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Child malnutrition is a grave concern for Pakistan, as the country has one of the highest incidences of child stunting in the developing world. The present study examines the relative significance of parents' education on a child's nutritional status in Pakistan.

For analysis, the study has used data from Phase 7 of the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) (2017–2018). Since the dependent variable ranges from 0 to 1 (1 indicates not a stunted child, while 0 represents a stunted child), binary logistic regressions are used for the analysis.

The results show that mothers' and fathers' education positively contributes to a child's nutrition. However, mothers' education is considered more significant, especially in the long run. The mother's education categories are positive and significant in the long run, while only their higher education is positive and significant for the father's. Moreover, the magnitude of the effect also shows that the probability of stunting is less if the mothers are educated. The long-run coefficient for mothers' higher education is 0.752, while that of fathers' higher education is only 0.232.

The present study compares the importance of mothers' and fathers' education in child nutrition and concludes that the role of the mother is more crucial for child upbringing. There are rarely any studies that focus on the role of fathers' education in child nutrition and compare whose role, mothers' or fathers,' is more important for child well-being.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-06-2023-0483

The primary objective of this research is to introduce a pioneering takaful model that provides both provision and protection to the aging population by combining the concept of cash waqf with takaful. This model is designed to align with Shariah principles, ensuring sustainability and enduring impact.

This research adopts a qualitative methodology, where a focus group discussion was conducted with six stakeholders. The participants consisted of takaful operators, legal experts and other industry players. The participants were presented with the proposed cash waqf takaful model and their feedback was recorded. Legal issues related to linking waqf with takaful were also identified and discussed.

The study highlights the need for innovative financial solutions to support Malaysia's aging population. It proposes a cash waqf takaful model, leveraging crowd funding for sustainability. Legal hurdles and recommendations for overcoming them are discussed, along with suggestions for future research on quantitative validation and regulatory frameworks. Ultimately, the study emphasizes the holistic approach of the proposed model in addressing the well-being of Malaysia's senior citizens.

The proposed takaful model presents opportunities for takaful operators to integrate Islamic social finance into their operations, enabling easier access to takaful for the elderly community. By eliminating financial barriers, it can transform the takaful landscape, ensuring inclusivity and financial security for aging populations. Moreover, policymakers see it as a blueprint for sustainable financial solutions and social welfare enhancement globally.

The study introduces a novel cash waqf takaful model to support Malaysia's aging population, leveraging crowdfunding for sustainability. It addresses legal challenges unique to Malaysia and proposes collaboration with State Islamic Religious Authorities. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need for further research to validate the model's effectiveness and explores its potential global policy implications.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the digital transformation of students' reading preferences and behaviors, considering the significant impact of digital resources accessible through the internet among allied health students.

The researchers used a structured questionnaire to collect data. The study focused on undergraduate allied health students from medical universities in Pakistan. The researchers used a convenient sampling technique. Data analysis was performed using statistical software packages R and SPSS.

The results indicate that allied health students frequently use databases, e-books and e-journals to fulfil their academics and research needs, aiding in the acquisition of up-to-date information and supporting various academic research pursuits. The study emphasizes the positive effects on the reading habits of allied health students, attributing these improvements to factors such as enhanced online databases, a broader array of materials and the integration of digital tools. However, challenges arise from the limited availability of relevant e-resources and the dispersion of information across various library sources.

This study provides valuable insights into the availability and utilization of e-resources among allied health students in Pakistan. It highlights the crucial role that digital resources play in shaping reading behaviors within the educational landscape. This study holds significance as it contributes to educational enhancement, proves beneficial for the improvement of university library resources and services and aids in the development of policies in health-care education.

In light of the inequality in access to farming land and the high prevalence of child malnutrition in Sudan, there is a lack of empirical research on the relationship between land ownership and child nutritional status. This study aims to examine the influence of agricultural landholding on the nutritional status of children under the age of five in rural Sudan.

The study utilizes data from Sudan’s 2014 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), covering a sample of 10,753 rural children. The empirical analysis uses the two-stage least squares (2SLS) approach, adopting various estimation methods and model specifications for robustness check and comparison.

The results demonstrate that agricultural land has a positive and significant effect on reducing child malnutrition, signifying that children from families with agricultural land are less susceptible to malnutrition in Sudan. When examining the male and female sub-samples separately, the findings indicate a positive influence of land ownership on child malnutrition in the female sub-sample, while no significant impact is observed in the male sub-sample. This indicates a gender disparity in the effects of land ownership on child nutrition, with girls benefiting more from access to agricultural land compared to boys.

The study has several significant contributions. First, this is the sole study that examines the impact of agricultural land ownership on child malnutrition in Sudan. Second, considering the gender variations in nutritional status, investigating the influence of land ownership on child nutrition across genders addresses a significant gap in the current literature. Finally, the findings resulting from this study can contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030, precisely focusing on SDG2 Goal 2: Zero hunger and SDG 10: Goal 10: Reduced inequalities.

The present study seeks to examine the impact of ethical leadership on employees’ voice behavior and internal whistleblowing in organizations. Specifically, the study investigates the mediating role of moral emotions in the link between ethical leadership and employees’ reporting behaviors such as voice behavior and internal whistleblowing.

This research utilized a sample of 200 employees from various private companies in Pakistan, gathering data via questionnaires to validate the hypotheses. We employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to evaluate the model and conducted a mediation analysis using 5,000 bootstrap samples.

This research found that ethical leadership positively impacts employees' moral emotions, encouraging them to voice concerns and report misdeeds. Additionally, the study affirms a direct and positive connection between ethical leadership and employees' reporting behaviors, including voice behavior and internal whistleblowing.

