Health belief and behaviour: an analysis of the predictors for receiving COVID-19 vaccines in Malaysia

PurposeThe paper examines the ‘Intention to Receive the COVID-19 Vaccines' or IRV from three perspectives: the health belief model, behavioural economics, and institutional quality.Design/methodology/approachThis study provides quantitative analysis by applying Chi-squared test of contingencies, paired sample t-tests, exploratory factor analysis, and multiple linear regression (stepwise method) on the data collected from 591 respondents mainly from Malaysia.FindingsThe results show that Perceived Benefits, Perceived Barriers, Perceived Susceptibility, Herding, and Institutional Quality play roles as predictors of IRV. Perceived Benefits play the most crucial role among the predictors and Perceived Barriers is the least important predictor. People have the herding mentality after being exposed to information encouraging such behaviour.Originality/valueThis study reveals that the respondents changed their behaviour in different circumstances when exposed to information that incorporates the effect of herding. Herding mentality, the effectiveness of government authorities, and regulatory quality have become important factors in enriching public health policies and the effectiveness of interventions.

Institutional Quality and Education Quality in Developing Countries: Effects and Transmission Channels

The main objective of this study is to analyze the effect of institutional quality on education quality in developing countries. The literature review explores the channels through which institutional quality transits to affect education quality. The empirical analyses cover a sample of 82 developing countries. The main results obtained using ordinary least squares and two-stage least squares estimators show that institutional quality has a positive effect on student achievement and school completion, and a negative effect on educational failure. Concerning the role of transmission channels, the results show that a deterioration in institutional quality, characterized in particular by the presence of corruption, political instability, or the deterioration of government effectiveness, reduces the effectiveness of public spending on education and the quality of teaching through unethical behavior of teachers and the recruitment of untrained or less trained persons to carry out teaching tasks.

The Impact of Epidemics on Green Innovation: Global Analysis

Epidemics and their resulting pandemics have become essential factors influencing economic development, financial stability, poverty, and ultimately a country's innovation level, including green technology innovation. This research thus investigates epidemic events' correlation to green innovation by operating with skewed panel data involving 134 countries from 1971 to 2018 and provides compelling proof that Epidemics have a detrimental effect on green innovation, not only for the current year but also for the next six years. We also show that the quality of institutions and financial development levels weaken epidemics' detrimental effects on green innovation. Overall, the findings would draw particular attention from policymakers.

A few implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for international business strategy research

The pandemic is not only changing the structure and functioning of the world economy, but it will also have lasting impacts on the international business strategies of large multinational enterprises (MNEs). We have identified new research questions in the realm of effective governance design, host country opportunities and risks, appropriate levels of subsidiary integration, and the desired involvement of foreign subsidiaries in expanding the firm's activity domain. For scholars studying the strategies of the world's largest firms, this is an opportunity to design better research studies, more closely aligned with managerial practice and therefore more likely to include sound managerial prescriptions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Institutional quality and COVID-19 vaccination: does decentralization matter?

Vaccination campaigns are one of the factors that can help mitigate the adverse effects of viral pandemics. The aim of this paper is to understand the institutional factors that are associated with a higher success rate, measured by the percentage of vaccinated population against COVID-19 across countries. Along with supply side determinants, institutional factors, related, at the national level, to the organization of the healthcare sector, governance and organization of the State and social capital, and, at the subnational level related to the authority and autonomy of lower tiers of government, are important correlates of successful vaccination campaigns, suggesting potential areas of public policy interventions.

How Institutions Moderated the Pandemic's Economic Impact in EU Member States

We investigate how institutional quality affected the economic downturn in EU countries during the COVID‐19 pandemic (2020–21). Using quarterly panel data, we show that countries with a higher quality of governance and a higher score of economic freedom suffered markedly less. Importantly, institutions mattered more when the pandemic shock was larger. Thus, the pandemic highlights the asymmetric impact of seemingly symmetric exogenous shock on EU economies and raises important issues about the necessary reforms for short‐run resilience and long‐run convergence.

Graduation hypothesis: does government social spending follow the pattern of fiscal response?

This paper provides evidence for the cyclical behaviour of public social spending in 65 industrial and developing countries during 1980-2010. In view of the recent economic crisis, we pay particular attention to whether government spending in the social sector has followed the pattern of fiscal response: whether the developing world could escape the procyclicality trap and behave countercyclically. The estimates based on correlation and panel regression analysis show that developing countries were able to graduate from procyclical to countercyclical social spending. The study further examines the factors that affect the way social spending is conducted in these countries. Given the current pandemic situation, it is believed that developing countries could address the health crisis by undertaking comprehensive reform programs to slow the spread of the pandemic and alleviate the economic damage.

