GDP Growth Research Articles

The emergent community of esports fans in Japan: an analysis of motivations and preferences

ABSTRACT Purpose/Rationale This study examines esports players’ and viewers’ motivations in Japan to inform market segmentation and strategy for industry stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach Employing purposive sampling, data from 500 Japanese esports participants were collected through an online survey including behavioural, motivational, and demographic factors. Cluster analysis was applied to identify distinct groups. Findings Results revealed three unique clusters each for players (all-rounder players, immersive fun seekers, and skill-based players) and viewers (casual viewers, entertainment-excitement seekers and skill appreciation seekers), with each exhibiting distinct motivations and preferences. Socio-economic factors did not significantly differentiate clusters, but fan behavioural patterns were useful in characterising them. Practical Implications Our study provides insights into Japan’s market preferences for console gaming and skill development and guides stakeholders in targeted strategy development for market engagement and growth. Research Contribution By applying the Uses and Gratifications theory within the Japanese context, this study enhances esports online community research by revealing distinct segment characteristics in a culturally unique setting and enriches esports interaction understanding. Originality/value This study sheds light on the motivations and preferences of esports players and viewers in Japan’s emerging market, offering valuable insights for stakeholders to better understand and engage their audience.

Pengaruh Tingkat Pengangguran Terbuka, Indeks Pembangunan Manusia, Laju Pertumbuhan PDRB Per Kapita dan Upah Minimum Provinsi Terhadap Persentase Penduduk Miskin di Indonesia pada Tahun 2021-2023

Poverty is a problem faced by Indonesia that affects social and economic welfare. This research aims to analyze the influence of the Open Unemployment Rate (TPT), Human Development Index (HDI), GDP Growth Rate per capita, and Provincial Minimum Wage (UMP) on the percentage poor population in Indonesia in 2021-2023. The data used is secondary data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) which covers 34 provinces in Indonesia. The research method uses the Common Effects Model (CEM), Fixed Effects Model (FEM), and Random Effects Model (REM) estimation models, with the Chow test and Hausman test to determine the best model. The research results show that TPT and UMP have a significant influence on the percentage of poor people, while HDI and GDP growth rate per capita are not significant. Rate and provincial minimum wages play an important role in poverty reduction efforts in Indonesia. The results of this research provide useful insights for policy makers in formulating effective strategies to improve community welfare

INTERCONNECTIONS AND INTERDEPENDENCIES OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SHADOW BANKING SECTOR IN DEVELOPING AND TRANSITIONAL ECONOMIES

The research objective is defined as the identification and confirmation of empirical relationships between shadow banking activities and economic development in developing and transitional economies to establish a theoretical basis for minimizing potential risks associated with shadow banking. The methodological design is based on a quantitative approach, implemented through correlation-regression analysis and ARIMA forecasting methods. The research findings confirm Hypothesis 1: China’s shadow banking is closely interconnected with the country’s economic development. However, Hypothesis 2 (the reduction of shadow banking in China contributes to per capita GDP growth) is only supported for specific structural elements of shadow banking that contribute to economic overheating. In contrast, for other structural elements, such as entrusted loans, a strong direct correlation exists, promoting a positive impact of shadow banking on the country’s economic development. This highlights the need for a highly balanced state policy to minimize shadow banking risks. The research results can be valuable for professionals in public administration and academic researchers, particularly in terms of shaping future research directions.

Dynamics of economic growth in ASEAN-5 countries: a panel ARDL approach

This research explores economic growth dynamics in five ASEAN countries (1980–2020), analyzing the short and long-term impact of financial development (FD), oil prices, investment (INV), and inflation on GDP growth. Panel ARDL analysis reveals a transient positive link between FD and long-term GDP growth, necessitating a holistic approach for short-term stability. Similarly, oil prices exhibit long-term volatility, urging diversification strategies. In contrast, consistent and significant relationships exist between INV and GDP growth in both time frames, underscoring investment's pivotal role. The study emphasizes managing inflation for sustained growth, offering vital insights for policymakers, economists, and analysts in fostering ASEAN's economic stability.