The findings of the study emphasized the development of ethical leadership in organizations by highlighting the critical role of ethical leadership in enhancing moral emotions, voice behavior, and whistleblowing in organizations. It highlights the necessity of promoting moral behavior to enhance organizational effectiveness and the need for ethical leaders to foster an open environment in organizations that encourages whistle bellowing and reporting of unethical practices in organizations.

The current paper extends knowledge of ethical leadership based on the social cognitive theory of morality by considering that moral emotions serve as a strong motivational cognition between ethical leadership and reporting behaviors. Particularly, by examining the mediating role of moral emotion, this study provides a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanism through which ethical leadership influences reporting behaviors of employees at workplace.

The 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.

A panel data fixed-effects model is employed for 34 OECD and 23 EU countries between 2000 and 2020.

Results 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.

Governments 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.

This 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.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-05-2023-0384

The SARS-Cov2 pandemic has generated considerable debate about the role of vaccines in the fight against epidemics and the sensitivity and acceptability of new vaccines in emergency situations. The aim of this paper is to examine the nature of the relationship between remittances as an additional source of income and the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine and to provide an overview of the determinants of acceptance or hesitancy of the COVID-19 vaccine. It uses logistic regression and propensity score matching to study the relationship between remittances and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Using data from the Arab Barometer survey (2021–2022) for 10 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries, the results indicate that the number of people vaccinated among remittance recipients is higher than among those who do not receive remittances. The impact of international migration on vaccine acceptance in countries of origin can be seen in the transfer of norms and beliefs from host countries.

The paper uses logistic regression and propensity score matching to study the relationship between remittances and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. using data from the Arab Barometer survey (2021–2022) for 10 MENA countries.

The results indicate that the number of people vaccinated among remittance recipients is higher than among those who do not receive remittances. The impact of international migration on vaccine acceptance in countries of origin can be seen in the transfer of norms and beliefs from host countries.

Other variables possibly linked to vaccine acceptance can be incorporated into the study.

In countries of origin, international migration should be taken into account in health policies. The convergence of health standards between developed and developing countries can also be achieved through international migration.

The link between migration, through remittances as a proxy for norm transfers, and health, particularly vaccine acceptance in a period of health crisis, has never been addressed in the literature.

This study aims to examine the impact of coworking spaces (CWS) on the wellbeing and entrepreneurial satisfaction of remotely working micro-entrepreneurs, highlighting the role of these spaces beyond conventional work locations. It specifically investigates how CWS foster a supportive ecosystem for micro-entrepreneurs, supporting their professional journey.

Employing a mixed-methodological approach, this study uses nearest-neighbor matching and multiple regressions based on quantitative surveys from a representative sample of micro-entrepreneurs, including those working from CWS, and a qualitative focus group with frequent CWS users. This comprehensive approach allows for a nuanced exploration of the impacts of CWS on micro-entrepreneurs' wellbeing and satisfaction.

The study finds that micro-entrepreneurs experience significant benefits from utilizing CWS, most notably in terms of wellbeing and work–life balance. These spaces provide valuable support through community building, networking opportunities and structured work environments. The benefits of CWS are particularly pronounced for women and micro-entrepreneurs with young children, aiding in boundary management and mitigating the challenges of social isolation.

We provide clear implications for remotely working micro-entrepreneurs, especially women with young children at home, on why to use CWS as their primary locations. The findings also offer insights for policymakers and CWS providers, underlining the importance of designing CWS environments that meet micro-entrepreneurs' diverse needs.

This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a detailed examination of the utilization of CWS among micro-entrepreneurs and the impact of CWS on their wellbeing and entrepreneurial satisfaction.

Drawing an inference from institutional theory and dynamic capabilities view, this study empirically examined the impact of three institutional dimensions (regulative, normative and cognitive) and green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO) on a business firm’s performance. In addition, the moderating effect of dynamic capabilities on the relationship between GEO and firm performance was also explored.

The data were collected from 527 information technology (IT) firms in Pakistan using paper–pencil questionnaires, and the hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.

The findings showed that the regulative and normative institutional dimensions enhance GEO and firm performance in the selected developing country. However, the cognitive institutional dimension fails to report any substantial influence on GEO and firm performance. The findings raised concerns about lower individual accountability as well as the promotion of green practices and firm performance. In addition, dynamic capabilities positively moderate the GEO influence on firm performance.

With the interplay of institutional dimensions, GEO (as mediator) and dynamic capabilities (as moderator), this study developed and tested a unique framework to understand their influence on firm performance. Specifically, we extended the literature by giving evidence that among the three institutional dimensions, only regulative and normative are considered more important because of their direct and indirect (through GEO) positive effect on firm performance. In contrast, the cognitive institutional dimension failed to report any significant direct or indirect impact on firm performance in our study.

This study aims to evaluate the current educational opportunities available to hermaphrodite (Hijra) students, analyze their difficulties while pursuing academic degrees and suggest potential approaches to address these issues.

This research used a qualitative method to analyze the challenges Hijra individuals face in pursuing education. A total of 20 interviews were conducted with two Hijra groups those who are pursuing an education and those who have abandoned it to collect primary data. The purposive sampling technique was used to identify and choose diverse sources of information. Moreover, the phenomena have been comprehended using the Access Theory and the Gender Stratification Theory.

The findings show that although every Bangladeshi has the right to a decent education, few Hijra youngsters attend schools. Numerous barriers, such as discriminatory views and remarks about third-gender people, physical and mental harassment, a lack of emotional and financial support, family issues, discrimination in the school community and hostility from classmates and teachers, make it difficult for hermaphrodite students to receive a proper education.

This research paper fills a gap in the current body of knowledge by presenting empirical evidence regarding young people’s perceptions of the third-gender, the societal barriers faced by Hijra individuals in their pursuit of quality education, their future opportunities, the root causes of these challenges and possible solutions.