{"title":"Institutional quality and macrofinancial resilience in Asia","authors":"John Beirne , Pradeep Panthi","doi":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101957","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101957","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper examines the effect of institutions on macrofinancial resilience in Asia. Focusing on a panel of 12 Asian economies from 1996Q1 to 2020Q4, we find that institutions for economies with high levels of institutional quality support the resilience of real GDP per capita and net FDI inflows during periods of elevated financial stress. In addition, our results suggest resilience due to institutions for these economies regarding net equity and debt inflows in crisis times, also reflecting portfolio rebalancing effects. For economies with lower levels of institutional quality, institutions may help to stabilize portfolio debt during crisis times, although the magnitudes of the effects are small. As well as pointing towards resilience thresholds in institutional quality, our paper provides insights on critical sub-components of overall institutional quality, notably rule of law, political stability, and regulatory quality. The findings help to inform the direction of policy efforts towards strengthening institutional capacity and structural reforms for enhancing economic development and resilience to shocks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47583,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Asian Economics","volume":"99 ","pages":"Article 101957"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144099346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Service sector liberalization and firms’ carbon emission intensity reduction: Evidence from China","authors":"Jiaxuan Gao , Yanling Wang , Hongjun Xie","doi":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101956","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101956","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper examines the impact of service sector liberalization on downstream manufacturing firms’ carbon emission intensity in China. We quantify China’s service sector liberalization through its policy changes towards foreign direct investment (FDI) and build a composite index of manufacturing firms’ exposure to service sector liberalization as a weighted average of service sectors’ liberalization with their respective input shares. We find that service sector liberalization significantly reduces manufacturing firms’ CO<sub>2</sub> emission intensity through inter-industry economic linkages. Our results are robust with two other measures of pollution emission intensities, two alternative measures of service sector liberalization and after correcting endogeneity. We also find that greater productivity enhances the reduction effect. Further, firms’ response is heterogeneous: the impact of service sector liberalization on firms’ CO<sub>2</sub> emission intensity reduction is 81 % larger for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) than for non-SOEs; and 105 % larger for large firms than for small- and medium-sized firms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47583,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Asian Economics","volume":"99 ","pages":"Article 101956"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144099345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Spatial mobility of China’s population in the digital economy","authors":"Huiyong Zhong , Xiaobin Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101941","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101941","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The digital economy has emerged as a transformative force in China, reshaping labor markets and spatial population dynamics through advanced technologies and connectivity. This study examines how digital economic development influences population mobility across 289 prefecture-level cities from 2011 to 2018. Our findings reveal that digitalization significantly drives population inflows. This effect is primarily channeled through the service sector’s expansion—particularly life-oriented services—which generates substantial employment. Heterogeneity analysis shows stronger effects in larger, denser cities, highlighting agglomeration economies’ role in amplifying digital impacts. Examining the Hu Line—a historical divide separating the populous southeast from the sparse northwest—we find that digitalization enhances southeast inflows but has no significant effect in the northwest. Contrary to expectations of spatial rebalancing, digital growth reinforces China’s urban concentration. These results challenge the “death of distance” hypothesis, offering insights for urban policy and regional development strategies amid digital transformation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47583,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Asian Economics","volume":"99 ","pages":"Article 101941"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144090136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Research productivity of scientists in Asia for the growth of nations","authors":"Jang C. Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101953","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101953","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to evaluate the research productivity of universities and institutions in Asia, based on publications in the two premier journals <em>Science</em> and <em>Nature</em>. Chinese universities dominate the league. The recent rise of scientific publications in Chinese universities is largely attributed to international collaborations with prominent U.S. and European universities and with renowned global institutions. The instrumental variable (IV) estimation further suggests that scientific publications promote economic growth through the development of advanced technologies. It should also be noted that the research contribution of universities is, in general, greater than that of research institutions in Asia. The paper concludes with policy implications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47583,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Asian Economics","volume":"99 ","pages":"Article 101953"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143946672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effectiveness of financial industry in promoting the high-quality development of energy industry","authors":"Zhenpeng Tang , Xinyi Lin , Houyin Long","doi":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101945","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101945","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The energy sector is central to global decarbonization, and the effective allocation of financial resources is vital to its development. However, the impact of financial resources on energy development remains ambiguous in existing literature. This study bridges this gap by theoretically and empirically analyzing the role of the financial resources allocated to the energy industry. We develop a novel theoretical model that integrates the energy and financial sectors, subsequently deriving an inverted U-shaped relationship between financial resources and energy development. Empirically, we use an energy-related indicator to capture financial resources directed towards the energy sector and validate the hypothesis using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2006 to 2019. The result remains robust after addressing endogeneity concerns and a series of robustness tests. Heterogeneity analysis further shows that the inverted U-shaped relationship is more pronounced in regions with abundant energy resources and high financial development, while the effect in those characterized by underdeveloped financial systems is insignificant. Mechanism analysis reveals that financial resources influence energy development through financing constraints and investment efficiency. This study advances our understanding of the role of finance in energy sector development, offering key policy implications for optimizing financial allocation. Financial institutions should establish appropriate support thresholds to ensure optimal financial resource allocation to the energy sector, while addressing financing constraints and improving investment efficiency. Support strategies should be tailored to regional conditions, such as energy endowments and financial development levels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47583,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Asian Economics","volume":"99 ","pages":"Article 101945"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143942174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Investigating the influence of parents' work hours on children's