Level Of Economic Development Research Articles

Evolutionary pattern and influencing factors of the aquaculture development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay area during 1986–2020

The rapid expansion of aquaculture ponds at the end of the last century raised concerns about their environmental and ecological impacts in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). This study aims to comprehensively investigate the spatiotemporal evolutionary characteristics and explore the influencing factors of aquaculture development in the GBA. An automated approach was established to extract the aquaculture pond areas on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform using Landsat images and showed high accuracy. The aquaculture development in the GBA underwent three phases of rapid expansion (1986–1996), constant transformation (1996–2010), and drastic contraction (2010–2020), and was closely related to the important aquaculture policies in China and Guangdong Province. The local aquaculture ponds showed three evolutionary patterns of continuous shrinkage, earlier shrinkage, and later shrinkage, which were mainly influenced by the economic development level and urbanization in each city. Rapid urbanization created great demands for aquaculture products and intense land use competition, which drove the conversion of aquaculture ponds into impervious land and migration from the central GBA towards the surrounding coast and upstream areas. Government policies promoted the initial rapid increase and regulated the aquaculture ponds to develop towards a more environment-friendly and intensive mode, which led to a steady increase of aquaculture products despite the drastic decrease in aquaculture pond areas in the past decade. These evolutionary features are of significance for policymakers and farmers to maintain the sustainable development of aquaculture in the GBA and Guangdong Province.

Is India ready for fundamental right to health?

The right to health, a vital indicator of human development and thus, the economic and social development, has been an age-old phenomenon in India. Although, no explicit recognition to the right to health or healthcare has been given under the Indian constitution, the hon’ble supreme court, through various judicial interpretations, has repeatedly observed that right to health is a part of fundamental right to life and personal liberty enshrined under article 21. However, the fundamental policy question being raised in recent years is whether to guarantee health as a separate fundamental right in India. The issues for consideration are multifarious, the most important being- whether we have reached the level of economic and health systems development so as to make this a justiciable right-implying that its denial is an offense.

Development of the Regional Economy Through Recreational Tourism (The Leningrad Region Experience)

The crisis conditions in which the regional economy found itself require the search for new methods of forming budget assets. Internal resources began to be of extreme importance. The search for additional potential of specific territories has become especially relevant. The purpose of this study is to show on the example of the Leningrad region the possibilities of using the regional internal resources that can give positive economic dynamics. To achieve the goal, empirical methods were used in the work: collecting facts, comparison, logical analysis and generalization, as well as a comprehensive method. The article assesses the existing recreational potential of the region, its positive and negative aspects, examines the essence of recreational tourism, analyzes measures to support the tourism business, including preferential programs and lending programs for small organizations in the tourism sector. The study showed that one of the options for developing the region’s economy is the use of its resource specializations. The scientific novelty of the study consists in a comprehensive analysis of the recreational resources of the Leningrad Region, which shows the relationship between the state of tourism infrastructure and the level of economic development of the region. As a result, it was concluded that recreational tourism can become a trigger for the launch of the regional economy.

Ассимиляционный потенциал природы и территорий: нетривиальные следствия управления устойчивым эколого-экономическим развитием

Ecological-economic systems, which are in a state of unstable dynamic equilibrium under the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors, strive for sustainability if human economic activity is able to maintain the assimilation potential at the level of reproduction of natural resources and environmental quality by devoting part of the income to the environmental agenda. Within the framework of the law of balanced environmental management T=1.618·t·a, sustainable environmental and economic development is achieved by allocating funds at the level (t) of the GDP growth rate (T) to the environmental agenda for the regions. The value of the ecological situation coefficient (ESC) in the law of balanced environmental management for the Russian Federation varies around the golden numbers 0.618, 1.618, 2.618, depending on the level of economic development in the biosphere, artificial maintenance of the quality of the environment in it, as well as in the future possibility of terraforming the solar planets systems. An indicator of sustainable, harmonious environmental and economic development is a linear relationship between the assimilation potential (a) and the EES at the level of golden numbers 0.618, 1.618, 2.618. In this case, sustainable environmental and economic development can be achieved in any environmental condition as long as balance is maintained between the rate of economic growth and allocations of funds for the restoration of the assimilation function of nature. But they must be directed to the environmental agenda in strict accordance with the golden proportion relative to the main directions of environmental activities, even in conditions of transformed (converted) nature, and in the near future, in conditions of terraforming. However, then all development costs will go exclusively to maintaining the habitat in multiples of the golden numbers of 1.618 and 2.618 in the coefficient of the law of balanced environmental management.