Role of Institutions in Transition Economy: Case of Nepal

The Paper highlights role of institutions in transition economy. Obviously, the author confirms that Nepal is still in the transition stage where institutional and ethical norms are yet to establish though many political changes occurred in a short span of time. Nepal adopted liberal market economy for speedy economic growth enticed with robust human development. The study attempts to take measure the outcome of new political-economic regime. The objectives of the study are-(i) to assess role of government institutions on economic growth and development in Nepal and (ii) to evaluate institutional performance of Nepal in comparison to other South Asian countries. The secondary data is used for the analysis which captured the period from 2014 to 2022. The data is analysed descriptively. The deductive method is used for the generalization. The study concludes that the average inflation GDP per capita, GDP growth, and doing business are 6.12 percent, 9968.22 USD, 3.36 percent, and 60.11 respectively. Control of corruption performance of Nepal is almost negative throughout the period. Transparency coefficient is medium i.e. 3 out of 6. In the same way, voice and accountability coefficient is also very poor throughout the time Relative analysis suggests that economic variables are sound in Maldives and Bhutan and development variables are sound in Bhutan. In aggregate, Bhutan has done marvellous performance. In both parameters, economic and development, Nepal's position is not encouraging. It is recommended to the government and political parties that they need to understand the urgency of matter and reform government as well as political institutions at the earliest.

Operation Model Based on Artificial Neural Network and Economic Feasibility Assessment of an EV Fast Charging Hub

The energy transition towards a low-emission matrix has motivated efforts to reduce the use of fossil fuels in the transportation sector. The growth of the electric mobility market has been consistent in recent years. In Brazil, there has been an accelerated growth in the sales rate of new electric (and hybrid) vehicles (EVs). Fiscal incentives provided by governments, along with the reduction in vehicle costs, are factors contributing to the exponential growth of the EV fleet—creating a favorable environment for the dissemination of new technologies and enabling the participation of players from sectors such as battery manufacturing and charging stations. Considering the international context, the E-Lounge R&D joint initiative aims to evaluate different strategies to economically enable the electric mobility market, exploring EV charging service sales by energy distribution utility companies in Brazil. This work describes the step-by-step development of an ideal model of a charging hub and discusses its operation based on a real deployment, as well as its associated technical and economic feasibility. Using EV charging data based on the E-Lounge’s operational behavior, an artificial neural network (ANN) is applied to forecast future energy consumption to each EV charging station. This paper also presents an economic analysis of the E-Lounge case study, which can contribute to proposals for electric vehicle charging ecosystems in the context of smart energy systems. Based on the operational results collected, as well as considering equipment usage projections, it is possible to make EV charging enterprises feasible, even when high investments in infrastructure and equipment (charging stations and battery storage systems) are necessary, since the net present value is positive and the payback period is 4 years. This work contributes by presenting real operational data from a charging hub, a projection model aimed at evaluating future operations, and a realistic economic evaluation model based on a case study implemented in São Paulo, Brazil.

Determinants of Public Debt Dynamics in Transition and Post-Transition Economies

ABSTRACT This article examines the dynamics of general government debt across 27 transition and post-transition countries spanning from 1996 to 2019. We devise and assess a theoretical model incorporating key determinants shaping the trajectory of public debt. Our evaluation employs panel data models. The findings underscore inflation, GDP growth, and nominal exchange rate as primary influencers of public debt. However, the significance of the exchange rate diminishes, displaying negative signs, when excluding post-transition euro area countries from analysis.

Exploratory testing for platform video games: strategies and lessons learned

With the growth of the digital games market, the occurrence of bugs in games has a significant impact and generates dissatisfaction among users. Therefore, conducting tests is necessary to avoid these events and ensure the quality of the distributed product. Among the tests that are performed in games, one that is particularly effective in identifying bugs from the user's perspective is exploratory testing, but this is little covered in game testing literature, not providing new testers with guides or paths to be used for specific occasions. This paper reports an experience of applying exploratory testing strategies in 2D and 3D platform games. We selected seven well-known strategies of exploratory testing and conducted a study that involved the definition of a game testing procedure and proper adaptations for the games under test. By applying the game testing procedure, several bugs with low, medium and high severity were uncovered. The lessons learned and routines carried out in this study can be used by new testers in games of the same category, in an attempt to obtain better results.

