Search Results (95)

Whether corporate digital spending can produce sustainability-related outcomes is still not well understood. Much of the existing discussion treats digital transformation as a broad strategic process, but firms make sustainability decisions through more concrete resource allocations, including investment in information systems, data infrastructure, and IT-based management tools. This study therefore focuses on IT investment and examines its relationship with corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. Based on panel data for Chinese A-share listed firms from 2009 to 2024, we estimate fixed-effects models and further test the roles of technological spillovers, market competition, and ownership structure. The evidence indicates that firms with higher IT investment tend to report better ESG performance. This association remains significant when lagged IT investment is used, suggesting that the result is not merely driven by same-period correlation. Technological spillovers explain part of the relationship: IT investment appears to support ESG performance partly by improving technological learning, innovation diffusion, and knowledge accumulation. By contrast, market competition does not significantly change the IT investment–ESG relationship. Additional analysis shows that the positive effect is stronger in state-owned enterprises than in non-state-owned enterprises. The findings imply that IT investment can be viewed not only as a source of operational efficiency, but also as a digital resource that may strengthen firms’ capacity for sustainable governance. Full article

Inflation, recognized as a social determinant of health (SDOH), significantly affects the daily lives of individuals through the rising costs of food, housing, and other basic needs, all of which are public health concerns. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation has become a prominent concern in the U.S. and has been linked to increased stress and poor mental health among adults. While data on inflation is tracked routinely, how it is discussed publicly is understudied. Social media platforms provide insights into how inflation is framed and experienced by the public, and these assessments may be used to determine public health needs and policy advocacy. In this study, we conducted a time-bound, platform-specific case study of inflation-related discourse on X (formerly Twitter). Analysis revealed a predominance of negative sentiments (68.5%) including frustration and distrust. Posts primarily concerned monetary policy/government spending (31.6%), Federal Reserve interest rates/financial markets (24.5%), and U.S. presidential politics (12.9%). The users did not explicitly discuss personal-level hardships, and the discussions largely focused on macro-level issues framed in polarized political perspectives. These patterns matter for public health because institutional trust shapes support for social and health policies. Our study findings suggest a fragmented social environment that may exacerbate community-wide anxiety and challenge health promotion efforts and the need for public health surveillance through surveys or personal interviews to identify and address the psychological burden of inflation. Full article

Variations in government effectiveness across EU Member States are reflected in significant differences in socio-economic, fiscal and migration outcomes, which are rarely analysed within a single integrated framework. The analysis combines a structured bibliometric review with an empirical investigation based on EU-27 panel data covering the period 2015–2024, using co-occurrence and co-citation networks generated with VOSviewer to anchor the analytical framework in the literature. Government effectiveness, as measured by the Worldwide Governance Indicators, is analysed in relation to the risk of poverty and social exclusion (AROPE), GDP per capita, employment, social expenditure and migration dynamics. The results show that higher levels of institutional effectiveness are consistently associated with reduced social vulnerability, improved labour market performance and higher income levels in Member States. In contrast, the relationship with migration appears weaker and less robust across different econometric specifications. The interaction between government effectiveness and social spending also suggests that higher institutional quality can enhance the effectiveness of social policies in reducing vulnerability. Overall, the findings highlight the role of institutional quality as a conditioning factor of socio-economic outcomes, while indicating that the estimated relationships should be interpreted as conditional associations rather than strict causal effects. Full article

Educational equality is essential for achieving social justice and sustainable development. Accurately predicting the trend of educational inequality is important for improving education systems and ensuring equitable resource allocation. In this paper, the Educational Gini (E-Gini) index is calculated based on the population aged 6 and above in China from 2002 to 2024, quantifying educational inequality. To forecast the future trend in the E-Gini index, a hybrid prediction framework based on the grey prediction model (GM(1,1)) and Cuckoo search-support vector regression (CS-SVR) model is proposed. This framework incorporates three influencing factors, including government budget spending on education, per capita consumption expenditure on education, and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for education. The results show that the E-Gini of China generally declines from 2002 to 2024 with fluctuations. The proposed approach predicts the E-Gini value of 2024 as 0.220130, while the actual value is 0.2206, corresponding to an absolute error of 0.000470 and a relative error of 0.213%. In the benchmark comparison, the proposed model outperforms the linear trend model, the univariate GM(1,1), the naive persistence model, ARIMA, and the standard SVR model. The comparative analysis demonstrates that the proposed framework effectively captures the inherent patterns of educational inequality and reveals its trends. The proposed framework serves as a valuable tool for forecasting trends in educational inequality and informing policy decisions. Full article