human capital formation: An empirical study of Chinese families","authors":"Shixiong Cheng , Can Shu","doi":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101955","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101955","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing workload and work hours among contemporary Chinese families have raised concerns about the potential adverse effects of parental absence on children's cognitive and noncognitive performance. This research applied a nationwide survey, the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS) dataset, focusing on teenagers under the age of 16, to reveal children’s recognition performance relying on parents’ time allocation at work, which subsequently affects children’s grades in school. This study analyzed data from four China Family Panel Studies conducted between 2012 and 2018, examining the impact of parental average weekly working hours on the academic performance of their children aged 9–15. The finding showed that as parents work longer hours, their children's test scores and class rankings tend to decline. However, this effect varies depending on factors such as children’ gender. Mothers' education level and the frequency of parent-child discussions or arguments each month play a role in mitigating the adverse impact of parental working hours on children's academic performance. The study suggests that in addition to investing in their children's education, families should prioritize positive interactions with their children. Policy-makers should also implement regulations on working hours to protect workers and their children's rights.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47583,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Asian Economics","volume":"99 ","pages":"Article 101955"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144083814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Corporate diversification strategies and bankruptcy risk: A re-examination based on COVID-19","authors":"Dezhu Ye , Wenjun Ji , Nan Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101954","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101954","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Current research has not yet reached a consensus on the relationship between corporate diversification strategies and risk, in part because of the difficulty in addressing the potential endogeneity of diversification strategies and the fact that the manifestation of risk becomes more pronounced only under strong exogenous adverse shocks. The outbreak of COVID-19 provides a unique opportunity to re-examine the relationship between corporate diversification strategies and risk. We find that the outbreak of COVID-19 significantly increases the bankruptcy risk of firms employing diversification strategies. The further test reveals that the increased overall cash flow volatility, and financing constraints resulting from reduced bank and trade credit are the primary mechanisms behind this effect. However, heterogeneity tests indicate that the adverse impact of COVID-19 on the bankruptcy risk of diversified strategic firms is significantly mitigated when the firms are state-owned, have affiliations with customers or suppliers, hold shares in commercial banks, or maintain a high level of information disclosure quality. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the potential vulnerability of diversification strategies when faced with significant adverse shocks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47583,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Asian Economics","volume":"99 ","pages":"Article 101954"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144072161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Offshoring, multinationals, and employment in South Korea","authors":"Minjung Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101944","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101944","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores the impact of offshoring on employment growth and labor demand using a South Korean manufacturing firm-level panel dataset while considering offshoring structures, technology levels, and destinations. The results suggest that intra-firm offshoring has a statistically significant negative effect on employment growth, whereas arm’s-length offshoring does not. This effect is apparent in the high-tech industry, implying that labor-intensive tasks of the production process in such industries are offshored among multinational enterprises (MNEs), resulting in substituting domestic workers. In particular, offshoring to low-wage countries negatively affects labor demand, whereas offshoring to high-wage countries positively affects labor demand. These empirical findings suggest that the impact of offshoring on employment is heterogeneous depending on the industrial technology level, the organizational structure of firms with sourcing affiliations, and foreign offshoring locations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47583,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Asian Economics","volume":"99 ","pages":"Article 101944"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143942058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Can rural digital economy mitigate local population outflow: Evidence from China","authors":"Sheng Liu, Xiahai Wei, Yuhong Du","doi":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101942","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101942","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of the rural digital economy has significantly enhanced local competitiveness and reshaped migration patterns in China’s rural areas. Using LandScan data, we measured county-level population changes, and based on this, constructed a panel dataset for 1747 counties from 2011 to 2020. Based on the push-pull theory and the Harris-Todaro model, this paper applied a time-varying difference-in-differences (DID) method to assess the impact of the E-commerce into the Rural Comprehensive Demonstration Counties (ERCDC) policy on local population migration and explored its potential mechanisms. Our findings indicate that: (1) The ERCDC policy has effectively reduced rural population outflow in pilot areas. (2) A range of robustness tests, including spillover effect testing, instrumental variable methods, and PSM-DID, confirm the robustness of the baseline results. (3) The policy effects are more pronounced in regions where government support for the digital economy is strong, market proximity is closer, public attention to digitalization is high, and the convenience of freight transportation is greater. (4) The ERCDC policy has significantly enhanced ‘income pull’, ‘employment pull’, and ‘entrepreneurship pull’ in pilot areas by increasing local income, improving local employment opportunities, and stimulating local entrepreneurship, thereby mitigating population outflow in these areas. This paper highlights the effectiveness of the digital economy in addressing rural population outflow in China, thereby providing important policy implications for governments in developing countries to address rural population challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47583,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Asian Economics","volume":"99 ","pages":"Article 101942"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143935748","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The long-term effect of early-life war exposure on prosocial preference: Evidence from the Korean War","authors":"Dawoon Jung , Seong Hee Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101943","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101943","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper explores the long-term effects of early-life exposure to the Korean War, which is considered one of the most destructive conflicts of the modern era with a high proportion of civilian deaths, on people’s prosocial preference. Hypothetical willingness to contribute to public goods was used to measure individual’s prosocial preference. Our main analysis relates geographic and temporal variations of battles in changes in willingness to contribute to public goods. The results imply that more intense war violence, especially during infancy (age 0), has a negative effect on male respondents’ willingness to contribute to public goods. On the other hand, we do not find any evidence of a statistically significant effect on female respondents’ willingness to contribute to public goods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47583,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Asian Economics","volume":"99 ","pages":"Article 101943"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143942173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}