The Fertility Fix: the Boom in Facial-matching Algorithms for Donor Selection in Assisted Reproduction in Spain

This article reads the uptake of facial-matching algorithms by fertility clinics in Spain through the lens of ‘the fertility fix’: a software fix to the social reconfiguration of kinship and a fixed capital investment made by competing fertility companies and firms. ‘The fertility fix’ is proposed as a critical, ethical lens through which to situate algorithmic facial-matching in assisted reproduction in the context of the racial politics of the face and phenotype and the spatial politics of market expansion. While an ‘infertility crisis’ is often mentioned when explaining the growth of the assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) industry, the use of donated reproductive cells is tied up in societal, ecological and economic shifts. Combining Software Studies analysis with Marxist Feminist and trans*feminist perspectives on shifting re/production dynamics, the article details the role of computational technologies in promoting certain ideas and beliefs about family and fixing certain territories of capital flow.

The Impact of Inflation on Financial Sector Performance: Evidence from OECD Countries

Abstract This research article investigates the relationship between inflation and the performance of the financial sector within OECD countries, a group critical to global economic stability. The financial sector is a basis of sustainable economic growth, and its performance is heavily influenced by the macroeconomic environment, particularly inflation. This study analyses how inflation, alongside other significant factors such as real GDP growth, government size, trade openness, and interest rates, impacts the financial sector development. By examining data from 38 OECD countries over a 20-year period (2002-2021), this research employs a comprehensive approach using both static and dynamic panel regression models. The results consistently indicate a negative correlation between inflation and the key financial sector variables, suggesting that higher inflation levels undermine financial sector performance. These findings underscore the importance of maintaining low and stable inflation to foster an efficient and stable financial sector. This study makes a valuable contribution to the literature by focusing specifically on OECD countries, which are often seen as benchmarks for economic policies and financial systems.

The impact of foreign direct investment on economic growth in Oman: An analysis via SmartPLS approach

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has grown rapidly around the world. This is because many nations, particularly developing ones, consider Foreign Direct Investment as a vital component of their economic growth plans. This research investigates the relationship between FDI and economic growth in Oman. This is descriptive research that employs quantitative methodologies, with quantitative data gathered through secondary sources. Economic growth is the dependent variable in this study. The factors influencing foreign direct investment are often known as independent variables. In addition, this study used the net inflow and net outflow % of GDP to measure foreign direct investment and GDP growth annual % for measure economic growth. Where the real data was used, annual reports from "The World Bank" for the years 1974 to 2019. In addition, the data in this study was evaluated utilizing a Partial Least Square (PLS) technique and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). This study discovered a positive association between FDI and economic growth in Oman. Furthermore, the findings suggested that FDI had an impact on economic growth. Foreign direct investment has a substantial impact on economic growth (GDP-Growth). However, the finding showed that FDI-Net-Inflows were insignificant in terms of GDP-Growth.

Accessibility improvement and interregional trade flows

AbstractAccessibility improvement has been regarded as one of the main regional policy goals in the recent decades. As a result, many countries has undertaken complex transport infrastructure investment programmes worth billions of dollars. The best examples of such investment can be China or, in the European context, Spain and more recently Poland. There have been published many analyses focusing on output and employment effects of transport infrastructure investment projects. Yet, there hardly exist any studies that verify their potential influence on interregional trade flows. This paper fills the existing gap in the literature by assessing the impact of accessibility improvement on the volume and the value of interregional trade flows in Poland between 2005 and 2015. We find that there is no statistically significant relationship between travel time reduction and interregional trade. This may explain largely the surprising lack of positive relationship between accessibility improvement and regional GDP growth, reported in previous papers.

