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Purpose: This paper aims to explore the nexus between corporate governance, competition and earnings management (EM) in Asian emerging economies. Design/methodology/approach: The authors used a sample of 116 banks from 10 Asian emerging economies from 2010 to 2021. To measure corporate governance, the board size, chief executive officer duality and ownership concentration are used. Competition is captured with Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) and Lerner index (LI). Although earning management is measured through discretionary accruals. The authors use fixed effect regression for hypothesis testing. However, dynamic panel system generalised method of moments estimation is used to confirm the robustness of the results. Findings: The authors find that corporate governance and competition are significantly related to earning management practices of banks in emerging Asian economies. The authors report similar outcomes with both estimation methods verifying the reliability of results. Originality/value: The findings of the study have implications for corporate regulatory authorities, management and investors in the Asian emerging economies. Banks in the Asian emerging economies need to pay more attention to factors such as governance and competition to avoid EM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Internet searches offer an indicator of public attention and possible demand for certain things. Studying the spatiotemporal characteristics of the public's concern for vaccination can determine the spatiotemporal distribution of demand for vaccines in China, and capture the changes in the health awareness of the Chinese population, thus informing future vaccination strategies. Methods: Based on the collection of Baidu search indices for vaccination-related keywords in 363 cities in China, This paper seeks to explore the spatiotemporal changes and regional differences in public attention toward vaccination in China by using the seasonal index, seasonal concentration index, Herfindahl index, Moran index, and Dagum Gini coefficient. Results: The following findings are presented. First, there are significant seasonal fluctuations and unbalanced monthly distributions of vaccination-related public attention in China. Second, the public attention in Chinese cities shows the spatial characteristics of "leading in the east, followed by the central, western and northeastern regions". The spatial correlation of attention has been strengthened, and the high-high clusters are mainly distributed in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and Greater Bay Area (GBA) urban agglomerations. Third, regional differences in overall public attention narrowed in China, with intra-regional differences narrowing in seven regions (Northwest China, Central China, and so on), and intra-regional differences increasing in East China. The dominant role in the Gini coefficient changes from transvariation intensity to inter-regional differences. Conclusion: Major public health emergencies stimulate the public's attention to health topics. Although the short-term increase in vaccination-related public attention was not observed to translate into a long-term increase in public vaccine literacy, the seasonal and regional differences in vaccination-related public attention in China have significantly narrowed before and after COVID-19, suggesting that the imbalance between public health literacy levels has improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing interest in tourism has motivated scholars to explore the macroeconomic effects of its development. However, there remains an unexplored gap in the literature, which is the impact of tourism development on export product diversification (EPD). Using data from 150 countries and applying a system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator, this study tests the effect of tourism development on EPD and its two dimensions, namely the extensive and intensive margin. The results are compared in groups of countries with different income levels. The findings suggest that international tourist arrivals and receipts spur EPD. We also find that the pro-diversification impact of tourism development in low-income economies is greater than in high-income economies. In addition, when the sub-dimensions of EPD are considered, we observe that the effect of tourism development on the extensive margin is greater than the intensive margin. These results have important implications for policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The change in geopolitical patterns triggered by the Russia-Ukraine conflict has posed a huge challenge to Europe. From the perspective of energy security, this study uses data from the monthly energy trade and GDELT(Global Database of Events) to investigate the shortterm response to the geopolitical conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The results show that, from March to July 2022, the European energy reliance rate on Russia has reduced from 31. 3% to 22. 1%, implying that Russia declined in importance due to cuts in Russian oil and natural gas imports. In addition, this war produced different influences on different European countries, with an obvious "core- peripheral" spatial pattern, indicating that Eastern Europe faces greater energy security risks than Western Europe. During the war, the overall Herfindahl index of Europe is still as high as 0. 39, showing an over-concentration of energy supply, indicating that a potential risk to Europe's energy accessibility remains. Meanwhile, despite a rise of only 9% in energy imports, there was a 124% year-on-year rise in energy expenditure, which caused considerable concern about energy affordability. Findings in this study can be used to construct emergency management mechanisms for sudden changes in the short-term energy geopolitical pattern, and also provide policymakers with suggestions for long-term energy security and renewable energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban spatial structure, shaped by human intervention in the natural environment, impacts the functional space and socioeconomic efficiency of cities. Against this backdrop, this study investigates the linkage between urban spatial structure (USS) and carbon emission efficiency (CEE) in China from 2012 to 2020. This paper employs a nine-year dataset and spatial econometric models involving 279 prefectural cities in China. The study innovatively employs the Herfindahl index and the super-efficiency SBM model to evaluate the level of polycentric urban structure and CEE in these cities. It further explores the trends in spatial evolution and relevant characteristics of these factors. Additionally, the study applies the SDM to explore the spillover effect of urban polycentric structure on CEE. The study makes innovative use of the Herfindahl index and the super-efficiency SBM model to evaluate the level of polycentric urban structure and CEE in these cities, further exploring the trends in spatial evolution and relevant characteristics of these factors. Additionally, it applies the SDM to explore the spillover effect of urban polycentric structure on CEE. Robustness tests are carried out to confirm the findings. The results confirm that a polycentric structure significantly enhances carbon emission efficiency within a city. However, it adversely affects neighboring cities by reducing their carbon emission efficiency through negative spatial spillover effects. The results verify that a polycentric structure significantly