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on South East Asia |
| By: | Davis, Elizabeth; Ruppert, Kirstie A.; Le, Chau My Thi; Cao, Dat; Cao, Trung |
| Abstract: | Bear bile is a highly demanded medicinal product in certain areas of Vietnam, which contributes to the decline of Asiatic black bears and sun bears. Multiple conservation strategies, such as closing bear farms and raising awareness, have been enacted in Vietnam to address this issue, but there have been few targeted demand reduction efforts. Here, we present the design and evaluation of a campaign to reduce demand for bear bile, founded on the principles of conservation marketing. We used a Theory of Change informed by baseline consumer research and consultations with international and local stakeholders to guide the design of the campaign. We used quantitative surveys to measure the prevalence of bear bile use in a Before-After-Control-Treatment (BACT) design (n = 1, 690 individuals (pre-campaign: 767; post-campaign: 923)). Bear bile use declined by 97% in our treatment site (from 16% (CI: 12 – 19%) to 1% (CI: 0.3 – 2%)), and did not change significantly in the control site. We can conclude that our campaign did change behavior, and reduced demand for bear bile in our target community. We also found a significant shift to disagreement for the belief “Bears are easy to find in the wild”, indicating that accurate knowledge about bear population decline in Vietnam increased in the treatment site. Our results illustrate the conservation potential of demand reduction campaigns, particularly when paired with efforts to decrease the available supply of wildlife products. |
| Date: | 2026–02–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:mdwjy_v2 |
| By: | Elvy Maria Manurung (Parahyangan Catholic University, Indonesia); Tahta Alfina (Parahyangan Catholic University, Indonesia) |
| Abstract: | The coffee drinking culture has become a part of daily life. Many studies have been conducted on the coffee business, coffee drinking culture, and technological advancements. However, there is still a lack of focus on the creativity process and the impact of the coffee drinking culture. This research focuses on the technological changes in coffee machines, especially the transition from manual to semi-automatic roasting machines, and how this affects the coffee beverage business and the coffee drinking culture. Using observation and several interviews with three entrepreneurs in the coffee drinking businesses in West Java, Indonesia, the research findings indicate that coffee machine technology has been utilized to develop the coffee beverage business and has contributed to changing the landscape of coffee drinking culture in Indonesia. Coffee drinking now serves as a beverage and a symbol of social status and individual identity. The four steps of the creativity process by Richard Florida confirmed that business continuity needs to adopt four stages: preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification. If one or several creative ethos are skipped, business sustainability will be impacted. |
| Keywords: | technology innovation, creativity process, entrepreneurship, coffee drinking culture, sustainability |
| Date: | 2025–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:smo:raiswp:0558 |
| By: | Aini, Zahriatul (Politeknik Kutaraja) |
| Abstract: | This study explores the impact of the marketing mix on customer loyalty at the Banda Aceh Branch of Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI), with satisfaction acting as a mediating variable. In a highly competitive Islamic banking industry, an effective marketing strategy is essential for sustaining customer loyalty. This research employs a quantitative approach, using purposive sampling of 100 customers from five BSI branches in Banda Aceh. Data were collected through a Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed using multiple linear regression and path analysis. The results indicate that while factors such as place, human resources, and physical evidence contributed to customer loyalty, ineffective promotion and slow service processes reduced it. Furthermore, customer satisfaction plays a mediating role, strengthening the link between the marketing mix and loyalty. These findings emphasize the need for BSI Banda Aceh Branch to improve their service efficiency, enhance human resource quality, and adopt more targeted promotional strategies to retain customers in the long term. Enhancing service efficiency and refining marketing strategies will allow BSI Banda Aceh to maintain a competitive edge in the evolving Islamic banking industry. |
| Date: | 2025–03–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:qr7u2_v1 |
| By: | Eiichi TOMIURA; Hiroyuki KUWAHATA |
| Abstract: | Firms in advanced economies trade both goods and services across national borders. Offshoring is another important channel of modern globalization. However, these relatively invisible globalization modes are not well captured in official statistics. We also note that the globalization trend has recently been altered by the tensions originating with the rise of China. We conducted a unique survey of Japanese firms to collect information of these relatively new and invisible aspects of international economic relations with China. We combine our survey results with firm-level data derived from official statistics to explore the characteristics of firms that are active within these interactions with China. We find that firms that are involved in services trade with China or firms engaged in offshoring with China tend to be more productive than firms that are not engaged in these activities. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eti:dpaper:26009 |
