Synergizing renewable energy, women empowerment, and policy for emissions reduction

The rapid growth of online trading platforms and digital financial technologies has significantly improved access to stock market participation and investment opportunities. However, it has also exposed novice investors to increased financial risk due to limited practical knowledge and inadequate understanding of trading strategies. This paper presents a web-based virtual stock trading system designed to provide a risk-free simulation environment for beginner investors. The platform integrates realtime stock data simulation, portfolio management tools, virtual wallet functionality, order execution modules, and market news feeds to replicate realistic trading conditions. Experimental evaluation through pilot user testing indicates that the system enhances understanding of trading mechanisms, portfolio allocation, and risk management compared to traditional theoretical learning methods. The modular layered architecture further ensures scalability, maintainability, and flexibility for integrating additional financial instruments and advanced analytics in future developments.

ABSTRACT We estimated private and social rates of returns to education in Nepal using cost-benefit analysis and Mincer regression methods. Estimates using the latest labour force survey data and education costs from the UNESCO report shows that average returns to education in Nepal is around 6%. Consistent with the global literature, we find that females have higher average returns to education than males. However, higher average return to female education is due to higher returns at the lower levels showcasing males still enjoy higher returns at higher levels of education. Further, we observe that return estimates increase with increasing levels of education suggesting higher education generates higher marginal returns. Cost-benefit analysis shows that only public education generates positive NPV at 6% discounting, while private education resulting in net loss across most of the levels. To the best our knowledge, this is the first paper to estimate returns to education using CBA in the context of Nepal. As CBA is often used as an important policy tool for public finance at the international institutions, such as the World Bank since 1970s, our research could be an important benchmark for educational investment decision by individuals and government.

Since the implementation of the "Double Reduction" Policy, its impacts on the basic education ecology have sparked extensive academic discussions. However, existing studies have mostly focused on the perspective of a single stakeholder and failed to form a systematic integration. To sort out the evolution of the policy's impacts and clarify the multi-stakeholder mechanism of action, this study adopted the method of systematic literature review, followed the PRISMA 2020 framework, screened relevant peer-reviewed literatures published from July 2021 to January 2026, and conducted a qualitative comprehensive analysis. The study found that the "Double Reduction" Policy has driven the redistribution of educational responsibilities and ecological adjustment through the regulation of shadow education. The policy has compressed the explicit space of shadow education, yet the logic of academic competition for further education remains unchanged. Parental anxiety over their children's academic performance has intensified, and parents have shifted to various forms of implicit compensatory educational investment. This not only weakens the effect of burden reduction at the family level but also transmits pressure to teachers, who are confronted with increased workload and occupational burnout. Although students' physical and mental health has improved due to the reduction in homework burden, they face the challenges of intensified parent-child conflicts and the differentiation of academic gaps under the influences of strengthened family supervision and implicit shadow education. Based on these findings, this study puts forward optimization suggestions, including defining teachers' rights and responsibilities and establishing a compensation mechanism for their remuneration, constructing a home-school collaborative guidance system for family education, and strengthening the supervision of off-campus training while guiding the characteristic development of non-academic training institutions. From the multi-stakeholder perspective, this study systematically integrates the logic of the policy's impacts, and provides theoretical reference and practical support for further deepening the effect evaluation and long-term implementation of the "Double Reduction" Policy.

Abstract This study explores investors perception towards online trading with reference to Wealth management, The research aims to understand the key factors that drive investor preferences, satisfaction levels, and risk management behavior in the context of digital trading platforms. A descriptive research design was adopted, with primary data collected from 160 respondents using structured questionnaires. The findings reveal that most investors are the age group between 35-45 Years. The study uses non-parametric tools to analyze the data and identify significant relationships. The study provides meaningful insights for stock broking firms, and regulators to enhance user experience, promote investor education, and strengthen the safety and reliability of online trading systems in India. Key words: Investors Perception, Online Trading, Digital Trading Platforms, Risk Management, Investor Satisfaction, Wealth management.

