is predicted to lead to further improvements in life expectancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the economy in Guangdong province has ranked first in the country, maintaining a good growth momentum. The prediction of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for Guangdong province is an important issue. Through predicting the GDP, it is possible to analyze whether the economy in Guangdong province can maintain high-quality growth. Hence, to accurately forecast the economy in Guangdong, this paper proposed an Elman neural network combining with wavelet function. The wavelet function not only stimulates the forecast ability of Elman neural network, but also improves the convergence speed of Elman neural network. Experimental results indicate that our model has good forecast ability of regional economy, and the forecast accuracy reach 0.971. In terms of forecast precision and errors, our model defeats the competitors. Moreover, our model gains advanced forecast results to both individual economic indicator and multiple economic indicators. This means that our model is independently of specific scenarios in regional economic forecast. We also find that the investment in education has a major positive impact on regional economic development in Guangdong province, and the both surges positive correlation. Experimental results also show that our model does not exhibit exponential training time with the augmenting of data volume. Consequently, we propose that our model is suitable for the prediction of large-scale datasets. Additionally, we demonstrate that using wavelet function gains more profits than using complex network architectures in forecast accuracy and training cost. Moreover, using wavelet function can simplify the designs of complexity network architectures, reducing the training parameter of neural networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: Unemployment is a huge topic for policymakers, scholars, and, in general, society. Historically, there have always been a lot of discussions about this phenomenon. It is already acknowledged that unemployment is closely related to economic activity: when the economy is growing, more people are employed, and when economic activity is low, employment decreases, and unemployment rises. This relation is well-researched in the framework of Okun's law. However, it is far less known how this relationship holds if international economic relations are introduced. Thus, the motivation for the research was to examine the role of international trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) on the growthunemployment nexus. Purpose of the article: To assess how trade and FDI affect growth and gender-, age-, and educational attainment level-specific unemployment relationship and on what scale this effect varies over different business cycle phases. Methods: Scientific literature review, comparative analysis, and panel regression. Findings & value added: Given the lack of research examining what effect FDI and trade have on the growth-unemployment nexus, this paper estimates modified Okun's equation on the European Union (EU) countries (EU-28, by the composition of the EU until 31/01/2020) for the period from 2000 to 2019 while incorporating international aspects that can have an impact on this nexus. Also, this study develops a specification that can be useful to monitor the potentially different effects of FDI and trade on the growth-unemployment nexus during different business cycle phases. The estimations of the panel regression for unemployment disaggregated by age, gender and education level has showed that import, export, inward FDI, and outward FDI have a negative effect on the growth-unemployment nexus. It means that with an increase in the intensity of international economic relations, the influence of gross domestic product (GDP) growth on unemployment becomes less significant. Thus, the effectiveness of expansionary fiscal policy to reduce unemployment becomes less effective in more open economies, which in the case of the EU are the smallest member states with relatively small domestic markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles into Islamic finance presents opportunities for aligning financial activities with sustainable and ethical considerations. While there are challenges and areas for improvement, the potential synergies and shared principles between ESG and Islamic finance provide a promising avenue for sustainable and socially responsible investment within Islamic finance. However, past studies have not thoroughly researched key aspects of Islamic finance, such as the sustainability concerns of Islamic deposits, their interaction with macroeconomic variables, and their particular impacts on firms. Therefore, this study aims to examine the macroeconomic and firm-specific effects on the sustainability of Islamic deposits. The sample in this study consists of 13 Islamic banks in Malaysia. The data period covers from 2018 until Quarter 3 of 2022. The data type is cross-sectional from secondary sources: Islamic banks' financial reports, Bank Negara Malaysia, Department of Statistics of Malaysia, and the World Bank. This study adopts a quantitative analysis approach using one dependent variable (Islamic deposits), three independent variables (gross domestic product, inflation, overnight policy rate), and one control variable (firm-specific). An estimated model using the panel data correlation and regression with the fixed effects model was conducted to test the developed hypotheses. Then, the panel data regression analysis continues with the Least Square