| By: | Choudhury, Mita (National Institute of Public Finance and Policy); Kukreja, Rolly (National Institute of Public Finance and Policy) |
| Abstract: | This paper critically examines the Conditionalities Framework under India’s National Health Mission (NHM), which marked an important step in performance-based financing for the health sector. Drawing on incentive disbursement data for the period 2019–20 to 2024–25, the analysis finds that the framework has generated only limited effective incentives for states to improve health sector performance. While the Framework has helped signal the Central government’s health priorities and encouraged adoption of system-level reforms in states, its capacity to drive substantive improvements in state-level health outcomes remains constrained. The paper highlights several conceptual and design challenges that weaken the incentive effect of the framework. These include the reliance on relative performance assessment within state groups, which creates a zero-sum incentive structure and dilutes rewards; the inclusion of performance indicators that are not fully within the control of the incentivised state-level NHM apparatus; and the dependence on self-reported performance data, which raises concerns about data credibility and scope for gaming. Strengthening the framework will require revisiting the choice of performance conditionalities, performance assessment cycles, and the mechanisms for performance verification. Surveys like the National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) could be leveraged to reinforce third-party performance validation. |
| Keywords: | Performance Based Financing ; Conditionalities Framework ; National Health Mission ; Health Financing ; India |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:npf:wpaper:26/441 |
| By: | Justin R. Pierce; Peter K. Schott; Cristina J. Tello-Trillo |
| Abstract: | We find that US workers outside manufacturing exhibit relative earnings increases after US trade liberalization with China. These relative gains cumulate over time as the beneficial effect of a workerâ s upstream exposureâ increased competition from China in input marketsâ more than offsets the detrimental impact of her own and downstream (customer) exposures. These relative gains are smaller for non-manufacturing workers with less ex ante firm tenure and lower initial earnings, and are absent among manufacturing workers due to a lack of upstream gains and stronger downstream losses. |
| Keywords: | Employment; Manufacturing; Labor markets; International trade; Trade policy |
| JEL: | F13 F14 F15 F16 |
| Date: | 2026–01–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedgif:102365 |
| By: | Makoto Hasegawa (Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University); Takafumi Kawakubo (Osaka School of International Public Policy, the University of Osaka); Takafumi Suzuki (Faculty of Business, Aichi Shukutoku University); Masayoshi Hayashi (Faculty of Economics, the University of Tokyo) |
| Abstract: | Using Japanese firm-level customs data from 2014 to 2019, we investigate profit shifting through transfer pricing by Japanese multinational corporations. We find that Japanese firms reduce related-party export prices relative to arm's-length prices as the tax differentials between Japan and destination countries widen, indicating tax-motivated transfer pricing. The responsiveness of related-party prices to these taxdifferentials is, on average, smaller than that reported in previous studies but varies depending on transaction characteristics. Specifically, transfer mispricing is more pronounced in transactions involving larger parent-affiliate pairs and products that are exported less frequently. We also examine the impact of the country-by-country reporting (CbCR) system, introduced in Japan in 2016, and find no evidence that it reduced transfer mispricing by Japanese multinationals subject to CbCR. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tky:fseres:2026cf1266 |
| By: | Kyoji FUKAO; YoungGak KIM; Hyeog Ug KWON |
| Abstract: | This study examines the dynamics of total factor productivity (TFP) by firm size to clarify the recent drivers of productivity growth in the Japanese economy, utilizing firm-level financial data from Teikoku Databank (TDB) spanning the years 1999 to 2020. In particular, we examine Japan’s distinctive “negative exit effect†by differentiating among various types of firm exit, including bankruptcy, closure, dissolution, and mergers. Our analysis shows that while within-firm productivity improvements at large firms played a dominant role in driving productivity growth through the 2000s, reallocation effects have become increasingly important since the 2010s. Notably, a substantial share of high-productivity firms exited the market through mergers, accounting for nearly half of the overall negative exit effect. Furthermore, while TFP among acquiring firms tends to stagnate in the short term after mergers, their labor productivity shows a significant and sustained increase, likely driven by capital deepening. These findings provide new insights into the shifting drivers of productivity growth in Japan—from within-firm productivity growth to market-driven resource reallocation—as well as into firm-size heterogeneity and the role of mergers in shaping productivity dynamics. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eti:dpaper:26007 |
| By: | Mukherjee, Sacchidananda (National Institute of Public Finance and Policy); Jadhav, Vivek (Institute of Management Technology) |
