Search Results (909)

This study examines the effects of population, unemployment rate, construction costs, income per capita, and interest rates on housing prices using annual data from 1990 to 2024. Adopting time series econometric analyses, including stationarity, the ARDL model, VAR, Granger causality and dynamic estimation of VDC and IRF. The results confirm a long-run equilibrium relationship between housing prices and the selected macroeconomic variables. Income per capita and construction costs positively influence housing prices, whereas interest rates have a significant negative effect. In the short run, only income per capita is significant. The findings provide important policy insights for improving housing affordability through sustainable income growth, prudent monetary policy, and efficient housing development. Future studies should incorporate regional and institutional factors to better explain housing price dynamics. Full article

This study investigates the long-term relationships among tourism activity, energy consumption, economic development, and CO₂ emissions using panel data for 15 Mediterranean Basin countries observed at 17 time points between 1994 and 2022. Pooled OLS, country fixed-effects, and two-way fixed-effects models, with gross capital formation included as a control variable, indicate that per capita energy consumption exhibits the strongest and most robust positive association with per capita CO₂ emissions. In the preferred TWFE specification, tourist arrivals, per capita income, and gross capital formation are not statistically significantly associated with per capita CO₂ emissions when inference is based on country-clustered standard errors. Driscoll–Kraay inference, the Common Correlated Effects Pooled Estimator, and an annualized first-difference specification confirm that the positive association between energy consumption and CO₂ emissions remains consistent across alternative specifications. A composite Sustainability Index developed in the study reveals substantial disparities across countries: Malta, Italy, France, and Israel display comparatively strong sustainability profiles, whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt remain relatively vulnerable within the study sample. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of integrating renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, and adopting low-carbon tourism strategies to support sustainable development in the Mediterranean region. The reported regression coefficients should be interpreted as conditional associations rather than causal effects. Full article

The inconsistencies between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are increasingly being questioned in recent research. This study seeks to explore the nexus between the reduction in undernourishment and the ecological footprint, as a proxy for environmental sustainability, in 17 Least Developed Countries in Africa between 2002 and 2020, within the framework of win–win and trade-off hypotheses. To this end, the ecological footprint and undernourishment are estimated in two separate models, using robust econometric techniques such as the Common Related Effects Mean Group (CCEMG) estimator in order to analyze win–win and trade-off scenarios of long-term elasticities. Robustness estimations are conducted utilizing the following techniques: the Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS), Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE), and Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS). The primary empirical evidence reveals a negative nexus between the reduction in undernourishment and environmental sustainability, pointing to a potential trade-off scenario. The findings regarding the control variables, consisting of per capita income, energy intensity, and agricultural production, exceed our expectations and support the vicious cycle hypothesis. These empirical findings deserve the urgent attention of policymakers. Finally, significant empirical findings supporting Granger causality from the Dumitercu and Hurlin (D-H) pairwise panel causality tests among the variables are revealed. Full article

From the perspective of the increasing marginal tendency toward tax avoidance, this paper proves that groups with higher wealth levels possess stronger willingness and capacity for tax avoidance, which continuously widens the wealth gap. As wealth inequality keeps worsening, it is bound to exert profound impacts on economic growth. This paper further sorts out three transmission channels through which wealth inequality affects economic growth: increasing returns to scale of physical capital investment, erosion of fiscal tax bases, and accumulation of per capita human capital. These three channels jointly generate a nonlinear impact of wealth inequality on economic growth. Based on an unbalanced cross-country panel dataset, this paper adopts the income Gini coefficient lagged by 20 years as the instrumental variable for the wealth Gini coefficient, and incorporates core variables involved in the theoretical model for empirical research. The empirical results are consistent with theoretical deductions. Unlike existing studies that only conclude a negative correlation between the two variables, this paper identifies an inverted U-shaped effect of wealth inequality on economic growth, offering new considerations for policy design by social planners. Full article

The transformation of land-border ports from transit channels into regional hubs is increasingly seen as a way to support inclusive growth in frontier regions. Yet port expansion does not automatically improve local livelihoods. Whether port-led development is associated with income gains for rural residents in border counties depends on how cross-jurisdictional public goods are supplied, coordinated, and absorbed. Drawing on collective-action theory and regional public-goods theory, this study develops a two-tier analytical framework that distinguishes regional synergy from county response. Using panel data for seven counties along the China–Vietnam border in Guangxi from 2008 to 2023 and supplementary field research, we apply two-way fixed-effects models, control-function checks, mediation tests, and port-size heterogeneity analysis. Three main findings emerge. First, regional synergy and county response, proxied by Region_BPEDI and Dev_BPEDI, are both positively associated with the logarithm of rural per-capita disposable income in border counties. A one-standard-deviation comparison shows that the estimated association of Region_BPEDI is about 2.5 times that of Dev_BPEDI. Second, industrial-structure upgrading shows the strongest mediating pattern, while infrastructure connectivity and financial development depend more on cross-tier coordination. Third, large ports such as Dongxing and Pingxiang are better positioned to benefit from regional synergy, whereas medium and small ports rely more on niche-based differentiation. The results suggest that hub-oriented border transformation may benefit from multi-level institutional collaboration, place-based industrial matching, and tailored financial instruments. Field evidence also indicates that smart customs clearance, low-carbon logistics, and cross-border environmental coordination are becoming important sustainability dimensions of regional synergy. The study provides a diagnostic framework for evaluating border-port reforms along the Belt and Road and ASEAN economic corridors. Full article

