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This study aims to analyze the critical factors affecting workplace well-being at construction sites across countries with different income levels. Accordingly, this study’s objectives are to identify: critical factors affecting workplace well-being at construction sites in low-, lower-middle-, upper-middle- and high-income countries, overlapping critical factors across countries with different income levels and agreements on the critical factors across countries with different income levels.

This study identified 19 factors affecting workplace well-being using a systematic literature review and interviews with construction industry professionals. Subsequently, the factors were inserted into a questionnaire survey and distributed among construction industry professionals across Yemen, Zimbabwe, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, receiving 110, 169, 335 and 193 responses. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including mean, normalized value, overlap analysis and agreement analysis.

This study identified 16 critical factors across all income levels. From those, 3 critical factors overlap across all countries (communication between workers, general safety and health monitoring and timeline of salary payment). Also, 3 critical factors (salary package, working environment and working hours) overlap across low-, low-middle and upper-middle-income countries, and 1 critical factor (project leadership) overlaps across low-middle, upper-middle and high-income countries. The agreements are inclined to be compatible between low- and low-middle-income, and between low- and high-income countries. However, agreements are incompatible across the remaining countries.

This study can serve as a standard for maintaining satisfactory workplace well-being at construction sites.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first attempt to analyze factors affecting workplace well-being at construction sites across countries with different income levels.

This research examines the impact of the National Rural E-commerce Comprehensive Demonstration Project (NRECDP) on poverty reduction and income growth in rural China.

The study develops a theoretical framework, which considers the role of geographical, technological, institutional and cultural factors for the e-commerce poverty alleviation (e-CPA) model. Empirically, this study applies the difference-in-differences (DID) model and the event study approach to evaluate the effectiveness of NRECDP on the basis of large-scale county-level and household-level panel data spanning 2010 to 2020.

The study found that the NRECDP, as a government-led, information and communication technology (ICT)-enabled, market-based program, has led to a significant increase in per capita output of primary industry employees, as well as in the disposable income of rural residents, especially those in national-level poverty-stricken (NP) counties. The interventions of the NRECDP achieved these positive outcomes through transportation and Internet infrastructure improvement, ICT adoption and human capital accumulation in impoverished towns and villages in remote rural areas. These effects are larger in the eastern region of China, followed by the central region, whereas the weakest effects were found in the western region. However, we found little evidence of the NRECDP increasing household developmental expenditure.

The study findings have important practical and policy implications for rural e-commerce development and self-sustained poverty alleviation solutions. The research revealed the significance of government NRECDP interventions for increasing rural income, reducing living costs, and empowering the rural population in its multiple social roles, namely, as consumers, producers, employees and microentrepreneurs. The local cultural context may also play a role in ICT adoption and entrepreneurship cultivation with a downstream effect on the effectiveness of e-CPA practices. Policymakers would need to ensure a supportive entrepreneur-friendly environment for rural e-commerce development and continue implementing progressive policies for poverty alleviation.

This study explores poverty alleviation issues in China by developing for the first time a multi-faceted framework that is subsequently tested by both county-level and household-level large-scale observations. Also, it is the first study to provide nationwide empirical evidence on the effectiveness of e-CPA in narrowing down the spatial and digital divides in China. In addition to the impact of geography, technology and governmental support, this study also sheds light on the role of culture in the adoption and diffusion of digital technologies and as a source of local entrepreneurial opportunities.

The purpose of the research was to evaluate the relationship between income and the recycled materials used in order to rate the business related to circular repair services under the burden of economic development in the countries of the European Union.

The analytical processes explore data from 2010 to 2020. The countries were divided into clusters according to economic maturity (Human Development Index (HDI), real Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita). Subsequently, the relationships were evaluated through the income indicators (for the 13 population groups), and the circular materials use rate indicator. The three indicators decomposed into five specific metrics were employed. The commonly applied characteristics of the descriptive analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficient and the panel regression analysis were engaged in the investigation.

The results demonstrated the vast disparities between income and circular materials use. In the more economically developed countries, their levels were twice higher as the less-developed countries. However, there is a meaningful positive relationship between them. The greatest attention was paid to the panel regression analysis applied to the relationship between income and circular economy (CE) use. The results showed that in a majority of the cases (different income categories), there is a significant positive relationship. When comparing the outcomes of the regression models between the groups of the countries according to their economic development, a closer relationship was clearly demonstrated in the countries with a lower level of development (Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Hungary).

