Certain Level Of Economic Development Research Articles

Judicial activism and ratification of environmental treaties

ABSTRACT A key theory of environmental politics holds that states must achieve a certain level of economic development before environmental protection will occur. The assumption is that once people attain economic satisfaction, they are no longer willing to accept environmental degradation in return for a greater standard of living. Yet, numerous developing states ratify environmental treaties without achieving a median-level per-capita income. How do some states reach environmental goals that require some behaviour change without the assumed demands of the citizenry? This paper argues that judicial autonomy may be the key to bringing environmental protection to the poorest states in the developing world. Activist judges, free of political interference, can push through policies that are unpopular but serve the greater good. Reacting to this, governments may be more likely to sign and ratify international environmental agreements. Using patterns of ratification for two conventions, I find evidence in favour of the hypothesis.

Carbon emissions and economic growth in China: Based on mixed frequency VAR analysis

This study endeavors to examine the association between carbon emissions and economic growth in China spanning the period from 1992 to 2018, employing a mixed frequency vector autoregressive model (MF-VAR). In contrast to the low frequency vector autoregressive model (LF-VAR), the MF-VAR model employed in this research does not involve any filtering procedure; instead, it directly employs variables with distinct frequencies for regression computation. Comparative analysis of the findings reveals that the utilization of the MF-VAR model yields bidirectional causality between carbon emissions and economic growth, a relationship that cannot be validated through employment of the LF-VAR model. Furthermore, the prediction error variance decomposition outcomes of the MF-VAR model exhibit a higher level of explicatory capacity when compared to those of the LF-VAR model. These outcomes carry significant implications for China, as well as other global economies, in the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The analysis outcomes further underscore the necessity of effectively curbing greenhouse gas emissions in China, while simultaneously maintaining a certain level of economic development.

Institutional Provision of Tariff and Non-Tariff Regulation of Cross-Border Trade

Introduction. The study is devoted to a comprehensive study of the global trade system in conditions of global economic instability, in particular, to the identification and analysis of the determinants of deepening its asymmetries in the regional perspective. The study contains a description of the peculiarities of the modern global trade system and regulatory regime, including tariff and non-tariff methods of regulating cross-border trade and key trends in its development.
 Aim and tasks. The purpose of the study is to diagnose the institutional provision of tariff and non-tariff regulation of cross-border trade in order to determine the presence or absence of asymmetries in the global trade system in the regional context.
 Results. The study identifies and systematizes fundamental features of the modern global trade system whose development has been directly or indirectly influenced by regional asymmetries. Particular attention is paid to the characteristics of the major international economic organizations as the main regulators of the cross-border trade process, and to the study of the impact of the use of tariff and non-tariff import and export regulatory tools on cross-border trade asymmetries. The world trading system is divided by country and individual customs territory, depending on whether it belongs to a certain geographical area or to a group of countries with a certain level of economic development.
 Conclusions. Although the expansion of global trade has visually slowed down, the integration of world trade is not over, on the contrary, there are clear signs of the beginning of a completely new phase of globalization. The presence of asymmetry in the world trading system in a geographical context, regardless of the size of the region, has been theoretically proven. According to the criterion of the asymmetry of the trading system depending on the level of economic development of the countries, in general, there is a tendency to increase the level of liberalization of trade regimes by the increase in the level of development. At the same time, it has been proven that belonging to the group of least developed countries does not necessarily mean closed access to national markets, and categorization as a developed country does not indicate the application of the least number of non-tariff measures to regulate trade volumes. At the same time, Ukraine remains a country that has undertaken the most liberal obligations regarding providing access to markets for both goods and services. As one of the world's leading exporters of agricultural products in 2020, Ukraine has set the customs tariff level at 11%, the lowest among group members.