Purpose: To characterize ophthalmology research output relative to disease burden and national economic capacity after accounting for population size. Methods: We analyzed Scopus publications, Global Burden of Disease disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and World Bank economic and population data from 2011 to 2021. Negative binomial and Gamma models evaluated publication volume and positive citation-weighted impact, adjusting for DALYs, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, population, disease category, and publication year. Results: Refractive disorders accounted for 45.4% of DALYs and 23.2% of publication volume; cataract, 44.7% and 29.8%; glaucoma, 5.2% and 30.6%; and age-related macular degeneration, 3.8% and 15.2%. High-income countries accounted for 11.8% of burden, 67.2% of publication volume, and 74.2% of citation-weighted impact; lower-middle-income countries accounted for 49.1%, 7.9%, and 6.8%, respectively. DALYs were not independently associated with publication volume (adjusted count ratio [aCR], 0.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98–1.01; p = 0.278), whereas GDP per capita (aCR, 4.47) and population (aCR, 13.99) were strongly associated (both p < 0.001). For positive citation-weighted impact, DALYs had a small association (adjusted ratio of means [aRM], 1.05), whereas GDP per capita (aRM, 2.86) and population (aRM, 4.96) were strongly associated (all p < 0.001). Conclusions: After accounting for population size, absolute disease burden was not independently associated with publication volume, whereas national economic capacity remained strongly associated with both outcomes. These patterns should inform research and service-delivery priorities. Full article

Femicide is one of the most extreme manifestations of gender-based violence and remains a persistent challenge across Latin America. This study examines the association between socioeconomic and contextual factors and femicide rates across 12 Latin American countries during 2014–2024 using an unbalanced panel dataset. The dependent variable is the femicide rate per 100,000 women, while the explanatory variables include the Gini index, GDP per capita, female labor force participation, and intentional homicide rates. Owing to heteroskedasticity, serial correlation, and contemporaneous dependence across panels, the model was estimated using Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE) with a common AR(1) disturbance structure. The Gini index was negatively and statistically significantly associated with femicide rates (β = −0.057, p = 0.004), whereas intentional homicide rates showed a positive and statistically significant association (β = 0.059, p < 0.001). GDP per capita retained a negative but non-significant coefficient (β = −0.371, p = 0.076), while female labor force participation was also negative and non-significant (β = −0.008, p = 0.556). These findings indicate that the associations between femicide and socioeconomic conditions are sensitive to model specification, while income inequality and generalized lethal violence remain statistically significant correlates. The results underscore the multidimensional nature of femicide and the need for cautious interpretation of aggregate cross-national associations. Full article

The social and economic sustainability of family farms depends partly on generational renewal and younger household members’ participation in farm operations and management. This study examines individual, household, and family governance- and succession-related factors associated with young adults’ participation in family farming. A cross-sectional survey of 329 individuals aged 19–39 years from farming households in six villages in Jambi Province, Indonesia, was conducted through face-to-face interviews and analyzed using binary logistic regression. Overall, 46.2% of respondents regularly participated in at least one operational farm activity. Participation was positively associated with being male (AOR = 2.366, p = 0.027), agricultural training (AOR = 3.212, p = 0.002), agricultural land managed by the household (AOR = 1.266, p = 0.008), family support (AOR = 2.125, p = 0.001), involvement in farm decision-making (AOR = 2.931, p < 0.001), and family succession expectations and planning (AOR = 2.393, p < 0.001). Higher educational attainment was negatively associated with participation, including senior secondary education (AOR = 0.296, p = 0.011) and tertiary education (AOR = 0.124, p < 0.001), as were household size (AOR = 0.390, p < 0.001) and household income per capita (AOR = 0.941, p = 0.029). The findings suggest that regular participation is more closely associated with access to productive resources, family support, and meaningful operational and managerial roles than with favorable attitudes or anticipated future access to farm assets. Supporting generational renewal in family farming should therefore emphasize opportunities for younger household members to use productive resources, participate in decision-making, and progressively assume meaningful farm responsibilities. Full article