enhances carbon emission efficiency within a city. However, it has an adverse impact on neighboring cities by reducing their carbon emission efficiency through negative spatial spillover effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measure the level of export diversification of creative products using Theil inequality and Herfindahl–Hirschman concentration indexes for 109 countries from 2000 to 2018. We also identify the drivers of export diversification by specifying a dynamic panel data model and employing the system-GMM and quasi-maximum likelihood estimators. Our findings indicate that accumulated productive capabilities, financial development, and structural changes have positive impacts on the diversification of creative products, while economic growth, trade openness, and FDI contribute to a country's specialization. Our results highlight the need for countries to improve institutional quality, allocate funds to finance creative industries, and develop infrastructures to diversify creative products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of the higher education market in 2012–2021 in 38 European countries was analyzed using concentration levels and Herfindahl-Hirschman indices based on the number of higher education institutions and their share in the QS World University Rankings, and the number of students. This market in 2021 has a low concentration: the 3 countries with the largest number of higher education institutions (Germany, Ukraine, France) covered about 36% of the market in total; the 3 countries with the largest number of universities in the QS (United Kingdom, Germany, Italy) – 5%; the 3 countries with the largest number of students (Germany, France, United Kingdom) – 37%; and the 3 countries with the largest number of foreign students (United Kingdom, Germany, France) – 5%. Using parametric and non-parametric comparison tests, it was found that although the number of higher education institutions and students does not generally depend on the population’s income level, the number of universities ranked in the QS and foreign students does. The correlation analysis revealed that GDP and GNI, population, and separately the employment and unemployment rates (for ranked universities and foreign students) are important factors that determine the uneven structure of the higher education market. The identified factors formed the basis for clustering countries using Ward’s hierarchical method, which revealed the clear existence of 3 clusters: the smallest of them accumulates the 4 largest European economies with the most ranked universities; the largest (24 countries) is quite diverse, which indicates relatively equal opportunities in the market and its unification. Acknowledgment Tetiana Vasylieva and Artem Artyukhov thank project 0122U000772, and Nadiia Artyukhova thanks project 0124U000545 for carrying out their part of this research.

China's prominence poses challenges to the Pacific Alliance (PA) countries seeking to strengthen their integration. This is due to asymmetries in trade exchange and reprimarization within the framework of the Commodities Consensus. From a critical point of view, the trade positioning between the PA and China between 2001 and 2021 is examined, contrasting the Chinese Five-Year Plan and its dual circulation strategy with an analysis of trade concentration and composition. This period allows us to study trade since China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). The findings show a deterioration of the PA countries' position, but also opportunities for catching up through integration in intermediate goods value chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between product diversification strategy and cost stickiness, focusing on managerial overconfidence as a moderating factor. It aims to address a critical gap in the literature by providing empirical insights grounded in the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory, specifically examining firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. Methodology: Utilizing a sample of 149 companies from the Tehran Stock Exchange in Iran spanning from 2015 to 2021, this study tests two hypotheses: (1) a positive relationship between product diversification and cost stickiness and (2) the amplification of this relationship by managerial overconfidence. Product diversification is quantified using the Herfindahl Index, while managerial overconfidence is measured through an investment-based index derived from capital expenditures. Cost stickiness is assessed by analysing the asymmetric behaviour of costs in response to changes in sales, focusing on how costs tend to remain high even when sales decrease. Findings: The empirical results substantiate both hypotheses, demonstrating a significant positive relationship between product diversification strategy and cost stickiness. Furthermore, managerial overconfidence amplifies this relationship, highlighting the role of internal resources and managerial perceptions in shaping cost behaviour. Originality: This study contributes substantially to the literature by being among the first to empirically examine the interplay between product diversification strategy, cost stickiness, and managerial overconfidence. Extending the RBV theory to cost behaviour and strategic management provides novel insights for scholars and practitioners in entrepreneurship, corporate strategy, and organizational behaviour. The findings underscore the importance of strategic choices and managerial traits in determining cost stickiness, offering valuable implications for financial analysts, auditors, and stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study comprehensively examines the diversification of asparagus exports from Peru, concentrating its analysis on the strategic diversification of markets and companies as pivotal for fostering sustainable growth in the agricultural sector. Utilizing a descriptive and non-experimental quantitative methodology, the research analyzed export data spanning from 2018 to 2023. This analysis was performed using the Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI) (Arbulú Ballesteros et al., 2024), a tool designed to measure market concentration levels (Montes Ninaquispe, Pantaleón Santa María, Arbulú Ballesteros, et al., 2023). The findings reveal a significant ongoing dependence on the American market, highlighting it as the primary export destination. However, there is a noticeable trend towards greater diversification among export destinations and the companies involved in these processes. The study notes a progressive decline in market concentration, which suggests a shift towards a more competitive and diversified export environment. Conclusions drawn from the research underscore the critical need to develop strategies that not only diversify markets but also enhance overall competitiveness within the sector. Recommendations from the study stress the importance of tapping into emerging markets, creating value-added products, adopting advanced technologies, and supporting the inception of new businesses. Additionally, it advocates for the promotion of business development across various regions to mitigate risks and encourage more balanced and sustainable economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of tourism type concentration/diversification on tourism revenues in Türkiye. For this purpose, the study calculates an indicator that measures tourism type concentration using the normalized Herfindahl Hirschman Index (HHI) and the number of tourists in 10 different categories according to