Xiaozhong Li , Fangqing Tang , Dongfang Shen , Jie Zhang , Xinyue Hu
{"title":"The impact of informatization on total factor productivity and its regional differences: An empirical study based on Chinese data","authors":"Xiaozhong Li , Fangqing Tang , Dongfang Shen , Jie Zhang , Xinyue Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.tncr.2025.200111","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tncr.2025.200111","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>On the basis of a theoretical analysis, this paper develops an indicator framework for measuring informatization level and estimates the informatization levels of various regions in China spanning 2006 to 2019; Utilizing the DEA-Malmquist index approach, the paper estimates the TFP of various regions in China and decomposes it into technological progress and technical efficiency. The findings reveal an annually increasing level of informatization in China, with higher presence in the east and lower in the west. The influence of informatization on TFP presents a positive \"U\" -shaped feature, but the turning point of the eastern region is earlier than that in the central and western regions. The level of informatization also has a spatial spillover effect on TFP, similarly presenting a positive \"U\" shape. The article offers pertinent policy suggestions aiming to promote China's TFP through informatization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45011,"journal":{"name":"Transnational Corporations Review","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 200111"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143601720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Role of financial institutions in poverty alleviation: Nexus of domestic credit, digital transactions and poverty in South Asia","authors":"Muhammad Ayub Khan Mehar","doi":"10.1016/j.tncr.2025.200110","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tncr.2025.200110","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The main objective of this study is to test the impacts of lending by various types of financial institutions on poverty, employment, and new business startups. The study is based on seven equations estimated through the ordinary least squares (OLS) technique and censored TOBIT equations. These estimations are based on 21 years of data from 3114 financial institutions. Empirical pieces of evidence based on firm-level data reveal that the donations in the formation of the equities of lending institutions are a significant determinant of lending to clients below the poverty line. It was observed that commercial banks provide more lending for hiring labor than other lending institutions. This conclusion emphasizes the importance of commercial banks for the transfer of fiscal resources to the middle- and lower-income groups. The study recognizes the importance of financial institutions in the South Asian context.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45011,"journal":{"name":"Transnational Corporations Review","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 200110"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143519085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tii Tasheh Fonsoh , Aloysius M. Njong , Tii N. Nchofoung
{"title":"Institutional quality and the shadow economy in Africa: Effect and transmission channels","authors":"Tii Tasheh Fonsoh , Aloysius M. Njong , Tii N. Nchofoung","doi":"10.1016/j.tncr.2025.200113","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tncr.2025.200113","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The present work investigates the effect of institutional quality on Africa's underground economy, as well as the mechanisms that modulate this effect. Considering cross-sectional dependency between panels, this study considers data of 41 African countries from the period 1996 to 2017 and the system generalized method of moment is used. The results of this investigation propose that institutional quality has a considerable detrimental impact on Africa's underground economy. The interactive effect findings reveal that modulating institutional quality through natural resource rents and trade has an adverse net effect on the size of Africa's shadow economy up to the threshold values of 37.14843 for natural resource rents (% GDP) and 40.55319 for trade (% GDP), after which the negative effect is nullified. Policy implications are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45011,"journal":{"name":"Transnational Corporations Review","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 200113"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143644314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evidence-based exploration of macroeconomic dynamics in ensuring the sustainability of external debt: A case study of Djibouti","authors":"Sadik Aden Dirir , Kadir Aden","doi":"10.1016/j.tncr.2025.200114","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tncr.2025.200114","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The current research examines the impact of different macroeconomic indicators on Djibouti's external debt from 1990 to 2022 using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model. The empirical model provides evidence that economic growth, trade, and government expenditure have a positive and significant impact on external debt. Moreover, the findings uncovered a positive relationship between Djibouti's national savings and external debt. Interestingly, FDI inflows and population growth showcased insignificant impacts on external debt during the long run. This can be explained by the lack of a business operating environment that attracts FDI and a limited number of consuming customers due to the modest percentage of the Djiboutian population. Consequently, these findings highlight the importance of sustained