Research on an Evaluation Model of Urban Seismic Resilience Based on System Dynamics: A Case Study of Chengdu, China

In response to the frequent occurrence of earthquakes in Chengdu, which poses a great threat to the economy, social development, production, and people’s lives, in this study, we construct an index evaluation system and a system dynamics model for urban seismic resilience based on an analysis of the interaction between earthquake disasters and the urban system. Four types of schemes, namely, the current continuity type, economic development type, government intervention type, and resilience construction type, were designed, and the dynamic evaluation and simulation prediction of Chengdu’s seismic resilience capacity under each scheme were conducted. The research results show that, compared with the other three schemes, the resilience construction type has better universality and expansibility in terms of improving Chengdu’s seismic resilience. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain a certain level of economic development, to attach importance to the construction of monitoring and warning systems, and to strive to improve emergency rescue capabilities and disaster awareness education. The model and evaluation indicators have strong applicability, and the research results can provide a theoretical reference for the evaluation of seismic resilience in Chengdu.

Energy Transition in Non-Euro Countries from Central and Eastern Europe: Evidence from Panel Vector Error Correction Model

The countries of Central and Eastern Europe, from the non-euro area, have completed the process of economic transition before joining the European Union. Achieving a certain level of economic development and membership in the European Union have generated their involvement in a new transition process, namely the energy transition. Concerns about promoting the low carbon economy have become increasingly complex for those countries that are interested in the environmental impact of economic activity. This study aims to analyze the process of energy transition in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe on the basis of the causality relationship among specific variables for the period 1990–2018. The study is based on cross-sectional panel data and the panel vector error correction model (PVECM). The efforts made by these countries by joining the European Union have generated economic development, with positive effects being recorded on the protection of the environment, a fact due to the strict regulations adopted and rigorous implementation at the national level. Foreign capital had a positive impact on the transition to a low carbon economy because most of the FDI flows attracted by the non-euro countries in the CEE come from Western Europe, i.e., from EU member countries, located either among the founders or among the countries that joined during the first waves of union expansion. Membership in the European Union facilitates the energy transition process for the non-euro countries of Central and Eastern Europe, but the new geopolitical events generate the reconfiguration of the European strategy of considering the need to ensure energy security.

Endüstriyel Kalkınma ve Çevresel Kuznets Eğrisi: Ergene Havzası Üzerine Bir Vaka Çalışması

The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis argues that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between economic development and environmental damage as such environmental damage increases during the early stages of economic development but then decreases after a certain level of economic development is reached. This study aims to contribute to the discussion of the EKC hypothesis by providing a case study from the Ergene River Basin in Turkey. The case study of industrialization in the Ergene River Basin confirms the inverted U-shape relationship between economic development and environmental degradation suggested by the EKC hypothesis.

ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЕ ОСНОВЫ СОЦИАЛЬНОГО ГОСУДАРСТВА В БЕЛАРУСИ

The article considers the main historical approaches to the concept of a welfare state. It is substantiated that despite different eras, it is a certain level of economic development in a particular country in the corresponding period that causes an objective need for a transition to a welfare state, acting as a kind of incentive for this process. But the goals and principles of the welfare state as a whole remain unchanged. Thus, the historical character of economic laws is manifested. As a specific example, the main directions of the modern socio-economic policy of the Republic of Belarus on the way to the formation of a welfare state are revealed.

Has mining agglomeration affected energy productivity in Africa?

Given the rising resource exploration and mining openings, energy demand improvement is crucial for African sustainable development as it forms an integral part of public revenue. However, mining agglomeration benefits on energy productivity have been recognized in prior studies, yet empirical insights on Africa's mining sector remain unknown. This paper evaluates the impact of mining agglomeration on energy productivity in Africa using country-level data on 21 economies from 2009 to 2017. The study applied panel fixed effect model, and panel threshold fixed effect technique to estimate linear and nonlinear effects. Energy productivity is computed using Shephard energy distance function (SEDF). The findings suggest that mining agglomeration directly enhances energy productivity. Also, a nonlinear relationship exists between mining agglomeration and energy productivity. In particular, the positive impact of mining agglomeration only exists at a certain level of economic development. Further, on average, total Africa's mining energy productivity improved over the sample period, but performance differs among economic regions. The study findings support the view that policymakers should re-enforce, upgrade, and adopt innovative cluster development strategies and investor-friendly elements in regional mining codes.