Dummy Variable (LSDV), which includes the control variable to test the presence of the firm-specific effects. The findings show that only one macroeconomic factor, inflation, affects how well Islamic deposits are sustained. It is also evidenced by the findings that firm-specific effects impact the sustainability of Islamic deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Environmental and Socioeconomic Nexus Forecasting Technology Group has been in the process of developing a computer-based circulation system consisting of several models (e.g. natural environment, economic, and social). We aim to forecast changes in global-scale inclusive cycles for inclusive sustainability, in which the environment, economy, and society are interrelated and more stable. In this article, we describe our developments for forecasting environmental impact considering the interplay between the environment and economy and introduce a new index of affluence in the beyond GDP (gross domestic product) era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effect of remittance inflows on Nigeria economy as proxy with gross domestic product (GDP). The research specifically focuses on 41 years from 1981 to 2021, analyzing data from the Central Bank of Nigeria's statistical bulletin and the World Development Index. Through correlation analysis, unit root and co-integration tests, as well as error correction model estimation, the study investigates the relationship between remittance inflows and GDP growth. The results demonstrates that, in the short term, remittance inflows had an insignificant negative effect on Nigeria's GDP growth (-0.337970, p > 0.05). However, in the long run, remittance inflows shows a significant positive impact on the GDP growth rate (1.973835, p < 0.05). These findings highlight the importance of channeling remittances into productive activities within the home country. While short-term inflows may not contribute significantly to economic growth, sustained and increasing remittance inflows can play a crucial role in driving Nigeria's economic expansion. The study recommends the implementation of policies, programs, and systemic reforms to encourage the productive utilization of remittances. It emphasizes the need to ensure that remittances are utilized in ways that contribute to longterm economic growth and development. Furthermore, the study calls for the establishment of measures to prevent brain drain, protecting Nigeria's valuable human capital from being solely driven by financial incentives, which may not be evenly distributed for productive purposes in the short and medium term. These measures will help foster a balanced approach to leveraging remittance inflows for sustainable economic progress in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is one of the macroeconomic indicators that reflects the level of welfare of a country's population. The APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum has the main goal of promoting economic growth and enhancing prosperity in the AsiaPacific region. This is done by encouraging and facilitating more open trade and investment in the region. APEC member countries have different export characteristics, namely agricultural exports and high-technology exports. This study analyzes the influence of agricultural exports, high-technology exports, Foreign Direct Investment, and regulatory quality on the Gross Domestic Product of APEC member countries. The research data used are secondary data from the World Bank from 2011 to 2020, analyzed using the Fixed Effect Model approach of panel data regression method using E-Views 12. The results show that simultaneously, agricultural exports, high-technology exports, Foreign Direct Investment, and regulatory quality have a significant influence on the economies of APEC member countries. Partially, high-technology exports and regulatory quality have a positive and significant impact, while agricultural exports and Foreign Direct Investment have a positive but not significant impact on GDP. APEC countries should focus on productivity by harnessing technology and achieving inclusive economies for societal welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study used artificial intelligence and strategic management to predict sports industry development in Taiwan. Through public government information, we aimed to determine the dynamics of the sports industry and analyze the current situation of domestic sports industries and sports industry sectors. We also explored national sports policies and development issues to construct a Taiwan Sports Industry Gross Domestic Product Forecasting Model that aligns with the requirements of government agencies and the sports industry. Methods: This study explored time series data for 12 sports industries and 40 sports industry sectors from 2009 to 2018. We used artificial neural networks to predict future gross domestic product (GDP). We also used the moving average method to calculate the trend direction and used strategic management and brand positioning analysis to analyze industry positioning and trend development. Results: Only one sports industry, Sports Venue or Facility Construction, had an optimistic forecast for growth, while the GDP of the remaining 11 sports industries was predicted to decline. The average GDP forecasting accuracy for the sports industry was 94% in 2017 and 97.2% in 2018. Among the 40 sports industry sectors, eight had growth forecasts, while the GDP of the other 32 sectors was predicted to decline. The average GDP forecasting accuracy for sports industry sectors was 99.5% in 2017 and 99.4% in 