economic growth, trade efficiency, and fiscal prudence in managing and potentially reducing external debt. Additionally, the insight into the relationship between national savings and external debt provides a foundation for further exploration into Djibouti's borrowing and saving behaviors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45011,"journal":{"name":"Transnational Corporations Review","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 200114"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143681726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Has the digital transformation promoted enterprise innovation? Evidence from China","authors":"Chunyuan Zhang , Guoda Gu , Huzhou Zhu , Lin Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.tncr.2025.200109","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tncr.2025.200109","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Based on data from Chinese A-share listed companies spanning 2003 to 2019, this paper empirically examines the impact and mechanism of the digital transformation on enterprise innovation. It is found that digital transformation has a significant positive effect on enterprise innovation. After a series of robustness and endogeneity checks, the conclusion of the study remains consistent. Heterogeneity analysis demonstrates a stronger promoting effect of digital transformation on the innovation of small-size enterprises, non-state-owned enterprises and long-duration enterprises. The results of mechanism test indicate that knowledge spillover effect and digital technology upgrading effect are the internal channels through which digital transformation promotes enterprise innovation. Further analysis reveals the existence of an industrial chain linkage of the enterprise digital transformation, indicating that the digital transformation of focus enterprises can spread along the industrial chain, thereby promoting innovation in both upstream and downstream enterprises.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45011,"journal":{"name":"Transnational Corporations Review","volume":"17 2","pages":"Article 200109"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143882834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dynamic connectedness between global geopolitical tension and flow of foreign remittances amid heightened geopolitical risk with application of NARDL estimation approach","authors":"Qianjin Lu , Farid Ullah , Fouzia Amin , Mirzat Ullah","doi":"10.1016/j.tncr.2024.200106","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tncr.2024.200106","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This empirical study examines the dynamic connectedness between global geopolitical tension (GPR) and the flow of foreign remittances (FR) in response to evolving global and strategic economic dynamics. The study employs the NARDL estimation model to assess the symmetric and asymmetric connectedness among key indicators influencing economic changes in BRIC economies. The study used quarterly frequency data from 1998 to 2023. The short run results reveal that GPR exhibits a symmetric relationship with the flow of FR across the BRIC economies. However, in the long run, an asymmetric association between GPR and the flow of FR is observed. These findings underscore the importance for policymakers, migrants, and recipients to consider the asymmetric and volatile nature of global geopolitical tension when formulating policies and making decisions regarding remittance transfers. Such insights contribute to more informed decision-making processes and effective policy interventions in the realm of remittance flows.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45011,"journal":{"name":"Transnational Corporations Review","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 200106"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143129168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Has FinTech reshaped global trade? New empirical evidence from structural gravity model","authors":"Mamta Kumari","doi":"10.1016/j.tncr.2024.200105","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tncr.2024.200105","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Technological advancements in the financial sector are widely recognized as transformative for global trade and supply chains, significantly improving access to financial services while enhancing the security, efficiency, transparency, and flexibility of transactions between exporters and importers. In this context, the present study investigates the role of financial technology (fintech) in promoting international trade. Drawing on both theoretical and empirical frameworks that link trade and finance, the research explores how fintech innovations reduce trade costs and, in turn, enhance the gains from trade. By estimating a theory-consistent gravity model based on bilateral trade flows from 106 countries over the period 2014–2019, the study reveals that fintech innovations disproportionately stimulate international trade compared to domestic trade. These findings highlight the critical role of fintech in lowering trade barriers and suggest that policies promoting fintech development—such as those fostering innovation in blockchain, payment systems, and financial services—are essential to strengthening global trade competitiveness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45011,"journal":{"name":"Transnational Corporations Review","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 200105"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143129170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ya-Li Zheng , Ming-Yuan Yang , Kai-Xin Liu , Yi-Kai Chen , Xin Wu
