Loans are a critical transmission channel for commercial banks as well as an important revenue source. Macroeconomic factors are not within the control of commercial banks, however, select factors are observed to have a direct impact on lending behaviour in studies around the world. This study examined the relationship between macroeconomic variables and the lending behaviour of banks in South Africa for the period ranging from 2001 to 2022. Quarterly time series data was employed using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL). The empirical results of the paper revealed that there is a long-run relationship between the repurchase rate (repo rate), inflation, the real effective exchange rate (REER) and lending behaviour in South Africa. The REER and inflation were both found to have a positive relationship, whilst the repo rate had a negative relationship. In addition, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the activity rate and sovereign credit rating (SCR) changes returned insignificant results. Overall, these findings show that select macroeconomic factors do influence lending behaviour in South Africa. Furthermore, the results suggest that monetary policy decisions have a direct influential effect on lending and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has implemented their policies effectively.

This research presents a bibliometric review of scientific production on the social and economic factors that influence mortality from tuberculosis between the years 2000 and 2024. The analysis covered 1742 documents from 848 sources, revealing an annual growth of 6% in scientific production with a notable increase starting in 2010, reaching a peak in 2021. This increase reflects growing concern about socioeconomic inequalities affecting tuberculosis mortality, exacerbated in part by the COVID-19 pandemic. The main authors identified in the study include Naghavi, Basu and Hay, whose works have had a significant impact on the field. The most prominent journals in the dissemination of this research are Plos One, International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and The Lancet. The countries with the greatest scientific production include the United States, the United Kingdom, India and South Africa, highlighting a strong international contribution and a global approach to the problem. The semantic development of the research shows a concentration on terms such as “mortality rate”, “risk factors” and “public health”, with a thematic map highlighting driving themes such as “socioeconomic factors” and “developing countries”. The theoretical evolution reflects a growing interest in economic and social aspects to gender contexts and associated diseases. This study provides a comprehensive view of current scientific knowledge, identifying key trends and emerging areas for future research.

This paper analyzes the relevance of social accounting information for managing financial institutions, using Banca Transilvania Financial Group (BTFG) as a case study. It explores how social accounting data can enhance decision-making processes within these institutions. Social information from BTFG’s annual integrated reports was used to construct a social balance sheet, and financial data was collected to calculate economic value added (EVA) and social value added (SVA). Research question include: Does social accounting represent a lever for substantiating the managerial decision in financial institutions? Results show that SVA is a valuable indicator for financial institution managers, reflecting the institution’s contributions to social well-being, environmental impact, and community support. Policy implications suggest regulatory bodies should mandate the inclusion of social accounting metrics in financial reporting standards to encourage socially responsible practices, enhance transparency, and incentivize institutions achieving high SVA. This paper contributes to the literature by demonstrating the practical application of social accounting in financial institutions and highlighting the importance of SVA as a managerial tool. It aligns with existing research on integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) metrics into financial decision-making, enhancing the understanding of combining social and economic indicators for comprehensive performance assessment The abstract covers motivation, methodology, results, policy implications, and contributions to the literature.

The role of technology in stimulating economic growth needs to be reexamined considering current heightened economic conditions of Asian developing Economies. This study conducts a comparative analysis of technology proxied by R&D expenditures alongside macroeconomic variables crucial for economic growth. Monthly time-series data from 1990 to 2019 were analyzed using a vector error correction model (VECM), revealing a significant impact of technology on the economic growth of India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. However, in the cases of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Bangladesh, macroeconomic indicators were found more crucial to their economic growth. Results of Granger causality underlined the relationship of R&D expenditures and macroeconomic variables with GDP growth rates. Sensitivity analyses endorsed robustness of the results which highlighted the significance and originality of this study in economic growth aligned with sustainable development goals (SDGs) for developing countries.

The Urabá region, known for its banana production, faces significant challenges due to seasonal droughts that affect crop productivity. The implementation of innovative technologies, such as efficient irrigation systems, is presented as a potential solution to improve the sustainability and profitability of plantations. This study validates the implementation of an irrigation system in a banana (Musa spp.) plantation located in the region of Urabá, in order to meet the water needs of the crop during periods of drought. A case study was carried out in a banana plantation in the region of Urabá, considering the maximum and minimum monthly losses due to drought, and a random sample was used to measure the weight before and after the implementation of the irrigation system, in order to carry out an economic analysis. The study shows that the implementation of a sprinkler irrigation system increases the average weight of the harvested bunches by 20%, which is reflected in an annual increase of 30.3% of exported boxes, obtaining satisfactory results in terms of internal rate of return, cost-benefit ratio and return on investment. The implementation of irrigation systems makes it possible to increase competitiveness in international markets, especially in regions such as Urabá, where the use of these technologies is still incipient.