Issue Of Causality Research Articles

Coordinating public and government responses to air pollution exposure: A multi-source data fusion approach

Aligning public demand with government supply of clean air aids in efficient air pollution control and enhancement of public happiness. However, comparative empirical analyses of public and government attention to air quality changes are still sparse due to data and methodological constraints. Here, we adopt multi-source data fusion approaches to assess the impacts of air pollution exposure on public and government attention. Specifically, remote and social sensing data, alongside keywords extracted from textual data, are utilized to quantify air pollution exposure and corresponding public and government attention levels in 273 Chinese cities from 2011 to 2019, and a two-stage least squares regression model is employed to tackle reverse causality issues underlying the exposure-response relationship. Our findings reveal that, on average, a unit increase in PM2.5 levels would result in a 17.7% growth in public attention and a 12.7% rise in government attention, respectively, suggesting that demand-driven public attention tends to be more sensitive to air quality changes than policy-driven government attention. Results for the spatial-temporal heterogeneity further demonstrate that public attention varies across time and space, whereas government attention remains relatively consistent. Additionally, we have identified 116 cities exhibiting disparities between the public and government responses to air quality changes, calling for environmental policy refinements to better serve the needs of residents. This study emphasizes the necessity of public engagement in environmental governance and offers rich policy implications for air pollution control in China.

Deep learning methods for modeling infrasound transmission loss in the middle atmosphere

Accurate modeling of infrasound transmission losses (TLs) is essential to assess the performance of the global International Monitoring System (IMS) infrasound network. Among existing propagation modeling tools, parabolic equation method (PE) enables TLs to be finely modeled, but its computational cost does not allow exploration of a large parameter space for operational monitoring applications. To reduce computation times, Brissaud et al. (2022) explored the potential of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) trained on a large set of regionally simulated wavefields (>1000 km from the source) to predict TLs with negligible computation times compared to PE simulations. However, this new method shows difficulties in upwind conditions, especially at low frequencies, and causal issues with winds at large distances from the source affecting ground TLs close to the source. In this study, we have developed an optimized CNN network designed to minimize prediction errors while predicting TLs from globally simulated combined temperature and wind fields spanning over propagation ranges of 4000 km. Our approach enhances the previously proposed one by implementing key optimizations that improve the overall architecture performances. The implemented model predicts TLs with an average error of 20 dB in the whole frequency band (0.1-4 Hz) and explored realistic atmospheric scenarios.

Digital payments, ownership structure, and bank performance: insights from Jordan

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the connection between digital payments, ownership structure, and bank performance in Jordan, as well as investigate the moderating role of the independent director in the said relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses data from 12 Amman stock exchange-listed commercial banks, covering the period from 2010 to 2023. This paper employs econometric analysis of panel data, including ordinary least squares (OLS) regression as the primary approach, as well as the generalised method of moments, the two-stage least square (2SLS), and the dynamic model to deal with causality and endogeneity issues in the proposed equations. This ensures that the results are valid.FindingsThe results indicate that digital payments and ownership structure have a significant positive connection with bank performance. Additionally, the independent director variable appears to play a substantial and positive moderating role in the link between ownership structure (e.g. institutional ownership) and bank performance. These results strengthen and support the claims of agency theory and the information systems success model.Practical implicationsOverall, this research helps stakeholders, bankers, managers, investors, customers, and policymakers, identify the influence of digital payment and ownership structure on bank performance in developing economies such as that of Jordan.Originality/valueThis investigation offers a unique understanding by illuminating how digital payment and ownership structure affect bank performance in a developing country such as Jordan. Additionally, it opens avenues for future research to delve into this literature domain in North African and Middle Eastern nations, with a particular focus on Jordan. This investigation is among the initial explorations in Jordan that aim to elucidate these relationships. On the theoretical level, it adds to the agency theory and IS model. It provides new insights into the dynamics of industry banking in developing nations (i.e. Jordan).

Assessing the impact of urban road transport development on haze pollution in the Yangtze River Delta region

The aim of this paper is to explore whether and how urban road transport (URT) development affects haze pollution. One of the innovations of this paper is that URT development is measured by road accessibility with novel digital elevation model datasets, which have been used by few scholars. The endogenous problem caused by revere causality issue in the relationship between URT development and haze pollution is also considered. Based on the panel data of prefecture-level cities of Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region in China from 2011 to 2018, this paper uses long-lagged values of URT development as the instrumental variable, employing the two-stage least squares (2SLS) method. The study shows that URT development leads to an increase of haze pollution. Moreover, mechanism tests based on moderating and mediating models support the finding that decreasing haze pollution resulted from better connection effects, while rising agglomeration effects tend to bring about increasing haze pollution, and the latter effect is larger in magnitude than the former. Current URT development may have long-term negative consequences for livability of YRD cities, and urban decision makers should reconsider the effectiveness of the current road transport investment and construction.

