Economics - Journal Articles
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Item Identifying proxies for risk-free assets: Evidence from the zero-beta capital asset pricing model(Elsevier, 2022-10-14) He, Zhen; O’Connor, Fergal; Thijssen, JaccoThis research offers the first analysis of whether gold, T-bills, Overnight Index Swaps (OIS) or Interbank Offered Rates (IBOR) can be used as proxy for the risk-free asset in the UK, US, China, Japan and India. Using Blacks (1972) Zero-Beta CAPM we apply Wald and Likelihood Ratio Tests to assess whether gold, T-bills, OIS or IBOR qualify as Zero-Beta or risk free assets against each company in FTSE 350, S&P 500, SSE 180, NIKKEI 225 and SENSEX. We find that gold is a proxy for the risk-free asset in the UK and China; T-bills are a proxy for risk-free assets in Japan and IBOR is a proxy for the risk-free rate in China. None qualify as risk free for the US market. According to our results, there is no universal risk-free asset for the UK, US, China, Japan and India.Item Knowledge sharing of postgraduates online: The intention-behavior gap(Natural Sciences Publishing, 2023-03) Aldhmour, Fairouz M.; Doyle, EleanorKnowledge is recognized as a strategic asset and a critical factor for organizational development and competitive advantage in the knowledge economy. All modern organizations should incorporate knowledge management (KM) practices, particularly knowledge sharing behavior (KSB). This research investigates factors influencing KSB based on planned behavior theory and the technology acceptance model in higher education institutes (HEIs) in Jordan. A descriptive analysis approach was applied in the study. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to a sample of 500 respondents across the HEIs. The findings reveal that intentions positively influence MBA students’ KSB but explain less than 50% of KSB; hence an intention-behavior gap is observed. Contextual factors are also identified as significant, namely accreditation and HEI culture. No significant effects of knowledge sharing attitude, subjective norms, perceived ease, course involvement and perceived usefulness are identified. Perceived risk impacted negatively on students’ intentions and KSB. Complex cognitive and behavioral processes between individuals results in knowledge sharing. Combining theoretical foundations permits the identification of those features explaining either intention or behavior, or both. The extent of the intention-behavior gap indicates further research may focus on barriers to converting intentions into actual behavior to support knowledge sharing.Item Dichotomous impacts on social and environmental sustainability: Competitiveness and development levels matter(Emerald, 2020-05-21) Doyle, Eleanor; Perez Alaniz, Mauricio; Environmental Protection Agency; Environmental Protection Agency, IrelandPurpose: Whereas in developed countries, sustainability primarily focuses on environmental topics, in developing countries the issues of poverty, development and equity are equally, if not more, important. The purpose of this paper is to apply measures of social and environmental sustainability to assess sustainable development for the period 2005–2015 across a sample of 94 countries for which relevant data are available. Countries include two groups: developed and developing countries. Design/methodology/approach: Using the index-based approach introduced by the World Economic Forum in its Global Competitiveness Project, a range of indicators are collected for estimating trends in both social and environmental sustainability. For the panel of data identified, a dynamic panel data estimator method is applied to the data set constructed. This paper presents the empirical results identifying key competitiveness factors related to social and environmental sustainability (separately and combining both aspects in a comprehensive sustainability framework). Findings: This study explores how sustainable competitiveness offers a comprehensive assessment of the inter-related dynamics of the social, the environmental and economic building blocks of sustainable development simultaneously. Performance impacts are found to differ substantially across two groups of countries depending on their development level. This highlights the challenges in shaping and achieving sustainable development goals. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is novel in examining the intersections between economic competitiveness and environmental and social sustainability addressing an identified research gap. In addition, the paper investigates the most important competitiveness pillars focusing on both strengths and weaknesses in sustainable competitiveness across developed and developing countries.Item The effect of land fragmentation on the technical inefficiency of dairy farms(Wiley, 2020-11-14) Bradfield, Tracy; Butler, Robert; Dillon, Emma; Hennessy, Thia; Kilgarriff, PaulExploiting the link between land identification and farm accountancy data, we use a uniquely detailed database to conduct a robust analysis of land fragmentation and its effect on technical inefficiency on dairy farms in Ireland. Using a stochastic production frontier model, our results show that the number of parcels, the average distance between parcels and the main farm, and the portion of land separate from the main farm all increase technical inefficiency. Such inefficiency can be reduced through increased parcel area, reduced travel distances, advisory services contact, intensive practices and hired labour. Our findings support the need for policy to improve land and labour mobility, providing evidence to support incentives to promote the transfer and long-term leasing of agricultural land.Item Energy poverty in EU: Using regional climatic conditions and incidence of electricity prices to map vulnerability areas across 214 NUTS2 European regions(Elsevier B.V., 2024-05-02) Andreoni, ValeriaThe rising political instabilities and the associated variations in energy prices have recently amplified the existing debate on energy poverty. Generally defined as the inability to afford enough energy services to live a comfortable life, energy poverty represents a serious issue affecting multidimensional elements of life. To address disparities and to achieve the 7th goal of the 2030 Agenda, EU Member States have been requested to track energy poverty within the National Energy and Climate Plans. The lack of a commonly adopted methodological approach makes however difficult to compare the energy poverty risks. To address this gap, this paper proposes, for the first time, an energy poverty vulnerability indicator that can be used to investigate the differences across NUTS2 European regions. By combining data on regional income, electricity prices and local climatic conditions, the proposed methodology uses a threshold approach to maps vulnerability risks for the years 2010 and 2020. Results show that in 2010 15% of the considered households classified into the highest vulnerability risk and by 2020, 40 additional regions moved to a higher category of risk. Mediterranean countries have been the most affected with extensive climatic and price incidence changes. The proposed indicator can support the definition of policies aiming to reduce regional disparities and improve the average European trends.