This study aims to contribute to the existing literature by empirically investigating the impact of digital competitiveness and technology on corruption under the moderating…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to contribute to the existing literature by empirically investigating the impact of digital competitiveness and technology on corruption under the moderating effect of some cultural and economic control variables and providing evidence on the links between corruption and various cultural dimensions at the country level.
Design/methodology/approach
The cross-sectional sample covers 61 countries (41 high-income and 20 lower-income countries) during the 2016–2020 period, and the analysis was carried out for both the full sample and the subsamples.
Findings
The results provide clear evidence supporting the hypothesis that digitalisation and technology significantly affect the perceived level of corruption under the moderating role of cultural framework and economic development. Furthermore, the most significant cultural dimensions of corruption are individualism versus collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation and indulgence versus restraint, even if, in some cases, its influence might be felt differently when the results are estimated on subsamples. Thus, in the case of indulgence versus restraint, high-income countries with higher indulgence scores would register higher scores for the corruption perception index and thus a better control of corruption, while for lower-income countries, the more indulgent these countries are, the weaker the corruption control will be. Furthermore, our results validate a powerful and significant correlation between the index of economic freedom and corruption in both digitalisation and technology.
Research limitations/implications
This study may have relevant implications for policymakers who need to recognise the role of digitalisation and technology in the fight against corruption but considering the cultural and economic characteristics specific to each country.
Originality/value
To the authors' knowledge, the relationship between digital competitiveness, technology and corruption within an economic and cultural framework, while highlighting the differences between high-income and lower-income countries, has not been previously documented in the literature. Thus, this article argues that the level of digital competitiveness and the adoption of technology would significantly impact the level of perceived corruption, although this impact could be felt differently by countries in the high-income category compared to countries in the lower-level income category.
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This study aims to review the current literature on the positive and negative effects of digitalisation in preventing corruption. It analyses existing research patterns and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to review the current literature on the positive and negative effects of digitalisation in preventing corruption. It analyses existing research patterns and provides recommendations for future studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper employed bibliometric analysis and systematic review to scrutinise 190 papers from the Web of Science database from 2000 to 2023. Biblioshiny on R Studio was used for advanced bibliometric analysis to determine publication dynamics, influential journals, publications and impactful authors and a three-field plot to analyse relationships among countries, keywords and journals.
Findings
This study provides a bibliometric analysis of the past and actual developments in the field related to the effects of digitalisation on corruption. Based on the systematic literature review on a sample of the 50 most influential articles, this study identified background theories employed, the primary research methodologies adopted and valuable insights into both the positive and negative aspects of the impact of digitalisation on corruption.
Originality/value
This study provides an extended overview of the effects of digitalisation on corruption and advances new avenues for further research related to this field. The white and dark sides of the effects of digitalisation on corruption are highlighted. Furthermore, the study identifies the need for further research in this field to gain a more in-depth understanding of the nexus between digitalisation and corruption.
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R. Masrour, M. Ben Ali, H. El Moussaoui, Mohamed Hamedoun, A. Benyoussef and E.K. Hlil
The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the manganese ferrite nanoparticle MnFe2O4 and to investigate the structure, size and to study the electronic and the magnetic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the manganese ferrite nanoparticle MnFe2O4 and to investigate the structure, size and to study the electronic and the magnetic properties of MnFe2O4 nanoparticles.
Design/methodology/approach
The co-precipitation method is used to synthesize the MnFe2O4. The structure and size were investigated by X-ray diffraction. The superconducting quantum interference device is used to determine the some magnetic ground. From theoretical investigation point of view self-consistent ab initio calculations, based on density functional theory approach using full potential linear augmented plane wave method, were performed to investigate both electronic and magnetic properties of the MnFe2O4. The high temperatures series expansion (HTSE) is used to study the magnetic properties of MnFe2O4.
Findings
The saturation magnetization, the coercivity and the transition temperature varied between 21-43 emu/g, 20-50 Oe and 571-630 K, respectively, have been studied. The gap energy of MnFe2O4 has been deduced. The critical temperature and the critical exponent have been obtained using HTSEs.
Originality/value
In the present work, the authors study the electronic and magnetic properties of MnFe2O4. The results obtained by the experiment and by ab initio calculations were used in HTSE as input to deduce other physical parameters.