their purpose of visit and subsequently, examines the effect of this concentration in a model estimated for inbound tourism revenues. Findings of the study based on the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model indicate that tourism type concentration positively affects inbound tourism revenues. More precisely, it was found that a certain increase in the concentration (decrease in the diversification) level causes an increase (a decrease) in inbound tourism revenues at approximately the same percentage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) has taken on increased importance in recent years for all stakeholders, with the S dimension now taking on a stronger focus in the real estate space. This paper proposes a new metric to be used in the S space to assess improvements in aspects such as gender equality and cultural diversity in real estate. It adds to the S metrics currently available to see the more effective delivery of the S dimension into real estate investment decision-making. Design/methodology/approach: A new S metric in ESG is proposed and validated. Using this metric, examples regarding gender equality and cultural diversity are assessed among leading real estate players in Australia. This S metric is assessed over a number of time periods to demonstrate the improvements in gender equality and cultural diversity in these major real estate players. Findings: This new S metric is seen to be highly effective and robust in capturing the changes in various aspects of the S dimension in ESG in the real estate space today; particularly concerning gender equality and cultural diversity. It is clearly able to demonstrate the significant changes in increased participation of women at the more senior leadership levels by leading players in the real estate space. Practical implications: With ESG becoming a critical issue in the real estate sector, issues involved in the S space will take on increased significance going forward. This is critical, as the elements of the S dimension such as gender equality and cultural diversity are important aspects for an effectively functioning real estate industry. The S metric developed in this paper can be used for benchmarking purposes over time, as well as between real estate players, between sub-sections within a real estate organisation, and comparing against other industry sectors. It is also relevant in all organisations, and is not just limited to the real estate sector. Additional metrics in the S space are an important development to further empirically assess the effective delivery of the S dimension of ESG in the real estate sector and more broadly. Originality/value: This paper specifically proposes this new S metric in ESG in the real estate industry. This is a key issue for the real estate industry going forward at all levels, as it will facilitate a more diverse real estate industry and more effective real estate investment decision-making. This S metric is applicable in all organisational sectors where the S dimension of ESG is important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses social network analysis and Herfindahl-Hirschman index to analyze the spatio-temporal evolution of association pattern of China's friendship cities from 1973 to 2022, and uses scale politics to reveal its evolutionary mechanism. The findings are as follows. (1) Chinese cities as a whole show a trend of spreading from East China, Northeast China and North China to South China, Southwest China and Northwest China, showing a spatial distribution pattern of more in the east and less in the west. Foreign cities show a trend of spreading from East Asia and North America to Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. (2) The association pattern of China's international friendship cities tends to be complicated, the first pairing region of each region has changed greatly in different periods, and the range of pairing continues to expand. On the whole, there are a large number of pairs between China and Western Europe, East Asia (Japan and South Korea) and North America, but the phenomenon of close pairing between the border provinces and their neighboring cities in foreign countries is more significant. At present, China's international friendship cities are clustered along the "Belt and Road". (3) From the perspective of the influence mechanism, the actors in the global, national, local and other scale have shaped the association pattern of China's international friendship cities through the scale reconstruction processes such as scaling up and scaling down. Among them, the economic development level at local scale (city), social and cultural relations, urban industrial structure, geographical proximity, historical communication and correlation, urban functions as supporting factors affect the processes of scale reconstruction. The scale reconstruction processes promote the evolution of the spatial distribution pattern of Chinese and foreign cities and their pairing relations, and further lead to the evolution of association pattern of China's international friendship cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over the past decade, private investments in health care including hospital have grown significantly, more than doubling. As the number of hospitals in Indonesia increases, a competitive business environment develops. Identifying hospital market structure can help various stakeholders to optimize the hospital's performance. Aims: This study analyzed the market structure and concentration of the hospital industry in Indonesia. Methods: This study used hospital characteristics data from Ministry of Health of Indonesia that retrieved in October 2020. Market concentration is determined by the number of industry players operating in a market, the distribution of services, and the types of services offered. The hospital market concentration was identified by measuring the Concentration Ratio (CR) and the Herfindahl–Hirschman index (HHI). Results: The results showed that the market share of hospitals in Indonesia was still dominated by government hospitals, which represent 51.4% of the market share. The concentration ratio of four companies (CR4) remains

Background: Cambodia's health sector faces significant challenges exacerbated by aid fragmentation, where development aid is dispersed among numerous small, uncoordinated projects. This study examines the distribution of health sector aid among Cambodia's principal donors to identify priorities, overlaps, and potential collaboration opportunities, addressing the urgent need for aid efficiency and alignment with national health priorities. Methods: Utilizing OECD datasets and the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for the years 2010–2021, this study quantifies aid fragmentation within Cambodia's health sector. It analyzes aid allocations from the top five donors—United States, Australia, South Korea, Japan, and Germany—across various health projects and initiatives, evaluating the extent of fragmentation and identifying areas for potential donor collaboration. Results: This study's findings highlight a pervasive issue of aid fragmentation within Cambodia's health sector, evident through the sector's low HHI score. This indicates a widespread distribution of aid across numerous small-scale initiatives, rather than targeted, unified efforts. A notable example includes Japan and Korea, which exhibit lower HHI scores, indicating a more pronounced fragmentation in their aid allocation. These countries' contributions are spread across various sectors without a dominant