Health belief and behaviour: an analysis of the predictors for receiving COVID-19 vaccines in Malaysia

Purpose: The paper examines the ‘Intention to Receive the COVID-19 Vaccines’ or IRV from three perspectives: the health belief model, behavioural economics, and institutional quality. Design/methodology/approach: This study provides quantitative analysis by applying Chi-squared test of contingencies, paired sample t-tests, exploratory factor analysis, and multiple linear regression (stepwise method) on the data collected from 591 respondents mainly from Malaysia. Findings: The results show that Perceived Benefits, Perceived Barriers, Perceived Susceptibility, Herding, and Institutional Quality play roles as predictors of IRV. Perceived Benefits play the most crucial role among the predictors and Perceived Barriers is the least important predictor. People have the herding mentality after being exposed to information encouraging such behaviour. Originality/value: This study reveals that the respondents changed their behaviour in different circumstances when exposed to information that incorporates the effect of herding. Herding mentality, the effectiveness of government authorities, and regulatory quality have become important factors in enriching public health policies and the effectiveness of interventions. © 2022, Consilz Tan and Chee Yoong Liew.

Coronavirus pandemic impact on bank performance.

This study examines the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic on the performance of the banking sector. Our sample consists of 1,575 banks in 85 countries from 2020Q1 to 2021Q4. The findings demonstrate that the COVID-19 outbreak has significantly decreased bank performance. Moreover, the adverse impact of COVID-19 on the bank's performance depends on the bank's and country-specific aspects. The adverse effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on bank performance is higher in smaller, undercapitalized, and less diversified banks. At the same time, a better institutional environment and financial development have significantly increased the strength and resilience of banks. The results are quite robust to using the alternative bank performance measures and estimation techniques. These findings provide practical implications for regulators and policymakers in the face of unprecedented uncertainty caused by COVID-19 epidemics.

How Institutions Moderated the Pandemic's Economic Impact in EU Member States

We investigate how institutional quality affected the economic downturn in EU countries during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-21). Using quarterly panel data, we show that countries with a higher quality of governance and a higher score of economic freedom suffered markedly less. Importantly, institutions mattered more when the pandemic shock was larger. Thus, the pandemic highlights the asymmetric impact of seemingly symmetric exogenous shock on EU economies and raises important issues about the necessary reforms for short-run resilience and long-run convergence.

The effect of institutions on R&D investment: the case of four mediterranean euro area states

Purpose This study investigates the impact of institutional factors on firms investing in R&D. Design/methodology/approach The study uses data from the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys for the Republic of Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Portugal. A model with institutional factors as explanatory variables and firm performance factors as control variables is estimated with weighted least squares heteroscedasticity corrected regression. The reverse causality problem is addressed by using a two-stage least squares regression approach. Findings The findings indicate that institutional quality has a significant influence on firms' R&D expenditure. The results have several implications in relation to findings of previous research. Research limitations/implications The inclusion of more countries that were affected by the European economic crisis will probably give more insights about the effect of institutional factors on R&D. Practical implications Policy makers have to address short-comings in institutional quality, particularly in terms of the labor regulation burden. Policy makers should prioritize anti-corruption measures to foster an environment that would attract more R&D in the Republic of Cyprus and Greece. Originality/value This study contributes to the growing body of literature investigating the impact of institutional factors on R&D. It focuses on four developed European countries that bore the brunt of the European economic crisis and have to implement their recovery and resilience plans successfully, in order to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their economic activity.

The dynamic nexus of E-Government, and sustainable development: Moderating role of multi-dimensional regional integration index in Belt and Road partner countries

This research primarily aims to determine how e-government resource utilization influences sustainable development (SD) while considering the multi-dimensional regional integration (MRII). The sample consists of year 2003–2018 for 64 Belt and Road countries. The study uses the untapped potential moderating role of MRII between the e-government, and the genuine savings index (GSI) for sustainable development. Further, governance composite (WGI), institutional quality (ICRG), government consumptions, macroeconomics conditions, information and communications technology (ICT) exports, and population size are the other important factors that drive sustainable development. The study's findings are estimated through a two-step system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM). Direct channel results of e-government level indicate a significant but negative impact on sustainable development as most countries in BRI are developing or under developing. While with regional integration, indirect channel e-government resources play a significant positive role in sustainable development path. Also, it is evident that in this Covid-19 pandemic period, a better technological system and innovation at the institutional level of countries like China may combat Covid-19 effectively in a more robust manner. At the same time, regional integration at a multi-dimensional level further enhances sustainable development path for neighboring and regionally interconnected countries. Therefore, regional integration can help to an extent in combating post-Covid-19 pandemic effects with the help of robust e-government system implementation. This study contributes to the e-government transformation in the multi-dimensional regional integration of BRI contexts, which boosts socio-economic growth.

