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This book is a compilation of works by experts in food and nutrition security, following their participation to a workshop on \"Local level food and nutrition security and the role of subsistence/smallholder farms\", held in Seville on 9–10 September 2015, as part of the Expo Milan 2015 under the theme \"Feeding the planet, energy for life\". It discusses the current role of smallholders in connection with food security and poverty reduction in developing countries. It addresses their opportunities and constraints, by analysing the availability, access to and utilisation of production factors. Due to the relevance of smallholder farms, enhancing their production capacities and their economic and social resilience could produce positive impacts on food security and nutrition at a number of levels.

This paper presents an analytical overview of the effects of inflation on government revenues, expenditure and fiscal positions. Evidence for a range of countries from the current inflation episode and that of the 1980s is compared and contrasted. The key finding is that high inflation initially boosts tax revenues and improves fiscal positions, but expenditure quickly catches up and offsets this improvement. The short-term boost is partly due to structural changes that have made modern tax systems more elastic with respect to inflation. The medium-turn deterioration reflects a shifttoward spending items more responsive to inflation. The key risk is that the impression of abundant tax revenues will lead to spending programmes or tax cuts that damage public finances in the long term. As research on inflation and public finances has been dormant since the 1980s, this analysis fills a gap in our understanding of the fiscal consequences of inflation.

This paper aims to perform a large-scale meta-analysis to examine the relationship between ownership concentration and firm performance in emerging economies of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. A meta-synthesis of 1517 estimates collected from 69 previous studies indicated the presence of a statistically significant and positive effect of ownership concentration on firm performance. The synthesized effect size, however, is only modest at best. A meta-regression analysis conducted to identify the factors underlying the small effect size revealed that differences in target industries, estimation periods, design of ownership variables, data sources, estimators, and choices of control variables could have had systematic and profound effects on the empirical results presented in previous studies. We have also noted that publication selection bias is strongly suspected in this research field, and that, due to the magnitude of this bias, existing studies cannot be expected to provide genuine evidence regarding the effect of ownership concentration on firm performance in European emerging economies. Further empirical studies are required to identify the true effect in this region.

Abstract This article explores the role of China’s currency, the renminbi (RMB), in Brazil, analyzing how the country positions itself in the shift toward alternative currencies to the U.S. dollar amidst changing global monetary power. It addresses three key questions: How widely is the RMB used in Brazil’s economy? What institutional measures support RMB adoption in Brazil? And what are the implications of this engagement for Brazil’s role in the international monetary and financial system? Findings indicate a modest but growing RMB integration in Brazil. Rather than embarking on a de-dollarization process, Brazil appears to be employing an incremental approach – one that leverages selective institutional measures to diversify its financial risks while preserving its strategic ties with the dominant global currency.

Purpose: Lean Management has evolved into an inter-disciplinary subject with linkages to Operations Management, Organizational Behaviour, and Strategic Management. The objective of this paper is to review journal articles on lean published in major academic sources with a view to provide taxonomy of the field of lean management facilitating identification of the pertinent themes that exists in literature, while presenting an overview of the main definitions, chronological evolution, diffusion among developed and emerging economies Design/methodology/approach: A review of literature has been conducted which includes 447 research articles in 51 Journals from Academic sources: Emerald Insight, T&F and Science Direct with main focus on lean management. Findings: An analysis of the surveyed literature brings to light an exponential increase in number of papers in the last 3 decades. The paper conducted study of lean in 3 phases i.e. Pre 2001, 2001-2010, Post 2010; enabling the study of maturity of lean. Observation regarding diffusion of lean globally reveals that lean has been adopted by both developed and emerging economies with noteworthy tilt towards its adoption in Asian countries in the recent past whereas initially it was confined to developed countries. New themes that have emerged such as Industry 4.0 and sustainability in the context of lean have been identified. Research limitations/implications: The aim of the paper is succinct representation of the current status and facilitating future research in the field. Originality/value: The present business environment with its rapid changes in market, rise in its economic, technical, and socio-psychological complexities has paved way for acceptance of lean as an operating strategy in a pervasive manner. The present study extends efforts of previous studies to analyse diffusion of lean globally, themes that have emerged and also includes more contemporary research with focus on its spread to emerging economies.

Recent years have witnessed an unprecedented increase in scholars' interest in emerging economies, with an increasing number of articles published. This study investigates the knowledge base that has formed the foundation for research on emerging economies. Using bibliometric techniques of citations and co-citations, we reviewed the extant management/business research on emerging economies to identify the intellectual structure and the main research concentrations of the field over the past two decades, from 1992 to 2013. The findings reveal that an institutional perspective has been foundational to the research on emerging economies multinationals. Yet, there is a growing emphasis on firms' strategic choices and the use of resource, and dynamic capabilities-based views - entering and exiting emerging economies. Institutional perspectives complement a greater emphasis on the global strategies of firms in and out of emerging economies as scholars delve into the emerging countries multinationals' dynamic capabilities as sources of competitive advantage. This study extends the current comprehension of the theories and themes researched, how the research agenda has progressed, and the conceptual idiosyncrasies of emerging economies studies. We provide scholars and practitioners with a global rear view of the field, organize, classify and systematize the stock of accumulated knowledge and the trends of theorizing, as a foundation to spawn future research endeavors.

