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In this paper, we empirically examine the effects of remittances inflows, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, and institutional quality index on financial development index in the top (15 Europe and Central Asian countries) and bottom (29 Sub-Saharan African countries) remittances and FDI recipient developing regions using balanced panel data over the period 1984–2020. We used economic growth and government investment as control variables in the financial development function. The findings from the panel PMG-ARDL model indicate that inflows of remittances, FDI, and institutional quality stimulate (reduce) financial development in the top (bottom) region. This varying finding appears to be conditional on introducing institutional quality in financial development function as moderating factor. It finds that financial development is positively associated with remittance and FDI inflows in the presence of institutional quality as moderating channel for both the regions. Financial development is also significantly associated with economic growth in both regions. The mixed impact of domestic investment on financial development is found in both the regions. Our results are robust to the FGLS technique as an alternative econometric set-up. Interestingly, institutional quality reduces the weak effects of remittances and FDI inflows on financial development in the bottom region. Overall, our findings confirm the Mishkin’s ( 2009 ) economic globalization-led (i.e., remittances and FDI inflows) financial development hypothesis.

The objective of the present work is to assess the global wind and wave resources in the vicinity of some developing countries by evaluating 16-year of data (2001–2016), coming from the European Centre for Medium range Weather Forecast (ECMWF). Until now, not much work has been done to evaluate and use the renewable energy sources from these marine environments. This is because most of the attention was focused on more promising areas, such as the European coasts, which are more advanced in terms of technical and economical aspects. A general perspective of the current energy market from the selected target areas is first presented, indicating at the same time the progresses that have been reported in the field of the renewable energy. Besides the spatial and seasonal variations of the marine resources considered, the results also indicate the energy potential of these coastal environments as well as the performances of some offshore wind turbines, which may operate in these regions.

One-third of food produced globally is wasted while approximately 800 million people suffer from hunger. Meanwhile, food losses produce approximately 8% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study develops a food loss estimation tool to assess how improved access to the cold chain could impact food loss and its associated GHG emissions for seven food types in seven regions. This study estimates that poor cold chain infrastructure could be responsible for up to 620 million metric tons (Mmt) of food loss, responsible for 1.8 GtCO 2 -eq annually. Utilizing fully optimized cold chains could save over 100 Mmt of fruit and vegetable loss in South & Southeast Asia and over 700 Mmt CO2-eq in Sub-Saharan Africa. Developing more localized, less industrialized (‘farm-to-table’) food supply chains in both industrialized and non-industrialized contexts may save greater quantities of food than optimized cold chains. Utilizing localized supply chains could save over 250 Mmt of roots and tubers globally (over 100 Mmt more savings than those of an optimized cold chain) and reduce GHG emissions from meat losses in industrialized regions by over 300 Mmt CO2-eq. Due to the differences in the environmental intensity of food types, cold chain investments that prioritize reducing overall food losses will have very different outcomes than those that prioritize reducing GHG emissions.

Background Globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2023 report, more than 14.3 million children in low- and middle-income countries, primarily in Africa and South-East Asia, are not receiving any vaccinations. Ethiopia is one of the top ten countries contributing to the global number of zero-dose children. Objective To estimate the prevalence of zero-dose children and associated factors in underserved populations of Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional vaccine coverage survey was conducted in June 2022. The study participants were mothers of children aged 12–35 months. Data were collected using the CommCare application system and later analysed using Stata version 17. Vaccination coverage was estimated using a weighted analysis approach. A generalized estimating equation model was fitted to determine the predictors of zero-dose children. An adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and a p -value of 0.05 or less was considered statistically significant. Results The overall prevalence of zero-dose children in the study settings was 33.7% (95% CI: 34.9%, 75.7%). Developing and pastoralist regions, internally displaced peoples, newly formed regions, and conflict-affected areas had the highest prevalence of zero-dose children. Wealth index (poorest [AOR = 2.78; 95% CI: 1.70, 4.53], poorer [AOR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.02, 3.77]), single marital status [AOR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.7, 3.3], and maternal age (15–24 years) [AOR = 1.2; 95% CI: 1.1, 1.3] were identified as key determinant factors of zero-dose children in the study settings. Additional factors included fewer than four Antenatal care visits (ANC) [AOR = 1.3; 95% CI: 1.2, 1.4], not receiving Postnatal Care (PNC) services [AOR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.5, 3.0], unavailability of health facilities within the village [AOR = 3.7; 95% CI: 2.6, 5.4], women-headed household [AOR = 1.3; 95% CI:1.02, 1.7], low gender empowerment [AOR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.3, 2.1], and medium gender empowerment [AOR = 1.7; 95% CI: 1.2, 2.5]. Conclusion In the study settings, the prevalence of zero-dose children is very high. Poor economic status, disempowerment of women, being unmarried, young maternal age, and underutilizing antenatal or post-natal services are the important predictors. Therefore, it is recommended to target tailored integrated and context-specific service delivery approach. Moreover, extend immunization sessions opening hours during the evening/weekend in the city administrations to meet parents’ needs.