ЕКОНОМІЧНИЙ РОЗВИТОК І ДЕРЖАВНА ФІНАНСОВА ПОЛІТИКА ЯК ВЗАЄМОЗУМОВЛЕНІ КАТЕГОРІЇ: ЗМІСТ ТА ОСНОВНІ КОНЦЕПЦІЇ

Розглянуто наукові підходи до трактування поняття «фінансова політика». Виявлено, що вдосконалення і модернізація фінансової політики держави, від якої залежить формування та розподіл фінансових ресурсів усіх суб’єктів економічних відносин, повинні проводитися з урахуванням особливостей взаємодії цих суб’єктів. Доведено, що в умовах сьогодення існування держави категорії «державна фінансова політика» та «економічний розвиток» є взаємозумовленими і взаємопов’язаними. Зауважено, що закордонні наука і практика роблять акцент на фінансовій політиці суб’єктів господарювання, у той час як в Україні — на державній фінансовій політиці. Виявлено, що більшість наукових підходів до трактування поняття «фінансова політика» здійснюють посил на досягненні певного рівня економічного розвитку. Досліджено підходи до розуміння науковцями дефініції «економічний розвиток» і виявлено, що попри відсутність єдиного підходу до розуміння поняття «економічний розвиток» і наявність немалої кількості різних авторських підходів, усі вони (як українські, так і іноземні джерела) в основі містять два основні чинники: якісне поліпшення процесу створення економічного блага і спрямованість усього процесу на підвищення рівня життя населення, його добробуту. Висвітлено погляди провідних науковців Заходу ХХ століття на державне втручання в економіку. Розглянуто основні завдання фінансової політики і види фінансової політики залежно від завдань, що вирішуються в суспільстві. Розкрито основні види і типи фінансової політики. Узагальнено, що фінансова політика є складним суспільно-економічним явищем, що являє собою сукупність різноманітних заходів, які спрямовані на оптимальні формування, розподіл і використання фінансових ресурсів з метою досягнення певного рівня економічного розвитку. Характер, тип і вид фінансової політики залежать від умов, у яких вона реалізовується (у тому числі обсягів фінансових ресурсів у державі), та рівня економічного розвитку, що планується досягти.

Pollute first, control later? Exploring the economic threshold of effective environmental regulation in China's context

For most developing countries, local government faces a trade-off between economic growth and environmental protection. The intentions towards having a better environment as the economy grows will trigger a shift in the priorities of local government from economy to environment at a certain level of economic development. To investigate the “pollute first, control later” path in China and how environmental regulation performs differently due to economic development, this paper develops a conceptual model to depict the nexus between economic growth and environmental improvement. A panel threshold model is estimated based on Chinese data from different spatial scales – 30 provinces and 105 environmental monitoring cities. The results validate the threshold of economic development of approximately CNY 90,000 GDP per capita, which represents the turning point for the local government priority change; such that only when it is exceeded does environmental regulation significantly reduce emissions. Until 2016, only 4 provincial districts and 35 prefecture-level cities have crossed the threshold, these being mostly in the more prosperous eastern coastal areas. The results emphasize the need to consider timeliness when evaluating the effectiveness of environmental regulation and highlight the importance of adopting differentiated governance. Moreover, the need to enhance the effectiveness of environmental regulation requires driving the change of local government's priority to the environment and strengthening the institutional capacity of environmental protection agencies.