focus, contrasting with the United States' significant dedication to infectious disease control. However, beyond this specific area, the US's aid distribution across other priority health areas shows signs of fragmentation. This scattered approach to aid allocation, even amidst instances of focused support, illustrates the overarching challenge of aligning donor contributions with the holistic needs of Cambodia's health infrastructure. Conclusions: This investigation highlights the critical need for enhanced collaboration and strategic harmonization among international donors to mitigate aid fragmentation in Cambodia's health sector. It underscores the importance of adopting integrated and priority-aligned aid strategies to improve the efficiency and impact of health aid. By fostering synergistic partnerships and harmonizing donor efforts, there is a potential to create a more cohesive support framework that resonates with Cambodia's comprehensive health requirements and contributes to sustainable health outcomes. Such harmonization not only aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 3 by optimizing health services and outcomes but also strengthens global partnerships under Sustainable Development Goal 17, fostering a unified approach to international development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In many tax-based healthcare systems, policymakers have introduced reforms that promote provider competition with the intention of improving the quality and efficiency. Healthcare competition is usually defined spatially, with local markets often being identified as a circle around each provider. We argue that existing local market definitions can be improved to better capture actual local markets. For pro-competition reforms to potentially lead to the gains envisioned by policymakers, a crucial condition is the actual emergence of competitive markets. However, limited research has been conducted on competition in primary care markets, despite primary care constituting a vital part of a healthcare system. Aim: The study aims to contribute to the debate on how to define local markets geographically and to examine provider competition in Swedish primary care. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data on all individuals and all primary care providers in Sweden. Local markets were defined as: fixed radius (1 km and 3 km); variable radius; and variable shape—our new local market definition that allows markets to vary in both size and shape. Competition was measured using the Herfindahl-Hirschman index and a count of the number of competitors within the local market. Results: Fixed radius markets fail to capture variation within and across geographical areas. The variable radius and variable shape markets are similar but do not always identify the same competitors or level of competition. Furthermore, competition levels vary significantly in Swedish primary care. Many providers operate in monopoly markets, whereas others face high competition. Conclusions: While the variable shape approach has the potential to better capture actual markets and more accurately identify competitors, further analyses are needed. Moreover, Swedish policymakers are advised to decide whether to still pursue competition and if so, take measures to improve local market conditions in monopolies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates export diversification among OPEC countries, emphasizing its importance for economic resilience and stability. The objective is to assess which factors influence export diversification in OPEC countries. Methodologically, the research analyzes panel data from 2011 to 2022 using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) and the GINI coefficient to measure export diversification. The panel analysis considers GDP per capita, population (market size), FDI, trade openness, education, infrastructure, economic diversification, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study employs both pooled and fixed effects (FE) models. The fixed effects model was employed to account for country-specific characteristics that may influence the results and was chosen because the Kruskal-Wallis test indicated statistically significant differences in the medians of HHI and GINI among countries, both for individual observations and average values. The Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE) model was used to address heteroskedasticity. The Shapiro-Wilk test was initially used to test for normal distribution, and due to its results, the Kruskal-Wallis test was subsequently employed. The results from the PCSE model indicate robust findings, confirming the significant impact of trade openness, economic diversification, and education on export diversification in both models where the dependent variable is HHI and GINI. This study highlights the importance of understanding various economic and infrastructural factors contributing to export diversification, providing valuable insights for policymakers aiming to enhance economic stability and growth in OPEC countries. This research first quantified export diversification indices using HHI and GINI, revealing the countries with the highest and lowest export diversification. The quantification was based on the HS6 classification, which represents the highest level of aggregation in export data, allowing for a detailed analysis of export diversification. According to the HHI, Iraq has the highest market concentration and, thus, the lowest export diversification, while Indonesia shows the highest diversification with the lowest market concentration. On the other hand, the GINI coefficient indicates that Angola has the lowest level of export diversification, whereas Iraq has the highest. Despite using the same dataset, these differing results arise because the HHI measures market concentration across products or countries. At the same time, the GINI coefficient assesses the inequality in export shares, focusing on the distribution of export income among different entities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dynamic competition in a free market comprises its own mechanisms for balancing the supply and demand of goods and services. The paper proposes an analysis of companies in the agri-food sector in Moldova, focusing on their turnover and geographical distribution by regions. Open-access articles from Clarivate, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate were used for the literature review. Official data provided by National Bureau of Statistics were utilized for the research. The results showed a significant increase in cumulative turnover for operators in the food industry during 2015-2021. In 2022, regarding the concentration level of companies across different geographic regions, the highest concentration was observed in Chisinau Municipality and the lowest in the ATU Gagauzia. The study highlighted an Inverse Herfindahl-Hirschman Index in Chisinau Municipality and a minimum the ATU Gagauzia Region. The analysis conducted is part of the doctoral training stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes post-socialist industrial development and policy in the Western Balkans through the lens of its regional specialization and spatial concentration. Against a conceptual framework revolving around place-based industrial policy, and using the Concentration index (modified Herfindahl-Hirschman index) and location coefficients (Balassa index), a comparative analysis over three decades (1990–2020) highlights weak regional diversification and intra-regional integration of industrial