Population aging is widely regarded as a major fiscal risk for European welfare states and a central challenge to long-term fiscal sustainability. The article critically reexamines the deterministic assumption by assessing whether the fiscal implications of demographic aging in the European Union (EU) are mechanically driven or conditioned by policy context and institutional capacity. Using panel data for the EU-27 over the period 2014–2024, the study employs a two-way fixed-effects framework and interaction models to examine the relationship between demographic aging and key fiscal outcomes, including public pension expenditures, total social protection spending, and the general government balance. Furthermore, the analysis examines whether indicators associated with the silver economy, such as employment at older ages and digital inclusion, condition the fiscal effects of aging within countries over time. The results suggest that demographic aging does not exhibit a statistically significant association with pension or social protection expenditures once institutional heterogeneity and common shocks are controlled. In contrast to deterministic expectations, aging is positively associated with general government balance, suggesting the presence of policy-mediated fiscal adjustment dynamics rather than automatic fiscal deterioration. Interaction estimates further indicate that digital inclusion among older cohorts conditions the relationship between demographic aging and fiscal balance, while silver economy indicators do not display robust standalone fiscal effects. These findings should be interpreted as evidence of policy-mediated adjustment dynamics rather than as causal estimates of demographic effects. Building on these findings, the article advances a conceptual interpretation of the aging–fiscal nexus in which demographic pressures interact with institutional adaptation and policy capacity. Fiscal sustainability under demographic aging emerges as a policy-mediated outcome that may reflect broader institutional and governance contexts, rather than demographic structure alone. While governance quality is not directly estimated as an observable variable, the analysis interprets fiscal outcomes within a governance-conditioned institutional framework that emphasizes policy mediation rather than deterministic demographic effects. The findings contribute to ongoing debates on fiscal sustainability in aging societies by demonstrating that fiscal outcomes in the European Union are best understood as institutionally conditioned and policy-mediated rather than mechanically driven by demographic structure alone. Full article

Social cohesion and inclusive growth constitute the central pillars of the European Commission’s policy agenda. Meanwhile, the recurrence of energy crises exacerbates the living standards and raises the structural inequalities across European households. This paper exploits a Generalized Structural Equation Model (GSEM) to identify the effects of macroeconomic and political factors on the volatility in energy poverty. By moving beyond static levels, we examine volatility as a distinct dimension of vulnerability capturing the exposure to short-term shocks in energy affordability. The analysis is founded on a sample of 27 European countries between 2003 and 2022. The GSEM approach clarifies the drivers of the endogenous covariates, that is, the channels through which macroeconomic and political conditions are transmitted to energy poverty volatility. By decomposing the effects into within-country(cyclical) and between-country (structural) components, we find significant relationships that offer valuable insights for the design of effective policy measures. Economic expansion, higher public spending and household expenditure on maintenance of dwellings are directly linked with higher energy poverty volatility. Howbeit, political stability exerts a stabilizing effect, reflecting the importance of institutional quality and government effectiveness. Significant indirect mechanisms transmitted through growth reveal that cyclical expansions, inflationary pressures and short-term fiscal consolidations fuel energy poverty volatility. Growth, inflationary and tax-based driven volatility reflect asymmetrical effects on vulnerable consumers and rising energy deprivation in times of macroeconomic pressures. The results offer valuable evidence for the implication of effective fiscal and institutional policies that shield households from energy vulnerability and ensure affordable access to energy. Full article