Rényi Holographic Dark Energy

AbstractIn this work, the holographic dark energy model is constructed by using the non‐extensive nature of the Schwarzschild black hole via the Rényi entropy. Due to the non‐extensivity, the black hole can be stable under the process of fixing the non‐extensive parameter. A change undergoing such a process would then motivate us to define the energy density of the Rényi holographic dark energy (RHDE). As a result, the RHDE with choosing the characteristic length scale as the Hubble radius provides the late‐time expansion without the issue of causality. Remarkably, the proposed dark energy model contains the non‐extensive length scale parameter additional to the standard model. The cosmic evolution can be characterized by comparing the size of the Universe to this length scale. Moreover, the preferable value of the non‐extensive length scale is determined by fitting the model to recent observations. The results of this work would shed light on the interplay between the thermodynamic description of the black hole with non‐extensivity and the classical gravity description of the evolution of the Universe.

Metachangemaking: An interdisciplinary synthesis of research on cultivating changemakers

ABSTRACT Metachangemaking refers to the cultivation of changemakers—people with the motivation and competence to tackle societal issues and promote collective wellbeing. It is not entirely clear how to effectively cultivate changemakers, and relevant research spans many disparate fields. The goals of this article are to introduce the concept of metachangemaking, synthesize and evaluate some relevant literature which may be less familiar to particular audiences, and identify open questions for future research. We identified a number of themes, including changemaker motivations and competencies, approaches to cultivating such motivations and competencies, and opportunities and challenges for metachangemaking in education systems. There are many important outstanding questions that suggest directions for future research, such as the efficacy of various approaches to cultivating changemaker motivations and competencies in particular circumstances. There is a need for evidence-based theoretical frameworks of metachangemaking, and for studies that address issues of replicability, causality, and transferability to various changemaking contexts.

Stress and anxiety during pregnancy and length of gestation: a federated study using data from five Canadian and European birth cohorts

While its etiology is not fully elucidated, preterm birth represents a major public health concern as it is the leading cause of child mortality and morbidity. Stress is one of the most common perinatal conditions and may increase the risk of preterm birth. In this paper we aimed to investigate the association of maternal perceived stress and anxiety with length of gestation. We used harmonized data from five birth cohorts from Canada, France, and Norway. A total of 5297 pregnancies of singletons were included in the analysis of perceived stress and gestational duration, and 55,775 pregnancies for anxiety. Federated analyses were performed through the DataSHIELD platform using Cox regression models within intervals of gestational age. The models were fit for each cohort separately, and the cohort-specific results were combined using random effects study-level meta-analysis. Moderate and high levels of perceived stress during pregnancy were associated with a shorter length of gestation in the very/moderately preterm interval [moderate: hazard ratio (HR) 1.92 (95%CI 0.83, 4.48); high: 2.04 (95%CI 0.77, 5.37)], albeit not statistically significant. No association was found for the other intervals. Anxiety was associated with gestational duration in the very/moderately preterm interval [1.66 (95%CI 1.32, 2.08)], and in the early term interval [1.15 (95%CI 1.08, 1.23)]. Our findings suggest that perceived stress and anxiety are associated with an increased risk of earlier birth, but only in the earliest gestational ages. We also found an association in the early term period for anxiety, but the result was only driven by the largest cohort, which collected information the latest in pregnancy. This raised a potential issue of reverse causality as anxiety later in pregnancy could be due to concerns about early signs of a possible preterm birth.

Analysing the Impact of Major Financial Crisis on Macroeconomic Variables and Stock Prices: An Empirical Study of Stock Market of United Kingdom

The research paper empirically tests the impact of major financial crisis of 2008 by testing the causality between five macroeconomic variables (interest rate, inflation, money supply, GDP and exchange rate), the FTSE All-Share index and its sectoral indices. Furthermore, it analyses whether the global financial crisis of 2008 affected the direction of the causality or not. For this purpose the causality tests were performed in two sections one on the data for the pre financial crisis period from 1999 to 2007 and another on the data for post financial crisis period from 2008 to 2022. The causality was tested using the quantile Granger causality test, the research findings reveal the complex causality between the UK stock market and the most prevalent macroeconomic factors. The findings of the research are suggestive that the causality between macroeconomic factors changed from pre-crisis period to post-crisis period. This is indicative of the event sensitivity of the stock market of UK. It was found that the direction of this causality varies according to the circumstances of the economy and across different sectors involved, and particular economic conditions at various times. The findings of this research provide important insights for policymakers, investors, and economic analysts, as they shed light on the dynamic and complex relationship between the indicators, both on an aggregate and sectoral level. The research findings also emphasise the importance of considering the variables' distribution when analysing the issue of causality.