Background: ESG is an essential non-financial factor that can influence firm value; however, the evidence in Indonesia shows mixed results because ESG activity measurements are not standardized, the market remains varied, and disclosure is not evenly distributed, so a generalizable conclusion is not available. Objective: This research seeks to systematically review empirical evidence on the effect of ESG on firm value by emphasizing the analysis in the Indonesian context. Methods: This work utilizes a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) in line with PRISMA guidelines. In March 2025, exhaustive searches were conducted on Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar (limited to Scopus-indexed or peer-reviewed sources only), and tailored Boolean search combinations were used. Out of 487 identified records, 20 empirical studies on Indonesian and internationally benchmarked listed companies satisfied the inclusion criteria. Results: Among the 20 studies reviewed, 6 Indonesian studies found ESG–firm value effects to be positive, 3 negative, and 4 insignificant; heterogeneity is explained by industry sector, the life cycle stage of the firm, and the quality of ESG disclosure. International benchmark studies (n = 10) showed a positive and largely consistent impact, attributable to stronger regulatory frameworks and greater investor ESG awareness in developed and more mature emerging markets, which reduce firm-level risks. Conclusion: The impact of ESG on firm value is context-dependent, and Indonesia needs standardized disclosure, ESG assurance, and investor education to harness its positive impact on firm value.

Background: ESG is an essential non-financial factor that can influence firm value; however, the evidence in Indonesia shows mixed results because ESG activity measurements are not standardized, the market remains varied, and disclosure is not evenly distributed, so a generalizable conclusion is not available. Objective: This research seeks to systematically review empirical evidence on the effect of ESG on firm value by emphasizing the analysis in the Indonesian context. Methods: This work utilizes a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) in line with PRISMA guidelines. In March 2025, exhaustive searches were conducted on Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar (limited to Scopus-indexed or peer-reviewed sources only), and tailored Boolean search combinations were used. Out of 487 identified records, 20 empirical studies on Indonesian and internationally benchmarked listed companies satisfied the inclusion criteria. Results: Among the 20 studies reviewed, 6 Indonesian studies found ESG–firm value effects to be positive, 3 negative, and 4 insignificant; heterogeneity is explained by industry sector, the life cycle stage of the firm, and the quality of ESG disclosure. International benchmark studies (n = 10) showed a positive and largely consistent impact, attributable to stronger regulatory frameworks and greater investor ESG awareness in developed and more mature emerging markets, which reduce firm-level risks. Conclusion: The impact of ESG on firm value is context-dependent, and Indonesia needs standardized disclosure, ESG assurance, and investor education to harness its positive impact on firm value.

As part of the Belt and Road Initiative, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has gradually broadened the scope of its collaboration from the first energy and infrastructure projects to include human development and health. This study examines medical technology transfer and health system capacity building in Pakistan within the framework of CPEC. It details the current state of Pakistan's healthcare system, including the absence of a comprehensive healthcare infrastructure and health insurance system, the lengthy and costly training cycles for medical professionals, Pakistan's relatively insufficient investment in medical education, and the uneven distribution of healthcare resources between urban and rural areas. It proposes strengthening Sino-Pakistani medical cooperation through measures such as facilitating medical technology transfer between the two countries, prioritizing capacity building in Pakistan, and leveraging China's indirect role in promoting rule of law. This approach aims to transition the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor from “hardware export” to “joint institutional development.

The Indian capital market has emerged as a vital platform for channelizing savings into productive investments; however, the effectiveness of investor participation largely depends on their level of technical understanding. The present study examines the relationship between investor technical knowledge, technical analysis knowledge, and satisfaction with investment decision-making in the Indian capital market. Using primary data collected from 140 investors through a structured questionnaire, the study analyzes demographic characteristics, investment behavior, and knowledge dimensions to assess their influence on satisfaction. Statistical tools such as Pearson correlation, multiple regression analysis, ANOVA, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were employed to test the formulated hypotheses and evaluate the explanatory power of the model. The findings reveal that while technical analysis knowledge has a positive but relatively weak relationship with investor satisfaction, overall technical knowledge exhibits a strong and statistically significant impact on satisfaction levels. The regression and SEM results confirm that broader technical understanding of market mechanisms and investment processes plays a more dominant role in enhancing investor confidence and perceived decision quality. The study concludes that improving investor technical knowledge can significantly enhance satisfaction and lead to more informed and effective participation in the Indian capital market, highlighting the need for targeted investor education and awareness programs.

