Organisation For Economic Co-operation And Development Countries Research Articles

“On the books” yet “off the record”-occupational injury and migrant women: scoping review findings from OECD countries, with implications for New Zealand

IntroductionLittle appears to be known regarding the work-related injury (WRI) experiences of migrants (those born in a country other than their identified host country) and specifically, women migrants.MethodsAs part of a wider PhD project investigating the WRI experiences of New Zealand (NZ) migrants, a review of NZ mainstream media coverage of migrants WRIs was undertaken, which identified no representations of migrant women's WRI experiences. In turn, a scoping review was undertaken to identify peer-reviewed publications reporting empirical findings about WRI experiences and outcomes for migrants in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries, including NZ. This paper aims to identify and describe findings for migrant women specifically. From 2,243 potential publications, 383 proceeded to full text review; ultimately 67 were retained. These 67 publications were reviewed to identify findings specifically for occupationally injured migrant women; 22 such publications (from 21 studies) were found. This paper reports: the characteristics of identified studies; characteristics of migrant women within; frameworks and theories used, and knowledge (and gaps) related to occupationally injured migrant women.ResultsPublications came from only four OECD countries, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Spain. A range of study designs, and topic areas (working conditions, legal rights, identities, the role of gatekeepers, and precarity), were identified; however, only three studies reported findings for longer-term experiences and outcomes of WRIs. Nine publications considered theoretical models underpinning research, including theories about precarious work, stigmatization, and citizenship. However, there was a paucity of analyses of the WRI experience throughout the life-course, highlighting a gap in understanding of how these experiences are “lived” over the long term by occupationally injured migrant women.DiscussionScoping review findings were synthesized using a provisional “matryoshka framing narrative” model, to be refined through forthcoming qualitative interviews with occupationally injured NZ migrant women. This model highlights the multitude of influences in WRI experiences, potentially specific to migrant women, suggesting the consequences of WRIs may be uneven, with migrant women experiencing different, and potentially, greater disparities in outcomes. These findings provide an impetus to investigate knowledge gaps and urgently address potential disparities in WRI outcomes for migrant women specifically.

An empirical analysis of the social contract in the Middle East and North Africa region and the role of digitalization in its transformation

AbstractThis paper presents an empirical analysis of the social contract (SC) in MENA based on a simple model synthesizing three main characteristics of a SC linking governments and citizens: Participation, Protection, and Provision. Using this 3‐P framework, we focus on the role of provision and protection in determining citizen participation, a question that drew much attention following the recent economic and social developments in MENA. We compare our characterization of the SC in MENA and Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) countries and find robust empirical evidence that, in MENA, the benefits provided to citizens through improved delivery of basic services have come at the cost of impaired participation. We also find that digital transformation, a potential channel through which the SC may improve, has an inversely U‐shaped effect suggesting that institutional changes are called for in MENA countries before their SC is comparable to that of OECD countries.

Electricity Consumption, Renewable Energy Production, and Current Account of Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development Countries: Implications for Sustainability

This paper uses the bootstrapped Granger Causality Testing approach to investigate the relationship between electricity consumption, renewable energy production, and the current account of the six OECD countries. One of the main advantages of using this approach is that it captures the cross-section dependence in our sample and applies the Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) to examine the causality relationship between the variables. The empirical findings show the presence of cross-section dependence in our sample as the six Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries share resources, capabilities, and key competencies. Notably, a unidirectional causality exists running from electric power consumption to the current account of the USA. The current account balance causes electric power consumption in the case of France and Switzerland. The tri-variate causality relationship between electricity consumption, renewable energy production, and current account balance could not be established in the case of Germany, Finland, or the UK.

Academic Productivity in Ophthalmology and Its Correlation to National Economic Indicators Among the OECD Countries: A Bibliometric Analysis

ABSTRACT Purpose Prompted by the clinical concern that limited healthcare resources allocation affects physicians’ research productivity, this study examines the association between bibliometric indices of ophthalmologic research and national economic indicators in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Methods The Scimago Journal and Country rank source was searched for research productivity data in ophthalmology among OECD countries between 1996 and 2019. Bibliometric indices included: documents number, number and percent of citable documents, citations number, citations per document, and H-index. The updated economic indicators of each country (gross domestic product [GDP] per capita, health spending as percent of GDP (health expenditure), gross domestic expenditure on research, and development as percent of GDP [GERD]) were collected from the World Bank and the OECD websites. Correlation between economic and bibliometric metrics and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed. Results Among 267,444 documents analyzed, correlation analysis found a strong correlation between health expenditure and H index (r = 0.711, p < 0.001); a moderate correlation between health expenditure and documents number (r = 0.589, p < 0.001), number of citable document (r = 0.593, p < 0.001) and citations number (r = 0.673, p < 0.001); and a moderate correlation between GERD and H index (r = 0.564, p < 0.001). Multivariate regression analysis controlling for economic factors, population and language showed the independent association of these parameters with bibliometric indices. Conclusions This study demonstrates a positive correlation between bibliometric indicators of ophthalmology research and economic factors, particularly health expenditure, among the OECD countries. Our results suggest an advantage of domestic investment in health to expand academic productivity in the field of ophthalmology.