Background In collaboration with its partners, the Ethiopian government has been implementing standard Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care Services (CEmONC) since 2010. However, limited studies documented the lessons learned from such programs on the availability of CEmONC signal functions. This study investigated the availability of CEmONC signal functions and described lessons learned from Transform Health support in Developing Regional State in Ethiopia. Method At baseline, we conducted a cross-sectional study covering 15 public hospitals in four developing regions of Ethiopia (Somali, Afar, Beneshangul Gumz, and Gambella). Then, clinical mentorship was introduced in ten selected hospitals. This was followed by reviewing the clinical mentorship program report implemented in all regions. We used the tool adapted from an Averting Maternal Death and Disability tools to collect data through face-to-face interviews. We also reviewed maternal and neonatal records. We then descriptively analyzed the data and presented the findings using text, tables, and graphs. Result At baseline, six out of the 15 hospitals performed all the nine CEmONC signal functions, and one-third of the signal functions were performed in all hospitals. Cesarean Section service was available in eleven hospitals, while blood transfusion was available in ten hospitals. The least performed signal functions were blood transfusion, Cesarean Section, manual removal of placenta, removal of retained product of conceptus, and parenteral anticonvulsants. After implementing the clinical mentorship program, all CEmONC signal functions were available in all hospitals selected for the mentorship program except for Abala Hospital; the number of Cesarean Sections increased by 7.25% at the last quarter of 2021compared to the third quarter of 20,219; and the number of women referred for blood transfusions and further management of obstetric complications decreased by 96.67% at the last quarter of 2021 compared to the third quarter of 20,219. However, the number of women with post-cesarean Section surgical site infection, obstetric complications, facility maternal deaths, neonatal deaths, and stillbirths have not been changed. Conclusion The availability of CEmONC signal functions in the supported hospitals did not change the occurrence of maternal death and stillbirth. This indicates the need for investigating underlying and proximal factors that contributed to maternal death and stillbirth in the Developing Regional State of Ethiopia. In addition, there is also the need to assess the quality of the CEmONC services in the supported hospitals, institutionalize reviews, surveillance, and response mechanism for maternal and perinatal or neonatal deaths and near misses.

The Mediterranean coastal regions of Southern Europe have long been world leaders in mass tourism. This book examines some key questions for tourism development in these areas, with implications for similar regions across the world. The standardised forms of mass tourism are diversifying – with more specialised forms, notably those based on nature, culture and heritage, and those catering for special interests. There is a growing spectrum of modes of tourism, with an emphasis on variety, flexibility and permeability. Both mass tourism and the more diversified forms substantially impact on sustainable development. Policies promoting sustainable development are often of two main types: developing smaller-scale, alternative tourism products that are intended to be less damaging to the environment and society, and secondly, attempts to make mass tourism coastal resorts more sustainable. But there has been little critical assessment of these policies, either evaluating their basic assumptions or their successes and failures in practice. This edited book critically examines these issues for varied coastal regions in Southern Europe, including case studies from Spain, Croatia, Turkey, and north and south Cyprus.

Located in the northwest of China, Xinjiang is a typical arid desert area and mineral resources development zone. The lack of water resources and a fragile ecological environment restricts the sustainable development of the region. Based on the industrial panel data of Xinjiang from 2001 to 2015, this paper uses the undesirable output SBM model, Malmquist index model, and Tobit regression model to comprehensively and systematically measure and evaluate the industrial eco-efficiency and its change characteristics from provincial, regional, and prefectural levels. The results show that (1) the industrial eco-efficiency level in Xinjiang is generally low, lower than the national average, but the development trend is good, and it has been steadily rising over time, from 2001 to 2015 and from the “Tenth Five-Year Plan” period to the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan” period. (2) The spatial distribution of industrial ecological efficiency of Xinjiang is not balanced. Northern Xinjiang is larger than that of eastern Xinjiang and the southern Xinjiang. The developments of 14 prefectures are uneven and asynchronous, which can be divided into two development modes: industrial and agriculture and animal husbandry region. (3) Through the decomposition analysis of the Malmquist index, it has been found that the technological progress index is the restriction factor of the changing trend of TFP, while the technical efficiency index and the pure technical efficiency index are the promoting factors. (4) The main factors causing the decline in ecological efficiency are industrial sulfur dioxide emissions, industrial nitrogen oxide emissions, total industrial water consumption, and general industrial solid waste. It can be seen that the emission of air pollutants and excessive industrial water are the main problems in the region. (5) Industrial ecological efficiency is positively correlated with industrial development level, scientific and technological innovations, industrial structure, and environmental planning, whereas negatively correlated with the degree of opening up and industrial agglomeration. (6) Xinjiang is an extremely arid and water-scarce region. These are the keys and prerequisites for saving water resources and strengthening the comprehensive utilization of water resources. Whether in the industrial areas or in the agricultural and animal husbandry areas, water conservation should be given top priority.

