ABSTRACT
This study examines the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI), institutional quality and human development) in host countries from 2002 to 2019, using the Human Development Index [HDI] as the measure of human development. This study utilized a panel dataset of 143 countries, including both developed and developing economies, over a 17-year period. Additionally, the study employed a GMM (generalized method of moments) estimator to address unobservable heterogeneity and simultaneity. This study reveals a significant positive relationship between FDI and human development, with a stronger effect observed in developing countries compared to in developed countries. Notably, the impact of FDI-HDI nexus is larger in countries with moderately high-quality institutions, irrespective of their income level. Furthermore, good governance plays a crucial role in enhancing human development, as developing economies with high governance quality experience a greater impact of FDI on HDI compared to other countries. The findings of this study suggest that attracting FDI can be beneficial for enhancing the HDI, especially in developing countries. Additionally, the study highlights governance as a moderating factor in the relationship between FDI and HDI. Improving governance quality can enhance the positive impact of FDI on human development in host countries, especially in developing countries.
ABSTRACT
Our study uses a small area estimation method to estimate the average and inequality of per capita kWh consumption for small areas in Vietnam. It shows evidence of a large spatial heterogeneity in the electric power consumption between districts and provinces in Vietnam. Households in the mountains and highlands consumed remarkably less electricity than those in the delta and coastal areas. Notably, we find a U-shaped relationship between the inequality of electricity consumption and economic levels in Vietnam. In poor districts and provinces, there is very high inequality in electricity consumption. Inequality is lower in middle-income districts and provinces.
Subject(s)
Economic Development , Income , Family Characteristics , Electricity , Vietnam/epidemiologyABSTRACT
This paper examines the effect of fertility on the participation of women in the labor market and other labor market outcomes in Vietnam, using Vietnam Labor Force Survey data. To address the endogeneity issue in fertility, we use an instrumental variable estimation method based on parental preference for the mixed-sex composition of the first two children. Our findings indicate that number of children has a negative impact on maternal participation in the labor market and on working hours but has no effect on earnings. We find that the effect on participation in the market is important for younger women aged 21-35 years but insignificant for older women aged 36-50 years. The older group responds by reducing their working hours rather than leaving the labor force. Our results support the position that the rise in female participation in the labor force in Vietnam can be partially attributed to the overall decline in fertility during the last three decades and helps validate the Vietnamese government's planning policy.
ABSTRACT
Using the Färe-Primont index and instrumental variable fixed effect estimation for the data of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), this study considers if receiving government financial support enables SMEs in Vietnam to become more productive. The paper discovers no evidence of linkage between financial support and firm productivity. However, access to financial support improves technological progress and growth in firm scale but has a negative effect on improvement in technical efficiency. The estimation results reveal that the use of productivity as an aggregated index in previous studies may hide the real effect of government support on firm productivity.