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Marwa Ben Ali and Ghada Boukettaya
For decades, the fast population growth worldwide was interrelated with the adopted rapid lifestyle behavior that relies on the extensive use of fossil fuels. This primary energy…
Abstract
For decades, the fast population growth worldwide was interrelated with the adopted rapid lifestyle behavior that relies on the extensive use of fossil fuels. This primary energy source has caused various urban and environmental impacts, such as global warming, air pollution, and so forth. Consequently, the identified circumstance issues have caused many health, social, and economic hindering effects for global citizens. It poses an existential threat to humanity and the global earth's ecosystem. The alarming levels of urban pollution emissions are putting enormous challenges to the related stakeholders (governments, businesses, investors, automakers, and citizens) to admit the need to decarbonize the global economy and reach sustainable development goals (SDGs) for cleaner and smarter cities across borders. As such, a vital part of a smart city is the transport sector. The road transport sector, precisely, is one of the primary consumers of fossil fuels that contribute to high carbon dioxide emissions. Accordingly, it is essential to adopt novel and sustainable urban transport solutions and promote the achievement of the SDG's eleventh goal for sustainable cities and communities. This chapter provides insight into the present global energy situation with particular attention to the road transport sector. Indeed, it highlights different emerging technologies for a sustainable and smart urban mobility future that will mitigate the environmental situation thanks to the development of drive and internet telecommunication technologies. Furthermore, we aim in this chapter to study the international progress of the transition project using the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal (PESTEL) analysis methodology. This study is to pinpoint opportunities for project development and the challenges that set back its evolution.
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João Jungo, Mara Madaleno and Anabela Botelho
This study aims to examine the role of financial inclusion and institutional factors such as corruption and the rule of law (RL) on the credit risk and stability of banks.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the role of financial inclusion and institutional factors such as corruption and the rule of law (RL) on the credit risk and stability of banks.
Design/methodology/approach
The study considers a sample of 61 developing countries and uses very robust estimation techniques that allow controlling for endogeneity, heteroskedasticity and serial correlation, such as instrumental variables method in two-stage least squares (IV-2SLS), instrumental variables generalized method of moments (IV-GMM), as well as system of generalized methods of moments in two stages (Sys-2GMM).
Findings
The results confirm that financial inclusion and strengthening the RL can significantly contribute to reducing credit risk and improving the financial stability of banks; in contrast, the authors find that weak control of corruption aggravates credit risk. In addition, they found that greater competitiveness in the banking sector increases credit risk.
Social implications
This study supports the need to promote financial inclusion and strengthen institutional factors to improve the stability of the banking sector, as well as promote general well-being in the economy.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the scarce literature by simultaneously using institutional factors such as corruption and the RL and macroeconomic variables such as economic growth and inflation in the relationship between financial inclusion and the banking sector, as well as considering competitiveness as an explanatory factor for banks’ credit risk and stability.
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Maik Fabian, Kathrin Fischer and John Micha Rüpke
When facing capacity bottlenecks, manufacturers of configurable, multi-variant products may adjust the product mix to uphold the scheduled output. However, maintaining market…
Abstract
Purpose
When facing capacity bottlenecks, manufacturers of configurable, multi-variant products may adjust the product mix to uphold the scheduled output. However, maintaining market attractiveness by choosing the right product configurations as substitutes is a non-trivial task as it involves anticipating the substitution behaviour of customers. Substitution behaviour models currently used in quantitative production planning models for configurable products are either based on domain knowledge of experts, which makes them bias-prone, or they require extensive market research. The purpose of this study is to present a data-driven approach.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on data science concepts, distance measures are applied to derive distances between different product configurations from historical order data. Different design options for such a distance measure are discussed regarding configurable products and tested with automotive industry data. Furthermore, the study shows ways to validate the distance results.
Findings
The experiments show that the presented distance measure represents the expected customer substitution behaviour quite well. A context-sensitive distance measure including rank information of ordinal product features is most suitable for the automotive data sets.
Originality/value
This study presents a new approach to model the substitution behaviour of customers. The attractiveness of a potential substitute is represented by a distance from the customer’s first-choice configuration. The presented distance measure provides an inexpensive tool using existing data instead of expensive market research. Thus, it supports the integration of substitution into quantitative production planning models that deal with a large variety of configurable products.
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Misbah Javid, Khurram Ejaz Chandia and Qamar Uz Zaman Malik
This study aims to investigate the impact of liquidity creation (LC) on the profitability and stability of banks while considering the moderating role of corruption.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of liquidity creation (LC) on the profitability and stability of banks while considering the moderating role of corruption.