From policy stringency to environmental resilience: Unraveling the dose-response dynamics of environmental parameters in OECD countries

In the pursuit of sustainable development and the mitigation of negative externalities arising from environmental stressors, a multitude of member countries within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have embraced various environmental policies. Nevertheless, previous empirical research has largely overlooked investigating the causal relationship between the Environmental Policy Stringency (EPS) and environmental indicators. To bridge this gap, we conduct an empirical study to examine the dose-response relationship between EPS, as a continuous treatment variable, and selected environmental indicators. Our findings reveal evidence of a mixed treatment effect of policy stringency on the environment. Notably, the implementation of EPS leads to a reduction in carbon emissions per capita and an overall decline in ecological footprint. However, despite OECD countries moving towards a negative trajectory to preserve the environment, carbon intensity remains steadfastly on a positive path. Moreover, the intensification of policy stringency demonstrates positive effects on total renewable energy production, encompassing solar, wind, and eco-innovation. Building upon these empirical results, we offer several policy implications for the adoption and implementation of environmental policies within OECD countries.

Quantifying the reduction in coal and increase in renewables in OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries: Proposal for a coal-renewable energy index and map

Reducing coal use and increasing renewable energy use are two major policies that have been recommended in many countries and regions to address climate change. However, the progress toward meeting these policy goals is unclear. Therefore, this study proposes the “C–R map”, which is a correlation map between the share of coal-fired plants and renewable energy in terms of annual consumption, and the “CR index”, which is an index composed of the above two indicators. The proposed methods objectively visualise and quantitatively analyse statistical data on global climate change associated with “reducing coal and increasing renewables”, whose trends or tendencies could only be obtained through fragmented statistical data and documents. Using the proposed C–R map and CR index, an international comparative analysis was conducted on the share of coal and renewables from 1990 to 2020 in 37 Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development member countries. The results quantitatively showed that 31 member countries clearly exhibited a trend of decreasing their share of coal and increasing their share of renewables, while only five countries, i.e. Chile, Turkey, Mexico, Japan, and Korea, showed unique and inconsistent trends relative to that of the other member countries. By using the highly transparent and simple map and index proposed here based on published statistical information and objective methods, the global trend of “reducing coal and increasing renewables” can be quantitatively visualised in graphs and numerical values, which are easily understood and interpretable, even for laymen.

A novel multi-criteria approach for evaluating social discrimination in OECD countries

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was established to unite countries from different geographical regions to achieve prosperity and economic progress. Different geographical regions have different cultures. The sociological perspective on gender varies in these cultures. As a result, gaps occur in terms of gender discrimination and its dimensions between countries. While social progress is a prerequisite for economic progress, society must be in harmony for social progress. The Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) was developed to measure progress in different countries. This study proposes a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) model over the SIGI index to measure gender discrimination levels in OECD countries. However, since the differences in gender discrimination resulting from the multicultural structure of OECD lead to significant variability in terms of countries, countries are first clustered. Then, SIGI criteria significance levels are evaluated with a novel Importance of Criteria’s Indifference to Normalization (ICIN) method based on the differences between the two normalization approaches. Subsequently, a novel Modified Extended Alternative Ranking Order Method Accounting for Two-Step Normalization (ME-AROMAN) approach is employed to rank the member countries. While discrimination in the family is the most prominent factor for countries better at social equality and access to productive and financial assets is the major factor that separates the countries worse at social equality, the sensitivity and comparative analysis demonstrate the applicability and validity of ICIN and ME-AROMAN in MCDM literature.

Facilitators of and barriers to healthcare providers’ adoption of harm reduction in cannabis use: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionThe high prevalence of cannabis use and the potential for negative effects indicate the need for effective prevention strategies and treatment of people who use cannabis. Studies show that harm...