| Abstract: | Assessing Human Development (HD) performance at the subnational level within a country is essential to target areas where states lag behind others. Following the methodology of the National Human Development Report (NHDR) 2001, the paper estimates the Human Development Index (HDI) scores for 29 Indian states for 2022-23. To improve India’s HDI ranking in the UNDP, we need to improve the performance of all states. The results show that the HD performance (relative) of states has changed from 2011-12 to 2022-23, and some states have improved their achievement, whereas others have fallen back. The results show that per capita GSDP (PCGSDP) influence HD performance, but the impact of PCGSDP on HD achievement has weakened from 2011-12 to 2022-23. |
| Keywords: | Human Development ; Indian States ; Consumption Expenditure ; Health ; Education, Income inequality ; Consumption inequality ; India |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:npf:wpaper:26/442 |
| By: | Yang LIU |
| Abstract: | Contrary to conventional views, evidence from several countries shows that fertility does not always decline with women’s education due to the recent marketization of childcare, which may enable a positive relationship between women’s labor supply and childcare. Using the most recent individual-level data, this study provides the first evidence of a U-shaped relationship between education and fertility among married Japanese women, focusing on the period 2015-2020, during which market-based childcare expanded substantially in Japan. Compared to low-educated women, highly educated women exhibit both higher fertility and greater labor supply. In contrast, medium-educated women supply more labor than low-educated women but exhibit lower fertility. Unlike the U-shaped education–fertility pattern observed in the United States, labor supply continues to substantially reduce fertility among highly educated women in Japan, as well as among women with medium and low levels of education. Based on standard economic theory of fertility, the U-shaped association could be driven by differences in the relative sizes of the income and substitution effects across education groups. In addition, the U-shaped pattern is not observed for permanent immigrant women living in Japan; instead, their fertility increases with education, likely reflecting a slower pace of economic and social integration. Overall, the results suggest that policies promoting women’s human capital development may enhance both their fertility and labor supply in Japan, while obstacles for women balancing work and child-rearing still exist broadly in the country and more serious attention should be employed in tackling this issue. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eti:dpaper:26008 |
| By: | Abbasi, Umar; Ali, Amjad; Audi, Marc |
| Abstract: | This study examines sustainability reporting practices among firms listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, focusing on sectoral differences, reporting patterns, and the interconnection between economic, social, and environmental dimensions. The research analyzes standalone sustainability reports from sixty-two organizations across fifteen sectors between 2016 and 2020, using content analysis aligned with the global reporting initiative standards. The findings indicate that although sustainability reporting has increased in Pakistan, it remains uneven and largely motivated by compliance. Disclosures heavily emphasize economic indicators such as financial performance, with leading firms disclosing at a rate of 94.4 percent, while lagging firms report significantly less on environmental issues such as emissions and energy consumption, and social concerns including labor rights and child labor, ranging between eleven and twenty-three percent. Sectoral analysis reveals that banking, oil and gas, and cement sectors report more frequently, largely due to regulatory obligations and stakeholder scrutiny, while retail and engineering sectors lag behind. The presence of integrated reporting positively correlates with comprehensive performance across the three sustainability dimensions i.e., economic, environmental, and social, but remains limited due to the voluntary nature of frameworks, inadequate resources, and weak enforcement mechanisms. The study highlights the need for mandatory reporting, capacity development programs, and strategic alignment with global frameworks such as the global reporting initiative and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Policy reforms, tailored sector-specific guidelines, and active stakeholder engagement are essential to bridge the divide between symbolic gestures and meaningful sustainability disclosures. This research contributes to the discourse on environmental, social, and governance reporting in emerging markets, offering insights for policymakers, corporate executives, and investors aiming to advance sustainable development in Pakistan. |
| Keywords: | Sustainability Reporting, GRI Standards, ESG Disclosures, Corporate Governance |
| JEL: | M14 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:127311 |
| By: | Akbar Ali (Ghent University, Belgium) |
| Abstract: | This study focused on the crucial role of family in adolescents' adjustment in stepfamilies in Pakistan. The family, as the primary social institution, plays a central role in socialization and training, contributing to the social, personal, and academic adjustment of adolescents within both the family and society. The main objective of this study was to examine the challenges adolescents face when living in a stepfamily setup after a parental marital transition due to the death or divorce of one biological parent. Adolescents in stepparent families encounter multiple challenges that impact their social adjustment and personal lives, which may also impact their academic performance. Two key objectives were investigated: parental capital and parenting practices, and their influence on adolescents' adjustment in stepfamilies. The qualitative research conducted in this study was based on interviews with adolescents aged 13 to 19 years attending college. Data collected was analyzed using NVIVO software, and thematic analysis was conducted. The findings highlight the essential role of parental capital and parenting practices in the social adjustment of adolescents in stepparent families. This study recommends practical measures for the government to establish coaching and counselling centers to support adolescents, promote their wellbeing, and enhance their adjustment in their personal, family, social, and educational lives. |