Besides the specific strengths, the study also shows some limitations identified mainly on the data side. The latest data on the consumption of circular materials come from 2020, so they do not cover the period related to the pandemic crisis. It is believed that there may have been some changes in income during the pandemic, and they may have harmed CE. Furthermore, there is to note that some limitations occur in the analytical process. The incompleteness of the data can also be included here as certain data is not available; hence, it was estimated directly by the Eurostat statistical authority.

At the same time, the following are currently considered among the primary barriers: financial restrictions, insufficient infrastructure, weak government support and obstacles on the global market. Consumers, industry leaders and the government are the most influential stakeholder groups in overcoming barriers. Higher demand for repair services will also initiate further development of business activities in this area at various regional levels. Progress in the repair services economy will continue to require extensive efforts in the future. Systematic coordination of activities at multiple levels of government together with manufacturers, designers, educational institutions, community institutions and individuals will be essential.

Socioeconomic characteristics such as sex, age and education represent crucial predictors of consumer behavior. Therefore, the authors would like to focus future research on analyzing these characteristics and examine all the conceptual frameworks of consumer behavior and its positioning in detail within CE and the strategies related to the repair service. Discussing this issue through follow-up research will allow for solving complex transformational and political tasks related to the repair service strategies within CE. It will also inspire the discussion frameworks and multidisciplinary solutions to this issue affecting the fields of human geography, sociological, ethnographic and political sciences.

In less-developed countries, wage change can have a more substantial impact on the development of the CE. Also, a closer relationship between business in the field of repair services with income and the use of circular materials was manifested in the same way.

This paper aims to examine the dynamic relationship between economic growth and sustainable development, integrating the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) in 22 Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries across income groups.

Using annual data between 1990 and 2022, the authors apply the cross-correlation coefficient (CCC) approach of Narayan et al. (Economic Modeling, 2016, 53, 388–397) to examine the lead/lag relationship between GDP per capita and sustainable development. This study further validates the findings through a panel Granger causality test and a fixed panel regression model.

This research provides evidence of a U-shaped EKC for only 1 out of 22 (5%) OIC countries. For 13 out of the 22 (59%) OIC countries, increasing income growth is expected to enhance sustainable development in the future. The results show that as income levels rise, there will be a more significant decline in sustainable development for high-income OIC countries in the future than for both middle-income groups, contradicting the EKC hypothesis. The findings from the panel Granger causality and panel regression models also support the CCC results.

This study proposes a reverse version of the EKC hypothesis and contributes to the literature on economic growth and environmental sustainability. With increasing economic growth, the results can assist OIC member governments and policy-makers in designing tailored policies and practical measures for future sustainable development.

This paper proposes a new multi-dimensional financial inclusion index.

The authors employ two-stage principal component analysis (PCA) and aggregating indicators of availability, access and use. The paper first assesses the cross-country variations in the index and analyses trends over time for a sample of countries members of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) from 2010–2018. Second, it investigates factors that could explain the level of financial inclusion across countries.

The financial inclusion index shows a downward trend for the full sample over the period under investigation; however when splitting the sample by income group, it appears that high- and middle–income countries did not register the same trend. When examining the determinants of financial inclusion for the UfM countries, the authors find that macroeconomic, social and governance factors, as well as banking conditions, matter. Policy-makers in low- and middle-income economies should consider the importance of digital financial inclusion, which is substituting the role to traditional banking system, to close the gap and accelerate its development.

First, the authors provide a new measure of financial inclusion using a three-dimensional index: availability, access and use, for which weights are assigned using PCA. It uses data available for the UfM sample by combining data from different databases in order to include most indicators considered in the literature, as the majority of studies only use single measures (number of bank branches, ownership of a bank account, ratio of credits or deposits to gross domestic product [GDP], etc.). Second, by focussing on UfM countries, the study covers a region that includes both large developed and small developing economies that are connected via financial and trade ties, whilst previous studies generally give global evidence from an international sample with little or no economic ties. Third, splitting the sample by country income groups, the paper presents a more comprehensive representation of the cross-country variation in financial inclusion levels between high- and middle-income economies for this region.

The purpose of this paper is to test if the digital economy improves the quality of life of our residents. Furthermore, if this finding is confirmed, what would be the mechanism behind its effect? Does the impact of the digital economy on quality of life vary according to its level of development?

