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on South East Asia |
| By: | Albert, Jose Ramon (Asian Development Bank); Martinez Jr., Arturo (Asian Development Bank); Kikkawa, Aiko (Asian Development Bank); Park, Donghyun (Asian Development Bank); Estrada, Gemma (Asian Development Bank); Umali, Mar Andriel (Asian Development Bank); Bulan, Joseph Albert Niño (Asian Development Bank) |
| Abstract: | This study provides a comprehensive analysis of poverty trends among older people in the Philippines, using various data sources. It analyzes both monetary and multidimensional measures of poverty, as well as income sources, expenditure patterns, asset ownership, and living arrangements among older households. The findings reveal complex dynamics and nuanced patterns of poverty among older people, highlighting the limitations of traditional metrics in capturing the full scope of this age group’s economic vulnerability. Key findings include the reliance of many older households on remittances, higher spending on essentials like food and health care, and generally lower asset ownership compared to other households. The study also examines the impact of the coronavirus disease pandemic and discusses policy implications for addressing poverty among older people in the Philippines. |
| Keywords: | poverty; older people; Philippines |
| JEL: | I32 J11 J14 |
| Date: | 2025–07–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:adbewp:0789 |
| By: | Sakaki, Alexandra |
| Abstract: | Southeast Asia has long been a foreign policy priority for Japan, but Tokyo has intensified its engagement - both with the ASEAN Community as a whole and with individual member states - since 2012. Japan views China's growing influence in Southeast Asia as a major foreign policy challenge and is seeking to prevent the emergence of a hierarchical order centred around China. It has economic as well as foreign and security policy interests in the region. Tokyo's engagement in Southeast Asia aims to uphold the rules-based multilateral order in the region, underpinned by US involvement. Of particular significance is Tokyo's commitment to shared rules, principles and norms - for example, in the areas of free trade, infrastructure development and maritime security. Japan's approach to Southeast Asia since 2012 has been characterised by both continuity and change. Unlike in the past, Japan is now seeking more comprehensive security cooperation with the region, including through dialogues, military exercises and capacity building programmes. ASEAN is important for Japan as the linchpin of regional cooperation. Tokyo supports the institutional development of the Community and helps reduce socio-economic differences between individual member states. Japan is intensifying its relations both with countries that are more critical of China - such as the Philippines - and with those considered more aligned with China - such as Cambodia. This approach extends to security policy. By offering to cooperate, Japan provides Southeast Asian countries with alternatives to Chinese initiatives and thereby prevents China from monopolising the region. apan and Europe are both interested in a stable, multilateral order in Southeast Asia. The two sides should therefore step up their engagement with the region and leverage their influence over regional geopolitical dynamics through complementary or joint initiatives. |
| Keywords: | Japan, Southeast Asia, ASEAN Community, South China Sea, Taiwan, EU, US, China's influence, foreign and security policy, US involvement, military exercises, capacity building programmes, regional cooperation, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:swprps:319902 |
| By: | Venkatachalam Anbumozhi (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)); Kaliappa Kalirajanl (Emeritus Professor, Australian National University); Ayu Pratiwi Muyasyaroh (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)); Veerapandian Karthick (Assistant Professor, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru, India) |
| Abstract: | Carbon pricing is a policy tool designed to account for the external costs of carbon emissions, such as damage to crops, healthcare costs, and property loss due to climate change. It attaches a price to these costs and allocates responsibility to the sources of emissions. This approach helps incentivise the reduction of carbon emissions and encourages the adoption of technologies aimed at achieving a net zero economy. Revenue generated from carbon pricing can be reinvested by companies to support sustainable practices, including employee benefits and health insurance. While a few countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia have implemented carbon pricing mechanisms, there is limited understanding of individual preferences regarding these mechanisms at the national and regional levels. The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism of the European Union aims to standardise carbon prices for internationally traded products. However, there is a lack of knowledge about preferences for such policy instruments across key stakeholders and countries. A survey has been conducted to elicit stakeholders’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for a carbon price in ASEAN and East Asia. The overall proportion of ‘yes’ answers to the WTP question was around 70%. Mean WTP corresponds to an additional price of