Design/methodology/approach
Panel data from 23 conventional banks and five Islamic banks in Pakistan spanning from 2008 to 2021 were used for analysis. The study used fixed effect and random effect models, along with the generalized method of moments estimation to ensure robustness of the results.
Findings
The study reveals a negative relationship between LC and banking profitability, but a positive association with banking stability. Additionally, corruption is found to play a moderating role in the relationship between LC, profitability and stability in the banking sector of Pakistan.
Research limitations/implications
The findings have practical implications for bank managers and investors, emphasizing the negative relationship between LC and profitability in Pakistan. Moreover, the study highlights the significant impact of corruption on bank performance, which can guide policymakers in formulating strategies to strengthen the banking sector and prevent financial turmoil in the future.
Originality/value
This study makes a significant contribution to the existing literature by examining the moderating role of corruption in the relationship between LC, profitability and stability in both conventional and Islamic banks.
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The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is, at the same time, a major source and a major recipient of remittances, which could have significant implications on the economic…
Abstract
Purpose
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is, at the same time, a major source and a major recipient of remittances, which could have significant implications on the economic and social developments of the region. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the socio-economic effects of the large remittance inflows in 12 remittance-dependent MENA countries.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses the vector autoregressive model and Granger causality test on the entire set of labour-exporting MENA countries, and covers the period 1991-2015. It also exploits nine (dependent) variables that represent the economic developments, external balance, employment, and the potential uses of remittances in these countries.
Findings
The study shows a positive and significant impact running from remittances to gross domestic product and household expenditures. On the other hand, the authors found that an increase in inflation or a decline in economic conditions result in a considerable increase in remittance inflows, proving the counter-cyclical nature of these transfers.
Originality/value
In addition of examining an understudied region, the paper provided many interesting concepts regarding the form of association between remittances and receiving countries’ economic conditions, and the relationship dynamics between remittances on one hand and several macro-economic and social variables on the other.
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Despite the possession of considerable natural, financial and human resources, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region suffers low economic growth rates, high unemployment…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the possession of considerable natural, financial and human resources, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region suffers low economic growth rates, high unemployment rates, high poverty rates and high illiteracy rates. The purpose of this paper is to find out the factors that hinder the development of economic activities in this region.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses co-integration analysis and vector error correction model on a sample of 18 MENA countries, covering the period 2002–2016. It exploits gross domestic product (GDP) as a dependent variable, and public debt, trade balance, natural resources rents, importation of high technology, labour participation rate, military spending, population size, political instability and corruption as independent variables.
Findings
The paper finds that public borrowing, trade deficit, military expenditures, the low level of technological innovation, population, political turbulences and corruption, all hinder GDP in the long-run. Additionally, public debt, military spending and political instability obstruct GDP in the short run. The results also suggest the existence of Dutch diseases in both the short- and the long-run. On the other hand, labour market conditions do not seem to have any effect on the economic performance of the MENA countries.
Originality/value
In addition of examining an understudied sample of countries, this paper – unlike other studies on the MENA region that look at factors that boost economic growth – exploits factors that have possible negative impact on the economic situation of the region.
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Stafford Beer's viable system model (VSM) offers a powerful and alternative model for both economic and social organizations to structure themselves, especially for those…
Abstract
Purpose
Stafford Beer's viable system model (VSM) offers a powerful and alternative model for both economic and social organizations to structure themselves, especially for those operating in highly turbulent environments. Recent advancements in information technology make feasible the implementation of real‐time information systems. The purpose of this paper is to describe the author's involvement in designing an information system for Libya's Youth and Sports Ministry, using Beer's VSM.
Design/methodology/approach
Systemic methodological ways of gathering the necessary data to build and implement the model, such as Checkland's CATWOE and Espejo's VIPLAN, make it far easier for information systems designers to implement the VSM.
Findings
An implementation of the model for Libya's Youth and Sports Ministry was undertaken in 2007. Although the full implementation was never completed, the methodological approach used was effective. Another lesson learnt by the analyst was that before attempting to improve the viability of a system, whether a human resource planning information system for an organization or implementing a viable model for a ministry or state, it is necessary to plan for a scenario where unforeseen and catastrophic changes, whether from external environmental challenges or from internal policy changes, can challenge the survivability of the project itself.
Originality/value
Research papers on implementations of the VSM tend to focus on the structure and the philosophical mechanisms in achieving requisite variety, however methods and tools to aid the implementation of the model are very few and not well clarified. This could explain why the late Stafford Beer initially sought the need to publish Diagnosing the System for Organizations in 1985 to simplify the process of implementing his pioneering insights and thoughts.