For over a century now, one of the central debates of economic policy has been around fiscal policy. Taxation and government spending have been a feature of most political campaigns, with one (more vocal) side claiming that taxation chokes economic growth and benefits special interests, while leaving a legacy of debt. Another side sees taxation as a necessary tool for creating equal opportunity and ensuring adequate investment in collective public goods, including human capital. Using newly constructed datasets that we will make available, we take a fresh look at fiscal policy on the global level and across U.S. states, measuring its effects on growth and equity. We utilize a new technique, functional data analysis (FDA). We find limited evidence for both the conservative and progressive arguments around fiscal policy in the short term. Rather, the data suggest persistent fiscal patterns across space and time that reflect long-term social value choices around the tradeoffs of growth vs. public investment and equity. Full article

Regional vulnerability to food insecurity is shaped by intertwined socioeconomic and climatic factors. In Indonesia, vulnerability is evident in the rise in undernourishment from 8.23% in 2017 to 10.21% in 2022. This study proposes a new regional vulnerability index for food insecurity across Indonesia and shows that social and economic conditions are the main drivers. Using fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), the study examines how combinations of poverty, unemployment, GRDP per capita, government expenditure per capita, economic growth, and rainfall jointly produce vulnerability. fsQCA groups regions with similar profiles and identifies multiple causal pathways instead of a single cause. Analysis of 34 provinces reveals nine distinct pathways, typically involving high poverty and unemployment, low income and government spending, slow economic growth, and low rainfall. The results highlight the need to account for each region’s specific combination of conditions and to use methods that capture causal complexity in food insecurity. Full article

This study aims to analyze the effect of remittances on multidimensional poverty in Mexico by comparing them with other sources of household income, such as labor income and social spending from transfers, subsidies, and allocations. Furthermore, economic growth dynamism is incorporated as a control variable. A micro-panel with cross-sectional and temporal fixed effects covering the 32 federative entities from 2010 to 2024 is used for this purpose. The results reveal that, although remittances have a moderate alleviating effect on poverty, it is greater than the impact of social spending by state governments. In contrast, labor income is identified as the main factor in reducing multidimensional poverty. These findings underscore the importance of promoting the utilization of remittance flows through financial inclusion strategies to strengthen their contribution to sustained household well-being and consolidate them as a structural instrument against the persistent challenges of multidimensional poverty in Mexico. Full article

Tourism planning in port cities faces the dual challenge of maximizing economic benefits while mitigating environmental and social pressures. This study examines the case of Piraeus, Greece, by integrating insights from both visitors and residents to explore how stakeholder perceptions can inform sustainable and resilient destination planning. Drawing on primary data collected through large-scale surveys of visitors and local residents, the analysis applies a multidimensional framework to assess economic, environmental, and social impacts of tourism. Findings reveal strong visitor spending and cultural engagement alongside concerns about infrastructure, pollution, and service quality. Residents acknowledge job creation and business activity but emphasize rising living costs, overcrowding, and limited inclusion in tourism governance. By bridging these perspectives, this study highlights the importance of multiple-stakeholder analysis for integrated tourism planning and proposes governance strategies to enhance sustainability and resilience in port destinations such as Piraeus. Full article

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic exposed major structural deficiencies in global health governance, including stark inequities in vaccine access, intervention timing, and mortality outcomes. While economic resources played a role, the influence of governance performance remains insufficiently examined. This study addresses a significant gap by integrating governance metrics with pandemic response data to assess how governance quality, independent of income level, affected national outcomes. Although the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT) dataset has been widely used to document policy responses, this study offers a novel contribution by linking these policy interventions with governance performance and evaluating their joint effect on health outcomes and vaccine equity. Methods: This mixed-methods study combines quantitative analysis of global datasets with a qualitative literature review. Quantitative data were mainly obtained from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT), the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGIs), and World Bank/WHO databases. A governance performance index was constructed using two WGI components: Government Effectiveness and Regulatory Quality. Countries were grouped into high, medium, or low governance categories. Statistical tests included ANOVA, Kaplan Meier survival analysis, and multivariable OLS regression. The qualitative component reviewed 45 academic and institutional sources on governance performance during COVID-19. Results: Countries with high governance performance had earlier public health interventions, lower mortality, and broader vaccine coverage, independent of income level. Kaplan Meier analysis revealed faster school closures in these countries (p < 0.01). Multivariable regression showed governance remained a significant predictor after adjusting for income and health spending. Qualitative findings highlighted recurring weaknesses in legal enforceability, intergovernmental coordination, and global financing mechanisms. Conclusions: Governance performance had a decisive impact on pandemic outcomes. The COVID-19 crisis revealed the need for robust governance systems capable of responding to complex emergencies that extend beyond the health sector into institutional, economic, and social spheres. Full article