activity. The findings offer a new industrial policy that transcends regional specialization and spatial concentration to address regional development, planning and governance. The concluding remarks reveal some basic paths toward effective and pro-European regional industrial policy in the Western Balkans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper, rooted in agency theory, explores the intricate relationship between stock price crash risk and customer concentration within the context of Iran, a developing nation. Utilising innovative indicators to measure corporate and government customers, we address inconsistent findings in existing research and offer fresh insights into stock price crash risk dynamics. Focusing on 82 companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange from 2013 to 2020, our study employs a robust methodological framework, including panel data, multiple regression and three distinct metrics to measure customer concentration. Specifically, we introduce the proportion of significant customer sales, the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, and a Ranking Index based on substantial customer sales. Our investigation reveals a noteworthy inverse relationship between the highest concentration level of corporate customer concentration, as measured by the Ranking Index, and stock price crash risk. Similarly, we establish an inverse association between the Ranking Index for government customer concentration and stock price crash risk. Moreover, institutional investors positively influence the correlation between corporate customer concentration and stock price crash risk but do not exert a discernible impact on the relationship between government customer concentration and stock price crash risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The virtual agglomeration of manufacturing realises the ubiquitous connection and efficient allocation of technological innovation resources, and becomes a new driving force for improving the technological innovation efficiency of enterprises and building a strong manufacturing country. This paper constructs a theoretical framework to investigate the impact of the specialised and diversified virtual agglomeration of manufacturing on the efficiency of enterprise technological innovation. This paper uses the adjusted location entropy and the Herfindahl-Hirschman index to measure the level of specialised and diversified virtual agglomeration of manufacturing. Using Chinese manufacturing data (2008–2021), empirical tests confirm that the specialised and diversified virtual agglomeration of manufacturing can improve the efficiency of enterprise technological innovation. Additionally, the mechanism test results show that the specialised virtual agglomeration of manufacturing improves the technological innovation efficiency of enterprises through competition and knowledge spillover, and the diversified virtual agglomeration improves the technological innovation efficiency of enterprises through knowledge spillover. However, the effect of specialised virtual agglomeration of manufacturing on the efficiency of enterprises` technological innovation will be adjusted by the age of enterprises. These results are pivotal for understanding the realistic path of virtual agglomeration of manufacturing to improve the technological innovation efficiency of enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many institutions of higher learning aim to promote greater racial diversity to harness learning benefits and foster a sense of inclusion. Nevertheless, the institutional pursuit of racial diversity is difficult to benchmark. The current constitutional boundary limits the use of race to promote the diversity in college admissions to a "narrow," "holistic," and "case-by-case" strategy laden with definitional ambiguity. This ambiguity is deepened by constraints, such as institutional history, demographics, geography, and institutional rank, that often go unaccounted for in popular diversity measures. This article creates an expected diversity measure that describes the amount of racial diversity one would expect accounting for the home state of their incoming class. This initial step serves as an example that universities may follow when using their own internal data to account for a richer set of diversity constraints and to better monitor progress toward reaching their racial diversity goals. These measures can free universities from chasing unattainable external judgments on diversity targets, such as national benchmarks, thereby encouraging a more effective redistribution of resources for diversity-related outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Asiaʼs Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (EIGP) is home to approximately 450 million people. This region is characterized by the highest global concentration of rural poverty and a predominant reliance on agriculture for nutritional sustenance and economic livelihoods. Agriculture in the EIGP is highly cereal-centric, making crop diversification indispensable for its development. This data article is part of the research conducted by an interdisciplinary team of researchers analysing the status and determinants of crop diversification in South Asiaʼs EIGP. The data presented here were collected from 1,400 farm households across 72 communities in eight locations within the EIGP of India, Nepal, and Bangladesh during the year 2023. The research employed a simple random sampling method for empirical data collection. The primary agricultural decision-makers were given a tailored questionnaire comprising seven modules. These modules sought comprehensive data on livelihood practices, changes in agriculture, aspirations, diet, food security, mechanization, demographics, and asset ownership. The questionnaire was translated from English into Nepali and Bangla to facilitate a thorough understanding of the farmers' livelihoods in the study areas. The survey successfully ended with 1400 properly filled and captured questionnaires, which was quite representative. The cross-sectional data presented here describe location-specific farm-level crop distribution, enabling the analysis of geographic variations in crop diversification. The generation of this dataset addresses a significant gap in the availability of information on the current state of crop diversification in the EIGP, offering a foundational baseline for future research and interventions by regional governments and development partners. We employed the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI) to calculate crop diversification and a Tobit Regression Model to identify the region-specific determinants of crop diversification. The dataset is hereby made available as it is considered vital for regional policy and practical recommendations.

Integrating different land uses within a geographic area is essential to urban planning and development. Accurate and fast land use mix (LUM) measurement is necessary for evaluating urban diversity and sustainability. In this paper, we present landusemix, a Python package developed to calculate LUM using two distinct indices: the Entropy Index and the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI). The landusemix package provides tools for GIS researchers and urban planners to measure the diversity and concentration of land use. Detailed descriptions of the methodologies employed and examples of practical usage are provided. Researchers can use this package to calculate LUM quickly and in bulk, and its results can be easily incorporated into further analysis.