ABSTRACT The EAGLE economies face persistent structural challenges such as energy inefficiency, weak institutions, and environmental degradation, alongside heightened vulnerability to global shocks and climate change. These barriers slow progress of EAGLE economies toward the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study investigates how energy efficiency (EEI), Production‐based CO2 Productivity (CP), environment‐related technologies (GDT), and institutional quality (IQI) shape SD in these economies. Using econometric techniques, including the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR), the study ensures robust estimation. For robustness checks, it applies Bootstrap Quantile Regression, DOLS, FMOLS, and CCR methods. To examine the direction of the relationship, the Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel causality test is employed. The empirical results indicate that EEI, CP, and IQI exert a significant and positive influence on SD performance, thereby supporting progress toward the SDGs. In contrast, GDT exhibits heterogeneous effects across quantiles, showing negative impacts at the lower quantiles but positive and supportive effects at higher quantiles. From a policy perspective, governments should promote cleaner energy transitions, support innovation in green technologies, and strengthen regulatory frameworks to ensure effective environmental governance. Improving institutional capacity and transparency are also essential for successful policy implementation. Additionally, expanding international cooperation, climate finance, and investments in research and education can accelerate the transition toward a low‐carbon economy and support progress toward global sustainability goals.

Ethnic disparities in reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health (RMNCH) persist in Latin America, rooted in structural racism and colonial legacies. Evidence on the temporal evolution of these disparities and the impact of policies targeting Indigenous populations remains limited. Following the 2000 economic crisis, Ecuador showed the region's largest ethnic gaps in intervention coverage and social determinants. Since 2008, inclusion policies have advanced. This study analysed trends in RMNCH coverage, social determinants and their potential association with policies and strategies over 14 years. Using a mixed-methods design, we analysed three nationally representative surveys (2004, 2012 and 2018) to assess changes in social determinants and the coverage of six RMNCH services; defined as the proportion of women and children receiving essential health services across the continuum of care, including family planning, antenatal care, skilled birth attendance and child immunisation, stratified by ethnicity (Indigenous women and children, Afro-Ecuadorian populations and Mestizo and White populations). We estimated absolute inequality measures and adjusted coverage ratios using Poisson regression models. Through a literature review and temporal graphs, we analysed plans, policies and strategies in health, education and ethnic inclusion during the same period to estimate potential impact. By 2018, Indigenous populations doubled their representation in the highest wealth quintiles (10% to 20%) and increased secondary education attainment (25% to 45%), with slower progress in rural areas. RMNCH coverage, including prenatal care, institutional deliveries and professional-assisted births, rose significantly (27% to 75%) among Indigenous populations. Afro-Ecuadorians also experienced improvements in RMNCH coverage and social determinants, though progress was less pronounced compared with Indigenous groups. Although ethnic gaps persisted, inequalities declined over the study period. These reductions coincided with increased social investment in rural health and education, constitutional recognition of plurinationality, and policies promoting intercultural health practices. However, gaps in monitoring and impact evaluation were evident. Ecuador demonstrates that inclusive and integrated policies, leadership, social participation and sustained social investment can reduce ethnic inequalities, promote the integral development of society and strategies that should be maintained. Temporal studies based on routine surveys are crucial for monitoring the impact of such policies. These findings provide a pre-pandemic benchmark and serve as a reference for countries aiming to improve health outcomes among Indigenous and Afro-descendant populations and advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

ABSTRACT The rapid development of digital technologies has reshaped traditional financial service models and created new avenues for reducing inequality. However, existing studies have largely overlooked the potential intergenerational income mobility (IIM) effects of digital finance. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this paper systematically examines how digital finance influences IIM and the direction of such mobility. The results show that: (1) digital finance enhances IIM, particularly upward mobility, through three mechanisms: promoting household educational investment, improving health-related investment, and restructuring financing networks; (2) the mobility-enhancing effect mainly arises from deeper digital finance usage and higher levels of digitalization, and is stronger among households with proficient internet users and among urban families; (3) digital finance exerts a more pronounced upward mobility effect on low-income households and households receiving social assistance, thereby extending the concept of ‘inclusive growth’ to the intergenerational dimension and offering a new pathway to mitigating the Matthew effect. Additionally, digital finance and traditional credit are found to be complementary in promoting intergenerational mobility. This study broadens the research frontier on new technologies and income distribution and provides important implications for regulating digital finance and advancing social equity.

