This paper aims to assess whether digital financial inclusion (DFI) supports Egypt's CO2 reduction efforts. More specifically, this paper examines the dynamics between digital…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to assess whether digital financial inclusion (DFI) supports Egypt's CO2 reduction efforts. More specifically, this paper examines the dynamics between digital finance, traditional financial inclusion (TFI) and renewable energy on carbon emission in Egypt.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employed the autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) model for Egypt over the period 1990–2020 to estimate an extended STIRPAT model for long-run linkages of DFI, traditional bank-based financial inclusion and renewable energy on carbon emissions, along with other control variables.
Findings
The results showed that using digital financial services limits carbon emissions in the long run but not in the short run, indicating that Egypt is still in its early stage of digitalization (DFI < 0.5). Moreover, renewable energy proved to have a significant negative impact on carbon emissions in the long run, implying that more investments in renewable energy projects will improve environmental quality.
Practical implications
The findings from this study help policymakers incorporate DFI policies into climate change adaptation strategies and execute better green growth policies that integrate DFI with energy-efficient technologies investments for a better environment.
Social implications
Foster economic growth and sustinabaility.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by quantifying the DFI in Egypt using a two-stage principal component analysis and then examines its impact on carbon emission reduction efforts. In addition, this paper extends the research on the environment from the perspective of digital finance, making it possible to excavate more deeply into the relationship between financial inclusion and carbon emission and draw more explicit policy implications for sustainable economic growth.
Details
Keywords
Currently, COVID-19 delayed economic growth and forced many businesses to shut down. Both formal and informal entrepreneurs are trying to develop a way out to survive. To measure…
Abstract
Purpose
Currently, COVID-19 delayed economic growth and forced many businesses to shut down. Both formal and informal entrepreneurs are trying to develop a way out to survive. To measure the impact of the current crisis it is important to consider that many females are unrecorded in the formal market due to their secondary jobs as housewives. This paper explores some of the determinants that contribute in the acceleration of the Egyptian female entrepreneurs (EFEs) to participate in the labour force.
Design/methodology/approach
The Dynamic model can determine the link between EG and Egyptian female labour force participation (EFLFP) for the period between 1990 and 2019. The cointegration test provides an insight on the future path of the relation and the significant role of EFEs in the labour market.
Findings
The outcomes point out the existence of a positive significant impact by the EG on the EFLFP and a fluctuating relation between fertility rates and the EFLFP. The results support the literature and highlight the current challenges, as the EFLFP is minute due to the increase of EG. Taking into consideration that many female activities are unrecorded and official statistics only counts the monetarist economic activities and does not include the secondary and mandatory activities – delivered at house. Results provide guidance on setting the required strategies and policies to survive after the corona crisis.
Research limitations/implications
The study cover only the time interval during 1990 and 2020. No available data before this interval.
Practical implications
Egyptian entrepreneurs is challenged with numerous obstacles difficulties such as lack of experience, shortages of finance, marketing channels and finally the pandemic. On ground many entrepreneurs depend on starting their business using a bootstrapping approach to overcome such obstacles and focuses on primary activities. In developing countries the importance role of female entrepreneurs needs to be disseminated as they can function efficiently from home and can balance between house commitment and the country commitments. Using technology can help in measure the female participation and foster their education to enter entrepreneurial activities and accelerate development and growth.
Social implications
In developing countries the importance role of female entrepreneurs needs to be disseminated as they can function efficiently from home and can balance between house commitment and the country commitments. Using technology can help in measure the female participation and foster their education to enter entrepreneurial activities and accelerate development and growth.
Originality/value
The current study contributes to the new stream of empirical analysis that provides evidence of the role of EFEs in one of the highest population developing countries (Egypt) during the time of corona virus. Also, shows the impact of COVID-19 that forced EFEs to develop micro-businesses. Results point out to the minor role of EFEs in the formal economic activities and provide an insight on the required regulations and policies to accelerate EFEs. Female activities in the informal market that are unmeasured lead to underestimating the female contribution. As well, the indirect role of female at house is not included in the data.
Details
Keywords
Doaa Salman Abdou and Zeinab Zaazou
This paper aims to shed light on the Egyptian socio-economic and political conditions seven years post the 2011 revolution.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to shed light on the Egyptian socio-economic and political conditions seven years post the 2011 revolution.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors depended on secondary data and information gathered from scholars and from domestic and international institutions as well. Additionally, the authors distributed 390 Likert-scale questionnaires among respondents to test their perceptions regarding the safety, social, political and economic conditions in Egypt seven years post the 2011 revolution.
