Economies

This study analyzes the determinants of gross saving in Jordan over the period 1991–2023, with particular attention paid to the role of macroeconomic and demographic factors in shaping saving behavior. The empirical analysis employs the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to examine both short-run and long-run relationships between gross saving, the age dependency ratio, real per capita GDP growth, real interest rates, and unemployment. The results indicate rapid short-run adjustment dynamics in saving behavior and a stable long-run association between saving and its key determinants. In contrast to standard theoretical predictions, a higher dependency ratio is found to increase gross saving. This outcome appears to reflect Jordan’s socio-demographic context, precautionary saving motives, family-based support mechanisms, limited social security coverage, and the role of remittances. Income growth has a positive effect on saving, while unemployment exerts a negative effect. The real interest rate exhibits limited and transitory short-run effects, while remaining insignificant in the long-run. From a policy perspective, the findings underscore the importance of job creation, sustained income growth, and the development of broader saving instruments.

In Morocco, the increasing public expenditure on essential sectors, such as education, does not always lead to improved outcomes, highlighting a significant gap between resource allocation and quality enhancement. This study examines the efficiency of public expenditure in education, health, and infrastructure from 1990 to 2022, employing a robust Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach supplemented by bootstrap regression techniques. Our analysis reveals considerable inefficiencies, particularly in education, where higher expenditures have not consistently resulted in greater efficiency. This underscores the importance of prioritising quality, effective management, and optimal resource utilisation alongside budget increases. By integrating DEA with bootstrap methods, we provide more reliable efficiency estimates and identify key economic factors, such as inflation, urbanisation, corruption, and political stability that influence the performance of public expenditure. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers aiming to optimise resource use and enhance the effectiveness of public expenditure within Morocco’s broader development strategy.

Digital transformation is a key driver of economic and social progress, and assessing its evolution is essential for guiding public policies. In the European Union (EU), until 2022 the European Commission published the quantitative values of the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI); however, it is no longer being published, which makes it difficult to compare the digitalisation process between Member States. This study proposes a new composite index, the DESI-DP2, constructed using the distance P2 methodology (DP2), which provides a synthetic and up to date measurement of the digitalisation levels in the twenty-seven EU countries in 2025, both at an aggregate term and by dimensions. The results reveal notable stability in the ranking of countries, with Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden as persistent leaders, and Bulgaria and Romania among the most lagging countries. Moreover, although digitalisation is positively associated with human development, a high level of development alone is not sufficient to ensure strong digital performance. Finally, the study identifies a shift in the explanatory factors behind cross-country differences, from digital skills toward the digital transformation of the business sector, offering relevant insights for the design of public policies within the framework of the European Digital Decade.