RESEARCH ON KEY INFLUENCING FACTORS OF DT OF SMEs IN CHINA

With the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating and leading various aspects of society toward digital transformation (DT). With the widespread application of digital technologies such as big data and cloud computing, the DT process of enterprises is constantly accelerating, and disruptive changes have occurred in product services, business processes, and so on. This article provides a systematic review of existing research on DT and identifies the influencing factors from the organizational level, management level, and environmental level based on the Strategic Change framework of Rajagoralan &Spertizer (1997). Subsequently, an integrated analysis framework was proposed that includes five configuration factors: digital transformation infrastructure, employee skills, management support, market uncertainty, and technology uncertainty. This article not only deepens the understanding of the causal complexity issues behind the success of SMEs’ DT but also provides some beneficial insights for the practice of SMEs’ DT.

Bias of the additive hazard model in the presence of causal effect heterogeneity

Hazard ratios are prone to selection bias, compromising their use as causal estimands. On the other hand, if Aalen’s additive hazard model applies, the hazard difference has been shown to remain unaffected by the selection of frailty factors over time. Then, in the absence of confounding, observed hazard differences are equal in expectation to the causal hazard differences. However, in the presence of effect (on the hazard) heterogeneity, the observed hazard difference is also affected by selection of survivors. In this work, we formalize how the observed hazard difference (from a randomized controlled trial) evolves by selecting favourable levels of effect modifiers in the exposed group and thus deviates from the causal effect of interest. Such selection may result in a non-linear integrated hazard difference curve even when the individual causal effects are time-invariant. Therefore, a homogeneous time-varying causal additive effect on the hazard cannot be distinguished from a time-invariant but heterogeneous causal effect. We illustrate this causal issue by studying the effect of chemotherapy on the survival time of patients suffering from carcinoma of the oropharynx using data from a clinical trial. The hazard difference can thus not be used as an appropriate measure of the causal effect without making untestable assumptions.

Managerial ownership and labor income share

This paper investigates the influence of executive compensation on labor income share. I expect that higher managerial shareholding reduces labor income share. Consistent with this conjecture, the empirical evidence suggests that both augmented innovation investment and alleviated bankruptcy costs explain the reduction in labor income share. Our results remain robust by addressing the potential unobserved variable concerns and reverse causality issues. Heterogeneity tests show that the effect is more pronounced in firms with weaker political connections, higher institutional ownership, higher customer concentration, and in state-owned firms. This study contributes to the merging literature on the lowering of labor income share.

Seven psychiatric traits and the risk of increased carotid intima-media thickness: a Mendelian randomization study.

Numerous observational studies have suggested an association between psychiatric traits and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT). However, whether these associations have a causal relationship remains unknown, largely due to issues of reverse causality and potential confounders. This study aims to elucidate the potential causal role of psychiatric traits in the risk of arterial injury as measured by cIMT. We utilized instrumental variables for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, n = 226,534), bipolar disorder (n = 353,899), major depressive disorder (n = 142,646), post-traumatic stress disorder (n = 174,494), obsessive-compulsive disorder (n = 9,725), autism spectrum disorder (n = 173,773), and anxiety disease (n = 17,310), derived from the largest corresponding genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Summary statistics for cIMT associations were obtained from a meta-analysis combining GWAS data from the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology consortia (n = 71,128) and the UK Biobank study (n = 45,185). The inverse-variance weighted method served as the primary analytical tool, supplemented by additional statistical methods in the secondary analyses to corroborate the findings. Adjustments were made according to the Bonferroni correction threshold. The Mendelian randomization analyses indicated a suggestive causal link between genetically predicted ADHD and cIMT (beta = 0.05; 95% confidence interval, 0.01-0.09; p = 0.018). Sensitivity analyses largely concurred with this finding. However, no significant associations were found between other psychiatric traits and cIMT. This study provides insights into the risk effect of ADHD on cIMT, suggesting that arteriopathy and potential associated complications should be considered during the treatment and monitoring of patients with ADHD.