US$10–US$15. The analysis of more than 500 consumer responses revealed that several modifiers impact the choice of higher and lower WTP additional costs for climate actions. Amongst the consumer groups, academia and household residents are more concerned about climate change and its harmful consequences but have less knowledge and lower appreciation of external pressures such as the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. This, coupled with the already high electricity price, could have resulted in the lower WTP by the private sector respondents. Three null hypotheses on the effects of WTP on carbon emission reductions, revenue recycling, and regional cooperation are tested. The low WTP underscores the urgency of measures to overcome market size and technical and financing constraints, and to address regulatory hurdles that raise transaction costs, to achieve industrial competitiveness |
| Keywords: | carbon price; climate change; net zero economy; revenue recycling; willingness to pay; ASEAN and East Asia |
| JEL: | Q49 Q58 C46 |
| Date: | 2025–06–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:era:wpaper:dp-2025-03 |
| By: | Laborde Debucquet, David; Olivetti, Elsa B.; Piñeiro, Valeria; Illescas, Nelson |
| Abstract: | This study identifies food system interventions with high transformational potential for Indonesia by utilizing the MIRAGRODEP a multi-region, multisector computable general equilibrium model to analyze policy scenarios. Our findings reveal a range of economic, social, and environmental impacts. Initiatives such as social safety nets and food stamps can enhance affordability, while repurposing farm subsidies can improve socio-economic sustainability. Comprehensive policy packages that include social safety nets, repurposing agricultural supports, environmental regulation and investment in sustainable production, can lead to substantial GDP growth, poverty reduction, and dietary enhancements. However, each intervention presents distinct trade-offs between economic gains and environmental implications. This analysis underscores the need for a holistic policy approach when trying to achieve multiple sustainability goals. Implementing a blend of policies designed to promote environmental, social, and economic sustainability simultaneously could drive Indonesia towards a sustainable and resilient food system, addressing the complex interplay between economic development, environmental conservation, and improved nutrition. |
| Keywords: | food systems; computable general equilibrium models; policies; social safety nets; sustainable development; agriculture; economic development; nutrition; poverty; Indonesia; South-eastern Asia; Asia |
| Date: | 2024–07–25 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:149269 |
| By: | Achmad Solikin (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)); Rahayu Susanti (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)); Mirrah Nabighah (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)); Antonio Fredelindo Dela Resma Villanueva (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)); Yasuyuki Mitsuhashi (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)); Manami Uechi (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)) |
| Abstract: | The One Health (OH) concept, aimed at achieving optimal health outcomes through the interconnectedness of people, animals, plants, and their shared environment, has evolved significantly since its early iteration as ‘One Medicine’ in the 1820s. The term ‘One Health’ gained global traction in 2004, encompassing ecology, public health, and broader societal factors. In ASEAN, OH has been operationalised since 2016 and gained increased attention during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, through initiatives addressing zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and joint OH declarations and action plans. Political commitments to OH in ASEAN have grown alongside a rise in related academic research, which has helped to provide a scientific foundation for addressing health threats at the human–animal–environment interface. However, the overall effectiveness of OH implementation in the region remains uneven. This brief maps the development of OH research, initiatives, and political commitments across ASEAN, offering guidance on how to translate the OH concept into practical action at the regional level. Moving forward, the success of OH in ASEAN will depend on strengthening 3Cs through coordinated action, sustained political commitment, and reliable financing mechanisms. Such efforts will be crucial to overcoming fragmented priorities, siloed initiatives, and resource limitations that currently hinder the full integration and impact of One Health in the region. Latest Articles |
| Date: | 2025–06–25 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:era:wpaper:pb-2025-04 |
| By: | Pagel, Jeff; Sileci, Lorenzo |
| Abstract: | One potential nature-based solution to jointly address poverty and environmental concerns is large-scale tree planting. This study examines the National Greening Program (NGP) in the Philippines, a major tree planting initiative involving 80, 522 localized projects that directly or indirectly generated hundreds of thousands of jobs. Utilizing a dynamic difference-in-differences approach that leverages the staggered implementation of the NGP, we find a significant and sizable reduction in poverty, measured via traditional and remotely sensed indicators. The NGP also spurred structural shifts, notably decreasing agricultural employment while boosting unskilled labor and service sector jobs. Our analysis estimates that the NGP sequestered 71.4 to 303 MtCO2 over a decade, achieving a cost efficiency of $2 to $10 per averted tCO2. These findings underscore the potential of tree planting as a dual-purpose strategy for climate mitigation and poverty alleviation. |