Calculating the rating of central districts in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) by the level of economic development using an integral indicator

Currently, research into the socio-economic development of municipal areas is relevant, including those using various approaches and methods of comparative analysis. The main tool for a comparative analysis of the economic development of municipal districts is the development of an appropriate rating. The ratings make it possible to determine the relationships between municipal districts that have developed over a certain period of time based on basic economic indicators. The scholarly article discusses an approach using an integral indicator in developing a rating of the central districts in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) by the level of their economic development. The implementation of this approach consists of several stages and includes: defining a system of economic indicators, bringing them into a comparable form, standardizing all indicators, calculating the integral indicator, and determining the rating. Twelve economic indicators were selected for the calculations, so that they cover the production and service sectors in a generalized form. The indicators were brought into a comparable form by recalculating them per capita and normalized relative to the corresponding maximum values. The integral indicators of the main economic indicators of the central districts in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) from 2010 to 2021 were calculated using the geometric mean formula based on the corresponding standardized indicators. Municipal districts with the highest integral indicators took a higher place in the ranking. The calculations showed that municipal districts with relatively developed manufacturing and mining industries have higher integral scores and, accordingly, are in a higher place in the economic development ranking compared to agricultural municipal districts.

Diversification of export activities: essence, purpose and state in Ukraine

Introduction. Export diversification is an essential tool for accelerating economic growth in developing countries. After all, these countries' exports are concentrated on raw materials and agricultural products, which are primarily sensitive to external shocks. By diversifying their exports, countries can reduce their vulnerability to fluctuations in foreign markets, including changes in demand, prices and terms of trade. This will stabilise the country's export earnings, ensure uninterrupted financing of imports and the development of various sectors of the national economy. In addition, diversifying export activities contributes to the structural transformation of the national economy and the country's innovative development. The purpose of the paper is to reveal the essence and functional purpose of export diversification in ensuring the country's economic development. The objective will be achieved by analysing the state of diversification of Ukraine's exports of goods and studying its relationship with the country's economic development. Results. Based on the analysis of changes in Ukraine's export commodity structure, the paper shows that in 2014-2023, there was a deepening of specialisation in Ukraine's exports of raw materials, food and agricultural products. At the same time, the share of medium and highly processed goods in Ukraine's export structure has decreased significantly. These trends are confirmed by the relatively high degree of specialisation of Ukrainian exports of goods over the period considered, as calculated by the normalised Herfindahl-Hirschman index. It is noted that the deepening concentration of Ukrainian exports of raw materials, food and agricultural products has been accompanied by slow growth or decline in GDP per capita. This confirms the hypothesis that there is a correlation between the diversification of export activities and a country's economic development level. Conclusions. According to the study's results, one strategy for Ukraine's economic growth under current conditions should be to diversify export activities and develop trade in goods with a medium and high degree of processing.