Background: Immunization coverage in Nigeria is low, with many children missing out on important lifesaving vaccines. To enable a better understanding of contextual factors towards increasing uptake, we piloted a Decentralized Immunization Monitoring (DIM) approach in the Kumbotso local government area (LGA) of Kano state, Nigeria, to identify wards with low vaccination rates and understand why this is happening. The findings were used to improve routine immunization (RI) programs and reduce the number of unvaccinated children and children yet to receive their first dose of diphtheria–pertussis–tetanus (DPT) vaccine, referred to as Zero-Dose children (ZD). Methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional design approach using the Behavioural and Social Drivers of Vaccination (BeSD) framework and the Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS). The study population comprised caregivers of children aged 0–11 months and 12–23 months across the 11 wards in Kumbotso District, Kano State, Nigeria, using a segmentation sampling approach. The study covered 209 settlements selected using probability proportionate to size (PPS) sampling from the wards. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed to show patterns and relations across variables. Results: Out of 418 caregivers surveyed, 98.1% were female. Delayed vaccination was experienced by 21.9% of children aged 4.5–11 months, while the prevalence of ZD was estimated at 26.8% amongst the older cohort (12–23 months). A total of 71.4% of the delayed group and 89.1% of the ZD group remained unvaccinated. Caregiver education, rural residence, and home births correlated with delayed/ZD status (p < 0.05). Logistic regression associated higher caregiver education with reduced delayed vaccination odds (OR:0.34, p < 0.001) and urban residence with lower ZD odds (OR:1.89, p = 0.036). The antigen coverages of BCG (81.5%), DPT3 (63.6%), and measles 1 (59.7%) all surpassed the national dropout thresholds. Kumbotso, Unguwar Rimi, and Kureken Sani wards were all identified as underperforming and therefore targeted for intervention. Negative vaccine perceptions (50% delayed, 53.6% ZD) and distrust in health workers (46.4% delayed, 48.2% ZD) were significant barriers, though the caregiver intent to vaccinate was protective (OR: 0.27, p < 0.001). The cost of accessing immunization services appeared to have a minor effect on coverage, as the majority of caregivers of delayed and ZD children reported spending less than 200 Naira (equivalent to USD 0.15) on transport. Conclusions: This pilot study highlighted the utility of LQAS and BeSD in identifying low-performing wards, barriers, and routine immunization gaps. Barriers included low caregiver education, rural residence, and negative vaccine perceptions/safety. Caregiver education and urban residence were protective factors against delayed and ZD vaccination, suggesting social and systemic barriers, particularly in rural and less educated populations. Antigen-specific coverage showed disparities, with dropouts for multi-dose vaccines exceeding the national thresholds of 10%. Targeted measures addressing education, trust, and systemic issues are needed. Findings emphasize decentralized monitoring, community engagement, and context-specific strategies to reduce ZD children and ensure equitable vaccination in Nigeria. Full article