The music industry, and in particular the recording and publishing sectors, has historically been controlled by a handful of large firms. In recent years, this tendency towards concentration appears to have spread to the promotion sector as well. Using a Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) together with other North American tour industry figures, this study investigates the impacts of rising concentration in music promotion between 2010 and 2019. The results show a steady rise from moderate to high-level concentration over that time frame in large part driven by Live Nation alone. This rising concentration was found to be associated with higher prices for fans, bigger productions, less risk taking from promoters and more homogenous offerings, consistent with known monopolistic behaviours. Implications for theory and policymakers are suggested in closing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates the effect of religious labor market concentration on clergy wages. Using data on the state-level Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) from the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA), and data on individual clergy wages from the Census/American Community Survey (ACS), I estimate the effect of monopsony in the market for religion on clergy wages for the years 1980 to 2020. Ordinary least squares (OLS) estimates suggest the elasticity of individual clergy wages to the state-level HHI ranges between -0.05 and -0.17. These results are robust to the inclusion of controls for individual clergy characteristics, state-level religious tradition adherent shares, state-level labor market concentration, state- and year-fixed effects, and religious group-specific time trends. Application of the Oster (2019) test for selection on unobservables suggests that OLS understates the negative effect of concentration on clergy wages. The OLS results are supported by an instrumental variables (IV) specification exploiting a Bartik-style instrument interacting historic concentration with national concentration growth. The IV estimates suggest elasticities between -0.11 and -0.19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to examine whether diversified economies enhance the growth benefits from foreign direct investment (FDI). Diversified economies benefit from stable export earnings, stable investment composition and greater factor endowments through forward and backward linkages that can leverage superior foreign technology embedded in FDI. This is crucial as many African economies suffer from dependency while FDI is concentrated in the primary sector. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use a dataset of 15 Economic Community of West African States from 1995 to 2020 and compile variables from various sources, including an export diversification index measured using the Herfindahl–Hirschman index of product concentration. The authors use a growth regression model estimated using dynamic panel estimators to control for endogeneity and simultaneity issues. Findings: The results show that the effects of direct FDI are insignificant to growth considering diversification and controlling for other confounding factors. Meanwhile, diversification is associated with growth, which highlights the importance of industrial policy. More importantly, the authors find that the marginal effects of FDI are positively and significantly associated with growth when diversification levels are low, implying that production structure matters for the FDI–growth nexus in developing economies. Originality/value: Previous studies have overlooked the role of export production structure on the FDI–growth nexus. Many developing economies are dependent on primary exports and suffer from dependency, which implies lower levels of factor endowments. As such, this reduces the growth gains from FDI. The authors provide new empirical evidence on the importance of export production structure on the FDI–growth nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose: Academic research has intensively analyzed the relationship between market concentration or market power and banking stability but provides ambiguous results, which are summarized under the concentration-stability/fragility view. We provide empirical evidence that the mixed results are due to the difficulty of identifying reliable variables to measure concentration and market power. Design/methodology/approach: Using data from 3,943 banks operating in the European Union (EU)-15 between 2013 and 2020, we employ linear regression models on panel data. Banking market concentration is measured by the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI), and market power is estimated by the product-specific Lerner Indices for the loan and deposit market, respectively. Findings: Our analysis reveals a significantly stability-decreasing impact of market concentration (HHI) and a significantly stability-increasing effect of market power (Lerner Indices). In addition, we provide evidence for a weak (or even absent) empirical relationship between the (non)structural measures, challenging the validity of the structure-conduct-performance (SCP) paradigm. Our baseline findings remain robust, especially when controlling for a likely reverse causality. Originality/value: Our results suggest that the HHI may reflect other factors beyond market power that influence banking stability. Thus, banking supervisors and competition authorities should investigate market concentration and market power simultaneously while considering their joint impact on banking stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to present research results on the competition on the bread market of Kyiv and its region to identify strategic development directions, considering changes in consumer needs during economic and geopolitical turbulence. The research methods included: socio-economic analysis to assess the impact of turbulence on the bread market in Kyiv and its region; statistical analysis to quantify and compare market parameters with those in Ukraine; index method to evaluate market concentration; SLEPT analysis to examine external factors affecting the market during turbulence; and other methods. The pandemic transformed the bread market due to rising prices, increased demand, and disrupted logistics. During the war, infrastructure destruction, grain theft, and consumer migration led to a decline in bakery production, changes in value chains focusing on security, and rising selling prices. The issues like delayed payments and a shift to online sales have emerged. Regionalization of bread markets increased, with producers concentrated in 1-2 regions, defining local supply and prices. The market shifted from weakly to highly concentrated in 2022, becoming moderately concentrated in 2023. Core players, such as Kyiv BCC LLC and Kyiv Regional Bak Complex LLC, showed resilience, while income differentiation remained average. A trend towards organic products, driven by safety concerns, has also been noted. The results of this study are relevant to participants of regional bread markets who aim to implement marketing strategies during periods of turbulence. The findings assess the economic situation on the bread market of Kyiv and its region, highlighting potential strategic development directions for producers during wartime based on marketing and logistics principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversification within and outside of small-scale fisheries (SSF) is a common strategy to stabilize revenues and increase resilience following disturbances. Using SSF in Virginia, USA as a case study, Herfindahl–Hirschman Indices (HHIs) were used to characterize individual and fleet levels of income diversification, while generalized linear mixed models were used to examine drivers of diversification behavior. HHI income values indicate that fishers tended to exhibit specialized behavior. More diversified fishers tended to have less interannual revenue variability and higher annual incomes. Decisions to increase or decrease diversification were associated with various factors, including total years of participation, annual income, the type of licenses held, landings levels, participation in marine-related business outside of SSF, and market prices. An understanding of diversification levels and associated drivers of behavior can help fishery managers and governing entities predict how fishers will react to perturbations. Environmental changes that alter species distributions and increase the potential for invasive species, as well as shifting sociodemographics within the fishing industry, will likely continue to influence diversification behavior in the future. Developing strategies to reduce the impact of these events on fishers and fishing communities will help to increase resilience and reduce vulnerability in SSF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article augments the literature on the analysis of competitive