The impact of digital economy on rural revitalization: Evidence from Guangdong, China

BackgroundDigital technology and economy have profound impact on rural revitalization and become important initiatives to promote rural development. This study analyzes the spatial effect of digital economy on rural revitalization in Guangdong, China. MethodThe entropy weight method is used to evaluate the level of rural revitalization and digital economy in 20 prefecture level cities of Guangdong province during 2011–2021. Spatial panel model is used to analyze the spatial spillover effect of digital economy on rural revitalization. Threshold model is employed to analyze the marginal effects of the digital economy on rural revitalization. Heterogeneous analysis is made by grouping the prefecture-level cities into four regions: the Pearl River Delta (PRD), the East Wing, the West Wing and the Mountainous region. ResultsBoth the level of rural revitalization and digital economy development in every prefecture-level city experienced an increase during 2011–2021 and the PRD region take the lead in both the rural revitalization and digital economy. There is significant spatial spillover effect of digital economy on the rural revitalization as a whole (the coefficient is about 0.3537). However, in the regions with a low level of digital economic development, there is a negative impact (−0.1847) of the digital economy on rural revitalization; while in regions with medium or high level of digital economy, it has a significant positive effect (0.3835) on rural revitalization. The impact of digital economy on rural revitalization development is significantly greater in the PRD (0.3141), the East Wing (0.7215), the West Wing (0.5467) than in the mountainous region (0.2238). ConclusionsThere is significant spatial differentiation in the digital economy and rural revitalization. The digital economy has significant spatial spillover effect on the rural revitalization. And this effect is found out to have heterogeneous and non-linear characteristics. In order to promote rural revitalization, it is necessary to make full use of the digital economy and technology in rural areas. Besides, it is important to improve the digital skills and literary of the rural population so that the digital economy could play a greater role in rural revitalization.

Difficulties and opportunities for the development of an inclusive economy in modern economic conditions

The article examines the concept and essence of an inclusive economy, highlights the main scientific and practical approaches and existing methods for assessing the level of inclusiveness of the country’s development. Having highlighted the ubiquity of this concept and its involvement in all aspects of the development of society, it is proved that there is no objective assessment that would fully reflect the level of inclusive economic development. However, unresolved contradictions of current market relations are a sure prerequisite for solving social issues of society through the proclamation of inclusive principles, which include such aspects as: economic growth, social integration, social justice, etc. In conclusion, it is concluded that the principles of an inclusive economy are rather guidelines for the development of society than an objective model of its development.

The Influencing Factors of Exports of Sichuan under the Belt and Road Initiative: An Empirical Study Based on the Extended Trade Gravity Model

This study investigates the influencing factors of exports in Sichuan Province in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative. Based on the panel data of Sichuan's exports to fifty-three countries along the Belt and Road from 2011 to 2022, this study tests eleven potential influencing factors using an expanded trade gravity model. And the results show that the economic development level of both Sichuan and the Belt and Road member countries have significant positive correlation with the export volume; while the distance, foreign merchant participation in Sichuan, exchange rate of RMB and human capital level of Sichuan are significantly negative. Moreover, the trade potential coefficient of each Belt and Road member country is calculated to decide the trade type. Lastly, the c onclusions and strategical suggestions are put up to further explore the trade potential with Belt and Road countries and expand Sichuans export volume.

Coupling and Coordination Relationship of Economic–Social–Natural Composite Ecosystem in Central Yunnan Urban Agglomeration