A comprehensive index of the digital economy, income gap and quality of life was constructed empirically based on data from 220 cities in China from 2011–2020. A multi-dimensional empirical analysis was conducted in this paper.

The analysis of the pathways of action shows that narrowing the income gap is an important mechanism through which the digital economy actively contributes to the quality of life. The results of the threshold model show that the “marginal effect” of the digital economy on quality of life is non-linear and increasing. The results show that after a series of robustness tests, including instrumental variables, the digital economy still significantly enhances people’s quality of life.

This paper reveals the intrinsic link between the digital economy and quality of life and provides a theoretical basis for further improving people’s well-being.

Encouraging the development of the digital economy is a useful way to improve the quality of life by narrowing the income gap.

Data analysis of the digital economy from 2011–2020 in China to get an insight into what would be the mechanism behind the digital economy improving the quality of life of our residents.

The study aims to explore the discrepancy between the subjective and objective debt burdens across various household socio-demographic and debt characteristics. Additionally, it seeks to establish an optimal debt service-to-income ratio (DSTI) threshold for identifying over-indebtedness.

This study utilized a sample of 1,004 respondents from a nationwide survey conducted among Polish indebted households. A discrepancy ratio (DR) measure was proposed to evaluate the divergence between subjective and objective over-indebtedness. Binary logistic regression was employed to estimate the probability of being subjectively and objectively over-indebted, as well as the discrepancy between the two measures of over-indebtedness. The study also employed numerical simulations to determine the optimal DSTI threshold for identifying over-indebted households in general and based on their socio-economic characteristics.

The study established a debt service-to-income ratio (DSTI) threshold of 20% to minimize the discrepancy between subjective and objective debt burden, which is lower than thresholds found in other studies aimed at identifying over-indebted households. Age, number of loans, self-perceived needs satisfaction and type of debt were identified as significant socio-economic and debt-related determinants of over-indebtedness. Household socio-economic and debt-related characteristics significantly influence the threshold for identifying over-indebtedness using DSTI. It can vary widely, ranging from as low as 11% for well-educated women with multiple loan commitments to 43.7% for young males with vocational education, high incomes and originating from households with four or more members.

The paper proposes a more comprehensive approach to debt burden analysis by introducing a new methodology for determining a debt service-to-income (DSTI) threshold that could serve as a measure of over-indebtedness based on the discrepancy between subjective and objective over-indebtedness. It also emphasizes the significance of socio-economic and debt-related factors in evaluating subjective and objective over-indebtedness.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the direct effect of climate change on income inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the channels through which it spreads.

Using a sample of 38 countries, the authors specify and estimate a panel data model using the generalized least squares method over the period 1991–2020. Robustness is achieved through the generalized moment method-system.

The results show that an increase in vulnerability to climate change is positively and significantly associated with an increase in income inequality. The results also show that the effects of climate change are mediated by gross domestic product/capita, population and agriculture at the 15%, 17% and 24% thresholds, respectively.

The authors suggest the implementation of inclusive development policies consistent with climate mitigation and adaptation objectives; the creation of financial spaces from various sources to finance the social security of the most vulnerable; and the strengthening of agricultural resilience to climate-related adverse events, including financing for greenhouse agriculture.

On the positive side, it contributes to the literature on the analysis of the direct and indirect effects (transmission channels) of climate change on income inequality in SSA. Methodologically, the study goes beyond previous work as it adopts a stepwise methodology, dealing with the endogeneity issue. At the logical level, it offers some non-exhaustive suggestions of potentially interesting economic policies to guide policymakers in their common commitment to “reduce income inequality” (Sustainable Development Goal 10, target 10.1).

This study explores whether ethnic minorities exhibit varying levels of income inequality compared to the host population.

The research leverages a unique immigration event in Italy, specifically the settlement of multiple Albanian groups in southern Italy during the 16th century. This historical occurrence enables an investigation into the role of cultural traits in income inequality, as these groups are situated in the same geographical region and often share borders.

The results, which remain consistent after undergoing various robustness checks, indicate that Albanian villages, while still preserving their identity and tradition, tend to experience an approximately 2% lower level of income concentration compared to similar Italian municipalities.

Our findings aim to provide supporting evidence for future policy considerations regarding the long-term impact of immigration on income inequality.