Economic development and material use. Evidence from international panel data

Abstract Between 1990 and 2008, many industrializing countries have experienced tremendous economic growth, which coincided with a substantial increase in the use of materials. That poses the question how a continued economic convergence of developing nations will affect the use of biomass, fossil fuels, and minerals. Building on the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis, this study investigates whether material use reaches a maximum at a certain level of economic development and declines in income thereafter. Two indicators operationalize material use. Domestic Material Consumption (DMC) measures the apparent use of materials in a country. The Material Footprint (MF) quantifies all materials extracted to produce a country's final demand, including materials embodied in imports. Employing a panel consisting of 144 countries, initial estimations results suggest an S-shaped (cubic) relationship between GDP per capita and material use, but the relationship is monotonically positive over most of the income range. The coefficients of the cubic model tend to become nonsignificant once endogeneity and non-stationarity are accounted for. A linear specification yields a significant (positive) coefficient irrespective of the estimation method and can thus be considered a satisfactory approximation to the income-material use relationship. The linear models that account for endogeneity and non-stationarity suggest a greater income-materials elasticity for MF than for DMC. The long-run income elasticity is estimated to be 0.562 for DMC and 0.752 for MF. The income elasticity of MF is rather uniform across country groups. While being below average for biomass, it is greater than unity for fossil fuels.

TRANSFORMATION OF UKRAINE’S COMMERCIAL DIPLOMACY: RESHAPING THE MODEL

The article examines past and present changes in the system of commercial diplomacy of Ukraine in the context of external and internal, old and new challenges. The aim of the study is to propose recommendations for the improvement of existing model and to identify lessons learned from Ukrainian experience that could be useful for developing countries. The relevancy of the study is conditioned by the need to enhance the effectiveness of Ukraine’s commercial diplomacy in the face of existing challenges. The applied methodology is a combination of methods used for theoretical and empirical research (observation, comparison, analysis and synthesis, system and structural analysis). We found that present distorted organizational set-up of Ukraine’s commercial diplomacy is the result of the uncompleted process of integration of management of international economic relations to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We argue that the introduction of a unified model is untimely but can be considered as promising in a more distant future. Ukraine’s experience shows that without necessary prerequisites (a certain level of economic development and role in international relations, which require clear strategic vision and effective coordination of traditional and commercial diplomacies) and proper implementation, the introduction of the unified model is unlikely to lead to the desired outcome. Results of the analysis also indicate that the promotion of export and investment needs further impetus. Suggested recommendations address both organizational and practical aspects of Ukraine’s commercial diplomacy. Their implementation would have a positive impact on the style and effectiveness of Ukraine’s commercial diplomacy and, therefore, competitiveness of the national business.

Fertility and Economic Development: Quantile Regression Evidence on the Inverse J-shaped Pattern.

This paper analyses empirically the relationship between economic development and fertility. Through a new sample selection and quantile regression, it investigates whether there is an inverse J-shaped pattern between these two variables, and, if so, whether it depends on development and fertility levels. Our results confirm that the inverse J-shaped pattern exists, but only when a certain level of economic development is attained. Results also suggest an innovative finding: the J-shape depends not only on the development but also on the fertility level. The higher the fertility rate, the higher the GDP per capita needed to reverse fertility decline, and the faster the negative and positive segments of the J-shape fall and grow.

The International Comparison of Post-materialism: The Effects of Welfare Characteristics and Individual Security

This study compares civilian post-materialism levels of 10 advanced countries by examining the effects of welfare characteristics and individual security on postmaterialistic values. The results indicate that individuals’ post-materialistic values are more staunchly determined by characteristics of their countries’ welfare and level of individual security than economic levels of individuals and nations. Moreover, this study finds that the type of welfare system and the level of welfare provision of a particular country have a significant relationship with insecure life event experiences and a sense of insecurity among individual civilians. Overall, research results show that, as for the countries having reached a certain level of economic development, the issue at stake is not the height of national economic development, but the amount of the nation’s economic resources needed to help secure the lives of its people. The research also shows that the security of life by welfare provisions lays the groundwork for the pursuit of postmaterialistic values.