What makes environment-related technologies less effective? The role of uncertainty

This study examines the effect of environment-related technologies on environmental quality, conditional on the level of uncertainty. We apply two panel quantile regression approaches to panel data on the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) over the period 1990-2015. The empirical results suggest that environment-related technologies and uncertainty both significantly help improve the environmental conditions, although the magnitude of these impacts vary across the level of environmental footprint. Notably, higher uncertainty could negate the beneficial effects of green patents on the environmental footprint, especially in a highly degraded environment. Several preliminary tests, such as cross-sectional dependence, stationarity, cointegration, and nonnormality, provide support for the adoption of panel quantile regression. The significant and heterogeneous relationships between the environmental footprint and its determining factors are also established. This research offers a scientific explanation for the ineffective adoption of environment-related technologies for improving environmental quality in many OECD countries for years and hence has valuable implications for policy makers about leveraging the beneficial impacts of environment-related technologies on the ecosystem.

Moderating the Effect of the Multidimensional Poverty Index on the Relationship between Sustainable Governance Indicators and Worldwide Governance Indicators

This research comprehensively addresses the complexity of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). The research objective is to understand the moderating effect of the MPI on the relationship between Sustainable Governance Indicators (SGIs) and World Governance Indicators (WGIs) in the context of 41 countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) while also analyzing the validity and reliability of the indicators. The applied methodology involves using Structural Equation Modeling with Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS), and data from 41 OECD countries were analyzed. Data on SGIs, WGIs, and the MPI were extracted from the SGI-2022, WGI-2022, and SGI-MPI (2022) databases. Moderating the interaction between the MPI and SGIs reveals a significant overall negative effect (−0.184) on the relationship between SGIs and WGIs (total effect = 0.474); this implies that elevated levels of the MPI negatively impact sustainable governance between SGIs and WGIs, whereas lower levels of the MPI lead to a stronger relationship between SGIs and WGIs, enhancing sustainable governance. The validity of the structural model is affected by low Average Variance Extraction (AVE) in key variables, such as Economic Policy-EP (0.470) and MPI (0.439), indicating potential limitations in their measurement.

How did COVID-19 Social Security Measures Resemble Universal Basic Income? A Comparative Study of OECD Countries

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, governments were mainly relaying on pre-pandemic policies when introducing changes to social policies. However, the crisis did lead to transformative action as well. In this article, we explored the novel direct payments, delivered beyond existing social risk categories such as unemployment or sickness. Our exploration demonstrates that most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries did not introduce novel payments. Exceptions were Australia, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Japan, Spain, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Seven countries also continued and modified payments while the crisis continued. All the novel direct payments met some of the characteristics of universal basic income (UBI). The idea of universality was realised in Japan and South Korea. The key findings of this study suggest that the COVID-19-related novel direct payments were primarily emergency benefits for people affected by the pandemic and interpreted as quasi-basic income in times of crisis.

Nexus between technological innovation and environmental pollution in selected OECD countries

AbstractAddressing environmental pollution is fundamental to establishing sustainable development across the globe. While navigating the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is of critical relevance for economies worldwide to come up with innovative measures that can withstand the factors driving environmental pollution. On that note, this study explores the technological innovation‐environmental pollution linkages in the context of 10 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) using data spanning from 1994 to 2018. Notably, considering ecological footprints as the environmental proxy, the analysis controls for the corresponding levels of economic growth, financial development, and renewable energy consumption in the concerned countries. In addition, the long‐term estimates are investigated using Augmented Mean Group, Common Correlation Effects Mean Group, Fully Modified Ordinary Least Square, and Dynamic Ordinary Least Square techniques while the causality relationship is determined by Dumitrescu‐Hurlin panel bootstrapped causality test. The results establish the long‐term cointegrating linkages among the variables considered. It is also observed that economic growth increases the ecological footprint level, while technological innovation, renewable energy consumption, and financial development reduce it. Moreover, the results reveal that technological innovation and ecological footprint causally influence each other, while there are one‐way causalities moving from economic growth and financial development to ecological footprint. Furthermore, a two‐way causality concerning renewable energy consumption and ecological footprint is also detected. Considering these results, it is pertinent for the selected OECD countries to improve energy efficiency rates, scale investment for developing the renewable energy sector, and execute policies that support investments in initiatives concerning low‐carbon technological development. Additionally, these countries should look to implement policies that are compatible with the objectives of establishing green growth so that low‐emission development can take place to tackle climate change‐related problems.