The equitable allocation of health resources is fundamental to building healthy cities and advancing sustainable regional development. Using panel data for 122 county-level units in Hunan Province, China, from 2011 to 2022, this study constructs an evaluation index system for healthcare resource allocation and applies trend surface analysis, spatial autocorrelation, the Dagum Gini coefficient, and geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) to examine the spatiotemporal evolution, equity, and driving factors of health resource allocation. The results show the following. (1) The level of health resource allocation in Hunan Province rose steadily, with the composite score increasing by 74%, yet a persistent spatial pattern of higher allocation in the east and north than in the west and south remained; hot spots clustered in Changsha, while cold spots concentrated in parts of Southern Hunan and Western Hunan. (2) Regional disparities narrowed gradually, and the Dagum decomposition identified transvariation density as the dominant source of inequality, with an average contribution of 53.58%, exceeding intra-group and inter-group differences. (3) The effects of the drivers exhibited marked spatiotemporal heterogeneity. Per capita GDP promoted health resource allocation mainly in developed regions, while urbanization exerted stronger positive effects in less-developed regions. The positive effect of per capita disposable income gradually shifted from less-developed to developed regions over time, and population density generally showed a positive effect, with stronger influences concentrated in the Greater Western Hunan region. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of how regional disparities and heterogeneous driving mechanisms shape health resource allocation, providing evidence for more adaptive and equitable healthcare governance. Full article

Income inequality remains a persistent structural challenge in advanced economies, with important consequences for economic stability, social cohesion, and the effectiveness of public policy. This study investigates the determinants of income inequality in the United Kingdom over the period 1980–2021 by combining ARDL, FMOLS, and NARDL approaches to assess long-run equilibrium relationships and potential nonlinear distributional effects. The ARDL bounds test confirms the presence of a stable long-run cointegrating relationship between the Gini index and its socioeconomic determinants, indicating that fiscal conditions, labour market dynamics, economic development, and income structure move together over time. The FMOLS estimates show that GDP per capita and unemployment are positively associated with inequality, whereas public social spending, government expenditure on education, tax revenue, and the income share of the fourth quintile are negatively related to the Gini index in the long run. These results underline the importance of redistribution, human capital investment, and labour market stability in moderating income disparities. The NARDL estimates suggest directionally different responses to positive and negative changes in the upper-middle-income share. Positive changes are associated with lower inequality (−0.931), while negative changes are associated with higher inequality (0.232); however, neither effect is statistically significant. The Wald test likewise fails to reject long-run symmetry (χ²(1) = 0.212, p = 0.646). Overall, the findings support a stable long-run inequality framework while indicating only limited evidence of asymmetric distributional adjustment in the United Kingdom. Full article

Objectives: To assess differential exposure and differential vulnerability to frequency of unhealthy food consumption in relation to dental caries among 5-year-old children and 12-year-old adolescents in Brazil. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 836 participants, comprising 445 children and 391 adolescents from municipalities in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Dental caries experience was assessed using the decayed, missing and filled surfaces index for primary teeth among children (dmfs) and permanent teeth among adolescents (DMFS). Unhealthy food consumption was measured according to the weekly frequency of sugar-sweetened beverages and ultra-processed foods and categorized as low, moderate or high. Socioeconomic position was assessed using equivalized per capita household income and parental schooling. Differential exposure was examined by assessing socioeconomic gradients in unhealthy food consumption. Differential vulnerability was assessed using interaction terms between socioeconomic position and unhealthy food consumption in negative binomial regression models. Absolute and relative inequalities were quantified using the Slope Index of Inequality and Relative Index of Inequality. Results: Adolescents from lower-income and lower-education households showed a higher frequency of unhealthy food consumption, whereas this pattern was not clearly observed among children. Socioeconomic inequalities in dental caries were evident in both age groups. However, evidence that socioeconomic position modified the association between frequency of unhealthy food consumption and caries was stronger and more consistent among adolescents. Sensitivity analyses using caries prevalence as a binary outcome supported this pattern. Inequality measures indicated stronger relative socioeconomic gradients among adolescents than among children. Conclusions: Socioeconomic inequalities in dental caries are shaped by unequal exposure to unhealthy food consumption and unequal vulnerability to its effects, particularly during adolescence. Full article

