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A popular convention in the political-economy literature is that causality runs from democracy to economic growth. That thinking has continued to evoke significant debates among scholars. This study aims to propose a new research experiment by investigating whether macroeconomic variables cause democratisation.

The study uses a panel data set of 48 carefully selected economies in Sub-Saharan Africa spanning 1991 to 2020 and uses the PVAR system generalised method of moment (GMM) approach.

With the application of three macroeconomic indicators: economic growth, full employment and balance of payment equilibrium, the study suggests that economic growth has a negative implication on the democratisation process and that the incentives that increase national income provide in the global South enable autocratic rulers to impede democratic growth. The Granger causality test demonstrates a unidirectional effect from economic growth to democracy. The eigenvalue stability condition, impulse response function and forecast-error variance decomposition all confirmed the validity of the findings with the PVAR system GMM. Finally, the study proposed policy and theoretical implications for the political stakeholders.

Robust development of economic institutions (particularly the anti-corruption and rule of law) in the global South is required to tame the potential for the state actors to turn public resources into personal use to further their parochial political interest in the form of perpetuating themselves in office which negates the ideals of democracy and social norms. Strong institutions could prevent the misuse of national income and enhance a good quality of life for the citizenry, making them grow confidence in the democratisation process.

The research paper makes an insightful contributions from the methodological perspective and the sampling perspective. The author uses a new research method, the PVAR system GMM becoming the first attempt of such a method to be applied in determining the causal effects of macroeconomic variables on democracy in the literature. Another relevant contribution of the study relates to the sample technique of selecting economies from the Sub-Saharan Africa with notable weak or slow democratisation process.

This study aims to explore and segment consumer preferences for electric and hybrid vehicles in Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and Turkey, focusing on understanding the various factors that influence consumer decisions in these markets.

Using latent class analysis (LCA) on data collected through online surveys and discrete choice experiments, this research categorizes consumers into distinct segments. The approach allows for a nuanced understanding of how various factors such as income level, fuel cost, age, CO₂ emissions, purchase price, vehicle range, policy policies and environmental concerns interact with shape consumer preferences.

The analysis uncovers significant heterogeneity in consumer preferences for electric and hybrid vehicles across Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and Turkey, revealing four key segments: “Eco-Driven Innovators,” “Value-Focused Pragmatists,” “Tech-Savvy Early Adopters” and “Reluctant Traditionalists.” “Eco-Driven Innovators” prioritize environmental benefits and are less sensitive to price, demonstrating a strong inclination toward vehicle CO₂ emissions and policy policies. “Value-Focused Pragmatists” weigh economic factors heavily, showing a sharp interest in fuel costs and purchase prices but are open to considering electric and hybrid vehicles if they present clear long-term savings. Technology-savvy early adopters are attracted by the latest technological advancements in vehicles, regardless of the type, and are motivated by factors beyond just environmental concerns or cost savings. Lastly, “Reluctant Traditionalists” exhibit minimal interest in electric and hybrid vehicles due to concerns over charging infrastructure and upfront costs. This detailed segmentation illustrates the diverse motivations and barriers influencing consumer choices, from governmental policies and environmental concerns to individual financial considerations and technological appeal.

This study stands out for its pioneering application of LCA to dissect the complexity of consumer preferences for electric and hybrid vehicles, a methodological approach not widely used in this research domain. Using LCA, the authors are able to uncover nuanced consumer segments, each with distinct preferences and motivations, providing a depth of insight into market dynamics that traditional analysis methods may overlook. This approach enables a more granular understanding of how diverse factors – ranging from environmental concerns to economic considerations and technological attributes – interact to shape consumer choices in different countries. The findings not only fill a critical gap in the existing literature by mapping the intricate landscape of consumer preferences, but also offer a novel perspective on strategizing market interventions. Therefore, the application of LCA enriches the discourse on sustainable transportation, offering stakeholders, manufacturers, policymakers and researchers – a refined toolkit for navigating the evolving market dynamics and fostering the adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles.

The aim of this study was to investigate consumer preferences and profile their food-related lifestyles, as well as to identify consumer groups with similar attitudes/behaviours in the Euro-Mediterranean fruit and vegetable market.