The impact of the board of directors on companies’ performance: The moderating role of ownership concentration

The impact of the board of directors (BOD) on the performance of companies, particularly considering the moderating role of ownership concentration (OC), is a topic of significant importance in the realm of corporate governance (Habtoor, 2020). The study employs structural equation modelling (SEM), a more advanced method, to address causality and endogeneity issues in governance-performance relationships (Hamid & Purbawangsa, 2022). The hypotheses are constructed based on resource dependence and agency theories, enhancing the theoretical framework. The research focuses on Jordanian service and industrial firms listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) from 2014 to 2018, encompassing 92 firms and 460 observations. Based on the estimated results, the study confirms that the size of the board, CEO duality, and board independence, including OC, all have a positive effect on firm performance. The results also show that the BOD has a statistically significant impact on firm performance when considering the moderating impact of OC. However, the study finds that CEO duality and board independence have an insignificant impact on return on assets (ROA). This study contributes to the literature on BOD and firm performance and provides insights for practitioners and policymakers.

Growth and poverty reduction in Vietnam: A strategic policy modelling study

<p>A major objective of economic development or growth is poverty reduction, and it is especially a high priority in developing, low-income economies such as Vietnam. Vietnam is an important transition open high-growth economy since Doi Moi in 1987 and with increasing global geopolitical influence in South East Asia but with concerning high poverty incidence. While poverty is recognised internationally as a multidimensional incidence with interdependent relationships among the country's many activities in the sense of Marshall or Haavelmo, rigorous studies with focus on these multidirectional causality issues for Vietnam are currently very limited. The paper addresses these issues by introducing an endogeneity or simultaneous multi-equation modelling approach with World Bank and other international data and system estimation to studying the growth-poverty relationship with Vietnam as a case study. The objective is to explore empirical evidence for this causal relationship with an economy-wide transmission mechanism and with common causality postulates for the improvement of sustainable growth and poverty reduction strategic policy analysis. The main findings show growth-poverty circular causality and the strong impact of growth on poverty reduction and of trade openness on growth. The approach advances the literature, and the findings are also a useful guide for aid consultants, economic researchers, policy makers, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), and official development assistance (ODA) donors in Vietnam in particular and in developing countries in general.</p>

Developing an economic quality assessment framework and applying it to water economic studies in the Murray-Darling Basin

Increasing environmental problems and future climate change projections necessitate the need for changing water reallocation in many countries, and hence pose considerable trade-offs and policy challenges. Water reallocation is often mired in policy debate and the socio-economic impacts on affected communities, with many differing views and studies on the type and size of the impact. The debate over the impacts of reduced consumptive water diversions in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) over the past 15 years provides an apt case example of arguments over socioeconomic impacts, with policymakers often unable to distinguish between unreliable and reliable economic impacts. In order to help judge study quality, we developed a rigorous economic quality assessment framework (EQAF). This framework was then applied in a systematic review of quantitative (theoretical and empirical) economic studies of water reduction and reallocation in the MDB. The quality assessment allowed the classification of studies into low, medium and high quality. Results reveal that studies predicting significant negative impacts from reduced MDB water diversions were generally rated as low quality. In contrast, studies predicting smaller impact were more likely to be rated high quality, because they accounted for adaptation and feedback loops. The EQAF system can be applied in many other contexts, but will be especially useful in areas of disputed predicted outcomes. Our review provides five recommendations, and emphasised in particular the need for quality control, and more assessment of causality issues within water recovery analyses, and the importance of, wherever possible, accounting for all confounders in influencing community outcomes.

Asymmetric linkages among fintech, oil prices, governance, and growth in Southeast Asian economies

Fintech's disruptive potential in Southeast Asia can revolutionize financial inclusion and accelerate economic growth, warranting a comprehensive analysis of its interplay with oil prices, governance, and overall economic development. Against this backdrop, this study analyze the quantile-dependent (asymmetric) influence of oil prices, cumulative financial technology index, and institutional quality on economic growth for selected Southeast Asian countries from 1996 to 2021. Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) is used to analyse the asymmetric relationship, while the Dumitrescu-Hurlin Panel Causality test applies to the intrinsic casualty. The study's outcomes exposed the positive (negative) influence of Fintech and governance (oil prices); however, there marginal impact substantially varies at lower a higher growth quantiles. Labor headcount and capital stocks are among the main contributor of economic growth, specifically at higher growth quantiles (countries). Bi-directional causality has been confirmed through Dumitrescu-Hurlin Panel Causality test between Fintech, oil prices and governance with economic growth. Therefore, Generalized Method of Moment and Augmented Mean Group is further applied for robustness. After controlling reverse causality and endogeneity issues, the prior outcomes are validated. These findings offer valuable outcomes.

