Norasibah Abdul Jalil

This paper empirically examines the threshold effects of digital transformation (DT) adoption on economic growth in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), using time-series data over the period 1995–2024. Grounded in the Kuznets Curve paradigm, the analysis employs a quadratic form embedded within an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) framework, capturing potential nonlinearities in the DT–growth nexus. The model is estimated with the linear and squared terms of DT adoption, and the turning points for the DT adoption-economic growth relationship are identified. Results revealed that there is a threshold (inverted U-shaped) relationship between DT adoption and economic growth. The threshold points were identified as 9.375 (US$11,789.4 million) for DT adoption and 15.4 percent for growth, meaning that growth increases to a maximum of 15.4 percent as DT adoption increases from low levels to reach US$11,789.4 million. Once this DT adoption level is reached, growth will begin to decrease if DT adoption continues to increase. As these findings reflect the UAE's current digital capabilities, strengthening digital capacity may raise the optimal level of DT adoption over time. Policymakers should continuously monitor this relationship and calibrate investments to sustain growth benefits and prevent premature declines in economic performance over the long term.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has contributed to fostering sustainable growth, leading to its wide examination in developed countries. However, its main macroeconomic drivers in emerging economies like the UAE remain underexplored. Hence, the study has as its objective the examination of the factors that drive FDI into the UAE over the period 1990-2024. The analysis in this study employs a combined methodological approach, integrating the Gregory–Hansen technique with the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model. The Gregory and Hansen method detects the break date in the cointegrating relationship before incorporating the dummy into the ARDL model to ensure that the results obtained are reliable and that structurally consistent estimates are produced. Long-run findings indicate that the size of economic activity and oil price uncertainty stimulate FDI inflows in the UAE, whereas lending interest rates and credit facilities dampen FDI inflows. Rising lending rates and scarce credit inflate investment costs, deterring foreign investors from doing more business. Market size was the dominant factor influencing FDI inflows in the UAE. This study recommends that policymakers strengthen growth-led FDI inflows by advancing deeper economic diversification, with a strategic focus on high-value-added, renewable energy, and technology-intensive sectors. Creating a stable financial environment through lower lending rates and improved access to credit is essential to reducing investment costs and attracting foreign investors. By reinforcing these measures, the UAE can enhance investor confidence, position itself as a competitive global investment hub, and sustain long-term, innovation-driven economic growth.

The article conducts an empirical inquiry into the impact of public sector development, private sector investment, political stability, financial and banking sector development, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) expansion, and quality-of-life improvements on digital transformation (DT) adoption policy in the UAE. It uses macroeconomic time series from 1995 to 2024, covering 30 annual observations. The estimation techniques employed include the Gregory–Hansen test procedure and the ARDL cointegration method, both of which confirm an equilibrium relationship between the selected macroeconomic variables and DT adoption, with a structural break. Based on the findings of the ARDL estimation, public sector development, private sector investment, political stability, financial and banking sector development, TVET expansion, and quality-of-life improvements significantly influence DT adoption. Importantly, the ARDL diagnostic tests confirmed the validity and robustness of the study’s model. The findings indicate that UAE digital transformation is propelled by private investment, stable governance, financial sector growth, TVET, and quality-of-life improvements, while excessive or misdirected public sector expansion may inhibit the effective implementation of national DT policies. Policymakers should promote sector-specific digital transformation strategies, particularly in finance, healthcare, and education, to enhance productivity, optimize investment allocation, and support sustainable economic growth in the UAE.

This study aims to investigate the association between credit market performance and economic security in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 1990 to 2023 using various estimation techniques. The Gregory-Hansen cointegration test, ARDL bounds-testing approach, and DOLS, CCR, and FMOLS estimators were employed. Results from the cointegration tests show a long-term relationship between economic security and credit market performance, even with structural breaks. ARDL estimation indicates that domestic credit supply, nonperforming loans, lending interest rates, and institutional quality negatively affect both short-term and long-term economic security. These findings demonstrate that inefficiencies in the credit market, characterized by a rapid increase in credit supply and nonperforming loans, weak institutions, and a high cost of borrowing, pose a substantial challenge to the UAE's economic security and stability. Moreover, the ARDL findings suggest that oil price increases, public expenditure, foreign capital inflows, and real GDP contribute positively to economic security. These findings are confirmed by the robustness of FMOLS, CCR, and DOLS estimations. Based on these findings, policies, measures, and strategies to strengthen credit risk management in the financial sector, control unchecked credit growth, enhance the quality of economic institutions, and sustain the diversification of the economy away from oil and credit risks are recommended.

