Jordanian Government Research Articles

The Impact of Tourism Income on Foreign Reserves in Jordan during the Period 2005-2020

This study aimed to analyze the impact of tourism income on foreign reserves in Jordan during the period 2005-2020. The study used annual data related to three variables (foreign public debt, trade balance deficit, and workers’ remittances) during the study period; the data were collected from the annual reports issued by the Central Bank of Jordan and the Jordanian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. To achieve the aim of the study, the fully modified least squares (FMOLS) test was applied. Among the most important findings of the study according to the Johansen statistical test was the existence of a long-term equilibrium relationship between tourism income and foreign reserves and between the three variables between the variables (foreign public debt, trade balance deficit, and workers' remittances) and foreign reserves. The empirical results of the study also showed a positive and significant effect of tourism income on foreign currency reserves and a positive and significant impact of both foreign public debt and remittances of workers abroad on foreign reserves. This finding was obtained through the statistical FMOLS model. Among the most important recommendations of this study is the need for the Jordanian government to pay more attention to the issue of foreign reserves to keep them at high and comfortable levels. This can be achieved through the Jordanian government’s set of procedures and reviews of laws and policies related to the tourism sector, as it is one of the most important financing sources of foreign reserves. In this regard, the government must provide the necessary infrastructure to revitalize the tourism sector, in addition to reviewing the tax policies and fees imposed on the sector.

Multi-Criteria Analysis for Evaluating Constructed Wetland as a Sustainable Sanitation Technology, Jordan Case Study

There is a growing demand for integrating an assessment tool to select wastewater treatment alternatives based on sustainability in the Jordanian wastewater sector. The sector in Jordan has a unique and critical situation that has raised concerns among stakeholders, including donors, and international and national organizations, to carefully select a sustainable treatment system for each case. The Jordanian government set a tool to distinguish between treatment systems, and this tool is mainly focused on financial criteria. However, the sector needs to integrate assessment tools with a wider consideration of other sustainability criteria. Usually, stakeholders are not equipped with a clear methodology to perform sustainability assessments. Therefore, this study proposes and develops a Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) tool to evaluate wastewater treatment alternatives from a sustainability perspective for a case study in Jordan—Al Azraq town. Firstly, the study explored the decision and organizational context of the wastewater sector through several interviews. Secondly, assessment criteria and indicators were proposed to compare three proposed treatment alternatives. Finally, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied with composite scores to evaluate wastewater treatment alternatives. Finally, The results of the composite scores indicated that French Constructed Wetland (FCW) was the best option for this case study, with a score of 3.13, followed by Stabilization Pond (SP) as the second sustainable option, with a score of 2.67, and lastly, Activated Sludge (AS), with a score of 2.07. Several conclusions have been highlighted during the process development, such as the importance of selecting sustainability indicators carefully, and engaging stakeholders during the design and implementation of the assessment.

‘Every one of you is now a soldier’: war metaphors in Jordanian official discourse during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT In this article, we examine the use of war metaphors in Jordanian official discourse on the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-21, through an analysis of videos of public statements and media releases made by Jordanian government officials at press conferences and interviews with local media outlets which were disseminated through social media. Against both the linguistic essentialism and the Western-centrism of conventional analyses of (war) metaphors, we demonstrate that Jordanian officials’ framing of Covid-19 as a security threat is not just a function of the rhetorical appeal of militarised discursive responses to the pandemic, but also aligns closely with existing ideologies of the militarisation and securitisation of public life. The mobilisation of metaphor in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic should thus be understood in relation to the specific discourses that pervade the communicative channels through which it is distributed.

The impact of implementing green human resources management in government institutions in the Jordanian Ministry of Justice

This paper aims to study the impact of implementing green human resources management (GHRM) in government institutions in the Jordanian Ministry of Justice. The population of this paper is all the Jordanian government institutions and the sample is the Jordanian Ministry of Justice, the questionnaire was designed with four aspects to collect the data related to environmental sustainability, organization performance, recruitment, and competitive advantages for the year 2021 and distributed to 75 employees of Jordanian Ministry of Justice. The paper has one independent variable that represents the GHRM and four dependent variables and they are environmental sustainability, performance, recruitment of human resources, and competitive advantages, to measure the data collected SPSS packages such as descriptive statistical analysis, Cronbach Alpha, the normal distribution and One-sample T-test were used. The researcher concluded that the implementation of green human resources management has a positive effect on environmental sustainability by performing green practices, improving performance by reducing cost while maintaining the quality of performed services, recruiting human resources by increasing employee satisfaction and competitive advantages by the good reputation of Jordanian government institutions. The researcher recommends the need to strengthen awareness among employees through guidance programs about the importance of implementation of this relatively modern type of management in Jordanian government institutions.