Fundamentals of Targeted Integrative Program Development for Rural Labor Market Growth in Surplus Regions

This article introduces a systematic approach for developing a targeted comprehensive program aimed at enhancing the rural labor market (TCPDRLM) in labor-surplus regions of the Republic of Uzbekistan, within a socially oriented market economy. The paper outlines key interconnected principles for the development of TCPDRLM, including target orientation, complexity, integration, specificity, variability, realism, optimality, priority, delineation of powers and functions, limitations, targeting, controllability, and interconnectedness. Based on these principles, the article proposes interrelated sections for the program’s development, covering analytical and problematic aspects, target delineation, scientific and methodological frameworks, information management, modeling, software development, resource allocation, organizational and economic structuring, summary formulation, and legal considerations. Additionally, the article details the primary stages of TCPDRLM development, including setting objectives for the rural labor market (RLM), developing methodological and modeling frameworks for RLM analysis and forecasting, collecting statistical, marketing, and sociological data, compiling the TCPDRLM subprograms, obtaining approval for the RLM development program, and establishing organizational, economic, and legal mechanisms for program implementation and adjustment. The article's scientific contribution lies in the formulated methodology for TCPDRLM development in the rural labor market.

Comparative study of celery (Apium graveolens) on growth, yield and quality under different growing conditions

An experiment was conducted during October 2022–January 2023 at Defence Institute of Bio-energy Research-Defence Research and Development Organisation, Haldwani, Nainital, Uttarakhand to evaluate the growth, quality production and yield of celery under the hydroponic, soilless and soil conditions. Higher crop productivity of celery crop was found under hydroponic system as compared to other medium. The experiment revealed that there is a better provision for vertical space utilization and protection from soil-borne disease under hydroponic farming as compared to traditional farming. This experiment paved a new way for the need and future perspective of hydroponic technology to achieve the desirable quality of vegetable crop production by using modern farming technology such as hydroponics on a small and medium scale. The present experiment also summarized that this farming plays an important role in crop production to maintain market growth in coming years. In this respect, hydroponics is an emerging technology which play a vital role in urban and pre-urban area and positively effective in the ways to promote healthy and developed future for the planet and its people.

Discovering the determinants of energy intensity of Indian manufacturing firms: a panel data approach

Our study pores on evaluating the impact of firm specific and macro level determinants of energy intensity of Indian firms belonging to manufacturing and power sector. We collect a panel dataset of 3316 firms for 10 years ranging from 2010 to 2020. We employ the advanced biased corrected method of moments estimator and the quantile regression estimator for panel data models for our empirical analysis. We find that poor labor efficiency is largely responsible for increasing energy intensity of the sample firms. Energy intensity can be optimized by investing in better plant and machinery. Moreover, machineries that require frequent repairs and maintenance need to be replaced with latest tools. While larger firms are found to be energy intensive, profitable firms are found to be in a better position to enhance their energy efficiency. Under macroeconomic scenario, GDP growth and trade openness lead to boosting up the energy consumption at the firm level whereas, the global energy prices act as a constraint and necessitate careful use of energy. Based on our findings we provide certain policy recommendations and suggestions in order to limit energy intensity and enhance energy efficiency of the Indian manufacturing firms.

The demographical and economic factors affecting female labor force participation in Saudi Arabia

The female labor force participation holds significant implications for various aspects of society, the economy, and individual lives. Understanding its significance involves recognizing the multifaceted impact of women’s participation in the workforce. In this context, the current study investigates the factors influencing the female labor force participation rate in Saudi Arabia while using a set of independent variables such as GDP growth, employment-to-population ratio, inflation, urban population growth, tertiary school enrollment, labor force with advanced education, fertility rate, and age dependency ratio, covering a period from 2000 to 2022. The results reveal that the employment-to-population ratio, inflation rate, urbanization, and age dependency ratio have positive and statistically significant impacts on the female labor force participation rate. This research offers valuable insights for formulating policies to foster female empowerment and overcome the obstacles that hinder their economic participation.