A structured questionnaire was designed drawing from the food related lifestyles instrument and including other factors relevant to fruit and vegetable consumer preferences. The data were collected in an online survey with 925 participants in France, Greece, and Italy. A principal component analysis was conducted to interpret and examine consumers' fruit and vegetable related lifestyles. In addition, a cluster analysis was performed to identify different consumer segments, based on the core dimensions of the food-related lifestyle approach.

In each country, three primary consumer segments were distinguished. Health-conscious individuals were predominant in France and Greece, while quality-conscious consumers were prevalent in Italy. These classifications were determined considering various factors such as purchase motivation, perception of product quality, health concerns, environmental certifications, and price sensitivity.

The food-related lifestyle approach has been adapted instrument to create a customised survey instrument specifically designed to capture the intricacies of fruit and vegetable consumer preferences and priorities in three Euro-Mediterranean Countries.

This paper aims to provide insights into the potential of digital technologies-based innovations for more inclusive healthcare by alleviating the affordability, accessibility and availability barriers to utilization of healthcare services. Also, it aims to provide insights into the potential of digital technologies-based innovations for more inclusive services, broadly.

A conceptual framework is inductively developed by analyzing real-world examples of digital technologies-based innovations for more inclusive healthcare through the lenses of economics of information in digital form and certain characteristics of services.

Concurrent implementation of digital technologies-based healthcare innovations with innovations and/or modifications in service processes can enable greater inclusivity by alleviating the affordability, accessibility and availability barriers to utilization of healthcare services.

Issues relating to inequities in healthcare, as a social problem, are the focus of research at multiple levels (e.g. global, national, regional and local) in several academic disciplines. In relation to the scope of the problems and challenges pertaining to providing quality healthcare to the unserved and underserved segments of society, worldwide, the contribution of the proposed framework to practice is modest. However, by highlighting the promise and potential of digital technologies-based innovations as solutions for alleviating barriers to affordability, accessibility and availability of healthcare services during various stages (prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment and post-treatment follow-up) with illustrative vignettes and developing a framework, the article offers insights for future research. For instance, in reference to mission-driven social enterprises that operate in the product-market space for inclusive innovations under resource constraints, a resourcefulness-based view of the social enterprise constitutes a potential avenue for theory development and research.

Given the conceptual nature of the article, the implications for practice are limited to cognitive implications. Action implications (instrumental implications or implications for practice) are outside of the scope of the article.

Innovations that are economically viable, environmentally sustainable and socially impactful is one of the important issues of our times.

The proposed framework provides insights into the potential of digital technologies-based innovations for more inclusive healthcare by alleviating the affordability, accessibility and availability barriers in the context of emerging and less developed country markets and base of the pyramid segments of society in these markets.

This study aims to compare the influence of origin types (country-of-origin – COO versus geographic indication – GI) and wine worlds (new versus old wine country – represented by Brazil and Italia, respectively) on the attitude of low-involvement Generation Z potential consumers from Brazil toward wine ads.

The authors conducted a two (COO vs GI) by two (New vs Old World) within-subject experimental design with 98 Brazilians from Generation Z. Latin square was used to systematically counterbalances the sequence in which participants were exposed to ads.

The results reveal that potential consumers’ attitudes are more positive when a COO is used in wine advertisements than when a GI is used. Besides, the consumers’ conative response is more positive when an Old World country (Italy) is used in wine ads than when New World country (Brazil) is used.

This study expands existing literature by showing that, in wine ads, COO information elicits more positive responses than GI. It also suggests a preference among potential consumers for Old over New World wines in purchase, recommendation and consumption decisions.

The wine advertisements for the market segment investigated should highlight the COO instead of geographical indication (GI). Besides, the authors point out the importance of promoting the concept of GI among low-involvement Generation Z potential consumers.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to assess potential consumers’ attitudes toward wine ads, comparing COO and GI and determining which geographical cue elicits more positive consumer attitudes: origin types (COO vs GI) or wine worlds (Old vs New).

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the Islamic finance segment within the Updated Commercial Transactions Law in the UAE and opine whether the new alterations will have a significant impact on the Islamic financial industry in the UAE.

This research uses a qualitative methodology, and the UAE as a case study. A single/embedded case study design is adopted, to analyse several chapters within the Updated Commercial Transactions Law in the UAE (multiple units of analysis).