The UNESCO Contribution to Safeguarding and Preserving Jordan’s Cultural Heritage

UNESCO seeks to build peace through international cooperation in education, sciences, and culture and contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the 2030 Agenda. The present paper explores how UNESCO, the Jordanian government, and the local communities work together in the design and implementation of plans aimed at developing a knowledge-based economy, protecting Jordan’s natural environment and rich cultural heritage, promoting intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity, and in strengthening the institutionalization of culture for development. The present contribution is divided into two parts, the first covers the institutional/legislative framework; financial capacities of Jordanian institutions and describes the activities undertaken by UNESCO over the past years for the preservation of Jordan’s tangible heritage. The section shows UNESCO’s approach towards the conservation of sites from a more resilience-based perspective in an attempt to realize employment opportunities in the heritage sector and heritage as a vehicle for socio-economic resilience and sustainability. The second part of the present paper covers the collaborative efforts by UNESCO and the Jordanian Government in safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in the context of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage, including the inscription of ICH elements into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the establishment of certain Jordanian institutions related to ICH safeguarding, and UNESCO’s support for Safeguarding ICH in Jordan on the national and international levels. This includes capacity building, raising awareness on the importance of ICH, managing and supporting projects for drawing community-based inventories of ICH elements in Jordan, and integrating ICH into the Jordanian educational arena. Some recommendations towards safeguarding ICH in Jordan on both the governmental and societal levels are given, e.g., involving museums, enhancing media and information channels, developing educational plans, investmenting in ICH in the sustainable tourism sector, and modifying existing legislation and constitutional provisions to protect ICH and its bearers.

Antiquities laws and regulations issued in Jordan from 1923 to 2013

The Department of Antiquities, established in 1923, is one of the first governmental departments established after the foundation of the modern state of Jordan. For the purposes of organizing archaeological work, the Jordanian government has issued during the past hundred years several laws related to the legalization of archaeological work and the protection of antiquities, numbering seven, the first of which was the Law of Antiquities of 1925 and the last of which was Law No. 21 of 1988, followed by many amendments and regulations. The most recent of these was the Law Amending the Antiquities Law No. (55) of 2008. In this paper, we reviewed all antiquities laws, regulations, and amendments that occurred to them from 1923 to 2013, and discussed them, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, and their contribution to protecting the Jordanian cultural heritage.

Integrating Indigenous Knowledge with MCDA in the GIS Environment to Determine Site Potential for Water Harvesting in Wadi Hammad Basin in Jordan

The significance of water harvesting in Wadi Hammad basin lies in the fact that the Jordanian government encourages the cultivation of vegetables, wheat, and barley in the country in an effort to improve food security in Jordan and create job opportunities for young people in the agricultural sector. Water harvesting in this basin will augment the water resources used for plant production and livestock watering by flash floods that involve large quantities of runoff. This study aimed to identify the best locations for water harvesting in the Wadi Hammad basin in Jordan via a Multi-Criterion Decision Analysis (MCDA) and indigenous knowledge. This study focused on consulting with indigenous knowledge where they provided information on the study area for water-collecting sites that have been used for years to provide water. In this study, site selection was based on six criteria that had been determined through a review of related literature (drainage density, rainfall depth, lineament density, soil clay content, geology, and slope). Following MCDA analysis, a water-harvesting suitability map was created. The final water-harvesting map uncovered that a large part of the basin (66.53%) has high to very high potential for water harvesting. The technique of water harvesting was subdued to statistical analysis, sensitivity analysis, and the map removal test. This study demonstrates that the selection of relevant water harvesting locations is a lengthy method that needs consultation with indigenous knowledge and the use of MCDA in the GIS environment. The study results, in general, and the final map, in particular, show the good relationship between the sites defined by the use of MCDA and the site suitability for water harvesting that was specified based on indigenous knowledge. Finally, the results of this study, which integrated indigenous knowledge with MCDA, may be employed to help in effective planning for water resource management to warrant the sustainable development of water in Jordan.