Households have been reported to account for more than a third of food waste (FW) generated in the most developed and high-income countries. Despite this, there remains a limited understanding of the behavioural and sociodemographic factors driving household food waste (HFW) generation in most countries, including the Republic of Ireland (ROI). This study therefore examined how behavioural practices and sociodemographic characteristics independently and interactively influence HFW generation in the ROI. Data from a national online survey (n = 966 households; 3163 individuals) were analysed using hierarchical quantile regression. Households with children (Mixed households) reported the highest HFW (1177 g/household/week), and single-adult households recorded the highest per capita median waste (females = 596.0 g/cap/week and males = 496.5 g/cap/week). Behavioural factors were stronger predictors than sociodemographic characteristics. Reliance on date labels was the strongest predictor of HFW, associated with an additional 239 g/week. Each additional weekly shopping trip was associated with 140 g/week more waste, whereas using a shopping list was associated with 42 g/week less waste. Some effects were moderated by sociodemographic factors: reliance on date labels was more strongly associated with waste among adults aged 18–24, and shopping frequency more strongly associated with waste in middle-income households. The findings point to the value of reforming date labelling, supporting more planned shopping, and encouraging the active reuse of leftovers, with attention to differences across household groups. The findings also have direct implications for Ireland’s obligations under SDG 12.3 and the EU Waste Framework Directive. Full article

Post-2020 changes in cross-country log GDP per capita dispersion are directionally consistent across macroeconomic data systems but concentrated in a few country trajectories. Using the IMF WEO 1980–2024 baseline, a provisional 2025 extension, and a 167-country WEO–WDI–PWT panel for 2000–2023, the analysis compares sigma, level inequality, weighting, contributions, mobility, and horizon. Sigma rises by 0.018–0.024 across the sources. Paired country-resampling intervals support sign stability, not broad-based widening. The top five contributors account for 60.3–66.9% of the variance increase and the top ten for 86.6–96.3%; positive residuals remain after joint exclusion. The WEO 2020–2024 increase was exceeded by only two of the 36 preceding four-year changes, although sigma in 2024 remained below its 2000 level. Gini and Theil decline or remain approximately flat, while fixed-quartile separation and persistent ranks locate the change within a durable hierarchy. The contribution is an integrated diagnostic of scale, weighting, concentration, persistence, and horizon; it neither measures global interpersonal inequality nor establishes a structural reversal of long-run convergence. Full article

Honduras allocates a substantial share of GDP to public education, yet it continues to record weak human capital outcomes relative to its Central American neighbors. This study tests whether education-spending volume, or instead institutional quality and income inequality, better explains literacy outcomes in Honduras. Using annual data for 2012–2023, the period for which Honduras reports complete education-spending data to the World Bank, we estimate four parsimonious OLS specifications with Newey–West HAC standard errors. Regressors include education spending (% of GDP), government effectiveness, the Gini index, and log GDP per capita. Across all four specifications, education spending is not a robust predictor of adult literacy: it is non-significant in three of the four models (p > 0.10) and reaches conventional significance only in Model 4 (β = 0.606, p < 0.05), a result that is itself specification-dependent given the sign instability of the education-spending coefficient across models. Government effectiveness is positive and significant wherever included (β = 6.64 to 7.61, p < 0.05), and the Gini index is negative and significant wherever included (β = −0.38 to −0.54, p < 0.01), together explaining up to 74% of the variance in adult literacy (Adjusted R² = 0.740) with only twelve annual observations. These findings indicate that institutional quality and income inequality, rather than public spending levels, are the binding constraints on literacy outcomes in Honduras during the period examined. Increasing education budgets without parallel governance reform and redistribution is unlikely, on this evidence, to translate into improved literacy. Full article

This research analyses the heterogeneous effects of digital infrastructure on sustainable economic growth in five developing countries (Egypt, India, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Sudan) using the period 2014–2025. We use panel fixed effects with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors to investigate the effect of internet penetration, mobile broadband and fixed broadband on the GDP per capita growth. Our results suggest that digital infrastructure has a statistically and economically significant impact on economic growth. Internet penetration yields the largest benefits, followed by mobile broadband, whereas fixed broadband is not statistically significant in the full model, which is reflective of limited access in these countries. An exploratory Random Forest analysis with the important caveat of limited sample size suggests that internet penetration is the most important predictor of growth, followed by mobile broadband and human capital. However, these machine learning results should be considered exploratory given the small sample (N = 60, or N = 48 when excluding Sudan) and should not be over-interpreted. Our heterogeneity analysis finds that internet penetration drives growth in middle-income countries (Egypt, India), while mobile broadband drives growth in low-income countries (Sudan, Kenya). The moderation by human capital is large: the marginal impact of internet penetration more than doubles once average education exceeds six years. However, we note that this threshold is illustrative, based on the distribution of the sample, and not necessarily a policy cutoff. The results have implications for SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 9 (infrastructure and innovation) and SDG 10 (inequality reduction). However, with our purposively selected five-country sample, these results are better considered as case-based evidence rather than statistically representative of all developing economies. The stark digital divide is evident in the 87% internet penetration in MENA countries compared to 44% in Sub-Saharan Africa and underscores the need for context-specific policy approaches. We suggest that low-income countries focus on expanding mobile broadband and middle-income countries make complementary investments in internet infrastructure and human capital, but emphasize that these policy suggestions are indicative rather than conclusive. Full article