| JEL: | Q23 Q56 I32 |
| Date: | 2024–07–29 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:128527 |
| By: | Benfica, Rui; Hossain, Marup; Davis, Kristin E.; Boukaka, Sedi Anne; Azzarri, Carlo |
| Abstract: | Sustainable agrifood systems (AFS) provide food security and nutrition without compromising economic, social, and environmental objectives. However, many AFS generate substantial unaccounted for environmental, social, and health costs. True cost accounting (TCA) is one method that adds direct and external costs to find the “true cost” of food production, which can inform policies to reduce externalities or adjust market prices. We find that for Kenya— considering the entire food system, including crops, livestock, fishing, and value addition sectors at the national level—external costs represent 35 percent of the output value. Social costs account for 73 percent of the total external costs, while environmental costs are 27 percent. In contrast, in Viet Nam, where total external costs represent 15 percent of the output value, the environmental costs (75 percent) dominate social costs. At the subnational level, in the three Kenyan counties (Kisumu, Vihiga, and Kajiado) covered by the CGIAR Research Initiative on Nature-Positive Solutions (NATURE+), external costs (or the true cost gap) represent about 30 percent of all household crop production costs. Those external costs are overwhelmingly dominated by social (84 percent) over environmental (16 percent) externalities. In Viet Nam's Sa Pa and Mai Son districts, external costs represent about 24 percent of all household crop production costs. Environmental externalities (61 percent) are greater than social ones (39 percent). In Kenya, forced labor is the main social (and overall) external impact driven by factors ranging from "less severe" financial coercion to "more severe" forms of physical coercion. Land occupation is the most important environmental impact, resulting from occupation of lands for cultivation rather than conservation, while underpayment (low wages) and low profits are important social costs that are closely associated with the prevailing gender wage gap and occurrence of harassment. Soil degradation is the only other environmental impact, linked with the use of inorganic fertilizers (60 percent of households) and pesticides (36 percent). In Viet Nam, land occupation is the most important external impact, followed by soil degradation and contributions to climate change, primarily due to widespread use of inorganic fertilizers (98 percent of households) and pesticides (93 percent). Underpayment and insufficient income are significant social costs, followed by the gender wage gap and child labor. Crop production systems in Kenya exhibit relatively high labor-related costs compared with nonlabor inputs, with relatively lower intensity in the use of inorganic fertilizer and other chemical inputs and lower crop yields. This production system leads to relatively greater social externalities. Conversely, crop yields in Viet Nam are significantly higher than those in Kenya, likely due to the extensive use of inorganic fertilizers representing the largest direct cost component and leading to a relatively higher level of environmental externalities. Because external costs represent a significant part of the total cost of food production, policy and investments to minimize these costs are essential to a nature-positive AFS that is environmentally sustainable and socially equitable. Strategies to reach this goal include regulatory adjustments, investments in resource efficient infrastructure and technologies that minimize costs, and the prudent management of environmentally impactful production inputs and factors. |
| Keywords: | agrifood systems; environment; food security; sustainability; true cost accounting; food production; Kenya; Vietnam; Africa; South-eastern Asia; Asia; Eastern Africa |
| Date: | 2024–09–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:152074 |
| By: | Achmad Solikin (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)); Rahayu Susanti (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)); Mirrah Nabighah (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)); Yasuyuki Mitsuhashi (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)); Manami Uechi (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)) |