Energy Efficiency: The Market for Energy Management Systems in Nigeria

Energy efficiency and demand side management (EEDSM) are critical components of sustainable energy strategies globally. In Nigeria, implementing these practices is crucial to address the growing energy demand, enhance energy security, and mitigate environmental impacts. This paper explores Nigeria's Energy Management Systems (EMS) market, highlighting the current state of energy efficiency and demand side management initiatives, market drivers, barriers, and future prospects. The study emphasises the importance of EMS in optimising energy use and underscores the urgent need for policy recommendations. The analysis shows that despite significant challenges, there are substantial opportunities for growth in the EMS market, driven by the industrial, commercial, and public sectors. However, these opportunities can only be fully realised with the right policy support, underlining the necessity of immediate action in this area and making the audience feel the situation's urgency.

Evaluation of Innovation Capacity and its Impact on Sales in Ecuador's Manufacturing Sector: An Econometric Analysis

The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the capacity for innovation and its impact on sales in manufacturing companies in Ecuador. This study used data from the Survey of Science, Technology, and Innovation Activities in Ecuador. Correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were also performed. These results align with economic theories and indicate a positive association between certain innovation and sales indicators. Insufficient R&D investment negatively affects the innovation status of companies of various sizes in Ecuador. This study suggests that businesses ought to foster a culture of innovation, facilitate collaboration and strategic partnerships, and increase their financial resources for innovation and sales to achieve growth, survival, and sustainability in the current market. Received: 20 March 2024 / Accepted: 19 June 2024 / Published: 02 July 2024

Comparative analysis of environmental sustainability indicators: Insights from Japan, Bangladesh, and Thailand

This study analyses environmental sustainability indicators (ESIs) and explores their governance challenges in developing countries (Bangladesh and Thailand) and advances possible remedies in light of the practices of a developed country (Japan). A comparative analysis of countries’ performance based on the ESIs could help identify useful practices from countries with high ESI to improve the poor ESI countries. While it is broadly understood that renewable energy and effective governance support environmental sustainability, our findings extend this knowledge by detailing how these factors interact specifically within the contexts of developed and developing nations. The analysis delineates the complex relationship between GDP growth, fossil fuel reliance, and sustainability efforts, offering a detailed examination of the variance in ESI performance across these countries. Beyond established notions, this study empirically validates the relationships between environmental sustainability (ES) and its influencing factors, providing a country-specific analysis that emphasizes the differential impact of renewable energy adoption, governance quality, and economic policies on environmental sustainability in Japan, Bangladesh, and Thailand. The results also revealed that Bangladesh’s performance in terms of majority ESIs ranges from bad to worse, while Japan exhibits good performance in all its ESI indicators except for emissions. Thailand’s ESI performance indicates its vulnerability to climate disasters and slow growth of renewable energy. The ESI measures of Thailand have shown its susceptibility to climate-related calamities and a slowdown in the rate of renewable energy implementation. A noticeable discrepancy in the execution of regulatory frameworks was noted between developing countries, such as Bangladesh, and industrialized ones, such as Japan. The outstanding results of Japan's ESI may be credited to the successful practices of its citizens and their strong devotion to the rule of law.

Fuzzy Neural Network Control for a Reaction Force Compensation Linear Motor Motion Stage

Technological progress and market expansion in the semiconductor industry require ultra-precise and high-speed processing and motion systems. However, even though reaction force compensation (RFC) linear motor motion stages help reduce the transmitted reaction force, the residual vibration of the movable magnet track after motion acts as a disturbance, affecting settling time and tracking performance. To address this issue, this study introduces a fuzzy neural network controller for an RFC linear motor motion stage. Since non-linear factors, such as frictional forces from guide rails, make it difficult to accurately model the system, a Nonlinear Autoregressive Neural Network (NARX) is used to identify the nonlinearity from displacement and servo control outputs. The fuzzy logic controller, which takes into account the error and error rate, is then combined with the inverse model controller of NARX. Finally, the fuzzy neural network controllers are integrated with the existing PIV (proportional-integral-velocity) control in feedforward configurations. The experiments demonstrate the potential performance improvements of the proposed approach over the PIV controllers.