balance, encompassing its measurement, comparisons across leagues and seasons, and ramifications for league management. Central to our examination is the notion of competitive balance, which is intimately tied to the concentration concept. This concept can be depicted as a dual metric—capturing both inequality and the number of competing teams. Historically, its magnitude has been gauged using standardised measures of inequality and concentration. Among these, the Herfindahl–Hirschman index and its subsequent refinements stand out. We employ the distance‐to‐competitive‐balance index, which, contingent upon the metric space chosen, qualifies either as an inequality or concentration measure. Our analysis spans the 2009/2010 to 2018/2019 seasons for both the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) championships in the pre‐COVID‐19 era. We discern a tangible and significant correlation between the competitive equilibrium of leagues and the performance metrics of national teams. Both the disparities in strengths of teams and the number of participating teams emerged as paramount variables shaping this competitive balance. Further, we delineate the elasticities of competitive balance relative to these determinants. Our insights bear implications for designing football championship structures and delineating sports policies; thus, they are valuable for relevant sports governing bodies and federations. The strategic decision to enlarge team count vis‐à‐vis curtailing discrepancies in team competencies is nuanced, varying across federations and confederations. The Big Five European leagues display heightened sensitivity to inequality factors (with interventions such as financial fair play, salary caps or revenue distribution yielding pronounced effects), whereas for CONMEBOL, elasticity in relation to team count holds greater significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurturing specialized and sophisticated enterprises is a vital strategic initiative to mitigate the dependency on crucial technologies and to promote the competitiveness of Chinese manufacturing industry. Basing on a technology, organization, and environment (TOE) framework, combined with geographic concentration, qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), and data envelopment analysis (DEA) methods, this article analyzes the conducive business environment for the growth of specialized and sophisticated "little giant" enterprises (LGEs) from configurational perspective. It takes the quantity and density of LGEs in different regions of China as the consequence event. The findings show that: (1) the spatial distribution of LGEs is highly uneven with a geographic concentration index (CR5) of 0.436 and a Herfindahl–Hirschman Index of 0.0599. (2) The presence of numerous technology‐oriented SMEs and a "favorable" business environment are not necessarily the regions where a larger number of LGEs are fostered. Indeed, the harmonious interplay of TOE is more important for achieving optimal outcomes. The differential configurations contributing to the regional output variations of LGEs can be classified with three patterns: technology‐organization‐environment synergistic promotion type (H1), innovation stimulation through effective financial support type (H2a), and compensatory type for inadequate innovation resources (H2b). While these configurations may lead to similar outcomes, they do not yield the same effectiveness. (3) The DEA reveals a tendency for "over‐optimization" in improving regional business environment under the TOE framework, indicating the presence of "input redundancy" and corresponding "output loss" issues in TOE factors. Local governments must adhere to the "barrel principle" and optimize the business environment that aligns with development of LGEs through the concept of dynamic adaptation. Adopting an organizational mindset of "stringing beads into chains" can help construct regional industrial chains with distinctive features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Nowadays, the competition is not only emerging from within the banking sector, but nonbanking companies like nonbanking financial companies (NBFCs) and FinTech are also growing in size and numbers, offering innovative financial products and services, giving a stiff competition to Indian banks. Thus, this study aims to investigate whether competition from within and outside the banking sector enhances or reduces the financial stability of the banking industry. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses Herfindahl–Hirschman index to measure market share and Z score to measure financial stability. The study further examines the role of NBFCs and FinTech companies in impacting the financial stability by introducing variables like innovation, cybercrimes, systemically important institutions, etc. Thereafter, panel regression has been applied. Findings: Empirical results show a positive relation of market share with financial stability, implying that increased competition in the Indian banking industry erodes the market power, adversely affecting the profit margins which encourages banks to take more risk and which may impact financial stability. The study shows a positive impact of innovation on financial stability which implies that the competition is acting as an enabler for banks. The authors find a negative relation of systemic important NBFCs with financial stability. The authors observe a negative association of cybercrimes with financial stability, reflecting that competition emerging from FinTech sector has exposed banks to new risks. Research limitations/implications: The policymakers should make sure that the competition of banks with other financial institutions, such as FinTech sector, remains healthy; otherwise, it can jeopardize the entire financial system. It is for the policymakers to define a boundary for FinTech sector, as the development of this sector has exposed the banking industry to new kinds of risks potential to create financial instability. The banks should do a comprehensive check on the company to which it is granting loans, and the government should amend laws. Though big banks have huge potential, consolidations can pose challenges at a macroeconomic level. Originality/value: FinTech firms are a new entrant in the financial world which are providing immense competition to the banking sector, and thus radically changing the entire financial system. Therefore, it is extremely vital to study and explore the role of NBFCs and the FinTech industry as the main variable to analyze bank competition, which to the best of the authors' knowledge is completely missing in the previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This data article provides a description of the labor market concentration dataset. Using the job vacancy data from Lightcast from 2007Q1 to 2021Q2 (2008 and 2009 data are not available), we measure labor market concentration by using Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) in labor markets defined at the occupation (six-digit SOC), commuting zone, and quarterly level. The HHI is calculated based on the share of vacancies among all the firms that post vacancies in that market. Data includes information on year-quarter, six-digit SOC, commuting zone, lower bound HHI, and higher bound HHI. Given the growing literature on labor monopsony power, this labor market concentration data can be used by researchers in various contexts, aiming to investigate the impact of employer market power on different labor market and social outcomes.

This paper evaluates the evolution of urban agglomeration from 2000 to 2020 in 66 developing and developed economies from Asia, Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and examines how urban agglomeration changes impinge on economic performance changes. The aim is to overcome the limitations of the empirical literature by constructing a nuanced measure of urban agglomeration using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index calculation, which captures nations’ urban demographic structure more robustly than the indicators in the literature. The findings demonstrate that urban agglomeration has, on average, declined across world economies, contrary to a long-held assumption in the recent two decades. Empirically, the findings show a significant deleterious effect of urban agglomeration on economic performance in developing economies (i.e., Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia) and a beneficial effect in developed economies (i.e., Europe) in the short-run. However, the effect turns out to be beneficial in the developing economies in long-term. Based on the findings, we conclude that the relationship between urban agglomeration and economic performance is country-specific. Therefore, this paper professes that country-specific industrialization policy frameworks and governance effectiveness can enhance long-term positive economic effects of urban agglomeration in developing economies.