Do military expenditures have an ımpact on the adoption of renewable energy in OECD nations? Evidence from a panel cointegration test approach

Purpose Today, many industries are implementing creative approaches in response to increasing environmental awareness. It is of great importance to answer the question of whether the military sector, one of the most important sectors, can support renewable energy (RE) adaptation. This study aims to examine how military spending affects the supply of RE in 27 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations as well as the regulatory function of factors such as innovation, international trade and oil prices between 1990 and 2021. Design/methodology/approach The study examines the effects of military spending, income, green innovation, international trade, oil prices and the human development index on the supply of RE using various econometric approaches, which are the cointegration test, moments quantile regression and robustness test. Findings The findings demonstrate that all factors, excluding military spending, quite likely affect the expansion of the renewable supply. Military spending negatively influences the RE supply; specifically, a 1% increase in military spending results in a 0.88 reduction in the renewable supply. In addition, whereas income elasticity, trade and human development index in OECD nations are higher in the last quantiles of the regression than in the first quantiles, the influence of military spending and innovation on renewable supply is about the same in all quantiles. Practical implications OECD nations must consider the practical implications, which are essential to assess and update the military spending of OECD countries from a green energy perspective to transition to clean energy. Based on the study’s overall findings, the OECD countries should incorporate the advantages of innovation, economic growth and international trade into their clean energy transition strategies to lessen the impact of military spending on renewables. Originality/value The study aims to fill a gap in the literature regarding the role of military expenditures in the RE development of an OECD country. In addition, the results of the methodological analysis can be used to guide policymakers on how military spending should be in the field of RE.

Toward a Greener Future: Investigating the Environmental Quality of Non-Green Trading in OECD Countries

International trade is recognized as a key contributor to environmental degradation. However, researchers and policymakers do not distinguish between the trade of green and non-green products. The Non-Green Trade Openness Index was developed to examine the effect of non-green products on environmental quality. This study examines the effect of trading non-green products on environmental quality for 37 member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) from 2003 to 2016 in the context of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) framework. The results of the long-run estimation techniques employed (FMOLS, DOLS, Fixed and Random effects) confirm the EKC hypothesis and show a negative relationship between the Non-Green Trade Openness Index and greenhouse gas emissions, which serves as a proxy for environmental quality. This implies that when there is more non-green trade in OECD member countries, greenhouse gas emissions within these countries decrease. Dividing green and non-green products is important, empowering practitioners and policymakers to make informed choices and define a strategy for a sustainable future. Additionally, policy recommendations are provided to support policymakers in their efforts to combat climate change.

Does the healthcare decentralization provide better public health security capacity and health services satisfaction? An analysis of OECD countries

PurposeDecentralization has profound implications for many health systems. This study investigates the effect of health system decentralization in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries on public health security capacity and health service satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachMultiple linear regression analyses were employed for variables related to the level of health security capacity and satisfaction with the healthcare system while controlling for all socio-demographic variables from the European Social Survey, including over 44,000 respondents from 25 OECD countries. The Health Systems in Transition series of countries were used for assessing the decentralization level.FindingsThe result of multiple linear regression analyses showed that the level of decentralization in health systems was significantly associated with higher health security capacity (ß-coefficient 3.722, 95% confidence interval (CI) [3.536 3.908]; p=<0.001) and health service satisfaction (ß-coefficient 1.463, 95% CI [1.389 1.536]; p=<0.001) in the study. Countries with a higher level of decentralization in health policy tasks and areas were significantly likely to have higher health services satisfaction, whereas this satisfaction had a significant negative relation with the lower level of decentralization status of secondary/tertiary care services in OECD countries (ß-coefficient −5.250, 95% CI [−5.757–4.743]; p = 0.001).Originality/valueThis study contributes to a better understanding of the extent to which decentralization of health services affects public health safety capacity and satisfaction with health services, whereas the level of decentralization in OECD countries varies considerably. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of public health security and satisfaction with health care delivery in assessing the effects of decentralization in health services.

The impact of digitalization, technological and financial innovation on environmental quality in OECD countries: Investigation of N-shaped EKC hypothesis

This research article aims to determine the interrelationships between digitalization, technological and financial innovation, and environmental quality in selected Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. This study also tests the validity of the N-shaped Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. To this end, we utilize a rigorous three-stage panel data econometrics approach. The empirical outcomes entail that financial innovation decreases carbon emissions, whereas technological innovation and digitalization increase carbon emissions in the OECD countries. The results further underscore that across all models, the first level of gross domestic product (GDP) harms environmental quality. On the flip side, the second level of GDP tends to improve environmental quality. However, the third level of GDP deteriorates environmental quality. In conclusion, the empirical findings corroborate the N-shaped EKC hypothesis in OECD countries, urging policymakers to adopt more sustainable development practices.