This study investigated the determinants of the Healthcare Quality Index (HQI) in Saudi Arabia over the period from 1990 to 2024. It specifically analyzed the impact of six key variables: Medical Insurance Penetration Rate (MIPR), Gross Domestic Product per Capita (GDP), Unemployment Rate (UR), Inflation Rate (IR), Government Healthcare Expenditure as a Percentage of GDP (GHE), and Foreign Direct Investment in the Healthcare Sector (FDI). Utilizing the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) and Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) techniques, this research explored both the short-term dynamics and the long-term equilibrium relationships among these time-series variables, while also accounting for cointegration and potential endogeneity. This study contributes to the existing literature by applying the ARDL and VECM methodologies to comprehensively analyze the combined impact of these factors on HQI within the unique economic and social framework of Saudi Arabia, addressing a notable void in this specific context and exploring both transient fluctuations and sustained equilibrium relationships. The key findings revealed distinct influences across time horizons. In the short term, GDP and GHE significantly and positively affect HQI, whereas UR and IR demonstrate a significant negative impact. Short-term impacts of MIPR and FDI are found to be positive but not statistically significant. The long-term analysis indicates that MIPR, GHE, and FDI have a significant positive influence on HQI, while IR maintains a significant negative impact. GDP and UR effects are not statistically significant in the long term. Further analysis using Granger causality tests and VECM confirmed that MIPR, GDP, GHE, and FDI collectively Granger-cause HQI, with government healthcare expenditure playing a crucial role in correcting short-term deviations toward long-term equilibrium. This study concludes that long-term strategies focusing on expanding insurance coverage, increasing government healthcare investment, and attracting foreign direct investment are vital for significantly enhancing healthcare quality in Saudi Arabia. The sustained positive influence of these factors and the critical role of government spending in maintaining long-term stability underscore their importance for effective healthcare policy. While emphasizing these long-term drivers, policymakers should also remain cognizant of the significant negative short-term fluctuations caused by unemployment and inflation. Full article

This study employs walking interviews to examine the low-carbon practices, cultural adaptation, and policy awareness of older Chinese migrants in the UK within their everyday environments. A total of 20 participants were interviewed in public spaces such as parks, supermarkets, and their homes. Using contextual thematic analysis, the study identifies key factors influencing their environmental behaviors. The findings reveal the following: (1) Language barriers, economic pressures, and social isolation limit migrants’ understanding of environmental policies. Many participants rely on self-sufficient ethnic community networks rather than engaging with mainstream sources; (2) Generational differences are evident—younger migrants demonstrate greater theoretical awareness of environmental policies, whereas older migrants exhibit stronger low-carbon behaviors through energy conservation and waste reduction; (3) A balance between cultural identity and consumption habits—while some migrants adjust their dietary, spending, and linguistic habits, core cultural values such as frugality and family responsibility remain unchanged. This study highlights the value of walking interviews in capturing situational insights into low-carbon behaviors and cultural adaptation. It provides empirical evidence for government agencies and community organizations, advocating for cross-cultural environmental education and improved policy communication. Recommendations include targeted environmental training, community-based volunteer initiatives, intergenerational environmental education, and policy dissemination through WeChat, Chinese communities, and ethnic networks. These measures can help bridge the generational gap in policy awareness and promote social integration among older Chinese migrants. Full article

The empirical findings of this study suggest a significant long-term relationship between the probability of mortality due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among individuals aged 30–70 in Azerbaijan and key economic and social indicators, including Gross Domestic Product per Capita, Waged Employment, Human Development Index, and out-of-pocket health expenditures. The Error Correction Model coefficient (−0.724701) implies that the system adjusts back to equilibrium at a rate of 72.47% per period, highlighting a strong corrective mechanism. Additionally, in the short run, GDP, HDI, wage employment, and out-of-pocket health expenditures significantly influence mortality rates. The model’s statistical diagnostics confirm its robustness, and the results align with economic theory, reinforcing their validity and policy relevance. According to the conclusion of this research, we suggest the enhancement of the HDI and Employment, control out-of-pocket expenditures, and increase Government Healthcare Spending to significantly reduce mortality rates. This study emphasizes that enhancing social determinants like the HDI, Waged Employment, and accessible healthcare services is crucial for reducing mortality rates of NCDs. While Azerbaijan’s economic growth has improved living standards, further efforts are necessary to improve healthcare investments and reduce inequalities in health outcomes. Full article