Changing management role in enhancing the financial decisions of the Government Universities in Jordan

This current study aimed at identifying the changing management role in enhancing the financial decisions among the Government Universities in Jordan, as the study sample consisted of (825) employee in the Jordanian Government Universities. Moreover, the descriptive-analytical approach was utilized, while a questionnaire was designed to collect data, as it included the scales of changing management and financial decisions. Indeed, the results showed that the changing management level in the Jordanian Government Universities came in moderate degree for all the following fields: (Organizational structure, Technological change, Changing in tasks, Cultural change), similarly, the financial decisions level for the Jordanian Government Universities came in moderate degree. Additionally, the results indicated to the presence of positive connection between changing management and enhancing the financial decisions for the Government Universities, and due to the study results; a set of recommendations were presented accordingly.

Activity-based Costing Accounting System and Government Services Efficiency

The objective of this research is to investigate the Activity-based Costing accounting system and Jordan's efficiency of government services. ABC systems were also influenced to improve and evolve in order to increase the efficiency of government services. The study's sample consists of 182 questionnaires completed by Jordanian government employees. The study revealed that the Activity-based Costing accounting system has a significant impact on the efficiency of Jordan's government services. Furthermore, the study revealed an Activity-based Costing accounting system for all levels as a way to improve government service efficiency and crucial to accomplishing efficiency both in the short and long run, as well as the need to just have accounting systems that abide by international financial reporting standards, which seem to be critical inside any accounting part.

Changes In FDI Outflow Resulting From Jordan’s Response To The Syrian Crisis

This study aimed to investigate the changes in FDI outflow resulting from Jordan’s response to the Syrian Crisis. Using time series analysis of selected variables during the period 1980 until 2018 using the ARDL model. The objective achieved the appropriate statistical tests such as data stability and co-integration tests have been used. The variables analysed the growth of FDI outflow GOFDI, the unemployment rate UR, growth of imports GIMP inflation CPI, population growth POP, education spending LEDU, price oil price volatility OPV, dummy variable for the Syrian crisis DUM, and the error term ut. The dependant variable is the foreign direct investment outflow GOFDI. This study results in a long-term the error correction term for the unemployment model is -1.98. In other words, the economy is adjusting towards long-run equilibrium at a speed of 1.98. Also, the error correction term for the inflation model is -1.11. In other words, the economy is adjusting towards long-run equilibrium at a speed of 1.11. Finally, the error correction term for the imports model is -1.41. In other words, the economy is adjusting towards long-run equilibrium at a speed of 1.41. The study recommended; that the Jordanian government must provide an appropriate environment for foreign investment and remove the obstacles to investment in general, in order to attract foreign investment capital to invest in the Jordanian economy.

Does Corporate Social Responsibility Spending Enhancing the Financial Performance?

This paper examines the dynamic relationship between financial performance FP and corporate social responsibility spending CSRS in Jordan. The dynamic panel system GMM measurement was utilized for 164 listed companies in Amman stock Exchange. The results demonstrate that CSRS and accounting-based measurement have a beneficial association. There are no correlations between CSRS and market-based measurement, on the other hand. The findings indicated that Jordanian listed companies have a lot of room for improvement when it comes to exposing their CSR efforts across multiple dimensions, which might help the Jordanian government with its ongoing initiatives of social and economic transformation.

