Aligning with the United Nations SDGs, global efforts to enrich environmental quality can only be realized by decarbonizing carbon-intensive sectors, including transportation. Although emerging economies contribute substantially to the world economy, they struggle to achieve environmental sustainability with increasing industrialization, urban mobility, and transportation. Therefore, this study analyses whether the environmental tax (ET), green technology innovation (GTI), and biofuel use (BF) abate emissions from the transportation sector, considering 11 emerging economies from 2004 to 2022 using the dynamic fixed effect and CS-ARDL estimation techniques. The empirical analysis also discloses the imperative role of institutional quality (IQ) by integrating IQ's direct and moderation effects with GTI, BF, and ET. The empirical evidence highlights that while BF (−0.138), GTI (−0.074), and IQ (−1.303) ameliorate the decarbonization process, ET (−0.123) does not significantly decarbonize the transportation sector in the long-run. Furthermore, the results disclose an important role of IQ in moderating the emissions mitigation effectiveness of GTI (−0.174), BF (−0.129), and ET (−0.193) in emerging economies, indicating that benevolent institutional support is crucial for the sustainable transformation of the transportation sector in the long-run. Thus, this study suggests including policy mandates for generating second-generation biofuels, modernization of transportation infrastructure through green innovations, and strengthening institutional settings through a decentralized governance system to realize higher benefits and environmental goals.

Purpose: Since the last decade, debates regarding the efficiency and effectiveness of the forms of transfer, i.e. in the form of in-kind or cash transfers, have been gaining momentum. This paper aims to explore the preferences revealed by the beneficiaries, the role of contextual conditions in moulding these preferences, factors associated with the transfer scheme that defines the preferences and the rationale behind such responses. Design/methodology/approach: The study conducted involves primary data collected from an Indian state, Odisha. 308 beneficiaries of the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) were interviewed concerning specific objectives in a rural district (Mayurbhanj) and another highly urbanised district (Khordha). Findings: The comparative results show that the strength of the contextual conditions significantly influences the preferences of the beneficiaries in the rural district as compared to the effect on the beneficiaries of the urban district. Education seems to have an insignificant impact in rural areas. However, income and standard of living have positive significant effects on shaping the preferences for cash or in-kind transfers. Originality/value: Examining the strength of the contextual conditions and emphasising beneficiaries' perspectives would stimulate a better understanding of the implementation of the proposed quasi-Universal Basic Income. The study would hence, be instrumental in dealing with the transition towards cash transfers in the Indian context where the co-responsibility of both stakeholders, the government and the beneficiaries, should be given equal weightage. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-03-2023-0158

This study aims to empirically investigate the short-term and long-term effects of healthcare expenditure, institutional quality and domestic and foreign investments on the economic growth of South Asian countries during the period 1996–2018. The pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) and random effects models, Johansen–Fisher cointegration test and Granger causality test have been employed to assess the short-term and long-term relationships and the direction of causality among the variables. The cointegration tests indicate the existence of a long-term equilibrium among the variables. The results reveal that there runs a bidirectional causality from health expenditure to economic growth in the concerned countries in the short run. Further, institutional quality is seen to have a unidirectional effect on health expenditure. Therefore, the authorities of the South Asian nations are required to strengthen the accessibility to and affordability and accountability of the healthcare services being provided to their population.

With an increasing shift towards cash transfers and the proposition of Universal Basic Income (UBI) as a policy alternative to replace the existing schemes, there has been a rising discussion about the success and failure associated with cash transfers. Therefore, this article carries out a systematic review using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) to draw inferences and generate evidences with respect to the influence of cash transfers on two aspects of human capital outcomes of children, viz., child health and nutrition, and educational outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Forty four studies were selected on the basis of a four-stage procedure that checked for identification, screening, eligibility and inclusion. The results indicate that majority of cash transfers based on conditionalities, like mandatory attendance in healthcare organisations and educational institutions, proved to be effective in the selected countries. While 7 studies (16%) showed no changes in the outcomes, 5 (11%) depicted negative impact and the rest (73%) presented a positive result. The selected studies suggest that a strong supply-side mechanism in place in LMICs, ensure functional and quality services at health centres and schools in the respective regions and reflect overwhelming outcomes. Furthermore, incentive design, anticipated termination, and supply-side interventions would be instrumental in avoiding a crisis or shock in the economic sense to recipient households.