Findings
The research findings confirmed that there was an agreement among participants that the safety conditions in Egypt improved during the past seven years post the 2011 revolution, and there was a general agreement among participants that the political conditions in Egypt became more stable lately. The economic and social cost presents a challenging status to the current decision maker.
Practical implications
Finally, authors came up with recommendations aiming to find solutions for certain economic and political problematic issues. The main research limitation is that the representative sample was confined only to the two main governorates in Egypt: Cairo and Giza.
Originality/value
Finally, the study is of a value, as it could be considered a road map to policy makers. Moreover, the findings provide a set of policies for governments to undertake tenable actions to accelerate development and economic growth.
Details
Keywords
Doaa Salman and Cherine Soliman
The introduction of technology in education has been a strategic objective at both the governmental and educational institutional levels long before Covid-19. However, the…
Abstract
Purpose
The introduction of technology in education has been a strategic objective at both the governmental and educational institutional levels long before Covid-19. However, the acceleration to e-learning caused by the pandemic disrupted the traditional classroom environment overnight forcing the entire sector at all levels, school, undergraduate and postgraduate, to shift to online learning. Regardless of readiness, the action was taken, and online instruction was implemented, improved, adjusted and enhanced during the experience. After 18 months comprising three semesters of online education amongst MBA and DBA students, the researchers decided to survey to investigate and assess the quality of the experience. The study aims to investigate the students’ perception of this unique opportunity to provide an assessment of online education in higher education, achievement or failure, and based on the results, provide a roadmap for improvement. The study also addresses the uniqueness of the Egyptian higher education environment and the particularity of its student’s context.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a quantitative descriptive survey method to find out how students felt about their online education by giving them a questionnaire and using automated numerical computation to generate data. The total number of the completed survey was 853. However, to include only those responses that were completed attentively, a speed factor was calculated for each respondent. Cases with speed factors higher than three were excluded from the sample, leading to 666 accepted responses. Data collected were analysed using correlation, regression and path analysis.
Findings
Favourable satisfaction levels towards online education, and favourable perceptions towards university support, instructor–student communication and course design were found. Less favourable perceptions were found towards peer collaborations and student initiative.
Research limitations/implications
While the study proves reliability through the number of candidates participating in the survey, the rigorous measures of eliminations in the sample, the validity value of the questionnaire and the literature recommendation of the model are used here; yet it is important to point out that: further elements in the e-learning can and need to be studied, such as cultural implications, generational differences, government support reality from policies to infrastructure and management philosophy readiness in developing countries amongst other factors.
Practical implications
Resources and skills are amongst the factors that were found to affect students’ satisfaction with online education, directly and positively. Student initiative was found to have a moderating role in how student, instructor and institution determinants affect students’ satisfaction with online education.
Originality/value
The uniqueness of this paper is that it seeks to assess the agility of the Egyptian education system during COVID-19 in higher education. It provides evidence to the current status as no study assesses the student perception.
Details
Keywords
Zeinab Abbas Zaazou and Doaa Salman Abdou
The impact of COVID-19 outbreak freeze economic actors and hold innovative startups. This triggered the researchers to investigate the effect of the pandemic on small- and…
Abstract
Purpose
The impact of COVID-19 outbreak freeze economic actors and hold innovative startups. This triggered the researchers to investigate the effect of the pandemic on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Egypt and how do these start-ups deal on the whole with this serious situation.
Design/methodology/approach
The research in hand used both qualitative and quantitative methods. It started first with semi-structured interview questions addressed to a number of participants, then a quantitative study took place, ending with conclusion and recommendations.
Findings
There is an agreement among all participants that entrepreneurs should always be flexible and seek for investments in innovation. However, there is a discrepancy among participants’ opinions regarding the measurements taken by the Egyptian Government post the pandemic outbreak.
Research limitations/implications
The field study results and the exploratory research results would have come out more accurate if it was not confined only to geographical limitation (Cairo Governorate).
Practical implications
The research in hand suggests that practical measurements should not only provide first aid to start-ups by alleviating the pressure caused by constrained cash flow but also consider long-term measures embedded in and supported by the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem to ensure start-ups rapid recovery and growth.
Social implications
SMEs attribute to social and economic change and have an impact on the local public and social services sector as a result of the business’s activities.
Originality/value
This study first illustrates the challenges entrepreneurs are facing because of the pandemic, then it presents how entrepreneurs are dealing with the effects of the crisis.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to investigate to what extent the level of human development affects the relationships between entrepreneurial activities (EAs) and total factor…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate to what extent the level of human development affects the relationships between entrepreneurial activities (EAs) and total factor productivity (TFP). The paper's objectives are threefold. First, it seeks to examine the effect of EA on TFP. Second, it attempts to test for the moderating effect of human development on the relation between EA and TFP, using the generalized methods of moments (GMM), in a panel data across two groups of countries based on their human development index during the period 2000-2008. Third, it tests the causality between TFP, EA, research and development (R&D), unemployment and inflation across countries.
