Since 1999, China’s higher education has experienced significant growth, with the government dramatically increasing college enrollment rates, thereby enhancing the overall quality of education. However, most existing studies have primarily focused on the quantity of education, with little attention having been given to the impact of higher education quality (HEQ) on economic growth. This study aims to explore how higher education quality (HEQ) contributes to regional economic growth through scientific and technological innovation (STI) and human capital accumulation. Using panel data from 31 Chinese provinces from the period 1999 to 2022, panel regression models and instrumental variable methods were employed to analyze both the direct and indirect impacts of higher education quality (HEQ) on economic growth. The results confirm that improving higher education quality (HEQ) is crucial for sustaining China’s economic growth. More specifically, higher education promotes regional economic expansion both directly, by enhancing labor productivity, and indirectly, by facilitating scientific and technological innovation. Furthermore, the study suggests that the balanced distribution of educational resources across regions should be prioritized to support coordinated regional development. This research provides insights for policymakers on how balanced regional economic development can be achieved through educational and technological policies. This work also lays a foundation for future studies.

This study investigates the influence of government expenditure on the economic growth of the ASEAN-5 countries from 2000 to 2021. The study employs the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) ARDL model and robust least squares method. The importance of the current study lies in its analysis of the short and long-run impact of government expenditure on economic growth in ASEAN-5. The empirical findings demonstrate a positive relationship between government expenditure and economic growth in the long run. These results align with the Keynesian perspective, asserting that government expenditure stimulates economic growth. The study also confirms one-way causality from government expenditure to economic growth, supporting the Keynesian hypothesis. These insights hold significance for policymakers in the ASEAN-5, highlighting the necessity for policies promoting the effective allocation of productive government expenditure. Moreover, it is important to enhance systems that promote economic growth and efficiently allocated economic resources toward productive expenditures while also maintaining effective governance over such expenditures.

In recent years, how farmers leverage social capital to improve their well-being has become a crucial question in post-poverty alleviation China. This study assessed the impact of ‘linking social capital’ on farmers’ well-being, as mediated by self-efficacy. The study was conducted using data collected from 443 randomly selected farmers from two villages in Guizhou Province, China. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the proposed relationships in the study. The results indicate that linking social capital, when mediated by self-efficacy, positively impacted farmers’ well-being. This suggests that policymakers and implementers exercising hierarchical power in social improvement programs in disadvantaged provinces, such as Guizhou, should take full advantage of linking social capital to effectively improve farmers’ well-being. In doing so, the study concludes, they should consider the positive role farmers’ self-efficacy can play in the process.

This study highlights the importance of social capital within third sector organizations, as in other sectors of the economy, and confirms the influence of social capital on human capital. In this case, it contributes to the analysis of the structure and quality of relationships among members of a social organization, which enables motivation and commitment to collective action. Based on exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, from a 45-item survey applied to 190 workers in social organizations; the constructs were reconfigured for the construction of the model of organizational social capital, was carried out using the structural equation methodology. It is argued that the cognitive and structural dimensions of social capital affect its relational dimension in terms of identification, trust and cooperation, which in turn influences worker motivation and other key aspects of human capital. The relational dimension, measured by workers’ identification, trust, and cooperation, has significant effects on their motivation and work engagement, which leads to important practical considerations for human resource policies in these organizations. The article contributes to the existing literature on human capital management by exploring the perception of workers in nonprofit organizations that are part of Ecuador’s third sector.

Instability is inherent in global capitalism, impacting all countries, particularly those directly reliant on this economic framework. The USA shapes tourism metrics in dependent nations and influences inbound tourism spending. Using logarithmic models and power tests, the study delineated four dynamic fields (Cn) supporting the thesis of the fusion of tourism and temporary residency. This study demonstrates that tourism and migration correlate with political, economic, and social instability, as evidenced by high statistical correlations. Variance increases during instability, leading to more residency petitions per tourist entry. This pattern is repeated during three major crises: the 2008–2009 financial crisis, the 2011–2013 conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, and the 2016–2017 regional political turmoil and Venezuelan migration. Economic classification tests confirm the association between instability, armed conflict, and heightened tourism and residency tendencies. Tourism income rises steadily, and residency averages increase, especially during periods of regional instability. The study highlights the tight link between tourism and migration with political, economic, and social instability. The statistical analysis reveals significant correlations, showing higher residency pressure during unstable periods. The applied tests confirm that countries in turmoil exhibit heightened tourism and migration tendencies.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is related to the dynamic development of digital skills. This article focuses on the impact of AI on the work of non-profit organizations that aim to help those around them. Based on 10 semi-structured interviews, it is presented here how it is possible to work with AI and in which areas it can be used—in social marketing, project management, routine bureaucracy. At the same time, workers and volunteers need to be educated in critical and logical thinking more than ever before. These days, AI is becoming more and more present in almost all the activities, bringing several benefits to those making use of it. On the one hand, by using AI in the day-to-day activities, the entities are able to substantially decrease their costs and have the advantage of being able to have, in most cases, a better and faster job done. On the other hand, those individuals that are more creative and more innovative in their line of work should not feel threatened by those situations in which organizations decide to use more AI technologies rather than human beings for the routine activities, since they will get the opportunity to perform tasks that truly require their intellectual capital and decision making abilities.