{"title":"Dynamic and asymmetric connectedness among fossil energies and stock markets of the Belt and Road countries under shocks from extreme events","authors":"Ya-Li Zheng , Ming-Yuan Yang , Kai-Xin Liu , Yi-Kai Chen , Xin Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.tncr.2024.200104","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tncr.2024.200104","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the dynamic and asymmetric return connectedness between fossil energies and stock markets of the Belt and Road countries (the B&R stock markets) under shocks from extreme events from 2019 to 2023 by using the time-varying parameter vector autoregression model (TVP-VAR) with the asymmetric connectedness indicator and multilayer spillover networks. We find that: (i) risk spillover between fossil energies and the B&R stock markets is more sensitive to negative information than positive information, and the asymmetry is much larger during periods with exogenous shocks. (ii) The level of risk spillover has significantly increased after the outbreak of extreme events, and the global shock from the COVID-19 pandemic has more widespread and greater impact on the risk spillover than the geopolitical shock from the Russo-Ukrainian war. (iii) fossil energies perform as risk receivers throughout the full sample period, and risks are primarily transferred from high-income countries to low-income countries within the B&R stock markets, this phenomenon is also intensified by the extreme shocks. Our findings provide valuable guidance and have economic implications for both investors and policymakers worldwide to diversify and manage the risks within the global fossil energy market and the B&R stock markets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45011,"journal":{"name":"Transnational Corporations Review","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 200104"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143094331","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Toward a typology of business groups: A qualitative content analysis","authors":"Milad Hooshmand Chaijani , Morteza Soltani , Mohsen Akbari","doi":"10.1016/j.tncr.2024.200096","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tncr.2024.200096","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>By facilitating wider communication networks and improving the performance of their affiliated businesses in complex environments, businesses can increase their competitiveness. Understanding the characteristics and diversity of business groups is necessary for developing and implementing them. In this study, we examined the question of how business groups can be classified. What criteria can be used to separate them? We conducted a qualitative analysis of the content of 48 scientific journals published between 1999 and 2020 and selected 215 articles based on purposive sampling during two stages of screening. As a result of the content analysis, three main themes were identified: “origins of group control and ownership”, “groups' institutional origins”, and “intergroup relations”. Also, at the first subtheme level, six categories were identified: group control level, group ownership type, diversity of group relations, dependence and cooperation level, relationship structure, and institutional contexts. There are 12 subcategories included in the second-level subthemes. “origin of corporate governance”, “type of group ownership”, “type of institutional contexts”, “intra-group diversification”, “extra-group diversification”, “internal cooperation”, “formalization ratio”, “length of relations”, “external cooperation”, “geographical area”, “depth of cooperation”, “group maturity level”. Lastly, axis factors related to the diversity of business groups were used to develop a set of typologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45011,"journal":{"name":"Transnational Corporations Review","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 200096"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142661620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Reem El Sherif, Charles Komla Delali Adjasi, Michael Graham
{"title":"The determinants of gender spillovers in FDI: An analysis of Namibia","authors":"Reem El Sherif, Charles Komla Delali Adjasi, Michael Graham","doi":"10.1016/j.tncr.2024.200094","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tncr.2024.200094","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper examines the effect of foreign firm characteristics on FDI spillovers in Namibia, with a specific focus on gender spillover, as an additional measure to total labour spillover. Also, the possible differing spillovers in the manufacturing and services firms are investigated. Using data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey for 2006 and 2014, the paper finds that the gender spillover is significantly influenced by four variables; sector, firm age, transport challenges, and supply-chain finance. Relative to the services sector, firms in the manufacturing sector are found to significantly drive gender spillovers due to a probable preference for females “nimble fingers”, perceived obedience, and lower wages. However, the paper documents that older firms, especially those in the manufacturing sector, negatively impact gender spillovers. Also, transport challenges are shown to drive gender spillovers. This result arises from the possibility that they impose an opportunity cost, whereby, firms may defer investing in female labour due to lower perceived wages to compensate for high transport costs. Finally, we document a negative influence of supply-chain finance on gender spillovers, arising from possible labour cuts as MNCs outsource jobs in the supply chain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45011,"journal":{"name":"Transnational Corporations Review","volume":"16 4","pages":"Article 200094"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142446803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}