The endogenous formation of an environmental culture

This paper presents a mechanism explaining the surge in environmental culture across the globe. Based upon empirical evidence, we develop an overlapping generations model with environmental quality and endogenous environmental culture. Environmental culture may be costlessly transmitted intergenerationally, or via costly education.The model predicts that for low wealth levels, society is unable to free resources for environmental culture. In this case, society will only invest in environmental maintenance if environmental quality is sufficiently low. Once society has reached a certain level of economic development, then it may optimally invest a part of its wealth in developing an environmental culture. Environmental culture has not only a positive impact on environmental quality through lower levels of consumption, but it also improves the environment through maintenance expenditure for wealth-environment combinations at which, in a restricted model without environmental culture, no maintenance would be undertaken. Environmental culture leads to a society with a higher indirect utility at steady state in comparison to the restricted model.Our model leads us to the conclusion that, for societies trapped in a situation with low environmental quality, investments in culture may induce positive feedback loops, where more culture raises environmental quality which in turn raises environmental culture. We also discuss how environmental culture may lead to an Environmental Kuznets Curve.

Revisiting the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis: measuring the effect of international environmental treaties on the relationship between GDP and environmental quality

This study explores the effects of international environmental cooperation that enhances a country’s environmental quality. The authors analyzed the impact of participation in international environmental cooperation on the environmental Kuznets curve through Generalized Least Squares estimation of the two-way fixed-effects model. Data are organized in the form of a pooled time series in which information is collected annually on 148 nation-states from 1997 to 2011. Our hypothesis tested whether participating in international environmental cooperation would increase the effect of economic development on environmental improvement. The analysis confirmed that prior to reaching the environmental turning point, participation in international environmental cooperation improves environmental quality. However, international environmental cooperation had no effects after achieving a certain level of economic development. The paper argues that this is due to the flexible nature of international environmental cooperation.

The welfare state in the age of reason

The Welfare State in the Age of Reason(KERSTENETZKY, Celia Lessa. O Estado de Bem-Estar Social na Idade da Razao a Reinvencâo do Estado Social no Mundo Contemporaneo. Rio de Janeiro: Elsevier, 2012)The Welfare State in the Age of Reason is nor a neutral or modest book. It openly defends a position and suggests specific paths for social policies in Brazil based on successful international experiences that have produced more equality. In its first sen- tence, the author claims that the book is a defense of the state - in clear opposition to a widespread idea highlighting its crisis - which shows resilience and solid institution- alization. Furthermore, an expansion is observed in emerging countries precisely during these decades of austerity - a period known as the silver years of the state. After declaring her position, the arguments in the book are built from the objections and diffi- culties presented by an imaginary skeptical discussant, but that, in fact, express common arguments, pessimistic or ideological, which ultimately justify the inertia or a negative view concerning the option of a bold and truly transformative solution, on the one hand, or deny the credibility or even the desirability of a more radical redistribution, on the other hand. From these stated assumptions, the author dares to sustain and suggest that these solutions are feasible and presents her arguments in the defense of a universal welfare-re- distributive state. This is achieved by mobilizing an extensive and updated bibliography on states or regimes, comparing historical experiences and presenting a set of data and evidence capable of convincing the reader of the viability of her gamble. At a mini- mum, it raises a promising question for readers who desire more egalitarian outcomes in our welfare state: is this indeed a feasible path for Brazil? This is one of the merits of the book: it provides not only information and relevant analysis concerning development and the regimes' state of affairs, but it also urges us to think about policy alternatives.The specification of the assumptions from which the author builds her arguments is the point of departure and presented in the first part of the book. These include both defining the state as social - the object of intervention of any state - and its relation with development. Without questioning, the author assumes a broad delim- itation of the state - which is not free of controversy - by identifying the minimum requirements of public intervention and categorizing them along a line of maximum and minimum manifestations (different from other schemes, such as the well-known typology of Esping-Andersen). In this sense, it seems that the author does not endorse the classical distinction between states and regimes of welfare, using the terms interchangeably. In- stead of attempting to solve these conceptual problems, she adopts a practical solution to the problem of concept definition: what the state actually is in its various empirical manifestations. To develop the concept of welfare, the second assumption, the author bases her arguments on classic works such as Titmuss, Marshall and Sen and then builds a normative definition along the lines of the Scandinavian school of social welfare. In this integrating reconstruction format, the reader is presented with the notion that the state should seek the satisfaction of social needs, to offset social costs for economic activ- ities, to guarantee social rights and to promote the expansion of capacities, formalized as real freedom. Still in the first part of the book, a recurring theme in the political agenda is dealt with, namely the notion of a trade-off between development and distribution in which Kerstenetzky presents a quite relevant and innovative contribution. By questioning the assumptions that states presupposes a certain level of economic development or even a trade-off between growth and redistribution, which would involve choosing either one or the other, the author presents arguments and irrefutable evidence which demonstrate a positive relationship between state and development, particularly the contribution of the former to the latter. …

