AbstractDo populist ideas travel across borders? Anecdotal evidence suggests as much, yet so far we lack a systematic assessment of whether diffusion takes place, and if so under which conditions. We argue that context similarity enables the diffusion of populism among parties as it eases the adaption of populist framing of perceived grievances into the local context. Using a dyadic approach, we analyze diffusion effects among 923 parties in 67 countries from 1970 to 2018. We find that similar levels of political and economic exclusion foster learning from and emulating other parties abroad. We also uncover conditional effects for learning from other parties facing similar levels of income inequality or public sector corruption that hinge on a cultural prescreening. Combined, our results have important implications for a better understanding of diffusion processes in general and the spread of populist ideas around the globe in particular.

AbstractEquality of opportunity (EOp) is a broad category of egalitarian theories that has attracted considerable attention in recent decades. Empirical implementations of EOp primarily focus on the explained component of inequality, classifying determinants of the outcome (e.g., health) into effort—legitimate causes of inequality—and circumstance—illegitimate causes of inequality. Largely overlooked is unexplained variation, which in statistical analysis manifests as residuals and is often ignored as a statistical annoyance. The true random component of residuals is now often referred to as luck. In this paper, we propose the playing field framework that serves as a pragmatic test as to whether residuals signal unfairness in empirical EOp analyses and that enables empirical explorations of roles of luck within the EOp framework. Using a large sample of Canadian older adults, our empirical application of the playing field framework shows that distributions of residuals are not always fair, though there is no consistent pattern of unfairness across age-sex groups. The paper’s three main conclusions are: luck matters; luck should be explicitly incorporated in the EOp framework through the brute luck-effort characterization; and residuals are not just an innocuous statistical annoyance but can represent unfair inequality, and ignoring them can underestimate unfair inequality.

This study explores the relationship between income inequality, economic growth, and unemployment in Greece from 2003 to 2020, encompassing key economic phases: pre-crisis, crisis, memoranda, and post-memoranda. The aim is to analyze how economic growth (logarithm of GDP-LOGGDP) and unemployment influenced income inequality (GINI coefficient) during periods of economic turmoil and recovery. Using linear regression analysis on 18 years of annual data, this study identifies significant relationships between the variables, with diagnostic tests confirming model robustness. The findings reveal a strong positive and statistically significant relationship between LOGGDP and income inequality, indicating that economic growth, without effective redistributive mechanisms, exacerbated disparities. Unemployment had an even stronger positive effect on inequality, highlighting its role in deepening income disparities, particularly during the crisis years marked by economic contraction and austerity measures. These results underline the critical need for balanced economic policies that promote inclusive growth while addressing structural inequalities and labor market vulnerabilities. This study also employs advanced econometric methods, including Vector Autoregression (VAR), Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), and Granger Causality Test, to analyze the dynamics between GDP (LOGGDP), income inequality (GINI), and unemployment. The Granger Test reveals that unemployment Granger-causes GDP with a two-period lag, highlighting the importance of labor market conditions for economic growth, while no direct causal relationship is found between GDP and inequality. These methods provide deeper insights into the short- and long-term interactions, offering valuable guidance for balanced economic policymaking.

Emergency displacement is a widespread phenomenon impacting all facets of life and increasing rates of psychological trauma. This article analyzes the effects of shared residency among evacuated and fragmented communities, focusing on social and communal disparities in temporary shelters. By adopting theoretical perspectives of community building and social capital, it describes interventions aimed at promoting resilience within newly formed shelter communities. A qualitative study was conducted in temporary housing shelters in Israel during wartime. The study included four focus groups with 31 professionals and an analysis of recent emergency protocols. Professional interventions following displacement into temporary evacuation centers create a new reference community, "the shelter community." These mobilizing interventions include establishing volunteer emergency teams, strengthening community cohesion, and fostering community participation in renewed daily routines. Community building interventions in temporary housing shelters can foster personal and community empowerment following disasters worldwide.

ABSTRACT This study explores factors influencing IPSAS implementation in Ghana. Data were collected from 227 public sector professionals using surveys and interviews, analyzed with a generalized least squares model. Key determinants include implementation cost, political support, management information systems, staff training and recruitment, institutional commitment, accountability, and sociological factors. Recommendations emphasize government support via moral suasion and detailed examination of influencing factors for effective public sector accounting reform. The study provides valuable insights for stakeholders, supporting strategic planning, policy-making, and capacity-building to enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency in governance, aiding public financial management and attracting informed foreign investment decisions.