Exploring the spatio-temporal differentiation characteristics and coupling coordination relationship of the composite ecosystem of urban agglomerations is of great significance for promoting the synergistic sustainable development and integration construction of urban agglomerations. This paper is based on LUCC (Land Use and Land Cover Change) data, a DEM (Digital Elevation Model), and temperature, precipitation, and other multi-source data, using the central Yunnan urban agglomeration as an example and constructing a multi-dimensional evaluation index system highlighting development quality and efficiency. The entropy weight method was first used to determine the comprehensive weights to evaluate the regional economic and social development level. Then, the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs) model was used to quantitatively calculate and analyze the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of the four key ecosystem services, evaluating the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of the natural subsystem. The coupling coordination model was used to quantitatively analyze the evolution of the coupling coordination of the composite ecosystems in the central Yunnan urban agglomeration during the period of 2010–2020, and to reveal its development law. The results show the following: ➀ During the study period, the socio-economic subsystems in the central Yunnan urban agglomeration demonstrated an outward radiative growth from Kunming City, marked by underdeveloped sub-centers and prevalent low-level areas. ② Trends in ecosystem services varied, with water and soil conservation showing fluctuating increases, carbon sequestration remaining stable, and habitat quality declining. The critically important integrated ecosystem services zone of the natural subsystem is mainly located in the northeastern region and southwestern edge of the study area. ③ In 2020, the coupling coordination degree of the composite ecosystem was 0.9492. This showed that economic, social, and ecological subsystems are highly coupled, with consistent overall development trends and strong interactions. ④ The increase in the degree of harmonization amounted to 7.82%, with lagging subsystems varying in the degree of harmonization in subregions. This study can provide a scientific foundation for the development of policies for the Central Yunnan urban agglomeration, promoting regional sustainable development and optimizing the spatial pattern of the national territory.

The Dual Pillars of Progress: Institutional and Cultural Dynamics in Economic Development

This study examines the critical interplay between institutional and cultural backgrounds and their collective impact on economic development, suggesting that their synchronized evolution—timing, pace, and direction—boosts economic development, while misalignment hinders it. It seeks to determine if these backgrounds complement or substitute each other in fostering economic development. The analysis employs an unbalanced panel dataset encompassing 113 countries across four decades (1980–2019) through a fixed-effects model enhanced by robustness checks (adding control variables, using alternative analysis methods, and applying adjustment criteria). The analysis uncovers a synergistic relationship between institutional and cultural backgrounds in which each element reinforces the other’s impact on economic development. Countries with robust institutional and cultural backgrounds exhibit the highest levels of economic development, whereas those with weaker backgrounds experience diminished economic progress. This study further reveals that the influence of institutional background on economic development is more pronounced than that of cultural background. However, this effect is significantly amplified when both institutional and cultural backgrounds are considered. Considering these insights, this study recommends that effective development strategies prioritize simultaneously nurturing institutional and cultural backgrounds. This approach is essential for crafting a successful and comprehensive development roadmap.

Coupled Coordination and Drivers of Green Technology Innovation and Carbon Emission Efficiency

The coupled and coordinated development of green technology innovation and carbon emission efficiency in the Yangtze River Economic Belt is crucial for its realization of green and low-carbon transformation. Based on the panel data of the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2011 to 2021, the comprehensive evaluation levels of green technological innovation and carbon emission efficiency were measured, and the coupling degree of coordination model and panel Tobit model were constructed to empirically analyze the coupling degree of coordination and driving factors of the two. The results show that, overall, the comprehensive evaluation value of green technology innovation level in the Yangtze River Economic Zone shows an upward trend; the value of carbon emission efficiency first rises and then falls. From the perspective of spatial distribution, both of them present the characteristic of “high in the east and low in the west”. The coupling coordination degree shows a growing trend and initially realizes the basic coordination. The coupling degree of coordination shows a significant negative correlation between the energy structure and the coupling degree of both of them, while urbanization level, environmental regulation, industrial structure, level of economic development, degree of openness, and labor level all show a significant positive correlation.

Economic Development and Eco-innovation: An Analysis of the Non-linear Relationship in the EU-27

Nowadays, eco-innovation is considered the engine for a green path. This paper analyses the relationship between the level of economic development and eco-innovations for the EU-27 countries in the period 2013-2022. Results show an S-shaped curve in the relationship between the two variables in the EU countries: a lower level of GDP per capita implies that eco-innovation growth is monotonically positive or exponential, however, a higher level of economic development shows eco-innovation stagnates.