Evaluating the quality of public administration institutes’ websites in the Arab world

Purpose This study aims to investigate the quality level of the leading three Public Administration Institutes’ (PAIs) websites in the Arab world. Design/methodology/approach A convenient sample of 203 Jordanian Government employees answered the questionnaire that assessed five quality dimensions (content, navigation, interface design, accessibility and educational purpose) for each website. Findings The website of PAI of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recorded a high level in all quality dimensions, whereas the website of PAI of Jordan recorded moderate quality in all dimensions except for accessibility; the website of PAI of Egypt recorded a high level in all quality dimensions except for the educational purpose. Based on the qualitative analysis, participants agreed that the PAI website has the best quality, accessibility, navigation and design compared with the Egyptian and the Jordanian PAIs websites. Practical implications Designers of PAI websites should consider end users’ needs and regularly assess the website’s usability. PAIs developers should also establish more interactive portals to provide transparent and effective electronic services to users. The findings are significant in helping policymakers better understand the importance of distance training and learning using websites and platforms. Social implications Developing a high-quality website enhances the relationship between the government and its employees, consequently establishing the credibility and trust of citizens in public services. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that measures the quality of PAI websites in the Arab world. The findings provide more cross-culture evidence for the e-government and digital literature in helping policymakers develop more technology interactive platforms.

The Long-Run Relationship between Disaggregated Government Expenditure and Economic Growth in Jordan

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the long run impact of capital and current government expenditures on the economic growth of Jordan during the period 1990-2019. The study variables are integrated of different orders as indicated by Augmented Dickey-Fuller unit root test. Granger causality test has demonstrated the ability of both government expenditure components to cause and predict changes in the economic growth. Engle and Granger cointegration test has revealed that there is a cointegrated long-run relationship between the study variables. Therefore, the study model was estimated by applying two estimation methods; Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Autoregressive Distributed lag (ARDL) models. The results of both methods showed that capital government expenditure has a significant positive long-run impact on the economic growth, while current expenditure has a significant negative long run impact on such growth according to FMOLS results. Based on these outcomes, the study recommends some procedures that must be implemented by the Jordanian government in order to increase its productive investments and reduce current expenditure.

COVID-19 related stigma, empathy and intention for testing in Jordan.

Stigmatization of COVID-19 disease has been speculated due to misinformation about the disease, fearing of contracting the infection, absence of available cure, and holding responsibility for infecting others. We aimed to establish the prevalence of COVID-19 related stigma and its association with empathic responding, in addition to exploring predictors of stigma and testing intention among Jordanian people. A quantitative, descriptive and predictive design was used and data were collected using a web-based survey from 1074 adults. Findings showed that participants had high stigmatization against COVID-19 infection. Higher empathic responding (both cognitive and affective), being a female participant, and older age resulted in higher stigmatization. Only stigmatization of COVID-19 negatively predicted individuals’ intention for testing. These findings warrant intensive efforts from the Jordanian government on a local and national level to provide ongoing public education related to several aspects of COVID-19 disease, in order to reduce or prevent the associated stigma and increase people’s intention for testing.

The Impact of COVID-19 on General Rights and Freedoms: The Jordanian Case as a Model

The study addressed the impact of COVID-19 on public rights and freedoms. The research question is to what extent it is possible to achieve compatibility between preserving public health in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and protecting the basic rights and freedoms of individuals, and how the Jordanian government dealt with the pandemic by resorting to exceptional legislation in this regard. To address this problem the study focused on the legislative basis which the Jordanian government relied on to confront the pandemic and the manifestations of prejudicing general rights and freedoms. The study discussed the compatibility between respecting rights and freedoms, and combating the pandemic. The conclusion is that the Jordanian government imposed harsh legislations which restricted individuals’ rights. It is recommended that the Jordanian government adopt preventive measures to combat the epidemic in line with international standards on respecting human rights. Policies are suggested.
 
 Received: 14 June 2022 / Accepted: 19 August 2022 / Published: 2 September 2022

The Impact of Good Governance on Human Development in Jordan: A Case Study

This study investigates the correlations between indicators of good governance and human development in Jordan during the period (2010-2019). The study relies on the indicators of the World Bank for good governance and the Human Development Index for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) about Jordan. It analyzes the indicators of the two variables in Jordan by employing statistical analysis. The study found that there are no statistically significant correlations between the indicators of good governance and human development at the significance level (0.05). It also found a weakness in the levels of good governance, and that there is a decline in the growth rates of human development during the studied period which may due to the negative impact of regional conditions related to the Arab Spring and its direct and indirect repercussions on the human development in Jordan. This indicates that human development in Jordan is affected by the consequences of regional conditions rather than just internal factors such as good governance. The study recommends the Jordanian government to build a productive national economy in a manner that reduces vulnerability to regional and international conditions, and provide support for education and health sectors, as well as to control high population growth rates.
 