The study revealed that the introduction and incorporation of fiqhi and Islamic financial principles within the Updated Commercial Transactions law in the UAE was done so in its rudimentary form, indicating that its purpose was to enhance the UAE’s position as a leading global Islamic financial hub – as opposed to the sole purpose of its usage during disputes between counterparties.

This research is limited to the UAE as a case study and thus does not provide a comparative analysis with other GCC countries. A separate study would be required for a comparative analysis.

Given that the Updated Commercial Transactions Law in the UAE is relatively new, limited research papers have analysed this segment of the updated law in particular. This research, thus, contributes to knowledge by paving the way for future research pertaining to the same matter.

This study assesses the probability of an OECD member country exhibiting high persistence in unemployment duration, considering income inequality, productivity, accumulation of human capital and labor income share in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between the years 2013–2019.

To achieve the purpose of the study, a probabilistic analysis with panel data is employed, focusing on 20 OECD countries segmented into two groups: those with high persistence and low persistence in unemployment duration. Probit and Logit models are estimated, marginal changes are analyzed and the models are evaluated in terms of their classification accuracy. Finally, trends in probabilities over time are examined.

This paper exhibits that countries with higher human capital index, greater labor income share in GDP, and more relevant productivity for well-being reduce their probabilities of experiencing high persistence in unemployment duration. It is observed that Mexico (MEX), Greece (GRC), Italy (ITA), and Turkey (TUR) have elevated probabilities of experiencing high persistence in unemployment duration in the future, while Costa Rica (CRI), Estonia (EST), Slovakia (SVK), Czech Republic (CZE), Lithuania (LTU), Poland (POL), and Israel (ISR) show a marked downward trend in these probabilities. Lastly, countries like the United Kingdom (GBR), Denmark (DNK), Sweden (SWE), Norway (NOR), Netherlands (NLD), Germany (DEU), United States (USA), and Canada (CAN) present minimal risk of experiencing high persistence in unemployment duration in the future.

The measurement of the relationship between development outcomes and persistence in unemployment duration has been scarce. Generally, the literature has focused on the analysis of development and unemployment without delving into the duration of unemployment, let alone persistence in duration.

This paper provides a solid foundation for the formulation of policies aimed at promoting sustainable employment and inclusive economic growth.

Based on the findings of the study, two key development policies are proposed. Firstly, the implementation of investment programs in Human Capital to increase productivity is recommended. Resources should be directed towards initiatives that improve the necessary skills and competencies in the labor markets of OECD countries, especially in strategic economic sectors with higher production linkages. Additionally, incentivizing the application of active labor policies is proposed. This entails prioritizing policies aimed at increasing the labor income share in GDP through progressive fiscal reforms that strengthen social safety nets and ensure fair labor standards. Implementing employment programs targeted at vulnerable groups, such as long-term unemployed individuals, youth, female heads of households and marginalized communities, is also recommended to eliminate structural barriers to labor market participation and reduce disparities in unemployment persistence. Adopting these policies can help mitigate the risk of high unemployment duration persistence and foster sustainable and inclusive long-term economic growth.

This is the first study to analyze the probabilities of both developing and developed countries experiencing high persistence in unemployment duration. It specifically evaluates these probabilities over a period of time and also estimates potential outcomes if real investments were made to enhance their human capital, productivity and employability.

The purpose of this study focused on a global longitudinal bibliometric mapping of research in the field of health biotechnology between 1990 and 2023 to determine who is leading this field of knowledge and to estimate the sub-disciplines that are emerging and project those that will prevail in the future.

The study identified the most relevant countries, institutions and researchers, as well as the type of scientific collaborations. The applied steps applied in the study were the following: identification and selection of keyword terms by a panel of experts; design and application of an algorithm to identify these selected keywords in titles, abstracts and keywords using Web of Science terms to contrast them; performance of JCR data processing during 2023 using R, Python and VOSviewer.

Among the most relevant conclusions of the study are the following exponential growth has been observed in the study period; new branches of knowledge have emerged in which the subjects have been acquiring their own autonomous capabilities; and R&D in this field is still concentrated in a small group of core countries, and the trend is for it to remain so due to the capacity needs required.

This contribution seeks to systematize the existing scientific knowledge in the field of biotechnology, specifically in the area of health, using the technique of scientific mapping based on a logical model of indicators that aims to determine potential thematic ramifications.