Educational investment and regional economic growth: The mediating effect of financial innovation

The use of contraceptives is key to reducing unsafe abortions from unintended pregnancies and helping to improve maternal health and socioeconomic outcomes. It allows individuals to achieve their desired family size and timing effectively. Therefore, this study aimed to identify multi-level factors for Modern Contraceptive use among Reproductive-Age Women in Ethiopia. Data for this study were extracted from the nationally representative 2019 Ethiopian Mini Health Analysis with Health Survey of Mini-EDHS 2019. The survey employed a two-stage cluster sampling design: enumeration areas (EAs) were selected in the first stage, followed by household selection in the second stage. Data collection took place from March 21 to June 28, 2019. A mixed-effects multilevel analysis was used to identify factors associated with modern contraceptive use. A total of 8885 (Wt = 100) participants were included in the study, with a mean age of participants 27.5 years (SD ± 10.3). In Ethiopia, modern contraceptive utilization among reproductive-age women was 23.8%. The prevalence was 90.79% for married women and 3.74% for never-in-union women. The most common methods were injectable 13.6% and implants 5.8%. In the final multi-level logistic regression being woman aged 15-25 years (AOR = 4.91; 95% CI: 2.70-11.38), having children 13-24 months (AOR = 2.40; 95% CI: 2.50-25.6), married women (AOR = 7.90; 95% CI: 2.47-25.60), Completed high school (AOR = 1.65; 95% CI: 1.20-2.60), middle wealth index (AOR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.15-1.98), urban resident (AOR = 1.69; 95% CI: 1.20-2.40), living in Amhara region (AOR = 2.74; 95% CI: 1.24-3.50), and mass media exposures (AOR = 1.69; 95% CI: 1.21-2.93) were associated with modern contraceptives usages. In contrast, residing in the Somali region decreased the likelihood by 88% (AOR = 0.22; 95% CI: 0.11-0.45) of using contraceptives. Modern contraceptive use among women of reproductive age in Ethiopia remains critically low, falling short of the target set for 2030. The variation in usage is significantly influenced by both individual and community-level factors. To address this gap, the government should prioritize investments in education and financial empowerment to strengthen women's autonomy in family planning decision-making.

Admist intensifying academic and shifting regulatory landscape of China’s “Double Reduction” policy, this study investigates the language attitudes and investment behaviors of urban middle-class families in Changsha, a major city in monolingual central China. Through a purposive sample of 350 parents of primary school students, the findings reveal broadly positive attitudes toward English, with use value rated highest and demonstrating strong consensus, while exchange value showed the greatest dispersion. Family investment in English education is characterized by substantial material expenditure and high levels of parental intellectual, non-intellectual, and social interaction, reflecting a composite strategy of capital conversion. Path analysis indicates that while exchange value exerts the most direct influence on annual family expenditure, use value and symbolic value indirectly shape investment through social interaction. The study further identifies a “manager mother” model, wherein maternal educational background significantly predicts the intensity of family involvement. These micro-level strategies are nested within macro-level structures, demonstrating how family agency both responds to and potentially reinforces educational stratification and policy shifts. The research contributes to FLP literature by applying an investment perspective in a monolingual context, addressing a geographical bias toward coastal metropolises, and providing quantitative evidence of the complex interplay between parental beliefs and strategic resources mobilization.