 Received: 26 May 2022 / Accepted: 17 August 2022 / Published: 2 September 2022

Evaluating the Impact of Direct Taxes on Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence from Jordan

Existing literature reports contradictory findings about the impact of direct and indirect taxes on economic growth of different economies. In this regard, the objective of the current research is to investigate the impact of direct taxes on the economic growth of Jordan. GDP is considered an indicator of economic growth, so the impact of direct taxes is evaluated using the GDP of Jordan. The study has adopted a quantitative research approach using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) technique. The findings of the study indicate that direct taxes (DT) have a significant negative effect on the economic growth of Jordan. This current research has significant implications for the Jordanian government and the policymakers of the Jordanian economy, and it is recommended that they should make significant modifications in levying direct taxes in a way that will contribute positively to the economic development of the country.

The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Tourism and Hospitality Industry: Jordan as a Case Study

Tourism is one of the sectors most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic since tourism was linked to the outbreak of the virus through the travel of tourists from the affected countries. Furthermore, tourism and related sectors were among the sectors that nearly closed completely through the full and partial lockdown, which represented the most prominent government procedures to limit the spread of the virus. Therefore, this study is the first of its kind that attempted to explore the impact of the pandemic on the tourism sector and assess the government’s role in supporting the sector and preventing its collapse. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to identify the main issues that must be covered to explore the impact of the pandemic on the tourism sector, and then develop a questionnaire that was answered by 59 tourism organizations. Based on the data analyses and the hypotheses testing the study concluded that despite the great procedures and efforts undertaken by the Jordanian government to support the tourism sector, they did not meet the magnitude of the harm and did not fulfill the sector hopes in terms of injecting liquidity, supporting small and medium enterprises, and empowering their workers to continue to work and meet the new tourism requirements for the post-Covid-19 era. The study suggested an agenda to improve the government's support of the tourism sector and bring it to safety.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Non-Profit Companies in Jordan: A Socio-Legal Study

Since 2020, the novel Corona pandemic had negatively affected the people's economic situation in Jordan. The Jordanian government procedures to contains the spread of the virus from movement restriction, border closures, and lookdown have forced companies to shut down their businesses completely or partly and lay off workers or reduce their remuneration. Some of these companies that had been negatively affected was nonprofit Companies. Nonprofit Companies in Jordan have faced a decrease in financial returns as a result of the reduced amount of donations and an increase in demand of the services they provide, especially those that provide health services. As a result, non-profit companies operating in Jordan had adopted new approaches and mechanism of working to survive and to still be relevant in the Jordanian society. This research article primarily focuses on the impact of the Corona pandemic on non-profit companies operating in Jordan in terms of financials, strategies and the impact of the Jordanian defense law on the situation of the labor working in these institutions. The research has reached to several results that highlight the impact of the Corona pandemic. Corona pandemic had and still has a significant impact on non-profit companies from an economic and legal point of view.

Training satisfaction relative to turnover intention: the mediating role of employee loyalty

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to focus on Turnover intention (TI) which is gaining significance in the Jordanian government sector as well as in many other international institutions. Organizations tend to seek valuable benefits from the human resource capital they have to achieve their competitive advantages. However, TI becomes a global issue as well as in Jordanian public context. The research framework of this study is based on the satisfaction and social psychological literature.Design/methodology/approachBy applying the convenience sampling method, data were collected through an online questionnaire; 354 respondents from the governmental sector participated in this study. Data were analyzed using the statistical software Smart PLS.FindingsResults revealed that mind wandering (MW) has a negative impact on training satisfaction (TS) while trainer efficacy (TE) has a positive impact on TS. Meanwhile, work–life conflict (WLC) was not significantly related to TS. TS has a negative impact on TI and a positive impact on employee loyalty (EL). However, EL has a negative impact on TI, and, at the same time, it mediates the relationship between TS and TI. Moreover, the study demonstrates sequential mediation for TI.Originality/valueThe research adds to the body of knowledge by testing a new framework. Moreover, it introduces sequential mediation for TI.