| Keywords: | adolescents, academic life, parental capital, parental practices, social adjustment |
| Date: | 2025–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:smo:raiswp:0569 |
| By: | Mehdi, Hasan; Ali, Amjad; Audi, Marc |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the relationship between sustainable tourism practices and economic growth in Pakistan by integrating the principles of endogenous growth theory with robust econometric modeling. Pakistan possesses significant but underutilized tourism resources, including natural landscapes, historical sites, and cultural heritage. However, its tourism sector faces persistent challenges such as political instability, poor infrastructure, and limited environmental planning. Using (International Monetary Fund, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, World Bank) annual data from 1995 to 2021, this research employs ordinary least squares, autoregressive distributed lag bounds testing, and the vector error correction model to examine how tourism receipts, employment in tourism, political stability, and environmental sustainability influence real GDP. The empirical findings reveal a statistically significant and positive relationship between tourism receipts and GDP growth, reaffirming tourism’s role as a direct driver of economic development. Employment in the tourism sector also demonstrates a meaningful contribution to economic output by enhancing household income and stimulating local consumption. Political stability and environmental sustainability, while less impactful in the short run, are found to be crucial in maintaining long-run equilibrium and ensuring sustainability in the tourism sector through different tests and approaches as concluded in the findings paragraphs. The autoregressive distributed lag model confirms the existence of long-run cointegration among the variables, while the vector error correction model illustrates a moderate but stable adjustment toward long-run equilibrium. This study underscores the need for Pakistan to adopt a coordinated, sustainability-focused tourism policy that emphasizes investment in infrastructure, environmental regulation, institutional reform, and community engagement. It advocates for shifting from volume-based to value-driven tourism strategies. The strategy uses green practices, digital promotion, and decentralized governance to maximize benefits. The findings contribute empirical and policy insights for integrating tourism into national development agendas. Ultimately, sustainable tourism emerges as a strategic avenue for comprehensive, resilient, and environmentally sound economic growth in Pakistan. |
| Keywords: | Sustainable Tourism, Economic Growth, Environmental Sustainability, Political Stability |
| JEL: | O4 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:127310 |
| By: | Angela Ampuero Arriagada (StartHope@Home, Project by Social Impact gGmbH, 14467 Potsdam, Germany); K. Kathy Meyer-Ross (University of Applied Sciences Dresden, Germany) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the reintegration of returnees in Pakistan based on field research carried out in December 2024, in partnership with two local organizations. The paper looks at the socio-economic and psychological aspects of reintegration, evaluates the current reintegration programs and lists areas to develop a better cooperation with international partners such as StartHope@home. According to the interviews, returnees often face three main challenges: economic sustainability, social stigma, and mental health problems. The Pakistani labor market absorbs 1.5 million new entrants annually (World Bank, 2013; Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 2022); therefore, most returnees find economic support through self-employment in sectors such as agriculture, dairy farming, and small trading. On the social front, returnees are subjected to societal scrutiny, emotional loneliness, and feelings of failure. One of these organizations focuses on business development and family involvement, while the other one provides psychosocial counseling and raises awareness through storytelling. Both organizations emphasize the importance of holistic approaches in reintegration, including long-term accompaniment, mental health, and community integration. It is estimated that 25 percent of the returnees re-migrate, with 7 percent returning to Europe. The study concludes with recommendations for skills training, family-oriented business models, and psychosocial support. Strengthening cooperation with local agents and improving data on reintegration outcomes are key to achieving sustainable returns. These findings also present an opportunity to policymakers and practitioners who intend to investigate how to strengthen reintegration measures in Pakistan and beyond. |
| Keywords: | return migration, reintegration, social stigma, informal economy, psychosocial support |
| Date: | 2025–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:smo:raiswp:0560 |