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This paper examines and compares the role of social protection to promote inclusive growth in two countries (once related), Pakistan and Bangladesh, from 1984 to 2020, using annual time series data.

The study used principal component analysis to develop the index of social protection, inclusive growth and macroeconomic stability. It also employed co-integration with impulse response function and fully modified ordinary least squares test for long-run cointegration.

The key results highlighted that social protection positively promotes inclusive growth in both countries. However, Bangladesh attains a high position in achieving inclusive growth through the mechanism of welfare programs. Findings show that institutional quality, macroeconomic stability and globalization are the positive and significant drivers of inclusive growth in both countries. It also confirms that macroeconomic stability and globalization are contributing more to achieving inclusive growth in Bangladesh as compared to Pakistan.

Institutions and macroeconomic stability in both countries are critical toward providing a transparent system of welfare schemes to achieve inclusive growth. Shocks to social protection schemes in Pakistan are inconsistent for achieving inclusive growth as compared to Bangladesh.

The study extends the empirical measurement of social protection and inclusive growth while using protracted dimensions and indicators. It further examines and compares the dynamics of social protection programs for inclusive growth in two countries once related. For further originality and reliability, this study checks the robustness of long-run estimates by disaggregating the institutional quality and globalization into their key dimensions.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-07-2023-0548

The Quadrilateral Group for Security Dialogues (QUAD), comprising Japan, Australia, India, and the USA, has experienced a noteworthy escalation in both environmental depletion and economic performance over the preceding 2 decades. Consequently, it becomes crucial to outline strategies through which the QUAD can attain a harmonious equilibrium between sustainable economic growth and ecological well-being. This research endeavors to dissect the intricate relationships among trade globalization, regulatory quality, and environmental sustainability within the QUAD for the period 1990–2021. The study checks for the Pollution Haven Hypothesis (PHH), and Pollution Halo Effect Hypothesis (PHEH).

The long-run association is based on the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model and bounds test approach to cointegration while divergence or convergence is studied with the help of decoupling index (DI). Results have been verified by applying serial correlation LM test, autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (ARCH), and cumulative sum of recursive residuals (CUSUM) tests to ensure the robustness and stability of the model.

The empirical results of this study affirm the applicability of the PHEH in the contexts of India, Japan, and the USA, whereas the PHH is validated in the case of Australia. Furthermore, the analysis reveals the existence of relative decoupling solely in the case of India. This testifies that the rate of growth of the Indian economy surpasses the rate of growth in ecological footprint (EF), indicating a relative reduction in the intensity of environmental impact per unit of economic growth.

The empirical findings of our study suggest that countries with effective regulatory systems are better positioned to control and mitigate the potential adverse environmental effects resulting from increased global trade. Thus, policymakers are prompted to reassess the development policies for sustainable economic growth that will minimize adverse environmental repercussions. The implication of the negative relation between urbanization and EF is paramount for policymakers in developing countries seeking strategies for balanced urban development that aligns with environmental sustainability.

The present study is a unique exploration of the impact of trade globalization and regulatory quality on EF, specifically on PHH/PHEH in the context of QUAD.

The impact of government expenditure on economic performance has been a topic of discussion at both the sectoral and aggregate national levels. Despite its theoretical importance, evidence from literature indicates that this relationship has not been universally accepted across different countries and sectors. Given the significance of agriculture in African economies, particularly in Ghana, and the role of government in this sector, this study examines the impact of government expenditure on agricultural productivity in Ghana from 2000Q1 to 2022Q4.

Specification of the model was done based on the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) cointegration bound test approach.

The results revealed that the studied variables cointegrated in the long run. Government expenditure was found to induce agriculture production both for the long run and short run within the period of the study, implying that government expenditure matters in inducing agriculture productivity in Ghana.

The study employed the ARDL methodology to investigate government expenditure and agriculture production contagion in Ghana, which has been specifically overlooked by previous studies. It is suggested that the Government of Ghana as well as others in similar environment should increase investment into the agriculture to boost the productivity of the sector.