Central Asia in the Globalization Process: Comparative Analysis of Human Development and Socio-Economic Situation

Twenty years have been left behind after the collapse of Soviet Union (SU) and independence of Central Asian Countries. Globalization accelerated worldwide in terms of socio-economic and political improvements and generated crucial outcomes. Neo-liberal approach has established positive perception about globalization; economic development will get better, poverty, unemployment and inequalities will be decreased. However, global financial crisis, increasing poverty and inequalities start to make this approach to lose its meaning. Furthermore, especially during last ten years socio-economic problems have deepened globally. Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan) experienced grave phases such as disintegrating from SU, establishing a nation-state and transition from command to free market economy, had faced setbacks in terms of socio-economic issues during the early stages of independence (1991-1995). Gradually in this geography socio-economic decline had slowed down and certain level of economic development had been achieved. Among these countries resource-rich countries Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan have better economic development potential relative to the Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In this paper, Central Asian economies will be analyzed comparatively among themselves and with some other parts of the world in terms of main indicators such as socio-economic development, human development situation, income inequality, and poverty and unemployment rate.

Central Asia in the Globalization Process: Comparative Analysis of Human Development and Socio-Economic Situation

Twenty years have been left behind after the collapse of Soviet Union (SU) and independence of Central Asian Countries. Globalisation accelerated worldwide in terms of socio-economic and political improvements and generated crucial outcomes. Neo-liberal approach have established positive perception about globalisation; economic development will get better, poverty, unemployment and inequalities will be decreased. However, global financial crisis, increasing poverty and inequalities start to make this approach to lose its meaning. Furthermore, especially during last ten years socio-economic problems have deepened globally. Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan) experienced grave phases such as disintegrating from SU, establishing a nation-state and transition from command to free market economy, had faced setbacks in terms of socio-economic issues during the early stages of independence (1991 – 1995). Gradually in this geography socio-economic decline had slowed down and certain level of economic development had been achieved. Among these countries resource-rich countries Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan have better economic development potantial relative to the Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In this paper, Central Asian economies will be analyzed comparatively among themselves and with some other parts of the world in terms of main indicators such as socio-economic development, human development situation, income inequality, poverty and unemployment rate.

EU practices of education staff planning (Application of econometric models)

The aim of the paper is to give an overview of the real situation, experiences and developments in planning the education system staffing with the use of Econometric Models in Kosovo. Based on the research results and theoretical/scientific achievements as well as practices in the field of these models in EU Countries and wider, suggest application of these Econometric models to Kosovo Institutions for the purpose of adequate planning of needs for new cadre in the education system based on certain level of economic development. The paper will in present the mathematic-economic dimension of the research of education system in a thorough manner. The paper does not analyze the complicated network of interaction between education in one hand, and other components of life quality on the other hand, and does not make a research of the education system quality, but rather the quantitative aspect of education system, as a subsystem of the social system in general. Education is not only limited to production of knowledge, but has an irreplaceable role in creation of many other cultural values. The paper is dedicated to Econometric Modeling in general, where the three internationally recognized models, the relatively complicated education models, and the relatively simple model but in our view very practical as a forecast models namely the regression model, have been presented in an analytical manner.The research results indicated that there is great interdependence between the economic growth norm in the country in one hand and the attained educational results on the economy of knowledge on the other hand. The interdependence between the number of workers and their qualification structure and the results attained in the education field in models, was expressed through equations. The Empiriev model as a concrete model for planning the necessary education cadre for certain levels of economic development is based on the basic model of Tinbergen – Bos. The coefficient values of regression reflect the form and intensity of interdependency between the number of students per million inhabitants and the national income per capita.