| Abstract: | In ASEAN countries, interest in and publication of research on micro/nanoplastics (MNPs) have significantly increased, reflecting growing political will to understand, regulate, and reduce MNP-related risks. However, the research agenda has largely focused on MNP distribution, exposure pathways, characterisation, and material properties, with limited attention to their toxicological effects. Although there is a rise in MNP-health research outputs, there has not yet been a systemic or holistic application of the One Health approach to assess the health risks of MNPs, nor to evaluate the hazardous nature of MNP constituents and their impacts on humans, animals, and ecosystems. This policy brief calls for the mainstreaming of the One Health Framework into the MNP research agenda across ASEAN. One Health – a transdisciplinary and integrative approach – is particularly suited to addressing the complexity of MNP pollution by accounting for the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. Integrating One Health into MNP research would foster collaboration across scientific disciplines and enable a more comprehensive evaluation of the implications of MNP exposure. Such integration would allow for robust, multidisciplinary data collection on MNP instrumentations, exposure routes, constituent hazards, and toxicity effects. To this end, ASEAN Member States are strongly encouraged to embed the One Health Framework in national and regional studies on MNPs. Doing so will enhance the capacity of the region to generate actionable evidence and support more informed, effective policy decisions on the intersection of health and micro/nanoplastic pollution. Latest Articles |
| Date: | 2025–06–26 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:era:wpaper:pb-2025-05 |
| By: | Mondon, Camille; Trinh, Thi-Huong; Martín-Fernández, Josep Antoni; Thomas-Agnan, Christine |
| Abstract: | Given samples of density functions on an interval (a, b) of R, categorized according to a factor variable, we aim to test the equality of their mean functions both overall and across the groups defined by the factor. While the Functional Analysis of Variance (FANOVA) methodology is well-established for functional data, its adaptation to density functions (DANOVA) is necessary due to their inherent constraints of positivity and unit integral. To accommodate these constraints, we naturally use Bayes spaces methodology by mapping the densities using the centered log-ratio transformation into the L^2_0 (a, b) space where we can use FANOVA techniques. Many traditional contrasts in FANOVA rely on squared differences and can be reinterpreted as squared distances between Bayes perturbations within the densities space. We illustrate our methodology on a dataset comprising daily maximum temperatures across Vietnamese provinces between 1987 and 2016. Within the context of climate change, we first investigate the existence of a non-zero temporal trend of the densities of daily maximum temperature over Vietnam and then examine whether there is any regional effect on these trends. Finally, we explore odds ratio based interpretations allowing to describe the trends more locally. |
| Keywords: | Analysis of variance; Density data; Functional data; Log ratio; Odds ratio; Bayes spaces |
| Date: | 2025–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tse:wpaper:130641 |
| By: | Romora Edward Sitorus; Rashesh Shrestha (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)) |
| Abstract: | ASEAN’s workforce is undergoing profound disruption driven by digitalisation, the green transition, and the rise of the gig economy – trends that are exposing substantial skills gaps across key demographic groups. While regional initiatives like the ASEAN HRD Roadmap represent important starting points, they often fall short of aligning with evolving labour market needs. Scalable solutions such as micro-credentials, backed by data-driven governance and targeted financial assistance, can help bridge this divide. Notable national programmes, including Indonesia’s Kartu Prakerja and Singapore’s SkillsFuture, illustrate how adaptive and inclusive workforce strategies can address these emerging challenges. To foster resilience and competitiveness, ASEAN governments must elevate digital training, enhance public-private coordination, and design inclusive funding mechanisms aimed at closing skills gaps and preparing workers for an increasingly dynamic economy. Latest Articles |
| Date: | 2025–06–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:era:wpaper:pb-2025-06 |
| By: | Mendoza, Karl Patrick Regala (Polytechnic University of the Philippines) |
| Abstract: | This research note engages political trust debates by foregrounding tiwala (trust) and pagsunod (submission) as relational, moral practices in Philippine urban governance. Drawing on five pilot interviews in Barangay Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City, it argues that trust is not merely an evaluative attitude or rational calculation but a dynamic, culturally mediated moral economy. This perspective challenges dominant Western-centric models that treat trust as a rational, pre-political disposition stabilizing democratic order. Building on an emerging trust cultures framework, the note shows how tiwala and pagsunod reveal trust as continuously contested and reshaped in everyday negotiations of care, legitimacy, and relational presence. These preliminary insights highlight how residents’ moral evaluations of leaders go beyond personalistic charisma to assess governance systems’ responsiveness and moral credibility. They also point to how hybrid governance environments—digital and face-to-face—shape trust cultures in transitional democracies. These reflections guide future comparative work across the Tiwala at Pagsunod (TaP) project’s three-city study. |
| Date: | 2025–06–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:tv4jk_v1 |
| By: | Ozili, Peterson K |