This study examines the effects of economic growth, economic freedom, institutional quality, tertiary education level and financial development on environment pollution levels in 74 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through 1996–2018. We employ panel-data techniques such as Westerlund’s cointegration test, quantile regression and system generalized methods of moments to investigate the relationship among the variables. The findings of the study suggest that the emission levels in the developing countries rise with the increase in the economic growth and freedom, higher education levels and sound financial development. Moreover, with a 1% increase in institutional quality, the level of pollution is seen to decrease by 0.9–4.6% in these countries. Similarly, a 1% rise in economic freedom is associated with 0.18–0.4% increase in pollution levels in the countries under consideration. The empirical findings can be broadly explained by the pollution-haven hypothesis and do not stand in conformation with the Environment Kuznets Curve hypothesis. Hence, stringent environmental regulations, along with encouragement for the production of cleaner technologies, and suitable information dissemination, would be instrumental in the LMICs to abate pollution. The government authorities worldwide do not just need to spend more, on education; they need to spend better and efficiently, ensuring that allocation of resources is effective and equitable.

Purpose: This paper empirically examines the relationship between foreign direct investment, financial development and other macroeconomic variables like trade openness, domestic investment and labour force and that of GDP per capita in select South Asian countries, i.e. India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan for the period 1990–2018. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses various econometrics tools such as Pedroni, Kao and Johansen–Fisher panel cointegration test, Panel FMOLS and DOLS and Granger causality in order to analyse the long-run and short-run dynamics among the variables under consideration. Findings: The results of the panel data estimation techniques employed imply that there is a short-run causality running from GDP per capita to FDI and financial development, and results from FMOLS and DOLS indicate that FDI and financial development have positive impacts on GDP per capita in the countries under consideration. Originality/value: In this paper, we use a dynamic macroeconomic modelling framework to examine the effect of FDI and financial development on per capita income in three major south Asian economies, which are categorized as three Non-Least Developed Contracting States under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), 2006, established with an aim to facilitate free trade among them. Considering the diversity of the level of growth experienced by these economies, the study uses appropriate panel regression techniques. Therefore, in addition to proper formulation of policies directed towards scaling up of export and import levels, the respective authorities should also take care that the political stability and institutional quality are maintained.

In this paper, we investigate the impact of innovation and corruption on economic growth for 13 emerging Asian economies over the period of 2009 to 2018. Using global innovation and corruption indices, we show that innovation has no significant impact on growth. In contrast, corruption slows down growth in the region. Our results indicate that innovation in the region is not robust enough to attract growth and that corruption is the major hindrance to growth.

This paper analyzes the effect of foreign direct investment, remittances, and official development assistance on economic growth in India and Sri Lanka. The study uses annual time series data of both countries for the period 1980–2016. In order to find the short-run and long-run relationship among the variables, we use Granger causality test and vector error correction model. We also carry out a vector decomposition analysis to predict the forecast variance error of the future periods and impulse response function to analyze the effect of shocks in the independent variables on that of the dependent variable. Our results indicate that foreign direct investment and remittances have a significant impact on economic growth in India, whereas in Sri Lanka, foreign aid and remittances play an important role in enhancing economic growth.

This paper examines the relationship between foreign aid and economic growth for India and Sri Lanka using annual time series data from 1960–61 to 2014–15. This study uses various time series techniques such as Johansen–Juselius test, Granger causality test and VAR modelling to find out the short-run and long-run equilibrium dynamics among the variables under consideration. The empirical results confirm that long-run relationship exists among foreign aid inflows, economic growth, trade, inflation, domestic investment and financial development in India. There also exists an uni-directional causality among the variables for the same. However, in Sri Lanka, foreign aid does not have a significant impact on growth, both in the long-run and short-run. The governments of the respective countries are thus required to make efforts in employing proper monetary and fiscal policies in order to stabilize the domestic economic cycle as well as external economic transformation in accordance with the impact of foreign aid on economic growth in each of them.