ABSTRACT The reform of Soviet-style research training into structured PhD programs represents one step of a national initiative to align doctoral education in Kazakhstan with international practices. This paper examines the role of credit-bearing research methods courses in developing doctoral students’ research capabilities across two disciplinary fields – Chemistry and History – at two Kazakhstani universities. Empirical data were collected through individual interviews with doctoral students and faculty members teaching methods courses, and were complemented with document analysis. The study revealed a mismatch between faculty members’ intentions in methods courses and doctoral students’ needs, with a more pronounced gap in History. This misalignment stems from differing conceptions of ‘research methods’ among participants, limited research pedagogies, and a range of multi-level contextual constraints. The paper argues that, to avoid a risk of performative compliance in methodological training, sustained investment and adequate support for doctoral education are needed.

Position Statement: Integrating Planetary Health into Infection Prevention and Control in Healthcare Settings - Toward a Balanced and Evidence-Based Approach.

This paper investigates the impact of the Immigration High School Entrance Examination Policy (IHSEE) on parental intention for migrant children's education-driven return migration (PIER) in China. Using data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) in 2014-2015 academic year, we find that IHSEE restrictions not only significantly increase PIER, but also strengthen such intention as policy constraints become more severe among migrant children in China. Heterogeneity analysis further shows that while these restrictions generally elevate PIER, their effects are particularly pronounced among girls, non-only children, and students with higher cognitive ability. Mechanism analysis suggests that the impacts of the IHSEE can be explained by the lower parental education and career expectations, and a decline in parental enthusiasm for educational investment. Our study contributes to the literature on restrictive urban education policies by providing robust empirical evidence and offers a plausible explanation for the emergence of large-scale left-behind children in China.

This study was informed by the rising poverty level in nigeria. Despite nigeria’s plentiful agricultural resources and oil wealth, poverty is widespread in the country and has increased since the late 1990s, with some 70 per cent of nigerians living on less than us$1.25 a day. Arguably, it has been asserted that government investment in education, agriculture, skill acquisition and small and medium enterprises measured through financial intermediation can help in the reduction of poverty as observed in other developed economies of the world. It is against this backdrop that this study tries to examine the effect of human capital development on poverty reduction in nigeria by modelling the effect of government investment in education, agriculture, and skill acquisition on poverty reduction in nigeria using an econometric regression model of the ordinary least squares (ols). Findings revealed that human capital development, government expenditures on agriculture, education and skill acquisition are statistically significant in reducing poverty in nigeria. The study therefore recommends, among others, that the government should prioritize its investment in education, agriculture and skill acquisition and to also make sure that its investment in these areas is structurally balanced, supervised and focused because they have been identified to significantly influence poverty reduction in nigeria.

The persistence of socioeconomic challenges related to inequality and unequal access to education highlights the need for a deeper theoretical understanding of how households make educational investment decisions under unequal conditions. Despite extensive research on human capital and inequality, a significant gap remains in explaining how rational households respond to socioeconomic challenges when educational returns, borrowing constraints, and risk simultaneously depend on existing socioeconomic inequality. The aim of this study is to develop a new theoretical expected utility framework that explains rational underinvestment in education under conditions of socioeconomic inequality. The proposed theoretical concept integrates three interrelated mechanisms: background-dependent private returns to education, inequality-sensitive borrowing constraints, and an inequality-driven risk penalty affecting educational payoffs within a concave human capital production function. The scientific novelty of this framework lies in providing a unified microeconomic model that endogenously explains lower educational investment among disadvantaged households without relying on behavioral biases, informational failures, or non-standard preferences. Unlike existing models, the proposed approach explicitly links inequality not only to financing constraints but also to heterogeneous returns and risk-adjusted educational outcomes, thereby capturing their joint and reinforcing effects. The model reveals that higher inequality reduces optimal educational investment when the combined credit-tightening and risk-penalty effects outweigh any increase in expected returns, demonstrating a clear mechanism through which inequality depresses schooling decisions. Furthermore, the framework establishes that optimal educational investment is strictly increasing in parental wealth under positive risk-adjusted marginal returns, generating an endogenous and widening educational gradient across socioeconomic groups. The findings contribute to addressing socioeconomic challenges by providing a theoretical basis for policy interventions targeting credit access, risk mitigation, and equalisation of educational returns, while opening avenues for future research on dynamic and general equilibrium extensions of inequality and human capital formation.