This article presents an in-depth analysis of market power and its impact on firm research and development (R&D) investment in China. Two opposing theories have been proposed in the literature. The first, due to Schumpeter, suggests that monopoly power has a positive effect on firms' propensity to innovate hence their investment in R&D. The alternative view, first proposed by Arrow, suggests that firms invest in R&D in order to escape competition, and thus market competition stimulates innovation. In testing these theories, prior studies have measured market power in different ways. Some use the so-called Lerner index, which measures the profit margin of a particular firm. Others use measures of industry concentration, for example, the Herfindahl index. This article tests the competing theories using a sample of 300,095 Chinese manufacturing firms in 29 two-digit manufacturing industries. We unify the two measures of market power, using a hierarchical linear model, to determine whether industry-level measures add power to specifications based on firm-level markups alone. We find, first, that firms are less likely to carry out R&D activities as their market power intensifies. The effect is nonlinear: firms with higher markups spend even less on R&D than a linear specification predicts. This finding supports Arrow's theory and contradicts Schumpeter's theory. Second, for the sample as a whole, the impact of industry-level concentration is negligible. However, when we break the sample into large, medium, and small firms, industry concentration has a significant effect on large and medium-sized firms but no impact on small firms. Thus, large firms with high markups in concentrated industries spend less on R&D than large firms with high markups in less concentrated industries. We interpret this as further evidence in support of the escape competition theory: less concentrated industries are more competitive, forcing the leaders to invest more heavily on R&D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating market competition is an important practice to assess how the forces and components at play in a select market interact. Healthcare markets are similar to any other market present in the world, where competition can be present or absent in the exchange of goods and services. Applying a standard measure of assessing market competition, the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, to California's Medi-Cal managed care marketplace, it is found that there is no competition present in all of California's counties as defined by the common interpretation of the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index. A distinctive trend in markets is that when less competition is present, the cost of goods and services increases to reflect the principles of supply and demand. California Medi-Cal markets follow this trend of less competitive markets being associated with increased adult midpoint costs. These findings help further to elucidate California's Medi-Cal marketplace on a county-by county level.

While universities are expected to exemplify sustainable practices, they often encounter high energy demands. This dichotomy highlights the necessity for research into their energy consumption. Through a Systematic Literature Review, we examined international research trends in this field and explored factors influencing energy consumption. The importance of this article stems from its novel approach to energy consumption in universities, addressed from a global and comprehensive perspective, offering generalizable insights. Additionally, it pioneers in the use of a market concentration indicator (Herfindahl–Hirschman index) to measure the level of diversity in various bibliometric aspects. The extended perspective of our approach helps to close knowledge gaps about scientific trends and common energy consumption factors. Our results show that this topic has been investigated with limited involvement of social sciences. Building function, research intensity, and disciplinary orientation are distinctive factors in energy consumption in this field. Most influential authors, countries, and journals in this area were identified. This analysis contributes academically, by mapping research trends and providing guidance for future studies; practically, by offering insights for educational administrators on common factors affecting energy consumption; and in terms of policy, by advocating for the promotion of social sciences-based investigations on the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes an analysis of the local gastronomic services market in Romania. The growing interest in culinary tourism through Local Gastronomic Points is evident both globally and nationally. Gastronomic tourism can provide unique culinary experiences, especially in rural households. Clarivate, Google Scholar, and Research Gate articles were used for bibliographic research. The necessary data for the research were selected from the reports of the National Agency for Mountain Areas and the statistics of the National Veterinary Sanitary and Food Safety Authority. The information was statistically processed and graphically represented. The assessment of market concentration was conducted using the Herfindahl-Hirschman and Gini-Struck indices. The research results highlighted the dynamism of the sector against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic but also revealed some deficiencies at the local authorities' level. HHI and GSI values indicate a low market concentration at the county level. Local Gastronomic Point businesses have high development potential, significantly contributing to increasing people's income and rural area development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to identify the specifics of the competitive environment in the bread and bakery products market and evaluate the prospects for the development of bakery enterprises under the influence of COVID-19 and full-scale invasion. The analysis of the operating environment of enterprises in the Ukrainian bread and bakery products market revealed a number of key factors influencing their activities and competitiveness. The concentration on factors such as stable production, reliable logistics, the presence of a wide range of products, and active foreign economic activity underscores the importance of adhering to a developed and well-organized bakery sector to ensure food security in the country. The state of the bread and bakery products market during periods of turmoil (COVID-19 pandemic and war) has been investigated. The dynamics of key market parameters for bread and bakery products in Ukraine for the period 2015-2021 were analyzed. An analysis of the dynamics of import costs and export income of bakery products in Ukraine for 2016-2022 was conducted. The level of competition in the bread and bakery products market was evaluated using quantitative concentration indicators such as: the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, the Linda Index, the Gini Index. Based on the results of market concentration assessment in 2021, it was found that "Breadprom Concern", LLC KVF "ROMA", LLC "Kyiv Bread" entered the core of the analyzed market; in 2022 - Breadprom Concern", LLC KVF "ROMA", LLC "Kyiv Bread" and LLC "Kyiv Regional Bakery Complex". SWOT analysis was used to identify internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external factors influencing the bakery production sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]