The impact of community nucleic acid testing on infection in residential compounds during a city-wide lockdown

The question of whether community nucleic acid testing contributes to an increase in infections within residential compounds has not been definitively answered. Shanghai, one of the largest cities in China, conducted city-wide community testing during its lockdown from late March to May 2022. This situation provided a unique opportunity to examine the effect of community testing on infection rates, as the lockdown largely eliminated confounding factors such as citizen mobility. In our study, based on a survey of 208 residential compounds in Shanghai and the daily infection data during the lockdown period, we found a significant correlation between community testing and infection risk in these compounds. However, after addressing potential issues of reverse causality and sampling bias, we found no significant causal link between community testing and infection risk. Furthermore, we discovered that increased awareness of mask-wearing correlated with a decrease in infections within the residential compounds during community testing. This suggests that the perceived correlation between community testing and infection risk may be confounded by residents’ adherence to mask-wearing practices. Our findings emphasize the need for public health decision-makers to reinforce the importance of mask-wearing during community testing, as a means to prevent infections among citizens.

Multiphoton quantum teleportation

The possibility of multiphoton teleportation with the production of entangled particle clones has been studied. Issues of causality in quantum teleportation have been considered.

Busy CEO and financial statement footnotes readability: evidence from Indonesia

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the correlation between a CEO's business background and the readability of financial statement footnotes in Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilizes a sample period spanning from 2010 to 2018 and employs various statistical tests, including Propensity Score Matching (PSM), Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) and the Heckman Model, to demonstrate that it can address issues of causality and endogeneity without introducing bias.FindingsAs a result, the findings of this study indicate a statistically significant negative relationship between CEOs with busy schedules and the readability of financial statement footnotes. This suggests that companies led by busy CEOs are more likely to have financial statement footnotes that are easier to read.Research limitations/implicationsThese findings hold significance for clarifying research related to the challenges of contextual analysis in financial statement footnotes, which are distributed by companies on a sentence-by-sentence basis.Practical implicationsThe practical implications of the findings pertain to actionable steps that management can undertake and also offer regulators opportunities to monitor the potential for standard setting.Originality/valueBased on the results presented, the authors are optimistic that the findings will pave the way for broader research on the impact of a busy CEO, encompassing not only financial aspects but also non-financial dimensions. The growing popularity of readability is driven by the proliferation of textual reports that pose challenges in analysis and raise numerous inquiries.

Is a critical mass of women always enough to improve firm performance? The importance of the institutional context

PurposeThis paper aims to present a comprehensive theoretical framework that seeks to explore the impact of cultural, legal and social factors within the external environment on the relationship between women on corporate boards and firm performance. By investigating these boundary conditions, the paper aims to shed light on how these pressures influence the aforementioned relationship.Design/methodology/approachTo build the sample of companies, the authors selected companies listed on the stock exchanges of countries that represent a diverse range of institutional contexts. These contexts encompass countries with individualistic cultures, collectivist cultures, environments with mandatory gender quotas, environments without gender quotas, contexts with substantial progress toward gender equality and contexts with limited progress in achieving gender equality. To test the hypotheses, the authors used linear regression analysis as a primary analytical approach. Furthermore, they used the propensity score matching technique to address potential issues of reverse causality and unobserved heterogeneity.FindingsThe findings indicate that the positive influence of a critical mass of women on corporate boards on firm performance is contingent upon the institutional context. Specifically, the authors observed that this relationship is strengthened in institutional contexts characterized by an individualistic culture, whereas it is not as pronounced in collectivist cultural contexts. Furthermore, this research provides compelling evidence that the presence of a critical mass of women on boards leads to enhanced firm performance in institutional settings where gender quotas are not binding, as opposed to settings where such quotas are enforced. Lastly, the results demonstrate that the presence of a critical mass of women on boards is associated with improved firm performance in institutional settings characterized by low progress in achieving gender equality. However, the authors did not observe the same effect in institutional contexts that have made significant strides toward gender equality.Originality/valueThis research offers a unique perspective by investigating the relationship between women’s presence on corporate boards and firm performance across different institutional contexts. In this investigation, the authors recognize that gender diversity on corporate boards is not a one-size-fits-all solution and that its effects can be shaped by the unique institutional contexts in which companies operate.