Civil service organization as a political determinant of health: Analyzing relationships between merit-based hiring, corruption, and population health

A growing literature finds that the way governments are organized can impact the societies they serve in important ways. The same is apparent with respect to civil service organizations. Numerous studies show that the recruitment of civil servants based on their credentials rather than on nepotism or patronage reduces corruption in government. Political corruption in turn appears to harm population health. Up to this time, however, civil service organization is not a recognized determinant of health and is little discussed outside of political science disciplines. To provoke a broader conversation on this subject, the following study proposes that meritocratic recruitment of civil servants improves population health. To test this proposition, a series of regression models examines comparative data for 118 countries. Consistent with study hypotheses, meritocratic recruitment of civil servants corresponds longitudinally with both lower rates of corruption and lower rates of infant mortality. Results are similar after robustness checks. Findings with regard to life expectancy are more mixed. However, additional tests suggest meritocratic recruitment contributes to life expectancy over a longer span of time. Findings also offer more support for a direct pathway from meritocratic recruitment to population health rather than via changes in corruption levels per se, although this may depend on a country's level of economic development. Overall, this study offers first evidence that civil service organization, particularly the recruitment of civil servants based on the merits of their applications rather than on whom they happen to know in government, is a positive determinant of health. More research in this area is needed.

Original sin: Fiscal rules and government debt in foreign currency in developing countries

Developing economies often borrow abroad in foreign currency, which exposes them to the problem of “original sin.” Although the literature on the issue is relatively extensive, there is limited discussion about the role of fiscal frameworks, such as fiscal rules, in addressing original sin. Using a panel of 59 developing countries from 1990-2020 and applying the entropy balancing method, this study reveals that fiscal rules play a crucial role in reducing government debt in foreign currency, and that the effects are statistically and economically significant and robust. Furthermore, we find that the effectiveness of fiscal rules in curbing original sin is enhanced by factors such as the strengthening of the rule itself, improved fiscal discipline before the reform’s adoption, financial development, financial openness, exchange rate flexibility, the level of economic development, and sound institutions. Finally, transmission channels analysis reveals that the effect of fiscal rules on original sin is driven by fiscal and monetary policy credibility.

Spatial correlation network of municipal solid waste carbon emissions and its influencing factors in China

Clarifying the provincial spatial correlation network of municipal solid waste (MSW) carbon emissions and its influencing factors is significant for reducing MSW carbon emissions and for ensuring cross-regional coordinated emission reduction. This study used a modified gravity model and social network analysis to explore the structural characteristics of the spatial correlation network of MSW carbon emissions. The quadratic assignment procedure was then used to examine the influencing factors. The results are as follows: (1) From 2005 to 2020, the MSW carbon emissions spatial correlation network showed an intuitive and complex network structure. The tightness of the network increased with fluctuations but still needs improvement, while the network structure exhibited good accessibility and stability. (2) The spatial network exhibited a significant “core-edge” distribution, with Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian being at the center of the spatial correlation network and playing leading roles. (3) The spatial correlation network of MSW carbon emissions was divided into four parts, with the four parts having few internal connections but with the relationships between them being close. (4) Geographical adjacency, economic development level, science and technology level, and MSW treatment structure significantly influenced spatial correlations, while the urbanization level and degree of government intervention had no significant influence on spatial correlations.

The impact of the digital economy on sustainable development: evidence from China

This research investigates the intricate interplay among the digital economy, green innovation, and the level of sustainable development. Panel data from 268 cities in China, from 2011 to 2020, are used to comprehensively evaluate the level of digital economy development and investigate the digital economy’s influence on sustainable development. Additionally, a mechanism analysis is used to investigate the contribution of green innovation. The findings suggest that the digital economy significantly stimulates sustainable development, and green innovation serves as a mediating intermediary and moderating effect in facilitating this relationship. Moreover, the robustness check extends the verification of the positive effect of the “Broadband China” policy on sustainable development, strengthening the reliability of the results. The contribution of this study provides management insights on how regions can promote sustainable development in the digital age.