Purpose This study examines the intersection of emerging Islamic economies and the digital economy in the context of the United Nations sustainable development goals (UN SDGs). This study aims to investigate the opportunities, challenges and barriers faced by emerging Islamic economies in the context of the digital economy. It specifically focuses on how these economies can contribute to the achievement of UN SDGs established in 2015. In addition, the study explores the prospects of Islamic digital finance and its potential to facilitate the adoption of the UN SDGs. Design/methodology/approach The following components outline the design, methods and approach of this study, identify and select specific UN SDGs that are relevant to the research aims. These selected goals serve as the basis for evaluating the impact of conventional and Islamic digital financial inclusion, gathered data from credible sources such as Bloomberg and Refinitiv Thomson Reuters to support the analysis. These sources provide comprehensive data on global indicators, progress and targets related to the UN SDGs, compare and evaluate the impact of both conventional and Islamic digital financial inclusion strategies on the selected UN SDGs; the study uses qualitative interpretation of the gathered data, which involves identifying patterns, themes and connections within the data to draw meaningful conclusions. Findings Results revealed that Islamic digital finance has the potential to contribute significantly to achieving the UN SDGs by promoting financial inclusion, encouraging ethical investments, supporting small and medium enterprises, promoting sustainable investments and leveraging technology to expand access to Islamic financial services and support sustainable investments. Research limitations/implications While there are many potential benefits of Islamic digital finance in helping to achieve the UN SDGs, there are also several limitations that should be considered in research, such as limited access to digital infrastructure, regulatory challenges, product offerings, scale, awareness and adoption. Addressing these limitations will be critical to maximizing the potential of Islamic digital finance to contribute to achieving the UN SDGs. Practical implications This study points to an important gap in the literature; for practitioners, this study has significant managerial consequences for achieving the UN SDGs in emerging economies by facilitating social impact investments and promoting ethical and sustainable investments. Originality/value This study’s uniqueness lies in its exploration of the limited exploration of connecting the implementation of digital financial systems to promote UN SDGs within emerging Islamic economies.

Clarifying the impact of cereal trade on urbanization is crucial for enhancing effective food security policies and promoting sustainable urban development. However, the heterogeneous impact of the cereal trade on urbanization remains underexplored. This study applies international trade theory to explore the causal effects and supplements panel data on 216 economies from 1990 to 2018 using two-stage least squares regression (2SLS). The results show that both cereal exports and imports significantly promote urbanization, with the magnitude of imports being higher than that of exports. Furthermore, global cereal trade promotes urbanization in both emerging and developed economies. The findings provide insights for policymakers on how to leverage adjustments in cereal trade policies to enhance urbanization, particularly in economies striving to balance food security with urban development.This study explores how the trade of cereals – such as wheat and rice – affects the growth of cities worldwide. By examining data from 216 countries over nearly three decades, we discovered that countries that export or import cereals tend to see more urban development. The impact of importing cereals on city growth is even stronger than that of exporting them. This finding is crucial for countries looking to balance their food needs with urban expansion. It suggests that managing the cereal trade can be a strategy to enhance urbanization while ensuring food security. Our research provides a fresh perspective on the global discussion about how trade policies can influence the development of urban areas, offering insights for policymakers on fostering sustainable cities.

Purpose: Was examined the relationship between social culture, Industry 4.0 technologies, and organizational performance in companies from emerging countries. Design/methodology/approach: Were chose medium and large companies from emerging Latin American economies. Colombia and Peru as the most advanced economies, and Ecuador for being in the first phase of growth. It was Data from 428 workers collected through online surveys. The data analysis was carried out using a Structural Equation Model. Findings: The results indicated a relationship between Industry 4.0 technologies and organizational performance and social culture and organizational performance. Furthermore, social culture does not mediate the relationship between Industry 4.0 technologies and organizational performance. Differences were also found among countries. Evidence is provided that Industry 4.0 technologies and social culture lead to better organizational performance. Practical implications: This study showed that, in the context of analysis, the level of maturity regarding the use of 4.0 technologies of medium and large companies is still incipient. Provides (1) information on cultural differences, mainly in the dimensions of Masculinity, Power Distance, and Individualism; and (2) guidelines on the use of Industry 4.0 technologies and their implication in Organizational Performance. Originality/value: The research results provide knowledge of the relationship between 4.0 technologies, social culture, and organizational performance in the context of emerging economies where the subject has been little investigated.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the role institutions play in driving the internationalization of firms in an emerging country through promotion of coopetition. Investigating the relationships between coopetition, institutions and internationalization, especially among firms in emerging countries, is an important approach that has received little attention. Design/methodology/approach This study has used a single case study interviewing managers of Brazilian wineries and representatives of formal institutions in an emerging economy. A research framework taking an institutions-based view of strategy and applying it to study coopetition and internationalization is proposed. Findings Formal institutions are the most important players in the promotion of coopetition between firms in the Brazilian wine industry. Coopetition enables firms to access new resources and capabilities, promoting and facilitating internationalization, while also increasing firms’ competitiveness in the domestic market. The study also found evidence of certain limiting factors within these relationships, caused by the heterogeneous nature of the firms involved and by the asymmetries in their perceptions of the gains achieved. Research limitations/implications As a consequence of the methodology adopted, the results of this study are limited to the Brazilian wine industry. Future research should extend the approach to data collected in different countries and industries. Another promising avenue for research is to explore how decisions of a political nature influence the institutions that coordinate an industry, which would provide a new perspective on the internationalization of the firms involved. Practical implications The results offer governments and institutions an opportunity to better understand, and therefore to better manage, their actions in relation to their role in the promotion of the competitiveness of firms and industries, both in international and domestic markets. For firms, the results offer insights into the possible gains and the limitations of coopetition strategies, contributing to their decision-making on involvement. The study also contributes to understanding the competitiveness of the industry investigated. Originality/value This study approaches coopetition from the institutional perspective. It also focuses on internationalization of firms from an emerging country, which is characterized by a lack of firm-specific resources. The proposed framework seems promising for future research investigating coopetition and institutions within an integrated analytical framework.