2018. In the strategic matrix analysis, all 12 sports industries showed a growth trend. All sports industries showed a consistent upward trend in the GDP time series, indicating overall continuous growth in the sports industry. Similarly, among the 40 sports industry sectors, the Star and Cash Cow sectors showed growth trends and trend lines in the strategic positioning matrix and GDP time series. In contrast, the Question Marks and Dogs sectors showed declining trends and trend lines. Conclusion: This study makes six specific recommendations: (1) Seek solutions for the sports industry through prediction and estimation, (2) use strategic management to chart the course for developing the sports industry, (3) explore and propose future trends in the sports industry, (4) explore and propose future trends in the various sports industry sectors, (5) define the scope of the sports industry and address significant data management and its implications, and (6) foster research and development in technology management and its academic applications. These recommendations aim to provide valuable insights and guidance for the advancement and strategic planning of the sports industry, considering future trends and technological advances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article, "A WEEK WITH THE GDP," recounts the author's trip to Germany in September. They express their enjoyment of the cold weather and meeting fellow travelers from Texas and Chicago. The author also shares their appreciation for German museums and cuisine. They visit various sites in Berlin, such as the Archenhold Sternwarte and the Wilhelm Foerster Observatory, where they give presentations and have positive interactions with the audience. The article ends with the author's experience of being stranded in Germany due to bus system issues. Additionally, the text briefly mentions the author's visit to the Zeiss Großplanetarium in Berlin, where they tour the facility, practice in the dome, and interact with staff and the audience. They also note their observations of the Freiwilliges Ökologisches Jahr program. The author concludes by expressing gratitude for the experience and excitement to return home. [Extracted from the article]

We study how foreign financial developments influence the conditional distribution of domestic GDP growth. We propose a method to account for foreign vulnerabilities using bilateral-exposure weights when assessing downside macroeconomic risks within quantile regressions. For an advanced-economy panel, we show that tighter foreign financial conditions and faster foreign credit-to-GDP growth are associated with a more severe left-tail of domestic GDP growth, even controlling for domestic indicators. Incorporating foreign variables improves estimates of domestic GDP-at-Risk, both in and out of sample. Decomposing GDP-at-Risk into domestic and foreign origins, we show that foreign shocks are a key driver of domestic macroeconomic tail risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islamic banking is among rapidly-growing components in the world's financial system. Within its institutions, continuous criteria of efficiency facilitate the evaluation of the impact of the reforms and policies on the banks' performance. In this paper, we employ the Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) method for estimating the efficiency of Islamic banks in developed and developing countries. MARS is a well-known efficient method for the flexible modelling of high-dimensional data. Unlike previous work, using a nonparametric technique of such a robustness instead of parametric approaches contributes to the improvement of the various estimates, which provides investors with accurate and timely information they can immediately react upon for a better decision-making in turbulent times. On the one hand, the results of the experiments show that, in the emerging region, there is evidence of a strong linkage between Islamic banking efficiency and gross domestic product. On the other hand, in the developed region, the efficiency is rather based upon Sharia Supervisory Board and board committees. These outcomes confirm previous works showing that governance-related variables have a significant positive effect on Islamic banking efficiency. Furthermore, the overall MARS-based predictions reveal that Islamic banks operating in developed countries are relatively more efficient than their counterparts in emerging countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the nexus between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and financial deepening is critically examined. The study employed a robust dynamic panel cross‐sectionally augmented distributed lag method for 31 countries in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). The results reveal that: (1) a strong significantly positive long run impact of FDI on financial deepening exists; (2) real gross domestic product (GDP), trade openness and government effectiveness stimulate the positive FDI–financial deepening nexus; (3) the strength of the FDI–financial deepening nexus also depends on the percentile position in the income distribution of SSA countries (countries in the upper strata of the income distribution evidently had stronger FDI–financial deepening relations than those in the lower strata and (4) real GDP, trade openness and government effectiveness also enhance financial deepening in SSA. The study recommends that governments in SSA should foster fiscal, financial and regulatory incentives for attracting FDI for improved financial depth in SSA by: strengthening the regulatory frameworks and