Design/methodology/approach
Cross-countries study using a panel GMM for two groups of countries based on their human development index during the period 2000-2008.
Findings
Empirical evidence provides that EA have a positive significant relation across countries on TFP in the higher human development levels. The outcomes point toward the role of policies supporting EA as a vital tool to accelerate development and growth via channels such as: better education levels, enhancing R&D, creating more jobs, and stable monetary policy.
Research limitations/implications
From the paper limitation is it focusses only on very high human and high human development countries and not studying medium and low-development countries but this limitation is refereed to source of the entrepreneurship data.
Practical implications
This paper provides a comparative analysis of the empirical results and presents prospective explanations for the observed relationships between different groups of countries to study the dynamics of change with relative short time series.
Originality/value
The study is of value for policy makers of the important relation between levels of development among countries as engine to growth via EA. Moreover, the findings provide a set of policies for governments to undertake tenable actions to accelerate the effectiveness of the institutional setting.
Details
Keywords
Doaa Althalathini, Haya Al-Dajani and Nikolaos Apostolopoulos
This paper aims to explore the extent to which women’s entrepreneurship in conflict zones is an influential catalyst for liberalising traditionally conservative gender norms. This…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the extent to which women’s entrepreneurship in conflict zones is an influential catalyst for liberalising traditionally conservative gender norms. This purpose is achieved by focussing on women entrepreneurs in Gaza and how they actively renegotiate their multiple gender roles and navigate the social order through entrepreneurship.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts the interpretivist approach where individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 Palestinian women entrepreneurs operating in Gaza.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that the context of conflict itself and its impact on gender norms is a prime motivator for women to engage in entrepreneurial ventures. Some gender roles were constraining and other enabling women to initiate and sustain their ventures to contribute to their families’ well-being. In spite of the fact that the conflict context and entrepreneurship have contributed to enhancing the agency of women and their ability to navigate the conflict and its consequences, the gendered practices and assumptions are still used as guidance for legitimising women’s entrepreneurship.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the gender and entrepreneurship literature by giving greater visibility to women entrepreneurs operating in conflict zones, which remain under researched. This paper also demonstrates how prolonged conflict instigates social and economic changes that can empower women entrepreneurs while simultaneously reinforcing gendered norms.
Details
Keywords
Ibrahim Mathker Saleh Alotaibi, Mohammad Omar Mohammad Alhejaili, Doaa Mohamed Ibrahim Badran and Mahmoud Abdelgawwad Abdelhady
This paper aims to examine the extent to which these reforms address the limitations of Saudi Arabia’s previous investment framework. Long viewed as a hostile environment in which…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the extent to which these reforms address the limitations of Saudi Arabia’s previous investment framework. Long viewed as a hostile environment in which to do business, the Saudi Government has enacted a broad sweep of measures aimed at restoring investor confidence in central aspects of the country’s evolving private law framework.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper offers a timely assessment of the raft of foreign investment reforms, both legislative and regulatory, that have been introduced in Saudi Arabia over the last decade.
Findings
The paper will proceed by outlining the perceived failings of the old investment regime before going on to reforms.
Originality/value
It will consider the remaining obstacles to the flow of foreign investment in Saudi Arabia in the context of the dual forces that have historically defined the Kingdom’s ambivalent investment law regime.
Details
Keywords
A.I.H. Fayed, Y.A. Abo El Amaim, Ossama Ramy and Doaa H. Elgohary
This paper aims to investigate the performance of four different textile materials used as an outer shell of the bulletproof vest.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the performance of four different textile materials used as an outer shell of the bulletproof vest.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, four different textile materials were used, polyurethane treatment was applied as a surface coating for the woven samples. Mechanical properties were conducted for all samples; scanning electron microscope and X-ray energy disperse spectroscopy were executed to show the surface morphology of samples and the chemical composition of the coating material.
Findings
One-way ANOVA was used to statistically analyse the results, which proved that all variables were highly significantly affected by using different textile materials, despite the stiffness variable being not significantly affected by textile materials. An overall evaluation was done using radar chart, demonstrated that Cordura material accomplished the best functional performance, using two types of calibres 7.62 × 54 mild steel core and 7.62 × 54 armour piercing incendiary; the common mechanism was localized burn because of the incendiary effect of the projectile in addition to tearing mechanism starting from inside because of penetration effect of the steel core.
Originality/value
This work was addressed to analyse the impact of using four different materials on its performance as the outer shell of bulletproof vest to achieve the desired degree of protection.