| Abstract: | This study examines the effect of CO2 emissions from gaseous fuel consumption on financial inclusion through physical financial access points in non-crisis years. The findings reveal that higher CO2 emissions are associated with a high level of financial inclusion in European, Asian and developing countries, implying that CO2 emissions do not decrease the level of financial inclusion. CO2 emissions decrease the level of financial inclusion in African countries that have strong institutions and a high lending rate. CO2 emissions also decrease the level of financial inclusion in developing countries that have a high lending rate. The implication is that policymakers and banks in European, African and Asian countries should reduce their reliance on physical financial access points to increase financial inclusion. They should adopt digital financial inclusion strategies to mitigate the adverse effect of CO2 emissions on the physical financial access points provided by banks to increase financial inclusion. |
| Keywords: | climate change, CO2 emissions, financial inclusion, institutional quality, inflation, interest rate, financial access points, bank branch, ATM, Africa, Asia, Europe, developing countries. |
| JEL: | G21 Q01 Q50 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:125032 |
| By: | Laura Alfaro; Maria Brussevich; Camelia Minoiu; Andrea F. Presbitero |
| Abstract: | Finding new international suppliers is costly, so most importers source inputs from a single country. We examine the role of banks in mitigating trade search costs during the 2018–19 US-China trade tensions. We match data on shipments to US ports with the US credit register to analyze trade and bank credit relationships at the bank-firm level. We show that importers of tariff-hit products from China were more likely to exit relationships with Chinese suppliers and find new suppliers in other Asian countries. To finance their geographic diversification, tariff-hit firms increased credit demand, drawing on bank credit lines and taking out loans at higher rates. Banks offering specialized trade finance services to Asian markets eased both financial and information frictions. Tariff-hit firms with specialized banks borrowed at lower rates and were 15 percentage points more likely and three months faster to establish new supplier relationships than firms with other banks. We estimate the cost of searching for suppliers at $1.9 million (or 5 percent of annual sales revenue) for the average US importer. |
| Keywords: | financial frictions; bank lending; supply chains; trade policy |
| JEL: | G21 F34 F42 |
| Date: | 2025–05–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedawp:101193 |
| By: | Hisaki KONO; Hoang-Minh LE; Manabu NOSE; Yasuyuki SAWADA |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the local economic impacts of industrial zones (IZs) in Vietnam, focusing on how their sectoral orientation within production networks shapes effectiveness. Using panel data on registered firms and a newly compiled dataset on IZ locations and sectoral compositions, we estimate the dynamic effects of IZ establishment on firm entry and employment through staggered difference-in-differences and synthetic control methods. We find that IZs lead to sustained increases in both firm and worker density over a 6–10 year horizon, indicating substantial local economic gains. These effects are particularly pronounced in zones oriented toward downstream industries—those that create demand for upstream suppliers—while upstream orientation does not predict stronger outcomes. We further show that backward production linkages mediate these gains, suggesting that demand-side constraints, rather than input frictions, may be more binding in developing country contexts. The results highlight not only the overall effectiveness of IZs but also the importance of aligning industrial policy design with the structure of production networks to maximize spatial development benefits. |
| Keywords: | Industrial zones, production linkage |
| JEL: | O12 O14 R11 |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:kue:epaper:e-25-005 |
| By: | Chun Yee Wong (IUJ Research Institute, International University of Japan); Florentina Do Rego Guterres Sousa |
| Abstract: | An effective malaria prevention strategy is crucial for improving child health outcomes and reducing the disease burden within communities. This study assessed the effectiveness of insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) in reducing malaria incidence among children. The analysis used data from the 2014 Living Standards Survey in Timor-Leste and employed the instrumental variable (IV) method. The results show that each additional ITN increases the probability of net usage by 0.037 and reduces the probability of malaria incidence in children by 0.045. The findings emphasize the importance of expanding ITN distribution in malaria-endemic regions. By addressing the limited evidence on ITN effectiveness in developing Asian countries such as Timor-Leste, this research offers valuable insights for policymakers aiming to ensure sustainable and universal access to malaria prevention tools. |
| Keywords: | Malaria, child health, insecticide-treated mosquito nets, Instrumental variable method, Timor-Leste |
| Date: | 2025–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iuj:wpaper:ems_2025_03 |
| By: | Andrea Lolli (Università degli studi di Ferrara) |