institutions of governance through the removal of unwarranted governmental interferences in the administration of justice and electoral processes; removing multiple tax regimes; and stabilizing prices and exchange rate volatility via stimulating local productivity and guaranteeing the rule of law, political stability and security of life and property in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thorny issue and contradictory conclusions on dividend payments and firm value are not ending any time soon. The existence of a divergence of findings in the literature suggests the need for further empirical studies on this subject matter. Therefore, this study focuses on how a firm's cash flow influences dividend payments in Ghana. Using data from 2015 to 2020, pooled ordinary least squares and random effects estimation, this study provides evidence of dividend payments in Ghana. The results show that dividend payments are influenced by a firm's net cash flow from operations, free cash flow to equity, firm size, and age. The relevant macroeconomic variables for dividend payments are inflation and gross domestic product growth. Another finding is that the more nonfinancial firms take on the characteristics of financial firms, the less dividends they pay. Managers of listed firms in Ghana should grow the size of their firms; however, this should be done in a manner not to expropriate value to managers as predicted in the Jensen agency problem associated with free cash flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the non‐linear relationship between oil prices, inflation, and GDP in eight African countries that import oil from other nations. The study uses various econometric techniques, including symmetric and asymmetric dynamic panel ARDL models, mean group, and pooled mean group approaches, to examine quarterly data from 1983 Q2 to 2020 Q4. The analysis looks at both short‐term and long‐term variations to measure the positive and negative effects of oil prices and inflation on GDP. The findings reveal that the variables are related, but there are significant non‐linearities in the long run. While both rising oil prices and inflation have a positive impact on GDP in most instances, lower oil prices and inflation might have a neutral or negative impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive alien plants (IAPs) have serious environmental and economic impacts, especially in vulnerable areas of China. However, IAP richness distribution patterns, their driving factors, and the dynamic shifts in potential distribution areas remain elusive. We assessed IAP richness distribution patterns and drivers using 402 IAPs recorded in China at 88 926 occurrence points, and then predicted their potential distribution areas. The results show that IAP hotspots were mainly located in southeastern China, especially coastal areas of the South and East and large inland cities. Population density, gross domestic product (GDP), and four climate variables associated with precipitation and temperature jointly influenced the richness distribution pattern of all IAPs. Specifically, population density and GDP impacted the richness distribution pattern of narrow‐range IAPs, and population density, GDP, distance to the nearest national highway, and five climate variables affected the richness distribution pattern of widespread IAPs. Only GDP contributed significantly to the richness distribution pattern of the top 5% hotspot grid cells, whereas population density, GDP, and precipitation in the driest month (BIO14) significantly influenced the richness distribution patterns of hotspots for both the top 10% and top 20%. Prediction analysis demonstrated that southeastern China would have particularly high invasion risk under both current and future climate scenarios. Regions with increases in predicted species richness are more common (44.83–64.97%) than those with decreases, except under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 scenario. Climate change will contribute greatly to the expansion of potential IAP distribution areas under both optimistic (RCP 2.5) and pessimistic scenarios (RCP 8.5). The results of this study provide insights into the priority management of IAPs by developing promising strategies for the control and prevention of IAP invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Manufacturing share in India's GDP has increased by about 16 percentage points between 2003 and 2018. • Dominant contribution to increased manufacturing GDP share is made by petroleum refining. • There has been a tremendous increase in the real value-added share of ICT equipment industry. • For assessing properly the performance of manufacturing, double-deflation of GDP is essential. Contrary to a widely held impression that the share of manufacturing in India's GDP has long stagnated, the paper claims that it has increased significantly. Measured at the prices of different goods and services prevailing in 2004-05, and deflation applied separately with input prices as well as output prices to account for differential input price trends, the GDP share of manufacturing has increased during the post-reform period from about 17 per cent in 1993-94 to about 32 per cent in 2018-19. The paper notes that the concept of real share in GDP relates to the volume effect and represents the change in the share of the volume of manufacturing activity out of the volume of all economic activities in the Indian economy. Some explanation is provided for the apparent stagnancy of the share of manufacturing in India's GDP at current prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]