MAPPING THE LINKS BETWEEN RESOURCE EFFICIENCY AND THE INNOVATIVE CAPACITY OF NATIONAL ECONOMIES

The article examines studying the relationship between the level of innovation in different countries and the efficiency of their resource use, in order to better understand the potential impact of increased adoption of new technologies on the responsible use of resources in the future. Two country’s samples were created for the study: the first includes 36 world economies, with calculations of energy and labour resource use efficiency, taking into account the size of the economy and the level of innovation achieved; the second sample includes data on the material footprint of 121 countries, along with levels of innovation and economic development. The empirical confirmation of the hypothesis that there is a relationship between the level of economic innovation achieved and the efficiency of resource use is a key finding. Furthermore, the results of the correlation analysis indicate a direct and close relationship between a country’s economic innovativeness and its consumption volume of natural resources. This relationship can be described by a linear function. The analysis also confirms that as the population’s welfare and economic innovativeness grow, the state’s material footprint increases. The study is of theoretical and practical importance, encouraging the improvement of tools to ensure innovative development based on responsible production and consumption of resources. This approach aims to achieve better results at the same cost. Identifying the necessary factors related to innovative activity and efficient resource use by enterprises, as well as establishing functional dependencies between these variables, represent prospective areas for further research. In addition, a detailed examination of the experiences of Russian companies and their implications regional differentiation in terms of innovation and resource efficiency is a logical next step.

Vegetation cover change and its response to human activities in the southwestern karst region of China

Vegetation to some extent can reflect the overall state of the ecological environment, and increasing vegetation cover can improve the quality of the ecological environment. The southwest karst region of China is a typical ecologically fragile area and an important ecological barrier. Against the backdrop of intensified human activities, the vegetation dynamics in the karst region have attracted widespread attention. Analyzing vegetation cover changes and their responses to human activities is important for regional ecological development. This study is based on SPOT-VGT NDVI data from 1998 to 2020 and employs trend analysis, “baseline” determination, multiple regression, residual analysis, and principal component analysis to investigate the characteristics of vegetation cover changes in the southwest karst region of China. Additionally, it quantifies the specific impacts of various human activities on these changes. The research findings indicate that (1) over the past 23 years, the interannual variability and seasonal differences in the NDVI of the southwest karst region have been significant, exhibiting an overall increasing trend. Spatially, the vegetation in this region demonstrates a decreasing trend from south to north and southwest to northeast. (2) Over time, the areas where vegetation has improved gradually expand, and the effectiveness of vegetation restoration increases with time. (3) Overall, human activities influence vegetation growth in the southwest karst landscape region of China. (4) The socioeconomic factors affecting vegetation cover changes in the southwest karst region of China primarily include economic development level, population and labor migration, urbanization development, and vegetation construction. These results provide a scientific basis for formulating reasonable ecological environment protection strategies by humans.

A Model for Describing the Management Processes in the Scientific Sector. Verification

The model of management in the scientific sector presented in the previous article, as well as some alternative models applied to the organization of science management are used to interpret various statistical data. The article also considers intersectoral comparisons of science financing in countries of different levels of economic development, including the costs of basic research. It is shown that the correlation between science costs and gross domestic product (GDP) is 32.9% in more than 120 countries of the world and GDP per capita is 50.9%. They are not statistically significant. On average, the share of basic study costs in domestic research and development expenses does not depend on the level of wealth of countries. This allows us to conclude in favor of a mutually consistent management model in the scientific sector. The author analyzes the dynamics of the number of researchers and small enterprises in the sector of science and scientific services, as well as the dynamics of the number of academic employees in the sectors of science in the 1990s. It is demonstrated that the decrease in their number mainly occurred in the applied sectors and to a lesser extent in the fundamental research sector. These data are described more fully by the proposed mutually consistent model of science than by the alternative models. Possible adjustments in the organization of the scientific sector management system are examined, including in terms of changes in input impacts on the science sector, output indicators characterizing its effectiveness, as well as changes in the organization of the scientific sector and management bodies, which follow from the considered mutually agreed management model in this sector of the economy.