| Abstract: | There is strong scientific evidence that climate change is accelerating. Its effects on the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy are becoming increasingly severe and frequent, to the point that extreme weather events can no longer be considered unforeseeable or “fortuitous.†Reflecting this shift, Italian law now requires all businesses to purchase insurance coverage for natural disasters. At the same time, certain areas of the region are no longer safe for human settlement. Delocalization is planned, and those who choose not to relocate may no longer receive compensation for climate-related damages. A new legal tool – the “servitù di allagamento†(flood easement) – allows designated areas to be flooded, when necessary, without formal expropriation. Numerous public interventions are being planned, not only to repair past damage but also to prevent future floods. However, these measures are insufficient for addressing the most critical challenge: coastal zones. Scientific forecasts predict a significant rise in sea levels, particularly threatening the Po River Delta and coastal areas in the provinces of Ferrara and Ravenna, worsened by ongoing land subsidence. Despite this, Italian public authorities appear unwilling to confront the issue clearly. They neither deny the risk nor take meaningful action to address it, missing the opportunity to allocate PNRR (Next Generation EU) funds for coastal adaptation. In contrast, countries like Indonesia are already responding: facing rising sea levels, it has decided to relocate its capital from Jakarta – a city of 30 million people – to a new inland location. Italy does not yet seem ready to face such transformations. One can only hope that it will not take a tragedy to trigger awareness and action. |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:srt:wpaper:0525 |
| By: | Nobutaka Suzuki |
| Abstract: | Abstract |
| Date: | 2023–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hst:ghsdps:gd23-305 |
| By: | Ross Barker; ?Isabella Buber-Ennser; ?Yen Thi Hai Nguyen; ?Maria Rita Testa |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we investigate the importance of various aspects of lifeâthat is, the value of family, leisure, work, and friends distinguished by age and parenthood. Our data is from the European Values Study and World Values Survey, capturing 46 countries in Europe, East Asia, Latin America and Australia. We focus on persons in young and middle adulthood and examine the perceived importance of the four life domains Tin 2005â2009 and 2017â2019 and the changes over the roughly 10-year period. Our results show that family is most often regarded as important, followed by work, friends, and leisure. This hiearchary remained the same during the last decade. The descriptive results show an increase in the importance of family, friends, and leisure, with significant regional differences. Regionally, Southern Europe and East Asia have the most significant changes in values over the 10-year period. Differentiations by age and parity reveal that the associations of age and parity are weaker in 2017â2019 than in 2005â2009. |
| Keywords: | Importance of life domains, family, leisure, work, friends, European Values Study (EVS), World Values Study (WVS) |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:vid:wpaper:2304 |
| By: | Omer Majeed |
| Abstract: | How do institutions evolve? Why are they so persistent? And why are successful institutional transformations so rare, limited to outlier cases like Singapore, Turkiye, South Korea, Botswana, and China? This paper presents a new framework linking long-term institutional outcomes related to corruption and extractive practices to the dynamic interaction between population norms and leadership traits. The Population-Leadership Symmetry Principle posits that leadership traits reflect prevailing societal norms, as leaders emerge from within the population. Yet, meaningful institutional transformation requires a second mechanism: the Leadership Hysteresis Effect, where sustained, reformist leadership reshapes societal norms, embedding institutional change that persists beyond the leader's tenure. In both mechanisms, societal norms play a central role. For the Hysteresis Effect in particular, institutional reform depends on stability over time to gradually shift these underlying norms. In this framework, only long-duration and intensive leadership episodes generate durable improvements in governance; the model also explains why these reform episodes are rare. The model is calibrated to notable cases of institutional transformation. Empirically, I test the model using panel data and event studies, showing that societal corruption norms are strongly associated with leadership integrity over time. However, the absence of a valid external instrument limits causal inference; accordingly, the results are best interpreted as evidence of association rather than causation. Even so, the findings are robust across specifications and consistent with the model's predictions. Together, the findings offer a unified explanation for both institutional persistence and the conditions under which rare but lasting reform is possible. |
| Keywords: | Institutions, societal norms, development, leadership, economic growth |
| JEL: | O43 D73 H83 P10 O57 Z18 |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:een:camaaa:2025-36 |