Nor Salwati Othman

The utilization of natural resources plays a crucial role in economic development and enhancing social welfare. This study aims to empirically explore the effect of natural resource rents on economic growth to test whether natural resources are a curse or a blessing for 12 developing Asian and 12 African countries using 27–year data. After conducting all relevant diagnostic tests on the data, the pooled mean group technique is employed to assess the long‐term relationship among the series. Additionally, the Fully Modified OLS and Dynamic OLS methods are implemented for robustness checks. The empirical results show that natural resource rent has a significant positive impact on economic growth in Asian countries, supporting the natural resource blessing hypothesis. While its relationship has a significant negative effect on economic growth in African countries, supporting the resource curse hypothesis. Furthermore, the results show that institutional quality and its interaction with natural resources significantly uplift economic growth in the short and long run. Empirical results also reveal that a developed financial sector and institutional quality factors play a vital role in the utilization of available natural resources in achieving the desirable level of economic growth and development in both regions. The other control variables found have expected signs and also support earlier studies' findings. Thus, appropriate public policies are needed where the focus is to be given to ensure good governance and financial sector development to maximize the benefits of natural resource endowments and improve societal well‐being in developing Asian and African countries in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Institutional quality (IQ) stands as a cornerstone in shaping foreign direct investment (FDI), influencing both the confidence and commitment of international investors in any nation's economy. This research empirically explores the influence of IQ variables, along with other important macroeconomic factors, on inward FDI in nine countries of the (ASEAN) using quarterly data from 2002Q1 to 2022Q4. Appropriate estimation techniques, including Robust Least Squares, Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), and Dynamic OLS estimators, are implemented in the current work to estimate the parameters. The study finds that IQ variables, namely corruption, rule of law, political stability, and government effectiveness, are significant in determining FDI inflows in the ASEAN economies, in addition to macroeconomic variables such as trade openness, urbanization, market size, financial sector development, tourism development, and inflation rate. The findings reveal that political stability and the rule of law positively influence FDI inflows, and corruption and government effectiveness show significant negative effects. Most variables showed significance at the 1% level. Findings suggest that policymakers should prioritize strengthening institutional governance, reducing corruption, and improving regulatory frameworks to create a more secure and attractive investment environment. Also, the stakeholders and development agencies must support institutional reforms to enhance legal certainty and administrative efficiency to boost FDI growth.

This study utilized the STIRPAT framework and dynamic analysis to investigates the relationship among renewable energy, economic activity, and environmental sustainability in Malaysia from 1971 to 2023, and if technological inflow impacts these connections. The results of the F-bound test demonstrate that all variables are cointegrated, enabling us to assess both short-run and long-run impact analyses through the VEC technique. This study demonstrates that the technology inflow from abroad serves as a pivotal factor that substantially alters the extent of variations in CO2 emissions. Specifically, in the long run, the influx of technology from abroad enhances the capacity of economic activities to lower CO2 emissions. Beside, in the short run, the technology inflow intervention, significantly diminish the negative impact from economic activities. For the long run cases, the rise in renewable energy may substantially elevate CO2 emissions or deteriorate environmental quality. Yet the inflow of technology greatly enhances the impact of renewable energy on CO2 emissions over the long term. Given the significant role of technological influx in Malaysia's environmental sustainability, policymakers must encourage increased global investment, particularly in the realms of green technology and renewable energy development.

Purpose: This paper aims to review and analyze the prior research on the relationship between financial development and carbon emissions. As the financial sector develops and the economies grow, carbon emissions are expected to increase. Therefore, it is necessary to identify and understand the factors that contribute to this relationship. Theoretical framework: Recent studies indicate that financial development facilitates and expands businesses, which may cause an increase in carbon emissions; on the other hand, sustainable development of the financial sector may lead to lower carbon emissions through eco-friendly investments. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study will employ a systematic literature review to investigate the relationship between financial development and carbon emissions and analyze how developing and developed countries differ concerning these two factors. Findings: The result showed that empirical studies have produced various, frequently contradicting findings and conclusions. Some studies show a strong positive correlation between financial development, environmental performance indices, and economic growth, while others find a more nuanced correlation. Research, practical & social implications: This study might stimulate additional investigation into green financial development and emission reductions through green investments. Findings could aid in adjusting policies to account for disparities between developed and developing countries' financial-emission relationships. Green financial instruments might encourage eco-investments and reduce emissions. The social advantages include helping to reduce gaps by providing resources and expertise to poorer nations, promoting sustainability, and contributing to climate solutions. Originality/Value: This research thoroughly assesses and analyzes prior research on the relationship between financial development and carbon emissions. Particularly in the context of developed and emerging countries, the study helps to investigate and comprehend the elements contributing to this relationship.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically transformed the human lifestyle and world socioeconomic conditions. It has attracted many scholars to assess the consequences of this pandemic. From a different angle, this study aims to compare the socioeconomic conditions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic; and to assess which socioeconomic indicator was most impacted by the pandemic. This empirical study employed a valid and reliable questionnaire that was randomly distributed to 516 respondents aged 18 to 65 years old in Peninsular Malaysia. Paired sample t-test and frequency analysis were utilised for the data analysis. Results show a significant difference in terms of socioeconomic conditions, namely income, saving, job security, health conditions, security/personal safety, emotional condition, spirituality, and work productivity was observed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, spirituality (99.4%), food security (96.9%), health (88%), and personal safety (83.5%) were the most affected indicators during the COVID-19 pandemic. The outcomes of this study could provide policymakers with a clear picture of the effective strategy for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and aiding Malaysia in its economic and social recovery after the pandemic.

Background: In Malaysia, residential electricity consumption has shown a steady upward trend year by year. Due to this increase in energy consumption, it is important to forecast the value of electricity consumption until the year 2032 to accommodate the electricity demand. Methods: Three exponential smoothing models were compared to identify the most appropriate model in forecasting electricity consumption. The three exponential smoothing models are Simple, Holt, and Brown exponential smoothing. To identify the most appropriate model, a mean absolute percentage (MAPE) was chosen. Results: The results show that Holt’s exponential smoothing has the best performance with the lowest MAPE score of 2.299. Conclusions: Consequently, it was found that electricity consumption would substantially increase from 2647 ktoe (kilotonne of oil equivalent) to 3873 ktoe within the period of 2019 to 2032.