The contemporary literature has argued multiple factors affecting the innovation performance of a country. However, the frequency of studies exploring the terrorism-innovation nexus is quite low. To fill this gap, the current study is another attempt that quantifies the impact of terrorism on innovation performance. For empirical analysis, we utilize the data of South Asian countries over the period 2000 to 2021 and check the regression among variables by employing ARDL (autoregressive distributed lag) model. The consistency of results was checked by including the control variables i.e., FDI inflow, foreign aid, and government subsidies, and by employing the alternative estimation technique i.e., FMOLS (fully modified ordinary least square) model. The analysis infers that terrorism has a significant but negative impact on both RDE (research and development expenditures) and TMA (trademark applications) jointly pronounced as innovation performance. The increase in military expenditures, market uncertainty, and administrative costs are some possible channels through which terrorism hampers innovation. In view of the findings, we can infer the “sand the wheel” role of terrorism in determining innovation. The vital policy implication of the current analysis is that significant efforts should be exerted to ensure peace, and non-state actors responsible for fragile conditions should be handled by iron hands. This study provides robustness to existing studies exploring the terrorism-innovation nexus and adds new thoughts to limited literature.

PurposeThe aim of this study is twofold. First, the study examines the effect of income inequality on conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Second, the study unveils the role of governance in income inequality – conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts the ordinary least square estimation technique (OLS) as the baseline model. However, given that so many panel data models exhibit some form of cross-sectional and temporal dependence, the study also adopts the Driscoll–Kraay cross-sectional and spatial-consistent covariance matrix estimator.FindingsThe study finds that income inequality fuels conflicts in SSA. Similarly, the results show that an increase in the quality of governance reduces conflicts. Importantly, the result shows that the quality of governance mitigates the negative effects of income inequality on conflicts in SSA. The research and policy implications are discussed.Originality/valueThe study examines the role governance in income inequality – conflicts nexus in SSA.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-01-2024-0055

Public sector investment in any economy is often shown in the level of government spending, which is revealed in the welfare level of her populace as part of her fiscal obligation. This study examines the effect of government expenditure and poverty reduction in Nigeria using secondary data sourced from the publication of the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin and World Development Indicators from 1981 to 2022. The study employed the Auto-regressive Distributive Lag Model (ARDL) to achieve its objectives. The results of the findings revealed that government spending in building and construction, health have a positive and significant effect on per capita income used as a proxy for welfare of Nigeria’s populace. While government investment in education has a negative and insignificant effect on per capita income in Nigeria. Moreover, interest rate and inflation rate as contributory variables have a positive effect on per capita income in Nigeria. The study therefore recommends that government should prioritize investment in infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, energy facilities, and public transportation systems. This will not only stimulate economic growth but also create employment opportunities and improve connectivity across regions. Also, prioritize targeted investments in quality education through teachers training, curriculum development, and infrastructure to enhance the learning environment and ensure that students acquire the necessary skills for economic productivity.

Lagos State has experienced adverse pollution as a result of lack of proper waste management and diverse industrial activities within its environs. The repercussion of this has consequently led to the deplorable state of the environment as well as the low quality of health amongst residents. Waste management has become a huge and intricate problem due to geometric population growth, urbanisation, industrialisation and the rising standard of living. This study investigated Plastic and Iron Waste Recycling Pollution in Lagos State, Nigeria. This study concluded that hazards of Plastic and Iron Waste Recycling Pollution in Lagos State; the drainage systems habitually blocked causing yearly flooding which usually lasted throughout the rainy seasons from April to October and displaced millions of residents. The clogged sewage systems became the perfect breeding environment for mosquitoes and flooding washed away footpaths caused people to move around in dirty water from overflowed gutters and polluted major sources of drinking water which led to the spread of cholera and typhoid fever. Also, higher levels of toxic heavy metals were observed among residents at close proximity to recycling iron factories. For environmental sustainability in Lagos State plastic and iron waste recycling pollution must be seriously cautioned in following; environmental impact assessment is necessary for any development in Lagos State, recycling programmes and waste to energy facilities can be reawaken with modernised and ecological friendly technologies. Keywords: Iron waste, Plastic waste, Pollution, Waste recycling, Waste management.

This study examines the dynamic relationship between financial development and environmental sustainability in Egypt using a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) and Granger causality tests. The research focuses on key indicators of financial development, namely Domestic Credit to the Private Sector (DCPS) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and their impact on CO2 emissions. The VECM results highlight a long-term equilibrium relationship, where both FDI and DCPS have significant impacts on CO2 emissions, reflecting the environmental implications of financial growth. Specifically, FDI is associated with increased environmental degradation, while the effect of DCPS is positive but less pronounced. The Granger causality test reveals a bidirectional causal relationship between DCPS and CO2 emissions, indicating interdependence between financial development and environmental degradation. Furthermore, there is evidence of unidirectional causality from CO2 emissions to FDI, suggesting that environmental conditions may influence foreign investment decisions. These findings underscore the importance of implementing sustainable financial policies to mitigate the environmental impact of financial development in Egypt.