Gillette’s historically successful “razor and blade” business model (RBM) has been a promising benchmark for multiple businesses across diverse industries worldwide in the past several decades. The extant literature deals with very few nuances of this business model notwithstanding the fact that there are several variants of this business model being put to practical use by firms in diverse industries in grossly metaphorically equivalent situations.

This study adopts the 2 × 2 truth table framework from the domains of mathematical logic and combinatorics in fleshing out all possible (four logical possibilities) variants of the razor and blade business model for further analysis. This application presents four mutually exclusive yet collectively exhaustive possibilities on any chosen dimension. Two major dimensions (viz., provision of subsidy and intra- or extra-firm involvement in the making of razors or blades or both) form part of the discussion in this paper. In addition, this study synthesizes and streamlines entrepreneurial wisdom from multiple intra-industry and inter-industry benchmarks in terms of real-time firms explicitly or implicitly adopting several variants of the RBM that suit their unique context and idiosyncratic trajectory of evolution in situations that are grossly reflective of the metaphorically equivalent scenario of razor and recurrent blades. Inductive method of research is carried out with real-time cases from diverse industries with a pivotally common pattern of razor and blade model in some form or the other.

Several new variants of the razor and blade model (much beyond what the extant literature explicitly projects) have been discovered from the multiple metaphorically equivalent cases of RBM across industries. All of these expand the portfolio of options that relevant entrepreneurial firms can explore and exploit the best possible option chosen from them, given their unique context and idiosyncratic trajectory of growth.

This study has enriched the literature by presenting and analyzing a more inclusive or perhaps comprehensive palette of explicit choices in the form of several variants of the RBM for the relevant entrepreneurial firms to choose from. Future research can undertake the task of comparing these variants of RBM with those of upcoming servitization business models such as guaranteed availability, subscription and performance-based contracting and exploring the prospects of diverse combinations.

Smart entrepreneurial firms identify and adopt inspiring benchmarks (like razor and blade model whenever appropriate) duly tweaked and blended into a gestalt benchmark for optimal profits and attractive market shares. They target diverse market segments for tied-goods with different variants or combinations of the relevant benchmarks in the form of variegated customer value propositions (CVPs) that have unique and enticing appeal to the respective market segments.

Value-sensitive customers on the rise globally choose the option that best suits them from among multiple alternatives offered by competing firms in the market. As long as the ratio of utility to price of such an offer is among the highest, even a no-frills CVP may be most appealing to one market segment while a plush CVP may be tempting to yet another market segment simultaneously. While professional business firms embrace resource leverage practices consciously, amateur customers do so subconsciously. Each party subliminally desires to have the maximum bang-to-buck ratio as the optimal return on investment, given their priorities ceteris paribus.

Prior studies on the RBM have explicitly captured only a few variants of the razor and blade model. This study is perhaps the first of its kind that ferrets out many other variants (more than ten) of the razor and blade model with due simplification and exemplification, justification and demystification.

The purpose of this study is to analyse the gender wage gap (GWG) in Spain adopting a labour market segmentation approach. Once we obtain the different labour segments (or idiosyncratic labour markets), we are able to decompose the GWG into its observed and unobserved heterogeneity components.

We use the data from the Continuous Sample of Working Lives for the year 2021 (matched employer–employee [EE] data). Contingency tables and clustering techniques are applied to employment data to identify idiosyncratic labour markets where men and/or women of different ages tend to match/associate with different sectors of activity and occupation groups. Once this “heatmap” of labour associations is known, we can analyse its hottest areas (the idiosyncratic labour markets) from the perspective of wage discrimination by gender (Oaxaca-Blinder model).

In Spain, in general, men are paid more than women, and this is not always justified by their respective attributes. Among our results, the fact stands out that women tend to move to those idiosyncratic markets (biclusters) where the GWG (in favour of men) is smaller.

It has not been possible to obtain remuneration data by job-placement, but an annual EE relationship is used. Future research should attempt to analyse the GWG across the wage distribution in the different idiosyncratic markets.

Our combination of methodologies can be adapted to other economies and variables and provides detailed information on the labour-matching process and gender wage discrimination in segmented labour markets.

Our contribution is very important for labour market policies, trying to reduce unfair inequalities.

The study of the GWG from a novel labour segmentation perspective can be interesting for other researchers, institutions and policy makers.