Impact of institutional and regulatory quality on FDI inflow: case of a developing Indian economy

The study examines the impact of regulatory & institutional quality (IQ) on FDI inflows, focusing on select factors to explain evolving FDI patterns in India over 2006–2019. India, one of the top 5 FDI attracting nations in the Asian region, is taking various measures to improve IQ and encourages FDI. The reforms facilitating the Ease of starting business and reduction in EPU significantly and positively impacts FDI;however, the measures easing trade across border and resolving insolvency has a positive but insignificant impact of FDI. In addition, deteriorating Labor Freedom significantly inhibits FDI. The results demonstrate that improvement in IQ positively influences FDI;however, the IQ impact is insignificant in some cases due to the weak institutional structure. The study suggests that IQ factors tend to be pivotal in attracting FDI inflows, but India is yet to arrive.

SUCCESS STORY OF CONTROLLING COVID-19 IN EAST ASIA: LESSONS FOR SOUTH ASIA

The novel coronavirus is an issue of life and death. The main purpose of the study is to know the East Asian success story of controlling Covid-19 and identify which strategies could be a lesson for South Asia and to examine the influence of good governance on controlling COVID-19. Total daily cases of COVID-19 are collected from March 10 to June 15 for East Asian and March 4 to June 15 for South Asian countries. ARIMA forecasting, ADF test, stability test, and diagnostic tests are applied. The minimum value of AIC and BIC shows the appropriate model is ARIMA (0, 1, 1) for both regions. In the East and South Asian model, the coefficients of the constant term are -0.759451 and 198.0155, and coefficients of MA (1) are -0.715686 and -0.339701 respectively for both regions. It's significant at a 1% significance level and support our hypotheses that the total daily cases of COVID-19 decreasing into East Asia but increasing into South Asia and prove that the South Asia region has faced a lot of difficulties to tackle COVID-19 as most of the countries have not enough government capacity, weak institutions, limited resources, narrow government reaches to the vulnerable people and corruption compare to East Asian region and no actual strategies are yet noticeable from the governments of South Asia as a result transmission increases day by day. That is why;we think that South Asian countries could take lessons from East Asian countries as these countries are more successful to control COVID-19.

Social capital, quality of institutions and lockdown. Evidence from Italian provinces.

This paper uses the exogenous shock generated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the relative government response as an informative case in investigating the factors able to affect policy efficacy. Lockdown measures have been widely adopted to limit the diffusion of COVID-19, indirectly supporting the capacity of the hospital system to face the pandemic. Lockdown obliges people to change their social behaviour significantly, and consequently is a matter of serious concern amongst the population. For this reason, how people react to lockdown is of the utmost importance, since failure to observe it properly will be of little benefit in reducing contagion. In this rationale, factors correlated with individuals' behaviour could affect the efficacy of such measures. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether differences in institutional quality and social capital are correlated with the efficacy of lockdown measures, taking the Italian provinces as a case study. Using a quantitative analysis employing F-GLS estimators, our results suggest that both local social capital and institutional quality have affected the efficiency of lockdown measures in Italian provinces. In general terms these factors contribute to forming the set of incentives able to promote individual behaviour that is in closer compliance with government choices. In this perspective, institutional quality and social capital can be considered factors able to influence the efficacy of policies.

Global Evidence on the Determinants of Public Trust in Governments during the COVID-19.

Using the Global Behaviors and Perceptions in the COVID-19 Pandemic dataset covering 108,918 respondents from 178 countries, the paper examines the determinants of public trust in governments during the COVID-19. It is found that older and healthy people trust more to their governments. Education is negatively related to trust in governments. The results are robust to consider different measures of trust in government as well as including various controls, such as precautionary behaviors, first-order beliefs, second-order beliefs, and the COVID-19 prevalence in the country. The findings are also valid for countries at different stages of economic development as well to varying levels of globalization, institutional quality, and freedom of the press.