This paper presents a techno-economic assessment of hydrokinetic energy of Cozumel Island, where ocean currents have been detected, but tourist activities are paramount. The main objective of this research is to identify devices that have been used to harvest hydrokinetic power elsewhere and perform an economic analysis as to their implementation in the Mexican Caribbean. First, the energy potential of the area was evaluated using simulated data available through the HYCOM consortium. Then, for four pre-commercial and commercial turbines, technical and economic analyses of their deployments were performed. Socio-environmental constraints were reviewed and discussed. Three optimal sites were identified, with an average annual hydrokinetic energy density of 3–6 MWh/m2-year. These sites meet the socio-environmental requirements for marine kinetic energy harvesting. Of the turbines considered in the analysis, the best energy price/cost ratio is that of SeaGen device, with a maximum theoretical energy extraction of 1319 MWh/year with a Capacity Factor of 12.5% and a Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) of 1148 USD/MWh. Using this device, but assuming a site-specific design that achieves at least 25% of Capacity Factor, 20-year useful life, and a discount rate of 0.125, the LCOE would be 685.6 USD/MWh. The approach presented here can be applied for techno-economic analyses of marine turbines in other regions.

In this paper, we propose an easily implementable combination forecast method to examine whether systemic risk can predict macroeconomic activity. Our method uses various weighting schemes to combine common individual systemic risk measures. Empirical results demonstrate that our novel forecasting strategy provides better and more stable out-of-sample performance than a set of established methods. Furthermore, the forecast combination puzzle identified by Stock and Watson (2004) is also present in systemic risk. Our findings further reveal that institution-specific risk measures, such as MES and ΔCoVaRd, consistently provide reliable information to inform predictions of future macroeconomic downturns across most regions. The strength and direction of those asymmetric relationships are closely associated with the risk levels (i.e., quantiles of independent variables) of systemic risk indicators. •We propose a novel forecast combination with three types of combining weights.•The forecast combination puzzle presents in the systemic risk.•This paper exploits the heterogeneity in developed and developing economies.•The strength and direction closely associate with the systemic risk indicators.

PurposeThis study aims to present two new contingent frameworks that hypothesize the moderation role of managerial ties (MTs) in the international competitive strategy-export financial and strategic performance framework. The purposes of this study are to explore whether a common standardized or individual customized conceptualization consisting of MTs, international competitive strategy and performance can be used to achieve export financial and strategic performance; to offer contingent factors for the current international competitive strategy-export performance framework; and to generalize the roles of MTs in the developed vis-à-vis developing region.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses the experience of 114 exporting firms operating in the European Union region to test its theoretical frameworks. MTs include both business and political ties.FindingsBusiness and political ties have completely different moderation effects on the relation between international differentiation/low-cost strategy and export financial/strategic performance. Business ties have a positive influence on the international differentiation strategy-export strategic performance and international low-cost strategy-export financial performance dyads, but a negative effect in the international low-cost strategy-export strategic performance framework. In contrast, political ties are revealed to have a negative effect on the international differentiation/low-cost strategy-export financial performance framework.Originality/valueThis research advances extant international competitive strategy-export performance literature by revealing the bright and dark sides of business ties and the down side of political ties in the framework. Performance should be investigated in terms of financial and strategic performance. The moderation effect of business ties is more complex than that reported in the developing region; thus, a cross-regional generalization on these ties’ effects is more difficult to establish. In contrast, the dark side effect of political ties is consistent across developed and developing regions; a cross-regional generalization on these ties is more viable. Collectively, the results show that a standardized process for achieving both export financial and export strategic performances is not feasible, while a customized process for each export performance is needed.