Research on the relationship between oil wealth and economic growth has shown that the impact of oil can depend on various factors or conditions. However, the role of the underground economy in this relationship remains underexplored. This study aims to fill this gap by examining how the underground economy influences the oil wealth-growth nexus in Nigeria from 1990 to 2022, using the bootstrap autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds-testing technique. The empirical findings reveal that the effect of oil wealth on economic growth varies with the size of the underground economy. Specifically, the results indicate that the marginal impact of oil wealth on growth is positive when the underground economy is relatively small, but becomes negative as the underground economy expands. This suggests that the underground economy serves as a channel through which oil wealth negatively affects long-term economic growth. The economic implication of this finding is that for sustained long-term growth, increases in oil wealth must be accompanied by significant efforts to reduce the size of the underground economy.

Many past studies concentrate on the relationship between macroeconomic factors and happiness. There is, however, very little empirical research on the same subject available in the case of Malaysia. Therefore, this study examines the effect of selected macroeconomic factors on levels of happiness in Malaysia. The time period considered in this study is from the year 2004 to 2021, and the data obtained come from various sources. To achieve the objective, data are analyzed by using the descriptive statistic tests and the multiple regression test. Output from multiple regression test provides an indication that the government expenditure (G) factor has a strong and positive association with happiness, while real GDP, on the other hand, recorded a negative relationship. This finding confirms the Easterlin paradox which made an assertion of a negative association between real GDP and happiness. Other than that, the positive relationship between government expenditures and happiness shows that increasing government spending over the years in schools, healthcare, road and infrastructure repairs, and social welfare has proven to improve happiness among Malaysians. The result for the inflation and unemployment test is positive and insignificant. These findings recommend that the Malaysian government should aim policies to promote people’s happiness by considering relevant and significant macroeconomic determinants of happiness.

This paper aims to address those methodological issues by exclusively applying the newest modification to the Money Demand Model (MDM) in the form of the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to estimate the Malaysian shadow economy (SE) from 1985 to 2020. Methodological errors and spurious regression issues hindered earlier studies on the Malaysian SE. Some studies included Malaysia in their analyses alongside other Asian countries with similar levels of development, without accounting for the distinct economic environments of these countries. This study accounts for the influence of economic uncertainty (EU) and structural breaks. The study finds that Malaysia's SE averaged 40.8% of its official gross domestic product (GDP), peaking in 1995–1996, after which it gradually declined and stabilized around 39.4% of GDP. This substantial size highlights the critical need for tailored economic policies to manage SE growth effectively. The findings not only provide a clearer understanding of the SE’s trajectory but also emphasize the importance of addressing illicit activities, particularly in connection to public spending and corruption. Future research should prioritize examining these hidden activities to uncover how the shadow economy impedes Malaysia’s progression toward becoming a developed nation and how informality affects broader economic progress.

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengukur tahap pengurusan stres dalam kalangan pelajar universiti, mengenal pasti faktor akademik yang mempengaruhi pengurusan stres, dan membandingkan perbezaan skor min bagi menentukan pengaruh faktor akademik terhadap tahap pengurusan stres umum. Data dikumpulkan menggunakan borang soal selidik Perceived Stress Scale 10 (PSS10) dan set soalan khusus yang dibangunkan untuk mengukur stres akademik. Seramai 100 pelajar dari pelbagai universiti awam terlibat dalam kajian ini. Analisis menunjukkan bahawa tahap pengurusan stres pelajar berada pada M=2.16 (Rendah), manakala stres akademik mencatatkan M=2.52 (Sederhana), dengan perbezaan 16.67% lebih tinggi dalam stres akademik berbanding stres umum. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa pengukuran faktor secara individu memberikan maklumat yang lebih mendalam tentang pengaruh faktor akademik terhadap pengurusan stres dalam kalangan pelajar. Selain itu, pengukuran tahap pengurusan stres dan stres akademik juga dilakukan untuk mengenal pasti tahap tekanan yang dihadapi oleh pelajar dalam konteks akademik. Dengan menganalisis skor min perbezaan antara stres umum dan akademik, kajian ini memberikan gambaran jelas tentang betapa besar pengaruh faktor akademik terhadap pengurusan stres dalam kalangan pelajar universiti. Secara keseluruhannya, kajian ini menekankan pentingnya menangani stres akademik sebagai satu langkah penting dalam mengurangkan kesan negatif terhadap kesejahteraan pelajar universiti.

HRMARS is well established journal publisher based in Pakistan. It is publishing prominent journals in social sciences since 2011.

In current academic and practical realms, there is a growing focus on exploring the correlation between the digital economy and economic development. Despite this heightened attention, a notable absence of systematic reviews analyzing this nexus exists. To address this gap, a comprehensive literature review, incorporating bibliometric and scientometric analyses, is imperative. Utilizing the Web of Science (WoS) database and CiteSpace (6.2.R4(64-bit)Advanced), we conduct an in-depth analysis of the digital economy and economic development research over the past two decades. The main results are as follows: Major contributors include universities and government departments, with notable input from Ukraine, Russia, and China. Collaborations are primarily country-based, and transnational groups are infrequent. Future research should explore digital technology's role in sustainable development, the catalyzing impact of digital innovation on emerging industries, the digital economy's influence on social inequality, and digital transformation.