Housing affordability indicators and the sustainability paradigm in OECD countries

The present study aimed to analyse the housing affordability indicators (HAI) and sustainability paradigm (SP) of 23 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries for the period of 2010–2019. The study used different estimators to overcome the heterogeneity and endogeneity problems of panel data and adopted many diagnostic tests to increase robustness. The findings of panel least square, generalized least square, and instrumental variables of the two-stage least squares regression approach showed that three HAI proxies - households' housing-related expenditures, housing costs, and housing market proxies - had a significant positive impact on the sustainability paradigm. In contrast, the final two HAI proxies - housing allowance and housing quality – significantly negatively impacted the sustainability paradigm. Regarding the control variables, population density had a significant positive impact on the sustainability paradigm indicators. However, GDP per capita growth had a significant negative impact on most of the sustainability paradigm indicators. The main conclusion is that decision-makers should prioritize making housing more affordable. This could be achieved by controlling rents and low-cost buildings. The OECD should explore alternative methods of support, such as providing low-interest loans or targeted assistance, to help families bear housing costs without negatively impacting their financial sustainability.

Assessing the dynamic impacts of climate change adaptation and clean energy innovations on economic growth in OECD countries

AbstractThis paper examines whether accelerating climate change adaptation and clean energy innovations is an effective way to promote sustainable development and mitigate environmental risks. Based on this, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the potential effect of climate change adaptation and clean energy innovations with casual factors of social, political, human development, environmental, and climatic determinants as drivers of economic growth in 38 Organization for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) countries from 1990 to 2020. Employing the system‐generalized method of moments (GMM) method, this study shows that causal factors of social, political, educational, and environmental development have a positive effect on the economic growth process. Additionally, the interaction between climate change adaptation and temperature has a constant positive impact on economic growth. The findings highlight that policymakers should thoroughly evaluate the potential impacts of the climate change adaptation process and clean energy innovations in all aspects and implement measures and approaches that promote sustainable development, increase the adoption of environmentally friendly technologies, and address the challenges posed by climate change.

Does trade openness mitigate environmental degradation in Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) countries? Implications for achieving sustainable development

AbstractThe link between trade openness and CO2 emissions is a key research focus in times of pressing global sustainability needs and ongoing climate change discussions. In this study, we address the critical issue of the impact of trade openness on CO2 emissions in 20 OECD countries over a 150‐year period using historical datasets. We investigate how trade openness affects environmental sustainability within this group of nations. To overcome the challenges related to heterogeneity and cross‐sectional dependence, we applied robust cointegration techniques. Our analysis reveals direct and indirect impacts of trade openness on CO2 emissions. The direct effect demonstrated a positive correlation between trade openness and CO2 emissions, whereas the indirect effect, mediated by income growth, exerted a counteractive negative influence on this relationship. These divergent effects support the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis. Our findings suggest that as income levels rise, the indirect effect gradually outweighs the direct effect, leading to a significant reduction in long‐term CO2 emissions in OECD countries.

What are the main determinants of social expenditure? A panel data approach for EU and OECD countries

PurposeThe aim of this study is to analyze which socioeconomic factors (economic, demographic, and political) most commonly affect the social expenditure of the European Union (EU) and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.Design/methodology/approachA panel data fixed-effects model is employed for 34 OECD and 23 EU countries between 2000 and 2020.FindingsResults indicate that, in all country groups, economic factors have the most significant influence on social expenditures, with income being the primary determinant, particularly in EU countries. The negative impacts of unemployment and inflation underscore the importance of counter-cyclical measures adopted by countries to maintain stability in their social expenditures. The most influential demographic factor is found as the old-age-dependency ratio. While the rule of law affects social expenditure positively, government effectiveness and female labor force participation affect it negatively. The positive effect of Konjunkturforschungsstelle (KOF) indexes shows the globalization effect, which can be attributable to the compensation hypothesis.Practical implicationsGovernments enforce inclusive and sustainable policies to boost economic activities and GDP, thus combating inflation and unemployment and regulating the labor market and socioeconomic problems about aging populations and women’s economic participation to control social expenditures. The rule of law and institutional quality will also boost economic growth.Originality/valueThis study focuses on the effects of social expenditures in a broader view within the framework of the three main factors (economic, demographic, political) and attempts to determine the key factors that account for the differences in social expenditure between the OECD and EU countries.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-05-2023-0384